Props to Cox after all

I've written a whole lot this year about how I expected 90 losses.

I've written about expecting a bottoming out and that the team should be blown up.

I've written it's time to start the rebuilding effort and time for old stalwarts (and managers) to go.

Time to write it....

I was wrong.

The Braves won their 82nd game Wednesday night, clinching a winning season due to a three-game sweep of the hapless, actual 90-loss Mets (well, 88 at the moment, but I don't think they're winning 9 of 11 to end the year and avoid 90 losses). I would have written this during the day yesterday, but got caught up and, well, stuff happens.

So, it's time for to admit that I was absolutely, completely wrong in my assessment. Not just a little wrong, but completely wrong in the preseason prediction of powerlessness.

As it stands now, the Braves sit 3.5 games out of the wild card, having jumped over Florida and San Francisco and trailing only Colorado.

I had thought, after two crushing defeats to the Marlins a couple weeks ago and the following five-game slide, that there was no chance at postseason play.

Apparently, the Braves players did not agree, having now won eight of their last ten.

It is possible that the Braves squeak into the postseason. Their remaining schedule has three games in Washington, three games at home against Florida, and four more at home against Washington.

They should win the series in Washington and may even sweep, since they do a lot better on the road and the Nationals are even more atrocious than the Mets.

I'm not sure if they will pull it off at home - especially in front of a fan base as quiet as a Sunday picnic - but the fact that they are still in it after tons of injuries and many, many rookies means I actually have to give Bobby Cox credit for a well-done job.

That sentence still makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit.

Tickets are probably still available - I might just pick up a couple.

We'll see what happens - but at least it's become a close race to enjoy instead of mind-numbing defeat night after night - but again, enough about the Mets.

What's a cubit?

Wow, original content!

And so it was that the waters engulfed Atlanta for ten days and ten nights, and Michael rode the flood out with son and daughter and fish and computer.

Upon the eleventh day, Michael awoke to see the sun shining overhead and the waters receded.

Then the LORD spake to Michael "Cometh out of thine ark, made of brick and wood and stucco, and see all that I have given to you. This lawn shall be yours to make of it, and I shine the sun in the heavens as a sign to you that the waters have receded.

"For about two hours.

"Now, go forth, and mow thine grass so that it doth not grow so high from the mighty floodgates of heaven."

And Michael obeyed the LORD and did what he was told, for he knew the work must be done. With his mighty faith in the RAS connection which would allow him to work from home, he set out to fulfill the LORD's work.

And the LORD smiled upon him when the grass was cut, and spared him from the mighty plague of hay fever.

Not enough, however, to build the reservoir to hold all the rain. That would be foolish.

So let it be written...so let it be done.

Stand by for smiting in 3....2.....1......

(Bonus points for anyone who gets the title reference and the comedian who used it)

Truckin' Pimpin'

Read, enjoy, subscribe yourself. I'm taking off for the weekend. Peace.

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Truckin' -- http://mcgtruckin.blogspot.com

September 2009, Vol. 8, Issue 9
Welcome back to the September issue of Truckin'.

1. Tangerine Rockets by Paul McGuire
Lennie was an international legend. His father walked away from a plane crash and passed along some of those good luck genes over to Lennie.... More

2. The Red Pill by Sigge S. Amdal
She dropped the face and began to cry, as tensions rose around me. The waiters stopped waiting tables, people stopped talking; they were just exchanging knowing glances and judgmental comments... More

3. Fine Tuning by Milton T. Burton
He looked perplexed. I slipped my hand beneath my coat, came out with the little silenced .22 Magnum auto, and shot him right in the center of the forehead. The hollow-point bullet exited the back of his skull, making a colorful little jet of blood and brains as it went... More

4. On Scoring by Human Head
One look at the eyeliner, eyebrows, gold hoops and herringbone chains, and I knew this was the Angel we were supposed to see. As she drew closer to the door, the tattoo's left little doubt. She didn't say anything. She just looked at me... More

5. The Joys of Gambling by Johnny Hughes
Saratoga Springs, New York in August was the gambling capital of America in the 1920s, with the horses, the spa waters, large and ornate casinos, and America's wealthiest citizens in a gilded age, when money and wine were treated like water... More


What a Long Strange Trip It's Been...
From the Editor's Laptop:

The September edition of Truckin' marks the return of the Human Head after a four year hiatus. I'm enthralled to have him back in the mix. Everyone's favorite Norwegian word wanker, Sigge, returns for a second month in a row. We also have a couple of Texan scribes in Johnny Hughes and Milton T. Burton. And of course, I have a story inspired by a recent trip to Colorado.

Thanks for telling your friends about Truckin'. May you will increase your karma ten fold! The contibutors here write for free and you'll be doing me a huge favor by helping get the some publicity.

If anyone is interested in being added to the mailing list, or perhaps you are interested in writing for a future issue, then feel free to contact me.

I have to sincerely thank the writers for sharing their bloodwork. Thanks for taking this leap of faith with me. And a special thanks goes out to you, the reader, for your loyalty and support over the years.

--------------

Allez Cuisine

I went to a cooking club event on Sunday, and decided to make several dishes after going shopping for the rest of the family and for the club gathering. So, let's report the details a bit differently...

Apologies for crappy pictures - I took them with my phone, so they didn't come out too good.

------------

台所競技場の今日の戦いのための主題はコショウである。 鉄のシェフは私達の裁判官のために3枚の皿を準備した。 私達の皿がいかになったか見直そう。

(No? Ok, back to English.)

The theme for today's battle in Kitchen Stadium is peppers. The Iron Chef has prepared three dishes for our judges - let's review how our dishes turned out.

The first dish prepared is a plate habanero/pineapple wings.

I combined habanero peppers, serrano peppers, cayenne pepper, and fresh garlic with balsamic vinegar, molasses, and pineapple juice. It allows for a nice, smooth, sweet taste at first which eventually gives way to the spice of the peppers, but is not too overwhelming. I didn't want anyone to be breathing fire, and wanted the taste of the peppers to really come through with the dish.

The second dish prepared by the Iron Chef is italian stuffed peppers with pancetta.

I took fresh pancetta and cooked it with finely chopped onion. I then combined this with freshly sliced chopped provolone, ricotta, and parmesan cheese, and added fresh green peas to the mix. I used this mix with some red bell peppers to really bring out some color and, well, you can't go wrong when adding bacon (which is essentially what pancetta is.)

The third and final dish prepared is a traditional common French dish,
ratatouille.

The kids found it funny when I removed the eggplant from the bag of groceries, as they had never had it before. It's traditionally a stewed dish, very common and not requiring many exotic ingredients. After the kids "helped" me chop the eggplant and season it with salt and spices, I added fresh garlic, basil, parsley, carmelized white onions, yellow and orange bell peppers, zucchini, and diced tomatoes while cooking it up with some wine and black pepper. I served it with rice and the kids definitely seemed to enjoy eating it.

Thank you, Iron Chef, We judge these dishes to be quite good, and tasty. But
could you explain your presentation to us?

Well, I had to drive for 40 minutes to bring the dishes. These exotic plating devices are called "aluminum foil" and "tupperware".

ありがとう。(Thank you.)

Get your degeneracy on

I'm just doing a straight re-post on this from Dr. Pauly, but some folks here who enjoy gambling (check) and fantasy football (check) might be interested.

Sundays with Dr. Pauly returns next Sunday on Fantasy Sports Live.

