Random thoughts about my interests which include (in no particular order) poker, finance & investing, politics, football and whatever else I happen to see that piques my interest

Saturday, November 15, 2014

They say that all good things must end somday

Autumn leaves must fall.  Those of you who are really old will know this line from "A Summer Song" by Chad and Jeremy.  I always thought The Association did that song but Google tells me I'm wrong and who can argue with the monolithic Goog?

The point of all this is I am sitting in McCarren airport waiting to board my nonstop flight back to Tampa on Cattle car  Southwest Airlines.  And I'd rather be staying than leaving but life is like that.  I have a lot to post but that will wait until I'm home.  Goodbye Vegas.  I didn't take all your money but you didn't take all mine either.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Just hitting my stride

Just a short note from the Land of Enchantment, no isn't that New Mexico?  How about the land of anything goes?  First two days have been difficult on the gambling front but yesterday seemed to turnin our favor .  The PQ got on a mini run playing VP at the Hard Rock of all places and I did ok everywhere we went but small profits only.

We were downtown on Monday night getting killed at the D and Binions (well I did ok at Binions at least) but I could not believe the zoo that awaited us on Fremont St when we were leaving.  Wow just about anything goes there. It was wild. Strange. And a lot of other things.

Well gotta run, breakfast at the Peppermill is waiting.  Hope y'all are having as much fun as I am.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

I've got this feeling

That today's the day.  Yes indeed it is.  Shortly we are heading out to the airport.  I always get this feeling I've forgotten something once it's too late for me to go back and get whatever I missed.  And I usually have forgotten something, though it's never anything that important like wallet or credit cards or plane ticket.  But I do hate forgetting stuff.  Too bad my mind is like a sieve and all the small stuff sifts right through it.  Some of the larger stuff too now that I think about it.  But not the minor unimportant stuff like the lyrics to a song by America

We were watching the country music awards a few days ago.  Wow what a disappointment.  I don't listen to much music today, especially not modern stuff.  My daughter on the other hand is a huge country music fan now which means we watch the CMAs.  Anyway they're playing all these songs and NONE OF THEM ARE COUNTRY.  I know country has gotten more poppy and rock and roll like but really?  Can it hurt these guys to throw in a fiddle or god forbid a steel guitar once in a while?  Just a little twang from time to time.  The only twang is in their voices (if you don't listen to Keith Urban speak that is) and all you hear are electric guitars. 

Now I am no country purist by any stretch and I know music is constantly changing and evolving but wow, that was shocking.  They acknowledged a few older stars but really the only one who sang was a duet by Loretta Lynn.  While we were watching my wife started listening to some old George Strait on her computer and turned it up a couple of times.  I wasn't surprised to remember all the words to The Chair as I always really liked that song but then she put on Does Ft Worth Ever Cross Your Mind and I remembered all of that one too.  Now there is some twang baby.  While she was drooling over the old pictures of George (and he is a handsome dude I will admit) I was singing along in my own inimitable way.  Cold Ft Worth beer just ain't no good for jealous, etc etc.  

Well enough of me lamenting what I can't change.  Only old farts like me listen to that kind of country and obviously the young ones love the new country at least judging from my daughter and some of her pals they do.  And that's where the money is. But while they're singing new country and watching new videos I'm winging my way to Vegas in a few hours.  Take that kiddies.   So on that note, I'm outta here.  Doubt I will post much while I'm there but you never know.  I will try to take some pics.  I do have one here.  Its my next vehicle.





Thursday, November 6, 2014

So close I can just about taste it



Wow only 4 days till my next Vegas adventure.  The wait is killing me.  But I got so much to do at work before I leave that I'm gonna be near exhausted by the time I leave.  And while Vegas is the ultimate fun time, it's not known to be a place for me to get a lot of rest and relaxation.  And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Our anniversary dinner on Saturday was really nice.  Food was good, the views were outstanding, and we all had a great time.  A cold front had come in that day and it was actually chilly and very windy outside.  As the sun was going down in the Gulf, there were a couple of different brides and grooms having their pictures being taken right there on the beach.  The wind was really whipping at times and I'm sure they were pretty chilled, especially the brides.  The grooms at least had jackets on.  But I'm also pretty sure they didn't care at all.  Ain't love grand?

Our sunset view on Saturday night


I'm finding there's so much to do to get ready for Vegas.  I needed new shoes badly, my sneakers were shot, my dress shoes were shot, and I really wanted to get a new pair of deck shoes.  So I started looking around online but I never bought shoes online before and I hate to buy without trying them on because I want to make sure I get a good fit.  So I decided to check out some of the sneakers I was looking at online at a shoe store and while there maybe pick up a pair of dress shoes.  Went over to Peltz and found a pretty good deal on some loafers.  I also tried on some New Balance sneakers I was looking at online and found the right size to fit me well.  So now I know what size to order and I can get them online a good bit cheaper than at the store.  Only one problem still remained.  I don't want to spend more money. 

Then it hit me.  I'm sitting on $250 worth of Amazon gift cards I won in some contests online.  I wonder if Amazon carries New Balance shoes  Why yes they do, and there's the ones I was looking at.  Good price too.  Sold.  Hey I still have plenty left, lets look at some deck shoes.  Here's a pair of Timberland and look, they're on sale for less than $50.  Sold again.  2-3 days later everything arrived and fit perfectly.  I've been wearing the deck shoes and sneakers around a bit to make sure they're well broken in before we leave.  I don't see a problem at all.  And it's great to buy things and not spend your own hard earned cash.  As Fast Eddie Felson said, "Money won is twice as sweet as money earned".  Too right.



