Well, today is Memorial Day. More precisely, it's right around 10 am on Memorial Day and I'm sitting in my drawers, eating a breakfast treat.
The answer to both questions that are probably popping up in your head right now[1][2] is one and the same... I mowed the lawn this morning after work.
I absolutely detest mowing the lawn. Not because of any particular love of a tall lawn, nor of the oddly-shaped flowers that appear on said lawn when it reaches a prerequisite height. Quite frankly, mowing the lawn kicks my ass. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that I'm allergic to mowing the lawn.
OK, maybe not quite that far. I'm not allergic to mowing the lawn per se; I just don't get along with the sheer volume of pollen and dust that gets kicked up when the lawn gets mowed. Even when I wear a dust mask, in order to function the rest of the day, I pretty much have to shower as soon as the lawn is done.
This past week, an old acquaintance of mine tracked me down. She and I were fairly close at one time. It took me a very long time to get over how the two of us parted ways. But we played email tag for a bit and started IMing on Yahoo Messenger. Long story short, she's moving back to the general area - about an hour's drive away - and we're friends again. I'm not going to air my dirty laundry anywhere other than need-to-know, but I'll say this: being willing to discuss your feelings honestly with someone you care about makes things a lot easier
Well, by now, the lawns been mowed and I've finished my breakfast. I'm going to bed.
[1]"DJay, you work the night shift, what are you still doing up at 10?"
[2] "Why in the world are you sitting in your underwear?"
Monday, May 26, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Tornado near-miss
Last night was fairly active for tornados in our part of the state. At least three touched down in eastern Edwards County, and at least one in the western half. We lost a couple houses near the Pratt county line (no injuries there); on on U50 at the Stafford county line (1 leg injury), and some outbuildings, power poles and trees along the Arkansas river.
We got lucky; a tornado took out a couple of outbuildings out at my cousins house, and put a 2x4 in the outside wall. They live about 3/4 mi south of town. A half mile north and we wouldn't have a football field, about a mile northwest and we'd be out a hospital (and my house).
Other tornados skirted around Greensburg and Haviland, and Protection made CNN's front page.
We got lucky.
The best part; the forecast for tonight [Saturday] is more of the same. I think, when I get home, I'm going to pop open one of my delicious Boulevard Unfiltered Wheats before I go to bed.
We got lucky; a tornado took out a couple of outbuildings out at my cousins house, and put a 2x4 in the outside wall. They live about 3/4 mi south of town. A half mile north and we wouldn't have a football field, about a mile northwest and we'd be out a hospital (and my house).
Other tornados skirted around Greensburg and Haviland, and Protection made CNN's front page.
We got lucky.
The best part; the forecast for tonight [Saturday] is more of the same. I think, when I get home, I'm going to pop open one of my delicious Boulevard Unfiltered Wheats before I go to bed.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Poker Experiences
I like playing poker. And I play online quite a bit. There's really only one problem with it.
I'm not that good a poker player.
That's not to say I'm a bad player; I'm just not that good. I'm probably giving myself too much credit when I put myself in the category of merely average. Which is the other reason why I've never funded an online poker account.[1]
Which is why I'm really enthused about playing poker at Bodog.[2] Because they literally pay you to play. Admittedly, it's only a penny an hour and it takes 500 hours of play to reach the first payout; but it's there. Let me back up.
I found Bodog because they have play money online blackjack. I'm better at blackjack than I am at poker[3]. I played there a while and then tried out their poker client. While most poker sites I've been to have real money and play money; Bodog accounts have a four-'currency' structure: Play Money (PM), Poker Points (Pts), Tournament Credits (T$), and eCash ($). Play Money is just that. eCash is your real money balance, and you can withdraw it by check or have it deposited into your bank account. Tournament Credits are a dollar equivalent that are usually awarded to winners of qualifier tournaments[4] can be used to pay entry fees for scheduled tournaments.
The interesting part of Bodog's structure are the Pts. Pts are basically Bodog's loyalty program, and can be earned in 3 ways: rakes, fees, and time. Playing in a raked pot gives you up to 1 point depending on the amount of rake (the fee taken out of the pot by the house). Paying an entry fee also nets you poker points, for every $1 paid in fees, you get 3 pts. And the best part, for every hour you play, you get a point. So what are they good for? Entry fees for one; there are both sit-and-go and scheduled tournaments that use poker points instead of cash. They're also transferrable to bonus cash, which you have to roll over into real cash by betting/paying fees.
I worked the play money sit-and-gos for about two weeks before cashing out in a guaranteed freeroll.[5] It wasn't much - $3.00 - but I placed in the mid-30s in a 2000+ player tournament. Right now, I'm sitting at $3.22; I cashed in a sit-and-go, then missed the money in another, and conned myself into a rebuy and an add-on after losing the last hand before break in another free roll. Missed the cut by about 100 (in a 3000+ field) in that one. So, I'm back to the freerolls.
