In the dark on the details

So, I'm still a little in the dark as to my wife's antics of last night...  I had previously mentioned getting the chips ready for last night's poker game at the Eagles, but I didn't end up playing.  I took Cole to baseball practice, and actually Whitney was at softball practice on the next field, so I migrated back and forth a bit.  Then, when we got home and we ate.  Then, I knuckled down and got in my weight lifting workout at around 9PM.  So, I never made it up to the Eagles at all.  Big Red called to inform me around 10PM that she was out of the tourney, having been felted by Uncle June.  Preflop the guy in front of her goes All-In for 550, Red looks down at pocket Aces, and shoves for 650.  It folds around to Uncle June who makes the call saying it's prolly a stupid play, but what the hell, right?  The flip over, first all-in guy, with KK, Red with AA, Uncle June 3-4s.  Flop 5-6-7.  DOH!  I had to laugh!  So, she wants to know do I want to come up and play now and she'll come home.  But I know today's gonna be a busy day for me so I tell her to go ahead and hit the cash table.

...Flash forward...

At around 3:30AM, I roll over in bed to what seems like a strobe light flashing, and bleerily make out Poltergeist is on the television.  I realize Red is not there.  I chuckle and then a few minutes later I hear the garage door and then the tip-toe steps of my beloved.  She starts in with "I'm sorry."  But I told her I didn't care as long as she was having a good time.  I listened to a few words from her before nodding off.  I think I heard that she won back her buy-ins plus like $10 for the night.  Hey, it's a profit!  : P  Anyway, maybe I'll get details of her excursion later, when she has caught up on sleep.  She did say she thought they had over 50 players again, with a lot of new faces!  Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all of you who showed up!

Bowling went quick this morning.  I even took a call for support from the Help Desk, from Frank "iamwolfie."  Network cut-overs are always a joy on a weekend.  I leave in a few minutes to head over to Emerson Lanes for more bowling starting at 1PM.  Doubles tourney and Singles after that.  Cole picked up his 2nd place team trophy from last week's tournament.

Tonight, I will DEFINITELY be ready for some rest and relaxation.  You may all see a little "drunken poker" played LIVE this time from your ole buddy cheer_dad.  I'll lay aside the role of Super Dad for another day.  Really considering not being there for tomorrow morning's maintenance window at work.

I'll see many of you tonight at the Yanok's tournament(s.)  I'm hoping for some music to sing-along to, and that'll go well with the lampshade on my head!

Regards,

cheer_dad

 

Busy day

Getting ready to take Cole to bowling league this morning at 10:00.  Then, he has a tournament to bowl at 1:00.  Following that, I get the "pleasure" of coming home to mow the yard for the first time of 2010.  Unbelievable how much the grass has grown.  Wonder what difficulties the ole mower will give me?

Tonight of course we'll be watching the WVU vs Duke basketball game!  Let's GOOOOOOO Mountaineers!  I don't know that we'll be going out anywhere tonight, since it will have been a busy day already.  Besides, I have to get up in the morning for work.  Server maintenance once again.  Hopefully some of the preparation here will provide us with some information following the next service crash.  We really need some good root cause analysis to point us in the right direction.  We might even keep the "wolves" at bay!  But then again I'm not so sure that everyone has the same agenda...

Baseball season has started, at least the practice phase has.  And so far, I think Cole is enjoying himself!  That's the only part I even care about.  That and I'm actually enjoying "not coaching."  It is definitely less stressful.

On the fitness front, I'm averaging 12-15 miles a week, running (which is low from my "past running life") but I'll take it.  I'm also averaging 3-4 weight training sessions a week.  Focusing primarily on upper body, since the legs get their part with the mileage...  I feel better.  And perhaps even look a little better too.  I know, let's not get carried away. 

As for poker, on this poker blog... (i know, haha) that feels like a game I "used to" play.  Life has it's ways of moving you in different directions that's for sure.  BUT, the next game is scheduled for April 9th, 2010 at the Eagles Aerie in Parkersburg.  Registration begins at 6:00pm, and gametime is 7:00pm.  We had a record 54 players last time, and we look forward to even more.  Hope that YOU are one of them!

Time to head out the door to the lanes.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Bubble Boy

I am the Bubble Boy! Fear me! Yeah, I came up a bit short in last night's tournament at the Eagles. I opted to continue being aggressive even before the bubble, thinking I had a shot a winning the thing. : ) Blinds were 200/400 when from early position (6 handed) I shove with AJos, for a total of 2,200. Vince looks me up with with this pocket Queens. Oops... exit cheer_dad. But it wasn't a complete loss, as I had won back my buy-in with Bounty chips. No harm no foul. Great turnout of 28 players. I'm sure the Eagles was happy with the added food and alcohol sales for the night. Damn guys, ya buncha lushes! Anyway, Sam took down the top spot, followed by Chad and then Vince rounded out the top three. Congratulations guys. It was a long hard fought game, and I enjoyed every minute of it. 'cept that part when I lost. Of course, I had it coming having earlier in the game dashed Shuman's hopes when I sucked out on his pocket Kings. You're right, "THAT, was bad!"

