When I first started reading Red Hood and the Outlaws I couldn't get into it very much, but after a few issues I started to enjoy the story and the direction of it.
Red Hood is Jason Todd, a former Robin to Batman.
Red Hood was duped by the Joker and then murdered only to be brought back to life by Talia Al'Gul or whatever her name is.
Red Hood fights along side Arsenal and Starfire
I won't go into too much detail because 1)I don't really care too and 2) you don't really care to read it.
That cuts out a few words heh!
In the grand scheme of the Bats books this is not one of my favorites, I won't buy it in issue or trade form, I just don't have the interest. I'll probably continue to read it over time in torrent form because it is entertaining, though it's no where near as good as some of the others.
I put it in a similar vein as Batwing - It's good but there is just something missing to make it great.
Maybe it's the art which is definitely not on par with some of the others that I have been reading lately like Catwoman or Batgirl. Who knows.
My current Ranking for the Bats Books:
1- Detective Comics
2 - Batman
3 - Bat Girl, Catwoman, Nightwing (depends on my mood as to how these get ranked probably).
4 - Red Hood, Batwing
I still have a few issues to go to finish off Red Hood for now and then I have to jump into Suicide Squad and Batman and Robin and finally Teen Titans.
This will catch me up to where I need to be on all of the Comic Books that are in the Death of the Family Event that I really can't wait to start reading now that it's finally finished.
However, the closer I get to the end of the month the more I realize that I probably don't have the time to complete everything to start Death of the Family on March 1st exactly.
I'm either going to blame it on me slacking or on February being a short month, I have not decided yet.
All I do know is that Red Hood will be finished today, before I do anything else.
Then I've got some cleaning up to do in my room and another round of looking at my budget.
Maybe an episode or two of Prison Break.
Maybe an hour or so with some Video Games.
But now, I've got an angry cast of Outlaws calling my name to finish off the current story line.
I've been told they'll allow me to live if I don't put it off too much longer.
It seems like it was just a week ago that I was screaming about how I'm debt free.
I went to the patio and yelled it to the mountains, literally.
And, here I sit - broken heart'd, with more debt that I care to admit to.
Oh teeth, how I loathe thee.
You can go back over my last few posts if you really want to read about my teeth - I'm fairly certain I wrote about how bad they are.
The good thing is it all happened after I paid off the rest of my debt, so even though this is an abnormally large bill I will be able to pay it off within a reasonable time period.
The bad news is that it puts a crimp in my plans.
I've been playing with my budget like a mad man the last few days.
First to make sure I could afford everything and second to see what I'd have to do without this year.
The vacation to Disney is still on, I won't sacrifice that.
The 2nd vacation might be on hiatus though. It was originally going to be a summer thing and now it's looking more like a "later in the year" or "next year" type of thing.
Eh, chalk it up to shit happens.
I've still got my spreadsheet out and I'm still going over every bill and every dollar to see what I can make room for.
Teeth, You will NOT win this war.
I will slowly replace you with fake porcelain replica's of yourself (only less yellow) and be happier about it once you all have vanished. You cannot beat me!
You cannot bring me down.
I will get the last laugh.
I will get the last scream.
I will be debt free again.
It's just a matter of time.
It's really all a testament to willpower, no more and no less.
The whole 40 days and 40 nights thing of Lent. I know that it's supposed to be a sacrifice, to mean something. To me it's all about testing my willpower to see if I can last the duration.
I'm not overly religious and I never will be. However I do accept that religion means something to others and I will not disrespect that like I would have when I was younger.
Like I did.
I've matured, it happens.
So, with that said this is the reason I am going through the Lent process with my love. I was not asked, I volunteered. This means something to her and I want to share in that and support her the best way I know how - by joining in.
It is with this knowledge which led me to choose what to sacrifice for Lent - Snacking.
You see, since I started the whole weight loss routine last year, since I realized that I was a huge fat ass instead of just a big fat ass, I had decided that I was going to do everything very slow, very deliberately and with great moderation. I, like a lot of you, have gone through periods of time when I'd "diet" and just go full throttle balls to the wall only to burn out and give up before the process got to get to the point where it sticks. This time was going to be different.
Here I sit over a year later and down a significant amount of weight because of small incremental changes throughout the course of the year. I got to hear a lot of people asking me if I was dieting and I'd tell them that I'm just changing the way I eat. Nobody believed it, they just assumed it was a diet.
Then they'd see me eating a bag of chips or eating fast food for a week and they would ask me why I ended my diet or "how can you eat that on your diet?" and I'd have to reiterate to them that I'm not on a diet. I'm just changing the way I eat and today I deem 2 chili cheese burrito's and a bag of combo's to be part of my routine.
So, back to my original point before my fingers got me off on two different tangents.
I've been wanting to kick out the snacks for a month just to prove I can do it.
I snack too much as it is even though I did cut back a good deal. I need to learn to fill up my food choices with healthier points (calories, whatever) instead of junk food.
Fact is that the more weight I lose the less I can ingest to keep up the desired results (more loss) and that means sacrificing something.
I've been making small sacrifices over the course of the year and I can honestly say that there is not a whole lot that I have cut out that I really miss.
Peanut Butter tops the list, but I still have a little now and then to remind me why it's one of my top loves!
However, sitting over there under my TV is a big Heart Reese's Peanut Butter Cup for Valentine's Day that I currently cannot allow myself to eat. Oh, and I bet it's so delicious. Probably better than the 3 I ate in the 2 weeks leading up to VD even.
Yeah, I have a weakness for PB Cups and Ice Cream and Chips, a big weakness.
I didn't get fat eating green beans and soup.
My decisions to "Say no to snacks" was not one I took lightly. I understood the risks and the fact that I might fail. I understood that I would really need a lot of willpower to make it through the entire 40 days. I've only been able to do it once prior in my life and once I fell off that wagon I never wanted to get back on it.
Over a week into it and I can say that I've been tempted a couple of times while I was out and about, but the odd thing is that while I have been home I haven't even so much as touched the candy package and stared longingly at it. I know it's there and I'm happy to know that I will devour it once this test is over.
Just like I know I have 4 packs of Swiss Cake Rolls in my freezer waiting for me to devour as well.
The other day someone handed me two pieces of chocolate and I took them, thanked them and put them in my pocket. I didn't want to be rude and refuse but I also haven't eaten them.
This is what they call progress.
I feel like I'm harping on it, like I'm talking about it too much.
It's just what's on my mind and this blog is ultimately just a sounding board for what goes through my head on a regular basis.
