By May 1, the deadline for prospective undergraduates to commit to attend, it became clear to Imélie who was going to make the team and who wasn't. So to all the others that didn't make the cut, it might seem a little curt, but here's an excerpt of the email she proceeds to send to those trolls who clearly lack any genuine interest in playing intercollegiate quiz bowl: "Thank you for your interest in Tulane quiz bowl. Unfortunately, your inability to discern a true clue from a false one makes you too vulnerable to misleading questions in intercollegiate quiz bowl competition and therefore you didn't make the cut for the team"
And those unlucky few who were genuinely interested but didn't seem to meet the standards she put for the team's reconstruction plan are instead treated to the following: "Thank you for your interest in Tulane quiz bowl. Unfortunately, it appears that, in a talent-filled student body, there are only so many that can partake in intercollegiate quiz bowl play, and it seems that you may be better served playing intramural quiz bowl or equivalent this season. May you find another student organization that makes you happy during your time at Tulane" Because, in the end, there was a lot of noise, a lot of people whose skill level was nowhere near what she feels is necessary for a successful rebuild and only a handful of prospects she viewed as legitimate.
I think it's a good idea to keep in touch with those players on the team for the next season but only after the HSNCT for those participating; I don't want to interfere with their training and experience of competing as I know how important it is for someone on a team taking part in it, Imélie ponders what's next for team bonding. Life is as good as it has ever been for the Green Wave quiz bowl program!
So while she had good reason to be optimistic for the future of the Green Wave quiz bowl program, the following work day, at lunch, she does not suspect that another set of memories would be triggered by one of her coworkers when one of them starts talking about his new shoes.
"I didn't buy shoes in years, but these new shoes are much more comfortable than my last ones!" Keshav, the controller, comments.
"What model and brand are they?" the full-stack developer asks, wishing to buy a pair.
"Vans ComfyCush Old Skools"
"Oh, Vans shoes... Vans reminds me of some high school math contest in which I won a pair of shoes of that brand" Imélie comments upon hearing the word Vans. As if that word was a trigger for parasitic memories.
"Vans sponsoring a math contest?" That's news to me! the full-stack developer asks, surprised that a shoe manufacturer that's much better-known for sponsoring music and sports events would sponsor a high school math contest as well.
"My oldest kid starts high school next year, and they never heard about a Vans-sponsored math contest before; I wonder what that contest is like and whether I can be of any help to prepare them for it" Keshav then tells the two of them.
"If today's contest is anything like when I participated in it, there are two rounds. The first round amounts to taking an AP Calculus BC test at the halfway mark of the year. If, and that's a big if, your kid's school qualifies for the final, the final would then feel like taking a cumulative multi-variable calculus final at Harvard or equivalent" Imélie talks about the Vans Math Contest.
Oh God, why did I bring up that math contest when they talk about shoes? Did I make a faux pas? Sure, year after year, the Venomous Agendas fanbase expects their favorites to qualify for the final, and they're one of the handful few schools that can actually be in the discussion for gold at the VMC year in, year out, Imélie ponders while she fights a tornado of memories that seem to sweep her mind at that point.
"The final sounds hard; I wonder if there are any restrictions on who can participate in it" the full-stack developer muses, after hearing the description of the contest content.
"Vans usually recommends students wishing to compete to take AP Calculus BC concurrently or before competing in it. I won't pretend to know how advanced your kids are, but you now have a better idea of what to expect from it" Imélie answers the questions on who should enter the VMC.
"You said that you won a pair of shoes at the VMC. At what level are the shoes won?"
"Unless that has changed since I took part in it, when you qualify for the final. I can't blame them for investing in the youth! But they don't ask for contestants' shoe sizes until the results of the first round come out"
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
I actually started playing quiz bowl in a deal that saw me play at the LQBA State Championship in exchange of which I move from a reservist status for the VMC final junior year to starter. At the time mathletics was the bread and butter of Venomous Agenda extracurricular life, before quiz bowl gained prominence. I was surprised by how good I was for a first-time player so I kept playing quiz bowl for further tournaments senior year, and since I did well at the VMC final that year, I kept doing mathletics as well, Imélie keeps reminiscing about her mathletic past, and her beginnings as a quiz bowler, as she struggles to resist the temptation to fall into the trap of her past.
