BBT5

Tournament: Poker From the Rail
When: Monday, April 19th through May 24th starting at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $24+2 (or token)*
Password: 2010WSOP

Tournament: The Mookie
When: Wednesday, April 21st through May 26th starting at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $10+1*
Password: vegas1

*Winner also receives ToC entry

Tournament: Battle of the Blogger Tournaments Invitational
When: Sunday, April 18th through May 23rd starting at 19:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: Restricted freeroll**

**$2,000 Prizepool + 1st and 2nd place receive ToC entry

Tournament: Blogger Battle Royale
When: Sunday, June 6th starting at 14:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: Freeroll for BBT participating bloggers

(Thanks EasyCure… like I asked)

It’s almost time. ‘nuff said.

I don’t know if I’m a-gonna go…

I guess that title would refer to going home on time now that the volcano has blown.  It seems that a little volcano has popped up between me here in Germany and home in North Carolina.  Flights are spotty at this point.  For instance, my return flight, US 705 ran on time yesterday.  Today’s flight is cancelled.  I’m not schedule to get out of here until next Saturday and everything could be all clear by then.  Last time this volcano blew it kept blowing for a year.  So maybe it won’t calm down before next weekend.  You can be sure that I’ll be following it closely.

That begs the question: If I do get a forced vacation here in Europe, what should I do?  I would expect that I would have some time to put around, but can’t go too far from the Frankfurt-Mannheim area of Germany.  Think day trips.  I could take some time off and go further afield if there was something really interesting.  I’d be in big trouble is I went down in to Italy without Dr. K, so that is out.  I’d get in trouble in Greece for the same reason.  I’ve been to Paris and don’t have any reason begging me to go back.  I’ve also been to Amsterdam and London.  My job requirements would keep me from enjoying Amsterdam fully anyway.

Monte Carlo sounds like it might be worth a look-see.  One thing I would be looking for would be good pictures.  I did bring my good camera with me, so picture taking would be my primary task/recreation.  Finding a good poker game would be a big plus.

Well those are the parameters.  Any ideas are welcome.

I guess I will perhaps also have to think about exit strategies in case flights from here going west still look bad in another week.  Thoughts that have popped into my head include flying back via Moscow or Madrid, or catch a cruise out of England.  They do still have trans-Atlantic cruises, don’t they?

This is shaping up to be another adventure.  I sure am glad I’m on my employer’s dime.

The lines in my Face(book) keep getting clearer

I’ll just warn you up front, this is going to be a long navel-gazing post, and if you weren’t affected by the situation, you probably won’t be interested in this story.  Of course, you may be interested in how small a world it can by and how people are connected.  Facebook really brings that last point out.  But to tell my tale, I have to supply some background and that starts with who I was in high school, a bit over 30 years ago.

BTW, I changed all of the names in this story. I think that those involved will recognize their character.

I was a little kid in the 9th grade.  Little as in small.  My late blooming caused my time in junior high to be a living hell.  I had started liking girls, but with one or two exceptions they had not started liking me.  My athletic record was pedestrian at best.  I didn’t take getting picked on very well.  I was an average kid in a lot of ways and a geeky looser in others.  I thought a lot more of myself than that and really didn’t understand why everyone else didn’t see it, too.  It put a bit of a chip on my shoulder and sure didn’t give me any training for handling success.

So I arrive in high school and things start going better almost immediately. I had grown a good bit over the summer.  I made a ton of new friends when classes began.  Before long I had a car and had been on a few dates.  I really started enjoying the social scene.

In the spring, I switched out of running distance races in track and tried a sport that had fascinated me for as long as I could remember, pole vaulting.  Turns out I was really good at it.  It was at Big G High School when I really took off (pun intended) increasing my best height by 2 feet and taking 2nd place in the meet. I became the best new pole vaulter in the county that year.  I followed up that success with a run for the junior class council.  I not only won, but was voted class president.  I was flying higher than any time in my life.  Needless to say, I wasn’t ready for it and messed up a few things in the following year.

I had started dating a girl, we’ll call her Allison, which I had known from church since I was 4.  She was and is a wonderful person and I was really lucky that she liked me in return.  We dated through the summer in into our junior year, she at Big G H.S. and me at the Big I.  My status change got the best of me that year.  As I got the opportunity to start seeing other girls, I did, but I didn’t tell Allison.  Just before Christmas I met Jenny at school.  She was nice and young and cute.  The two girls went to different schools and had no way of meeting, so what’s the risk.  Right?

