Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Rakeback, anyone?
RakeBrain.com caught my attention the most. As always they have very good sign-up bonuses and return percentages but they got some pretty cool rake chases this month. For Betfair Poker they got a free roll up for grabs where the top 9 raker's of the month battle for the prize pool, which is their rake total and will probably reach a substantial number as the clock to the deadline winds down. CelebPoker is offering something pretty sweet in my opinion as well. They are hosting a 30,000 Euro prize pool game which different levels of raker's could qualify for and they have until January 15th to do so. Found this pretty cool so hopefully you guys will use this and get some free money from RakeBrain.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Smokkee and Iggy have bounties in this week's Bodonkey
You can download poker for free and play the Bodonkey Tue and Thu nights at 9:05pm ET. T$600 is added to the prize pool every week.

Bodog is also offering prop bets on several poker bloggers. Smokkee is the overall favorite to finish on top of the leaderboard and win the Tournament of Champions December 18th. That should be some trick since he's gonna miss the first hour and blind down while we pick up our luggage from the airport and drive to my Mom's in Charlotte, NC.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thanksgiving Day Donkery
We rushed back from smokkee’s brother’s house after Thanksgiving dinner to play in the Bodonkey.
I haven’t played in a while so I was a bit rusty. I lost a bunch of chips early on with QQ vs. AA. Fortunately, I didn’t go broke with it and was able to stick around a while. After limping too much and hanging around pots I had no business being in, I found myself with about 700 chips.
I then looked down at AK.
Love_elf’s poker tip of the day: don’t min-raise AK in a blogger game then shove on a low flop into another player’s set of 2’s.
I don’t get to play that much and even though I was unlucky a couple of times, I still had a fun time.
Smokkee won $100+T$109 for 1st and sits atop the leaderboard after 10 tournaments in the Bodog Blogger Series II.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Bounty on Waffles tonight!
9:05pm ET: Bodonkey II
Buy-in: $10 + $1
2500 Starting Chips / 15 min blind levels
Prize Pool will be distributed as per Bodog's standard multi-table payout table.
BONUS PRIZES:
1st place: T$109 ($100K Buy-in) + $25 Casino Credit
2nd place: T$75
3rd place: T$50
3 bubble players: T$11 (entry refunded)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Knock out Evelyn Ng tomorrow (Thu 11/13) and get T$109
There will be a bounty on her head for T$109 to play in Bodog's $100K Guaranteed Tournament occurring each Sunday at 4 PM. If Evelyn wins this tournament, the T$109 credit to play in Bodog's $100K Guaranteed Tournament will go to the poker blogger that places 1st runner up.

This blogger tournament series is open to poker bloggers worldwide and runs on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 9:05 PM ET.
More details are available at the official blogger series site at http://www.bodogbloggertournament.com/
Learn more about Professional Poker Player Evelyn Ng at http://poker.bodoglife.com/team-bodog/evelyn-ng.html
Just what is Bodog's 100K Guaranteed Tournament? With one of the biggest overlays in the industry, the value of this tournament is literally unbeatable!
Find out more at http://poker.bodoglife.com/tournaments/100k-guaranteed-tournament.html
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Today, I rest.
Anyway, I went back to bed after this and slept until noon.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Stories of an Intern...part I
This is just one person’s story I’ve heard since starting this internship 2 months ago.
Another client was molested by her sister when she was 7 years old. This continued for over ten years. She was beaten by her older sister too. As adults now, they are estranged.
But the younger sister decided to invite her older sis over to spend the night with her kids. They both have kids now, and her intention was for the cousins to have a play date/sleep over. The two sisters ended up in the same bed. Normally, this is fine. This is what sisters do. However, in this case, it was not fine. The older sister, now in her late 30s, tried to molest her younger sister again. Can you believe that? The worst part of the story is that the older sister has children….
A client of one of my professors comes to therapy with a severe history of sexual and physical abuse. She was molested by her brother beginning at age 9. This went on for about ten years. At one point, she got pregnant from her brother and had a miscarriage. Her mother died when she was about 5 years old. Her father remarried shortly after and the new wife beat this little girl senseless. She still has scares on her face from the beatings. She eventually left the home and got married to a man that was abusive in every way. One night she left him and went to her father’s home, 2 kids in tow, bloodied and battered. Her father turned her away saying “you made your bed now lie in it.”
Pretty heavy stuff. I always knew this stuff existed. But have never been faced with it live and in person. Hearing the stories of the beaten, the battered, the depressed and the lonely certainly has an effect on a person. It’s just so sad what human beings do to each other. I’m not surprised by anything anymore. Well, not much. I know I haven’t heard it all. Every day brings new stories and new discoveries. As I travel this journey, I learn the most about myself. What I can handle, what I can’t, and what I won’t even consider working with. I’m learning how to help people cope, how to communicate with them in a way that no one has ever communicated to them in the past. It can be life changing. It’s all very fascinating really. How people survive. Sometimes, when someone is bitching to me about something stupid, I just look at them and think “it could be so much worse.” The things that people go through. It really gives me a perspective about my own life. I feel so lucky. Yes, I’m exhausted and frustrated at times, but that’s nothing. Nothing at all.