FantasySportsLive.com is proud to announce our annual Sunday's With Dr. Pauly promotion with $750 in free bonus cash added. Compete at fantasy football against one of the top gaming bloggers in the country, Dr. Pauly, and earn some free cash for your efforts. Last year Dr. Pauly had a rough time and it was pretty easy to get bonus cash with about 25 different winners. This year we expect him to snap back, and make it a bit more profitable for those out there who can consistently beat his score. Simply enter weekly $11 fantasy football leagues named "Sundays w/Dr Pauly" and compete for all of the free bonus cash shown below in addition to our normal 91% and higher cash prize payouts.


$500 in Free Bonus Cash Available to all FSL Users


1) Beat Dr. Pauly's fantasy football score for three straight weeks at any point in weeks 1-15 and gain entry into a season ending tournament of champions in week 16. $125 in bonus cash will be added to the TOC and anyone who beats Dr. Pauly's score in the TOC will get a prorated share based on the number of points above Dr. Pauly's score.


2) Win a 5 week mini-series (W1-W5, W6-W10, W11-W15) and get $25 in bonus cash and entry into the Super TOC with $125 in bonus cash added. Highest cumulative fantasy points over any 5 week series gets the immediate $25 bonus and entry into the Super TOC with Dr. Pauly (automatic entry). $125 in bonus cash will be added to the 4 player Super TOC and anyone who beats Dr. Pauly's score in the TOC will get a prorated share based on the number of points above Dr. Pauly's score.


3) Score a top three highest individual fantasy football score at any point in the series and win free bonus cash. The top three scores will earn a free bonus of $100/$50/$25.


$250 in Bonus Cash Available to FSL Users with a Sports or Gaming Blog for 1 Year


Eligible bloggers can compete for all of the prizes shown above and are also eligible for the for $250 in additional bonus cash.


1) Score a top three highest blogger individual fantasy football score at any point in the series and win free bonus cash. The top three scores will earn a free bonus of $75/$50/$25.


2) Gain entry into the Blogger Battle TOC and compete for $100 in added cash with $75 for first place and $25 for second place. Beating Dr. Pauly's score for three straight weeks, having the highest blogger score in a five week series, having the top individual blogger weekly score over the entire series, or ending in the top 5 in blogger points overall for the 15 weeks gets you in the the Blogger Battle TOC.


Bonus Cash Summary


All Users


TOC - $125 Added Cash
Super TOC $125 Added Cash
Highest weekly score $100 Added Cash
2nd highest weekly score $50 Added Cash
3rd highest weekly score $25 Added Cash
Week 1 Series Winner $25 Added Cash
Week 2 Series Winner $25 Added Cash
Week 3 Series Winner $25 Added Cash


$500 in total added cash


Bloggers


Blogger Battle TOC $100 Added Cash
Highest weekly blogger score $75 Added Cash
2nd highest weekly blogger score $50 Added Cash
3rd highest weekly blogger score $25 Added Cash


$250 in total added cash


Results and standings will be updated weekly here at the FSL blog. OK, now that I have explained all this, go out and get yourself some free cash already. .

Happy New Year

With Labor Day comes another football season filled with crushing disappointment and agony for all but a few football fans across the country.

Professionally, I'm looking forward to the Falcons season, and I'm hoping they can at least get to their bye week at 2-1, with their first three games against the Dolphins, Panthers, and at the Patriots. I think they might be able to post another 11-5 season, and most people are expecting more than just a winning season - something which the Falcons have never done in consecutive years.

I haven't gotten too much back into the college game yet, and I'm not expecting much from Georgia this year after the loss of so many key players through the draft - Stafford, Moreno, etc. I'm interested to see what Florida can do but I'm obviously not rooting for them very much.

As we do every year, we have our fantasy league too - and this was an odd year drafting for me. I could have a five-win team or an undefeated team, it is really hard to tell. Hell, you tell me what you think.

My keepers were Anquan Boldin, Michael Turner, and Tomlinson. Here's how it ended up:

QB: Donovan McNabb (Rd. 6, which I chose over Matt Ryan, and might haunt me all year)
Backup: Carson Palmer (Rd. 8)
Backup: Chad Pennington (Round 16)

RB: Tomlinson (Keeper, Round 3)
RB: Michael Turner (Keeper, Round 1)
Backup: Jamal Lewis (Round 9)
Backup: Leon Washington (Round 12)
Backup: Ricky Williams (Round 13)

WR: Anquan Bolden (Keeper, Round 2)
WR: Roy Williams (Round 7)
WR: Wes Welker (Round 4)
Backup: Laverneaus Coles (Round 10)
Backup: Nate Washington (Round 17)

TE: Tony Gonzalez (Round 5, yay, another Falcon)
Backup: Tony Scheffler (Round 18, meh, it was the last pick of the draft)

Defense: New England (Round 11)
Backup: Dallas (Round 15)

Kicker: Adam Vinatieri (Round 14)

It might not be the best team, but it is probably the oldest. If healthy, it could be the best, who knows.

Considering there were two or three other teams that drafted horribly, it could have been worse. At least I have a sporting chance to defend my title.

Oh, and.....GO FALCONS.

Up Close with Vouchers

As some of you know, my oldest son started kindergarten a couple of weeks ago. with this, there have been a lot of information sessions at church about activities related to his class, to the school, and to being involved in the parish more heavily as parents as well as parishioners.

One of the more interesting meetings, which I attended on Tuesday night, was a meeting to learn more about something called the GRACE Scholars Program. In 2008, Georgia passed a law allowing the diversion of tax dollars which would have gone to general purpose activities to specific Student Scholarship Organizations such as Grace Scholars. There have been about 15-20 of these specialized groups set up, and GRACE Scholars is directed at students who are attending and entering Catholic institutions.

It was an interesting presentation. It highlighted how it would help the church with general operations (by freeing up funds for other needs thanks to replacement funds arriving). It highlighted how students would benefit, as more students without the means to pay for Catholic school would be able to attend thanks to such donations.

Lastly (and most importantly for us), it highlighted how donors to the program would benefit, as all contributions made would qualify as charitable contributions. Since these SSO's are set up as non-profit organizations, any contribution to them can be included in itemized deductions on your tax return, thus decreasing your overall tax liability. Furthermore, once the forms are filed with the Department of Revenue, the amount of tax you wish to be redirected away from general coffers will be directed to programs you may care much more about, especially if one of your kids is attending such a school.

It was a very interesting presentation. Georgia is currently one of only a few states which has passed laws that authorize vouchers and a version of school choice available to families who would otherwise not have the resources. Georgia has set aside $50,000,000 of its expected tax revenue to be allotted to these sorts of programs, so hopefully there will be a lot of people who take advantage of this option.

We had about 60-70 people at the presentation Tuesday night, and there were a lot of questions, but it was very well received. Hopefully it means more of a benefit to taxpayers and to parishioners, while also enabling better access to such forms of education for those who may not otherwise be able to access it or afford it.

For me, it's one more reason to be glad to live in Georgia instead of back in the north - even if school starts about three weeks earlier here.

The Real Technical Help Flowchart

H/T Skidoo.

This method has worked for ages upon ages of tech support and bad service calls.

Can you name the U.S. Presidents?

Can you name the U.S. Presidents? - sporcle

Shared via AddThis

See if you can beat 1:27.

Time flies when parenting

At lunch today, we saw a baby that was not quite two months old. She was not able to hold up her head yet, and was still a tiny little thing.

It was quite adorable.

I remember when Alex was that size, and how we would always be constantly holding him in the same way, and how tiny he was then. We even talked about how he (and we) would always fall asleep in the rocker while putting him to sleep or feeding him

Today was his first day of kindergarten at St. Joseph's. No nerves or tears from him while we were there, but instead easgerly meeting new classmates, comparing Spider-Man backpacks, and already making new friends.

Time flies.

I need a map

It now looks like I won't be returning to New York until middle or late September, when I'll really think I should be back in school.