That went just fine for a while, so well, in fact, that when I got the opportunity, I started dating a third girl, Lynn.  There was nothing wrong with the first two girls’ looks, but I think everyone would agree that Lynn was stunning (probably still is).  She was tall and thin with long blond hair and delicate features made her one of the most beautiful girls I’d ever known.  The fact that she AND Jenny both went to the same school was a risk that I decided to take.  I can’t say what I was thinking because I just wasn’t.

There was nothing more serious with any of these relationships than first base with maybe an occasional attempt to steal second, so I wasn’t doing anything physically dangerous, just really callous, selfish, and downright stupid.  Those were fun times, but it didn’t take long before the stress and the lies turned the whole situation sour.  I ended up breaking up with all three shortly thereafter.  In one particularly callous move, I told Lynn when we arrived at school one morning and left her crying in the car with a request to “lock it up when you are through.”  Jerk just doesn’t go far enough to describe me that day.  My breakup with Jenny wasn’t any better.  I think I just stopped calling Allison.

That was a really long setup about things that happened a long time ago.  Now fast forward to 2009 and the rise of Facebook.  It' has been great fun connecting with a lot of folks that I haven’t seen or heard from since high school.  I reconnected with Jenny and her sister Linda almost right away.  It was a while after that, but I eventually reconnected with Allison.  Until this past week, I’d not been able to track Lynn down, but I found her husband and he’s been kind enough to pass my connection info along to her.  I’ve yet to hear from her and won’t pursue it any further.  Of course, given the story so far I wouldn’t blame her for not writing.

That brings us to the Facebook lines where I started.  As soon as I friended Allison, I got a real surprise.  It said that we had 2 friends in common even though I had not friended anyone that I thought Allison would know.  One of those friends was Linda, Jenny’s sister.  I just had to find out how this connection was made.  It turns out that Allison and Linda shared a suite in college.  What are the odds?  I came clean with this story to both sides and we all had a good laugh, including Jenny.

I thought that would be the end of it.  However, this past week I was looking around the internet to see if I could find Lynn.  I’ll poke around for folks I used to know.  I probably thought of her for some random reason, a song maybe.  I knew her married name and the town she lived in a while back, but still couldn’t get a lead on her whereabouts.  So I tried finding her husband and found Tom on Facebook.  That’s when I got a real shock.  It said that we had a mutual friend, and that friend was Allison.  That was too weird and something that I’ve not had the chance to share with anyone.   It turns out that Allison and Tom were friends and classmates at Big G High School (recurring theme).  Unbelievable!  It is a small world after all (couldn’t resist).

I have always been disappointed in myself for that whole situation in high school.  I would say that Allison, Jenny, and Lynn, and I ended up with pretty good lives since those days.  Our paths crossing and my mistakes were part of that path and I wouldn’t change my destination for anything, so I would never say that I wish it hadn’t happened.  I hope they all feel the same.  To say that I’m sorry it happened is a bit of a contradiction, but I am. 

It is funny and weird that Allison would end up connected to Jenny (once removed) and now Lynn (also once removed).  and Jenny and Lynn went to school together, so they probably remember each other at least a little.  It took Facebook to reveal it.  Turns out everybody knows everybody.  Well, almost.

Bad Beats

Sure, charge me a dollar.  I’m just playing with play money in Rush Poker, just killing time until it’s time to call home to the wife, but damn.  That’s all of the commentary I’m going to give.  Just look at the hands, particularly the fact that all of these hands come in a stretch of 9 hands:

this one got all-in on the turn:

This one, I got pot committed on the turn:

I got all-in on the flop here:

I got all-in on the flop here, too:

The last one particularly stung.  That one was 92% to win.  Guess it’s time to call home.

On the road again

Actually, in the air again would be more correct.  I’m currently recovering from the overnight flight, sitting in my hotel room in Heidelberg, Germany.  I’m pretty excited to be here.  I love the location.  This hotel has one shop between it and my favorite restaurant in Germany, the Vetter.  They have a plate of sausage, kraut, and potatos that is to die for.  I’ve posted the plate and pictures of the restaurant on this blog before, but in case you don’t want to go looking for it:

Oh yea, they have bier, too.

In fact, if I had taken this picture from the other side of the street, my hotel would have been visible through the gate, but I think it gives you the idea.  I will definitely have to get out and around this town as much as possible this week.