Friday, November 07, 2008
To Vegas or not to Vegas?
On the one hand, I will have just finished this semester in school and would really love a visit to the spa, doing some shopping, ect. (hopefully no more "shoe incidents" like last time).
But on the other hand, If we go, I'll want to stay someplace nice and Ray will play poker, and we'll want to fly of course....eventually costing us several hundred dollars.
So, we're undecided. Who's all going from blogger land?
I've been pretty out of the blogger loop lately and would love to see everyone!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
BoDonkey is Back!

Friday, October 24, 2008
How to Get Started In Online Poker
The Switch -- Live Play to Online Texas Hold'em
Switching from live play to online Texas hold'em is extremely easy in practical terms. You will no longer have to worry about keeping play-dates with friends or finding enough people to play poker at any given time, as there are Texas hold'em hands running 24/7 online.
There is no longer a need to leave your home in order to play or a need to spend money on the venture. Tactically your arsenal has changed, as you will no longer be face to face with the opposition, thus reading their physical tells is not an option and you no longer have to maintain your "poker face" in play.
Instead of physical tells, you will be utilizing data collection on your opponents and paying attention to the speed and frequency with which they bet. There are also many software programs available that calculate poker odds and can assist your decision making process.
Texas Hold'em as a New Experience
If you have no experience in playing Texas hold'em, or poker in general, it is a good idea to prepare yourself ahead of time by learning the rules and basic strategies involved in Texas hold'em. The first piece of advice that you might hear repeatedly is to carefully select the hands you choose to play. Playing too many hands is the most recurring newcomer mistake in Texas hold'em.
Visiting large poker sites with free-play tables or "freerolls" is the best way to get started. Additionally, asking experienced players for advice is a good move to make.
Stepping Up the Game
The odds are against your doing well in your very first game of online Texas hold'em, but don't get discouraged. It could take some time for you to learn and or adjust to online Texas hold'em, but you will improve with time and experience. In fact, the only real way to improve is to continue playing.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Midterms.....uuuuuuuuuggggg
Since when did midterms span several weeks?
And, most of them have a "Part 1" and a "Part 2". sick.
Example:
Law and Ethics -
Part 1: in class midterm - 10 essay questions
Part 2: presentation on an ethical dilemma
Psychoanalytic Theory and Therapy:
Part 1: Take home midterm - 10 pages (bs)
Part 2: Take home midterm - a million pages (more bs)
Then, I have a 20 page paper due tomorrow, a psychological report due ASAP and 3 more clients I have set appointments with. Feel my pain?
Friday, October 10, 2008
Fantasy Football and Depression (an unintentional combo)
But, I still have a way to go! I think I'm in like 22nd place or something - pretty sad compared to last year.
By the way, today is National Depression Screening day. We are holding screenings at ICC, the center where I intern. The screening consists of a questionnaire that actually addresses depression, anxiety, mood disorder and PTSD. The depression section asks you to rate (all of the time, most of the time, some of the time or none of the time) how you've been feeling over the past two weeks on the following:
Have you...
1. been feeling low in energy, slowed down?
2. been blaming yourself for things?
3. had poor appetite?
4. had difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep?
5. been feeling hopeless about the future?
6. been feeling blue?
7. been feeling no interest in things?
8. had feelings of worthlessness?
9. thought about or wanted to commit suicide?
10. had difficulty concentrating or making decisions?
If anyone out there thinks they might be suffering from depression and would like to talk, I'm here. Please don't hesitate to contact me.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
My birthday

Thursday, September 25, 2008
Ut Oh.......could Lady Fate be any more generous?
Monday, September 15, 2008
Bad football weekend
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Can they do it?
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Can we talk??? It's only the game of the year!
It was a good day though. We saw our "homies" - our other season ticket holder friends. Does anyone out there have season tix to anything? Isn't it great the comradery you build between your fellow fans?
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Help Save Andy!

Coastal exists solely because of your tax deductible donations, which support our efforts to save these very deserving animals. Please donate today and help us save German Shepherds.
Fundraising target:
$3,500
Total raised so far:
$2,100.00
Special Funds Needed! Often, the decision to save a dog's life is determined by our ability to pay their medical bills, which is very disheartening.We have not been able to assist as many medical cases as our hearts have wanted to over the past couple of months due to a depleted medical fund.
We rescued Andy on his very last day, not knowing that he was very sick.
Our Boy Andy Has Pnuemonia!
