| Bad Tie Day
Moon Station Foxtrot journal matt@moonstationfoxtrot.com |
Bad Tie Day is a special day at the office, created by our morale officer, Grant. Competitors put in 300 yen each. The women in the office vote for their 1st (3 points), 2nd (2 points), and 3rd place (1 point) winners. Points are tallied and the proceeds divided. Our first foray, a few months ago, ended in a smashing victory for the Americans with 1st place going to me, a Texas boy, for "Fields of Fire" followed by Kevin (Portland, Oregon) for "Fractal Fantasy" in 2nd, and Ben (an Australian Queenslander) for "Brassy Buttons" in 3rd. The three of us left some pretty naive slackjaws foundering in our wake. This time around, the competition was fiercer. The field had wisened up and most of us had a pretty good idea what it would take to walk away with a prize. However, in a shocking turn, beginners luck took the day, as Thomas (an Australian), and Jeff (from Toronto), took 1st and 3rd places, for "You're Yellow" and "Alien Analprobe" respectively. I struck silver (600 yen of it) for "Fractured Fruit", in a second place startler. Grant, our founder, who in each of the contests, has been pretty damned cock-sure of his chances, has yet to sway any of the judges to his favor. Although, to be fair, his hideous Chinese monkey tie "Sino-Simian" made a decent show today, causing a few pangs of uncertitude in some of his rivals. Last contest's 2nd and third place winners were not present for today's game, with Ben feigning illness, and Kevin genuinely mentally ill. There were a few rumblings of misguided judging post-contest, but in the end those doubts were quelled, and good sportsmanship took center stage in an afterparty barroom blowout where some of Nishinomiya's greatest rivals in ties became great friends in beer.