The transition from one continent to another is the most difficult part of the trip.  At least this time my host and ride aren’t expecting me to work until tomorrow.  On one of my trips here, I was not only kept at work with no ride and nothing to do, but I was kept there until after 7 pm which meant I was up for about 36 hours.  Needless to say I’ve avoided that situation and letting that person set my schedule on arrival.

Well, it’s time to head to the Vetter for dinner.  Maybe I’ll try something different this time.  Naaaaah.

Saturday Night Poker

Another night of hanging with friends, drinking a few beers, talking, laughing, and crying quietly to myself, a.k.a. playing the poker home game.  The faces were not much older, but were very familiar.  I arrived on time to find that 6 had gotten there before me.  There was T, Uncle Phil, Jim the Knife, Dr. Lou, Little Nick, Tom S., Brian the new guy, and Falstaff.  The conversation was lively.  Some examples:

• Anybody but Duke (NCAA Final Four)
• Homer and the Greeks
• New basketball rules
• Trip to Vegas just past (me, Jim)
• Upcoming trip to Vegas (T)
• My PS2 is just a Blue-Ray player

At the end of the night, I gotten shut out of being dealt or flopping great cards.  I remember getting QQ once and JJ once that had to be tossed quickly.  I saw Q10 too many times to count and lots of trash.  I picked up enough orphans and caught a river or two and managed to only lose $30.  If that’s a bad night, I’ll take it.

One line in a news story

In today’s Charlotte paper (on-line version), there is a story about an ex-girlfriend who ran into a house where her (presumably) ex-boyfriend was staying.  That is not normally a huge deal, except for the fact that the girl was driving at the time.  She later ran into the boyfriend’s truck while said boyfriend was driving to the courthouse to get a restraining order.  She then stabbed a female passenger of the truck in the back.  It was the next line in the story that got my attention:

“The woman was taken to Carolinas Medical Center but is expected to survive, police say.”

So what exactly is supposed to happen to folks who are taken to CMC?  I expect that line will be edited shortly.  Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/04/07/1361960/stabbing-shuts-old-statesville.html#ixzz0kR9t2LdO.

Fenway Update

Fenway went into the vet this morning.  He still has a couple of spots of skin infection on his leg so the vet won’t operate on him.  The risk of infection to the knee is too great.  So we will get him back later today just as he left.  Maybe we can get him on the road to recovery next week.  Thanks for the well-wishes.

Fenway’s Knee

Dr. K and I decided a long time ago that there would be no little Ks running around the K estate. Instead, we have 2 children that most people call dogs. Dr. K named the dogs Fenway and Wrigley. You can tell she is a baseball fan.

Both dogs are from the same kennel and both are golden retrievers. That is about where the similarities end. Fenway is the older of the two. He is male, smart, beautiful, playful, demanding, and a bit of a loner when everything is well. When he doesn’t feel well, he demands attention to the point of being clingy. Here is a recent picture of our boy:

Wrigley is the sweetest dog you will ever meet. She doesn’t have the classic good looks of Fenway. She is not very bright, can’t track, doesn’t play, loves to sleep, and is totally devoted to Dr. K. She can be funny as hell though she doesn’t mean to be. But as far as being loyal or a good pet, she is awesome.

We’ve been having a problem with Fenway over the past week and a half. Fenway blew out his knee. He was running in the back yard and snapped his ACL. I was outside with him and heard it pop. I didn’t know dogs did such things. A quick search of Bing shows that they do.

Today, Fenway is undergoing surgery to repair his leg. For the next 12 weeks we have to keep him from running or playing as he loves to do. He won’t be able to go out without being on a leash. That part means that Dr. K and I will be going out with the dog in one hand and an umbrella in the other.

I’m no parent, but watching the dog go through this has been heart-breaking. We are hoping for the best. I’ll post updates, and maybe some gross post-op pictures, here soon.

Side Boob

I’ve noticed that posting a picture of a hot lady showing ample side boob increased the viewership of my podcast site.  Case in point: http://gtpodcast.com.  I’ve also noticed that mentioning such posts also increases traffic.  This may become a regular feature.

Overdue Vegas Trip Report

No excuses.  Let’s just get to it.

This trip ran from March 7-10.  There was a plan where I could be stopping in Vegas at the end of February.  That trip was cancelled when a customer I was to visit pulled the plug. When my next planned trip (end of March) fell through, I hooked up with Brian the Red and crew and headed out with the gang.

