You've got mail!

Got this in the mail recently..from Stan, the guy that helped open Kennedy's and Gemini club. Might have to check it out sometime.

Update, and weekend preview

I am so freaking tired this week! My cold is winding down and almost gone, but that was the biggest reason I'm dragging, along with a general lack of sleep, but the lack of sleep has been for good reasons :) Caprice and I changed our Facebook status' too! Very exciting. Things are going well.

So Monday I went out with Slacks, Gross, BC, Hip, ...and maybe another 1-2 guys to watch MNF and eat $1 steaks at Pearl Rd Tavern in Clevetown. Not a bad place, but the neighborhood could be better. The cheap steaks were decent. If you get more than 1, you have to get a $3.50 side. I got the mash/gravy, which was damn good. They were real, and they were spectacular. The pic with the pissing chick is a huge 8' mural in the men's room. File that one under WTF???

So I got home late Monday night after stopping to see Caprice. We'd seen each other every day since our first date on the 22nd, and the streak just ended last night after 12 days. Stayed until pretty late on Tuesday night as well.

So Wednesday, I really wanted to stay home and veg, read my new book (I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, which is great so far. I have many similar stories, lol) and maybe catch up on some Netflix videos I have stacked up, but later in the day at work I was feeling a bit better so decided to join the gang for trivia. New gang this week too. Mr John Coleman was there along with Doug Poker and TK. Meats brought his friend Dave. We were in 2nd place going into the final question, bet it all, and came up busto. Ah well, we gave it a shot. Good times either way. Stopped by a packed Train Station on the way home and ran into Candy Weese-Simpson. Hadn't seen her in a while but we laughed about Rob's wedding story and my sweaty suit. Ask me to tell you the story sometime.

2 great weekends coming up! Get to hang with Caprice much of this weekend along with some poker and the Browns-Pats game on Sunday. Stag day at the stadium...Me, Ray, Mark, and Kurt. Game on!

Gonna cook for Caprice Friday night to show off my mad skills. We'll probably just stay in. Saturday we might go phone shopping for her, she wants to sign up with Sprint. I'm recommending an HTC EVO...sweet Droid phone.

Next weekend Caprice is coming to the Browns-Jets game with me. Should be fun.

Oh! The Black Friday Road Trip is returning! I set it up on the calendar and I think we have 8 people going so far, should be a blast. We're gonna hit up Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. No way I'm driving if it snows! LOL, you've heard that story.

More poker news...I want to have a very low stakes, 6-drink minimum game at my place sometime in December while Dave is on break. I may even toss in a 2-table $50 donkfest as well.

That's about it for now. Life is good.

Misc pics

Pics from this summer...that's Slacks dressed up as Ginger from Gilligan's Island.

New girlfriend, Halloween weekend, tourney cash

So, I've met someone! We went out for the first time last Friday and have seen each other every day since, so I think it's safe to say that things are going well. We went to Pier W...fantastic restaurant. Get the Heller Estates organic Cabernet. Fucking yummy! Great moonlit night too.

Her name is Caprice, she lives in Lorain (not far from Dave's), she's a tutor in the process of getting her teaching certificate, she's smart, funny, cute, and actually laughs at the stupid shit I say. She is creative in a Martha Stewart kinda way and has a great place. She has 2 daughters, 14 and 10. She makes the best ham sandwich you've ever tasted. Even if you wanted turkey. She has an amazing smile. A few of the guys met her on movie night Thursday.

Poker... 2nd place at Dave's last night. Only 2 tables, but the rebuy structure, once the rebuys were over, allowed for some decent play. I rebought twice and added on. Quintupled after the last rebuy when I hit my open ender against a set, a wheel straight, and a flush draw. Went heads-up with MEATS and we were about even going in. He caught me on a bluff and called a river bet where I missed a draw and he had a pair. He later got me to lay down KQ on a AKx board where he had a flush draw, then we both caught pairs when I had KQ again vs his A9, and he took it down. I think we were heads-up for 30-45 min. Great game Meatsie. I didn't play the cash game.

I got my Sebring cleaned up and ready to sell. I've had 2 hits so far. I may also have someone to take over payments on the Jeep I've been saddled with. Decided to keep my Eclipse instead.

