I was up for a promotion at work, but I didn't get it. My direct boss quit and I applied for her spot. What I didn't know is that I didn't have a chance. It wasn't anything I did, because my branch manager really would've liked to promote me, but a lady applied from outside the company that used to be a branch manager at another bank. So the overqualified lady decided to take a step down to get in with a bigger company. Which is sweet. If you're her and not me.
With that news today I did get some good news. Virginia will be flying in sooner than expected. Her flight now lands at 6ish local time so I effectively get an extra day with her. While we were talking last night, she did point out that we actually haven't gone on a date yet, which I think was some sort of hint. I'm pretty sure that we're going out with friends on Friday night, however, so if you're in Omaha give me a call. If you're not in Omaha don't call me. If I don't know you, give me a call anyway, even if you're not in Omaha because I should meet some new people. If you're a stalker don't call me. I think that covers everybody.
I haven't played any poker since my last post about it. I should, because I'm on a winning streak. I might Sunday.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Reading/Listening, Absence, Poker
Reading: Still Barthelme. Page 349/451, so I've been making some decent progress. Hopefully I'll have it done by next Monday, but that is unlikely as Virginia is back in town this weekend.
Listening: Cake's Fashion Nugget album. I didn't own this for some reason, and I love Cake. It all started when I went to Homer's on a mission to find two specific CDs (Maroons:Ambush by Lateef the Truthspeaker and Chief Xcel and 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up by The Gift of Gab). I had to order them, but I was in a buying mood and could not leave empty handed. I happened to be standing in front of the "C" section of rock. There ya go.
I went a week without blogging. It actually bothered me. I thought about it, but just couldn't do it. Well, I could've, but I was lazy last week. I will be better this week.
I played two HU matches on Sunday and won them both. My aggression isn't quite where it needs to be, but I'm still making some decent moves on pots based on reads, so I'm still happy with my play. I'm jonesing for some live action soon and will not have the cash for the casino for awhile, so if you're in Omaha give me a call and we'll get a game going. I'm tired and it is late.
Listening: Cake's Fashion Nugget album. I didn't own this for some reason, and I love Cake. It all started when I went to Homer's on a mission to find two specific CDs (Maroons:Ambush by Lateef the Truthspeaker and Chief Xcel and 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up by The Gift of Gab). I had to order them, but I was in a buying mood and could not leave empty handed. I happened to be standing in front of the "C" section of rock. There ya go.
I went a week without blogging. It actually bothered me. I thought about it, but just couldn't do it. Well, I could've, but I was lazy last week. I will be better this week.
I played two HU matches on Sunday and won them both. My aggression isn't quite where it needs to be, but I'm still making some decent moves on pots based on reads, so I'm still happy with my play. I'm jonesing for some live action soon and will not have the cash for the casino for awhile, so if you're in Omaha give me a call and we'll get a game going. I'm tired and it is late.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Reading/Listening, Visit, BE14, Poker
Reading: Sixty Stories by Donald Barthelme. I'm on page 282 of 451. This week I read A Manual for Sons, which is just a chapter from The Dead Father, another book by Barthelme. It is hilarious, as was the rest of The Dead Father. I did pretty good at forcing myself to read all of last week, and I'm going to continue to make myself read at least something every night. It won't be hard because I'm broke until Friday.
Listening: Unfortunately for this section, I can't think of a single song that I listened to more than twice all of last week. I've had a song or two from Nia by Blackalicious stuck in my head, but I didn't have anything on repeat. I will, however, pick apart the Tiger Woods '08 soundtrack because it is awesome. The game makers did something ballsy and went with an all instrumental soundtrack. The entire thing has a cool, electronic jazz vibe to it. Most people probably don't realize that they are actual songs. I'll likely post some of my findings next week.
So Virginia is gone again, but I had her for two wonderful days. Her flight got delayed on Friday night, so she didn't get here until 9:30pm which made for a long day (she was up at 5:30am). We were super exciting and just went to bed that night. The next day she went to UNMC to spend some time with the resident program director while I was at work. When I finished work, she had managed to get a ride to West Roads which was detrimental to her bank account. We ate a late lunch with my sister and Brandon joined us part of the way through. After lunch we hung out for a bit and then Virginia was introduced to the Crescent Moon. The four of us (her, me, Brandon, and Jeff) drank there for awhile and Matt met up with us. Then we went to the R & R. The R & R is a hole in the wall about two blocks from our apartment. The clientele is not, well, classy. It's somewhat sub-standard for even a dive bar. Regardless, the five of us had a good time there, the highlights being Brandon's quote about the patrons ("The meat packing plant women of this bar are dancing to the same music that their pregnant, teenage daughters have on their MySpace pages"), and Matt teaching Virginia how to do a backspin and finish by striking a pose. That was the end of that night. The next day Mike was back in town and he, myself, Virginia, and Jeff went for lunch at the casino. Jeff threw a temper tantrum that would've made any four year old jealous because he didn't want to drive "all that way" (fifteen minutes) to eat. I shut him up by getting all of our meals comped. He also realized how good the food in JB's Cafe inside of the Horseshoe is. For those of you who don't know, it's awesome. We went there because Virginia wanted to see the casinos that I'm always mentioning. It's funny to me that she, who lives in Las Vegas, wanted to see our dinky little casinos, but she was actually somewhat impressed. We came back and watched TV, and then I took her to the airport at 6ish. She's likely coming back for the first weekend in February, and then I'm likely going out to see her while she's on rotation in California during the first weekend in March. I'll probably go see her in late March or early April as well, because she's coming for my birthday. We also mapped out some other dates, but I just realized that you probably don't care as you'll hear about it anyway, so I'm stopping there. Suffice it to say that it is so great to spend time with each other that we are trying to do it more. I'm super cheesy and I love it.
The beard behaved all weekend. I hardly noticed it on Saturday or Sunday, and it was good all day today until 8ish. Then, the thickest parts of the beard on either side of my chin started itching like Satan. Virginia loved it, and in light of its recent good behavior I'm giving it another week. If the experiment goes on much longer, I will have to get a trimmer as it's already starting to look as if I'm some sort of communist radical. I'll post some updated pics later this week.
