WOW

I seriously have never had a week in poker quite like this.

So everyone's now seen my big takedown in the Razz freeroll.  The very next Saturday, 
there's a forum Challenge Freeroll on Stars.  NLHE, great, been running bad in it.

But who cares?  I get myself psyched up, and ready to play.

Wound up making some incredible plays, and getting incredibly lucky too, and finished 
38th out of 2047 players.  Only scored for the tune of $8.75, but oh well.  Once again, I 
go incredibly deep in a big field.

But it doesn't stop there.

Tonight, I entered the $10+1 Razz tournament on Full Tilt.  61 players, and I'm VERY 
confident in this one.

Once again, played all different sized stacks well, and well, take a look for yourself:

 

That's right!  I scored for $200!  Biggest cash I've ever made in a tourney!

Oh yeah, I'm on fire.

Just when I was giving up faith in myself...

I have been having a shoddy time in Poker. I've been playing good, yet I've been seeing the pot go the opposite way. Seriously, I play the hand right, some dude gets lucky and takes the pot. Bubbling Sit-N-Go's, and just grinding my wheels in Multi Table Tourneys.

Every AJPoker tournament I enter, I can't do nothing, and when I do, it's never that long-awaited win I've been looking for.

So I took it down a step and starting playing some more Freerolls. No better way to beat variance. Maybe there is, but whatever.

All this week, I've played the HORSE Tournament on Bugsy's Club, which is one of the best structures ever. And I have done SO WELL in them. All except I get to the top 10% of the field, and bust before the money.

And yeah, the same thing happened tonight. So I join the Full Tilt No Limit Hold'em Freeroll (900 enter, 18) pay. On a break, I register for the Razz freeroll (Since Razz is my absolute best game period). I bust 47th in NLHE, and am grinding my wheels (again in Razz).

So once again, this leaves me with this last chance tonight.

And then, while still playing almost flawless, things start turning my way. Then, we get 8 away from the money (764 enter, 18 still pay). And once again, things turn sour.

I sit on my chips up until 4 left till the bubble, and then start making calculated steals and moves. And then the bubble bursts, and I come out swinging.

And it starts working. Then I falter, but I pick myself right back up.

And then I'm at the final table. And well, this image will speak for itself (once again, click the image below for the bigger image):



I WON! I WON THE WHOLE THING! Unbelievable! I have NEVER done this well in 300+ fields. Now, I have done it. And now, finally, I know I can do it. This is a huge burden off my shoulders.

That was 5 hours of grueling poker well worth it (even if the cash was small).

Cyber Pwnage

When you play poker, and post on poker forums, one of the things you will run into is people IM'ing you asking for stakes. This has been a growing trend on FCP recently. And most of these people are just random lurkers who have never posted and are just desperate for money to continue playing a losing game of poker, and beg the winners for money. Usually, the amount is only $5.

I, however, was entertained by one of the more desperate ones. And thus, I can now entertain you.

This is his story:

(3:49:48 AM) hooplehead1876: Hey, it's me from the poker forum. Is there any way you could stake me a couple of hundies? I'm a great player.
(3:50:18 AM) oN3 40 se7en: which poker forum do you belong to?
(3:50:24 AM) hooplehead1876: FCP
(3:50:32 AM) oN3 40 se7en: cool, cool
(3:50:37 AM) oN3 40 se7en: what's your name on there?
(3:50:51 AM) hooplehead1876: I'm just a lurker.
(3:51:31 AM) oN3 40 se7en: oh ok
(3:51:50 AM) oN3 40 se7en: well, that might be possible
(3:52:01 AM) hooplehead1876: So, like two hundy?
(3:52:16 AM) oN3 40 se7en: perhaps
(3:52:35 AM) oN3 40 se7en: let's just make sure you're ready for such a huge responsibility
(3:52:45 AM) oN3 40 se7en: don't worry, i'm pretty lenient, so i'm sure it'll be no sweat
(3:52:55 AM) oN3 40 se7en: but just gotta do this for a mere technicality
(3:53:03 AM) hooplehead1876: cool, cool
(3:53:16 AM) oN3 40 se7en: where do you play?
(3:53:30 AM) hooplehead1876: Stars, Pacific.
(3:53:54 AM) oN3 40 se7en: don't have money on either of them...but stars isn't too hard to get money on to
(3:54:00 AM) oN3 40 se7en: what stakes do you play?
(3:54:15 AM) hooplehead1876: Anything, man.
(3:54:27 AM) hooplehead1876: I've played as high as $40/80
(3:54:45 AM) hooplehead1876: I need this money soon to pat off a debt. Can we hurry?
(3:54:51 AM) oN3 40 se7en: yeah yeah, sorry man
(3:54:57 AM) oN3 40 se7en: just gotta make sure you're ready
(3:55:03 AM) oN3 40 se7en: what games do you play?
(3:55:08 AM) hooplehead1876: I was born readdy
(3:55:29 AM) hooplehead1876: No limit holdem. The only man's game left!
(3:55:36 AM) oN3 40 se7en: nice
(3:55:44 AM) oN3 40 se7en: now that i know the basics
(3:55:50 AM) oN3 40 se7en: time to get down to the nitty gritty
(3:55:56 AM) oN3 40 se7en: what does UTG mean?
(3:56:19 AM) hooplehead1876: under the giraff?
(3:56:28 AM) oN3 40 se7en: you've learned padowon
(3:56:32 AM) oN3 40 se7en: BB?
(3:56:41 AM) hooplehead1876: big betty?
(3:56:47 AM) oN3 40 se7en: i'm proud
(3:56:56 AM) oN3 40 se7en: would you ever have sex with an octopus?
(3:57:28 AM) hooplehead1876: Why would you need to know that?
(3:57:39 AM) oN3 40 se7en: just answer it...your stake rides on it
(3:57:45 AM) hooplehead1876: No
(3:57:54 AM) oN3 40 se7en: you wouldn't have sex with eight women?
(3:58:01 AM) oN3 40 se7en: are you light in the trousers?
(3:58:22 AM) hooplehead1876: Naw, man. this is bullshit.
(3:58:30 AM) oN3 40 se7en: sorry sorry
(3:58:37 AM) oN3 40 se7en: we can ignore that question
(3:58:44 AM) oN3 40 se7en: since you didn't understand the context
(3:59:18 AM) oN3 40 se7en: new question:
(4:00:28 AM) oN3 40 se7en: this is the first hand of the WSOP main event. Only there's a new rule this year: first one out gets a lap dance from the thunder from down under all-male revue. Everyone moves all-in in front of you, and you are dealt AA in Big Betty. Do you call?
(4:00:48 AM) hooplehead1876: No
(4:00:54 AM) oN3 40 se7en: WRONGO
(4:01:02 AM) oN3 40 se7en: you call and accept the strippers as consolation
(4:01:15 AM) hooplehead1876: I've heard from experts that you should fold 'em
(4:01:35 AM) oN3 40 se7en: cmon man...free strippers don't come along every day
(4:01:42 AM) oN3 40 se7en: think man, think!
(4:01:48 AM) hooplehead1876: I'm not gay, dude.
(4:01:58 AM) oN3 40 se7en: well, you wouldn't have sex with an octopus
(4:02:02 AM) oN3 40 se7en: i'm sorry
(4:02:04 AM) oN3 40 se7en: let's continue
(4:03:20 AM) oN3 40 se7en: trust me, this will all make sense in the end, when you are rolling in the hundos
(4:03:32 AM) hooplehead1876: Okay.
(4:04:41 AM) hooplehead1876: I'm going to be honest-- you'll likely never hear from me again.
(4:04:51 AM) oN3 40 se7en: i know
(4:04:53 AM) hooplehead1876: But it's good to help someone out
(4:04:57 AM) oN3 40 se7en: i stake people lots
(4:05:02 AM) oN3 40 se7en: they never call, they never write
(4:05:05 AM) oN3 40 se7en: it's the way life goes