Today, I've been busy. Cole had a State Bowling tournament. Team event. Cole bowled 100, 101, and 119, in that order. Great for his 74 average. The team might actually place in this thing. Then, it was off to basketball, for our final game. It was a loss, but it brought the season to an end. Onward to baseball on Monday night.

Now, Big Red's family just got here and they've broken out the cards! There's a big game going on downstairs. Gotta GO!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Am I a motherless ****!?

Sometimes despite the best of moves the pot goes the wrong way. I dropped just shy of a single buy-in last night at the tables on Bodog. Although I was four tabling and put in roughly 400 hands quite honestly one hand was the make or break point. From late position I limp call with a 10-Jos. Four of us to the flop, which comes out A-Q-K rainbow. Sweet! There's a $1 bet out from the first to act, which gets a single caller before it gets to me. I make it $4 to go. The original bettor mashes the all-in button, the other guy drops out and of course I call. I flip my straight, he flips two pair Kings and Queens. Bodog didn't leave me long to anticipate, as the turn is one of his 4 outs, another Queen, and my stack is all but gone on the table. And so I watch the $45 pot going the wrong way. Nice hand sir... I don't go on tilt, I'm not overly upset, just stack poorer. It did make me think back to a hand from a few rounds before in which I won a decent pot and felted a short-stack on the same table. He unleashes a short volley of profanities on me for having "sucked out" on him, albeit his profanities don't have a shot of getting through the Bodog filter. I didn't bother to engage him or point out that he overlooked the fact that he called a preflop raise by me, with my KK, and he in mid-position called with the mighty Q-10os. He hit a Queen on the flop and therefore felt compelled to call my ever escalating pot-sized bet. And then he found a 10 on the turn, for his two pair, at which time he mashed the all-in button for his last $3... which by this time isn't even a 1/3 of the pot. Uhhh, yeah I'm calling now if for no other reason than morbid curiosity. The river pairs the board but not his Q or his 10, but instead a mighty deuce. So I suckout on him with Ks and 2s. How can I play so poorly. Most of the "censored" things he said about me are probably true, but I'll never know since I can't read the asterisks. But I probably am a motherless ****! And even a stupid ****-******! I'm just not quick-witted enough to have passed along these terms of endearment when it happened to me. I just made a player note and sighed. Okay, I did go so far as to write at the bottom of the player note... "he's just keeping that $45 pot warm for you cheer_dad. It'll come your way next time." I know, such a scathing remark.

It is kinda comical how wound up we can get over these paltry sums... but then again it is the beginnings of a bankroll. But I can absorb the hit and take it in stride. It stings maybe a little more since my previous "failed Bodog session" cost me a couple buy-ins to, and I have myself to blame for those. Yesterday's session was supposed to be a rebuilding day, not a dig deeper into the roll day. But the previous session was on me. I played too long, and too buzzed for my own good. So, now I pay the price for it. So now the the Bodog bankroll is at $515 instead of escalating passed $700 as I had planned. But for a few key hands and that's where we'd be today boys and girls. I reviewed my play after yesterday, and found nothing to scoff at, nothing for which I was to blame. Just a dry session for the most part. But it does shine a glaring light on the fact that I can ill afford foolishness during any other and future sessions. It's something to remember. The roll is to be cherished and protected, and not ventured and wagered in folly or jest. Perhaps I'm overly serious about this wading around in the kiddie pool of the poker water park, but I think now's the time to develop habits, and I mean good ones, which will carry me on forward to success. Now, if I could just find more time in which to make good on these best laid plans. : )

In other news... my daughter Whitney had all of her wisdom teeth taken out yesterday. I'll be checking in on her throughout the day, to see if she's feeling alright. Today she'll likely be much more sore than she was yesterday. But she's tough and it won't keep her down for long.

Cole's basketball season is nearly over. The school/county league is over, and just the tournament remains to be played in the rec league. That will come to a close the weekend after next. Bowling continues every Saturday. His average was at like 76 when he had league this weekend. He bowled a 93, 101, and 119 for his series. The 119 game didn't start off so well, and he was beginning to "tilt" but then out of nowhere, he rolls 3 strikes in a row for the turkey! Nice going.

By the end of March, my free-time is going to disappear. Looks like I'll be coaching a baseball team again this year. Time to get the arm limbered up. The skills demo is this Saturday the 14th and then the next week is the draft. From then on through June/July I'll be at the ball fields all the time. I'll try to keep up on the blog, but you'll have to cut me some slack, okay?

Regards,

cheer_dad

Bowling continues... continued!

