Borgota Bound

Well not really but it sounded good. Check out the coverage here

Playing Poker and a Fundraiser

Man it was so cold last week.

Anyway, not much happening that’s new or different. Its seems my/our life revolves around driving whichever child has event on any given day.

I did play a home game since the last time I wrote here and it was much the same as last time. Get deep and miss the money…again. I can’t complain to much as I felt I was playing my A game for the most part. I didn’t have the chance to run my stack up like last time but instead slowly increased my stack by winning smaller pots.

It started off well when I won the first hand dealt when I saw a flop with AQ suited and had a free look at the turn. I caught the nut flush draw and re-raised a small bet from a middle position player who likes to take stabs and he called. The river filled my straight and my opponent check folded. This seemed to be the way my night went…I one a bunch of hands without having to show my cards.

A little later I chopped a big pot when I flopped two pair and turn the nut boat. He held the same J9 for the chop. That was the hand I needed to win to start running over the table. Eventually we got down to two tables and I had a super donkey on my left. He wasn’t afraid to call with any two cards and won a number of hands with crap. I was hoping for a double up through him and he gave it to me on an AK3 flop when I had AK and he had A5.

I busted a player when I was in the BB. I announced I was calling blind, mainly because the guy on my right would have pushed ATC. The button pushed the remainder of his small stack in the middle and it was folded to me. I called getting about 6-1 on my money and we turn them over…I had no idea I would have AQ and ran over his AJ.

At the final table I made a few moves by stealing some blinds and ran into the hand that would define my night. I’m in the SB and bets are at 750/1500 and I have 5800 behind. UTG limps leaving 6K behind. Middle position player pushes to 2600 and super donkey calls from late middle position. I turn up my cards and see QQ. I go all in.

I think this is a no brainer. I don’t really care about the short stack…I want super donkey heads up and isolated. If I beat him and lose to the shorty I still have a net gain.

Anyway, BB folds and UTG tanks. Now when he didn’t push I felt I was safe. In my opinion, you can only call here with one or two hands…AA or KK. I mean if you hand wasn’t good enough to raise with preflop then it can’t be good now. But if you look at the odds he was getting, maybe calling is the right move. We he eventually he only called and super donk came for the ride. The flop came 983 and UTG shoves about 1K into the middle and super donkey folds. UTG’s set of 9s is golden and I miss the money by a couple spots.

I think what we see here is a guy who probably miss played his 99 and then felt he had to call…which I’m not sure I agree with but I can argue both ways. I think a better move from him is to raise/shove preflop since he only had an M of about 3 anyway. I really think limping with that hand is the wrong play most time but it was a good move for him that time as it really didn’t matter how he played it…I was going to get knocked out regardless. That is unless there are three players all in, in front of me…then I can fold QQ. Doesn’t really matter…I had a good time and won a few bounties to break about even.

*******************

This weekend we are throwing a fundraiser tourney together for my daughters softball team. It is a $20 re-buy with basically $5 going to the team and the rest to the prize pool. If anyone would like to make a donation of a re-buy, I will be donating anything I win back to the team as well as any unused re-buy funds I have left. You can contact me by email through my profile to make arrangements through paypal or a funds transfer on full tilt.

Regardless, it will be a fun time and hopefully I can either win some money for the team or at least help them out with many buy-ins.

Have a great day.

Searching and Searching

Found a couple of jobs that might fit. The best looking one is about 5 minutes from home. It is for a major company we all know so chew on that for a while.

I have started playing Ikariam with a group of people from work. This caused me to get Waffles, IT and Riggs involved. Anyone else wanting to give it a try jump in at let me know. We have an alliance that kicks butt...wellkicks a little butt. We are growing and will offer protection and advice. You can go to our external alliance page here.

Have a great day.

Monday

Since the demise of my life as I knew it, I have actually play a small amount of poker. Nothing amazing but with the limited amount of bankroll I have, anything in the positive direction is a big thing.

We’ll start with the Poker Stars blogger thing.

I played in two events, one of the hold’em events and the 8 game rotation. The hold’em event was going well until I had an issue with one of my children. I lost focus and made a play at the big stack on the BB. I was the SB and it was folded to so I raised it up. I had not played a hand in about three orbits so I figured a little steal would work. I had 94 suited so when he re-popped me I should have folded. But I make a comment in the chat about me not playing a hand in a while and then push my stack in the middle. It could have been a re-steal by him so I though he could fold. He felt AT was good enough to call off 2/3 of his stack but I hit a 4 on the flop…it was good until he caught a T on the river. I’m not sure I could call a re-shove with AT but he did and he won.

The mixed game went well until the bets started getting huge and then it became a matter of getting hands at the right time. I didn’t. I do know that I really like triple draw and made most of my chips during that part of the rotation. The part that killed me was having a nullified while holding the nut flush draw and nut straight draw. I caught none of it with my numerous outs and left silently.

