America's Next Top Model

These are the finalists.
Tell me who you think will win.

Jaslene?




Natasha?

Or, Dionne?

MY pick is Natasha. Have to love those Polish girls...

Home Game

Okay, so this weekend's home game was a friggin HIT!
Ray got his wish - I made hot wings.
AND, I made pasta primavera, pulled pork sandis, baked beans and BBQ Meatballs.
We also had a veggi tray and cheese tray (courtesy of Ray).
Everyone seemed to love the food.
Also, we supplied ALL the booze. Whitch I'm SURE everyone loved!!
We had a total of 26 peeps.

Here are the dirty details, according to Blinders, our tourney MC:

Saturday night, the Laguna Niguel Special Event on the OCPT was
completed, hosted by Ray AND Tina.
We had 26 entries, 55 Rebuys, and 22 Add-ons for an OCPT
record prize pool of $2,060. After a rebuy filled
first two hours, the field started to drop.
At the final table bubble we would have Steve,
Chip, Larry, Chris, Christina and Wes. Steve
would go out on the bubble when his preflop
push was called and did not hold-up. Next Chris
would lose a huge chunk of his stack, and be
eliminated a few hands later in 5th place.
Chip would be out next, followed by Larry shortly after. H
eads-up we would have Christina and Wes, who both
held nice sized stacks for most of the tournament.

Christina would have the biggest stack after eliminating
much of the final table. A chop was discussed, but
Christina would not negotiate, and used her large
stack to knock Wes out about 10 hands into heads-up.
Congratulations to Christina who won the largest 1st place
prize ($850) in OCPT history. She also moves into the
2007 lead, and 4th all-time with the oversized cash.
Congratulations as well to Wes who won $500 in his
first ever OCPT event. Thanks to everyone who made
this special event the biggest and best yet on the OCPT.




















Okay, So, I, of course, only made it to the second table.
I guess hostessing and poker do not mix. I did not get any cards and was totally consumed by the constant attempt to please my guests. So, I wentout with AJ os.
Oh well. Next time.

I'm Back, Biotches!!

Okay, so work is slowing down a bit.
School does not start again for a few months.
The Elf Is Back in Business!!!!

After long hours of working, keeping up the household and taking care of my Smokkee's (big and little), I am finally able to turn my attention back to my blog.
So you have me back - for a few months anyways....

This weekend, Smokkee and I are hosting a home game.
Blinders, Poison and boobielover will be there, along with some others.
Scandalas pictures to follow....

So, the Martha Stewart in me is trying to decide what the hell to have for food and drink.
I have to serve my guests a hot meal before I take their $$$, you know?
Any suggestions?
Should I go with the traditional wings and meat/cheese platter? or maybe some homemade pulled pork sandwich's (no jokes here)?
Perhaps a veggie platter? cheese platter?
And the booze: beer and liqueur. We don't serve water in MY Bar! What movie is that quote from??
Maybe some wine for the ladies.

I'm sure I'll come up with something, and be running my ass of at the last minute.
Oh the joy of it.

Call me the God Mother

My sis and her hubby have asked me to be the God Mother to my sweet angel nephew, Jaiden.

Not only am I intensly honored, but hugely overjoyed as well. Seeing little Jaiden's face makes me smile so big. Even during times of stress. I have this picture on my desk at work and all I have to do is look at it, and he makes me smile. How can you resist this face:

And, check out Peaker's blog for an article that brought tears to my eyes. It's called "And then one day, he looked up and smiled".

Saint Patty's Day

Okay. So I have not posted in a while. Been Busy.
Ray talked me into a hiatus from work to play at a home game this past weekend.
Blinders was there, along with Audra and some others.

I'm In!!!

I received this yesterday:


Hi Tina,

So I was able to use my magic and have the committee review your file today as opposed to Thursday.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

You have been accepted into the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology here at Argosy University/Orange County!
I had no doubt that they would love you!
I'm very excited to be sharing this good news with you.
You will receive an official letter stating your acceptance, but I thought I'd give you the heads up before you receive the letter. :-)
Now go out and celebrate!!!