I was able to get the necessary paperwork to transport my mother's ashes back on a plane. I'm shocked that it took only a couple of weeks to move through the NYC Department of Health. They advertise a response time of eight to twelve weeks, so getting the needed paperwork in only 2-3 weeks seems like a minor miracle.

There's one problem, which I found out late last night...

No one knows where in the house the ashes are. It's still pretty stuffed, and it'll be difficult to find some things throughout the house, so I'll be spending a good couple of days helping to clear out as much of their stuff as I can while trying to find the urn.

I've been a bit tilted since this little revelation, but I think the folks up north finally understand why I've been pushing so hard to get back up there to help with a lot of cleanout.

Some closure would be nice.

Sorry for the rant and (aside from that) the lack of posts - I've just not been feeling it a lot lately, and most things I've been finding have ended up being re-posted on Facebook or shared on Google Reader instead of being re-posted here.

Beyond that, hopefully I can see some friends when I do finally make it to NYC, even if only for a little while.

Vegas Recap III

Click here for part 1 and part 2. I'm combining the rest of the trip into one entry, otherwise I won't finish it until September.


I woke up at the gawdawful Vegas time of 9 AM. I didn't want to oversleep, so I actually set an alarm clock and woke up to it on the first try. As my family can tell you, that never happens.


I strolled over to the Venetian, and registered for the $550 Deep-Stack Extravaganza event around 10:30. Having some time to kill, I grabbed some brunch before the tournament started as I watched the registration line queue further...and further...and further, until it was out into the 100-degree heat.


Turns out the Rio stuck to its guns, and did not re-open registration Saturday morning, so anyone who had been looking to play in the WSOP was left out in the cold. A couple hundred of them came over to the Venetian to register, so instead of an expected field of 550-600, there were 780 people in the field.


I got my card and went to Table 89, Seat 9. My table was about as far off to the edge as possible, so it was a bit more on the quiet side. The others who were playing (a friend from local games here in Atlanta, Hoy, and Chad) were much closer to the middle of the floor, and I'm sure had a much better view of things from their tables.


The first level went very well, as I turned a flush on one hand and rivered a boat on another to quickly jump over 23,000 in chips from the starting stack of 15,000. However, it's generally not a good sign when the good hands hit in Level 1 - because the good hands don't show up in later levels when on display early.


That's exactly what happened here. By the first break at the end of Level 3, I'd slipped back to an average stack, as my table was playing very loose - almost no hands were won pre-flop.


I found out at the break from CK that Chad busted in the first couple of levels, and I found out my friend from here also busted.


I continued to not get many cards in levels 4-6, and even when I tried to steal blinds and antes had no luck pushing anyone off a hand. My stack continued decreasing in relation to the blinds, until just before the second break. With blinds at 300/600 and a 50 ante, I had a stack of about 11000 - a decent enough stack to come back with, still, but less than half of the average. The pushmonkey on my right, in middle position, raises to 2100. I re-pop it to 4500, and the rest of the table folds back aroiund to the push-monkey, who thinks for a few seconds and then decided to move all-in, having me covered.

I call instantly, knowing I am probably way ahead as he likes to play any ace.


I flip up my two black queens to his king-jack offsuit. Yes, JacKing Off, not even a raggy ace. I am way ahead.


The dealer must have played the Mookie previously, because the three-outer hits with a King on the flop.


I manage not to punch the dealer in the face as I gether my things to leave.


I went to cool down at Tao with a nice bowl of noodles. I met up with Matt and another of his friends who was also playing (and had busted).


While we were talking, I saw one of the craziest things I've ever seen in a poker room. One of the chip leaders is involved in a very loud dispute with another player and the dealer, and the floor has come over to investigate the situation. Apparently, another player had mucked his cards, but on top of the chip leader's hand (which was probably pocket aces). After about fifteen minutes of deliberation and review (including consulting the tape for a decision), the floor decided that he had not protected his cards - at which point, he pushed his chips all over the table, onto the floor, and into all the other stacks in one fell swoop before storming off.


Wow.


The dinner break began immediately, as the staff went to the tape again to try to reconstruct the other player's chip stacks and remove the one stack from play - since the dumbass-in-questions was ejected from the tournament.


I managed to shoot the shit outside with Hoy for a little while on the break, before play resumed again. He went on the chop for second-place money, which is far better than what any of us were able to do.


I spent the rest of the night at the cash tables at the Venetian and the Bellagio. I played the mixed game again for a little while, then moved to the Bellagio. Despite going to Vegas numerous times, I had yet to play in the Bellagio's poker room.


I only cashed out up about $10, but I did end up getting to see a whole bunch of players who had already left the Rio. Chau Giang, Barry Greenstein, and Erick Lindgren were playing Chinese Poker in Bobby's Room while Phil Ivey was playing against a couple folks I didn't recognize at the $4,000/$8,000 level. Marcel Luske was in the main poker area at the $30/$60 PLO table.

There may have been other notables there, but none were notable enough for me to recognize.


On Sunday, I got a message from Tuscaloosa Johnny that he and a couple others (including 1QueensUp1) were going to play at Binions in a $150 NLHE event which was starting at 2 PM. I decided that, instead of spending a bunch more on another cab ride (which i was sick of by this point) that I would take the monorail to Sahara and then cab it from there - since I probably wouldn't have another chance to catch the monorail and I'd never done it.


I ended up sharing a cab to Binions with a couple of already-drunk coeds (yes, on Sunday, at 2 PM, but it's Vegas) and making it to Binions just before the end of the first level. This game, unlike the Strip games, was full of mostly locals and regulars.


Nothing much to report from this tournament, as I went out early thanks to being crippled by aces being cracked AGAIN (#5) by A-10 offsuit with a runner-runner straight, and being out shortly thereafter. Meh.


I headed back downtown, got my camera, and walked around to snap a lot of pictures of the touristy stuff and record what shows I could - the kids really liked being able to see the Bellagio fountain show as well as the Mirage volcano show and a few of the couple hundred other pictures I managed to snap (yes, they were all suitable for younger eyes.)


I headed back to the Rio for one last session, which ended pretty quietly for a small loss of about $20. I decided to head back to the IP, pack up, and get ready for my early morning flight cross-country.


Unlike the trip out, we left on time and I made it home around 4 PM - just in time to turn around and be back at work sixteen hours later, after putting in about thirty hours at the poker tables over this trip.


It was time to go back to the grind...for a grand total of three days, before we packed up again and headed north. Since I've finally got pictures off my camera, that'll probably go up over the weekend, along with a photo and video dump from this trip.

So when is the next one?

A nice surprise

Full Tilt released a major software upgrade today, after a bucnh of problems with incremental changes and a boatload of problems.

Well, apparently Full Tilt also decided to compensate users in other ways as well:

Surprises are good sometimes - though clearing it may be difficult on a near-empty account.

Battling ghosts

We interrupt the regularly scheduled juvenile humor and poker posts for something a bit more introspective...

Some readers might remember my posts about going to New York over Christmas, and my sister's battle with inflammatory breast cancer that ended the day after Christmas while we were there.


Obviously, it's been very difficulty for family members all around, most especially the immediate family members, her husband and two kids.


I found out last week that my nephew, who also pledged APO this past term, will not be returning to college for at least one term. I don't know yet if it will be longer or not.


I also found out last week that they are moving out of the house where they have lived for almost 25 years. They will be moving to Brewster, closer to other family members (another sister, my brother-in-law's family, and my stepmother) into a house which used to belong to my brother-in-law's parents but was passed on to him last year.


Over the next few weeks, the current house will probably be cleared out and renovated, sold, rented...I'm not sure if a course of action has been decided.


Herein lies the ghost part of the story.


