name	week 1	Week 2	Week 3	total
GARTH	40			40
DAVE G	39			39
JUSTIN	30			30
PETER T	23			23
GEOFF	23			23
CHRIS	22			22
DEAN	15			15
JOHN L	14			14
SMOKIN' JOE	14			14
PHIL P	13			13
SAMMY	13			13
BIRD LOBSTER	9			9

Our judges Bo and Gay write, "Bo and I have finally, after due consideration of all entries (and NO bribes), made our final decision in the High Jinx Caption Comp. AND, the winner is...Ms Stella"

Congratulations to Stella for the winning entry. Thanks to the judges, all the great entries (which are definitely worth another look) and of course the cartoonist himself!

Everyone was a winner at last night's first Non-NPC HPDP Pool Comp Post-NPC Final (N-NHPCP-NF) 2011. Although the turnout post-"that other cup-fever event" was sadly far from the recent sellout NPC 32-player comps, the still-lively and enthusiastic banter was accompanied by the ching-ching of additional points being racked up by all who deigned it important to be there on the night.

Several theories as to why last night's disappointing 8-player comp came to be were postulated including that people were recovering physically and/or financially from the excesses of "that other" cup day. Others suggested NPC burnout and stress-therapy schedule conflicts. Some unconfirmed reports attributed this condition to Dave G who is perhaps suffering from an acute bout of Blankie-Withdrawal Syndrome (BWS).

The night started with some concern as the presence of just one pool table (owing to the current Toccie renovations) may have potentially thwarted plans of being able to hold another 32-player comp. Ironically, it was the thoughtfulness of others for not turning up which was then appreciatively voiced by those present.

In what appeared to be a live demonstration that it wasn't just the NPC recently inspiring him, Peter T went on to fight off some tough opposition with relative newcomer Lyndon and then not-too-regular-but-becoming-more-regular, Chris, in the semis before taking on Dean in the finals. Peter T's (186.5) eventual win on the night managed to further erode Roelof's (191.5) now-flimsy lead, leaving just 5 points between the two. Perhaps that cheeky larrikin (name withheld) was correct when recently overheard suggesting that Peter T's form tapers off during the winter months but improves with the warmer climes.

Perhaps reflecting a mirror image of that, John L's unfortunate loss in the 1st round against cool-headed opponent Liz saw him not only take early retirement but also an early return to the pavilion. The 2 bonus points he still collected for simply participating (note to all) brought his annual total exactly to the century mark. This was possibly some form of subtle spiritual wake-up call to John that he does indeed need to catch up with the 21st century. Dean's extra 8 points on the night saw a rejiggidy of 3rd and 4th places between himself (122) and Lee (120.5) who crashed and burned in the 1st round, possibly also a victim of post-NPC stress trauma.

Full results as always at: http://stats.hpdp.org.au

Other Updates

John L was also sadly missed at the traditional after-party which proved to be a veritable ocean-sized pool of creative talent encouraged and spurred on by the boundless wit and slap-stick comedy of that master and mentor of cartoonery and tomfoolery, the JinkMeister himself. A flurry of posts to Jink's caption guessing competition was made on the night putting the total number of contending captions by the end of the day to an impressive 15. John L, always an early-mover (although sometimes possibly too quick to be off the mark) on creative challenges such as these, put in an early rather left-field pitch in the morning. He then continued to confound readers when he admitted later that night to several incredulous faces that no illicit substances had been used in the formulation of his contribution (possibly referring to them not being required*).
* citation needed

On administrative matters, discussion was initiated by the ChuckleMeister at the after-bash about the impartiality of the judging particularly as the MeisterScheisseter himself wished to take the opportunity to improve upon his own, yet to be disclosed, original caption. Following this lively discussion, it was subsequently agreed by the quorum present that:

• an arms-length independent and impartial 3-person judging panel* be appointed;
• the highly-secret original caption be handwritten on holy papyrus paper (or sanctioned substitute, e.g. a roughly folded torn scrap of A4 paper);
• this then be held under the strictest of security measures in a secret location nominated by the MegaMeister himself (see attached pic for confirmation: foi_secret_caption_top_secret_hiding_place.jpg); and
• the original caption only be disclosed after the closing of entries and announcement of the winner by the panel.

* Tentatively named: High Jinx Cartoon Caption Guessing Competition Independent Impartial Judging Panel (HJCCGCIIJP)

Some suggestions for panel members were made and these will be followed up and their availability reported on here. Any other suggestions for independent, impartial judges should be sent to the HPDP mailing list.

Signing off till next time.

Peter T