*Silence for 10 minutes*

(4:15:40 AM) hooplehead1876: kay
(4:16:20 AM) oN3 40 se7en: but if you were to ever have sex with kathy liebert, would you call her?
(4:16:38 AM) hooplehead1876: Yeah?
(4:16:47 AM) oN3 40 se7en: WRONG!
(4:16:51 AM) oN3 40 se7en: she doesn't own a phone
(4:17:21 AM) hooplehead1876: What? Dude, I don't know if you're trying to be funny or not.
(4:17:30 AM) oN3 40 se7en: actually i was
(4:17:33 AM) oN3 40 se7en: did it work?
(4:17:40 AM) hooplehead1876: Yeah. LMAO
(4:17:43 AM) oN3 40 se7en: good
(4:17:52 AM) hooplehead1876: Are you going to stake me or what?
(4:17:54 AM) oN3 40 se7en: just some humor to lighten up this whole situation you're in
(4:17:59 AM) oN3 40 se7en: just a sec, just a sec
(4:19:19 AM) oN3 40 se7en: who would win in a fist fight, and why? Mike Jones, or Matt Damon?
(4:20:09 AM) hooplehead1876: Mike Jones. Because he's from the streets. Is this relivant, or are you just fucking with me?
(4:20:32 AM) oN3 40 se7en: this is a test to tell what kind of character you have
(4:20:32 AM) hooplehead1876: Are you just wasting my time. I told you I was good
(4:20:54 AM) oN3 40 se7en: you're actually wrong, chuck norris would kick both their butts while eating a banana split
(4:20:57 AM) oN3 40 se7en: but that's beside the point
(4:21:22 AM) hooplehead1876: HOW THE HELL COULD I GUESS THIS SHIT?
(4:21:28 AM) hooplehead1876: Fuck off!
(4:21:31 AM) oN3 40 se7en: dude
(4:21:32 AM) oN3 40 se7en: chill
(4:21:39 AM) oN3 40 se7en: I was just stating my opinion
(4:21:49 AM) oN3 40 se7en: do you want the stake or not?
(4:23:27 AM) hooplehead1876: You're just fucking with me. My pokerstars name is the same as my AOL name. If you want to make money, stake me. If you just think you're a comedian, fuck off.
(4:23:32 AM) oN3 40 se7en: seriously dude, every one of my stakees had to take this line of questioning
(4:23:37 AM) oN3 40 se7en: and none of them complained
(4:23:47 AM) oN3 40 se7en: i'm starting to think you're just yanking my crank
(4:23:58 AM) hooplehead1876: I am?
(4:24:09 AM) hooplehead1876: You're stupid!
(4:24:37 AM) oN3 40 se7en: I'm not asking for the stake, am I?
(4:24:56 AM) oN3 40 se7en: be respectful to me, since i still hold your money in my neteller account
(4:25:30 AM) hooplehead1876: I just pray you need my help with a stake someday. Are we doing this or what?
(4:25:38 AM) oN3 40 se7en: just two more questions
(4:25:45 AM) hooplehead1876: Promise?
(4:25:50 AM) oN3 40 se7en: promise
(4:26:09 AM) oN3 40 se7en: fill in the blanks: my favorite hand is _____________________ because ______________________________________.
(4:26:21 AM) hooplehead1876: AA
(4:26:37 AM) hooplehead1876: Because it's a favorite over anything
(4:27:11 AM) hooplehead1876: I also like 75, because no one sees it coming, lol
(4:27:29 AM) oN3 40 se7en: lol
(4:28:06 AM) oN3 40 se7en: fill in this last statement
(4:28:10 AM) oN3 40 se7en: and the stake is yours
(4:28:49 AM) oN3 40 se7en: I think Sam Grizzle is sexy because __________________________________________, but I think Robert Varkonyi is sexier because ______________________________________.
(4:29:32 AM) hooplehead1876: If I answer, will you stop this **** and stake me?
(4:29:39 AM) oN3 40 se7en: yes, now DO IT KNAVE!
(4:29:55 AM) hooplehead1876: Who are these peole?
(4:29:58 AM) hooplehead1876: people
(4:30:06 AM) oN3 40 se7en: you don't know who Sam Grizzle is?!
(4:30:22 AM) oN3 40 se7en: FORGET VARKONYI!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU DON'T KNOW WHO SAM GRIZZLE IS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
(4:30:51 AM) hooplehead1876: Is he that guy who beat the shit out of Phil Hullmuth?
(4:30:55 AM) hooplehead1876: Hellmuth
(4:30:57 AM) oN3 40 se7en: THANK GOD
(4:31:08 AM) oN3 40 se7en: i thought i wasn't going to get to stake you
(4:32:05 AM) hooplehead1876: I guess Sam is sexy because he's tough, but Robert is because he's rich
(4:32:19 AM) oN3 40 se7en: you have succeeded
(4:32:23 AM) hooplehead1876: Stake me now?
(4:32:32 AM) oN3 40 se7en: but before we get started
(4:32:38 AM) oN3 40 se7en: do you know the nickname for K3?
(4:32:55 AM) hooplehead1876: No
(4:33:02 AM) hooplehead1876: What the hell?
(4:33:11 AM) oN3 40 se7en: and you've been lurking on FCP for how long?
(4:33:15 AM) hooplehead1876: Are you staking me or what?
(4:33:25 AM) oN3 40 se7en: sure sure
(4:33:27 AM) oN3 40 se7en: just wondering
(4:33:33 AM) hooplehead1876: A few months
(4:33:36 AM) oN3 40 se7en: oh ok
(4:33:40 AM) oN3 40 se7en: that explains it all
(4:33:49 AM) oN3 40 se7en: here goes, the all-magical stake begins
(4:33:55 AM) oN3 40 se7en: I put on my wizard robe and hat
(4:34:05 AM) oN3 40 se7en: I cast level 200 Stake on PokerStars
(4:34:07 AM) oN3 40 se7en: and I'm spent
(4:34:08 AM) hooplehead1876: FUCK YOU!
(4:34:10 AM) oN3 40 se7en: good night sir
(4:34:14 AM) oN3 40 se7en: what?
(4:34:17 AM) oN3 40 se7en: i staked you
(4:34:48 AM) hooplehead1876: I hope you catch AIDS from all those little african kids you fuck
(4:35:01 AM) oN3 40 se7en: have fun in zimbabwe
(4:35:21 AM) oN3 40 se7en: douche

Blogger Championship 2

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

This Online Poker Tournament is a No Limit Texas Holdem event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 8893921

I give up...

I don't believe in love anymore. I just don't. There is no reason to. I feel cold, and hurt, and am just tired. I give up. I don't want love anymore.

Fuck love.

Great...Writer's Cramp

It has seriously been forever since my wrist hurt this bad. Get those thoughts out of your heads. You know who you are.

Yesterday, I had a bright idea of writing a new poker article. I hadn't written once since around July. And I figured it's about time I start sharing some stuff I know with my fellow players.

I decided to do an in-and-out examination of Razz strategy. Ideas quickly began flowing through my head, and I decided it was time to put those thoughts down.

I stopped on my way to work at Target, and bought a 100-page composition notebook and two pens. I did this because I didn't have anything to write with on me. I began writing, thinking I would be done shortly.

Tonight, at midnight, I finally finished, and wound up using almost 1/5 of the notebook.

My hand hurts so bad, it's hard to type. But I wound up analyzing proper strategy from 3rd street straight down to showdown, and tried to encompass almost every possible situation one could face.

Now, just because I finished writing the article, doesn't mean I am finished with it. I still need to reread everything. If there are more situations to write about, I need to write about them. Then, of course, comes typing this sucker out. And then submitting it for publication on AJPoker.com.

Hopefully, this will get published. They have no idea how hard I worked on this, and how much writing this made my brain hurt.

But yeah, I think I just wrote a pretty definitive article here. And I seriously hope it goes over well.