Oh! and I joined the Powerhouse Gym yesterday. Gotta get my gym on for the winter. $80 for 3 months for a gym within walking distance was a no-brainer.

What's up!!

Well, not much to speak of poker-wise but...2 cashes (along with a 1st place win) at Dave's have put me on the leaderboard, and I won a couple buy-ins in Florida, where I went to vacation last week, but other than that I haven't really been playing much. There are so many other cool, new, and interesting things going on in my life right now that I barely even think about playing cards any more. It's just a game Focker!

No one in the CPMG has gone/is going pro, including me, and I came to realize that a very long time ago. The core players in the group are certainly above average, but no one is at the pro level. I am happy that I am no longer obsessed with the game. I can see it in so many other players, and I actually feel bad for them. Ease up! Take a non-Vegas, non-casino vacation! My Florida trip was great...I hit the beach, went jet skiing on the ocean, river, and swamp, ate some great meals, rolled through GA at around 100 MPH, yada yada yada... there is just so much more going on in this world than those same 52 cards, over and over! I am still going to play, but it's just not as important to me as it once was. Sure, I like the game more when I'm winning, who doesn't? I just refuse to let losses bother me. LUCK IS NOT PERSONAL!!

More to follow in the days/weeks ahead. I'll try to get some pics up from my trip, along with my "stranded in the swamp" report. That beat the fuck out of even the best of poker outings, lol. Oh, and I got a speeding ticket in VA on the way back...80 in a 65...gonna cost $150...ouch! Glad they didn't get me on the way down :)

Weekend

Lost at TK's on Friday. Played for an hour. Fuck poker. I think I've missed something like 25 straight and flush draws during this run of shit.

Did 30 miles on the bike Saturday down on the towpath. That was much more fun and burned 1400+ calories.

Slacksfest, coming up next weekend, should be a great time. I'm not even playing cards. Just gonna fish and relax.

Camping pics

Enjoy a few pics from last weekend...

What a ride

First off, I played Julie's tourney on Friday. Folded a lot, missed some flops, doubled with a short stack, then shoved again a few hands later with 77 and lost to Colin's river Q, he had AQ. Ah well. Nothing too interesting to report. I love Julie's basement though, it's like a meat locker down there.

So Sat and Sunday I did the MS-150 Pedal to the Point bike ride. What a blast. Day 1 (75 miles each day), I pedaled along at my own pace, a little worried about my knee, which usually acts up around 20-ish miles. I stopped at every rest stop, which was about every 10-12 miles, and stretched out, ate a couple orange wedges, and re-hydrated. The ride was well-supported with cars/motorcycles up and down the route, checking intersections, watching for breakdowns, or helping with medical situations. The lunch break was at the LCJVS, and I rolled in around 10:30. Ate a good lunch, freshened up with more SPF-50 sunblock, and pedaled out. I had trailed behind my team by about a half hour by that point. They all had fantastic bikes or were in better shape, or both. A handful of our 20-person team opted for the 100-mile first day. Joe, a 56 year-old retired teacher and cross country coach, did the 100 miles and finished as fast as many of the fastest 75-milers. Just nuts. I was by myself just about the entire trip, but talked to many people along the way. I also had Jim Morrison, Eric Clapton, Janis Joplin, and Robert Plant to keep me company, even though my iPhone started the day with a 50% charge. It did die pretty quick, especially with the GPS app I was running to chart the ride. (SEE DAY2 MAP HERE) I lost GPS signal or the battery went dead around 60 miles. I averaged almost 13 MPH even with a few stops where I forgot to pause the app, which is pretty good, although the people with nice road bikes were doing like 18 MPH.

There were over 2500 riders, I am pretty sure. Our group raised the most in the "schools" category, with over $6300 in donations. There were riders of every type. I saw people on mountain bikes, beat-to-shit Huffy's, tandems, and even heard there was a guy on a unicycle, but didn't see him. He must have been going faster than me.