Fifteen years ago, shortly after I started at Emory, my father got seriously ill and moved to Arizona to be with my uncle to take care of him. The remaining family members - including my sister who passed in December - and I helped clear out our old apartment of all our stuff so that it could be rented out. Since I had only completed one year of college and was not ready to return to New York yet, my sister took many of the items to keep at storage at her house.


Included in these items was an urn. My mother had passed shortly before, and was cremated. We had kept the ashes at home, as quite a few families choose to do. This was one of the items that went upstate.


I jumped around for the next three years, with the idea that I would return to New York eventually to live and move the items out. Long Island, New Jersey, Brooklyn, or elsewhere in Manahttan - winter breaks, summer, holidays, etc. Aside from one summer in Atlanta, working for BellSouth as an intern, I returned to New York for almost every break until it was almost time to graduate.


Up until the beginning through my senior year, that was the plan, when I started seriously thinking about staying in Atlanta.


Flash forward to the present - many items are still there, most notably my mother's ashes.


I found out Friday that the move was now definite. Knowing that we didn't have the certificates needed, I started making calls to get the needed paperwork so that, when I go up to New York (which will now probably happen in a couple of weeks) I will have what I need to bring the ashes back.


I've got a whole bunch of mixed emotions about this endeavor. My sister's kids are going through a very difficult time, with school uncertainty combined with moving and the other aftereffects of this loss. It's been difficult for them, and also difficult for the rest of us to see the pain they are going through.


For me, as well, it's dealing with some memories that I honestly haven't had to deal with in a while - not to mention the possibility of finally having to Do Something regarding my leftover life from New York from so long ago. I've spoken with some family members about the ashes, and hopefully we'll soon decide what is the best thing to do with them - bury, keep, scatter (and where?) - but it's not a decision that I feel should be made only by me. Miraculously, I was able to get the paperwork for the ashes in only a week and a half (thank you NYC DOH) so I can bring them back.


When I go to New York next month, I'll be trying to reconcile myself with more than one ghost and finish up some business which should have been done long ago.

Working and Blogging Can Mix

I try to keep work stuff (at least, current job stuff) out of this blog. I may post something occasionally on Facebook that pertains to Emerson, but normally I don't talk about any current company stuff.

Previous companies, of course, get the unvarnished treatment.

However, I want to link to something that was done recently within our company, which makes me extremely glad to be working here. I would NEVER have seen this sort of commitment, either way, at Bank of America - probably because we would have been too busy lobbying behind the scenes, in secret, for the latest TARP bailout.

I have to give kudos where kudos are due, and in this case I have to give kudos to Emerson's board and management for making their position and reasons extremely clear to their employees and to the public (which is why I don't feel bad posting this).

David Farr, chairman, chief executive and president of Emerson, said Congress and the Obama administration’s stimulus spending is “out of control” and blasted health-care and energy reform efforts as costly to business.

“Congress and President Obama are driving way too fast to pass into law a number of vastly complex and hugely expensive government programs,” Farr wrote in a letter to employees Monday. “With the multiple stimulus bills and bailout programs recently passed into law, the amount of government spending is already out of control. We would never manage our own households this way … It is time to say STOP all new spending!”

Farr said the House and Senate are pushing ahead with health-care legislation “at a furious pace with little or no serious discussion or analysis.”

“We agree there are significant issues to be addressed with our current healthcare system and Emerson is involved in the discussion on the various alternatives and solutions,” Farr wrote. “But why the sudden rush?”

Farr also blasted the cap and trade energy bill as costly to U.S. businesses.

“In this unprecedented global economic downturn, U.S. businesses and individuals are struggling to survive,” he wrote. “It is a mistake to think we can spend our way out of the recession with huge government programs, increased deficits and tax increases.”

Farr then urged any employees who agreed with him to contact senators and representatives.

This originally came out last week, so yes, I am a few days behind. Sorry.

Ken Lewis would never have taken such a stand for Bank of America.

I'm glad David Farr did take a stand. I'm not just saying that because he signs my paycheck, either - I'm glad that he would take a strong stand against these bills (and, of course, that for the most part I wholeheartedly agree with what he says).

It's very refreshing.

Now, back to work.

Yum Yum

H/t to Atlanta Metblogs. It's worth a post, especially for a foodie like me...

Central Atlanta Progress has coordinated what looks like an interesting week for Downtown restaurants. So CAP is the official business community booster organization for Downtown Atlanta, and contrary to how that may sound, they acutally do some interesting stuff.

One part of that interesting stuff Downtown Atlanta Restaurant Week. Go to Downtown’s swankiest restaurants, and get a three course meal for $25/person.

Also, it is a good time to mention a few other restaurant week events in other neighborhoods. Inman Park is having a special day on July 29th – up to 20% of restaurant sales (depending on the restaurant) will go to paying for the Inman Park Security Patrol fund.

So, go eat somewhere you normally wouldn't (or couldn't).

Downtown Atlanta Restaurant Week

When: July 27 – August 9

Where: All the best places


Inman Park Dine Out

When: July 29

Where: All your favorite Inman Park restaurants

Old-School Thingamabobs

100 Things Your Kids May Never Know About

(Geek alert)

I find it funny that there are several items on this list that I still have the kids do from time to time, but I often remark how they do things now technically that I would have never dreamed of doing when I was younger, whether it involves the digital camera, DVD player, a cellphone, computer, or other high-falutin technogadgetry.

Of course, there are still some old school things they do - just last week was an exercise in cash and currency which I was doing to help Alex with some math exercises. It's a lot more tangible than trying to explain Online Banking.

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Mash you up

An interesting mashup, which just proves no one is safe, even after eating a shotgun.

See more funny videos and Music Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Karma payback

You're going to get hurt calling raises with garbage like this.

Dumbass.

Don't call preflop raises with any two cards, even if they are suited.

Don't call big raises on the flop with a baby flush draw and a gutshot when you're priced out.

DQB, mofo.

This came in a knockout MTT, and I had him covered as well, so the bounty helped after getting one of my ten outs on the suck/resuck.

I made sure to wait on posting this until after the cash bubble broke, to avoid completely jinxing myself. I'm sure I'll bust now in five minutes, now that this post is up.

Vegas Photo Dump

Well, I decided to put up some of my images from Vegas instead of putting up the next part, mostly because I still haven't been able to get my pictures off my camera. I did get my phone pictures loaded, but not the camera pics yet.

So, here's a few that actually appear halfway decent.

Nice flop, huh?

Caesar's Palace fountains, while walking about and enjoying a cigar.

My setup at the Venetian - pics of kids, dinosaur card capper, and chips. I snapped the picture early in the first level after a full house in the river and turning a flush. Unfortunately, they were not as big as I had hoped the pots would be.

Fremont Stree Experience in the middle of the afternoon, I snapped the picture while on break from the Golden Nugget's HORSE tournament.

Alex gave me one of his dinosaurs to take with me to Vegas. I used it as a chip protector and card capper while at the tables. Cute, huh?

Vegas Recap II

I woke up at the bright and early hour of 11:45 AM after getting to bed at the early hour of 7 AM. I decided to get a few hours sleep after playing at the Rio and Venetian, before heading to the Fremont Street area to play at the Golden Nugget.

It was my first time heading downtown, despite three previous trips to Las Vegas. I hopped in a cab and headed up after finding out that the monorail only goes to the Sahara, stopping a couple miles short of downtown.

I got there a little early, so I walked into Binion's to check out their poker artifacts and some of the history. The WSOP was held there from 1970 until 2005, when the move to the current location of the Rio was completed.

After a little bit of walking about, I walked to the Golden Nugget and took my seat. During June and July, the Golden Nugget was running something called the Grand Poker Series, which I wrote about here as offering a wide variety of games. On Friday, the tournament was a $240 HORSE tournament, which plays to my strengths in stud games.