I played two HU matches today and went 1-1. I lost the first one because of rust. The guy I was playing was bad and slowplayed every big hand he had, then he would move in on the turn for a huge overraise. My rustiness told me that he HAD to be bluffing sometime, so I called with 88 on a QTT board when he moved over top of my flop bet. In hindsight, it was very obvious that he had a Q (he had KQ), but I kept telling myself that he was going to bluff me and I couldn't stand that. That hand dropped me to 5k in chips and I never recovered. The next match, I got a lot more aggressive and forced him to make mistakes. I hammered at every pot forcing him to come over the top if he wanted to take down pots knowing that he wasn't used to poker like that and that he would eventually make a mistake. I had him down to 6.5k chips when he slipped. I had 69hh and raised on the button. He reraised, I called, and we took a T94 rainbow flop. He checked and I bet pot, which was about 1800 of his remaining 5800. He thought for way too long before moving in and I insta-called. He had never waited before moving in any other time, and it felt like he was about to try and push me off a pot as he had recently been pausing before folding. His KQ bricked on the 10 outs and I got back my money. I signed up for another match but he wouldn't play me again. Oh well, that's how it goes.
Listening: Unfortunately for this section, I can't think of a single song that I listened to more than twice all of last week. I've had a song or two from Nia by Blackalicious stuck in my head, but I didn't have anything on repeat. I will, however, pick apart the Tiger Woods '08 soundtrack because it is awesome. The game makers did something ballsy and went with an all instrumental soundtrack. The entire thing has a cool, electronic jazz vibe to it. Most people probably don't realize that they are actual songs. I'll likely post some of my findings next week.
So Virginia is gone again, but I had her for two wonderful days. Her flight got delayed on Friday night, so she didn't get here until 9:30pm which made for a long day (she was up at 5:30am). We were super exciting and just went to bed that night. The next day she went to UNMC to spend some time with the resident program director while I was at work. When I finished work, she had managed to get a ride to West Roads which was detrimental to her bank account. We ate a late lunch with my sister and Brandon joined us part of the way through. After lunch we hung out for a bit and then Virginia was introduced to the Crescent Moon. The four of us (her, me, Brandon, and Jeff) drank there for awhile and Matt met up with us. Then we went to the R & R. The R & R is a hole in the wall about two blocks from our apartment. The clientele is not, well, classy. It's somewhat sub-standard for even a dive bar. Regardless, the five of us had a good time there, the highlights being Brandon's quote about the patrons ("The meat packing plant women of this bar are dancing to the same music that their pregnant, teenage daughters have on their MySpace pages"), and Matt teaching Virginia how to do a backspin and finish by striking a pose. That was the end of that night. The next day Mike was back in town and he, myself, Virginia, and Jeff went for lunch at the casino. Jeff threw a temper tantrum that would've made any four year old jealous because he didn't want to drive "all that way" (fifteen minutes) to eat. I shut him up by getting all of our meals comped. He also realized how good the food in JB's Cafe inside of the Horseshoe is. For those of you who don't know, it's awesome. We went there because Virginia wanted to see the casinos that I'm always mentioning. It's funny to me that she, who lives in Las Vegas, wanted to see our dinky little casinos, but she was actually somewhat impressed. We came back and watched TV, and then I took her to the airport at 6ish. She's likely coming back for the first weekend in February, and then I'm likely going out to see her while she's on rotation in California during the first weekend in March. I'll probably go see her in late March or early April as well, because she's coming for my birthday. We also mapped out some other dates, but I just realized that you probably don't care as you'll hear about it anyway, so I'm stopping there. Suffice it to say that it is so great to spend time with each other that we are trying to do it more. I'm super cheesy and I love it.
The beard behaved all weekend. I hardly noticed it on Saturday or Sunday, and it was good all day today until 8ish. Then, the thickest parts of the beard on either side of my chin started itching like Satan. Virginia loved it, and in light of its recent good behavior I'm giving it another week. If the experiment goes on much longer, I will have to get a trimmer as it's already starting to look as if I'm some sort of communist radical. I'll post some updated pics later this week.
I played two HU matches today and went 1-1. I lost the first one because of rust. The guy I was playing was bad and slowplayed every big hand he had, then he would move in on the turn for a huge overraise. My rustiness told me that he HAD to be bluffing sometime, so I called with 88 on a QTT board when he moved over top of my flop bet. In hindsight, it was very obvious that he had a Q (he had KQ), but I kept telling myself that he was going to bluff me and I couldn't stand that. That hand dropped me to 5k in chips and I never recovered. The next match, I got a lot more aggressive and forced him to make mistakes. I hammered at every pot forcing him to come over the top if he wanted to take down pots knowing that he wasn't used to poker like that and that he would eventually make a mistake. I had him down to 6.5k chips when he slipped. I had 69hh and raised on the button. He reraised, I called, and we took a T94 rainbow flop. He checked and I bet pot, which was about 1800 of his remaining 5800. He thought for way too long before moving in and I insta-called. He had never waited before moving in any other time, and it felt like he was about to try and push me off a pot as he had recently been pausing before folding. His KQ bricked on the 10 outs and I got back my money. I signed up for another match but he wouldn't play me again. Oh well, that's how it goes.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Virginia, BE11, Reading/Listening, Poker
Virginia lands at 8:00pm sharp tomorrow (tonight, whatever). I can't wait. Long distance dating sucks. Those times when I just want to see her, I can't. It does make these little visits much more exciting though, because they are like special events all on their own. It's crazy to think that I've only known her for a little more than a month because we already know each other so well. When I was coming up with different things for us to do while she's here, I didn't really have to ask. We talked about it tonight and the conversation was pretty boring. "Yeah, I want to do that. That place sounds awesome." It's kind of nice.
