FRIDAY! : )

Oh yeah, !t's def!n!tely t!me!  The workweek is over.  Bring on a MUCH needed break.  Somebody best fetch me a LITE! (hiccup) 

This may be the last coherent statement you'll hear from me for the duration of my 3-day weekend.

Oh but wait...I just realized (thanks to the wonderment of Facebook) that tomorrow (Saturday) is the birthday of one BWoP!!!  So, I've determined to take part in some celebratory drinking despite the fact that I'm not even in the same timezone.  And remember lady... it's not older, just wiser and better!  Happy Birthday BWoP! 


Regards,

cheer_dad

P.S.  See many of you tomorrow at the Yanok's for Poker Night!

Gettin' the green light

In an hour I'm getting the "go ahead" for an early weekend! I moved my AWS day to Friday this week so I'm out of here come 4:00pm. Okay, I'm staying in the building after that to go get in a treadmill workout, but it's all MY TIME at that point. On the heels of a run, and heading home to help out on the homework front for the kidlets, tonight is most assuredly a DRAWING night at the Eagles folks. I've threatened to drink my body weight in adult beverage. Yes, likely a pipe dream, but what a way to go huh!!! : P

I'm struggling in the last hour here. Although this has been a short week indeed, I've crammed a lot into it. I've done more than enough meetings to last a lifetime, and even had to give a presentation of sorts today, just before lunch. I think I did fine and it went off at least as somewhat informative. But I think I'll really pep up, once my work day is over.

There will be no football for Cole this weekend, as he spent a couple days missing school from strep throat, and I'm not going to put him outside in the cold/rain/sleet/possible friggin' SNOW on Sunday. Uh uh... no way, not gonna happen. Last game of the regular season, and he was taking too much of their bullshit anyway! Plus, not being there will keep them safe as well, as I would normally work chain gang, and in my current attitude toward them would likely shove the down marker up someone's ass anyway. So, it's really all about the Win-Win situation after all.

I actually finished wading through the HUNDREDS of Google Reader posts I've been behind on from all the many bloggers out there. I've missed your antics. I should have realized all along that I could have used the laughter which you create on an every day basis and stuck with it even during some rather dark times. Hell, you all even encouraged me to get my ass back on line and playing some poker! And enjoy it, win or lose. I'll try not to forget it in the future.

I hope all is well with each of you. If you're here local, stay bundled up and try to stay warm. To those of you in warmer climates, not only am I deeply jealous right now, but hate you immensly. Okay maybe it's not so bad as all that.

OH, and don't forget TOMORROW NIGHT October 16th at 7:00pm at the Eagles, it is Poker Night, Texas Hold'em! Registration starts at 6:00pm. In Uncle June's absence I'll be carrying the hosting torch. 25 dolla make u holla! Be there... I'm looking forward to it!

I leave you with a final quote, similar in nature to the many I've entertained with on Facebook:
"...it takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile, be yourself no matter what they say..."

Regards,

cheer_dad

TGIF, and ready for the weekend

It's been a long slow day, but it is "finally" winding its way to a close. I came in late because Teresa wasn't feeling well and I had to take Cole to school. I actually enjoyed the extra catnap of sleep that the delay afforded me. : ) But the delay has made me stay here at work later than normal. A bunch of us are headed up to the Marietta Brewing Company after work to knock back a few cold ones with some appetizers. I know there's a beer sampler in the not so distant future for me.

We went out last night to the Eagles and actually some really cool news. Julie had her name drawn!!! She was the last name drawn and it wasn't a $1,000 draw but hey $500 is nothing to sneeze at either. And not 20 seconds after she ran up to lay claim to the prize, DJ called the tip number of the rip-offs and she won that $100 too!!! She's hot right now. Remember she just took down the top spot on Sunday's NDPT Tournament. Not to be left behind my wife, the other half of the Red Snappers was hitting payouts on the rip offs and cashing out on the slot machines too. You go have fun at the machines baby, I'll be content to sit here and have another beer at the bar! I'll never get in the way of one of her streaks.

I have to get up early in the morning for Whitney's Choir Fundraiser that starts at 9:00. I have to drive the girls around and let 'em do the door to door thing. Then, later that evening it's NDPT #14 night. Attendance will be light, but there will be a game. Never fear. I'll certainly be sure to stay out of the way of Julie and Teresa. That's mojo I don't want any part of!