So after lunch, the heat really started to get to me. At around 50 miles, I was beginning to think I wouldn't make it. I began squirting water on my head, neck, and chest, which really helped, and I took a few impromptu rest stops where others had stopped. Many were at the top of big hills. I only walked up 1 hill where I got a slow start. I got passed by a guy with 1 pedal. Twice. He must have stopped ahead of me somewhere, because after he passed the 1st time, he rolled by again later. Nice bike, but he must have busted a pedal, or was just up to the 1-pedal challenge. I also saw a guy with 1 leg. You go man.

So, I finished day 1 at around 3:15, in the rain, which was a welcome relief. Didn't pour, but I got about 45 min of it. Most of my team was done 2 hrs earlier. I wasn't there to race, I just wanted to live through it and finish. I honestly thought there was no way I'd finish the 2nd day. It was supposed to be just as hot.

After the ride, we hung around the Rodeway Inn pool and drank a few. I got a ride back home because I had to take care of the dog. I washed my riding clothes and slept in my own bed, which was nice. Asleep by 9:00, I was up at 4:30 Sunday and back in Sandusky at 6 am. We all had breakfast at Jolly Donut. Mmmmm...

Just after starting, I immediately felt better than I had the first day. Partly mental I'm sure, but I was making killer time compared to the day before. I also wanted to kick out as many miles as possible before the heat turned up, which it seemed to early on Sunday, around 10:30, which is when I got to the lunch stop, which was about 10 miles further than day 1. I had a bruise show up out of nowhere on my left forearm, I'm guessing just from leaning on the handlebars so long.

I ate a smaller lunch, because I knew it would feel like my body temp was higher from the digestive process. I also shortened each break. Getting back on the bike after each break was a little scary. You feel wobbly and the road feels spongy. Takes a while to get your bike legs back.

So, feeling pretty good, I decided I was going for it. No way I was gonna quit. 2 stops after break, there was supposed to be another stop 2 miles up the road, so I decided to skip the closest and hit the next one in a few minutes. My water bottle was empty and it was getting HOT. Someone the day before said the road surface was 110 degrees. So after a couple miles, no rest stop. I asked another biker and he said they had changed it (and told no one) and set it up another 8 miles down. Ugh...no water. So I trudged along, and took my time. After finally getting there, I really soaked myself with water, drank a couple extra cups of Gatorade, and stretched out good, before applying more sunblock. With 11 miles to go, I rolled out of the last stop feeling pretty refreshed. The last leg wasn't bad at all, but I did run into a couple from the team who'd stopped to fix the 3rd flat between them that day. We hit the finish line around 2:30 pm. Woo! I really didn't think I'd do it. 2 days, almost 160 miles total ride miles. Sweet.

Now I'm hooked. I feel fine today, just a tad sore, but not bad at all. I'm gonna hit the bike path by my house and get a 20-miler in before going to the movies with the CPMG crew tonight. I'm also planning my next ride, probably 38 miles on the towpath this weekend, and another 75 miles in Sept for another charity. I raised over $400 for the MS Society.

Some other notes...I need new, quality riding gloves. The pair I have, I bought for my solo road trip to Vegas back in 2007, and they are in bad shape. I also need better riding shorts. I've washed this pair about 6 times and they are falling apart. They are padded, but boxer-style, which beats the spandex look. I also need some different shoes, even sneakers. My Keen sandals were fine for normal weather, but when they get damp, my feet really slide around on the pedals. Another thing...helmets suck! I understand the need for safety, but mine just cooked my brain all day.

There was a team called "Flight Options" that passed me a few times, and I even rode with for a while. They were mostly pilots from what I could gather, and they were crazy, cool, and having a ton of fun. They were in great shape. The fastest in their group would ride ahead, block intersections, let the group pass, and catch back up with them. Then it would be the next guy's turn. They did it well.

I also missed the team photo, along with 1 other team member. I was off filling up my water bottles.

My biking app says I burned well over 9000 calories over those 2 days, so I guess I can eat anything I want for the next few weeks :)

Nothing in the poker dept

Not much happening poker-wise the last couple weeks. Went camping with friends last weekend, spent a few hours in the ER with what I thought at first were kidney stones, but ended up being nothing they could figure out. (I'm fine now BTW) Missed the CPMG shootup event as a result. I had the guns all packed in my car and ready to go.

This weekend, I'll be biking 150 miles over 2 days for the Pedal to the Point fundraiser. I've raised over $400 for the MS Society.