Right now what I'm thinking is that I really want a bowl of Ice Cream :)
Mainly because of the whole mouth is sore and I can't chew food without being in annoying pain.
I've eaten soup and mashed potatoes and banana's for the past two days.
I want something sweet - I'd also like something solid lol.
Tomorrow I'll eat some Yogurt, a healthier alternative to Ice Cream.
The sweetness will hopefully satisfy my craving.
It will also add some much needed calories into my diet since the Soup and naners don't really add up to a whole lot.
I've got two more trips to the Dentist to finish off this round of my own personal Hell.
On Monday I go in and will get my final Wisdom Tooth extracted. I will also have probably 4 Root Canal's done.
Any healing done over the last few days will be wiped out and the pain will begin anew.
Pain is only temporary, thankfully.
After that is done another week or so later I will make my final trip in to get my permanent crowns attached and then I can go on my merry way with a better, healthier smile.
And, I'm hoping this gets rid of the headache problem I have been having.
Now I know I'm rambling because this is no longer about snacking.
Thus...
Good Night...
So, I was on my phone and somehow got into the template and changed it, then clicked to approve.
And now, everything is all F'd up and I have to figure out how to get the template back to the way I had it before where I liked it and was comfortable.
On the last post about my TBC Diet the Author of the Amazing I am Quincy Capers decided to ask how much weight I have lost (I assume in total).
Funny thing is that randomly I actually found an old post yesterday about when I was near the high point. This is from January 2012, a bit over a year ago at this point.
My high recorded weight was 295 on this day. I know for a fact that I got up over 300 pounds stark naked in the near future after that post though. 295 scared me enough to get my fat ass to the gym and try to make a difference but I still ate like shit and didn't keep it up.
A short while later after a booty call I ended up back on the scale again, standing around in natures bathing suit and saw the number 303.2.
This is the number that freaked me the fuck out.
Never before have I topped the scales over 300 pounds.
Never before had i not stopped getting close to or breaking the 290's for that matter.
I generally stayed between 270-285 for a period of at least 6-10 years. It's where I settled and while I knew it was bigger than I should be, wanted to be, I stayed there because it was easy to maintain.
January 24th 2012 - 295 pounds
February 21st 2013 - 236 pounds
What a difference eh?
My goal at the time (and still is currently) was to get down to 220.
This is the weight that I believe I was at some point during my college years before medication expiraments, mac and cheese and chicken wraps took over my body and I balooned up to 260 and was left with stretch marks that make a lady who has been through two child births say what the fuck, man?
I've always wanted to get Flames tatted around the stretch marks to make it look cool. I never did and never will, but it was a desire when I was younger.
I've gone and done it now.
I've gone on the TBC Diet of soup and mashed potatoes.
Oh, it's a pretty bloody exciting thing.
Throw in a slowly and carefully eaten banana now and then and you've got a recipe for TASTE!
For those not paying attention I had my 1st of 3 sessions with my Dentist and his lovely assistant.
She put her boobs in my face twice - though I'm just going to believe it was not intended, she just didn't think about what she was doing.
For my pleasure I ended up with 3 prescriptions, one being Hydrocodone.
Shit makes me loopy, I try to not take it unless the pain gets intolerable.
Tomorrow, if my calculations are correct, I'll have officially dipped below 235 pounds. It still doesn't feel quite right even typing that number out because it's been so long since I weighed so little.
I've always been a bigger guy and have no desire to actually be slender, just healthier - However I don't think I've been this *small* since before the Baltimore Ravens won their 1st Super Bowl. Oh yes - it was sometime in the 90's!
Getting sick, ditching the snacking and now being stuck on a mostly liquid diet have all accelerated the weight loss a bit.
I have no doubts that tomorrow at Weight Watchers I'm going to get some remark about how I've lost too much weight since my last attendance and how I need to make sure I eat all my points and blah blah blah.
It's like they panic if you lose more than 2 pounds in a week. They want to find out what you are doing wrong and correct it. Whatever. Take my 5+ pounds and deal with it.
The fat boy is become just plain ole husky again.
What I could really go for right now is a big bowl of Ice Cream.
It's my comfort food when I'm going through my dental crap.
In fact, there is a Stone Cold Creamery right beside the dentist office and up until this last visit (and my next two as well) I've hit that place up every time after getting some major work done.
When the numbness wears off it's such a nice delicious treat.
My timing just sucks, royally.
Today I decided that the day after Lent ends I'm making a trip to Henderson to get a big Elvis Frozen Concrete from Mr. D's Frozen Custard.
This is my treat to myself for making it 40 days and 40 nights, surviving the flood and living with beasts.
Now - it's time to go read my new comic books.
I've got some catching up to do.
So, if anything I"m beginning to learn that I was not fully prepared for the decision that I made when I chose to give up snacks for Lent.
You see, this is the first year I have ever bothered to partake in this whole Lentacular thing and I didn't do any research.
Do you know that it's Girl Scout Cookie Season?
Do you know that it's Cadbury Egg season?
Do you know that Lay's just released 3 new limited time only chip flavors?
I mean - Ugh.
Giving up Snacking - WTF was I thinking.
However, I'm holding steadfast and I will win this battle. I have the will power to succeed and the last year of eating better (and less) in order to drop 60+ pounds have proven that too me.
So, I feel like I'm going to make a minor deviation to my original plan.
I'm going to buy a box of Thin Mints.
I'm going to buy a few of the Chocolate Filled Cadbury Eggs. (hopefully not an entire box though).
And I'm going to buy a couple (small) bags of the new Lay's Flavors.
Mainly I'm only interested in the Sriracha flavored chips, and I know that I could just add my own Sriracha to the chips and it would pretty much achieve the same desired effect - but it's not going to go down that way. I really just want to try them dammit. The chicken and waffles sounds delish as well, as does the Cheese Garlic Bread.
I chipped a tooth.
Cracked it, broke it, whatever.
Went to the dentist and of course I also need some other work done.
He says it's pretty amazing that I am not in pain because I've got some pretty bad infections.
I've always had bad teeth - I'm slowly replacing them. Back to the story.
So, he starts the work today. I'm in the chair for at least 3 hours with my Jaw agape.
Ran into complications because of the infection.
The tooth in the worst shape kept giving me pain.
Was shot up with a TON of Novocaine, it kept wearing off.
That tooth was shot up an additional 4 times, kept wearing off.
I want to go to sleep but I'm in tremendous pain.
I hurt.
Ache.
I had some tears running down my face not so long ago.