The digs on this trip were the suites of the Venetian.  Thanks to Papa Skoon, I had a bed for one night and a sofa for 2 (which I didn’t use much).  I’ve not stayed at the V before.  It is the location of the best poker room in town so I always stay close.  I doubt I would fork over $200+ per night when other good alternatives exist for under $80, but it was very nice to be so close and in such a nice room.  Thanks, Skoon!

Now for the bottom line.  I was in Vegas about 70 hours and played poker for 34 of them.  More importantly than that, I won at poker.  I didn’t realize it until I double-checked the numbers.  Here it is in graphical form:

The red line on the chart above is the running net for the trip.  I actually thought I had lost a bit less than $200, but either my math was off or I lost more in random machines and roulette than I remembered.  You will notice that I peaked on Monday with an 8th place at the Venetian Noon tourney, then had a horrible time until Wednesday morning when a furious run brought be back above water.

I got a couple of interviews for the podcast while in Vegas and laid the groundwork for more in the future.  Those interviews are planned for show #012 to be released on Sunday. 

We did visit Aria and City Center.  I’m not real impressed.  It would be spectacular anywhere else I’ve ever been, but so are many resorts on the Vegas Strip.  The poker room was OK, as was the decor.  The staff was polite without being overly enthusiastic.  I’ll probably go back sometime, but I can’t think of a good reason right now.

I’m not sure when I will get back to Vegas.  There may be a trip to AZ in a few weeks, so maybe I can schedule a stop-over then.  I’ll definitely be making a trek out in October for my birthday.  Anyone who wants to party is welcome to join (almost certainly Oct  22-25, maybe one or two more days).

There’s been lots else to write about in the past few weeks.  I’ll get that out shortly.

Conservative Values

Let me be one of the first to condemn the actions and reactions of some on the right to the passage of the healthcare reform act(s).  The shattering of windows and threats of violence against anyone involved (especially the President) are acts of treason against this country and the conservative movement.  Those actions do much more harm than good.  Stop it!  You get no support, only scorn, from the vast majority of republicans, libertarians, and conservatives.  Grow up.

When a poker tourney gets raided, the players hope it is the police.

That has never been more clearly illustrated than at the EPT Germany.  Check this article by MSNBC:

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/35744551/ns/sports-other_sports/

Robbers made off with the prize pool of over a million dollars.  I’m sure my friends in the poker media are already far ahead of me and MSNBC already. 

When the raid happens, if the raiders are the police, the players usually face loss of the money in the game and a ticket.  If the raiders are robbers, people can be killed.  I’d take the police every time.

US Gov’t Poisoned Citizens?

I found this story very interesting in light of the current debate over health care in this US.

http://www.slate.com/id/2245188

Zealots of every stripe are very dangerous.

What to do with ‘a Jerk’ at the table?

Interesting times at a not so local poker game this weekend.  BtR and I traveled to a new (to us) location in Asheville for a Friday night poker game.  The setup was nice.  The host (who was also great) had a full-sized poker table in his man-cave.  The cave also came complete with a toilet and fridge nearby, both of which are critical to the proper poker environment.

I got off to a ‘great’ start when I got 6x4x in the un-raised big blind.  The flop came 3x5x7x rainbow – the absolute perfect flop for this hand.  I push out a standard bet.  Player +1 makes a healthy raise and BtR calls.  I shove the remainder of my initial 100 buy-in.  Player +1 calls and BtR folds.  Player +1 says “Well, if you’ve got a straight, you’ve got a straight.” to which I reply “I’ve got a straight.”  He turns over a pair of sevens for a set.  The turn is another 5 and I’m off to get another buy-in.

Much of the rest of the night was mostly unplayable cards and situations.  I hit a big flush draw and pushed over top of a raise by Mr. LJ which he called.  I don’t recall what he had since pretty much anything beat me at that point, but I hit my flush on the river to get my initial loss back.  I bled down from there and made my third chip purchase shortly before the big hand of the night. (or did I make that 3rd by before the flush hand?)

I picked up a pair of tens in the small blind.  I raised and got rid of most limpers.  The notable exception was the player to my right who I will call “big A” or just “A” .  The flop comes down 9 high.  I check and A bets 10 or so.  I call.  The turn brings a ten making my set.  I bet 15 or 20 and A raises about a hundred to which I push over top for another 150 or so.  He says that he has to call and turns over 10x3x for top pair (or was it 2 pair).  My set holds up and I rake der Monstertopf.

I typically say little or nothing when I win a big pot.  I know the loser feels bad and I don’t want to kick that person when they are down.  It’s bad form and it may cause a situation that will change the game in undesirable ways.  This was no different.  I did say something about Asheville being unfriendly at first (referring to my early bust) but getting better, but I kept even that low key.  That was pretty much it until I won a couple of decent hands right at the end of the night to give me a nice profit of 235.