And with that... my day here is done.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Recap of last night's game, weekend's nearly gone

The Yanok's poker game went on into the wee hours of the morning, since always there were two tournaments to be played. I didn't fair so well in game #1. I mean I made the final table of 8, but didn't make the money. I shoved from late position with a K-10 in hopes of adding to my swiftly dwindling stack, only to be called by Matt, with a healthy stack. I was dominated by A-10. I threw out that it was a split pot, which raised a few eyebrows, for a second, but quicker minds took over. I got a few comments of "how much you drinkin' boy?" So I grabbed another beer and took a breather outside while i waited for the next game to begin. Big Red took down 4th in game #1 helping to pay for the evening. Congratulations! Matt was the winner of the tourney, and also put in a big win which got him qualified for the year end event!

Game #2 had fewer players but still a two table affair. A little short handed action, which was cool change of pace. A lot looser style for even me. Big Red and I both made it to the final table, and actually we both got paid. She took 3rd place and I took 2nd in that one, and had to go heads up against Mike. It was a short lived heads up session as the blinds were expensive, and he went on a roll when he hit on subsequent hands JJ, QQ, and then JJ again! Congrats Mike!

Of course it was after 2:00am when we dragged ourselves home. So we slept in. I actually unwound with a couple of el cheapo SNG's on Bodog, before nodding off to sleep. I cashed in them both, so the night went pretty well. Our poker run for this year, so far (knock on wood) is going pretty well. We're both qualified for Yanok's year-ender game, and currently in the NDPT standings I'm holding the top spot, by a small margin over my wife! Still lots of poker to be played, so I'll have to continue to bring the "A" game.

Back to the grind tomorrow. Jump right back in to the insanity. I can't wait to hear from my wife later in the day on how things went at work, in light of what happened on Friday. Stay tuned for that update. I hope the karma kicks in and pays a visit to the previously mentioned weasel. Like I said before payback's a bitch.

Regards,

cheer_dad

A long weekend approaches

Last night was Whitney's school variety show (which was quite good!) Tonight Cole has baseball vs one the Vienna teams down at the Tri-C Fields. Tomorrow night baseball again vs one of the Belpre Teams, this one being held AT Belpre's fields. I don't particularly like playing there, but I'll get over it. Tonight, after the game, I'll be heading to the Eagles for Drawing Night. I think I'll be joined by JR and Chris. I may also have the mother-in-law, wife, and some visiting members of the family, in from Baltimore. Nothing like a little alcohol and slot machines to bring a clan together. : ) I'll be taking a few hours off from work tomorrow to get the lawn tended to before the weekend gets here. Why, you ask? A group of us... primarily NDPT'ers are heading to Cleveland, OH first thing Saturday morning. Big Red has got a group all fired up to head off to another Kenny Chesney stadium concert. Yeah, just us and several thousand total strangers. Drinkin', singin', partyin', just your basic redneck free-for-all. I'll do my best to make you all proud. I think I may even have a shot at winning the battle against the accursed Jack Daniels this time. I'm planning a sneak attack... and I've enlisted a few allies to help fight the good fight. Incidentally, we WILL be staying the night... at a hotel in walking (stumbling) distance of the stadium. For those among you who might question the drunk driving aspect of the adventure. I can't say anything as for my chances of avoiding public intoxication. Probably aren't good for all involved. So, as you can see folks, I've got a busy time coming my way. If my words appear to be a little slurred for the next several days in the blog, you'll understand. I'm thankful that Monday is Memorial Day, and that I have the following day off from work as well. I have a feeling I'm going to be needing the rest.

Don't forget folks... the WSOP 2008 begins in 8 DAYS. Are ya ready for some Pokah?!?!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Tournament weekend whirlwind

I wasted a great deal of the day. Sleeping in, then trying to tackle an issue with this laptop I'm typing on now. This evening I get another clue... when my daughter tells me her iTouch isn't connecting to the internet either. Which for the first time makes me think there might be a problem elsewhere, other than my wireless card. Hummmmm, maybe the frackin' ROUTER!!! Power off and on and POOF, all is well with the wireless world again. As much a part of my life and work is technology, sometimes I just hate it!

