The Art of Losing at Pinochle

I'm avoiding homework ... both for grad school and work, so I decided to write instead.

I don't think anyone has quite perfected losing at pinochle as well as I have. Last night I lost three games; two with a partner and one at cutthroat. The worst of the losses was with a score of 499 the hand before the other team won. (500 wins the game) Even more annoying though, is that I taught both of my opponents how to play the game! What is that saying about the student surpassing the teacher?

Most of the time I'm a good sport, but I have been on a losing streak for some time now. Even so, I'm usually happy if it has been a good game and I've had a few decent hands to bid on. Last night wasn't bad, but my partner wasn't dealt a really good hand all night ... been there, done that, wouldn't even wish it on my opponent. Ok, yes I would.

My parents used to play pinochle with a woman, Ann Chance, who always muttered something about "Goobie Dust" when she wanted better hands. I need to find out how that works and get some of that stuff. I also need to figure out how to get the bathtub to work in my favor ... Christy (my partner in losing last night) says winning has something to do with how you are sitting in relation to the tub. I think maybe my tub has never heard of pinochle.