Rocking myself back and forth waiting for the Hydrocodone to kick in.
I just want to sleep.
I took some pills with water and half a banana.
I've got at least one tooth that right now is super sensitive to cold water.
This is going to make the next week or two fun.
The good thing about pain is that no matter how bad it is, once it's gone you never remember it.
Pain is temporary.
In the long run this is all going to be worth while.
I'll have a pretty smile (You got a pretty mouth boy) - a pretty expensive smile.
It will be all fake but it'll still be mine.
I have 4 of the next 5 days off.
I think I'm going to eat a lot of soup.
Between being sick last week and having to watch what I eat because of the dental work I'm dropping weight pretty rapidly.
I'll give a report when I'm back to eating regular meals - but my "goal" of 220 is going to be obtainable before summer.
Maybe I'll take a second Hydrocodone - sleep like a baby.
It's 3 a.m.
I should not be awake yet I cannot sleep.
I've still got the remnants of my week long cold, but at this point it's only a minor cough. So, the theory goes that any day now I'll be back to my normal self.
However, when I lay my head on my pillow last night I was 100% exhausted and thought that I'd be getting a great night of sleep.
The past hour or so I've laid in bed, trying to get my closed eyes to will my body to sleep again but it was not to be. Counting Sheep does me no good.
I figure this is a good excuse to make a really random blog post right?
Tonight I dream in Spiderman.
I don't really ever remember my dreams, they escape me the moment I wake up but I can remember bits and pieces. I remember Spiderman. I remember nondescript bad guys and web-slinging and a couple of KRANTZ's here and there. It never ceases to amaze me when you emerge yourself in something so much how it affects the brain.
Last night before passing out I finished The Amazing Spiderman #50. Reading from the beginning like I am really makes me want to do the same for other series as well. Maybe Series that I would never normally give a try like Daredevil. Daredevil and Spidey have some interactions over the course of the first few years that I've been reading and of course with the crossovers I feel like I should be doing comics justice by going back and reading at least some of the crossovers. All in due time I guess. I've got a good 30 more years of life in me to catch up.
Tomahawk is one of many Mike Patton Projects. Patton is pretty much my favorite vocalist, the man is amazing with his range and what he can do with just vocals.
Some of his other works include Faith-no-More, Mr. Bungle and Peeping Tom.
A few weeks back I was listening to Tomahawk's 3rd release, which I've never really liked, and wondering if there were going to be new music from there. Their 1st album is by far my favorite and I love the 2nd as well. The 3rd was probably just a bit too experimental for me but that won't deter me.
So, while not sleeping I noticed a buddy of mine posted the above link on his Facebook - The new Tomahawk album in it's entirety on YouTube.
It's 3:18 a.m. and I'm not really up for listening though the 1st song that played through was enjoyable.
I'll give it a more complete listen some other time, but I wanted to share a band that I really enjoy with the rest of you.
Back to Comics.
The Fleshy Face of the Joker is pretty creepy :)
Now that Batman #17 has been released and the entire Death of the Family crossover has been released I'll finally start reading it. I love the Joker and cannot wait to see what happens there. I'm still playing a bit of catch-up with the other titles involved so that I know the cast of characters beforehand.
I think I've only got 4 titles left, Suicide Squad, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Titans, and Batman and Robin.
Obviously it's not necessary for me to actually read all of their New52 story lines up until the point that the crossover begins but that's what I plan on doing.
I'm hoping to knock them out before the end of February so that I can spend a good chuck of February reading two "events" - one from Marvel and one from DC. The Marvel event being AvX (Avengers vs X-men). I really wanted to read that one when it was going on but with the crossovers and whatnot it was too much to tackle. However, I recently downloaded a torrent that has every single issue of every comic that was in the crossover and pertained to the story and I think it's going to make for a fun ride in March.
After that I can then spend time getting caught up on the whole Marvel Now Movement and see what comics I might enjoy from it.
And - continuing on with Comic Books - I guess it's all I have on my mind right now.
I'm pretty close to having the entire set of Variants for Deadpool #1
Speaking of Excessive.
Justice League of America issue #1
1 Variant cover for every single bloody State.
You can buy the entire set for $149.99 if you'd like.
I'm sure there are collectors out there who will do just that, in fact I want to.
I, however, currently cannot justify owning it. If I could look into the future and get a feel for the future price value of having an entire set of 53 copies of Issue #1 then maybe - but as for right now I just give it a bit WTF man, wtf.
But man, I sure as shit want to do it.
And I don't even f'n like Justice League (thought this is without Superman so maybe that would make it more appealing to me).
Maybe it's just my age creeping in and I have trouble remembering details from my youth, but did schools always close for Presidents Day? Is this an actual, honest-to-goodness, celebrated holiday that we give kids the day off (actually two days off for a 4 day weekend) so that they can think about what Honest Abe and the OG G.W. brought to the table?
Maybe it's just that I never bothered to pay attention in the 3 decades or so since I've been out of school.
3:41 a.m.
Between this and a few Facebook moments I've kept myself busy this hour.
Sleep is not setting back in.
I began to make a list of Video Games to play/beat this year.
I'm going to go with favorite franchises that way I know I already love them. Nothing new that might not grab me and just make me turn back to....uh.... not playing I guess.
God of War Ascension, Gears of War Judgement, Borderlands 2, Fallout 3 (Need to beat the DLC) and Skyrim are the games that came to mind immediately.
There is a good mix in there as well. Over-the-top action, 3rd person shooter, 1st person shooter and my beloved RPG. All PS3 and 360, no handhelds. I feel as though I should add something from the Wii in there but as of now the Wii isn't even hooked up.
Maybe later this week
The Girl Scouts are Evil. I suppose it's not really their fault but I like to place blame. This past Wednesday I agree to endure Lent with my lady. I think long and hard (heh...good one Beavis) about what I'd be willing to give up and I decided that snacking was perfect. I've been looking for a way, a reason, anything to cut back on the amount of snacking that I have been doing. Weight Loss is still going well and I know that cutting back on some more of the garbage that I put into my system will only help and continue to propel me towards my ultimate goal (which, in all honesty, I don't know what my ultimate goal is for my weight.... so lets leave it an open mystery). So, I give up snacking. No chips, no Combo's and et cetera. For the 40 days of Lent it's just a diet of healthy snacks like Fruits and Veggies. It is going to be hard but I didn't realize.
Two days ago the Girl Scouts started camping outside the exit doors at work. WTF.
I have a weakness for their cookies, Thin Mints specifically. They are not the only cookie I like but the others I can get at Walmart cheaper and they taste just the same.