Tell you what; rather than me trying to explain it; go sign up for an account. Hit http://www.bodoglife.com/ , sign up for a free account (use referral number P10F115A), download the client, and boom, you're on your way. Or, to paraphrase a commercial...
I'm "DJay Hogan", and I play on Bodog Poker.
[1] The primary reasons being that A) I'm a cheapskate, and B) I've always found other things to do with my fun money.
[2] And no, this isn't a paid advert. When I find something I like, I tell other people, simple as that.
[3] It's the only game I've actually won money in a casino on.
[4] 'Qualifiers' are tournaments where the prize is a seat in another, usually more expensive or exclusive tournament.
[5] 'Sit-and-Go' is a type of tournament that starts when a certain number of players have joined; as opposed to a 'scheduled' tournament that starts at a certain time. 'Cashing out' refers to winning money in a tournament; usually this means finishing in the top 5-10%, depending on the tournament's payout structure. A 'freeroll' is a tournament with no entry fee. Most freerolls have the option of re-buying (obtaining an additional starting stake) or adding-on (buying additional chips) within a certain time frame. The prize pool is determined by the number of re-buys and add-ons. In a 'guaranteed' freeroll, the host guarantees a minimum payout, basically pocketing the re-up cash up to the guarantee level.
I'm not that good a poker player.
That's not to say I'm a bad player; I'm just not that good. I'm probably giving myself too much credit when I put myself in the category of merely average. Which is the other reason why I've never funded an online poker account.[1]
Which is why I'm really enthused about playing poker at Bodog.[2] Because they literally pay you to play. Admittedly, it's only a penny an hour and it takes 500 hours of play to reach the first payout; but it's there. Let me back up.
I found Bodog because they have play money online blackjack. I'm better at blackjack than I am at poker[3]. I played there a while and then tried out their poker client. While most poker sites I've been to have real money and play money; Bodog accounts have a four-'currency' structure: Play Money (PM), Poker Points (Pts), Tournament Credits (T$), and eCash ($). Play Money is just that. eCash is your real money balance, and you can withdraw it by check or have it deposited into your bank account. Tournament Credits are a dollar equivalent that are usually awarded to winners of qualifier tournaments[4] can be used to pay entry fees for scheduled tournaments.
The interesting part of Bodog's structure are the Pts. Pts are basically Bodog's loyalty program, and can be earned in 3 ways: rakes, fees, and time. Playing in a raked pot gives you up to 1 point depending on the amount of rake (the fee taken out of the pot by the house). Paying an entry fee also nets you poker points, for every $1 paid in fees, you get 3 pts. And the best part, for every hour you play, you get a point. So what are they good for? Entry fees for one; there are both sit-and-go and scheduled tournaments that use poker points instead of cash. They're also transferrable to bonus cash, which you have to roll over into real cash by betting/paying fees.
I worked the play money sit-and-gos for about two weeks before cashing out in a guaranteed freeroll.[5] It wasn't much - $3.00 - but I placed in the mid-30s in a 2000+ player tournament. Right now, I'm sitting at $3.22; I cashed in a sit-and-go, then missed the money in another, and conned myself into a rebuy and an add-on after losing the last hand before break in another free roll. Missed the cut by about 100 (in a 3000+ field) in that one. So, I'm back to the freerolls.
Tell you what; rather than me trying to explain it; go sign up for an account. Hit http://www.bodoglife.com/ , sign up for a free account (use referral number P10F115A), download the client, and boom, you're on your way. Or, to paraphrase a commercial...
I'm "DJay Hogan", and I play on Bodog Poker.
[1] The primary reasons being that A) I'm a cheapskate, and B) I've always found other things to do with my fun money.
[2] And no, this isn't a paid advert. When I find something I like, I tell other people, simple as that.
[3] It's the only game I've actually won money in a casino on.
[4] 'Qualifiers' are tournaments where the prize is a seat in another, usually more expensive or exclusive tournament.
[5] 'Sit-and-Go' is a type of tournament that starts when a certain number of players have joined; as opposed to a 'scheduled' tournament that starts at a certain time. 'Cashing out' refers to winning money in a tournament; usually this means finishing in the top 5-10%, depending on the tournament's payout structure. A 'freeroll' is a tournament with no entry fee. Most freerolls have the option of re-buying (obtaining an additional starting stake) or adding-on (buying additional chips) within a certain time frame. The prize pool is determined by the number of re-buys and add-ons. In a 'guaranteed' freeroll, the host guarantees a minimum payout, basically pocketing the re-up cash up to the guarantee level.
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