A shred of light in a dark place can make all the difference...

I woke up resenting my job. Simply put, I hated it. This job has made me retched. Simply put, when you put yourself in a position where your patience is tested every 10 minutes, you start to realize what kind of person you really are deep down inside.

And I was horrible. I've spent so much time muting customers, call them douchebags and every other name in the book, and punching my cubicle and monitor, and giving my monitor the finger, that you would think that I had Tourette's.

I wanted to quit, but know I can't. I can't afford not to have this job right now. So I stay, and be the retched person I am.

Or maybe not?

Today, I come in, expecting another day of the normal idiots and me complaining behind their backs. What I got instead was not expected.

And it started with the worst call I have ever got.

Verizon has just adopted a new policy where e-mail address passwords cannot be abc123 or 123abc. Otherwise, the customer's e-mail is shut down. This is to protect them from spammers using their e-mail to send out spam and viruses. Some guy didn't see it this way, as I got a call from him saying he received an e-mail about e-mail abuse.

I kindly ask him to change his password from abc123 because it was a security risk. He, in turn tells me, "It's is own d*** security risk, so why the f*** should we care?"

I finally convinced him to at least create a sub-account with a new password, and he obliges me. Once we get that set up, and he starts using that e-mail address, he then starts prodding about why the original account was a security risk. I explain the whole security alert, and he then becomes irate that he would be accused of spamming because spammers could easily hack his account and send e-mail address, just because his name was on the account. And then he starts yelling over it again, and telling me how he thinks it should be, and blaming me over this.

Whatever. Finally get him off the call, and I take a break for a breather. I was trembling on this one, because I don't like being yelled at, and quite frankly, my natural reaction is reciprocate what I am experiencing.

And all through my breather, I debated about quitting. I just couldn't figure out how much my nerves would take, and how much longer I could stand it before destroying property, yelling at a customer, or killing someone.

My next 2 calls after my breather were simple transfers. My next call was a bad cell phone connection where the customer decided to call back later.

Then came my next call. A lady just giving it a go trying to set up her DSL by herself when her friend couldn't get it working.

When trying to find out what version of Windows she had, she had to move her plants off the desk to get her keyboard there, so she could type what I needed her to. She then started talking to her cat. Then she starts talking to me about her cat. A Tortoise-shell.

You have my attention. That's the exact breed of my two cats, which mean a lot to me. So we started talking about our cats, and going back and forth while she does this.

And the talk kept going with this lady over the course of the call.

Turns out, she was online, for some reason, it wasn't working earlier, but now, all she had to do was activate her account. Very straightforward, and I was about to cut the call off for the sake of my call time. She felt uncomfortable with the process at this time, and asked me to stay on the line. At that time I justified that by remembering that we almost never get the ActiveX controls on this page to install right, so we might have to do a manual setup.

I'm glad now that I didn't get her off the line.

As we went through the setup, she figures that is was just God's time to set up this DSL. Sounds crazy, but I think she was right. And yeah, I know that goes beyond any technical understanding or reasoning that I could apply to this. But I suddenly believe that.

As we got past the ActiveX controls, which amazingly installed correctly, she got to the point where she was able to set up her username and password. She was comfortable with that. I just gave her one fair warning: that the password must contain a number. Her response: "That's fine. My usual password's a bible verse."

I just felt myself calming down over this.

So I just let her know that I'd let her go, and thanked her for calling Verizon. And she told me, "Thanks for being so personable and patient. And God bless."

I couldn't get her off the call fast enough, as I was just breaking up.

I had to take another break to collect myself and get myself together. But this call was meant for me. Truly. I needed that one.

Every call that's made me bang my head against the wall, made me scream, and made me want to quit just seem meaningless now. Just because someone actually made me feel better while I was working. I had never felt that well after a call. She truly broke open a sense of peace at this job that I really needed. And I'm going to cherish that from here on in.

Maybe now I can start acting more Godly at work. Maybe now I won't feel miserable now.

I can't divulge names of my customers, due to our security policy. But I'll always remember her name. And if she ever reads this (I'm sure she won't, but if she does, she'll know who she is): Thanks. And God bless you.

another bonk

After watching variance rip me a new hole on Full Contact, I've decided to a game I could once play decently: Razz. Thus, it's about time for a deposit to Full Tilt.

It had been a minute or two (more like since November) since I played Razz. And lo, FTP has started running Razz Freerolls nightly. I am so there.

Simply put, the level of play there is simply donkalicious. I watched players at 400/800 fold to a 28 All-In bet in a 3000 pot. RIDICULOUS!

But anyway, 589 entered, 18 cashed. In normal circumstances (like a buy-in event), the payout would've been around 50 cashed. I played pretty solid, and made some great moves.

Unfortunately, the time caught up with me, as I grew more tired and careless, and I finished 54th.

I made the top 10% again. Which is not a bad place to be. It also reminded me that I can play Razz still. It took a level or two to get my feet back under me. It had been forever since I played a Stud-based game period.

But once I got going, I was counting the cards again, and running smart plays on my opponents, and saving myself bets in tricky situations. I only had one incredibly bad beat the entire tournament put on me, which would've been probably avoided had I have bet 5th street like I considered. Unfortunately, 6th street gave my opp. a draw, which she made on 7th to out draw me. I had her the entire way up until 7th.