I've developed a beard-related tic. I find myself absentmindedly stroking my beard. I put a finger on either side of my mouth and pinch them downward, meeting just under my chin where I pinch a few hairs before repeating the process. I don't know when it started, but I didn't notice until yesterday when I realized Brad was staring at me at work. When I asked him what he was staring at, he imitated the action for a moment and then exclaimed "Beardy!" At this point, I don't know how much longer I'll keep it. For some reason, I'm always conscious of it. Today I swore I could feel the hair, which I know is not possible, but I still felt it. It is also very coarse. It's sort of like having Velcro on my face. Not quite what I imagined. The deciding factor to continue the experiment will be Virginia on her visit. If she loves it, I'll go another week and reevaluate. If she is indifferent or otherwise negative, I'll probably return to the baby face by Sunday. It's going to hurt like a bitch to shave off whenever that day comes.
In case you didn't notice, I skipped Reading/Listening this week. I couldn't stand dedicating another section to my inability to finish Barthelme (Yes, I realize that I'm doing that right now, shush). It will return Monday, likely with Barthelme still in tow. As far as Listening, I went OCD on Do You Remember by Jack Johnson, as well as the entire Nia album by Blackalicious. I'm vacillating between old school rap and sappy music right now, with much repeating occurring.
I played in a Stud Hi/Lo tourney yesterday. It was a rebuy, which nearly made me go nuclear. Bugsy's tourneys have really gone to shit since they started going all rebuy. I'm still ridiculously angry about their semi-final tourneys to win the half-million. Everybody pays the same amount to get in, but you get different chip stacks to start. Fuck. That. Anyway, I would've skipped this tourney but you had to read the fine print to see that it was a rebuy. Regardless, I added on at the beginning and told myself that the only way I was shelling out another $25 was if I had a decent stack at the end of the rebuy period. Things started out really well. I ran my 3k starting stack up to 5800 in about twenty minutes on a couple of hands that panned out well. I took down a big pot with a 76 low and AQ high for the scoop. The guy had an 8 low and AT for the high. I made another nice chunk when I took the low with a 65 in a 4 handed pot, and got the rest when I hero called a busted flush draw with 6644. Then things went bad. My first big loss was my fault. I don't remember my exact hand, but it was something like 467 with 2 diamonds. I saw 4th with 4 other people and paired my top card. Another guy paired his 2 door card and led out. It folded to me with one to act behind so I called. At this point I'm thinking one of two things: he has trip 2's (less likely) or something like A422. We took 5th and I hit a bad low card and he hit a J. He how had 2 diamonds showing, the door 2 and the J, but I didn't even think about a flush. He bet, I called. 6th brought him another high diamond and myself and ugly T. He bet, I called. He checked 7th and I caught another low pair, so I bet for what I thought was value. In hindsight, a check is the right play here. Too many times my weak two pair is beat here, so the bet was bad. I got check-raised and had to call to see the sickly diamond flush. He did start out with a low draw and just backed into the flush, but I shouldn't have been in the hand in the first place. If I had decided to stick it out, I should've been hammering the pot. From here on out, I missed everything. I'd start out with good hands that would just fall apart. The blinds got really big compared to the starting stack size (200/400; 100 bring-in, 50 ante after 1 hour). At the first break, I was down to 1800 or so and did not put in an add-on facing the ridiculous 300/600 level after the break. I dwindled to 900, doubled, and then busted on one of those fated hands. I had A24 with 2 diamonds and knew I was going with it. I got one caller for my preflop raise. The turn brought me an 8 and him a Jd and we got the rest of my money in. He had A87J with 2 diamonds. I made my bad 86 low on 5th and he caught a 2d. Sixth gave him the sick 6d against my Q and I knew I was done. 3d on 7th for him, K for me and adios. That's the sick part of stud split. Oh well. I won't be playing any more of the events, because they cheaper ones are all rebuys and I can't afford the more expensive ones. Even if I could, Virginia is in town, so there won't be any poker until Monday when I will be forced to play in honor of Martin Luther King. I like working in a bank when it's a holiday. Oh wait, I don't work holidays...
I've developed a beard-related tic. I find myself absentmindedly stroking my beard. I put a finger on either side of my mouth and pinch them downward, meeting just under my chin where I pinch a few hairs before repeating the process. I don't know when it started, but I didn't notice until yesterday when I realized Brad was staring at me at work. When I asked him what he was staring at, he imitated the action for a moment and then exclaimed "Beardy!" At this point, I don't know how much longer I'll keep it. For some reason, I'm always conscious of it. Today I swore I could feel the hair, which I know is not possible, but I still felt it. It is also very coarse. It's sort of like having Velcro on my face. Not quite what I imagined. The deciding factor to continue the experiment will be Virginia on her visit. If she loves it, I'll go another week and reevaluate. If she is indifferent or otherwise negative, I'll probably return to the baby face by Sunday. It's going to hurt like a bitch to shave off whenever that day comes.
In case you didn't notice, I skipped Reading/Listening this week. I couldn't stand dedicating another section to my inability to finish Barthelme (Yes, I realize that I'm doing that right now, shush). It will return Monday, likely with Barthelme still in tow. As far as Listening, I went OCD on Do You Remember by Jack Johnson, as well as the entire Nia album by Blackalicious. I'm vacillating between old school rap and sappy music right now, with much repeating occurring.