It was the behavior of the player to my right that really stands out from this night.  This was Big A that I wrote of above.  It was early in the night when I had to ask him not to fling my cards at me.  I was at one end of the table and when the dealer was at the other end my cards needed the help of those closer to the middle to get my cards to me.  Most people just put a finger or two on the back of the cards and slide them down.  Not A.  He would flick them in my direction sometimes launching them into the air. Asking him to stop could have been offensive or something. 

A could stand for Apple as this guy had an iPhone on the table.  With the Olympics on, my Twitter feed was busy and I took out my Epix at one point to check on my incoming messages.  Big A asked me (this was probably the first thing he said to me all night) “What kind of phone still uses a pointing device?”  That really can’t be anything but a put-down.  I about came back at him with something very snide, but I let it got with a reply of “Oh, just an old one.”

It was at the conclusion of the evening for me that the biggest incident happened.  I had folded my last hand and counted and stacked my chips in preparation to be cashed out.  Well, Big A saw something in my stack that he liked and decided to make it his own, a $100 chip.  So without saying or asking anything, he reached into my stack and pulls out the chip and slides over a stack of red 5s.  I stare at him without saying anything though I’m sure the look on my face said “what the fuck are you doing.”  He must have been trying to tweak me since he asked if there was a problem.  Why else would he even wonder? 

One of the biggest taboos in gambling is touching another players chips.  Everyone knows this, right?  I’ve looked up poker etiquette on several web sites.  “Don’t touch others’ chips” is generally mentioned high on the list.   At the time, I replied to A that it is more difficult to count out 20 chips instead of one and he shouldn’t be reaching into my stack at all.  He made an excuse and we let it go for a second.  Then he brought it up again when the host put the chips in a tray and, of course, I repeated my objection.  Most everyone else there just wanted to avoid a heated confrontation.  I sure would have liked to hear if anyone else shared my view or if I was just over-reacting.  That’s happened before, too.

It was an awful end to an otherwise great night.  I play poker for entertainment.  I like to win and it sucks when I lose, but losing is still better than not playing when it is among friends.  Some folks are more competitive than that, I suppose.  Some will resort to making others angry to get an edge.  I may have done something that rubbed Big A the wrong way.  I’ve done it before and will do it again some day.  It may be that this is a part of his game: pick out one person and target him.  I really don’t know.  I know that I’m not going to play in an otherwise friendly game where purposely tiliting players is going on.  I can’t do anything about it at a game where I am a guest except to stay away.  There are people on my list that do not get invitations to my games for various reasons.  Not playing nice is one of those reasons.

I like going to Asheville to play.  The folks there are great mostly.  So now I’m torn as to whether I will consider invitations that also includes Big A.  Once this is read the problem may even take care of itself.  If there are no more invitations, so be it.  Hopefully time will show me the proper course.

In the mean time, Mastodon weekend is fast approaching and then a short trip to Vegas.  There are too many good times coming to dwell on the past.  It’s on.

Gambling Tales Update

Podcasting is still a blast.  I’m getting everything I had hoped out of this project with the possible exception of cash.  I’m keeping up with an area of interest.  I enjoy collaborating with my cohost Falstaff.  I’m meeting and writing to some very interesting people.  I’m going to ramp up my efforts to get some sponsorship shortly.

Today will will hit our 4000th download in 8 shows, so it looks like we are not alone in enjoying some good gambling stories and we really have just scratched the surface of what is there. 

So check out http://gtpodcast.com for some news and story-telling goodness.

Poker in Seattle 2010

Traveling from west to east really messes me up.  That traveling makes the days short and throws my already punished sleep schedule straight under the bus.  I feel my hangover, but I didn’t get to enjoy the buzz.

The first leg of the trip was seriously messed up.  Blame global warming if you like, but flying out of sunny Seattle into rainy Phoenix is just not right.  Thank goodness that Charlotte was its normal cold and gloomy self.  It is good to be home!

I am home now, though a few dollars lighter.  I dropped $460 in the Shoqualmie Casino my first night in Seattle on a table that I never could get anything to happen.  All of my moves were challenged and hitting a flop did nothing be cost me more chips.  I guess I lasted as long as I did because I only hit one flop which gave me AA with a 10 kicker.  Since my opponent flopped a straight I didn’t end that  hand on a happy note.  I didn’t tilt me.  When you play badly, there is no one to blame but yourself.  Not having good cards is not excuse for playing badly.  Anyone who plays poker at any level of seriousness knows there is both good and bad play, which is why playing poker is clearly a game of skill.