So, I have been playing a little on Lock Poker and forgot there was another level of terrible play. Players calling big re-raises out of position with T8 off suit…things like that. Anyway, I took advantage and won a small MTT, about 350 players. Its nice to win but I find my self distracted. I really need to stay away for a while more. To much life getting in the way of smart play.

So being Monday, the only day I work this week, I want to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Moving On

We had an ice/sleet storm during the night but other then that it was just another Monday. But it wasn’t just another Monday…I was now a part time employee and on some levels I felt a sense of betrayal. Considering the hoops I have jumped through for the company, I think my feelings were justified. Anyway, traffic sucked and I arrived about 30 minutes late to work…not a great start.

I checked my emails and headed to the production meeting like every other Monday morning…it is not every other Monday.

I doodled on my notebook and took some notes. This meeting took longer then most and when it was through, I had to write a couple of emails and get some information put together. I went for a walk around the plant and walked with an unfocused gait. I’m wasn’t sure why I was even there.

I worked my way through the day and prepared to leave when I got a call I was waiting for. It was one of our sales guys from the east coast…near waffles…So I told him I couldn’t talk because I’m now an hourly employee and I’m off the clock…25 minutes later I hung up the phone and headed home. Giving away time for free…that will get me somewhere, someday.

Tuesday I went to city hall and the county health department to see what kind of programs they had for underemployed, overweight, thin haired men and their families. Pretty much a waste of time for now. I also called the mortgage company…because we are in good standing there isn’t anything they could do at this time. But if we start having problems they can come up with a plan to help us work through it. They took note I called and said it was a smart move…If we had waited until after we had problems it would have been harder to do anything. I guess having a credit score in the 800s has advantages?

Yesterday I ran a conference call with a customer in New Mexico. The General Manager was actually at the customer’s facility while I sat in the conference room by my self…I wasn’t actually alone…I had waffles on IM.

I’m struggling with the concept of managing a department as a part time employee. I have no initiative. I’d rather sit at my desk and play Ikariam.

Well...

Working through the myriad of issues in your life is a large part of what defines you as a person. The reactions, both good and bad, at the point that the issue becomes real is a moment of truth and our experiences in life move us down a path that is often sloped and strewn with obstacles. Then it is just a matter of keeping our balance or stumbling on the impediments in our way.

My problems are my own and I sometimes spill them on the canvas of this blog. Sympathy is not needed and though empathy fits, it doesn’t bring a solution in most cases.

It started on Thursday morning last week. It was a typical day at work except for closed door meetings with employees on an individual basis. And being a small company, work got out fast that one of the customer service people was getting let go. Them it was a production employee followed by some job responsibilities being moved around. It looked like everyone was meeting with the bosses and everyone was on edge.

I went into the office with the General Manager and the President like I have a million times before. The conversation started with what had happened to this point and what some of the changes meant to me. Then they let me know I was going to be moved to part time starting the next Monday…two days ago.

I took it about as well as I could. I don’t really understand how I can be a manager and be part time but whatever. It wasn’t a total surprise that things were happening but it was a surprise that it hit me. They gave me the rest of the day off to think about the offer, ironic considering they are trying to save money, and I left a little while later to think about my options.

I basically got fucked. I lost my insurance and 40% of my pay. I am expected to do everything I did before and I might have made more money on unemployment when you look at the gas savings. I write this today as two other employees fly to a customers place for a meeting which pisses me off even more.

So that’s my life in a nut shell right now.

Merry Fucking Christmas.

Love This Movie

Stupid comedy at moronic level.

The Season is Here

Christmas time is here and we started the yearly routine on Friday night as we brought up the numerous containers of holiday cheer. One of the girls had a friend over so we had an additional able-bodied person to help work through the minefield of ornaments, light stings and nutcrackers strewn about the house. By bedtime, we had the tree up and most of the cursory items in place. The only things we didn’t have in place were the outside decorations.

Saturday came and as usual, I was out of the house with Softball Enthusiast around 10:00 and headed to pitching lessons. It was a good day because she has moved onto a couple of new pitches and worked on the proper way to throw them without killing her self. She has a long way to go but she has been working really hard at improving her game and wants to put her self in a position to play varsity as a sophomore. She isn’t there yet but I think it is a possibility if she continues to work they way she has been over the last couple of months. She is to the point where throwing strikes with her fastball just happen because her mechanics are tight. This allows us to work harder on her other pitches and should speed up the progress with she will need to achieve her varsity goal.

So in the afternoon I started to put up the outside lights. Started means I was to cold to stand on the ladder with the wind pulling any warm I had in my body. I did get the light bulbs changed to red and green but the ones hanging from the gutters will have to wait a couple of days.

Sunday I took Lauren to practice in the morning and returned home just after the start of the Bears’ game. I was glad to be inside watching the game instead of outside…except that I had to go hang green stuff outside after half time. I also put up a few of the lights but I really didn’t want to climb the ladder. I am a puss. I made it back inside for part of the 2nd half and got ready to leave for Softball E.’s game. Yes I know it is winter time but her team is playing a winter league in a huge building in towards the city. She didn’t pitch and was 0-2 hitting but drove in a run and smoked the ball both times in their 3-2 victory.