I am an impulsive person.
I see Girl Scout Cookies, I want Girl Scout Cookies.
Yesterday I did not pack a lunch for work - I craved cookies.
I went to Fresh n Easy to buy lunch and wanted to buy some PB Cups, some Chips, something.
Instead I went for yogurt with strawberries, grapes and blue berries mixed in.
It was delicious but it was NOT a row of Thin Mints.
In time the cravings will dissipate.
I still have half a box of Swiss Cake Rolls in my freezer.
I'm thinking about buying two boxes of Thin Mints and putting those in my freezer too.
They can keep the pet hamster busy.
Finally, for all of you who actually made it this far (maybe you are just looking at all the pretty pictures and not reading the words?) I give you this. It's kind of my, "Hey, Rob needs a reason to have kept reading this long" moment. If I ever were to run across this woman I'd buy all of her cookies. Even the Girl Scout Variety.
This is what my lady got me for Valentine's Day.
She decided to surprise me yesterday by showing up to my store unannounced to drop off my gift and so that we could do lunch together. Well, maybe lunch wasn't in the plans but either way I talked her into it.
This all truly made my day.
Ever meet that one person you are willing to change your life for?
This lady is a keeper and I've got big plans for her.
Last night was hopefully the night that my body finally decided to recover.
Other than my cough and occasional annoyance breathing the whole evening went well.
I started to feel a bit loopy right around the time I left my lady's house and drove home.
My head was going into a fog, like I just woke up from a really deep sleep and my mind hadn't recovered.
I figure'd that I just needed to get to bed as my body was tired.
When I got home I started to freeze.
The house felt like the temperature dropped 30 degrees. I was shivering.
I threw a blanket on and it felt like it got colder.
I jumped into bed under two big blankets and couldn't get warm.
I added my dog to the mix for body heat, still shivering.
I lay there, curled in the fetal position trying to get warm and 20 minutes later it started.
Heat, extreme heat.
Someone turned the heat on in the house. It's now 100 degrees, I'm sweating from every orifice on my body (yes, I checked).
I couldn't get comfortable. My body was drenched but if I moved and got any of the cold air outside the comfort of my blanket it felt like that limb was going to get frost bite.
It was a battle of extremes all night - or at least until I finally fell asleep.
At one point I had to take all my clothes off because they were too restrictive and uncomfortable.
It bloody sucked and I barely got any sleep because of it.
However, I'm going to assume that was my body warding off the evil spirits that invaded it so that I can start the recovery process.
Being Sick Sucks.
But, at least it waited until after my big date.
Forgive my lack of existing as I've been sick.
Probably dying and could go at any moment.
What started as a simple head cold morphed into the beginning of a chest cold.
I picked a random doctor out of a hat and then went to get drugs.
Every day it gets worse.
Today was the coughing and phlegm, and subsequent headache.
Tomorrow is probably an inoperable tumor.
Friday will be seizures and internal bleeding, followed by the end times.
A couple of days ago I made a post about how I have recently reached a multi year goal of becoming debt free. I then made a follow up post where reader dD asked me what my "snowball" method was as the one promoted by Dave Ramsey was not a "free" thing as he wants you to buy his books and whatnot.
grrouchie, you mentioned previously about a plan similar to Mr R's "debt free snowball" .. is yours a free plan ? professional, DIY or otherwise ? I ask because I note that Mr R's "snowball" is not free !! (wow an American wanting to charge me for something..how odd that this surprises me !)
The reality of it is that it's a quite simple plan. It has a lot in common with Dave Ramsey's plan and others that I have read since. The plan itself is not the hard part, the hard part is figuring out your budget and actually sticking to it.
You see, when I first decided that I was going to get out of debt I had my work cut out for me. I was drowning in extra payments that I was having to make every month and one day I sat down to do my bills and actually looked at the amount of interest that I was paying every month. That is what sickened me enough to actually make the decision to pay everything off and stick with it. Interest is a killer.
One of my credit cards (the one with the largest balance) had an interest charge of over $200 per month that I was paying. And, because I couldn't accord to do more than just the minimum payment my balance wasn't shrinking fast enough to make any kind of difference what-so-ever.
The following is my information as I remember it best.
I made a list of all of my debt.
Bank of America Credit Card.
AT&T Credit Card.
Discover Credit Card.
Sam's Club Credit
Lowe's Credit
Best Buy Credit
Student Loan Number 1
Student Loan Number 2
Car Loan
So, then I organized my debt in terms of which lines of debt had the biggest balances and which had the smallest.
I made the minimum payment on every single one of the above and at the end of the month, whatever money I had left over went towards the debt with the smallest remaining balance.
Once the smallest was paid off I rolled everything over into the smallest of the remaining.
Repeat this process until you are left with just one remaining debt and you are pouring all of your available resources into it every month until it is eradicated.
The funny thing is that the above is the easiest part. Sorting your bills, paying extra if there is left over money, rolling it over to the next bill, etc.
The hard part is developing the discipline to actually do it month after month and year after year.
The devilishly hard part is being willing to cut out other expenses in order to free up more money so that you can put more money towards your debt.
Dave Ramsey has a saying that I really love.
(paraphrased) You have to be willing to live life like no other right now so that later you can live life like no other.
Basically it boils down to this. Stop having fun until your debt is gone. Cut your cable, cut your eating out, cut your entertainment budget and just spend all of that money on your debt. Once the debt is gone you'll be free to do whatever you want with your money and you'll have a ton more money to do it with. You will be free.
Over the course of the 3 or so years that I was eradicating my debt there were times when I did more than I should have and didn't pay as much as I could have towards my debt. I consider them moments of weakness, I am only human after all.
However, much like dieting or any other addiction (and spending can be an addiction) you will have moments where you fall into your old routines and habits. It's picking yourself back up afterwards and getting back on track that defines you.
This is what has kept me going for the past few years and this is what is keeping me going in my weight loss struggles. Sure I've dropped nearly 60 pounds at this point (by next week I hit this goal!). But there are months where I lose nothing or gain a couple of pounds and I really want to give up.
There are weeks where I have fast food 3-5 days and just want to stop eating the salads and tracking my Weight Watchers points and just go to the store and buy a few bags of chips and some ice cream and other such nonsense. However, I saw that by continuing the struggle with my finances - even after a bad episode or two I could get back on track and eventually accomplish my goal.
Thus, with my weight loss, even after a bad day or week I no longer have an issue getting back on track and trucking towards my next milestone which, by the way, will be hitting 240 pounds by Sunday.