That was one huge mistake that I'd like to have back, but it wasn't a costly one.

But all-in-all, I feel my comeback to Razz is going to be a lot of fun this time around.

Podcasting n00b

Yeah, this is a reminder of how absolutely dumb I can be.

Everyone on FCP has been raving about CardPlayer's The Circuit. And considering Mike Matusow AND Phil Hellmuth was going to be on tonight, it's a good time to start listening. So I navigated over to CardPlayer, and saw a link saying "Podcast" on their site. As you would too. Naturally, this is what I think I need to get into iTunes. So I click on it, and Firefox says, "This protocol is not assigned to any program."

Ok, I'll just go into Firefox's options and set that up. Not going to happen. There is NO option in Firefox to set this up. So now, I'm modifying the registry to get Firefox to open up that protocol in iTunes. Should work right.

...sometimes I wonder why I love technology.

After the hour spent figuring that out, it still doesn't work. So I'm on my way to calling Apple, except...support is closed. WTF?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?! NON-24 HOUR SUPPORT FOR AN INTERNATION COMPANY?!?!?!

Holy jeez. I'm seriously flipping out. Googling like crazy, and I still can't find the answer.

Until I did the following:

1) I opened iTunes
2) I went to iTunes Store
3) I search for The Circuit
4) I subscribed to The Circuit through the iTunes Store for free

Wow, I hate myself. I feel dumb.

Personality test

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Back to shorthanded limit

Ok, so I had pretty much decided two weeks ago to put a deposit down at FullContactPoker. I just wanted to start playing again, with no real goals in mind except for playing my best and learning from my mistakes. Those should've been the goals from the beginning, but at least I learned from that one.

But until my deposit to Neteller cleared (couldn't get them to accept my debit card, and I wasn't paying the fees on InstaCASH), I was playing around with the free money I got on Noble. I started out playing my usual game on the Ongame network (which FCP is a part of), .25/.50 Limit Hold'Em. Only, they don't have the tables I'm used to, so I settled for 6-handed tables. And I couldn't beat it! I couldn't fully understand the reason, but I'm apt to believe that it was the fact that this was a 6-handed table. It could also be variance at those tables, but who knows?

I wound up taking my money, and started playing heads-up SNG's on Noble. I got a pretty decent winrate off of them, but still am breaking almost even on Noble. Which I find hilarious.

Today, my deposit finally cleared, so I made my deposit of $50 on FCP, and went back to what is the norm for me: $.25/$.50 3-handed LHE. I so love the create table feature on the site. It's what sets them apart from other networks.

But even still, after my experience on Noble, I was kind of worried that I'd let my game sit enough that I was slipping, and should move down to .15/.30. I stood firm, and just before I sat in at my table, prayed that my game would still be where it was in January when I was regularly killing these tables.

And my prayer was answered. I only played one hour, I'm no longer conditioned to handle longer sessions yet. But in that hour, my account (that had 0.78 left in it after a hidden fiasco I had in February playing with Negreanu in a Pot Limit Omaha SNG w/rebuys) had moved to a total of $71.18 in it. So in one hour, I had made a profit of $20.40 altogether. And once again, was just absolutely killing the game, and (if my memory serves correctly) only one person left with a profit on the table other than myself, and that person nitted after turning quad sevens to double up.

My reads are getting back on track. Of course there were several misreads on my part, but I was not at all upset with how my reads were going. I was 60% locked in on one opponent, who was there for most of my session. I had it pretty much down to an art when he was bluffing the pots to pick up on it and take down the pot.

All-in-all, I'm very happy with this. And very happy to be back playing my a-game.

Attention: Indianapolis

*steps up to the podium*

STOP WHINING ABOUT DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME!

Seriously. This has been the topic of conversation all week. Everyone who has seemingly never left here is complaining.

I don't see what the big deal is, seriously. I mean, it could be that I lived in Illinois for 21 years, and had to do it every year. But...no. Indy people are just whining over nothing. It's a change, deal with it.

Yeah, I could understand where not changing your time would be a good thing. I went through un-daylight savings time up here last year, and fell right into it. But the entire United States is not going to change its ways just because Indiana doesn't want to. It hasn't changed its ways over this for a long time, even though most places in the world doesn't do it. Why would it change now?

But I guess what I couldn't stand the most was the people who had no clue what this meant, and how it was going to happen.

Like at work Friday night, it was after Midnight (so yeah, it was in all intents and purposes, Saturday), and this lady is just watching her cell phone clock.

I ask her, "Waiting for clock-out?"

She says, "No, I'm waiting for the time to change. It's supposed to change at 1:59 to 3."

Me: No, not now. It's supposed to change Saturday.

Her: But it is Saturday.

Me: Yeah, but you're not following right. I mean Saturday night.

Her: But it is Saturday.

Me: What I'm meaning is Saturday night. After midnight, which would be technically Sunday.

Her: No! It's supposed to change on Saturday!

Me: Listen to me! I lived in Illinois for 21 years of my life! I know how this works! It will change on SA-TUR-DAY NIIIIIIGHT!

Her: But it is Saturday, right?

Me: ....yes.

So I just let her keep watching the cell phone. And watching. Then 1:59 switched to 2. And she looked up from her cell phone, pissed.

Her: It didn't F***in change! That's all bulls***, they be lying!

Me: I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen.

And I clocked out.