Thy H. Nghiem
Assistant Director of Admissions
Argosy University/ Orange County

PARTY TIME - EXCELLENT!!!!
As I read the "Congrats", I immediately burst into tears, as I shared the email with Ray.
This is one of the most important days of my life.
I simply cannot believe that my dream is about to come true.
I look forward to this new journey in my life....

Party Party Party

This is me a year or so ago at a friends birthday party.

It was at a Mexican resaurant in Long Beach.

I was on stage dancing a little Flamenco....

We drink Sangrias and ate Mexican food, including flan.

A dream come true

I think we have decided on the Mansion.
It's an English Garden style white and blue estate on the ocean, in Laguna Beach.
As you enter through a gate surrounded by grapevines and ivy, you are swept away to another world.
Travel a short distance down the cobblestone walk to the cool white front door.
Enter, my friend.

You are greeted by a grand staircase, dining room a little further to the right, and two fireplaces.
On this main level, a large white-pained window is framed by elegant flowing draperies.
It beckons to you.
As you approach, you are struck by the most amazing view of the ocean and beaches stretching far down the coast.





Upstairs, you find one of the guest suites first. It is decorated in traditional decor, comfortable and welcoming. Very much like a luxurious Bed & Breakfast suite. Back down the hall a bit lies the Master suit, containing a fireplace, King bed and separate walk in dressing room. You hear the sound of the Ocean and are drawn to glide past the fireplace and bed, to the French doors at the West end of the room. Here, you open the doors and walk out onto a balcony on the Ocean.

The air is crisp and clean. The rhythmic waves lull you into a trance.

The ceremony begins on the sprawling outdoor patio, as the sun sets over the ocean. Immediately following will be an indoor cocktail hour and then dinner, where guests will be served, yes you are correct, Filet Mignon and Chicken Marsala (our caterer is the Chef that prepares the menu for Champs restaurants). Wines for each course to be selected by the bride. Dancing into the wee hours will complete the night.

And now for the location....

Ray and I have an appointment tomorrow with our wedding coordinators, Francie and Elizabeth Christy. These two women are totally over the top. They always serve us wine and give us appetizers, call each other baby and believe that they are "The Mermaids of Laguna Beach".

Check out their website.

Ray went with me to the last meeting, and I think his ears started bleeding as we girls talked about colors, cakes, flowers and dresses. So tomorrow will be a thrill for him, I'm sure.....giggle giggle.

Anyway, we are going to a Mansion on the beach and the beach at the Ritz tomorrow to check them out as possible ceremony and/or reception sites.





I'll let you know how that goes!

Wedding Dress

So, I went here today:

It's an upscale Bridal Salon in Corona del Mar. They had Melissa Sweet, designer gowns, showcased this weekend. It's the kind of place where they only have about 50 gowns, all very pretentious, all very high priced. Why did I go here? LOL - Did not know it was like this. I'm not a very pretentious person, and I don't care much about designers and labels (except in shoes - wink). So, I was on bride.com, looking at gowns, and a lot of them pointed to this bridal salon.

I got there, and was all by myself, which was okay since this was my first venture out trying on dresses. I walked in, seemed to fit in, sighed, and then signed in. This cute little OC blondie named Melissa was helping me with my dresses. So, basically, it's like, strip down in front of Melissa and spend the next hour climbing into dresses, looking into mirrors and having all these ladies coo over how beautiful you look.

I tried on this:

And this:

Both were beautiful. As I was falling in love with the second gown, I made the mistake of looking at the price tag: $6,000!! OMG BUT, if I bought today, it would be 10% off. LOLOLOLOLOL

Smokkee better win some Big Tourneys soon!

The search continues.....

Wedding Planning

Shopping for a wedding dress makes me feel like such a Princess.
My favorite little Vegas Hottie has volunteered to come shopping with me.
So far I like:

I'm going to make sure this is truly the best day of our lives.

From the invites to the flowers to the dinner to the honeymoon - this is going to be an event to remember.

