Rock to the Rescue

A great concept -- rockers coming to help those in need. Tornadoes destroyed several houses in central Illinois, and this is one of the many relief efforts in the area.

Illinois bands Styx and REO Speedwagon headline a night that also includes Richard Marx, Ted Nugent, Survivor, Head East, Larry the Cable Guy and Brushville.

And oh yeah -- I will be there on the main floor. Rock on!

Happy Thanksgiving. Among Many Things, I Am Thankful For ...

... the many friends I have met through online poker and my blog.

Online relationships are always interesting. However, there is always a distance and uncertainty that gets inquiring minds like mine wondering. Being old school, I like to meet people face-to-face, thus I try to meet as many of my online buds as possible.

Meeting bloggers in person is always a treat. Last weekend I got to meet The Poker Meister, who was briefly (and by briefly, I mean flying in and flying out the same day!) in my state. We came within a few hours of meeting at Harrah's Hammond some time ago, and finally connected last weekend.

As always, bloggers do not disappoint. I have found that most are pretty much the way they have seemed in their blog, in e mails, or in phone conversations. That is a good thing in most cases.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Congratulations Tony Bigcharles on 1,000,000 Page Views!

From the storied sockroll to sleeping in cardboard boxes in southern California to tales of beautiful Jean, Nevada to  dem good VBJ machines -- thanks for the entertainment. Good luck on the next 1,000,000 page views, Tony Bigcharles!

 

 

 

Even a Blind Squirrel, Volume 36 ...

Quite amazing that I won a Bovada private tournament tonight and got second place in a Bovada private freeroll last weekend. Perhaps the poker gods are only teasing me since I usually take horrendous beats at that site.

Time to build up my online sockroll?

An Old Guy Saturday?

I needed an oil change and a tire rotation for my car and had already purchased a certificate for this online. I saw that the shop was listed as opening at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, so my plan was to be there just after opening to get out as quickly as possible. I usually like to have lazy Saturday mornings, but I was ready to get the auto work done if I got up in time.

I did get up in time and headed out to the shop. Much to my surprise, it actually opened at 7:30 a.m. There was a small group of guys not much unlike me in age and appearance who were sitting at tables and reading magazines, waiting for their cars to be ready. I dunno -- had I stumbled onto a secret society of mature gentlemen just waiting for me to join them?

Since it was going to take longer than I planned to get my work done, I called my wife so that she could meet me at a nearby restaurant for breakfast. I walked there and got there first. As I went inside and looked to my right, there was a table of guys not much unlike me in age and appearance. Throughout the restaurant, there were more and more tables of people where it looked like I could easily fit in.

Had it really happened? Somewhere along the way in living my life, had I really gotten old?

Words like old and young are certainly relative terms. When I was in grade school, my aunts and uncles all looked really old to me. It is difficult to believe that I am now older than they were at that time.

I work in an environment that deals with many people in the 18-25 age range. Sometimes I reference events that happened before they were born, yet are ingrained in my mind as just part of my life experiences. But they happened before these people were born. Ugh.

I had worn a beard for approximately 30 years, but shaved it off for a number of reasons, including the fact that I couldn't bear to see so damn much white on my face. Shaving it may have helped my peace of mind, but the growing number of white and silver strands in the hair on my head confirm that I did not somehow magically stop the aging process.

No need to look at the back and top of my head in a mirror. I know that little bald spot is there. Thankfully I can't see it most of the time and forget that it is there. I would prefer to live some parts of my life in a fantasy world.

The online alias I have used for several years is lightning36. Perhaps it is fitting that in my mind I am still really about 36 years old. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

Note: My apologies to all the old guys who are reading this. May we always remain young at heart.

Poker is 100% Skill

 

Well ... maybe there is SOME skill involved ...

The New Office

Well ... I am not in there yet. Sometime next summer I will be moving into a brand new office in a brand new building. Based on either my seniority or my position as head of my department, I have had some sweet offices for the past several years. The new digs look pretty good, even in rough condition.

As of today, I am officially in the second half of my term as director. It should all be downhill from here, right? There will be some major administrative changes in the near future, maybe even meaning that I can let someone else take over earlier. If so, I would not get the office pictured above ... but would instead get the other corner office that is also decent sized with huge windows. Yowsa!

My first office as a professional formerly belonged to a woman who was not well liked. The carpet was formed out of remnants just as a way to send a message to her. I once had an office that was a converted broom closet. Apparently, I have moved up in the world at least a bit.