I heard there was snow on Mt Charleston a few nights ago.  I wonder if any will be there still when we get to Vegas.  I haven't been out in snow in at least 12 or 13 years.  Maybe we'll take a little side trip out there one day.  Where else should we go?  Last year we hit Zion and the big ditch Grand Canyon.  We've been to the Hoover Dam.  I'd like to get somewhere off the beaten path a bit and see what's out there.  So I'm looking for different day trips I can take from Vegas.  After all I can't gamble all the time can I?  What am I, PPP?

Had some fun at work this week.  Had a coworker go up to Cleveland last weekend.  She came in Tuesday morning and the following conversation comes up

Me      Kelly, how was Cleveland?
Kelly   It was nice.  Cold but really nice
Me      Kelly, people who live in Cleveland don't even think it's nice
Kelly   Some do
Me      Well yeah, I'm sure that guy who kept 3 women as hostages in his home thought it was nice
Jan       You're sick
Me       After this long you're finally realizing this?
Jan       No, every day you go and prove it a little bit more. 

What can I say, they love me there. 

Well I better wrap this up so I can get ready for another wonderful day at work.  Hope I can get by without working 12 hours today but we'll see.  At least I get paid overtime for the extra hours.  Went in to see my boss yesterday and told him I'd need to take Thursday and Friday off this week.  All this working was interfering with me getting ready for vacation.  My request was unfortunately denied.  So I'm off.  Have a great day folks




Saturday, November 1, 2014

Anticipa - a - a - tion

Its the 1st of November and Fall has finally fallen in the Tampa Bay area.  Windy, kinda cool (for us anyway) and a tang of Autumn is in the air.  It reminds me of September in Rhode Island long ago when I was a young lad. 

The 1st of November also means that in 8 days, the Poker Queen and I will be winging our way west to the bright lights of LAS VEGAS, NEVADA!!!  Oh boy are we ready for this vacation.  6 days in Sin City, what could be better?  I've been playing a bit of poker over the last couple of months to get back into the swing of it as I hadn't played too much in the year before this.  I plan on playing a few tourneys while we're there.  I'd also like to not embarrass myself should I play some 1-2 no limit with some of those card sharps like Lightning or Vegas Rob.  There will also be copious amounts of adult beverages imbibed, food consumed and possibly a road trip somewhere to the hinterlands.  Yes it will be fun. 

We did get some good deals.  We found some really good air fares on the only airline flying direct from Tampa to Vegas - Southwest Airlines.  5 of 6 nights are comped at the Flamingo, the last night will be at the Silverton where we got a nice room deal for a Saturday night and we liked the staff there so much last time we were in town.  We've also got some retired friends joining us for a couple of days from the wilds of San Diego.  Any way you slice it, we're gonna have some fun. 

I've stayed busy some other ways.  For one I've picked up the golf clubs after an extended time off and started playing a bit.  Man do I suck.  When I first started playing golf many years ago I hit my irons really well but not my woods.  Then I started hitting the 3 and 5 wood well and just not the driver.  Now about the only club I can hit relatively well is the driver.  And I'm putting ok too.  I never was a good putter before either. 

This was a really wet summer for Florida.  We usually get some rain almost every day in the summer but normally a half hour or hour's shower.  This year we had days of rain.  It was so wet I played in a course more mud than grass one day and was cancelled out another day because some of the holes were under water.  But for the past month or so the weather has been really nice.  My cousin and brother were down here early in October and we went out to play a round.  The course was almost dried out by then.  We drank quite a bit, ate quite a bit, and stories were told of my youth that some of my in laws had never heard before.  It was a fun time.

Tonight the PQ and I are going out to dinner in early celebration of our anniversary.  The trip to Vegas is also in celebration of our anniversary.  The actual anniversary date is on Monday the 3rd but we're gonna celebrate it all month.  Hey it's 30 years.  We deserve to celebrate for a while.  Tonight we are being joined by my sister in law Becky and her husband Tod.  Today is their actual anniversary, number 28 for them.  We are going to be dining at St Pete Beach in a restaurant on top of one of the hotels.  Beautiful view of the Gulf and beaches and everything else.  The restaurant actually spins around and I made the reservation early enough so that we'll be able to watch the sunset into the Gulf.  Last of the great romantics I am. 

I actually went to this place with my cousin and his friends a few weeks ago.  I had never heard of it before and after living here all this time, there is apparently a lot I don't know about my home.  While we were at dinner last time, some moron who was sitting with his back to the windows decided to tilt back in his chair.  The feet of the chair slipped out and I'm not sure if his head or his chair hit the window behind him but the window actually shattered.  Pieces of glass went down to the ground about 12 stories below, luckily not hitting anyone.  Pieces also landed inside the restaurant, luckily not impaling the man.  He did get a decent cut to the back of his head but I'm not sure if that was from contact with window or floor.  It did lend some excitement to the evening.  At first I thought someone had gone through the window.  Now that would have been exciting.  But not necessarily in a good way. 

Well it's time to get ready for dinner.  I hope everyone is having a good weekend and if someone is gonna be in Vegas between the 9th and 15th let me know.  If not I hope you're playing poker better then I am.  In the immortal words of Marco from Tropoja "Good Luck."