I did okay on the skill thing for the rest of the trip.  I went back to Snoqualmie on Saturday night and to Tulalip on Sunday. The cards didn’t get any better, but I managed to play even poker for another 10 hours or so, beating the rake and tips to finish the trip right where I finished the first night.

I’ve got two big games coming up at Mastodon Weekend followed immediately by a trip to Vegas with BtR, Papa Skoon and Big Papi. While in Vegas, I hope to do some work on the Gambling Tales Podcast.  I’ve got my portable recorder.  Now all I need is business cards and some subjects to talk to.   Here’s looking forward to better cards and better flops.

Aging

I mentally filed this article from the Financial Times website under “holy crap”:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/436a39a0-1a6e-11df-a2e3-00144feab49a.html

Basically (for those who don’t get FT.com for the articles), the article explains that scientists in Germany (U. of Ulm) have discovered the mechanics of how and why we age.  Old cells get their DNA damaged over time and reach a point where they are told to either stop reproducing or destroy themselves.  It is this damage that, if left unchecked, that can cause many types of cancer and other problems of aging.

For me, this begs two really big questions.  First, should I find of save sources of my young DNA now so that it might serve as a tool for refreshing my DNA when that technology is discovered?  The second question is do I really want to?

The first question is pretty easy.  The answer is yes.  Why not hedge my bet and have some spare DNA just in case.  I don’t know if my mom saved any of my baby hair.  I actually had an wisdom tooth lying around for years.  I may still have that.  I seem to remember teeth being good containers of DNA.  I’ll have to go find that and maybe find another source to set aside.

The second question is probably also a yes.  I’m pretty much OK with my current situation where age is involved.  I’ve always gravitated to people younger than myself.  Most of my friends are more than 5 years younger than me.  Some are almost 20 years younger but I see them as equals and colleagues (except maybe when they do dumb-assed things that I did at THAT age).  I feel good and really don’t look or act almost 50 years old. I don’t expect any of that to change drastically in the next 10 years. 

However, barring a technological miracle, the end is almost certainly closer than the beginning and that is a really strange concept to get my head around.  What if I could keep going?  Right now, I would.  I wouldn’t mind continuing to work or coming home to Dr. K and the dogs.  I could keep learning new things (like I’ve learned about podcasting this past year) and meeting new people.  The central deciding factor is am I tired of this and ready for what lies beyond.  I’m not even close, so keep working, you demon deacons of the U. of Ulm.  You need to figure out how to refresh human DNA.  I’ll wait as long as I can.

Hotel Desktop

Here is a picture that I snapped a while back.  This is the look of the desk in my hotel room on a typical business trip.  I expect that I will look back at this in a few years and 1) Remember these are good and bad old days, 2) be reminded about how far technology has come, and/or 3) make a blog post about how my hotel desk top looks now.

I expect this will mean more to my fellow business travelers.

Enjoy.

Too Much Fun

Hey, Special K!  How about a blog post?

Sure, don’t mind if I do.  Can I get it toasted?

That sums up the last two weeks or so for me.  I’ve been busy working on the road, which, in this case, means hanging out in DC during the week and home on the weekends.  Well, that’s not really fun, but it pays for some of the fun.

I got a toaster as my most major Christmas gift this year.  That seems pretty funny that I would get the toaster that I asked for.  I didn’t really ask to get  a toaster for Christmas, but it was just around Christmas time and I mentioned to Dr. K that I’d like to scrap the toaster oven for a real toaster.  I also wasn’t very specific about what I wanted for Christmas gifts, so I got a toaster.

It’s a real nice toaster made by Cuisinart with an LED browning indicator and settings for bagels, thawing, and of course, toast.  Since 12/25, I’ve been toasting every piece of bread that has come near my mouth.  PBJ on toast.  Tuna on toast.  Warm Pop-tarts? O-M-G.

Yes, the podcast (gtpodcast.com) is still going strong and might even pick up a sponsor.  It would be nice if it would pay for itself.  That means about $750 a year.  I don’t think we will have an problem there, but I’d sure like to see the money in the bank.

I’ve been 3 weeks without poker.  Folks have been busy.  I should get that monkey off my back next weekend.  Until then, we’ll just keep plugging along whistling a happy tune.