Andy was rescued from a high-kill animal shelter on Friday and was quickly diagnosed with severe pneumonia. He is receiving oxygen treatments, IV antibiotics and fluids. He is initially responding, so we are very hopeful. However, we have already incurred bills of over $3000 for the first couple of days. Please help us in any way you can!
Please make a donation to help Andy!
Andy is fighting for his life!
Can you please help?
Sunday, August 31, 2008
It's Hell getting old
The working out thing is new too. I have not worked out for about two years so have put on some weight living the good life: lots of food, lots of booze. So, I cut out the booze (mostly), started eating better and have been working out for the last several weeks. Last Wednesday I hurt myself while working out to Billy Blank's Advanced Taebo DVD. I pulled a muscle or something in my back. It's hell getting old....
I go to a chiropractor on a regular basis since I have a bad back anyway and had my regular standing appointment Saturday at 11:30am. Brainchild that I am, I also made an appointment to have my hair cut and colored - at 8:30am - the same morning. The problem? Ray and I stayed up until 2:30am Friday night. So, I only got about 4 hours of sleep before the alarm went off and I had to get up for all this shit. When I was younger, this would not have been a problem. But now I find it hard to function with this little sleep. It's hell getting old.....
Needless to say, my fuse was pretty short due to sleep deprivation.
So I drag myself up (back still aching), take the dog out, jump in the shower and head out the door....at 7:30am....uggggg. The salon I go to is in Newport Beach, which is about 20 miles away. On a good day it takes 30 minutes to get there, on a bad day an hour. With this being a holiday weekend I decided to play it safe and left an hour early. I did not want to get there late. My hairdresser is sooo awesome at what she does and I did not want to piss her off by causing her to be behind schedule. I usually take Pacific Coast Highway to get there, and it can get pretty jammed up around downtown Laguna Beach (tourists.....ick).
On my way there, I decided to see what was on the radio. One of my biggest complaints about living here is that all the radio stations Suck! I'm more of a hip hop or hard rock kinda girl and they have stations that play that stuff, sure, but it's like this: play one good song, then two crappy songs, then fifteen commercials, then talk about stupid shit, then maybe play another good song. It's frustrating! Well, the usual happened, and I got one good song then had to search for something else. God! Nothing else was on, so I played my Jimmy Buffet's greatest hits tape (yes, tape). This calms me down.
Then comes the Prias parade. Have you guys seen these cars? They are EVERYWHERE here in Cali. Not only are they ugly, but the drivers suck. They may be worse than minivan drivers. And, you can't hear them. You literally could be standing somewhere, and one of these things pulls up beside you and you wouldn't know it! I get behind one of these things, and it's going like 30 in a 40 zone and there is a stupid bus in the other lane. I exhale loudly, roll my eyes and drive probably too close to his bumper. Eventually I get around him. But there are others - all I swear just trying to piss me off!
I finally get through Laguna into a more highway type area and THEN come the bicyclers! God! Now these people are everywhere, too, in Cali. They have bike lanes - even in areas that are 55 mph! And these people usually ride in packs. And, they all have their gay-ass spandex uniforms and pointy helmets on. They show complete disregard for staying in the bike lane, and I am actually very surprised that I don't hear more on the news about bicyclers getting killed by cars. So, I have to swerve (a few times) just to get around these stupid bicyclers.
I get to the salon thirty minutes early and take a 15 minute speed nap in my car. Lindsay, my stylist, does her thing and I'm out of there in about two hours, feeling more refreshed (after several cups of coffee, a shampoo, cut and color). Then I head back the way I came. Traffic was much better this time and there were no annoying bikers. In fact, I had extra time to stop at CVS and pick up some school supplies before heading to my chiropractor appointment.
I get there and the first half hour is electrodes and ultrasound. Then comes the good part - a 30-minute massage! This is really why I continue to go so often. I mean, I do have a bad back, but with a $45 co-pay every time I go, plus a tip for the masseuse, it can get pricey if I go a few times a month. But, I chalk it up to something I do for myself, and only go once a month now. After the appointment, my back feels worse. So I limp out of the office, crawl into my car and head home. In the meantime, I notice that I have a voice message on my phone. It's my sis calling from the OSU stadium where she is watching the Buckeyes kill the fierce Youngstown State Penguins. I had forgotten about the game - oops - and by the time I got home from my morning extravaganza, the game was over. The Bucks won 43-0. Oh well. I'll catch the next one.
So I get home feeling worse and try to take a quick nap (2nd one of the day). This lasts about 30 minutes before Ray gets home and wants to go out for lunch. Great. We head over to this micro brew place called Stadium Brewery and split a pitcher of blueberry beer and get some food. After this, we run some errands and head back home. It's like 4:30 now, and I'm hurting from the lack of sleep and the intense back pain. So, I take another, yes another, nap. The third one of the day. This one, however, lasts 3 hours and I finally wake up at 7:30pm refreshed and ready to start my day...