A Proud Day

Allow me to gloat a bit, because I'm sooo proud.
When I earned my Masters Degree from Pepperdine University last year, with a 3.97 GPA, while working Full Time, I was very proud.
My sister and her hubby were scheduled to fly out from Cleveland for the ceremony, and I was ELATED.
So, when Ray and I went to pick them up from the airport, and I walked into LAX, I expected to see them.
However, I instead heard a faint voice from behind calling my name. OMG - it was my MOM.
She was not supposed to be there. Evidentaly, instead of my brother-in-law flying out, they decided to fly my Mommy out. It was one of the best surprises of my life.

At the ceremony, I almost broke down twice (crying) in the processional line.
It was one of the proudest days of my life, as I had succeeded in accomplishing one of my life's biggest goals.
So I graduated, and walked the line. The line across the stage. The line into an upper echelon of education. The line, and one step further towards my dream. My dream of attaining my Ph.D. - Of becoming a Doctor.

I will digress a bit here . . . when I was a senior in high school, I decided to major in Psych. Everyone told me that the only way to make good money in the field would be to get my Ph.D. I became determined at that point to make this my Ultimate goal. I remember when I went on the campus visit to Akron U (where I eventually earned my Bachelors Degree), my mom jokingly told my Dad that he would be calling me Dr. one day. We all giggled gleefully at the prospect of it all. . . .

Several years later.....I'm walking the line. I'm one step closer to my goal. I'm running towards my mom, diploma in hand, near tears. Imagining my Dad smiling down on me. Beaming with pride.
Do you ever have those moments in life when you feel true joy? The kind of joy that brings back memories of childhood and Christmas? That day, I felt joy. I felt proud. I felt invincible.

So, in my quest to earn my Ph.D., I am applying to several programs. And, I am required to go back to my professors from my Masters program and solicit recommendations. I was pleasantly surprised by this letter:

January 17, 2007

RE: Letter of Recommendation for Tina Terebeckij

To whom it may concern:

Tina Terebeckij was a student in my Principles and Theories of Learning course (PSY659) at Pepperdine University from January of 2005 to April 14, 2005. She demonstrated exceptionally high levels of commitment to mastering the content of the course. Her class rank was number two out of 20 students.

Tina was a class leader. She worked hand-in-hand with her classmates on group projects, in-class discussions, and in her presentations. Her passion for supporting other people’s growth was clearly and consistently displayed in the time she was my student. When Tina asked me to write a letter on her behalf, I was delighted for the opportunity to support her goals, because I see what is in this talented young woman. She has the emotional and intellectual maturity and academic talent to be successful in a doctoral program of study at your University.

I would be most pleased to personally talk with you in more detail about other qualifications of Tina Terebeckij. Please contact me at....

Sincerely,

Jack L. Housden, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor of Education and Psychology
Pepperdine University, Orange County Learning Center, Irvine, CA

Our Little Donkey and some Psych info (WARNING: non-poker related content)

Here is an updated picture of our puppy, little Smokkee.
I absolutely adore him! He's such a good boy.
Ray laughs at me because I send the puppy to doggy day care a few days a week.
It gets him socialized with other dogs, and he gets lots of exercise!!

I've been busy applying to PhD programs in Clinical Psych.
I'm applying to the University of Las Vegas, the University of North Carolina, Greesnboro, Alliant University in CA, and Argosy University in CA. They all require Transcripts from all 3 schools I've attended, letters of recommendation, a personal statement/essay, a resume, application and fees. Whew - soo much work!! Many of my professors from my Masters Degree program have been very happy to write letters. Ordering transcripts has been painful. My personal essay was difficult to write, but easy to conform to each school's requirements.

They want to know all about your personal struggles, why you will be a good therapist, and what you will base not only your therapy strategy on (theory), but what you plan to research for a possible Dissertation topic. My dissertation must explore a topic that is interesting to others and myself and invokes numerous job opportunities. Attachment theory and morality, for me, have become two key fields of interest and possible dissertation topic areas. I tentatively plan to investigate the development of attachment during childhood, and the establishment of morality, as they relate to the criminal mind. I am interested in interventions during adolescence that will redirect at-risk children to healthier ways of expressing themselves.

So you lose some, and you lose some

The last few weeks of football have been rough.
My Bucks lose, my Chargers lose.
How could 2 teams that are sooo favored, lose so badly?
I don't understand.