The weekend, as the title of this post implies has been a real whirlwind. Friday, I had time to get home from work, do a quick 30 minute run on the treadmill...shower, eat, and then it was off to Yanok's for their first tournament of the year. Actually we usually play two games, and in this case the second game was the monthly qualifier. I did well "early on" in the first game, and headed into the final table. Thinking things were going my way. There in was my demise. I bubbled! FRACK! Strange hands and oddities, through the night. I pushed with AKos, from late position, and ran into Shelley's pocket rockets...but I bounced back from that one. When we got down to the last four players (three getting paid) I had to drop a hand when the board rivered four cards to a straight, and all I had was top pair, and I got pushed. Some questioned why I folded, that I had the right "odds" to call, but when I KNOW I'm dead...I know it. I was. I mucked it. Then, there was the hand where I was the small blind and still stacking chips from the previous hand, and I hadn't even got or seen my cards and it was folded around to me, I reached down for my cards, which weren't there. Turns out that everyone had tossed their cards to the center, where I had never retrieved my cards in the first place. I didn't argue, and the big blind Robert offered to hand my $25 back to me...but I technically had failed to protect my hand. No sense whining or bitchin'. Moved on. Then, I saw the Big Blind fold to the Small Blind when the blinds were at $50/$100, by mucking, when no one else was in the hand. That's a good return on your money if you ask me. Finally, my last hand. I'm in the BB, look down at 10-8os...wahoo... but I get one caller the small blind. I flop top pair, SB bets out minimum, I raise all in, get insta called, Shelly gives me the sheepish grin and turns over her pocket kings. Cheer_dad's run comes to an end. She went on to win it. Congrats Shell!

Tourney #2 was a write off for me, I went nowhere fast, and my horrific play was punctuated by my "failed" attempt to bluff Jerry off his hand on the river. Of course, his friggin' BOAT 10's full of 3's was plenty to call my idiot ass. Oops! On a positive note. The lovely Big Red took down the TOP SPOT in the 2nd tournament thereby turning our losing night into a winning one. And don't forget this tourney got here qualified for the year end tourney. All the rest is GRAVY! Go Big Red!!!

Next day had the whole family hoppin'. Whitney and Cole both had basketball games at conflicting times. So we divided to conquer. Then, later Cole had hockey from 4:30-5:15, and Teresa and Whit had several errands to take care of. Cole and the rest of the kids had a ball playing, as usual. I'm glad to see them out there and active. I'm hopeful that the lessons of sports and fitness eventually take root, and never allows either of them to become the over-weight sloth I've become. Okay, that's harsh. Anyway, we finish hockey and rush back to the house, pick up Whit and Teresa and head over to the Wolfe's. Tournament #1 for the NDPT, River's Edge, and SmartAss Poker combines crews. (We really need a new nickname, since we consolidated.) I had a lackluster start, and miraculously made it to the final table, with a tiny stack. I began to loosen up as I saw everyone else ratcheting down TIGHT! I began to rebuild the stack. I got sucked out on once, which hurt, but soon after got it all in again, but found myself behind and returned the suckout favor! : ) Give some, get some. In the end I found myself at the final table with only two others! I was still the short stack, but hey I was getting paid back and then some for the night of fun. I finished third...and shortly thereafter JR and Jamie opted to chop the 1st and 2nd place. Jamie had a slight lead and therefore got the 1st place finish points in the first qualifying tournament of the night.

We all headed home, I stayed up for a while and sat at a cash game on Poker Rewards for about an hour. I was doing very well, until I was faced with holding AQspades, and the flop came 8s 9c Js... I had raised it to $4.25 preflop by the way. My lonely caller to the right, shoved... I'm looking at straight draw, nut flush draw and big overs. Yeah I make the call, he shows two pair Jacks and Nines. The river brings me SPADE!!! Unfortunately the NINE of SPADES. You do the math, I'll sulk about my lost $28. Another "frack-worthy" moment!

Time to call it a night, hope all is well with each of you.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Weekend and the next

I wanted to personally thank the Wolfe's for hosting their House Warming party. I think everyone had a great time. I know I for one helped as much as I could to put a dent in the keg. There was so much food that a group of us returned the following day to continue the grazing, all the while loosening the belt by yet another notch. Of course there were cards to be played. Big Red was the winner on the night. 14-players started, she came out on top. This is beginning to be an all too common occurrence for her. Congratulations. I on the other hand continued my donkified ways, always attempting a steal at the most inopportune times. Trying to steal against Jody with trip 7's, with an obvious flush and straight on the board, but being greeted by her FRIGGIN' BOAT! WTF!!! Later I tried to make a move on Big Red, from last position, with my King high, preflop. Of course in retrospect...she had the chips, and an ACE. So the call was inevitable. So was my exit!

