Bebot in the Snow
Posted on January 17, 2007 by Ching under Flickr.
This is Bebot’s first winter so I figured that I would take a picture to commemorate it. This photo was actually taken on Sunday. I had to come in to work because we were gearing up for the storm. We thought we would need additional help so we planned ahead. I took the 8 am to 12 pm shift because the rest of my weekend had already been booked. It was nice that Brian offered to drive me. It was one less thing for me to worry about—specially since I’m not particularly fond of driving. I like this weather even less. And I downright hate driving in it.
Brian and I stopped at Krispy Kreme to get two dozen donuts. It was the least I could do for the overtime volunteers. I arrived at work by seven thirty. It was actually pretty slow. I wasn’t surprised because I had read the emails from the previous day. It was slow then, too. I really wasn’t looking forward to a repeat of the 2005 ice storm so it was such a relief that we didn’t experience massive outages. We actually had fewer outages than a typical weekend I think.
Brian came back to pick me up at noon. We braved the road conditions to drive to Philippine Grille. I was craving some sinigang na baboy. It is perfect for cold weather.
We had planned on staying out and just going straight to poker. However, we could not confirm that the Blue Collar Poker Tournament was not canceled so we decided to go home to check the Wichita Poker Review web site (it is the ultimate source of local poker info; where to play, what time, the best places to play, that sort of thing). The web site did not say that the tournament was canceled but the weather still had us concerned. We made a few phone calls. No one knew but the consensus was we’d all still planned on going.
Apparently, Brian and I aren’t the only two hardcore poker freaks in Wichita. The turnout was much smaller than usual but a lot larger than expected given the weather. Over 80 people came to play. A good thing for us because that means we have to battle fewer people for the prize.
I did pretty well, I think. I didn’t win any money, though. I finished 11th and only the top eight places pay. Disappointing but it gives me motivation for next time. If there is a next time. It will be challenging to squeeze in poker time considering that school has started again.
The good news is our friend April (Corey’s girlfriend) took third and won $70. I have to tell you about April and Corey. I have to wrap this up for now, though. I have to get ready for class. Until next time.
2 Comments
Burning Crusade is here!
Posted on January 16, 2007 by Brian under Games.
For those of you that are not rolling in the cool crowd, “Burning Crusade†is the latest expansion for the World of Warcraft MMORPG. If you don’t know what an MMORPG is you should really stop reading now because it will only confuse you.
I have been looking forward to this expansion since I first started playing. I got hooked on WOW with a few people I work with. We started a small guild, then merged with a bigger one that eventually merged with a bigger guild that finally went tits up and disbanded and now we are back to the glorious Pwndock Saints. I finally got a character up to level 60 (at the time that was the highest you could go) and then started PVP-ing to get good gear and make my character more powerful. Now that the expansion is out I have to level another 10 levels to get to the cap and start the work over again to get my elite gear. I will be participating in Raids and other large group events to insure that I get a great selection of gear that will make my warlock a force to be reckoned with. I am actually looking forward to playing the game as once I reached the 60 level I was worried that I was going to get bored. So far they have made it to where you have so much to do that it is almost impossible to get bored. The game is designed to have no end. You simply grind out levels, if you have a character that has done everything and is the top of its class; you simply create another class of character and do something different. A lot of the quest and gear are specific to a particular class like Warlocks, Mages or Warriors.
It’s remarkable that there are over 8 million people playing this game all over the world. So far I have run into children as young as 10 years old playing this game and today when I picked up my copy there was a very large man that looked to be in his 40’s picking up his copy as well. I probably won’t get to 70 as fast as some of the other people in my guild. But that’s because I have a life! You know the kind of life that provides me with a wonderful wife that lets me indulge in this kind of activity as long as it doesn’t interfere with the real world and suck me in to the point that I am doing nothing but playing the game and not having stupendous, wonderful sex with her. Cause I know for a fact that some of the 8 MILLION other players are not getting laid (masturbation doesn’t count).
So now that I have left you with a wonderful image of a 40 year old fat man sitting at a home built computer with more processing power than the human brain and a 32 inch LCD screen with picture in picture (so they wont miss there episodes of South Park while playing wow) in a dark basement in his mothers home in nothing but a robe, a stained tank top, boxer shorts that say “Once you go Horde you never get Bored†and a pair of “Incredible Hulk†Slippers that have the Crunch sound destroyed by his fat fucking feet…..I think my work here is done.
Happy Gaming!!!
Comment on This
The 2nd Shift Blues
Posted on January 15, 2007 by Brian under Family, Life.