"I won't mince words, it's a hard contest that takes an entire year of preparation. I think I said all that you need to know about this contest as a parent, other than to avoid pushing the kids too hard. This applies to any activity, and certainly mathletics; the risk of burning out is very real"
"I wonder if you plan on having kids at some point, Imélie. You seem to have what it takes to be a good mother" the full-stack developer comments based on the required preparation for the VMC.
"Speaking of motherhood, I wonder what gender your soon-to-be kid is..." Imélie then asks the full-stack developer.
"It's a girl"
"Thank you"
All these girls that keep coming up in these flashbacks are, to my eyes, extremely smart. And to think I fancied myself the same as some of them intellectually back then, and certainly Marcia or Sadie! Whenever anyone says anything that triggers flashbacks... for some reason, what triggers them all seem to have to do with either quiz bowl or mathletics. I also seem to remember with much greater clarity these girls from high school than those I knew from college, not that they weren't nice or smart by any means, what few girls Tulane had in math or CS just didn't get as close to me, Imélie thinks, while mired in a trap of memories. Now, even though I made the first step towards making my dream for the Green Wave quiz bowl program a reality, I feel dumber than the dumbest of these girls I get flashbacks of all the time!
Meanwhile, because it seemingly took forever for Imélie to a question about motherhood, the other people return to their stations, but Juan takes his break and the two of them are alone.
"I don't know yet whether I can be a good mom or not, but there's so much going on in my life right now that I just want things to settle down before I can even think of having kids"
"As much as you could make a good mother to any future child, I believe, however, there is no passion anymore between the two of us" Juan comments about his own couple life. "As an aside I made an inventory of what I want to use Section three fifty-one on to protect against the divorce"
"Are these assets worth using Section three fifty-one on? Recall that IRC Section three fifty-one must be used only on assets whose fair market value is greater than its UCC or adjusted basis. But maybe marriage counseling or couple therapy could be used before you can think of pulling the trigger on Section three fifty-one. Now, I won't pretend to be a couples therapist, nor a fiscalist, and even then I don't have the faintest clue as to how to approach the topic of couples therapy" Imélie then tells her boss.
"A word of caution: even if everything goes well with the children, sometimes, between them, their parents have issues to resolve of their own" the full-stack developer comments on parenting.
Oh my god! Imélie had to bring up Section 351 in ways that my wife never did! My wife knows nothing about taxation, let alone corporate taxation! I wonder what else Imélie could have to say on the topic of IRC S351 or other tax issues that come up in a divorce... Juan ponders while he could tell Imélie had to make a lot of mental effort to resist the lure of her past, while believing that he has the upper hand in divorce proceedings regardless of what Imélie could possibly contribute.
"Try to finalize your divorce in December if it must come to that, because of taxes, but do consider the possibility of couple's therapy; the courts will not treat a divorce case the same depending on whether there has been good faith attempts to save the marriage beforehand. Now, do not consider anything of what I said about using Section three fifty-one, nor this, as being actual legal advice" Imélie gives further advice.
"Of course not. Just stuff to bring up to my lawyer's attention during my next meeting. Glad to see just how much information you can absorb!" Juan, grateful for what Imélie could say, tries to protect himself from relying too much on her.
"Thank you"
Sometimes when you absorb that much information it's easy to get entangled in a web of details that can bog you down. Far too easy for me to get bogged down in said web, and parasitic memories make me endure extended flashbacks that are sometimes too long for my own good! But just because I'm aware that they happen does not mean I can actually stop them from happening. All I can do for now is attempt to control how deep I can get into my memories when that happens, Imélie thinks while realizing that sometimes she can be insightful provided her brain isn't fried.
"But you didn't answer my question about whether you have assets that you want to conceal that were worth using section three fifty-one"
"Unfortunately, the main items meeting the criterion, the four-oh-one-k and the IRA, cannot be transferred pursuant to section three fifty-one. So I'm afraid it's no use pulling the trigger on section three fifty-one"
"There has to be another way to either save the marriage or make the divorce less bitter, but I can't do anything more for your marriage, nor can I determine whether it is actually worth saving"
"I left you in the dark about what could have led to this second divorce, but it's probably for the better since my wife might suspect you have a hand in it if I told you in more detail"
"It's a very sensitive matter to be sharing with coworkers like me, but why tell me this? I guess the legal department's areas of expertise didn't seem to be there to deal with a divorce, except for the fiscal aspect"