I played in a Stud Hi/Lo tourney yesterday. It was a rebuy, which nearly made me go nuclear. Bugsy's tourneys have really gone to shit since they started going all rebuy. I'm still ridiculously angry about their semi-final tourneys to win the half-million. Everybody pays the same amount to get in, but you get different chip stacks to start. Fuck. That. Anyway, I would've skipped this tourney but you had to read the fine print to see that it was a rebuy. Regardless, I added on at the beginning and told myself that the only way I was shelling out another $25 was if I had a decent stack at the end of the rebuy period. Things started out really well. I ran my 3k starting stack up to 5800 in about twenty minutes on a couple of hands that panned out well. I took down a big pot with a 76 low and AQ high for the scoop. The guy had an 8 low and AT for the high. I made another nice chunk when I took the low with a 65 in a 4 handed pot, and got the rest when I hero called a busted flush draw with 6644. Then things went bad. My first big loss was my fault. I don't remember my exact hand, but it was something like 467 with 2 diamonds. I saw 4th with 4 other people and paired my top card. Another guy paired his 2 door card and led out. It folded to me with one to act behind so I called. At this point I'm thinking one of two things: he has trip 2's (less likely) or something like A422. We took 5th and I hit a bad low card and he hit a J. He how had 2 diamonds showing, the door 2 and the J, but I didn't even think about a flush. He bet, I called. 6th brought him another high diamond and myself and ugly T. He bet, I called. He checked 7th and I caught another low pair, so I bet for what I thought was value. In hindsight, a check is the right play here. Too many times my weak two pair is beat here, so the bet was bad. I got check-raised and had to call to see the sickly diamond flush. He did start out with a low draw and just backed into the flush, but I shouldn't have been in the hand in the first place. If I had decided to stick it out, I should've been hammering the pot. From here on out, I missed everything. I'd start out with good hands that would just fall apart. The blinds got really big compared to the starting stack size (200/400; 100 bring-in, 50 ante after 1 hour). At the first break, I was down to 1800 or so and did not put in an add-on facing the ridiculous 300/600 level after the break. I dwindled to 900, doubled, and then busted on one of those fated hands. I had A24 with 2 diamonds and knew I was going with it. I got one caller for my preflop raise. The turn brought me an 8 and him a Jd and we got the rest of my money in. He had A87J with 2 diamonds. I made my bad 86 low on 5th and he caught a 2d. Sixth gave him the sick 6d against my Q and I knew I was done. 3d on 7th for him, K for me and adios. That's the sick part of stud split. Oh well. I won't be playing any more of the events, because they cheaper ones are all rebuys and I can't afford the more expensive ones. Even if I could, Virginia is in town, so there won't be any poker until Monday when I will be forced to play in honor of Martin Luther King. I like working in a bank when it's a holiday. Oh wait, I don't work holidays...
Monday, January 14, 2008
2k, Uncomfortable, BE8, Poker Finally
The blog finally broke 2000 unique visits, which is pretty cool. I've had people from roughly twenty countries visit, as well as people from all over the United States. I still haven't received many random comments, but I remain hopeful that my little corner of the internet will attract a verbose random or two. Thanks to all of you who read regularly for remaining interested in my life. If nothing else, I hope you get a laugh or two. If you haven't had one for awhile, read the next section.
So...I went to get an STD test today. I've never been tested before and it is way overdue. No, I don't have any symptoms, but if you've ever read a health book they scare you with "some people never show symptoms..." After having done this, I understand why more people don't go. As you walk into the dingy, ill-lit clinic, you already feel like you're doing something seedy. Better lighting please. Then, you have to follow the signs that say "STD CLINIC -->" to the back of the building. How about "Clinic for Responsible People?" Or "Secret Lab?" I'm usually all for straight-forward language, but if you want more people to get tested regularly, maybe a little softening is in order. I get back to the room and there is a lady behind bulletproof glass with the tiny metal mesh hole to speak through and a covered slot that she can uncover to pass you paperwork. "I'm here to see if my penis is going to fall off!" I finally shouted through the little talk hole. I normally would've a higher level of privacy, but she had already yelled twice asking if I was there to get tested for venereal disease. Then I had to shout my name so she could check the appointment. Again, maybe some improvement is necessary to increase attendance. I filled out my paperwork and returned to the waiting area to think of every drunken mistake that I've made in my sexual history. Fortunately, it is a short list with only one or two cringe-worthy contestants. Then the process of disbelief started. By this I mean that nobody believed that I was just there to get tested. I can't blame them. I imagine that lots of people go in claiming to just need a test until they drop trow and give the doctor a face full of green weenie, but these people make it hard on the people who are ACTUALLY doing that. I heard "Are you sure there aren't any symptoms that you want us to check out?" probably fifteen times. One lady took me in a scary, small room that looked like a storage closet, replete with boxes of supplies, which also contained a metal privacy area that looked unpleasant. Fortunately, this room involved no genital showing, just an explanation of what I would be tested for and how they would test for it. They left out a part that I'll cover soon. Then, I was moved to a regular looking examine room where Linda, a pleasant middle-aged woman, proceeded to scare the bejesus out of me with more "symptomless" STDs and the knowledge that apparently 103% of the Omaha area population has chlamydia. Then she drew blood and asked if I had been "cultured" before. I responded that I'd never been to an opera but would like to go. This was not what she meant. A sad look came over her face, and then she said "The doctor will be right in to finish the exam." What this meant was that the doctor was about to come shove a cotton swab in my pee hole. When he entered the room, he asked if I had been tested before. I replied to the negative without taking my eye off of the too-large cotton swab. The following dialogue ensued:
D: "So you don't know what this is going to feel like?"
B: "No. But I have a wild imagination. I wish I didn't."
D: "Well, I'm about to take the imagination out of it. Please drop your drawers."
*removal of pants*
D: "Here goes."
*insertion of swab*
D: "You're taking that pretty well, most first timers would've bloodied my nose by now."
B: "It's not the worst thing I've ever felt. Ok, it's actually pretty terrible."
D: "Well, we're almost done and I'm impressed at how well you're handling it."
B: "Please don't talk to me right now."
D: "Deal."
To describe the sensation for men who haven't done this, it feels like getting a little, sharp, plastic cocktail sword jammed into your urethra. And it's on fire. To describe it for women, imagine getting a paper cut inside of your vagina. And then that paper cut bursts into flames. Then I was pretty much done with the exam. I was told that if I had something and needed treatment that I would hear back by Friday, that no news was good news, and that I should assume I have something and not have sex until Friday. I didn't even get a lollipop.
I still have the beard. My mom hates it. My dad hates it because I used it to get sweet vengeance on him (explained shortly). My sister hasn't said anything. I also have photos, which will be posted below this section. I'm used to the itchiness by now, but it's still not as full as I would like it. I'd really like it to come in thick enough that you couldn't see my face underneath it, but I don't know if it will ever get there. As for the vengeance: when I was younger, my dad would always mess with me by holding me down and rubbing his scruff on my cheeks. If you haven't had this done to you, it sucks because facial hair is closer to steel wool than hair. Anyway, we were at my sister's on Sunday and my dad and I act like little brothers most of the time. If we're sitting on a couch together, it won't be more than two minutes before one of us punches the other one in the leg and otherwise provokes a wrestling match. So this happened, as usual, and he got me in a really good wrist lock that had me screwed. Since he had my arm in so tight, it pulled me right on top of him, and I was quickly thinking of what I could do to get out of it without breaking my wrist when little devil Bret popped up on my shoulder and reminded me of the whisker rub. Oh yes, he cried uncle, exclaiming "Jeez, that thing feels like thumb tacks." Dad-38, Bret-2.