Well, here I am! Working 2nd shift for the next 5 weeks. I only pray that its 5 weeks and not any longer. I have not had to work past 5pm in over 8 years. I can’t remember the last time I had to work a Saturday or Sunday. I was looking forward to working mornings because I get off work at 3pm and my wife doesn’t have to go to school till 7pm. This worked out really well cause I could get all the household chores done before 5 when my wife gets off work, then she would come home and we would get something to eat or I would have something ready for her to eat. Then since this semester all her classes start at 7pm, I looked forward to taking her to school and picking her up. Last semester she was so stressed because she had to leave work at 5 and try to make it to school by 5:30. It didn’t always work that way and it would stress her out to no end. This time I can take her so she doesn’t have to worry about finding a parking spot or walking a long distance or even being late for class. And I can be there for her in the event of bad weather, say if it rains, I would be bale to show up at her class with an umbrella ready and walk her from class to the car so she won’t have to worry about getting drenched. I know, all you old people are probably thinking “Man, what a sapâ€. But that’s not it! My wife and I have a very unique relationship. One that I wish the rest of the world could have. I think if everyone was like us we would have no divorce and you would find an increase in happy marriages. I truly believe us to be soul mates and the perfect couple. Some of the people we know say that we are strange because we don’t do anything apart. My wife and I think that everyone is strange because they don’t do anything together. We were just talking the other night and I told her that if she all the sudden said that she wanted to go have a night out with the girls; I would respect that and let her. However, since this is not the normal behavior she has exhibited in the last 7 years that we have been together, I would think that something was up. She agreed and said that the same would apply for me. I replied and told her that I would have to have friends that I wanted to hang out with first, I am kind of anti-social and although I have a few people I like as friends, they know me well enough that they never ask me out with them, and they know that if I ever go out I will always have my wife with me.
I really love my life! I never thought I would have a life like this. I have the perfect marriage and a great family. If you would have asked me 8 to 10 years ago if this was going to be possible, I would have given you a definitive NO! I saw myself being a single, lonely guy living in a small house or apartment and just having a cat to talk to. I can not tell you how relieved I am that my life did not turn out that way. I am so lucky to have met my wife. She is truly my savior and I could never in a million years ever repay her for that.
Baby, with all my heart and every fiber of my being! I want you to know that I love you and will always love you, in this life and the next!
Well there’s my first post of the year. I am sure that I will probably get flack from my friends about how much of a pussy I am and how corny and sappy my post was. But when you’re in love like I am. You just don’t care!
1 Comment
Blue Collar Poker
Posted on January 7, 2007 by Ching under Flickr, Food and Drink, Poker, Reviews.
We returned to APL HQ yet again for another try at the Blue Collar Poker Tournament. We must be gluttons for punishment you say. Well, it’s not like it’s a real long, long shot. I did find out Friday that Micheal (aka Phantom2 at Doyles Room) took first place and won $300 at last Sunday’s tourney. It’s ironic that I was the first one out of that tournament while he was the last one out. We had a good laugh about it. I think I’m a pretty good sport when it comes to poker. Despite the embarrassment, I wasn’t really too upset. After all, the only losses I suffered were $10 and a bruised ego. It’s not like I lost my first born or anything.
Anyway, Brian and I returned today with a backup plan. We figured that if we both got knocked out early this time we’d just go watch Casino Royale. We’d both been wanting to see it, but haven’t had a chance to.. Now would be the perfect opportunity.
It’s funny because while we were in the shower Brian asked, “What if we don’t get knocked out by seven? Do you want us to just bail?”
I said, “Baby— if we are still playing at seven we’re nixing the movie because there is a great chance that we are winning some money!” As much as I am a movie buff, I think I’m a bigger poker addict because when it comes down to it, I’d rather be playing poker. Of course, I can watch movies anytime. I only get to to play poker once in a while. (more…)
1 Comment
The Way We Were
Posted on January 6, 2007 by Ching under Flickr.
I’m posting this photo for Jen. I recently gave her two more huge trash sacks full of clothes. Jen has made a few trips to the house to collect clothes over the last year. I think, after several trash sacks, I’ve finally unloaded 50% of my closet. I can’t believe what a huge clothes horse I was.. Even more amazing is the fact that I couldn’t care less about clothes now. What a 180!
Anyway, I had given this dress to Jen in the last batch. It is very old (I had bought it from Spiegel—years ago when I worked for the company and got a 30% discount on everything) but this style of dress doesn’t really go out of fashion. There is a greater possibility of one getting too fat to wear it, than it going out of style—which is what happened in my case. It had been hanging neglected in the back of the closet for several years. I’m hoping Jen can revive it. It’s a nice fun dress. You can wear it with sandals in the summer or with boots and a nice comfy cardigan sweater in the winter. It’s very versatile.
I was quite surprised that Jen didn’t recognize the dress considering I used to wear it all the time. I had worn it to Shiela and Andrew’s wedding (which is where this photo was taken) and also on one of my birthdays. I really liked this dress. I owned several dresses that had only been worn once. This was one that really got a lot of wear. But I guess it has been a long time since I wore it last. Too bad it no longer fits or I would still be wearing it.
I hope Jen takes care of my lonely old clothes. May they have a long, vibrant life with you.. And may they never get neglected. (more…)
4 Comments