And I bet on Sunday, she woke up with all her clocks running on Central Time, completely torn up over the fact that DST got ruined for her.

back to the tables

Reading through my e-mails, I decided to take a look at my e-mails labeled "Poker" (I set my Gmail up to filter my e-mails, go ahead and archive any poker e-mails and label them as such). I found that Noble Poker gave me some bonus money to screw around with.

Yeah, perfect.

So I sit for about 1 1/2 hours in .10/.20 LHE, and play good (6-handed, as always, I love them shorthanded tables), and wind up ahead $11.

So, just shortly after that, I enter a $5.50 1000 Guaranteed tournament. A little short of $200, and I do so-so. I was up and down before the first break, but wound up doubling up and getting to a healthy $4000 stack at the break.

Unfortunately, this is Noble we're talking about. Their structure does not provide for deep play after the first break, as even on an average stack, I'm about 10 minutes away from having bad M, with the blinds 100/200 and soon to increase to 200/400.

Near the end of the first level after the break, I raise on the button with AJo, with the Ace of diamonds, making it 600, and the BB calls.

Flop comes QJ9, with the QJ of diamonds. He checks, and I bet, making it 700. He calls, announcing he has top set. Bogus. And I know it.

Turn comes the K of diamonds, giving me the royal flush draw. He instantly moves in on me. Now I'm positive that if I make any of my draws, I've got the hand on lock. Plus, the way this hand has played out, it's hard to believe that he played this hand any way except to steal the hand from me, so my 3rd pair may be good. So I call.

He turns up AT for the nut straight...yikes! Not at all what I expected. So I'm needing a diamond to win, or a ten to chop. Blank on the river, and I'm crippled.

I'm all-in later in the big-blind with 10-3, and don't improve and it's over.

So it's been humdrum in the games today.

The tank & my bass

Sorry it's been a while since I posted. Work's been exhausting me, I haven't really had a whole lot of energy to do much else.

Yeah, so I got out of training officially Friday...with a 96% average in the class (highest in the class). And this week is our time taking calls in the training bay (aka "the tank.")

90% of people told us that tank was Hell. 10% of people told us it was no sweat. Let's see, which odds are you going to bet on?

So needless to say, I had mixed emotions about going in there. I thought I knew enough, I'm a decent multitasker, so I'm not scared of messing up on the tools. Of course, what you aren't prepared for is people screaming in your ear because the internet's broke.

That was the part that scared me. I can handle stress and all that, but one thing I've never handled well was arguments. Even if it's one sided, someone yelling and blaming their entire life on you because they can't get online is still an argument. I was afraid of how I'd react, whether I'd get emotional over it, you know the drill.

So I've been praying all this week for the strength to handle this situation well, and in best case scenario, I won't have to deal with any (even though I'd rather get it over with in tank, so that way a supervisor's on hand to keep me calm).

So far, no angry customers. Only slightly peeved, but hey, it happens.

On the first day, I was just flustered for most of it, and had horrendous handle times...as expected.

Over Tues., Wed., and today, I have just been knocking it out of the box! I'm really getting the hang of this, and really starting to keep my call times low, and get resolutions on their issues done.

And in all truth, I'm enjoying it. I get to mess around with people's systems, it's pretty easy, and I can just pace around taking calls, and running over to my computer to type notes as needed. There's enough challenges to keep me interested, but enough reptitiveness that I don't have to frustrate myself.

Customer's reactions have been good too. People have given me mad compliments over my performance, and several people in my training class have basically jockeyed for position to get seats next to me in tank because they believe I know everything about what the job entails (think again).

So come Tuesday, I start my regular schedule, fully on the call floor. This should be interesting.

And on Tuesday, I got my six string bass. I freaking love this thing! I haven't played with it as much as I want, but comes this weekend...man, it's on. I'll also have pictures, and maybe even a video of me playing it up too.

Until then...

First paycheck...

And so starts the fun of the first paycheck. Now, I'm being responsible...and I definitely gotta watch myself, since I got myself in big trouble just writing checks, so have a debit card could kill me.

But so far so good. Today, got my check cashed, then I went to Old Navy to replace a pair of pants that got huge holes worn in them from the washer within 3 weeks! Well, that was no sweat. Then, on to get some food. That was all good, then Jake took me to this half-price bookstore in Castlteton, which sells used movies, books, games, cds, whatever.

Yeah, just point me to the CD section. And I picked that place clean. But, I only wound up with 3 CDs:

-Newsboys: Going Public
-Justifide: The Beauty of the Unknown
-Songs From the Penalty Box vol. 4

Now, Penalty Box wasn't my original intended purchase, that was:

-OC Supertones: The Adventures of the OC Supertones

Unfortunately, I got a glimpse of the bottom of the CD...it was so mangled up...wow. Yeah, that went back in a heartbeat, to which I found Penalty Box, and had the lot rang up:

The total damage: $6. Now how pimp is that?

Then, to Best Buy just to look around.

Then to work.

As soon as I got home, I placed my order for my bass. So that should be arriving in 2-5 days. There's always an air of excitement when your new instrument is on its way. It's absolutely incredible. You just sit until that truck arrives with that instrument, and you don't care what was on the docket for the day...screw that, and strap that sucker on.

That reminds me, I need to buy a strap for it.

Man I can call them?