I played an HU match yesterday and tore it up. I played MiaLauren, who has improved quite a bit since I last played her probably two months ago, but she still has some work to do. I ended up busting her by getting her to call off her chips with A7 vs my J3dd on the river with a final board of 2d 3d 6x 7d Qx. I'm not totally sure that she called because she is loosening up (she drastically needed to last time I played her) or because she had notes on me specifically telling her to loosen up, but it was a much better match than my usual steam-rollings. I talked to Matt for a long time as well. He is back on his game and has rebuilt a nice little roll. I called him up to return a message from a day or two ago and we worked out a deal where he would back me to play a couple of the Bugsy's Championship Series events. This is a bad week for it because I'm fairly time-strapped preparing (cleaning) for Virginia's visit, but two tourneys shouldn't kill me. Hopefully I'll come up big and earn both of us a couple hundred bucks, but I'm not going to get overly confident. I'm playing a tourney both tomorrow and Wednesday, so check back for updates.
So...I went to get an STD test today. I've never been tested before and it is way overdue. No, I don't have any symptoms, but if you've ever read a health book they scare you with "some people never show symptoms..." After having done this, I understand why more people don't go. As you walk into the dingy, ill-lit clinic, you already feel like you're doing something seedy. Better lighting please. Then, you have to follow the signs that say "STD CLINIC -->" to the back of the building. How about "Clinic for Responsible People?" Or "Secret Lab?" I'm usually all for straight-forward language, but if you want more people to get tested regularly, maybe a little softening is in order. I get back to the room and there is a lady behind bulletproof glass with the tiny metal mesh hole to speak through and a covered slot that she can uncover to pass you paperwork. "I'm here to see if my penis is going to fall off!" I finally shouted through the little talk hole. I normally would've a higher level of privacy, but she had already yelled twice asking if I was there to get tested for venereal disease. Then I had to shout my name so she could check the appointment. Again, maybe some improvement is necessary to increase attendance. I filled out my paperwork and returned to the waiting area to think of every drunken mistake that I've made in my sexual history. Fortunately, it is a short list with only one or two cringe-worthy contestants. Then the process of disbelief started. By this I mean that nobody believed that I was just there to get tested. I can't blame them. I imagine that lots of people go in claiming to just need a test until they drop trow and give the doctor a face full of green weenie, but these people make it hard on the people who are ACTUALLY doing that. I heard "Are you sure there aren't any symptoms that you want us to check out?" probably fifteen times. One lady took me in a scary, small room that looked like a storage closet, replete with boxes of supplies, which also contained a metal privacy area that looked unpleasant. Fortunately, this room involved no genital showing, just an explanation of what I would be tested for and how they would test for it. They left out a part that I'll cover soon. Then, I was moved to a regular looking examine room where Linda, a pleasant middle-aged woman, proceeded to scare the bejesus out of me with more "symptomless" STDs and the knowledge that apparently 103% of the Omaha area population has chlamydia. Then she drew blood and asked if I had been "cultured" before. I responded that I'd never been to an opera but would like to go. This was not what she meant. A sad look came over her face, and then she said "The doctor will be right in to finish the exam." What this meant was that the doctor was about to come shove a cotton swab in my pee hole. When he entered the room, he asked if I had been tested before. I replied to the negative without taking my eye off of the too-large cotton swab. The following dialogue ensued:
D: "So you don't know what this is going to feel like?"
B: "No. But I have a wild imagination. I wish I didn't."
D: "Well, I'm about to take the imagination out of it. Please drop your drawers."
*removal of pants*
D: "Here goes."
*insertion of swab*
D: "You're taking that pretty well, most first timers would've bloodied my nose by now."
B: "It's not the worst thing I've ever felt. Ok, it's actually pretty terrible."
D: "Well, we're almost done and I'm impressed at how well you're handling it."
B: "Please don't talk to me right now."
D: "Deal."
To describe the sensation for men who haven't done this, it feels like getting a little, sharp, plastic cocktail sword jammed into your urethra. And it's on fire. To describe it for women, imagine getting a paper cut inside of your vagina. And then that paper cut bursts into flames. Then I was pretty much done with the exam. I was told that if I had something and needed treatment that I would hear back by Friday, that no news was good news, and that I should assume I have something and not have sex until Friday. I didn't even get a lollipop.
I still have the beard. My mom hates it. My dad hates it because I used it to get sweet vengeance on him (explained shortly). My sister hasn't said anything. I also have photos, which will be posted below this section. I'm used to the itchiness by now, but it's still not as full as I would like it. I'd really like it to come in thick enough that you couldn't see my face underneath it, but I don't know if it will ever get there. As for the vengeance: when I was younger, my dad would always mess with me by holding me down and rubbing his scruff on my cheeks. If you haven't had this done to you, it sucks because facial hair is closer to steel wool than hair. Anyway, we were at my sister's on Sunday and my dad and I act like little brothers most of the time. If we're sitting on a couch together, it won't be more than two minutes before one of us punches the other one in the leg and otherwise provokes a wrestling match. So this happened, as usual, and he got me in a really good wrist lock that had me screwed. Since he had my arm in so tight, it pulled me right on top of him, and I was quickly thinking of what I could do to get out of it without breaking my wrist when little devil Bret popped up on my shoulder and reminded me of the whisker rub. Oh yes, he cried uncle, exclaiming "Jeez, that thing feels like thumb tacks." Dad-38, Bret-2.