Yes Cheryl Crow, every day is a winding road.
I'm no expert in finances or weight loss, I just developed the motivation to put the effort into getting where I want to be and making the sacrifices to get there.
Most sicknesses won't keep me down. I'll get up and go to work and keep on trucking while trying to spread the germ and making other people suffer as much as possible. What really (I want to say grinds my gears, but won't) gets to me is a good old fashioned Chest Cold.
You see, as a fat boy with Asthma - a chest cold can really kick my ass if I can't get something to get it knocked out before it fully develops. Of course, having had 2,369 different chest colds over the years I've become familiar with the signals my body sends off pre-cold.
I woke up about 30 times over the evening feeling like shit. I woke up with a heavy chest and a slightly sore throat. I was sleepy so I wasn't sure if I just strained myself at work or I was sleeping wrong or I was just dreaming it all. Upon waking up this morning and becoming functional it all started to click, I truly am coming down with something.
Everyone around me is sick currently (except my family). Lots of sickness at work and my amazing woman has had a head cold for a few days. One of my employees yesterday was sitting in the break room talking about how he ever gets sick but must have run into something amazing yesterday because he ended up developing a chest cold out of no where.
Those were warning signs.
I cursed him, gave him the sign of the cross and screamed OUT DAMN SPOT!
It appears as though none of it worked.
I wake up today to find out the Pope is retiring (probably because of me trying to ward off evil in my break room) and that I feel like shit. Oh haha, good one all mighty deity! I ask for help and you make the one guy who can grant it step down to "retire" out of the pure blue thus shocking the world and turning all the attention away from what truly matters - me feeling like crap.
So, I'm currently doing online searches looking for places I can go to get the meds I need (since work switched insurance and the place I have gone for the past 6+ years does not accept my new insurance) so that I can feel better in time for my date on Valentines Day.
The good news is that because I am a fat boy with asthma and chest colds are something that can really kick the ever-loving-crap out of me I'm going to request a note saying I can't work for the next two days so that I can stay at home and rest and make sure I don't over do it and really screw myself over.
But, that's getting ahead of myself. First I actually have to track down and venture out to get my meds.
I need to start taking a vitamin supplement My natural awesomeness is no longer enough to ward off the cold and flu demons and I guess even a super hero much like myself needs help as he is approaching middle age. Anyone have any recommendations of vitamins that they take and really like.
I prefer chew-able (it's physically impossible for me to swallow a non gel-cap pill even the size of a normal Tylenol) or liquid form.
Now, off to brave the weather to find happiness in a waiting room.
First I want to thank you all for the kind words on my last post about becoming Debt Free!
I really do appreciate it all.
I got a lot of great responses whether they were on the actual post itself, through Facebook, Twitter or G+, or, you know, like actual in person conversations face to face - those were the weirdest. Goofballs.
Last night, in celebration, I took my lady out to her favorite Sushi place and had quite a lovely dinner. From there we headed down to the Joel Osteen show at the Thomas and Mack center.
Now, I've been corrected multiple times by a couple of different people when I reference this as a "show."
I'm told that it's not a show.
However, I beg to differ. Here is my theory.
No matter what the subject matter is, whether it's comedy or religion or the Vagina Monologues, to me it is a show. Last night happened to be a religious person (Priest? Deity Minister? High Priest of the Imaginary Consul? Whatever) but the subject which was talked about doesn't change the fact that it's a "show" to me.
A guy gets up on stage and does a pre-planned performance - that's a show right?
whatever.
Anyways, it wasn't half bad and what I took out of it was that the theme was to be positive and take control of your life. If it wasn't for the Bible quotes and the religious band playing now and then you could have mistook it for a self help seminar.
Kind of funny how it all works out though. I pay off the last of my debt not even realizing that it was Debt Free Friday until afterwards and then I go see a guy talk about how you should take control of your life which is exactly what I did. I stopped being negative about my debt and I decided to act by getting rid of it and freeing myself from the shackles.
What a world we live in.
Now - Over on TBC's end of the world I made mention about my little happening and got this response:
"and now what u should do, since u have good credit now, is borrow $10k so u have a decent starting bankroll for the NL games. im not winning in NL solely because my roll is too low, (buying in so short forces huge variance)"
Oh, where to begin?
First is with the misconception of "...Since you have good credit now...."
Fact of the matter is that simply paying off ones debt does not bestow them with good credit.
It just means that you are no longer paying excessive interest on things that you've already owned for a while now.
"Borrow $10k (for a) decent starting bankroll"
LAWLS
I just paid off over $10,000 which caused me to live in misery and poverty for a number of years and your advice is to jump back in the sack with the devil by running it back up again?
I've said there and I'll say here, the better option would be to just save up some extra money every month until I have that same exact $10k so that I can do whatever I Please with it.
I'd still be debt free and I wouldn't have to worry about paying the money back.
THIS makes a lot more sense to me than Tony's Master Plan. (Addendum - This is DonkeyTax Approved!!!)
Either way I've been hard at work at re-doing my budgeting.
I've got people to do and places to see and I need to fit it all in accordingly.
So, Budget Budget Budget.
I listen to Dave Ramsey on and off and for the most part I really enjoy his Friday show - Debt Free Friday - where people get to call in and brag that they are debt free finally.
Before I knew who Dave was I started working on my debt in a manner very similar to his debt snowball. Once I was introduced to him (not literally) I started going harder at everything.
This was three years ago give or take.
Today I was going through the last remaining debt that I have and looking at how I am going to pay it off and when I'm going to pay it off.
I had previously believed that I needed to get my bonus check in order to make that last payment.
Today, however, I found that I had enough money in my accounts to make that last payment.
I just hit submit to pay off my student loan which was the last Debt (other than the Mortgage) that I had.
Three years ago when I decided I could not take it any more I had MORE money going out every month than my Income was.
I looked at the amount of interest that I was paying out every month. The amount of money that I was wasting every month and I decided that I really needed to make a change before I was stuck in a life of poverty and living paycheck to paycheck forever.
So, it's truly fitting that today - Debt Free Friday - I finally paid off that last piece of strangling debt.
I turn to my vast and knowledgeable ...uh.... you guys.
My lady's kid is 7 and I want to start up some sort of College Savings for him so that by the time college comes around a good chunk of it can at least be paid for.
Does anyone out there know of any good plans out there for this type of investment?
Should I just open a 2nd savings account and stock pile the money in there until college comes around?