We arrived home around 7:30 and watched one of the Harry Potter movies as we ate our late dinner. Another weekend flew by as we move closer to the end of another year. It has been a tough year but I am thankful to have a family to spend time and do things with.

That Spunky Waffles

Poor waffles…nobody gives him any respect until someone calls him out for what he is. Here is a quote from the tables on Full Tilt.

Maniac57: !!!@bags
Maniac57: mother$#!$ers
Maniac57: cumswillers
jennyho1: shut up you pus infected cumbubble anal wart

Dealer: Maniac57 wins the pot (5,167) with 7,5,4,3,A
Dealer: jennyho1 finishes in 81st place

Maniac57: wheeee
jdinner: lol
Maniac57: Anal Fart
Maniac57: anus
Maniac57: horses &&%@
jennyho1 (Observer): still snivellin cry baby?
Maniac57: pink lips
Maniac57: gg jenny
jennyho1 (Observer): a grown baby, how pathetic
pokerenthusiast (Observer): cumbubbles come from spitters
Maniac57: cumbubbles and straws

Maniac57: was jenny talking to me?

If he cashed the tourney does it count as a money shot?

Have You Met Ralph?

It started out as a typical Friday night except for one thing…I was the first night of my drinking career. To say it was the first night isn’t truly correct. I had imbibed beers before and just the week before I was on my way to a my first over indulgence when I have the fortunate experience of going to McDonald’s for a Cheeseburger instead of staying at the road party that was busted 10 minutes after we left. That was a sobering moment. Anyway, this the story boy meets drunkenness.

Bill and I had two 15 packs of Stroh’s, one for each of us and since he was driving I had a head start. It wasn’t long before half mine was gone and we had only been out about an hour. We drove around and finally met up with some friends on Green Acre Road. It is one of those roads that is a few miles long with only one or two farmhouses sprinkled along the side of the road. It was a great place for us to hang out and I don’t remember ever being busted there.

So it is still early, maybe 8:30 pm…the sun had gone down and it was a nice evening in early October. I had a good buzz going and pushed it until the point of being stupid drunk. I can recall closing the back door of one of my friend’s car while his hand was there…you know how hard it is to open a car door when someone has their hand stuck in it? Anyway, I probably drank about 10 beers in the span of an hour and a half or so and it was catching up to me fast. Bill said it was time to go home but I rejected his plea. This was fun, my mind was muddled and I needed another beer. After some protesting, I finally gave in and jumped into the car to get a ride home. About 300 yards down the road I insisted on stopping so I could take a leak. My real intention was to run back to the party and have some more fun. He pulled the car over and I did my best to act coy…easy to do when you are drunk…and turned to start my jog back to the party. Within two steps, I was face first into the ground. I had my pants unzipped as part of my plan and I may have peed on my self…don’t remember for sure because I was laughing so hard.

Bill drove me home.

I walked in the door and my mom was watching something on the tube. She commented on how early it was as I sat down in the chair across the room from her. I was hammered out of my gourd. She asked if I was drinking and I admitted to having a couple of beers. As we talked, I propped my elbow onto the left armrest to try to steady my misbalanced body. I tried to follow the conversation but my mind and body was having an issue with maintaining focus. As I sat in the chair, leaning on the left armrest, I started to fall to the right. Nevertheless, my expert instincts held up as I deftly caught my self and smoothly switched to leaning on the right. I was in complete control…there is know way she knew I was hammered. A few minutes later, I excused my self and went to bed.

After taking more time then usual to take off my cloths, I slid into bed feeling the weight of to many drinks. I knew I was going to crash quick and I was ready for the slumber. But, a strange thing happened. When I laid my head down I was greeted with a feeling of unbalance. I wasn’t sure how to cope with a room that seemed to be falling, or tilting or maybe both at the same time. I rolled over on my side hoping that getting comfortable would help me get through this strange affliction that had attacked me…but I was wrong.

I’m not sure if my mom heard me heaving but I let loose with everything right there on my bed and on the floor. When I was finished I rolled over the other direction and fell asleep. At some point I was woken by my mother dragging me into the bathroom…maybe I walked/crawled…don’t remember. She threw a towel at me and I wiped off the puke off my face and curled up into a ball on the cold tile floor in my bathroom. I think I used the towel for a pillow.

When I woke up to day light, I went back into my room to see that everything had been cleaned up. I can’t imagine that it was fun cleaning up alcohol induced vomit off of a carpet but there was no way I could have done it that night. I grabbed a blanket and crawled as deep under it as is possible to try and drive the throbbing heartbeat out of my head. I can remember think that I was never going to drink again.

Sometime later I grabbed my mattress and took it outside to air out. It took me 45 minutes to get it from my room out into the late morning breeze. I had 20 minutes to get some food and head to the high school for my soccer game. It was time to move on.