Yes, I know - I'm decent at stud, but under the age of seventy. Weird, huh?

In the first round of five levels, I didn't get much done. I dropped slightly, but played very tight.

In the second round, during Omaha 8/b, I got my first pocket aces - A-A-3-7, double suited. I raised untilt he turn, when the straight got there and knocked out any lows.

CRACK.

In Stud, I started with aces in the hole, and watched them go down to trips on sixth street.

CRACK.

We took a break after Stud H/L, about three hours into the tournament. I walked across the street and got a deep-fried twinkie in order to offset my tilt, as I was now down to about a half-average stack. I managed to not win a single hand for the last four levels of play before the break. Considering Limit Hold' Em is not my strong suit, I wasn't feeling very good.

At the beginning of the third round, I got pocket Aces again. This time, they got run down by the more traditional pair of Sevens which couldn't fold to three-bets.

CRACK.

Yes, in three levels, I had rockets cracked THREE TIMES. Remarkably, I still had chips.

I held on through Omaha with one split pot, and won one small pot in Razz, hoping that I could make my comeback in Stud or Stud H/L.

On the second to last-hand of Stud H/L before the break, I ended up all-in. I started with 6-4-2, all clubs, and decided this was the time to push. I raise and get three callers.

Fourth street brings a Queen of clubs - bet, I raise, and two others stay along for the ride.

Fifth brings an offsuit 5. I bet, they both call.

Sixth brings a blank. I call off my remaining chips. I need a club or a three or an ace to stay alive against both players.

Seventh street is dealt, face down. One player shows two pair, one player shows a seven-low. I'm dead without an ace, club, or three, though the three would give me the scoop.

I squeeze the card and look.

The three of clubs.

BOOM!

Still alive.

I went to the break with a decent stack again as I'd almost quadrupled up from that one hand. With under 80 players left and 24 paying, I had a chance again of cashing.

Thank God that crubs get there.

Unfortunately, it did not continue. The blinds and antes increased very quickly at this point and they caught up to me. I got shut out in a Omaha pot where I though I'd be taking at least half with my A-3, only to see A-2 flipped up. In Razz, I went brick-brick after big bets on 4th and 5th.

Finally, in Stud, on Level 19, I ended up all in with a pair of Queens showing and another club draw on sixth street against two pair. I could not catch another queen or club and was out in 59th place.

Crubs did not get there, nor could I get payback for getting aces cracked three times earlier.

I still felt OK about my showing, having faded three-quarters of the field. Since I had basically bought in with my winnings the night before from the Venetian and Rio, I wasn't feeling too dejected as one would normally feel after being bounced from a tournament.

I headed back to the IP to get changed before meeting with some friends at Tommy Rocker's near the Rio. There were plans for some of us kooky conservatives to meet up in Vegas for drinks and whatnot, so about thirty or forty of us met up for drinks and general complaining. Considering that cap-and-trade legislation had just passed the House, we had a bunch to kvetch about.

After that was over, I headed back to the Rio, determined to chip up in the cash games and buy into Event #51 on Saturday for the WSOP. I wasn't going to buy into it if I couldn't justify it on my available cash.

I sat down, and had a decent session. It was not a great session. Just good. It could have been great, if I stood up 30 minutes earlier. I was up about $300 on a 2/5 NL table, until I got aces cracked (AGAIN!) and then got slowrolled by a douchebag next to me who decided K-10 was a good enough hand to call raises with before hitting his king on the river. It knocked me down to about plus 150.

I left and headed to a blackjack table to cool off for a little while. Normally, I am terrible at blackjack, but in this case I cashed out around +200.

Close enough, I decided, and I headed over to the Rio cage around 1:15 AM to register for Event #51.

TOO BAD THEY CLOSED REGISTRATIONS AT 1 AM!!!!!

The event sold out. As the last $1500 donkament on the WSOP on a weekend, it sold out at 2700 entrants, and registrations had closed about 20 minutes before I came up to the cage.

There were a few people looking to unload satellite lammers, and I though about trying to buy some at a discount until it was clear that registration was closed and was unlikely to re-open in the morning.

With that in mind, I decided to head on back to the IP around 2:00 and get some rest. Since the WSOP was out, I pretty much decided right away, like Hoy and a few others, to play in the Venetian Deep-Stack Extravaganza on Saturday instead. I had a couple friends from Atlanta who were also in Vegas to play the event, so it would probably be fun.

I sat at the IP for a little while and took some pics of the Dealertainers, and found Michael Jackson. He apparently wasn't dead, just dealing three-card poker at the IP.

To be continued ...

Vegas Recap I

I'm a little delayed on putting this up, but I think my memory is still in pretty good shape to begin putting all of this down.

This trip, unlike previous Vegas sojourns, begins with me rolling out of bed and going to work. Exciting, huh?

I was scheduled to leave Atlanta at 9:15 PM on a Delta flight. I was trying to see if flights were available to go standby on an earlier flight, but it was not to be. I spent the day slugging through work, running one meeting and sending off several proposals, before heading home for dinner. Since my flight was not until 9, I had time to go home and enjoy dinner with the family before heading to the airport.

We got to Hartsfield around 7:45, which would normally be more than enough time to make it to the gate. I kissed everyone goodbye and headed to the plane.

As soon as I made it through security - in record time - I got a text from Delta indicating a delay for my flight.

Booooooo.

I wasn't able to connect via wireless, so I hung out in the sports bar to watch the NBA draft. I managed to catch the first Hawks pick before finally boarding my plane at 10:30 PM.

We made up some time and got to Las Vegas in just under four hours. I got off the plane around 11:30, and made it to the Imperial Palace around midnight. Really, it was about 3 AM Eastern time.

In most cases, that's bedtime.

Not in Vegas, baby.

Time to go to the Rio. I got there at 1 AM after I was not able to connect to the group which was heading for the Gold Coast for bowling.

I was, though, able to book a good live cash session at the Rio for the next two hours.

After standing up, in the black for about $100, I started walking out to the cab stand. I was "fortunate" to walk past a hooker twice who kept trying to flag me down. The first time, I was walking the wrong way, so I guess when I went by the second time she thought I was a potential mark - I think I walked so fast to the cab stand that I left skid marks.

I hopped in a cab back to the IP and went upstairs. I looked at the clock - 3:40 AM - and decided I really wasn't that tired yet.

I wasn't sure at this point if I was going to play in WSOP #51, so I decided to walk to the Venetian and get some information about their Deep Stack Extravaganza which was taking place simultaneously.

I got my Club Grazie card, the DSE information, and decided I would sit for a little while. I sat at a 1-2 NLHE table for a little bit before switching to the 4-8 Mixed Game populated mostly of dealers from other casinos.

Yep, 4-8 of Omaha 8/b, Razz, Stud, Stud 8/b, 2-7 Triple Draw, and Crazy Pineapple at what is now 7 AM Eastern time.

Based on the picture to the right, it went OK.

I left up another $100 after about two more hours. By this point, the sun was starting to break, and I finally grabbed dinner (!) at the McDonald's on the strip with a Sausage McMuffin. I finally hit the hay around 7 AM Pacific time for a few hours, before the bulk of the trip was to begin and, hopefully, it would all go as well as the first two sessions at the Rio and Venetian.

To be continued...

Catfight with lightsabers

Why, yes, it is a slow day at work. Why do you ask?

>


Saber

Atom.com: Funny Videos Spoofs Star Wars Fan Movies

More Blogger Wub

Give Drizz and CK some props today for coming in 5th and 7th in Binions' Poker Classic Limit Omaha-8 Tourney.

Double blogger final table - nice job.