Damn it's hell getting old.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Dear Poker, I'm just not that into you.
This did nothing to rekindle the romance.
In fact, I swore I would never ever play again. I could have bought a pair of shoes. Well, not really, but that's how I think of poker in general: I would rather buy something I can keep because I know I don't play enough to really improve my game. I don't have the time. I honestly don't have the patience. And, I don't really care to. You all know my interests lie elsewhere.
So, for a while I just did not even want to blog. My so-called "poker" blog was not a poker blog anymore because there was not a lot of poker content. I got lazy and my posts became a regurgitation of facts and stories straight out of cnn.com. I was completely unmotivated to a. play poker and b. blog. I didn't have anything to blog about. Every time I sat down to draft a post, I couldn't think of anything. I didn't want to whine about my schedule or school or how sleepy I was going to be this Fall. I didn't want to blog about poker. And I certainly didn't want to post any more cnn articles. So, I just didn't post anything at all.
While talking to Ray about this, I actually decided that I wanted to abandon the whole blogging thing and give up. He reminded me that I don't have to say the right things all the time and that I don't have to deliver something full of sage wisdom. A blog can just be a journal of sorts. "Write about anything funny or stupid that happened that day", he said. And all the pressure I had put on myself to write something smart or meaningful started to subside.
So rather than trying to be smart or funny, I'm just going to be me. Which, by the way, is hopefully a little smart and a lot funny. I'll try to write more about every day experiences and my journey to become the person I've always wanted to be. This, perhaps speckled with some sage wisdom will be the "new" blog content. And, if I do play some poker along the way, I will certainly include that too.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Murder Trial, part II
The defendant is raging at this point, but his two friends manage to push him back to an area of the parking lot where their other car was. Midway there, the defendant yells out "fucking white people". This infuriates the man in the other group, who throws off his shirt and runs back to the bar to get his friend (the victim). The victim runs out of the bar, also rips off his shirt, and they head over to the car. One guy kicks the car, putting a large dent in it. The defendant gets out of the car, and a fistfight ensues.
Things get a little "fuzzy" at this point, as we heard testimony from several witnesses that contradicts where each person was located. One version says that the defendant and the victim were fighting on the ground. The defendant was on top of the victim and they were both punching each other. The other two white men were also fighting on the ground. The Korean man (friend of the defendant) pulls the defendant off the victim and that fight stops briefly. The defendant sees his friend fighting with the other man, and takes out his knife. He yells "I have a knife", intending to stop the other fight. It works for a moment and he puts the knife away. But, then the girl runs by and tags his friend (defendant's white friend) three times in the head as he is getting off the other guy.
This starts the fighting again, and the Korean man again tries to pull the defendant out of the fighting. The defendant breaks away from him, and runs to another area of the parking lot, towards the other men. He again pulls out his knife. Then, the girl runs by him, hitting him in the head once. He calls her a "f-ing bitch". Her boyfriend, the victim, charges towards him, swinging. The defendant throws what looks like three "round-house" punches. The bouncer of the establishment is close by and yells out "you've been stabbed!". The victim looks down, seeing the stab wounds and says "you f-in stabbed me???" He attempts to walk away, making it only about 20 feet and then collapses. His girlfriend, friend and the bouncer rush over to him, trying to revive him. The friend of the defendant had called 911 moments earlier, but help arrives too late.
After the stabbing, the defendant folded his knife and tried to throw it on the roof of a nearby building. It slid down, falling to the ground, where it stayed until the authorities arrived.
This happened in May of 2007. The victim was 26 at the time, and the defendant was 23; he has been in jail since the incident. The girl was convicted of 2 counts of assault, and is currently serving time in jail, now pregnant with another man's child.
The jury deliberated for two days. We found the defendant guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter. The sentencing is Sept. 26th.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Murder Trial, part I
The stabbing murder of Mr. J took place last year during the early morning hours of May 8th, 2007. Two groups of three people, one group of 3 men, and the other group of 2 men and 1 woman, were playing pool at a local pool hall. The first group of 3 men included the defendant, Mr. C, and his two best friends, Mr. P and Mr. Y. Mr. Y. is a large Korean man, and he drank water all night. The second man, Mr. P, is a Caucasian man, who drank one alcoholic beverage at the beginning of the night. The defendant, Mr. C, had between 6 and 8 rum and cokes.
The other group consisted of the Victim, Mr. J, his girlfriend, Miss. L, and their friend, Mr. D. They consumed several drinks throughout the night, including several shots of red-headed slut, several Red Bull and Vodkas, and two pitchers of beer. There were no problems between the two groups while inside the bar that night. After last call, around 12:30am the groups started heading out of the bar. Mr. P headed out first, followed shortly after Mr. C and Mr. Y. They continued to chit-chat outside the bar, and two of the men smoked cigarettes. They were standing by Mr. Y’s car, which was parked just to the right of the door, next to an exit ramp.