So, after my last post Cole and I headed back to the lanes. Day 1 of the City Tournament was for Team competition. Cole was grouped with three girls in the Prep Division. Lemme say that again... a different way. My son, got three girls. : P !!! Lucky guy... chip of the ole block, I tell ya! Okay, I'll quit now, before the wife punches me. Not fun to wake up in pool of own blood! Anyway back to bowling. Cole's average as I pointed out in my last post, has moved upward throughout his first year of bowling. He's now at a 72 average which he crushed today during regular league play, but during the tournament he just left that number in the DUST! Game #1 108, Game #2 123, and Game #3 135!!! Way-to-go COLE!!! With those numbers and the scores the girls were putting up on the boards their team took 1st Place "handicapped" score trophies. Yes, the score, not the kids dammit! Also, today since we weren't there last week because we pre-bowled he also got a surprise for his own. Another trophy for the 2nd place in the previous tournament (couple weeks ago) for the State Singles Tournament, once again Prep Division! The boy's ALL-ABOUT the BLING! He'll get his chance for more bowling glory tomorrow at 10am, when the Doubles and Singles leg of the event kicks off. I have to head in to work in the morning for some server patching duties (and a treadmill run) but hopefully I'll get it all done in record time and be able to make it over to cheer him on.

The rest of the day, we've been here at the house, and working on his Social Studies Project on Alexander Graham Bell and the telephone. "Can you hear me now?" Okay, it's not that funny. We've got it all together, just need to add some polishing to the speech and it's all done.

In other news... JR headed to Cross Lanes for some pokery goodness, while I (ever the dedicated father) stayed home. Okay, JR's got outs... no kids, and his fiance was working anyway. Still though, I can hate him. Doesn't mean I don't wish him luck at the tables! Give 'em hell Uncle June! I'll just have to cry myself to sleep instead.

Oh well, it won't be long until Las Vegas... plane leaves: 14 Days, 18 Hours, 11 Minutes!!! My bankroll grows restless. Patience my precious, patience...

Oh and thanks to BWoP, for yet another tip on the Venetian DeepStack Tournament which will be going on during our stay! We'll definitely have to check it out. Also, hope to hook up and finally meet, and maybe you'll even drop a pointer or two to keep me from looking like the fish that I surely am! : P

Regards,

cheer_dad

Bowling continues

No basketball today for the little dude, but instead there's the City Bowling Tournament this afternoon. Cole already did his league bowling this morning. With an ever-increasing average of 72, he bowled 3 games for a 95, 105, and 124! He's on fire today. Hopefully the trend continues on through the tournament. He's all about the trophy bling! : )

We watched a couple of movies last night, here at the house. Grudge 3 was first of the double feature. Actually a pretty good movie, and had the added bonus of making Big Red scream several times, much to the enjoyment of Whit and I. I think we jumped more because of her than the movie. But we all liked it. Then, we followed that up with Liam Neeson in Taken, which was EXCELLENT. I see what they meant by great action. As he said in the trailer previews, "specific set of skills" INDEED! I recommend them both to you all. I'm still not clear on why the film industry opts to release a film overseas long before they release it in the U.S. Just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. It appears that the movie was released elsewhere in the world months ago.

I wish there were poker for me to be reporting to you kiddies, but it just hasn't been in the cards for me lately. But... now it's time to head back to the bowling alley.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Long day

Congratulations to last night's winners at the Yanok's game, Matt in game #1 and Big Red in game #2. I still a wooser!!! I had a great time and it was good to get together with ALL of you and lose money. : ) After returning I was of course still a bit buzzed and was still itching for some poker satisfaction like always. So, I logged on to Bodog...again. 3 tabled for a while, and honestly I don't remember how long. : P Anyway, I made note in my poker log of the fact that I added another $40 to the online roll. Go figure!

Had to get up today and take Cole to bowling. Normal league play was a little tedious for him, but I do want to mention that one of the other boys on his team had an ALL-TIME high score today. His average is around 90, I believe, BUT today he was on FIRE! Griffin bowled a 232!!! It was unbelievable. Everybody came over to watch. What a day for a 10 year old kid! Cole decided that he wanted to play in the tournament at 1:00pm. So we ended up back at the lanes. He did much better on that round. Cole has a 70 average, but in game one he rolled a 113! His handicapped score for the day was 640! Way to go, we'll find out next week how he stacked up against everyone else. I think he did very well, and I was proud of him.

Then, it was off to play two basketball games. They won the first and lost the second only by a couple shots. So it was a very good game and a lot of fun to watch. My boy is handling the ball MUCH better than he was only a couple of weeks ago. He is becoming aggressive and really fights for the ball. Particularly he is running and dribbling 100% better than before. Good job, way to hustle boy! I've had a really good day with him today... he's a great kid!

It's been a busy day... and now I'm going to vegetate on the couch, and count the cracks in my eyelids.

Regards,

cheer_dad