June 14, 2022

  • Boats, booze, and poker

    It was jackpot week tonight. For the first time, I managed to remember that I am carrying a telephone that has NSA satellite camera technology. So here is the hand that punched me out. I was all-in on the flop (grouped to the right):

    cooler time

    That was the final whack. I lost a big chunk a few hands prior. I was big blind with 5s-8s, and made it to the flop with the button and small blind limping. The flop was 4s-6s-8d. Since the other two were limpers, I wasn't particularly concerned about over-pairs. So I bet twice the blind, only to have the button shove. I figured with straight and flush draws while holding top pair, it was worth looking up the button. The button had Ks-9s. He was covering my flush option, but I was still feeling hopeful with my made pair. Fourth street Qs sunk me. Fifth was 7d for my consolation straight. Final kick in the balls was the shitty plastic grocery store sack that I was carrying my new bottle of Bacardi unloading via a spontaneous blow-out of the bottom, resulting in an epic slow-mo smash on the concrete floor of the poker venue. Fucking lovely.

    List of well-liked characters that have recently been re-written as weak and incompetent to be replaced by, shown-up, or bait-and-switched in their own stories: Loki, Dr. Strange, Thor, Hawkeye, Hulk, Moon Knight, Luke Skywalker, Obi-wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Poe Dameran, Indiana Jones, James Bond, and now even the Predator is going to be subjected to this treatment. Top Gun: Maverick might be the last good movie out of Hollywood. By the way, Jennifer Connelly is Milf-tastic.

    When in doubt, add a little pink lemonade to your gin. But only in the summer. And not too often. And not on a delicate herbal that belongs in a martini. I picked up a bottle of Lillet. I forgot to grab the lemons, but that is an easy fix.  Between now and the 4th, martini time will be re-designated as Vesper time. Can I support those marvelous Ukrainians and still use Russian vodka? Damn you, Putin! We do have alternatives from Sweden, France, California, and Minnesota in the cabinet. But wait! Fuck ya! Way to go, Latvia! It is much harder to get cheap 6.5 Grendel from alternate sources. I am looking at you, PPU. Ramp up those American shipments!

    Storms are rolling through tonight. It is going to be hot the rest of the week. One solid week of high temps equals warm lake water. Time to start the regular laps.

    I ordered my third kayak of the summer today. First one arrived damaged, booooo! Second one appears to have been stolen from the docks of a LA warehouse. Let's hope that the 3rd time is the charm. They claim that I will still get the Black Cherry color:

    20220527_091701

    I almost kept the first damaged kayak. It appeared to be more of a factory defect, I suppose. Either way, I paid too much to take a factory second. I did get a bit of a deal when their internet interface initially processed my ordee; a pop-up window for 15% off as a first-time buyer was presented to me. I doubted that big ticket items like the kayak would qualify, but they applied the discount. Now, with the hassle I've been going through, the seller claimed I was going to be kicked another 15% store credit. That is nice and all, but I really just want my boat. I am looking forward to running the river from downtown to the launch ramp near the house. Laps around the lake in the kayak might be a transitional exercise when it gets too cool to swim in the fall.

    Hansen is angling for a Burning Man trip next year. He is looking for a bicycle for the trip. I saw one at a garage sale this past weekend that I was tempted to buy and drop off at his house. Then I remembered the price of gas and how goddam far down the tip of Texas he lives. I am going to get him a big straw hat to shade his Norwegian paste complexion. Maybe even a proper sombrero. We need to figure out what his special contribution to the festival will be. I like the idea of "body painter", but I am not sure that our guy has the artistic chops to compete with was is certain to be a crowded field.