Next, Mr. D and Miss L exit. She is riding piggy-back on him, and they are spinning round and round. They then bump into Mr. P accidentally. She dismounts, and they apologize to Mr. P. Now, Mr. P has a pool stick in his right hand. It has been broken down into two pieces, folded and is down at his right side. For some reason, Mr. D notices the pool stick, and says something like “What are you going to do with that pool cue?” Mr. P does not reply. Instead, the defendant, Mr. C responds “P is not doing anything with the pool stick”. The attention of Mr. D and Miss L turns towards the defendant. Mr. D tells Mr. C “fuck you”.
To be continued....
Tao poker
I played in Dr. Pauly's tourney tonight and donked out 400-something.
QQ vs. KK......oops!
Ray just shook his head.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Coconut Shrimp Recipe
Coconut Shrimp with Orange Marmalade
2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
2 cups bread crumbs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, beaten
24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Vegetable oil, for frying
Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1 to 2 tablespoons dark rum
In a large bowl, combine coconut and bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper. Place flour, eggs, and bread crumb mixture into 3 separate bowls. Dredge the shrimp in flour and shake off excess. Next, dip the shrimp thoroughly in the egg and rub against the side of the bowl to lightly remove excess. Finally, coat the shrimp thoroughly with the bread crumb mixture. Lay out the shrimp so they do not touch on a parchment-lined baking sheet or platter until ready to fry. In a large Dutch oven, heat several inches of oil to 350 degrees F. Fry the shrimp in batches until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Be careful not to overcrowd shrimp in the oil while frying. Drain on paper towels.
For the Dipping Sauce: heat the marmalade in a small saucepan over low heat. Thin with rum as desired.
Friday, July 25, 2008
The Last Lecture
Pausch, 47, a computer science professor, delivered the lecture, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," at Carnegie Mellon in September 2007, a month after being told he had three to six months to live because his cancer had returned.
The lanky, energetic Pausch talked about goals he had accomplished, like experiencing zero gravity and creating Disney attractions, and those he had not, including becoming a professional football player.
He used rejections he was handed when he applied for jobs at Disney to comment on the importance of persistence.
"The brick walls are there for a reason ... to show us how badly we want something," he said. "Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They're there to stop the other people."
Thursday, July 24, 2008
On Jury Duty
It's a murder trial.
Can't say anything about it now, but will let you know what's up latah.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Ray's Birthday
I took him out to a nice dinner on Saturday at the Salt Creek Grill in Dana Point.
Sunday we went on Ray's brother's boat for some ocean fishing.
We both got a few nibbles, but weren't able to pull anything up.
As part of Ray's birthday gifts, I got him a new fishing poll. He was so excited!!
And, we got a tutorial on how to tie knots from the guy at SportMart.
Good times.
I got a little sick on the boat, but was able to keep my lunch down. Whew!
Tomorrow I have a special little surprise for Ray.....
Next Saturday we are hosting an OCPT home game.
It's a standard $20+Rebuy special event structure.
Cards are in the air at 6PM.
Look here for info on the record breaking attendance and prize pool the last time we hosted an event.
I'm in charge of the food again.
This time, I think I will make the meatballs I made last time, a sweet and sour keilbasa dish, maybe a pasta, and perhaps some pizza bagels. Plus the regular stuff like chips and a cheese plate with crackers. If anyone knows of any other quick and easy appetizers, lemme know. I'm alway game to try something new!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Practicum
I'll be working at the Intercommunity Counseling Center, in Whittier, doing Psychological testing. I'll basically be doing cognitive testing, which determines IQ, information processing speed, abstract reasoning, etc, maybe some learning disability testing, including ADHD and reading/math problems.
I'll also be doing personality testing with the MMPI, the PAI and the Rorschach.
These tests tell us more about how the individual performs on an intimate level - personality type, tendencies; potentially why people do what they do.
Weeeeeeeeeeeee.....grades
I got an A from Dr. A-(and I didn't even have to wear The Hoochie Shirt)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Weeeeeeeeeeeee!!
Well, not sure it's fun. But it's a lot of hard work. And it feels goooood.
Lana - to answer your previous question, yes, I would post if I got a B or C.
If I get anything lower, I'm O-U-T of the program.
Let's just hope I have the strength and will to work my ass off to get more A's.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Prayers, please
But for now, our brother needs us.
If you are the praying kind, please include them in your prayers.
