Well, I finally played bridge with real-live people recently.  I didn’t feel like I was ready yet after only a year of study and practice, but some friends set it up, so I went along somewhat reluctantly.  As it turned out, I was fine on the mechanics of the game itself, but unsure about a lot of the little side issues that don’t come into it on the computer—who shuffles the deck for the next deal, who cuts the cards, what do you do if someone misdeals, etc.  The other players were really nice, though, and broke me in gently.  The hardest part of the evening was refusing all the tasty-looking desserts and snacks they’d made.  All in all, it was a really good time.

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