Now let's talk about another issue...BLACKJACK. You'll recall that I've espoused the evils of this method to reduce my bankroll in previous posts. I went on a bender. A fuckin' tilt-a-whirl, marred with 20's and double downed 11's turning into wondrous hands like 14 and 15. Needless to say, I no longer need to worry about finishing the play through requirements on CarbonPoker, since I have NO BANKROLL on the site, thanks to my own stupidity. I had lost about $50 before leaving for the Wolfe's. I was just fed up with bullshit poker. Playing hours of Hold 'em only to cashout up or down a few measly ass cents. Fuck this fucking game. So I fire up the BlackJack engine, and do very well, up until the time that I don't! Then at the House of Wolfe after busting out of the tourney...and doing shitty at the cash game, failing to hit open ended straights way too many times, I fire up Frank's computer and proceed to BlackJack it up again. I think for the evening the score was me 0 blackjack tables $200. Meaning my bankroll on Carbon is no longer in existence. Actually I think there was like $30 left, cause I fired it up again when I got home...and since I was still awake, and destined to sleep on the couch because of the snoring issue, I find a $22 tournament, and figure I'll give it away as well. I made it #5. Payout of course was Top 3. I was knocked out holding AQ from last position. When the SB insta-fuckin'-calls, and flips over his COWBOYS. Cheer_dad, exit stage left. So, I've donked it off AGAIN, folks. Maybe I just need a new hobby huh!!!? Well back to the ole drawing board. Okay, so I'm sitting at around $1,000 in the bankroll. I think...I'll need to take inventory tonight. Come up with a new game plan. Hey, it's only money right. I need to get my head right. Sometimes, just ignore that little voice that says "What the Fuck!" I gotta figure out how to get in the bigger game, and stay there. Well that and stop being such a fuckin' moron. Okay I've used my quota on the F-bomb, and should stop now.

Cole's football game was Sunday vs. Warren White. It was a scoreless game until the last 20 seconds, when Warren punched one into the endzone. We had failed to capitalize on a 1st and Goal from the 8 yd line earlier. The worst part of the day, aside from chalking one up in the losing column, was Cole. He got pulled off of center, when he blew the snap on a couple plays. Whether the coaches knew or saw it, he got his clock cleaned a couple times by Warren's #45, and he got skiddish, then went back to old habits of trying to get up quicker to fend off the tackle, instead of getting the ball hiked. He's upset. I didn't help matters, really, but I later told him I was sorry, and that we'd work it out. I'm worried though that the coaches aren't even gonna let him try it anymore. He's still on 1st offense and 1st defense. Plenty of play time. He's just needs more aggression. I'm debating about what to do if they decide to dole out punishment in the form of "laps." Since I trained him on the snap...and fixed it for him...I may do the laps with him. We're in this thing together, or at least that's the mission I want for him to see. It's not just him on his own. I'm his wing man...and really am still his biggest fan. I just wish I could express it all a little better. Keep the fingers crossed that he'll get a second chance to shine, otherwise it's going to be a terrible blow to his ego, and may devastate his game altogether. So much shit for an 8-yr-old to deal with. Sorry little guy!

The Yanok's game is scheduled for this coming Friday night at 7:00pm. It sounds like it'll be lively. I think the Wolfe's are tagging along. The Millers, and Sally and Scott are also confirmed already. JR will probably be there too. Incidentally, JR will be leaving Tuesday destined for a freeroll at the MotorCity Casino. Money and work schedules just aren't going to allow me to go with him. He will going up against 50 total players, for a prize pool of $5,000. Everybody wish him luck...good cards and big pots.

This weekend is a 3-day weekend with Labor Day falling on Monday. Which Big Red has already decided that our Labor Day extravaganza is a go as usual, including the Volley Ball Game From HELL. I think I still have bruises and dislocations from last year's game. So, again, it's going to be a busy weekend. Cole has a game tonight at Godbey, something called the Novice Game(s.) Bad part is they just started school today. So he'll be tired either tonight, or tomorrow at school. Then there's practice at least on two other nights this week. Thinking of it...I'll try to have pity, and be extra nice to him. Good kid, I want the best for him.
In other news of my life. I'm struggling with some things. Non-poker, non gambling...and no further discussion here. I'm just struggling.

Regards,

cheer_dad