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    Thursday, September 28, 2006

    Rain Forest Picks Pella

    Film at eleven, story at PC Online.

    Yet another example of the total incompetence of the project management team. You could locate the facility at A: near two major highways right next to a brand new entertainment center where said entertainment center has already offered to make the most significant private sector financial contribution your project has ever received or B: in a far more out of the way and difficult to reach location. So which do you choose? Well, if you’re smart, you go with A. You have to go with A. What did they do? They went with B. I’m beginning to think they have a death wish.

    Wednesday, September 20, 2006

    You Know What Sucks?

    Playing poker for six hours, til 3:00 in the morning on a work night, as part of 2,000 person tourney where the top 18 advance on to the next tourney, and finishing 20th. Yes, I finished better than 1,980 people. Yes, I finished in the 100th percentile. But I still missed the payoff, and missed it by two people. The only thing that would have sucked more would be being the poor bastard who finished 19th.

    I didn’t make many mistakes, though. Looking back at the hand that brought me out of contention, I would still play it the same way. I was sitting at about 80,000 chips, 15th with 26 left. I get dealt A-K spades in third position. The person in first position went all in with 40,000. Factoring in blinds and antes (the blinds at this point were 3,000-6,000, the antes 750), the pot was over 55,000. I had a great starting hand, so I didn’t just call, I went all in myself, hoping to isolate him. Everyone else dropped but the big blind, who called my all-in. This left a main pot of over 135,000 and a side pot of 80,000. I still wasn’t worried, thinking I would only be dominated by A-A and a slight dog to any pair. The short stack shows A-J hearts, I show my A-K spades, and the other caller shows A-K offsuit. So far, so good. All my fellow A-K have to do is fade the J and we split 215,000. From that point it would be tough not to make the top 18. And, in a perfect world, three spades would hit the board, I’d take the entire 235,000, and I wouldn’t have to play another hand.

    The J hit on the turn.

    I was down to 40,000, and when you lose 15,750 every rotation (with blinds increasing every ten minute), that’s not a good place to be. I still outlasted six other people, but I missed out on top 18 by the barest of margins. I couldn’t catch a hand the rest of the way, and finally called a raise with 10-5 suited. I was big blind, I only had 2,000 in chips after paying the blind and my ante, the small blind alone on the next hand would be more than my chip stack if I mucked, and even if I waited and everyone called (at this point we were a table of six) and I had a decent hand I could win more money from this pot than waiting. So I called, saw my 10-5 up against A-4, and lost to Ace high.

    On the other hand, you know what doesn’t suck?

    Saturday, or more accurately early Sunday, I played in an 1,800 person tourney. In this tourney, the top 36 moved on to the next round. In that one, I ended up 21st. I got some great cards and played them well. But the thing I am proudest of in that one is how I played at the bubble. At the 37 mark there were three of us who didn’t have enough chips to make another rotation of blinds and antes. I was watching the tables where the other two people were. They were automatically mucking every hand, hoping someone went out first. I, on the other hand, got dealt A-10 spades right after the button. Now, I could have folded. The other two people would be put all in by the blinds before I was. But I went all in anyway. Two people called, the flop was all spades, and I tripled up. On the very next hand I got dealt K-K. I went all in again, got called by the big stack who had A-J, and doubled up again. A few hands later I doubled again, and coasted not only to the top 36 but to 21st. The next tourney is Saturday – the top nine move on, with the eventual goal a tourney where the winner gets an Aussie Millions prize package.

    Friday, September 15, 2006

    Today's Song

    The Wreckers, Leave The Pieces

    You're not sure that you love me
    But you're not sure enough to let me go
    Baby it ain't fair you know
    To just keep me hangin' 'round

    You say you don't wanna hurt me
    Don't want to see my tears
    So why are you still standing here
    Just watching me drown

    And it's alright, yeah i'll be fine
    Don't worry 'bout this heart of mine
    Just take your love and hit the road

    There's nothing you can do or say
    You're gonna break my heart anyway
    So just leave the pieces when you go

    You can drag out the heartache
    Baby you can make it quick
    Really get it over with
    And just let me move on

    Don't concern yourself
    With this mess you've left for me
    I can clean it up, you see
    Just as long as you're gone

    And it's alright, yeah i'll be fine
    Don't worry 'bout this heart of mine
    Just take your love and hit the road

    There's nothing you can do or say
    You're gonna break my heart anyway
    So just leave the pieces when you go

    You not making up your mind
    Is killing me and wasting time
    I need so much more than that
    Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

    And it's alright, yeah i'll be fine
    Don't worry 'bout this heart of mine
    Just take your love and hit the road

    There's nothing you can do or say
    You're gonna break my heart anyway
    So just leave the pieces when you go

    Thursday, September 07, 2006

    How It Should Have Ended

    Courtesy of Blog@Newsarama, How It Should Have Ended. I particularly like the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings entries.

    You Know How You Know I Have Kids?

    Because the only band-aid I could find to put on my skull when I cut it open last night on a metal shelf support has a Power Ranger on it.

    Wednesday, September 06, 2006

    Fun Little Time Waster

    Okay, I know I’m the resident comic geek, but Crap and TanMan might enjoy this site too.

    Tuesday, September 05, 2006

    Thought For The Day

    You know, you come back from a meeting to your cube, and even though it’s a nice cube, a window cube, it’s a cube, and you’ve been sitting at it, or at something similar, for almost fifteen years, and in all probability you’re going to be sitting at it, or something similar, for another twenty years or more, and suddenly the idea of getting killed by a stingray while at work doesn’t seem so horrible.

    Saturday, September 02, 2006

    Genius Of The Day

    I'll just reprint the whole thing found here.

    A man was arrested Friday night after he allegedly threatened a waitress at a Coralville restaurant.

    Christopher Paul Huffey, 18, of Moscow, was arrested for second-degree harassment at 7:15 p.m. Friday outside of the Steak n’ Shake, 2806 Commerce Drive in Coralville.

    According to police, Huffey passed a note to the waitress stating he would “beat her” if she did not bring him her tip money within two minutes. He later admitted to writing the note, police said.

    Wow. There's dumb, and there's dumb. And then there's this guy.

    It reminds me of one time when I was working at Country Kitchen in Coralville as a manager. It was a Saturday, actually, early Sunday, about an hour after the bar rush had ended. We used to get all the cops on the midnight shift - city, highway patrol, sheriff's department. They would come in after their post-bar duties had ended. It was one such night, with about eight different officers in the main dining room, when some guy on a bike - a bike, mind you - decided to leave without paying. I was getting coffee for the officers and the waitress said "Dweeze, some guy just left without paying." Before I could say anything, three or four cops were on their feet saying "Who?" She pointed to him out the window as he was climbing on his bicycle. They started moving towards the door at about the exact same moment he glanced back inside. The look on his face was priceless. He dropped the bike and took off running, but he didn't have a chance. It was great.