Even if limit in a hi/lo game is second in torture only to Razz.

Of course, the biggest shout has to go to Hoy for chopping for second in the Venetian Deep-Stack $560 (which I played) and taking down $51,000.

That should buy plenty of hookers and blow.

Evian Roller Babies

You know, I never saw this whenever I was skating in Central Park.

Vegas by numbers

A better recap to follow, but here's some interesting numbers from the recently completed trip.

Hours outbound flight was delayed: 4
Minutes from McCarran touchdown to sitting at a poker table: 90
Poker rooms played in: 6
Tournaments played: 3
Tournaments cashed: 0
Types of poker games played for cash: 8
Dealer tilts me: 2
Player tilts me: 2
Aces Cracked: 4
Aces Held: 1
Fights Witnessed in Tournaments: 1
Poker Pros sighted: 9
Poker Pros playing Poker: 3
Poker Pros playing Chinese Poker: 4
Hookers that tried to chase me down: 4
Hookers I managed to outrun: 4 (just so we're clear on that)
Bloggers/friends seen: 5
Pictures of "Michael Jackson": 3
Pictures each of "Dolly Parton", the "Blues Brothers", "Elvis" and "Mariah Carey" at the Imperial Palace: 1
Sunrises seen: 3
Drinks ingested: Infinite
Cigars smoked: 1
Cigars that will be smoked by me for the rest of my life: 0 (probably)

Cue the Wonder Pets

What's gonna work?

Teamwork!

(Yes, I know only the parents will get that one, but it's what came to mind. Stuffed animals, crappy animation, and gambling go together well, no?)

I've never done the team-blogging thing before, so sue me. Should be an interesting way to gripe, I mean, ponder strategy.

Tick, tick...

Less than 48 hours to go...



see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Next prop bet

I decided to do a prop bet with some others regarding trying to grow a bankroll, so we're posting cashier shots.

Dr Chako

Cindilicious

MHG

Katitude

Riggstad

BLAAARGH

OhCaptain

I'm sure others were in this, but I don't have the links. Meh.

Biggest percentage increase wins. Who knows. maybe 0% growth might be enough to win this prop bet :)

Meanwhile, in another way of making us all feel like really small fries, Sprstoner took 12th in another WSOP event for a $54,000 take. Damn.

Yes, this is all that is left after trying to cash out for this coming weekend. With BBT over and by cashing out, I didn't leave much in there, about $20, which is now about $31.

Small potatoes, I know.

As stated earlier...meh.

Deep Stack, Grand, or Bracelet Chase?

I'm starting to re-think my decision to play in the World Series, Event #51.

Not because of confidence, but more because some things have started to happen financially where I'm not sure taking a shot of a large buy-in tournament is necessarily a good idea - there are going to be some big rumblings financially in July and I am, to be honest, a bit worried about them. While we've been able to get by so far in an unemployment search, it still has not yielded anything at home, so I am becoming more concerned about other finances coming up very soon.

So, now I am not so sure about playing in the WSOP, unless I do manage to satellite into the event.

However, there are other, cheaper option, that I might consider, especially since other friends who will also be in Vegas (seriously, everyone I know picked this weekend to go) are playing those other events.

1) WSOP Event 51 (1500 NLHE) - The one I had been aiming to do, but I am not so sure about anymore since we could use 1500 on other things for the house and it would leave nothing else available to try to earn some at the cash tables. I'd be locked out of anything else, which would REALLY suck if I bombed out of the event.

2) Venetian Deep Stack, Saturday 6/27 (550 NLHE) - Everyone I know who has played this series loves it, and it would be much easier on the bankroll than dropping fifteen big bills.

3) Binion's Poker Classic (200 NLHE 6-Max Friday, 200 NLHE Saturday) I'd get to see old Downtown and Fremont St. area as I'd hoped to do, and check out some history. The events here are supposed to mirror the WSOP events to a degree, but have smaller fields than the previous two.

Plus, there are a whole bunch of other tournaments available here.

It's about diversification, and frankly I would prefer not to drop such a large amount for a small return, given how things are changing financially for the worse.

Don't be mad - but it might be better after all to exercise prudence instead of chasing a dream at the expense of other pressing priorities.

We'll see. Regardless, in three days I'll know better.

Another day, another blogger WSOP cash

First, Sprstoner took 3rd in a $2500 NL Hold Em donkament (Event 13) for a score of over 200,000.

Then, CK cashed in a $2500 Omaha 8/b and Stud 8/b scoopament (Event 25), coming in 39th for a $4500 payout.

Today, it's LJ/pvanharibo's turn, as she's been in or near the lead of the $1500 HORSE (Event 31) which is down to the last two tables. Coverage available here - though I'm sure someone is tweeting it all anyway, so go show some blogger love if you can. (Update: She went out 10th for about 19K. Damn fine job.)

Maybe this will be the year a whole bunch of us make some big coin in the WSOP - halfway though, we're holding up pretty well.

Falcons formally cut ties with Vick, wish him well

Falcons formally cut ties with Vick, wish him well

The cap hit for the year of $6.4 million might be the best team therapy money could buy, to finally put the whole mess behind them.

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Prop bet time

If I had done as I should and made some prop bets on the World Series of Poker, I would have cashed in yesterday pretty well. Brock Parker took down a $1500 NL Hold 'Em and a $1500 Limit Hold 'Em bracelet this week, becoming the first multi-bracelet winner of this year's WSOP.

There's plenty of other bets I might still exercise, but for now, I'm just sticking to Bodog poker when I log in. With bloggerments and big tourneys over with for me, I've been playing back in the low, low, low levels where it's more like entertainment than anything else. As for prop bets, right now the only one I have is a loser since the guys I picked in a pool are barely doing anything in the WSOP through 20 events.

I might try and hit up some of the online events later in the summer - they are still running WSOP qualifiers, and I have accrued enough points there to try my luck there, but I don't think I'll use them on there. I might instead use the points for playing in some of the Bodog Flight Club events, which is targeted at other circuit events and other tournaments.

For now, though, I'm just scaling back after a hectic several months. I'll wait on putting pressure on myself until I play in one of the $1500 donkaments in Vegas in a few weeks. It'll be intense, but I can hardly wait for it to get here.

Tough Jobs

I guess, in a tough job market, ya just gotta do what ya gotta do.

I imagine he has to take a break every so often, though, as it might be difficult to walk after a while.

Yes, it is safe for work.


The Worst Job Ever - Watch more Funny Videos

Bird Dive

At least with this emergency landing, no birds were involved. It may not be as dramatic as landing a full passenger plane safely on the Hudson river, but it still takes a good presence of mind to be able to pull off this sort of landing on a crowded road and have no one get hurt.

McCollum Airport is right next to our office. I drive this stretch of road quite often.

Plane Makes Emergency Landing on N. Cobb Pkwy

Best shot gone

Well, I played in the BBT TOC tonight for one of two shots at a Main Event seat, and came up woefully short, finishing 36th of 44 entrants.

I blame kiddie tilt for this result - they did not head upstairs until I was short-stacked and was a big result I dropped about 2,000 chips early on in a hand to Hoy (who eventually knocked me out after I got tired of him repeatedly pushing on me in hands and ran my A-J into his A-K).

Ugh.

Your Kung Fu is weak

Sometimes, I really don't want all the details about a story. Lately, that seems to be the case more often than not, but it's definitely true about David Carradine.

I'm surprised no one has referred to the cause being the five-point-palm exploding heart technique.

Giving in to the Dark Side

In this case, I was probably the last person I know to adopt the technology.

I am now on Twitter. You may commence with the mocking.

I signed up for multiple reasons.