I played an HU match yesterday and tore it up. I played MiaLauren, who has improved quite a bit since I last played her probably two months ago, but she still has some work to do. I ended up busting her by getting her to call off her chips with A7 vs my J3dd on the river with a final board of 2d 3d 6x 7d Qx. I'm not totally sure that she called because she is loosening up (she drastically needed to last time I played her) or because she had notes on me specifically telling her to loosen up, but it was a much better match than my usual steam-rollings. I talked to Matt for a long time as well. He is back on his game and has rebuilt a nice little roll. I called him up to return a message from a day or two ago and we worked out a deal where he would back me to play a couple of the Bugsy's Championship Series events. This is a bad week for it because I'm fairly time-strapped preparing (cleaning) for Virginia's visit, but two tourneys shouldn't kill me. Hopefully I'll come up big and earn both of us a couple hundred bucks, but I'm not going to get overly confident. I'm playing a tourney both tomorrow and Wednesday, so check back for updates.
Friday, January 11, 2008
BE4, Shin Splints, Wal-Mart, No Poker
Increased itchiness today. It was worth it though, as I received a compliment and was allowed to engage in beard talk. A little old lady that comes in regularly (this one doesn't suck, despite mild annoyingness at times) told me that my beard looked very nice. This prompted a conversation between myself, a gentleman at the next window, and a guy waiting in line. What I learned: beards come in at different paces, the area that I think looks totally naked is not noticeable, and facial hair never turns gray at the same time that head hair does. I need to borrow Jeff's camera and get a picture of this thing up so I have a photo journal.
I've been exercising every day, but it has been quite difficult. I've had immense pain in my shins and figured it was just because I haven't done any physical activity in so long. I described the pain as what I imagine shin splints feel like. It turns out that I have a good imagination because I DO have shin splints. They suck. I consulted several future doctors tonight, and they all agreed that I do, in fact, have shin splints. To share the experience, put your index finger in the middle of the joint between your foot and shin. Stretch your thumb up your leg as far as you can while keeping your index finger planted. Now, bring your index finger to your thumb and move it to the outside of your leg about an inch. Now, light that spot on fire. That's what a shin splint feels like. I'm not stopping running, although I'm not sure how much benefit I'm getting as I can't stand much more than 10-12 minutes of running, but I've been sticking with it and I'm stubborn. I'm not stopping. My medical harem has advised me to warm-up by walking for a few minutes, and then gave me some stretches to loosen those muscles. I hope they work, but this hurts like the bejeebus.
Jeff and I went to Wal-Mart tonight. I fucking hate Wal-Mart. I hate it because I feel like I'm inconveniencing the employees by shopping there. We always go at night, and the stock crew is constantly dragging out pallets to the various departments. If you are in their way in an aisle, they do not slow down to let you pass. They give you the "get out of my way or I will hit you, jackass," glare. I've decided to make a scene the next time I go because I sort of want to be banned from Wal-Mart. I don't mind employees that are not helpful, because I was one for a very long time, however, when I'm actively discouraged from shopping and actively not-helped, I'm done dealing. Hopefully my tirade won't get me arrested, but if the staff is equally as uncooperative in participating in my little tantrum as they are in helping me find a tire gauge, then I intend on tackling a display. Or at least severely undermining it's structural integrity. I might even create little booby-traps. Pile boxes of shoes precariously and then create a solid facade for the unsuspecting shopper or stocker. Hide perishables in clothes racks. Fight Club type stuff. Fuck Wal-Mart.
I've been exercising every day, but it has been quite difficult. I've had immense pain in my shins and figured it was just because I haven't done any physical activity in so long. I described the pain as what I imagine shin splints feel like. It turns out that I have a good imagination because I DO have shin splints. They suck. I consulted several future doctors tonight, and they all agreed that I do, in fact, have shin splints. To share the experience, put your index finger in the middle of the joint between your foot and shin. Stretch your thumb up your leg as far as you can while keeping your index finger planted. Now, bring your index finger to your thumb and move it to the outside of your leg about an inch. Now, light that spot on fire. That's what a shin splint feels like. I'm not stopping running, although I'm not sure how much benefit I'm getting as I can't stand much more than 10-12 minutes of running, but I've been sticking with it and I'm stubborn. I'm not stopping. My medical harem has advised me to warm-up by walking for a few minutes, and then gave me some stretches to loosen those muscles. I hope they work, but this hurts like the bejeebus.
Jeff and I went to Wal-Mart tonight. I fucking hate Wal-Mart. I hate it because I feel like I'm inconveniencing the employees by shopping there. We always go at night, and the stock crew is constantly dragging out pallets to the various departments. If you are in their way in an aisle, they do not slow down to let you pass. They give you the "get out of my way or I will hit you, jackass," glare. I've decided to make a scene the next time I go because I sort of want to be banned from Wal-Mart. I don't mind employees that are not helpful, because I was one for a very long time, however, when I'm actively discouraged from shopping and actively not-helped, I'm done dealing. Hopefully my tirade won't get me arrested, but if the staff is equally as uncooperative in participating in my little tantrum as they are in helping me find a tire gauge, then I intend on tackling a display. Or at least severely undermining it's structural integrity. I might even create little booby-traps. Pile boxes of shoes precariously and then create a solid facade for the unsuspecting shopper or stocker. Hide perishables in clothes racks. Fight Club type stuff. Fuck Wal-Mart.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
BE3, Day Off, No Poker
Today was the first day the beard actually itched. I had been amazed that it hadn't itched previously, but about 4pm today I started to get annoyed. It seems to have subsided now, but I hope it doesn't come back tomorrow. Other than that, things are looking good I think. I don't know how fast a beard is supposed to grow in because I've never had one. I haven't the beard since Friday. I'm trimming my neck and upper cheeks every day. I'm going to try to get a picture with my cell phone and post it up here. We'll see how that goes.
I had the day off. I slept a lot. I played Call of Duty online a lot. I ranged from amazing to bad, typically in the span of five minutes. I did a bunch of laundry. I need to go to bed now because I have to work in six hours.
I had the day off. I slept a lot. I played Call of Duty online a lot. I ranged from amazing to bad, typically in the span of five minutes. I did a bunch of laundry. I need to go to bed now because I have to work in six hours.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Reading/Listening, Beard Experiment Day 1, Old People, Exercise, Poker
Reading: Still Barthelme, but I did do some good work and got myself into the early 200s on my flights. I also started reading some Berryman poems, which I will include next week as they are on the back burner. I simply took them along because it is easier to quickly read a poem than several pages.