Other than that, work is kicking my ass, as it always does this time of year.

2 weeks until Slacksfest 2010!

Great weekend, but another loss

Had 15 players over for my tourney on Saturday. Cooked some great wings on the grill and had a good time, but my KQ failed to hold up vs TK's AK in the tourney, and after a few too many Bud Lights, I got smacked in the cash game as well. Play ended just after 4 am. We even had a HA game going for a little while.

I had about 10 B's left when I shoved against TK, who took a while to call. I actually thought I was ahead when he finally pushed his chips in. Wrong.

Caveman and Matt S were 1st and 2nd, with Cheryl taking 3rd. Matt won Julie's the next day. He's pretty aggressive. I found in the cash game that playing back at him will get that under control. He seems to know when to fold.

Some notes after the tourney...I definitely need a new grill. The wings took forever to cook on the one small hot spot. My AC needs to be fixed as well. Calling the landlord today. It got pretty hot but the fan and open windows helped. I will also pick up that table that eRock has offered. I'll use the big table as a tabletop for the dining room.

Slacks has put a weekend of debauchery on the calendar for his place up on Johnson's Island for the weekend of the 27th. Should be fun.

The hurt continues

Down a ton (not quite 2 full buy-ins) in $2-5 at nautica last night. Nothing is holding up. KK twice, JJ, and AK resulted in big losses. Lost with top-2. Flopped the stone cold nuts with 9-10, lost to a rivered full house.

The worst part is I was playing GREAT last night. Made laydowns when I knew I was beat, or I'd have either lost a lot more, or left much earlier. The $2-5 play down there is no better than the 1-2, they just donk it up with a lot more chips. I am looking forward to getting back there as soon as my roll allows. Will not be any time soon, I have to buy a new laptop. Ugh. I am hoping to get some $$ for the dead one on eBay. Fingers crossed.

Ouch

I'm down almost 6 full buy-ins over my last 3 $1-2 sessions. 2 at Nautica and the other at Colin's. Colin's was the worst. I got 3 sets busted and lost with KK twice. Beat after horrible beat.

Oh well, Nautica always pumps my roll back up eventually. Just need to hit some open-enders and flush draws, which I've had very few of lately.

Just a bad day overall. First, my iPhone crashed during an update and I had to wipe and restore it. Then I get creamed at poker. I get home to find my laptop almost completely fried. I think it may have been juiced by lightning. It only boots intermittently and even when it does it flakes out occasionally. Time to put it on eBay and get a replacement.

Win at TK's

Finished up $230 at TK's over the weekend, though I was up almost $600 at one point. Had a few hands cracked...another set of 2's, straight vs. bigger straight, and nut flush by a rivered full house. I did make a few great laydowns though.

At our 7-handed table, we had quads 5 times (twice for me) and a straight flush (Pyxis)

I should have left at midnight like my little man was telling me to do, but stuck around. A $500+ win is huge for a 1-1 game. Oh well, still a win. That puts me at 10 for 13 in wins lately.

Got in a couple of bike rides this weekend too. HOT outside! Took the dog swimming on Sunday as well. Tonight: Going to see Inception at Crocker Park with the gang.

Loss at home

Had a great table last night, but through poor play I managed to dump $370. Grayday brought a friend that was spewing chips left and right, but I paid him off at least twice. He was a complete racist that dropped N-bombs all night, got pretty drunk, and even lit up a smoke in my apartment near the end of the night. He didn't quite realize he had lit it I guess, but I asked him to put it out.

I made a couple other terrible calls against Chan and Mike K, and also got a few good hands busted. The first big one was my top-2 (AJ) cracked by Meats' flush, and later a set of 2's by Grayday's runner-runner flush with 10-2 sooted. Ugh.

The pasta with meat sauce turned out great, and Hip brought some donuts. We had 1 strong table until almost 2 am. Overall it was a good time. I need to get some more red chips for the set I bought off Danny C. We ran out pretty early.

After everyone left, I took my dog out for a break, and walking back toward the house I could hear a bunch of yelling/screaming. Sounded like a brawl. Suddenly, gunfire erupted from an area across the river over by a few bars over that way. Here's the story.

Something violent happens just about every weekend at one of the bars over that way.