If not, please keep them in your thoughts.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Vegas Day 2

I also jumped into the jacuzzi for a while. It was very hot and bubbly. I was the only one there (good thing, cause I forgot my suit). After my morning of relaxation, I headed back up to the room to meet my hubby. He was happily blogging and playing on line cash games.Before catching a cab to the Caesars, I wanted to return those horrible shoes I bought the night before. Luckily, we spotted the same store, Shooz, at the Paris. We went in and I explained that I had bought these shoes the night before at the Venetian, I hardly wore them, and they are painfully uncomfortable. The snobby sales girl raised her eyebrow at me, as if to say, "ya, you probably wore these out partying last night, and can't afford them, so want to return them." (she and I hit it off immediately, as I called her Bio-tch several times in my head). She called her manager over and she looked at the bottom of the shoes, shaking her head and smirking, she said "Oh, these have been worn. We can only give you an in-store credit. And, Oh, since they've been worn, we'll have to adjust the price down". BITCH! Anyway, I looked around the store and found this really cute Guess handbag. But, it had a little scratch on the front. I asked the first girl if she had another one in the back, and without checking, she said, "no, I'm sorry, we don't". She did ofter to try and "clean" the scratch off. This only made it worse. I asked her if she "could adjust the price down" because of the scratch, and she said "no, because someone else might want to buy it." BITCH! At this point I'm in tears, frustrated about being treated this way, and sick because I spent the money foolishly the night before. I basically decided to keep the original shoes and left that store. I will never buy from them again.
After this great experience, Ray and I went for lunch. He had promised me that we would have sushi this weekend, and we did. We ended up at Ichiban @ Bally's. We had a great little waitress! I ordered a glass of plum wine, and when she brought it, it actually had a small, unripened plum in it. It kinda looked like a brain, and made me laugh, dissolving the tension and frustration from that stupid shoe store - aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh back to my Zen place.
We took a quick little detour to the Rio to meet up with Pauly, Cali Jen and to check on F-Train. Pauly was awesome, as usual, and was on his way out to a concert. Before he left, he introduced us to Cali Jen. She and Ray talked business for a second, then Ray and Pauly chatted. Jen and I joked about poker, the players, getting into the Main Event, etc., girl-talking until Ray was ready to go. We said our good-byes and headed out.
We went over to Caesars from there to see how everyone was doing in the noon $340 Megastack tournament. We got there around 5:30pm to find out only Astin and Weak_Player were still alive riding short stacks. Ray played cash games, and I continued my "luxuriation" and went shopping. I ended up at the best little lingerie shop in the world. Yes, I made a purchase. Ray was in heaven. This is one purchase I will not be returning. We headed back to our room @ the Paris...
When we got there, we discovered a cold bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries that were delivered seemingly several hours prior. The ice was almost completely melted but the bottle was still cold. I immediately told Ray that it was probably from Naida at Bodog. But, since there was no card or note I got on the phone to room service to identify the culprit. Evidentally, they had no record of the delivery, and therefore no name. They said to "enjoy" the mix-up (this was no cheap bottle of champagne, by the way).
Since we were dead tired, we decided to save it for the morning and have mimosas with breakfast in the room. However, I couldn't resist the urge to take in one of the strawberries. It put a BIG smile on my face and sent me happily off to dreamland.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Vegas Trip Report - Day 1
Once that was over, Ray and I headed to the airport. The flight was over in the blink of an eye and we were in Vegas. We got to our hotel quickly as well (the room was awesome and we got a view of the strip and the Bellagio fountains!), unpacked and freshened up, then headed to the Venetian, as planned. As soon as we walked up to the poker room we ran into Bayne, CK, LJ and VinNay. Later, Cmitch stopped to chat. I made Bayne promise to come find me if he hit the craps tables up again - I wanted to check out his method of play. Ray and I have been playing on the Bodog online Casino recently and I wanted to compare notes with Bayne. But, I never saw Bayne again.....
Here's a view from our room:
"The Shoes":
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Tomorrow! tomorrow!
Incest dungeon teen wants to see ocean
(CNN) -- The 19-year-old woman whose hospitalization exposed a shocking Austrian incest case is recovering well and wants to see the ocean and a pop concert, her doctors and a family lawyer said Wednesday.
Dr. Albert Reiter, who treated Kerstin, is confident Kerstin will make a full recovery in time.
She and other children who were held captive for years are slowly adapting to modern life, they said. Kerstin Fritzl, whom doctors placed in an artificial coma after she was admitted to a hospital in April for multiple organ failure, is now well enough to speak, stand and walk with assistance, her doctors said. Doctors said that "little novelties" such as seeing a cloud go by are now big events for the former captives.
Kerstin has said she wants to see the ocean and go to a concert by British singer Robbie Williams, said Dr. Berhold Kepplinger, director of the clinic where the family is living. He described how excited Kerstin was to hear Robbie Williams songs in her hospital room and said she was moving around to the music so much that doctors had to quiet her down.
