Hella Hold'em

Yes, another evening of a little poker. Gotta get ready for the upcoming Trojan Wars!

1 - single table SnG (NL)
1 - 90 player SnG (also NL)

Here we go!

Folded a suited connector to a late position preflop raise, because nobody else was in the pot with only the blinds +1 after me...

Sailboats! Limp. And a joker goes all in on hand #2. Whatevs. Moron.

AND he got a caller! JJ vs 99, and 99 sucked out with a set on the turn. Wheee! Sunday night is dripping juicy.

I know you don't really want my play by play. Poker is just the background music to which I blog.

Let me hit shuffle on the iPod... OK. Ben Folds, nice.

I've been getting back into the bird watching thing. Ironically, I get more interesting back yard birds in the winter than in the summer. I get some Canadian visitors, and the birds seem to appreciate my efforts more. They'd better appreciate the heck out of me in the morning, because the wind chill will be below zero by the time I go out there tonight and refill the feeders. I've got some feeders and some suet and a heated bird bath out there for them. Most of last winter's visitors arrived by this week - the song sparrows and the American tree sparrows and the dark eyed juncos and the downy woodpeckers. And of course I've got the usual suspects, the European starlings and the house finches and house sparrows and mourning doves. Today, the American goldfinch pair that was here last winter stopped by. I love birds. I signed up to count them for Cornell's Project FeederWatch again this year. Good times :)

I've been folding junk hands ever since those sailboats....

QQ, PFR EP 4xBB... everybody folded. Hmm. One of those days?

Anyhoooo... I'm working on getting a second teaching job. I'm in a sort of training/evaluation process whereby I'll get the job if I "pass." It's not so much that I want to work more, but the finances dictate the rules these days. The nice thing is that I work in an industry that booms when the economy is down (higher education), so the security of my job is something I generally don't have to worry about. It's nice to have something NOT to worry about, for a change.

Just picked off a bluffer and doubled up in the single-table game. Now he's going all aggro. Oooh - 77, massive preflop raise, then checked it all the way down because a K flopped. That's all the notes I need on that guy.

Ben Folds, to Tesla, to Nine Inch Nails. That's why I love the iPod.

I'm also a fan of cheddar Chex Mix.

This year seems to be an unusually early onset of the snow and cold in Chicago. I'm not a fan of winter, particularly here. There was a weather advisory earlier about the potential for a big snow storm Monday night into Tuesday, but it doesn't look like we're going to get it. Or, we are going to get the precipitation, but they think the temperature will remain in the mid-30's, so it will be rain. That is good. I'm not ready for big snow.

I'm waiting for my new coat to arrive in the mail (thanks, Mom!) It is rated to keep me warm down to -20 degrees F. At least that covers 3/4 of Chicago's winter. :-/ I will head south, someday!

I've been playing a lot of Ultima Online lately. There's a meetup next August in Austin, Texas, that I hope to make it out to. I know some peeps out there that I wouldn't mind seeing :) The conference itself is free, and does not require a bankroll (which is the one thing that makes it more likely that I'll find a way out there versus to Vegas). I could get there and back roundtrip for under $200 in gas at today's prices. It's insane. One day, I'm spending $90 to fill my tank, the next - $30. Seriously. Wild. I am not complaining and please let gas stay cheap, oh gas gods!

Wow, I just remembered that I had meant to go work on revising one of my art projects for my final portfolio. (I'm taking an art class this semester). Whoops. Let's hope I go long and deep into this tourney :) Otherwise, it's back to art homework, booo!

This art class has been quite an experience. Generally, I don't "do" art. I do computer art and photography, but I don't draw or paint or sculpt or anything like that. Some portions of this class were computer based (and those were the only portions I was at all comfortable with). The drawing and painting... not so much. It was good for me to go through all of it, though - being critiqued for things I have next to no confidence in. I will pass the class. I'm not sure I'll get an A (which sucks, because my "major" is photography and for a non-major course to kill my 4.0 GPA, well that sucks, but I'll live). You see, I'm taking the photography program at the school I teach at.. for fun. We get free tuition as a benefit, so why not?

Knocked out of the single table game. Aggro boy raised me preflop with his 87s, and I pushed all in with my KQ. He flopped two 7's. Yowza! Have fun, check-it-down aggro boy...

I find that I'm lacking the motivation to celebrate Christmas this year. I haven't put up my tree or any outside lights, and probably won't. I haven't sent out Christmas cards. For 9 years running, I've been writing an annual newsletter of my family's events. I usually send it out with my Christmas cards... but I'm not really doing Christmas this year. Could I possibly skip the newsletter? I don't have much to say though! Not much happened this year, and what did happen was not of the good times/happy new year type of stuff, and I certainly don't want to send out a downer of a newsletter. But next year, when I'm getting ready to write the newsletter, will I regret the gap in newsletters?

Yeah, I know. I over-analyze things.

This 8-5 offsuit, however, does not require any additional analysis.

Wow, this has just been a trickle-down effect, watching my stack dwindle away while I fold. I guess I won't be hitting the big money tonight. Never say die, though! Just because I'm down to 8 BB doesn't mean I'm out!

See that? Doubled up.

For the record, I'm months behind on my blog reading. FYI.

And... out. 25th place. Gah.

Oh well. I suppose, art homework it is.