I'm not sure which is worse, losing all season, or winning all season and screwing up unexpectedly - in the playoffs, in the Championship game.
You see, my football team breakdown is this: Ohio State Bucks, Cleveland Browns, San Diego Chargers.
I grew up in Cleveland, and remain loyal to my OH teams. I love the Indians, the Browns and the Cavs.
Since I'm a big fan of the football, I put my heart mostly into those teams.
I like baseball, on a nice Sunday afternoon, sitting in the sun, drinkin an ice cold beer.
I'm not a huge fan of basketball, but love watching Lebron.
I do love hockey, and the Bluejackets are awesome. But, I don't get to see them much.
So, I mostly root for my Bucks, and the Chargers, my winning teams.
Plus, Ray and I have Chargers Season tix, and have been going since I moved out to CA 3 years ago. Ray has actually owned the tix for about 7 years. The first year he owned the tix, they went 1-15 with Ryan Leaf. He is truely a loyal fan.
He was so heartbroken on Sunday. It sucks.
My heart was broken, too, but to a lesser degree than when the Bucks f-ed up.
Oh well, what's a girl to do? At least I did not bet on the Chargers. I think I'm giving up betting.
I stress out too much, and can't enjoy the game.

Speaking of enjoying the game, I'm struck with memories of when my sis and I lived back at Ohio State. We lived in several locations around campus - geesh, it seemed like we moved every year, and we did. Anyway, where ever we lived, we always made it down to campus for Bucks home games. We had some friends that lived across the street from the stadium, and charged $20 for parking. We parked for free though. We would walk a half block to the locals' favorite hang out, the Varsity Club, and staked our claim to a place at the bar. There, even though we didn't have tickets to the game, we felt like we were present. The crowd, the cheering, it was vintage good cheer - the kind where everyone is just there to have a good time.

Aaaahhh....the good ole sporting event. It's a place where joy and heartache often collide.

Playoffs BABY!!

Well, it's on to another football game and team.
My San Diego Chargers play thier first playoff game tomorrow, against Waffs team, the Patriots.

Check this out, courtesy of my beloved:



Should be a pretty Sweet game. Hmmmm...I wonder what I should wear.
I'm NOT going to bet. I've determined that it's bad luck.
Plus, I usually go broke. The game is around 1:30 tomorrow. We'll head out around 10:30.
It's about an hour drive south of Laguna, depending on traffic.
We'll take baby Smokkee, too, and stay overnight in a hotel. We may even enjoy an adult beverage or two.

Go Chargers Go!!!!!

Sooo...have not played much poker lately. Have not been into it. Have you ever felt that way?
I feel like "what's the purpose?" I never win anyway. Live games are more fun. Blogger tourneys are more fun. I guess I'll just have Smokk fund my bankroll....

A Story of Heartbreak....

Pregame excitement.... so ready to go
Our whole season wrapped up in a Red Bow.
We set forth to play the game we can't loose.
Our fans filled with pride - we prepare FL's noose.

First play of the game, we run the ball back.
Scoring first, quick and stating that we are no match.
We bask in the glory of true champion's reign.
Our Heisman trophy winner, about to be slain.

I sit here watching in disbelief and strife
As Florida steels a touch down, they plunge in the knife.
We score one more Touch Down and even the game
As I realize today, somehow, we are not destined for fame.

Our Defense did not show up
Our Offense did not block
Our Heisman Trophy Troy got sacked, and we all watched the clock.

I beat up the couch
I cursed all that's sane
As Florida kept scoring, I felt my hopes drain.

I tried to believe my Bucks would come back,
But the screen on the TV proved Florida's attack.

My team, hopes and glory
Were crushed with disdain
The tears in my eyes were welling from pain

I finally realized my Bucks were sure beat
My heart in my throat, I shrunk in defeat.
How this could happen, nobody knows
My Bucks least of all
We went down the less chose.

Game Day is Upon us.