1. For traveling or events where I'm trying to find or talk to a bunch of other people, it'd be really convenient. It would have been useful in April, and will probably come in useful in Vegas in a few weeks.
2. Since a bunch of folks are using Twitter for updting from the WSOP, I figured it would be good to add. With Tweetdeck, I can actually keep them all organized - and it works at work and at home.
3. I'd thought I would use it to put out articles I would write for Examiner. However, this reason isn't valid anymore, as i decided to drop both columns last week. I wasn't really feeling the energy to get them going again. At this point writing about politics has become more depressing than anything else, and since I won't be in Vegas for the whole Series I didn't have much of a plan left for the games column. So, I ended them.

So, while reason #3 isn't valid anymore, reasons 1 and 2 are still OK, and I am on there as gaexaminer - I picked the handle thinking reason #3 would be the main focus of using it, but I don't feel like changing it.

Meh.

Oddsmakers

Well, there are a lot of things to write about, so rather than divide them up, I'll go for a semi-uber post instead.

The BBT4 came to a close Sunday night, after 56 tournaments and a combined prize pool over $46,000 in those events. There were 43 winners of these tournaments (including yours truly) who will battle it out Sunday night for a shot at one of two WSOP Main Event seats.

Of the 56 tournaments, I only played in 19, but finished 61st of 333 runners overall. I was unavailable for most of March and April, playing 3 times with one cash in March and 4 times for zero points or cashes in April since I was busy every single night of the week and could only play the Sunday events.

May was a different story, however, as I had some more free time after graduation. Of the 17 tournaments in May, I played ten, cashed in three (one each of Mookie, Riverchasers, and BritBloggerment), and won one, finishing 14th on the leaderboard. I skipped the last three events after getting knocked out by Jordan in back-to-back events, making it impossible to top the leaderboard for the month and win a $2K package.

So, now we have a freeroll for Main Event seats Sunday (kudos again to Al) at 8 PM.

My plans, now booked, have involved going to Las Vegas on June 25 and trying to play in Event #51 on June 27.

Should I somehow defy the odds and take down one of the seats, I am not entirely sure what I will do with it. I'm probably somewhere between the 10-1 and 28-1 odds these two decided to toss up for me, but I don't know if I can pull off two trips to Las Vegas given family matters and the lack of vacation time from work. Going to Disneyworld with the family sapped a big bunch of my time off, and I really didn't have any plans to play in such a big event.

I did talk with my boss and boss' boss yesterday over lunch, though, and perhaps it might be more possible than I had previously imagined to pull it all off. Of course, I'll only have the time off problem if I can make it to Day 3. The four Day 1's are from July 3 to 6, with two Day 2's on July 7 and 8. July 9 is a media event, and July 10 is Day 3, where all the players are combined and the money should be reached.

Unfortunately, I only have time off to last until July 8 if taken consecutively, so to make it work I would have to try to play Day 1C (on Sunday, 7/5) which would give me days away from the table on the 6th and 7th to work remotely, if necessary.

Thank God for VPN and wireless networks.

I could then take my remaining days for the 8th, 9th, and 10th, if I survived Day 1 and made it further - not bloody likely, but you never know.

Based on plane tickets for us and available rooms, we *could* pull it off money-wise. However, given the current economic state of affairs, we would be hard pressed to take the seat, compared to cashing most of it out in order to try and get by further n household expenses. With unemployment here approaching eight months, we have managed to hold on so far, but it will begin getting very tight very soon and having that sort of money would provide a very big buffer against further storms coming our way.

It would be a very difficult decision to make. As much as I would LOVE to play in the event, we have to consider the possibility of NOT playing, should it arise.

Of course, if I somehow made it to July 13th, well I'd be handing in my two weeks notice anyway because I'd be at the final two or three tables of the whole damn thing and thinking about an early retirement along with what to wear on TV :)

----------

I do have to keep another promise at some point to the kids, though. Around Christmas, we got passes to head to Sesame Place in Pennsylvania, and we'd been talking about taking advantage of the Fourth of July to head up north to Pennsylvania and, if time permitted, Coney Island and New York to see familiar faces. It's coming up soon, so we'd have to break some of those plans should I win.

On the bright side, the kids would still get to see fireworks in Las Vegas. But it's something that I've talked about doing with the kids sometime this summer, and I've always made it a priority not to break any promises to them, so I might have to become more adept with my juggling skills.

They are still open around Labor Day, so you never know...it would have to be better than being chased by a hurricane like last Labor Day.
----------

As for the already planned Vegas trip, I'm looking forward to meeting up with some of you other bloggers for some good times. I'm also going to be seeing my father, as he'll be there with some friends of his from Phoenix. Lucky bastard got a free suite, at the Rio, on a weekend, in the middle of the World Series. He did better than me in getting a room!

He'll be seeing his chemo therapist today regarding his latest batch of tests, hopefully everything is still functioning OK. I still can't believe they could not find anything in December after diagnosing him as stage 4 lung cancer last summer, so hopefully these tests prove to also be OK.

The one thing I am looking forward to more than anything else, while in Vegas? Not the cash games, or bowling, or drinking, or shows, or seeing people, or other shenanigans.

Nope, I can finally satisfy my craving for In-N-Out Burger.

----------

It's been different having time available. I don't mean just to play poker, though I have been playing better. Some of the things that I never had time to do and hated doing before don't seem as bad now. For example, I actually don't mind mowing the lawn right now as I haven't had time to do it myself in ages.

---------

I have never before seen a graduation ceremony from a really young class, so seeing Alex's pre-K "graduation" was ridiculously cute. As a present (which we were overdue on anyway from his birthday) he got surprised with a bicycle. He was a bit trepid at first but now absolutely loves it. We also found a smaller bicycle for Sammie, so once again I'm the only one who does not own a bike. I might need it soon, if gas prices continue going up, but I actually never learned how to ride a bike. I never needed or wanted to learn how while growing up, and enjoyed rollerblading more than bikes as a teenager, so it just never happened. You can go ahead and mock me now.

---------


Rambling done, for now. Hopefully, I will have to consider alternate travel scenarios for the Fourth of July.

Committal

Outbound: Atlanta, GA (ATL) to Las Vegas, NV (LAS) on Thu, 25 Jun 2009
9:15pm ATL
10:33pm LAS
Nonstop Delta 1095

Return: Las Vegas, NV (LAS) to Atlanta, GA (ATL) on Mon, 29 Jun 2009
9:55am LAS
4:57pm ATL
Nonstop Delta 124

Now I just need to update my IP reservation, and I will be all set to head west - aside from other budgetary items, of course.

Of course, if I play in the WSOP on that Saturday as planned, then I hope I will need to push my flight back a bit - I'd rather make a final table than make a flight!

See you there.

Workouts

I would hope that by the time I get off the plane, I am able to handle slightly more activity than this:

Are You in Poker Shape? from Brandon Muller on Vimeo.

H/T Pokerati.

Detox

I always joke that being sick is great for my health because I get to drop a few pounds.

Well, hopefully it's true this time around.

I've had a bad sore throat and sinus congestion for about a week, and on Thursday we got a diagnosis of one of the kids for strep - which means, in all certainty, that is what I have had as well. Thankfully, this weekend didn't involve a long road trip - the furthest away we went was Ikea. Yesterday was spent at home not doing a damn thing, aside from reading, playing with kids, and playing terribly in Riverchasers, again.

One result of being sick, and being away from work, is a forced removal from coffee. I couldn't have any at the end of last week, and I never drink any while out of the office. I'm trying to continue the trend this week, since I drink so much during the day and all the sugar and caffeine has been bad for me - just ask my waistline.

Hopefully, I can be a bit healthier while also managing to avoid killing the first idiot that comes my way.