Listening: Honestly, I didn't hardly listen to any music over the past five days. Jack Johnson is playing in my car now and the iTunes is on shuffle, but I haven't obsessed over a song like usual. This has been an unusual week, and I will make sure to obsess again this week.
I put my hair up for this contest at work. If one of the tellers earns $350 fake dollars doing certain things, then they get to shave my head. When I conceptualized the contest, I put it just beyond what I thought was possible. Basically, I was 95% certain that I wasn't going to have to go Mr. Clean. Then they changed the rules for the various things that my tellers can refer people to. Now my hair is likely boned. In discussing the best bald strategy with Virginia (not Bic bald, just shaver no guard), we decided that it might be a good idea to try and grow a beard. This was also aided by the fact that I had a terroristic amount of shave gel in my carry on luggage, and it was thus confiscated, leaving me scruffy be the end of the weekend. So today I only shaved my neck and the tops of my cheeks (face, not butt). Typically I'm anti-beard because it's really itchy, but the well kept neck was admirably tolerable today. I'll keep everybody updated as this goes along. I might try and get a pictorial update from time to time, but I'm pretty lazy about the blog lately, so I wouldn't count on it. You can hope though. Also, I've already received a snide old person comment. "You need a little of this for a new razor?[reference to money just given in bank transaction]. I guess that's the style these days, isn't it?"
That reminds me, I have learned several things about what old people do on a day to day basis working at the bank. Here is what I have determined is the average old person day thus far: Wake up at 5am, watch the news and weather channels, go grocery shopping, stop by the bank, ask for new quarters or dollar coins, bitch about lack of said coin, bitch about something unrelated, ask question that I would have no reason to know (eg. "When is my daughter going to cash her birthday check, can you tell me?"), bitch that I don't know the answer, go back to the grocery store, go to the doctor, go to the pharmacy, come back to the bank and ask if you forgot anything there, go to the grocery store, come back to the bank to tell me that milk is $.05 cheaper than it was yesterday, eat dinner, do an unpleasant favor for a relative, go to bed at 7pm.
I ran for 17 minutes today. I had to stop because I thought my shins and calves were going to burst into flames. It almost feels like I have shin splints, which would be ironic because I don't do anything physical. I'm going to run again tomorrow. I'm predicting ten minutes before the lactic acid overcomes my will power.
I played two HU matches today, going 1-1. In the first, I got him to call all-in with AK vs my K7 on a 247K board. I thought I played it pretty well. I raised preflop and got reraised. I called and we took the flop, where he checked and I bet. He called and we took the K on the turn. I thought he might have a hand like AK or KQ because of the reraise, so I checked behind and we took a 6 on the river. He bet pot, I min raised, he moved in and I insta-called. The second match started promisingly as I hammered the guy down to 7k in 3 hands. Then a sick one came up where I had 86 and flopped bottom 2. The flop was 86K, he bet, I raised pot, which was half of his chips because of preflop raises. He didn't hesitate calling and we took a 7 on the turn. He moved in and I called pretty quickly, expecting to see a decent K like KT or KJ. Instead I saw the disgusting T9 for the gutterballllllll. Weak sauce. I kept getting close to 10k again, but never recovered and finally got all in with K4dd vs his A3o when I only had like 2.5k chips left and blinds at 250/500, 50. I bricked and he scooped the freeroll. If he doesn't hit that 7, I win, but he did so I didn't. I'll likely play a bit tomorrow when I can't walk after jogging.
Listening: Honestly, I didn't hardly listen to any music over the past five days. Jack Johnson is playing in my car now and the iTunes is on shuffle, but I haven't obsessed over a song like usual. This has been an unusual week, and I will make sure to obsess again this week.
I put my hair up for this contest at work. If one of the tellers earns $350 fake dollars doing certain things, then they get to shave my head. When I conceptualized the contest, I put it just beyond what I thought was possible. Basically, I was 95% certain that I wasn't going to have to go Mr. Clean. Then they changed the rules for the various things that my tellers can refer people to. Now my hair is likely boned. In discussing the best bald strategy with Virginia (not Bic bald, just shaver no guard), we decided that it might be a good idea to try and grow a beard. This was also aided by the fact that I had a terroristic amount of shave gel in my carry on luggage, and it was thus confiscated, leaving me scruffy be the end of the weekend. So today I only shaved my neck and the tops of my cheeks (face, not butt). Typically I'm anti-beard because it's really itchy, but the well kept neck was admirably tolerable today. I'll keep everybody updated as this goes along. I might try and get a pictorial update from time to time, but I'm pretty lazy about the blog lately, so I wouldn't count on it. You can hope though. Also, I've already received a snide old person comment. "You need a little of this for a new razor?[reference to money just given in bank transaction]. I guess that's the style these days, isn't it?"
That reminds me, I have learned several things about what old people do on a day to day basis working at the bank. Here is what I have determined is the average old person day thus far: Wake up at 5am, watch the news and weather channels, go grocery shopping, stop by the bank, ask for new quarters or dollar coins, bitch about lack of said coin, bitch about something unrelated, ask question that I would have no reason to know (eg. "When is my daughter going to cash her birthday check, can you tell me?"), bitch that I don't know the answer, go back to the grocery store, go to the doctor, go to the pharmacy, come back to the bank and ask if you forgot anything there, go to the grocery store, come back to the bank to tell me that milk is $.05 cheaper than it was yesterday, eat dinner, do an unpleasant favor for a relative, go to bed at 7pm.
I ran for 17 minutes today. I had to stop because I thought my shins and calves were going to burst into flames. It almost feels like I have shin splints, which would be ironic because I don't do anything physical. I'm going to run again tomorrow. I'm predicting ten minutes before the lactic acid overcomes my will power.