I'm undecided on whether or not to bet...and if so, how much.
It always seems to add to my anxiety about the game.
The last time I checked, Bodog was giving FL 7 1/2.
I'm SURE the Bucks will win, but the last 2 times I bet on them, they did not cover!
And, I'm too young for a heart attack.
May be a game-time decision...

UPDATE:
Okay, Okay, I bet. I put a cool $120 on my boyzzzz.
GO BUCKS!!!!!

now for some girlie stuff....oh and beer

I ordered Smokkee a Beer of the Month club membership for his birthday.
Recent shipments included BAD ELF and SANTA's BUTT:




My new shoes.... they are BCBG Paris. You girls know what I'm talking about...
I decided to treat myself to a post Christmas gift!!

Boise St. vs Oklahoma - Fiesta Bowl 2007

What an Amazing game!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENwDDB0dlRk


Unfortuantely, Smokk and I missed it.
I made him watch a marathon rerun of Beauty and the Geek - oops!

TONIGHT: love_elf invitational west coast funtimes, BABY!!!

Tonight is Wil Wheaton's WWdN: Love_Elf 2nd chance invitational on Stars (10:3opm EST).

Stop by and play if you can.

the WWdN tourney password is: monkey

I busted out Wil Weaton!!

Played in the WWdN last night with some blogger friends.
It was my first time....
So, I must have been struck with beginners luck.
Evidentally, it's Wil Weaton's tourney, and if you bust him out of it, he names the next one after you.
Next weeks tourney will be called "love_elf 2nd chance / west coast funtimes"
SWEEET!

Here's the hand:
PokerStars Game #7623130777: Tournament #38470757, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2006/12/26 - 23:21:50 (ET)
Table '38470757 1' 9-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: Texas7272 (2290 in chips)
Seat 2: FatCat3 (980 in chips)
Seat 3: Astin (970 in chips)
Seat 5: Wil Wheaton (725 in chips)
Seat 7: Julius_Goat (3395 in chips)
Seat 8: rmitz (3635 in chips)
Seat 9: love_elf (1443 in chips)
Astin: posts small blind 50
Wil Wheaton: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to love_elf [6d 6s]
Julius_Goat: folds
rmitz: folds
love_elf: calls 100
Texas7272: folds
FatCat3: folds
Astin: folds
Wil Wheaton: checks
*** FLOP *** [7d 6c 9s]
Wil Wheaton: bets 300
love_elf: raises 324 to 624
Wil Wheaton said, "okay. here we go"
Wil Wheaton: raises 1 to 625 and is all-in
love_elf: calls 1
Texas7272 said, "gl wil"
Wil Wheaton said, "oh ****"
*** TURN *** [7d 6c 9s] [3s]
Julius_Goat said, "gg wil"
*** RIVER *** [7d 6c 9s 3s] [Kc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Wil Wheaton: shows [3c 9c] (two pair, Nines and Threes)
love_elf: shows [6d 6s] (three of a kind, Sixes)
love_elf collected 1500 from pot
Astin said, "gg wil"
love_elf said, "gg"
FatCat3 said, "gg, wil"

OH - AND DID I MENTION THAT I ALSO MADE THE FINAL TABLE???
Notice that Smokk is also there.



Finally, we got down to three:



And this is how I finished:



HOLY Sheet! Not bad for a girl who only plays a few times a week.

Merry Christmas

May everyone's Holiday Season be Safe, Merry and Bright.
Holidays bring time spent with family and friends - load up on the Eggnog! Extra rum!!


My favorite Christmas song

Another classic

Bring on the GATORS baby!!!!

Go Elf Yourself!

This is hysterical:

Love Elf


Merry Christmas!!

More Vegas Pics

Me, Carm and Bobby. This was at the HORSE table again. I spent most of Friday night here. I actually ended up EVEN. Not bad for not knowing half the games.



Al and Weak. I have to tell you - Al is the man! He could outdrink an Irishman.



My girl Poison.



Smokkee (left) and Lucko (right). They are awesome players- I predict a WSOP take down in 2007.



My Bloggah Bud Waffles. Caution - don't believe the rants! He's one of the nicest guys I've met!!!!

Vegas Baby!!

Just some pics for now.
Will write more latah...need sleep...