I still have my own doctor's appointment this afternoon - after trying to go all weekend with mucinex and Nyquil I need something a bit heavier to clear it all up.

Beyond that, I am taking the rest of the week off from poker. I played a little bit over the weekend, and I could tell that my mind wasn't really in it, so rather than toss away any money the rest of this week, I will probably stay away - that includes the remaining bloggerments of the BBT4. Perhaps a break will help me re-focus to win a decent package in a couple of weeks, because the last few times out I've played with no focus or concentration and it shows.

Besides, if I can get a little more healthy, then perhaps getting off my ass every so often might be a good thing. It'll take more than just abstaining from coffee to get back into decent shape.

Zombiefied

The whole house has been feeling lousy all week. Alex has had a bad cough for about a week now, but on Sunday both kids and myself started feeling really, really bad.

Alex was actually diagnosed with "secondary pneumonia" at the doctor on Monday, and Sammie and I have been trying every medicine in the book to avoid deteriorating as well. Sammie's been trying Zycam and Delsym along with baby tylenol, which seems to be helping a bit.

Alex went to the doctor a week ago, and they didn't think his cough was a big concern. Guess they were a bit off, which is why I've been giving Sammie more types of medicine so she doesn't have the same end result. The Zycam especially seemed to help, and she didn't fight us too much on taking it which also helps, I'm sure.

I was taking Dayquil pills, Aleve, and Zycam before finally buckling under last night and downing Nyquil (in the original green death flavor).

Good news: I got to teach Alex that even medicine for adults is going to taste like crap.

Bad news: Normally I don't pass out from Nyquil, but last night was different. I had been very tired throughout the day (dozing off TWICE) so I completely passed out just after 8:00.

Yes, I was so out of it that I passed out while Adam Lambert was screeching on the television during American Idol.

At least I got a decent amount of sleep, even if it was somewhat restless.

Alex's pre-K graduation is tonight, which he is extremely excited about. After today, he'll stay at home for the rest of the week, then start summer care on Tuesday. Hopefully the time off will help him get back to 100%.

I feel a little better today, but my throat is still killing me. Some of the congestion is starting to clear out for Alex and myself and Sammie is coughing less, so hopefully by the weekend we'll all be getting back to normal health. Good thing we have time off so we can rest up.

Rue Britannia

At the beginning of the BBT, I said that the BritBloggerment would probably be the easiest chance to win a seat to the final for a WSOP Main Event seat, at least until May.

Well, March and April went by, and no seat. Three cashes, but no seat.

A couple of cashes this month, but no seat yet. 18th on the leaderboard for May, but nothing big.

Today...



BOOM!!!!

I think the secret was having one child cuddling on me for the first two hours, and the other cuddling on me for the last hour.

Good, long heads-up match with $mokkee for the seat. It was fun throughout. Enjoyed the tournament, and enjoyed the result:

Dear APOSEC72,
You finished the tournament in 1st place.There has been $86.00
added to your account.

Relaxed movie night

Well, we had a nice movie night, for two reasons.

1) We watched Devil Wears Prada. Yes, I found it funny. It had some amusing parts. Stanley Tucci really enjoyed doing this movie. Kim really liked it. I found it funny and tolerable. Not sure I'd watch it again, but fairly decent on celluloid.

2) Oh, yeah, I also started turning things around on Full Tilt. Yay for forum events! Even if it is a small buyin, it's nice to win SOMETHING after bombing in tournaments and bloggerments all week.

Full Tilt Poker Tournament #89421371
HoldemPokerChat NL Hold'em
Buy-In: $3.00 + $0.50
26 players
Total Prize Pool: $103.00

Dear APOSEC72,
You finished the tournament in 1st place.

So, between this, winning a HORSE tournament with 260 people, and winning 3 buyins on Stars NLHE tables, this has actually been a pretty good week.

Maybe it has to do with less stress and more time. I actually managed to knock out a BIG work item just after putting the kids to bed. I still have work stuff to do tomorrow with launching a new app at work, so tomorrow is when I activate a lot of the features, but the fact that I have only work to worry about is a lot more...relaxing?

I am going to the local country club on Friday, as a couple of us are being taken to lunch there by upper management for completing MBA's. It'll be a nice way to head into the holiday weekend.

I need to watch out - I'm in danger of being in a good mood for more than a couple of days. This just can...not...happen....under normal circumstances.

Then again, after three years of constant tumult, perhaps I forgot what normal circumstances are actually supposed to be.

Evidence that I made it

More pictures and story to come, but I wanted to throw up a picture from Saturday.

See, I made it!

This is my advisor and I at the pre-ceremony brunch which recognized the MBA recipients, held at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Over and Out

The grades are in for the Spring Semester. With everything else that has happened this term - the attempted carjack, Kim's foot injury and surgery, the kids having to change schools twice, two rounds of layoffs and a restructuring at work, trying to get Alex into St. Joseph's for school in the Fall, continuing work problems with Kim, potentially moving back to New York, and ending up at the hospital - I'm glad the term is over with.

MBA Capstone Class: B. Once I got back my second exam with an 87 I pretty much knew I had a B in the class. Considering how off-the-wall the teacher was, I'm fine with it.

MGS 8460, Consulting Practices: A minus. My online poker analysis shot me up from a B to an A-. Nicely done.

FI 8000, Valuation: B minus. I needed a 90 on the final to get to a B. I got an 80. Hence, a B minus, which means some trouble down the line with regards to reimbursements.

CS 8100, I/S Mgmt: B. I had a horrible mid-term where I completely whiffed on a big portion of the test thanks to basically answering the wrong question, but a phenomenal paper and final exam to bring the grade back to normal levels. Thank you, BofA, for supplying a lot of experience in making the paper phenomenal - and I mean that in the kindest way.

Overall GPA for the term was a bit low, at 3.1, but again considering all the other drama of the term, I will take an A minus, two B's, and a B minus.

Graduation pics and stories to be posted later tonight, probably while I am playing Riverchasers.

Indulging Dorkiness

OK, I'll admit that I'm a tad interested in going to the movies to see Star Trek. I was thinking a little bit about even taking Alex, but some parts of the movie might be a bit too confusing or, um, advanced for his age.

Fine.

I've got three hangups, though.

1) How well it might fit in to other known qualities - kind of the same reservations I had about Batman Begins, I guess, what with the current trend of "rebooting" a bunch of past series.



2) Shaun of the Dead as Scotty?






3) Harold (as in Harold and Kumar) as Sulu?



Lastly, if weed is introduced in the movie, will the new Kirk start singing Rocket Man?

Check up

NO, I did not fall off the face of the earth.

It sure seemed that way, though.

I finished up my final final exam on Thursday night, but couldn't really relax yet because I was not sure if I did well enough on my last two finale exams.

On Friday, I had a long talk with some folks at work, where it became readily apparent that I needed to get some things done which had been pending for too long. Mostly, this was due to my own actions, not anything else. I'd focused much more on studying and papers and not so much on projects that needed to get done at work.

As a result, this weekend was spent much like the past fifteen weekend have been spent - lots of work, up late, stressed, rushing to meet a deadline.

Thankfully, I've gotten my main project back on track, and as of tomorrow I will hopefully be cleared to move ahead with rollout in the next phase.

So, finally, I have begun to feel somewhat calmer and relaxed. It's been good to be home to read to the kids and tuck them into bed, and it's been good to be able to not have to run around, completely batshit crazy.

Heck, I've even gotten to play a little poker with a clear mind. I'd planned on playing more blogger events when classes were over, and on Monday I got to play Riverchasers, cashing in 7th place and putting me 11th on the leaderboard after three events.

Tonight, I get to play the Mookie for the first time all year. Let's see if I can start punching a ticket for Vegas with a win tonight.