by Corey Macourek

This event is open to the public – all ages – and everyone is invited to attend and participate. If you bring children they might end up with a very odd gift more suitable for adults. I’m happy to say that this will be our fifth year of astonishing each other with truly absurd Christmas gifts. Now is your chance to re-gift that present your aunt gave you last year. Or maybe you bought something at a garage sale and your common sense kicked in when you go home, so it’s been living in the garage. Or maybe you found something that has the perfect “IT” factor for this event.
The ‘updated’ rules for the White Elephant Gift Exchange:

1. The gift must be “absurd”.
2. If you buy the gift, you must not spend more than $20.
3. You’re gift must be wrapped, or at the very least fully concealed in a festive bag.
4. Those who bring get to participate.
5. Numbers will be drawn from a fez to determine order.
6. You can select a gift from a table or steal a gift from a person who already chose a gift.
7. A gift can only be stolen three times, at which time it becomes locked-in.
8. The person who went first gets a chance at the end of the round to steal a gift.
9. The Trading, purchasing, bartering or auctioning of gifts after the exchange is allowed.
10. No books on Nazis.

In the event that there are extra gifts, they will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. We take credit cards.

This month’s Open Swim was Evolution, wherein creatures were drawn at their various stages of development. It was a rare all-ages event. Voting was done for two categories: Group, and Individual. In Group, the three stages of life for one creature was drawn by three different people. These were determined randomly by the Gamemaster. As you might have guessed, Individual had all three stages drawn by the same person.

The Group category was won by Monlux, Brill & Stowe
The Individual was won by Monlux

Evolution – Monlux, Brill, Stowe – Group Winner

Evolution – Individual Winner – Mark Monlux “CAT”

Evolution Rob Larson “Magnetorpion”

Evolution “Hooksnorkle”

Evolution – Cory M. “Doug”

Evolution – Barrett Stowe “Holy Mother of God What Is It?”

Evolution – Rob Larson “Heinous Electrocution Fiend”

Evolution – Lawrence Erhardt “Eggranodon”

Evolution – JAR “Catzer”

Evolution – Audrey Stowe “He/She will come and get you.”

Evolution – Lenny “Untitled”

Evolution – Stan! “Untitled”

Evolution – Brill “B.E.M.”

On Wednesday, July 23rd 2014, The CLAW Open Swim featured “You Complete Me”. Participants were given a partial drawing to complete in an hour. The rules were simple. You could do as many drawings as you wanted, but each would be voted on separately. All participants were given four voting marbles. Black marbles were given to the images that were the most creative and/or interesting. White marbles counted as negative votes for being too mysogynistic. There was a three way tie for third place, and one image was declare more mysogynistic than the others. Credit is given as clearly as could be read from the signatures.

The template

First Place – Mark Monlux

by Mark Monlux

Second Place – Mark Brill

by Mark Brill

Third Place [tied] – RR Anderson

Third Place [tied] – Hank

By Hank

Third Place [tied] – David

Most Mysogynistic – by RR Anderson

Josiah Martin

Kason C. Coulter

RR Anderson

Kevin Knodell

Mark Monlux

Kason C. Coulter

by Kason C. Coulter

Draden

Josiah Martin

RR Anderson

Mark Brill

by Mark Brill