December 10, 2019

  • Holidays

    I have been on the other side of the state on some doc review projects, so I haven't had much time to update. But I am free this week, so I went to poker last night.

    Hold 'Em: From the two tables, I was knocked out first. I had two made hands that got hit by fifth street suck outs. One got their ace of spades for their flush, and the other pulled a six to convert two pair into a boat. I was bummed, but I decided to hang out. The Eagles were making a comeback and a gratis Rocky Patel Churchill Vintage 1999 Connecticut kept me occupied until Omaha started up. As an aside, here is what Cigars International has to say about that cigar:

    The '99 Connecticut uses an exquisite 7-year-old Connecticut leaf to tame his award-winning mixture of 8-year-old Dominican and Nicaraguan long-leaf ligeros. The result is a hearty, slightly spicy cigar with creamy notes of earth and toasted wood. Enjoy this mellow change of pace from Senor Patel, a choice cigar to pair with your morning cup of coffee or w​orkday commute.

    If I am ever smoking cigars with coffee on my morning workday commute, I give you advance permission for an intervention. I reserve an exception in the event my  coffee and morning commute is occurring on a boat in tropical latitudes.

    Anyway, I took down the Omaha game, so things worked out in the end. My favorite hand was a Satan flop (6,6,6) with an A & 7 on 4th & 5th. There was plenty of action between two parties and myself. I had pocket Kings, so I only had to worry about that extra 6 showing up or someone with pocket 7s or As to over-boat me. One guy ended up betting on his tens, while the other guy had momentarily lost his mind and was betting his single Ace. Three players took advantage of a rebuy before the cutoff, and it felt good to take them all for a second stack of chips.

    I found some cherry, white oak, and walnut pieces in the burn bins of the local shuffleboard maker. The owner is a solid citizen, letting me snatch up a few pieces without charge or persuasion. Next, I need to start making some cheddar so that I can snatch up one of those tables. Beautifully crafted. I am carving a pencil Santa for my mother's Christmas gift. I am encouraged by how the sea turtle turned out.

    'Tis the season for Eggnog and Holly Nog. With bourbon. Stir with peppermint candy cane.

    I am trying an experiment in computing. I dropped off a parent lappy to the recyclers after it hit the critical broken features & outdated software threshold. A young geek was working the counter nearby, so I took a shot at picking his brain about a replacement for my lappy with the busted hinge, busted wireless, busted boot sector, busted touch screen. That lappy was an attempt to buy cheap Acer via Costco. That is a failed experiment. Young Geek hooked me up with a refurbished IBM ThinkPad. More features, better performance, built like a brick house, and only cost 4-bills. Being business surplus, it has the quick access  panels to get to the guts. That Acer needs me to take the entire chassis apart to get to the good stuff. So far, I am pleased with the decision.

    Michigan does not want to play Alabama's next-year starters in this bowl game. I think they would have been much happier to get a Cincinnati match up. Maybe Virginia. A win. That is what I am trying to communicate. Michigan would have been much happier getting a win. Losing to Alabama's second string is not going to help the recruiting.

    I shoveled snow today. It was only a light accumulation of wet stuff, but the seal is broken.

    I was in NE Nebraska for Thanksgiving. On the way home the Sunday afterward, I was driving along the Missouri River when I noticed movement in the sky. I pulled off the highway, because I had never seen anything like it before. It was an overcast day, but it was clear visibility without precipitation. From the northern horizon to the southern horizon, an unbroken caravan of geese were traveling about a 1/2 mile up. They were like black razor stubble on the grey clouds that constantly shifted around while generally headed in a southerly direction. I am used to seeing low flying goose "V" formations during the fall that contain 12-24 geese per. The biggest V formations I saw in Iowa that day were so large they had arms of 40-5o each with additional overlapping V formations of all sizes in a continuous stream. As dozens would disappear into the clouds to the south, their counterparts would emerge from the clouds to the north. I am certain 90% of the people on the road that day didn't even notice.

    While I was in Nebraska, the brother-in-law and I rekindled our Liars' Dice meta game. I forgot that I had taught so many of my cousins how to play in the past. We kept a table of five-six going for an entire evening. My uncle's discount vodka from 1978 was designated punishment bottle, and that fifth was cashed by bedtime.

    Fantasy football has been a buster for me. Except for Eagles and Patriots playoff hopes and that Michigan bowl game, I think football is dead for the year. I guess I will watch LSU if they make it to the final round. Michigan Hockey doesn't appear that they will pick up the slack.  I suppose I am all yours, Juwan.