I figure a few of you out there had a few happy accidents whom you believe will one day head off to college to better their education and take care of you while you enjoy playing poker in your retirements and whatnot so that I could get some sort of advice.
While the title says Not Necessarily Something, it most definitely is something.
Two other bloggers are preparing to stir up a shit storm with me in the middle, and I'm game.
Anything for a little fun right?
So, feel free to check out the link and let our Hosts know if you have any input.
Or just to give a thumbs up to the idea.
So, today I woke up with this song in my head.
I haven't heard it in a number of years so I'm curious why my mind decided to bring it back to the surface today?
I was always a big fan of Skid Row and really enjoyed this particular little EP when it was released.
So, I'm glad that my mind is making me want to listen to them again and quite annoyed because my Blue Tooth headphones (that normally allow me to listen to music on my way to and fro work) decided to have the left speaker crap out on me (and I'm too cheap to spend the money to replace it right now).
Here is another cover with Phil Anselmo from Pantera and proof that you should never ask Big Jim to dive into the crowd.
And finally, my last piece of nostalgia for the day.
When I saw this first thing this morning I was reminded that I need to buy a new set of contacts for my original NES so that I could fix it.
Yesterday was the big game. Pretty much all y'all who read this follow the sport in some sort of manner so I don't need to talk down to you and give a big prologue of information just to describe why the words Super and Bowl have been pieced together to create some sort of gambling spectacular.
I think I've decided that unless the Steelers are in said game that I'll just consider it a major gambling holiday from here on out. I love all things football and haven't missed a game since I've been old enough to remember watching them but I just don't get into the "watching it at home with friends" thing the way I used to. Maybe it's because I'm older and the older I get the less friends come over for it. Work gets in the way of some people showing up (damn you non Monday - Friday jobs) and the reality is I could be doing things like trying to make money at a poker table while semi paying attention to the game and making jokes about both teams and the players.
I watched less of the game last year but I had more fun. Next year I will reconsider my options and go from there, but if the Steelers are not playing in it then you can expect to find me in one of the big shiny buildings on the strip bitching about bad beats!
If you turned the Super Bowl on during the last 5-8 minutes you would have witnessed what looked like a great competitive game that went down to the wire (again). However, you would have been fooled because the other 52 (give or take) minutes were not competitive and then there was the really horrible two half time shows that took place.
Baltimore dominated the 1st portion of the game and then after the 2nd halftime show the 9ers dominated until the score was close at which point Baltimore started to play again.
I ordered a lot of wings yesterday and I ate a lot. Then I snacked until I was bloated and I had a good time.
I started the day at 242.4 which was lower than where I was the previous week. Down about another pound, getting closer and closer that next goal. By the end of February I hope to be looking at numbers in the 230's occasionally so that I can finally hit and break that 60 pound barrier. That will be exciting shit right there.
By the end of this week I'll be going Pant shopping. It's about time that I've done this as I've dropped 2 sizes during this whole weight loss craze that it's starting to be uncomfortable to wear my current over-sized pants with belt. There is just too much material. So, I'll start the transition into my next size and spend more money than I want doing it.
At the risk of this getting too long I'm inching closer to my Debt Free status. I'll provide a bigger update later on that though.
Tax refund hit, I paid something off and should (hopefully) be paying something else off this week (probably on pay day because I don't feel like moving money from one bank account to another just to make the payment). That will leave me just a school loan and I'm waiting to hear about whether or not I've bonus'd at work or not to know the time frame to paying off that last piece. (I don't consider the house to be part of this Debt Free process right now - it's in its own special category).
My lady does not watch football. Has no interest in it at all.
She watched about a quarter of one game earlier in the season and I could tell was quite bored with it. Maybe it's the whole "I don't know what the hell is happening" thing and maybe it's because it's not Futbol. I don't know and it doesn't matter.
What matters is that she has volunteered numerous times to hit up a bar on Sunday so that I could watch whatever Steelers game happened to be on.
Maybe she only volunteered because she (correctly) assumed that I'd say "thanks, but we don't have to."
Either way, life has led up to this moment. Or, more correctly, That moment. The moment that starts around 3:30 pm Pacific time on February 3rd - Super Bowl Sunday.
She volunteered to watch this game, the mecca of games. The holy spirit of games, just to humor me.
I told her "Offer accepted."
Truth of the matter is when I drag her here for the game I will not make her watch it. She can find whatever else there is to do for her entertainment purposes and do that. The fact that she will be here during the game on her own free will just to support one of my addictions is enough for me.
And then, out of nowhere, I randomly volunteered to go to church in the morning with her and the kiddo.
It just sort of came out.
She was telling me how she was going to go in the morning and without putting any thought into it: "Do you want me to go with you?"
After she said "if you want to" I immediately told her that I'd try to dig up my flame retardant clothes and suggested she do the same.
Who knows, I just might catch fire!
It's been quite a while since I've been in church.
In black person slang "It's been a minute."
I'm talking College days.
I've never been a religious man (some would say never been a man, but it's not the size that counts.... what?).
Just not really my thing.
But, to each their own.
However, this relationship feels different.
I've taken a different approach.
Things that never made sense to me I now understand.
Things I've never wanted before are now things that I actually look forward to.
I just feel like this one was meant to be.
This might be the one THE
It's still early. I've still got time to figure things out.
I can't explain things the way I want - in a way that makes sense.
It just feels different, and I like it.
Tomorrow is going to be interesting.
Church, Football, Beer, Wings, Swearing, Cursing.
Oh sweet baby jesus (pronounced Hey-Suess) - I love Super Bowl Sunday.
The Reality of the situation is that I only have strong feelings for you because as of today, the first of yours, my Tax Refund hit my account.
Oh glory of glory (holes) this tickles me to no end because normally I would just wait until the filing deadline was upon me and do it then. However, this year I tracked down all of my information and processed my taxes on the first possible day that I could and here I am rewarded with money in my account and a whole lot of holidays in this month of yours to spend said money on.
First up is the wonderful day known as Groundhogs day, Feb 2nd.
No, not that shit-hole of a movie with Bill Murray that still haunts me to this day - I mean just the actual holiday where Buddy pulls that fat rodent out of a fake tree trunk up on Gobblers Knob, kisses his ear gently while pretending to hold a conversation with him and then proclaims to the world whether or not we will have 6 more inches of winter (man, I'd kill for 6 more inches... shit, I'd kill for 6 inches....what? I lost myself there... back to reality).