So, today not only has Hyunsil told me that she won't be able to come this summer (which, as you know from reading my stupid blog, I predicted), but has also gotten back with her stupid stoner boyfriend (which, I hadn't muttered aloud, but had pretty much guessed it would happen).

And surprisingly, I'm not shocked or pissed about any of this. Nor am I let down. Quite frankly, I gave up on caring and hanging on everything she says or does two weeks ago. And I haven't went back. I don't see this fully killing our friendship, but it could. Right now, I just feel like putting her on my block list right now, just because I don't want to hear anymore right now. I'd end up taking her off soon...but I just don't want to hear from her right now.

The good thing is that I'm through this. I was through this before I even really knew there was something to get through.

I'm smart. I've realized that it's her own mistake, not mine. Maybe I could've cared a little less and saved myself some hurt, but that's just not the kind of person I am.

Whatever, I just see about a 2.5% probability that we would ever get together. And that's ok with me. There will be something better.

So today, I get to go get my paycheck, and tonight, I put in the order for my bass. I'm psyched about playing that thing...and showing it off.

I'll post pics of it in my hands...most likely on my Myspace (link's on the right side of the page).

Also, yeah, I felt stupid maintaining 3 blogs, so I condensed them all. Once again, my attempt to combat multi-blogging.

I can take a joke but...

Oh, come on this has gotta be the lowest low I've ever seen in advertising.

MTV2 (& probably even MTV) are now showing new advertising for Wonder Showzen. I had already deemed this show the end of TV...period. The show is probably the worst show ever. By that, I mean, blind people would be giving their TV's the finger over it. Honestly, I have taken dumps that resemble better Television programming than Wonder Showzen.

But just when I think this show can't stoop any farther down, here comes the advertising for their new season.

They start off with a home video someone, then start out in one of those anti-drunk driving campaign commercial...where they say "this person was killed by a drunk driver, on Friday, March 31st...

"the same night as WONDER SHOWZEN!" And all of a sudden it goes into this giddy stoner comedy.

ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC! HONESTLY! How in the world has this not been pulled off the air yet?

Seriously, someone should've actually had figured out that this was crossing the line. But oh wait, I forgot, this is MTV we're talking about.

Honestly, whoever made this commercial: I doubt you'd see the sick twisted comedy in this spot if someone YOU cared about was killed by a drunk driver. If you did, you need to be shot.

I hope to God I'm not the only one who feels this way.

I should be a negotiator

Seriously, I feel clever as of right now.

So here's the thing, my trip to Korea in April is just not going happen. Just simply put, not going happen. I'll now explain what the crap is going on:

Well, as several people now know, I got employed by CallTech, a company that handles telecommunications for companies. In short, I'm tech support now.

Now, that's all good, but that still was going to put me on a very tight budget on my trip. I really needed a second job.

In January, Meijer called me, and after looking over my application, they wanted to interview me. Well, I went in, and all they did was have me sign a background check form. That's all I heard. I wound up calling back soon after, and the department that wanted me had its funding cut, and therefore my application was put back at the top of the pile.

Again, that's all I hear.

I kid you not, THE Friday of the week I got on with Calltech, I was getting ready to leave, and got a phone call from Meijer wanted me for a job as a stockboy on their morning shift. Since I work nights at Calltech, that sounds great. I'm gonna be hurting for sleep until the weekend, but whatever.

That night, after I got home from work, I call Hyunsil to lay on the good news. And man, is she happy. She gushed over this info for quite a lot of the phone call. And...so was I. It was big news. I was finally going to get to go to Korea to see her.

Saturday. I'm online at about 9PM, and she jumps online, and tells me she's filling out her visa application to come over here to visit (forgot to say this, and it's important: she told me on the phone Friday night that she wants to come here in July). Well, that's dandy! Then comes the shocker. "My place may be too small, I don't know if you can come in April....blah blah blah...I'm going to go meet some friends, I have to go."

WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Seriously, she has known about this place for one month. And all last night, she was ecstatic about me coming. Now she's not so sure that I can come?

Well, working two jobs, I'm going to be safe on money. So I write her off an e-mail later saying, "Look, if you still want me to come in April, I should have enough money to stay in a hotel if I have to. Just let me know."

MONDAY: I get home from work, and she's online. So we start talking, she asks me how work was, then hits me with this: "You can't come in April. My place is definitely too small. All my friends agree. Call me Saturday afternoon (her time, not mine)."

Now granted, I'm talking too, but WHAT IN THE WORLD?! In 72 hours, she's gone from not being able to wait for me to be there, to now she doesn't want me to come? This makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever.

So I had of course chalked this up into the whatever file and put it away, moved on, and just thought, "whatever happens, happens." I also quit Meijer, because, quite frankly, what's the point? If I'm not going to get to go to Korea, which was the reason I needed that job in the first place, why should I exhaust myself at both these jobs?

So then last night I write up that blog about the bass to cheer me up (which, considering I'm not going in April, is going to be purchased). Also that night, I was talking to a friend, who has heard the whole scenario since the beginning of last summer, and told her the entire thing. And she couldn't make any sense out of, either. Thank God I wasn't the only one.

But I said this to her, and this is very memorable: "I guarantee you, she'll have changed her mind when I call her."

I shut down my computer and go to bed. I wake up to find that she didn't even wait until Saturday to tell me so.