The two parts of her family -- those who were locked in a basement, like Kerstin, and those who lived above ground, apparently unaware of the abuse of their mother and siblings -- are getting to know each other again, the doctors and the family's lawyer said.
"Kerstin is the oldest daughter of an incestuous relationship between Elisabeth, 43, and Elisabeth's father, Josef Fritzl, 73, according to police. He is awaiting trial. Police say he confessed to holding Elisabeth captive since 1984 and raping her repeatedly, fathering seven children with her. Six of the children survived.
Kerstin and two of her brothers, ages 18 and 5, had spent their entire lives trapped in the cellar with their mother, never seeing daylight. A television was their only contact with the outside world.The other three children Josef Fritzl fathered with Elisabeth were taken as infants to live above ground with Fritzl and his wife, who says she had no idea her daughter was being held captive.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
BoDonkey TOC tonight!!
TOC Qualifiers listed 1st-18th:Monday, June 09, 2008
Vegas in 4
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Thus ended one of the most horrible crimes ever committed against a single victim
Ray and I watched this movie last night.It's a story about two girls who are in a car accident that not only claims the lives of their parents, but maims one of the girls. They are placed in the "care" of their Aunt Ruth after the accident.
It contains instances of shockingly violent and sadistic child abuse. The worst part is, it's based on true events.
This story haunts me - Child abuse is such a disturbing issue for me - especially at this level.
There is no reason, no excuse, no explanation for this other than it happened at the hands of a sick, psychotic, f-ed up bitch of a woman who has no soul and who now rots in Hell.
Here's the summary:
Inspired by true events, this thriller set in 1958 follows the harrowing story of two adolescent girls (Blythe Auffarth, Madeline Taylor), who upon losing their parents in an accident are sent to live with their Aunt Ruth (Blanche Baker), a sadistic psychopath. Unbeknownst to the residents of the small New Jersey suburb, the girls endure unthinkable punishment at the hands of their aunt and three cousins.
Some information about the real story of The Torturing Death of Sylvia Marie Likens:
On October 26, 1965, Indianapolis police answered a call saying that a girl had died. The call came from a pay telephone in front of a Shell station in a poor section of the city. The caller was a teenaged boy whose voice had not finished changing into that of an adult man. He sounded very nervous and directed the police to the address, 3850 East New York Street, at which they would find the dead female.
When the cops got to the dingy, rundown, clapboard home to which the anonymous caller had directed them, they found the emaciated dead body of 16-year-old Sylvia Marie Likens. She was covered with bruises and small wounds, later revealed to be cigarette and match burns that numbered over 100. There were also large areas where the outer layer of skin had peeled off. Likens also had a large letter "3" branded on her chest. However, the most remarkable injuries, by far, were the words in block letters that had been burned directly onto her stomach: "I'M A PROSTITUTE AND PROUD OF IT!"
Thus ended one of the most horrible crimes ever committed against a single victim.
Sleeping dogs

Thursday, June 05, 2008
P.S. I Love You - Trailer
Ray and I saw this a few weeks ago.
I loved it, and so did he.
So, it's not just some chick flick!
Anyway, it has a really deep message and hits home personally. Highly Recommended!
Holly Kennedy (Hilary Swank), a young widow living in Dublin, has just lost her beloved husband Gerry (Gerard Butler) to a brain tumor. Inconsolable, Holly finds that Gerry left for her a series of letters to help cope with the grief. As months pass, Holly discovers new messages from Gerry encouraging her to go on living. And while Holly's friends fear the letters will mire her in the past, they, in fact, give her strength for the future
GREAT Winery!

I LOVE this vineyard! I visited their tasting room when Ray and I were in Santa Barbara for my birthday a year and a half ago. I joined their wine club then, and have loved every single wine I have gotten from them. And, its all organic. I highly recommend it!!
A blurb from their web page:
Congrats to Smokkee!!
Monday, June 02, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Biggest Bounty Ever - I gotta play this!
That's right, Bodog is adding an extra T$270 in value to Tuesday's June 3rd World Series of Poker qualifier tournament!
The lucky poker blogger to eliminate $mokkee will be rewarded with a seat in Bodog's WSOP* Semifinal 5 Seat Guaranteed Tournament to be held on June 8 at 3:15 pm ET.

Details at World Series of Poker qualifier tournament.
If you are new to Bodog, please sign up at http://poker.bodoglife.com/
Thursday, May 29, 2008
New blog
We head to Las-Vegahhhhsss in a few weeks! It will be fun to see those of you who will be there and finally have some down time. Was with the family this past week in Charlotte, and that was very fun! But, I was on babysitting duty much of the time! I don't mind this, but, it included all the unpleasant things that an adoring Aunt should not have to face: dirty diapers. Whatever happened to spoiling them and sending them home? Uggg.....