I spent 3 of the worst years of my life in Punxsutawney and it was during that time frame that this movie was made and came out. Billy boy himself even visited the town. However, the Movie was not filmed in Punxsy. Not even partially. It was all done in Indiana in a town rigged up to kinda resemble Punxsy instead.
I mean - I'm sure this town would have shilled out for not a whole lot of money and the publicity, but whatever.
I hate the movie, I always have and I always will.
I don't like the town that much either.
Or most of the people now that I think of it.
(Except you. I love you. We've had a beautiful friendship and it will only get better from here. Promise).
Then, as if Groundhogs day wasn't enough we fast forward One Whole Day later and we have the holiest of holy days that has ever existed - Super Bowl Sunday.
However, there is not a whole lot of excitement in this holiday for me this year.
I've got mixed emotions about the whole shin-dig. I don't want either team to win for various reasons.
Lets start with the Cleveland Ravens.... I can't love a team that started in that town. I can't love a team in my division. I hate the Ravens with a passion that runs deep in my veins. The Ravens are the equivalent to an STD that is not curable. It burns when I pee and I've got a rash that won't stop itching. I also want Ray Lewis to retire after the biggest loss of his career and I want him to be the cause of said loss.
Now, the 49ers. Ugh. If the 9ers win that gives them 6 Super Bowl victories, the same amount as the Steelers. This would mean that we are not sitting alone at the top of the throne ruling the world with more Super Bowl rings than the rest of the world. No, we'd have to share that honor with another team. A team who appears to have only recently regained their fan base from the Steve Young years. They are all out of the woodwork like Laker fans (who, appear to have disappeared this year - Finally).
So, i'm hoping for a 19 overtime tie when the Steelers hating Commish has to put a stop to the game because someone suffered a stroke on the field.
(If that actually happens I didn't really wish it, that was just sarcasm on the computer screen.....truly).
Then - oh dear February, you have Valentines Day.
You know I've hated you for having this holiday for almost my entire life. You cram two of the shittiest holidays known to man (men) into the same month and then give me the Super Bowl just so I can't totally hate you and am forced to forgive you for your evil deeds.
But.
but.
butt....
But VD? Seriously. The Hallmark of all holidays. Made for the women and forced upon the men. An excuse to sell more flowers and chocolate than any other holiday (sans Helloween) out there.
But, alas, I'm actually looking forward to this coming VD.
I'm a bit excited and this is pretty new to me.
I've got most of the evening planned already. I've got my dinner reservation set and she will be picking out what movie we'll be seeing. I've now just gotta get money into the bank so that I can buy all the party favors.
Oh, that's right. The IRS has already given me my money and I can start spending it.
Oh you dirty little month of February - I want to hate you but you're just so dang cute.
In other news, one of my buddies from work decided to start blogging today.
He's come a long way in the past year - losing 70 pounds and getting into better shape and running his first marathon.
He decided to start blogging to try to get some accountability into his life and to get back on track with the whole diet and exercise thing.
I'm fairly certain he'll be talking a lot about food and running and things like Tough Mudder and the ilk. So, if you're into that give him a read now and then.
As for me, it's approaching midnight and I'm hungry.
Been hungry all day.
I've eaten a shit ton these past two days. Probably set myself back 3 pounds or so.
This is how many comic's I read over the course of January.
I don't know if this is going to be normal or if it's on the high side being that it was just the first month of the year and I will filled with excitement (and a lot of down time). I'm leaning towards the latter myself.
However, it all started out as a goal to read every issue of The Amazing Spiderman and branched off into some other categories as well.
However, it appears to be Spider books vs Bat Books. I read through some Superman books back in December but that guy just really doesn't do it for me, he's too powerful I think.
I like my hero's to be flawed and Spidey and Bats both fit that category.
Spiderman I'm reading Old to new though throwing in some newer because it was written to fit the chronological order. With Batman I'm reading everything from DC's New 52 going forward and I'm going to attempt to read all of the "Bat Books" instead of just Batman. Once I'm all caught up there I'll start peppering in some of the older recommended collections.
Now for the Webslinger.
I'm curious to see how long it continues but there is a lot of over explaining things in these early comics. For instance, I just finished an issue with The Scorpion as the bad guy and he starts to climb a wall and they have him explain how he can do it because of his Pincers. Then he explains how he uses his tail as a Tightly Corked Spring to launch himself from building to building (and then Spiderman later restates that exact same thing).
Those types of things only detract a little bit from the reading experience so it's no big deal.
The other thing that I'm finding amusing about Spiderman is that they give him these abilities and his webbing and most of his super villains aren't really phased by them very much. So, he has to out think/out smart them instead of relying on super power or web balls.... web balls..... and of course he did beat Sandman with a vacuum cleaner which really knocks him down a peg as a super villain in my mind!
Either way, I've found my main reading outlet for 2013 and I'm having a blast with it.
I want to start up my own Home Poker Game.
Maybe not for quite the stakes that are being represented by the attached image, but instead something for fun where everyone can have a few brews and enjoy some bad food - kick back and relax.
I do have a few obstacles to hurdle before I get to the point where this can become a reality.
I guess, naturally, the first place to start would be the securing of a table.
My kitchen table really wouldn't cut it unless there were only 6 players at the most. Ideally I'd like 10 players and as such I need to get myself a bigger table.
At one point I had the dillusion of actually making a table myself, but I've put that in my past. At this point I'm more willing to purchase.
Also thinking about one of those plastic folding tables that you can find everywhere (Sam's, Costco, etc) until I upgrade to a real poker table with Felt and everything.
I found the cards that I want for this gathering
And if you scroll down far enough you'll see the chips that go with it.
Amazing.
In Love.
I'd also need people to play the game as well (but that's getting a bit ahead of myself).
So, there you have it.
My intentions (not with your daughter).
We'll see what becomes of this in a few months I suppose.
Even when I feel like I'm not posting very much I look at my monthly stats and it says that this will be number 22. Maybe I just feel that way when I'm not writing something every single day of the week.
However, my children, I have not (nor can I) forget about all of y'all.
It comes back to something I said many moons ago, writing is therapy. I just really enjoy doing it.
I'm the "hold it in until you fucking break" kind of person and this gives me an outlet even if I'm not exactly talking about what is on my mind.
While I'm typing all of the thoughts and bitches and moans are running through my head but what comes out is more productive and soothing and generally helps to put me into a relaxed state of being again.
Today my page count broke 80k - Milestones!
I'm getting dangerously close to 400 posts - Milestones.