I log into my Gmail, and there sits an e-mail from her, telling me to come in April, only a shorter period of time, and I'm staying somewhere else, like a motel or something. Where have I heard this before?

NOW I'm frustrated! This is worse than Ross Perot's 1992 Presidential Campaign! So I'm frustrated, and my mind thinks up all these messed up scenarios like:

1. What if I book the ticket, and then the week before I'm supposed to get there, she cancels again, and I'm now stuck with a worthless $1200 ticket?
2. What if I make it there, and she never shows up to pick me up from the airport, and I'm then stuck in a country where I know very little of the language, know really no one other than her, and am just miserable the whole trip because what I've waited for 5 years for got flushed down the toilet?
3. What if she just wants me there to see "what it's like to be with a white guy," and then shafts me afterward? (Yes, my mind thinks this stuff up, and other people say "this is a valid reasoning.")

Oh, but don't worry. I wasn't planning on actually doing it. I mean, come on, man! First off, I had already said it would be a pinch if I was going on just one job's salary STAYING WITH HER. So there's no possible way I could book even a cheapo motel for 15 days.

But, I'm supposed to call her Saturday. I told her I would. So at midnight here, I pick up the phone and call, knowing it'd be around 2PM there. First thing out of her mouth was, "Did you get my e-mail?" I fibbed and said no. So then she explained the whole thing to me. So I dropped the bomb about quitting Meijer.

"Why?"

Um...duh? You told me not to come. What's the point of working two jobs for the sole purpose of guaranteeing I'd be there if I'm not going to, you know, be there?

So then she asks about my passport, which is the money I'm going to be using to buy my bass. So I told her I bought a bass with it. Yeah, still fibbing, but hey, I'm still buying it, so what's the point?

Again, she asks why. So I explain it again. And then I make mention of how confusing she's made it, since sometimes she wants me there, sometimes she doesn't.

So then I asked, "Do you really want me to come?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Well....um, I really want to see you, and try to figure us out."

So then I thought of something. The visa.

So I bring up the fact that as far as I remembered, she was still planning on coming here this summer. Which she confirms. So I bring up a new idea:

She comes here, then after her trip is done, we can go back together. Which she thinks is a wonderful idea.

So thus ends the problem. This is open-ended. Do I, at the present moment, believe that she will seriously come here? No, I don't. Am I prepared to keep up my end of the bargain if she does? Yeah. If she proves this, then yeah, I'm ready to do it.

But right, now, I have no clue what's going on with her. I just know I defused this entire situation.

My big splurge...what to do...

So, I'm no longer going on vacation in April. Yeah, that sucks. Whatever, that's a topic for ANOTHER But, I now have some spare money to pamper myself a little bit and make me feel better about not going. So, my dilemma is now this: What to get.

And for about 4 years, I have been salivating over the thought of playing a 6-string bass (Thank you very much, Tye Zamora of Alien Ant Farm). Of course, I had to build myself up to 5 strings in 2003, and then instantly, I began to desire the 6-string even more.

I also have history with Rogue basses. A good one, actually. Some say they're cheap, but I have enjoyed my Rogue basses. I've had two of their 5-strings, one I sent back because the nut broke on it, and it was under warranty. The one I got back was its replacement. And I love it.

So, when you see a 6-string bass from Rogue for $200, you kind of just stand up and take notice. I sure have. Plus, reviews from Musician's Friend have been good.

So now, this bass just taunts me. BUY ME! BUY ME! I so want to. Tell me what you think guys (Click the pictures to see larger images, all images courtesy of Musician's Friend):













Don't those pictures make you as happy as me? Come on! Active Jazz pickups, 4-channel EQ knobs, string-thru body...just wow. And this is about the one out of only two times where I've really wanted a guitar with a natural finish (the other time was a Warwick, so that's definitely understandable, although completely currently out of my price range).

If you want to read reviews, and more about this pretty little thing, go here.

"I'm So Overwhelmed Doing Nothing"

I haven't shared this story, but good God, what are people thinking?

So my mom's psych unit she works for has no full time doctors right now. They can't fill the positions. So they have this part time doctor. I mean, Mom says she's competent and knows her stuff. BUT...she REFUSES to admit anybody. Why? She "feels overwhelmed."

Now, let me give you guys a little background information. This unit is a 28 bed unit. There is also a 28 bed geriatric psych unit too. The latter is where my mom usually works. There's on average, about 15 to each side.

Because Dr. Douche "feels overwhelmed," they have had to close the geriatric unit. Which, usually means Mom just get bumped to the adult side.

On Sunday, the patient count was 9, with two being discarged Monday. When it gets this low, people are called off for low census...without pay. My mom was called off Monday for low census. The patient count was 7. Mom was supposed to work tonight, and got called off AGAIN for low census. The patient count is now 5. On a 56 psych ward, you can only have 5 patients, because a Dr. "feels overwhelmed?" WTF IS THAT?!?!?!?!

A monkey in a straightjacket could handle this better.

I'm betting $20 tomorrow that the patient count is 3. I'm also laying $50 on the table that me and this Dr. (I made sure to ask Mom her name) have a little phone conversation tomorrow. Any takers?

$100 prop bet that I call hospital administration after this.

Seriously, my mom is only sustaining herself and two cats (half the strain without me), and can't even make ends meet over this! She needs to eat too!