I joke. I love my little nephew Jaiden, and he was TONS of fun! It's amazing how fast they grow up! He is so cute and funny to watch! What a sponge of information! He giggles at the faces I make, and then tries to imitate them. He was picking up these tickets for a fish fry (church thing), and stuffing them under his chin and walking around! THEN, he grabbed my sunglasses and put them around his waist! OMG - toooooo funny!!
More pics and trip updates later!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Vegas, Ode to Mom, Misc...

That, and a few others. I'm really excited to have some time off to relax and play some live poker. I'm really, REALLY looking forward to my massage and spa time at the Paris!!
My sis and I have been busy planning my mom's surprise 60th birthday party. Ray and I are flying out to Charlotte next week. My sis and I have arranged to have a chef and a meat carving station, with fillet Mignon and turkey, green beans almondine and cheesy potatoes, salad, appetizers, etc. A friend is making the cake and her mom is bringing a chocolate fountain and all the delicacies. I can't believe my mom is turning 60. I'm filled with mixed emotions: where did the time go? how can I hold on to her? I lost my dad when he was 47 - how long can I keep her here with me?
I love my mom. She means EVERYTHING to me. She and my sis have been my major support system forever. I honor my mother this year that she turns 60. Raise your glasses, brother and sister bloggers. Toast to my mom: the most loving, caring, supportive, strong woman I know.
20 things I love about my mom:
- She loves me unconditionally
- she provides me with never-ending support
- she is there for me every day, any hour
- she is wise
- her hugs make every bad thing melt away
- her warm smile comforts me
- she gives me spiritual guidance
- she is patient
- she has taught me how to forgive
- she is strong, and gives me strength
- she says “I love you” every time we talk
- she stands up for what she thinks is right
- she is kind, and gentle
- and she makes sure I’m Well fed
- she is a giver
- she makes a breakfast quiche every time I visit
- she never complains about anything
- her home is always open
- she gives everything for those she loves
- she is the kind of person I aspire to be
How 'bout you? What do YOU love about your mom? I want all bloggers who visit my site to post 10 things you LOVE about your mom.
On a side note, I got my grades: A, A, A-, A-
WHAT is up with the A-s? They are from the same prof. I just can't get rid of that minus minus minus...ugggggg. I'm taking only one class this summer: integrative assessment. And, it's with Dr. A-.
I'm gonna do my best to get that A.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Vegas Date Change
I guess there are some better tourneys he wants to play.
It actually works out, because we are going to Charlotte Memorial Day weekend, and would then head to Vegas the following weekend.
This gives us an extra weekend to regroup.
So, we have changed our hotel reservations to the 2nd weekend in June.
We are still staying at the Paris though!! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
We are flying this time, too, instead of driving.
We arrive Friday around 3pm and leave Monday around noon.
I have class Monday at 6pm - uggggggg
So far, this is who I show going and when:
June 5th - 9th
Falstaff
Columbo
Mondogarage
Easycure
Zeem
Mattazuma
June 12th - 15th
Hoyazo
LJ
Smokkee
LoveElf
BamBam
Astin
VinNay
Cmitch
PirateLaywer
Others I know are NOT going this Summer:
BrainMC
Fuel
PokerPeaker
BuddyDank
Lucko, Al, Kat, Tragedy, Waffles, ScottMc - When are you going??? Are you going?
Anyone else?
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Odds on Smokkee
WSOP blogger odds:
Shane 'Shaniac' Schleger 9/2
Paul 'DrPauly' McGuire 16/1
Justin Bonomo 3/1
Andrew 'Good2cu' Robl 15/2
Daniel Negreanu 5/2
Thomas 'Goodnightmoon' Fuller 10/1
Brian 'sbrugby' Townsend 9/2
Taylor 'Green Plastic' Caby 15/2
Eric 'Rizen' Lynch 9/2
Ray 'smokkee' Gallardo 60/1
That's my baby!! I'm so proud.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Who the hell is going to Vegas and when?
We have been planning to go the 1st week of June.
I wanna know - who's going and when?
Is there a list somewhere that I don't know about?
Please let me know.
I want to see as many of you as possible!
It's always such a fun time to get together and have a few drinks and chat.
So let us know.
On a side note, I've been playing the 'donkey on Tuesdays and LOVE it!!
I think I'm playing better than ever.
Some even accuse Smokkee of using my account!
While this is totally untrue, I'm not sure it's compliment. LOL
But, I'm playing more risky and aggressive than ever before.
It feels good. I'm having fun with poker again.
After a LONG hiatus from the game, I'm able to start to have feelings for her again.
I MAY even play some live games in Vegas again this summer.
Watch out CC and Mean Happy Guy!! I'm comin to getcha Falstaff and Bayne!!
Mixed games are MINE!!






mmmmmmmm.....lovely.