Me and Carmen. Ok - so this was Saturday during the bloggah tourney. Carm had not slept all night. I spent the day at the spa - massage, jacuzzi, etc. Basically, in de-tox after doing shots with big Al



Me and Weak. Weak was "helping" me play a HORSE table here. Check out this guy's blog for the damage and insanity I caused.



Lucko and Sox. Sorry Lucko!!! I guess I jinxed him by snapping this shot (so he claims). He got knocked out right after. Luck - Smokkee told me to do it!!!



Lucko, Smokkee, Al and the back of Weak's head.



A little blurry, but still cute. Carmen, me and Waffles. At this point in the night (4am??) things were as blurry as this pic.

'Twas the Night Before Vegas

'Twas the night before Vegas, when all through the house
all the creatures were stirring, as I tried on another black blouse
My stockings were hung over the shower curtain with care,
in hopes that tomorrow soon would be there.

The bloggers were sleepless, tossing in bed,
while visions of suck outs danced in their heads.
Cause Smokk is so anxious to stack-a-donk dead,
we pack up our our laptops for the exciting flight ahead.

When out from IM there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to that chat to see what was the matter.

The donk to Waff’s right called his overbet, oh no,
gave the impression of strength, to put on a show,
when, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a Waffle suck out and a double up, my dear!

With a little good fortune, the suck outs will stick,
And all the bloggers in Vegas, lady luck will sure pick
More rapid than eagles, her coursers they came,
and she whistled and shouted and called them by name:

"Now Smokkee! Now Don!
Now, Carmen and Kat!
On, Love Elf! On Iakaris!
On, Lucko, on Ab’s!

To the top of the board!
To the top of the brawl!
Now stack away! Stack away!
Stack away all!"

Cleveland: Thanksgiving, New Baby, Good Friends - OH, and HOW 'BOUT THEM BUCKS!!!!

The week began with a HUGE win over the overrated Michigan Wolverines (those wimps). I bet $100 on the Bucks, but they did not cover, so it was a tad bittersweet. I'm sure MiamiDon feels my pain. Oh well, I'm excited that they crushed our long-time archenemy and proved all the doubters of our Defense wrong (In your face, doubters). We are still THE ONE, baby.





Tuesday, we met the Supermodel Iak and his lovely wife out for dinner at this trendy (yes, there is trendy in Cleveland) restaurant/bar in Cleveland’s Warehouse District. They specialize in European cuisine, and are highly renowned for their steaks. And, they have this really cool decor: beaded walls and ostrich-covered chairs. It was great to see Iak was still among the living, as he had been somewhat MIA recently. I was tickled with glee and amusement listening to the rapid-fire shit-giving exchange between Iak and Smokkee. I chirped in only occasionally, as I was enjoying great conversation and wine with Iak's wifey, Uzma. Iak - you truly have it all: wonderful wife, success and that Colgate Smile! Cheers





This is how Smokkee spent most of the week (I did manage to get him off the computer for Thanksgiving dinner):



I was very fortunate to meet up with my long time (34 years) best friend, Nicole later in the week. We met for dinner at another trendy, Euro-American place where we enjoyed great food (I had the duck...mmmm), wine and about 4 hours of non-stop girl talk. After the restaurant, we headed across the street to a wine bar, for more of the same.

And last, but certainly not least, my wonderful new nephew, Jaiden. Despite the 2-3 hour feedings, the fussiness, and other usual baby unmentionables, he is truly a little angle, a gift from God. I could not wait to hold him, and from the moment I did, I fell in love. I would hold him for as long as I could, usually 2-3 hour stretches, when my sister or b-in-law were not tending to him, and would just stare down at him, beaming with pride and joy. I did manage to play some poker that week. But, when I was holding the baby, it took a low priority back seat. Hence, the Mook that week. Enough said there.






Later at night, when the house was asleep, I could jump on line for some chatter and $6.50 sng's with Smokkee and slb. It was nice to get some real-time coaching. Slb even got me to play some Razz. I sat in with Smokkee, slb and Doubleas and managed to not loose too badly. Slb was an informative and patient, very patient coach. Thanks Steve!!