I played two HU matches today, going 1-1. In the first, I got him to call all-in with AK vs my K7 on a 247K board. I thought I played it pretty well. I raised preflop and got reraised. I called and we took the flop, where he checked and I bet. He called and we took the K on the turn. I thought he might have a hand like AK or KQ because of the reraise, so I checked behind and we took a 6 on the river. He bet pot, I min raised, he moved in and I insta-called. The second match started promisingly as I hammered the guy down to 7k in 3 hands. Then a sick one came up where I had 86 and flopped bottom 2. The flop was 86K, he bet, I raised pot, which was half of his chips because of preflop raises. He didn't hesitate calling and we took a 7 on the turn. He moved in and I called pretty quickly, expecting to see a decent K like KT or KJ. Instead I saw the disgusting T9 for the gutterballllllll. Weak sauce. I kept getting close to 10k again, but never recovered and finally got all in with K4dd vs his A3o when I only had like 2.5k chips left and blinds at 250/500, 50. I bricked and he scooped the freeroll. If he doesn't hit that 7, I win, but he did so I didn't. I'll likely play a bit tomorrow when I can't walk after jogging.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Hi Charles, Vegas, No Poker
I think we are indeed the last bastions of blogging. Go us!
I've been back in Omaha for about two hours now and I'm not necessarily pleased by that fact. In case you didn't know, I went to Las Vegas on Friday to see Virginia. We had a fantastic weekend that ended way too soon. I got to meet her friends and her sister. It was neat because her friends are a lot like my friends, so I fit in pretty well. We all met for drinking and Catch Phrase and it was a blast. They take their Catch Phrase seriously. We played guys vs. girls which led to some tense relationship moments. However, all was well at the end of the game. That was Saturday night. Virginia and I spent the morning (also pronounced "noon on") just walking around the strip. I haven't been to Vegas for about three years, and it is ridiculous how much has changed. Normally, it takes years to build massive high-rises in regular cities. They've thrown up like ten new towering buildings since I was last there. The latest fad is to build gigantic condo towers just off of the strip. We walked around and I took it all in. On Friday night I was boring. I was up late the previous night packing and had to work all day, so by the time I landed in Vegas I just wanted to go to bed. Virginia and I ate dinner and then I crashed until Saturday "morning." Today was pretty much the same way. I rolled out of bed around 12ish, we ate lunch and then she dropped me off at the airport. We are dating now, which will present interesting challenges, but I look forward to them. She is coming to visit me here in Omaha in two weeks (18th-20th), so if any of you are in town, I know that we'll be hitting up some bars one of the nights she's here so give me a call. Now I get to freeze myself to sleep because I got used to the perfect sixty degree weather in Vegas. It is currently thirty-two here. Lame.
I've been back in Omaha for about two hours now and I'm not necessarily pleased by that fact. In case you didn't know, I went to Las Vegas on Friday to see Virginia. We had a fantastic weekend that ended way too soon. I got to meet her friends and her sister. It was neat because her friends are a lot like my friends, so I fit in pretty well. We all met for drinking and Catch Phrase and it was a blast. They take their Catch Phrase seriously. We played guys vs. girls which led to some tense relationship moments. However, all was well at the end of the game. That was Saturday night. Virginia and I spent the morning (also pronounced "noon on") just walking around the strip. I haven't been to Vegas for about three years, and it is ridiculous how much has changed. Normally, it takes years to build massive high-rises in regular cities. They've thrown up like ten new towering buildings since I was last there. The latest fad is to build gigantic condo towers just off of the strip. We walked around and I took it all in. On Friday night I was boring. I was up late the previous night packing and had to work all day, so by the time I landed in Vegas I just wanted to go to bed. Virginia and I ate dinner and then I crashed until Saturday "morning." Today was pretty much the same way. I rolled out of bed around 12ish, we ate lunch and then she dropped me off at the airport. We are dating now, which will present interesting challenges, but I look forward to them. She is coming to visit me here in Omaha in two weeks (18th-20th), so if any of you are in town, I know that we'll be hitting up some bars one of the nights she's here so give me a call. Now I get to freeze myself to sleep because I got used to the perfect sixty degree weather in Vegas. It is currently thirty-two here. Lame.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Reading/Listening, New Year, No Poker
Reading: Still Barthelme. I really just need to force myself to read. I'm only knocking out maybe ten pages a week right now, which is pathetic. I'm not sure why I'm not reading, but it doesn't matter. I might have to ground myself until I finish it.
Listening: Public Enemy's Greatest Hits album. I purchased this on a whim because I'm still hooked on old school rap, but it's not that great. I really like Public Enemy and was after a different CD, but Best Buy is the worst place to go for anything other than pop music. If it's not on the radio, they probably don't have it. I'll go to Homer's this week and pick up the disc I was looking for.
New Year's was very laid back. I went to Mike's house and there were maybe twenty people there. I drank quite a bit in the beginning of the night, but I didn't really get drunk. At midnight I called Virginia and wished her a happy new year, and she reciprocated at 2am (midnight in Vegas). Caleb also called me. He got mad because I told him that I'm going to Vegas this weekend and I didn't invite him. Apparently we agreed that we would never go to Vegas without each other. I don't remember such an agreement, but it was -1 with the windchill and I was wearing a shirt with holes in it, so I didn't feel like arguing. My sister, who never stays up past 9pm, was out until 4am. She felt like death all day. I derive great humor from hearing her hung over because it rarely happens. I hope that the new year goes well for all of us.
Listening: Public Enemy's Greatest Hits album. I purchased this on a whim because I'm still hooked on old school rap, but it's not that great. I really like Public Enemy and was after a different CD, but Best Buy is the worst place to go for anything other than pop music. If it's not on the radio, they probably don't have it. I'll go to Homer's this week and pick up the disc I was looking for.
New Year's was very laid back. I went to Mike's house and there were maybe twenty people there. I drank quite a bit in the beginning of the night, but I didn't really get drunk. At midnight I called Virginia and wished her a happy new year, and she reciprocated at 2am (midnight in Vegas). Caleb also called me. He got mad because I told him that I'm going to Vegas this weekend and I didn't invite him. Apparently we agreed that we would never go to Vegas without each other. I don't remember such an agreement, but it was -1 with the windchill and I was wearing a shirt with holes in it, so I didn't feel like arguing. My sister, who never stays up past 9pm, was out until 4am. She felt like death all day. I derive great humor from hearing her hung over because it rarely happens. I hope that the new year goes well for all of us.
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