I can't get no satisfaction - Rolling Stones
I silently (verbalized to one person) set myself a goal of getting down to 240 before the month of January ended and I can get close but there will be no cigar. Today when I jumped on the scale I was at 242.something which puts me at a loss this month but just not quite as much as I was hoping for.
However, I do realize that I control that and the week of Del Taco didn't help. The Ice Cream didn't help (speaking of which, thinking about some right now) and et cetera. I control my own destiny.
Slow and steady wins the race.
My tax refund is so close I can smell it. I filed early and my expected return is before Feb 20th - I'm hoping that it shows up before VD.
Speaking of VD (and I'm ending with this).
Anyone have some suggestions of a place to take the lady this year?
I've gotta start looking so I can make a reservation. I'm hoping to pick some place we haven't gone before.
Today I decided to make some more space in my closet.
Not actually make some space, but to make it appear less cluttered.
So, I took a bunch of totes that were cluttering up the place and moved them into my mostly empty spare room.
The same spare room which eventually I want to turn into a game room.
Eventually.
However, I briefly went through some of the totes I was moving and found my old comic book collection.
By old I mean back when I was in High School, 1993ish.
Funny thing is that as I was going through them (and there weren't really a ton, maybe 50 total) I smiled at some of the stuff I had. I also know that I quit buying them back then because it was too expensive of a habit.
So, what I found was some Ren n Stimpy. Almost the entire run of Beavis and Butt-Head.
Evil Ernie 1-4 with a special edition intro -1 book I think (it was a mini).
I found 3 different Rock n Roll comics, 1 Anthrax and 2 Guns n Roses.
I found 2 Mankind #1's.
Spiderman vs Powdered Toast Man!!!!
A couple random Superman issues from around the Death of Superman time period.
And 1 X-men issue where Wolverine ends up killing a robotic Hulk.
There might have been a few more, I haven't gone through them too thoroughly yet.
Memories.
You see, I had a twitch, an itch, a wild hair up my ass (call it what you may) and I decided the only cure was some poker. Because I happened to randomly check Twitter (and it's very random that I do that) I saw that the Mirage now gives $2/hour comps (And I sure hope they stay on the card and don't need to be printed off via $5 coupons that expire after a week like before) and I thought that I should head there for the games.
Within 30 minutes of me sitting down and playing I had already dropped 3 annoying hands for more money than I cared to.
The table was tight and ready for someone to play aggressively and win some pots, it just so happened that I got the cards to do just that. The problem was the rest of the table was not cooperating.
My first raise was called two ways and while I flopped a good hand I lost money to a guy who limp called my raise from early position with J6 offsuit and flopped two pair. He played it passively and I didn't lose too terribly much.
Shortly later I had a guy call a raise preflop and then call my bet on the flop only to turn his set of 8's.
Then a bit later I had a guy call down to the river to hit another set of 8's only to be out done by the guy who just nabbed a 2 outer by hitting his gutshot for the straight.
This is when I received my "pick-me-up" message from the Grumpmiester himself.
1/2 NL is NOT Beatable.
A little while later I decided I needed to show a profit so out of the blind I called a small raise (as did half the table) with 44 and flopped a 4. I bet into the raiser who called my bet as did one other person.
The turn brought a beautiful 4 and I led out again and was called.
The River did not bring a 5th 4 but I bet out again and was called.
I showed my Quadalicious and got to play on some sort of Video Poker Machine in order to try to win $45,000 which did not happen and as such I took my seat and waited to collect my lowly $100 instead.
A short while later I got Aces in the small-blind. I made a bigger raise than normal and got called 6 ways.
On the flop I bet 2/3rds pot and got called by one player - the worst player at the table.
On the turn I led out a bit larger than my last bet and was called.
The river brought 100 different annoying cards and I check called $50 only to see that my opponent had turned his gut-shot to take a big pot off of me.
Here is a hand that was kind of fun.
I have no history on Villain. He is an older white guy but I have no reads.
I have $200ish and cover Villain.
I am in a blind with QTs
There is a small raise to $8 and there are 2 callers back to me and I decide to gamble so I call.
4 players in - Pot is $32.
Flop comes out QT4 - with QT are hearts.
I check and Villain bets out $15. It folds around to me and I make it $55.
Villain calls.
Turn (~$140)
Turn is an Ace of not hearts.
I bet $70 and Villain pushes.
The Push is for about $80 more so I feel this is a clear call.
For the life of me I cannot put Villain on calling my flop check/raise with KT unless it happened to be hearts giving him a Royal Draw to go with it.
There is the possibility of 44 for the flopped set. I'm not sure he'd play TT so passively Pre but I guess we should include that in there as well (discounted because I also am holding a T).
After some debate I called with my top two and Villain immediately flipped over Triumphantly his.....
Q8 off-suit.
The only thing I can think of is that he put me only on a flush draw.
The river is meaningless and I rake in a nice sized pot which gives me profit for the evening.
Overall it was a good table with one guy who was making some large ($30-$45) Pre Flop Raises and getting lucky (Flopping two 2 with TJ and turning Trip 9's with Q9o) and raking in a ton of chips because of the luck.
When you have amazing hair like this guy it's not hard to see why the poker gods smiled upon him.
His hair is short - there are no braids. That is actually a pattern shaved into his head that goes the whole way around, just not on the top.
Oh bless his awesome heart.
He also wore a huge gold watch and his glasses say DG on them, which I can only guess means Damned Good!
When I left he turned his $200 into well over $700 mainly by winning two large hands when he made huge raises pre and nailed the flop/turn.
The only other thing to report is that fellow blogger Yakshi recently posted a song by some rapper I have never heard of named A$AP Rocky.
On my way into and exiting the Mirage Poker Room this evening I happened to spot this....
Performing Super Bowl Sunday.
Oh, it's on.
Summary, in True TBC Style - my Live Bankroll now sits at $150 but I fear that this might not last too long.
You see, VD is coming (make all the VD jokes you want) up and I've got a present and a dinner to afford. So, I fear that my bankroll might be going back down to ZERO unless I can find a way to run it up and make some more money quickly.
Damn women, always raiding my wallet.
I'm starting to itch and Jones for poker again.
I feel it in my blood, it's starting to excite me.
Time. All in due time though.
I received an email a little while ago from someone in a good position at a Casino here in the states who wants to collaborate on a piece for this blog extolling why live poker is still important in this digital age.
Kinda seems weird that I'd get that email as I feel quite certain that this person doesn't follow my blog.
So, I'll chalk it up to random happenstance where I was one of many who got the email all because I happened to do a post just recently on poker which came up in a Google search of some kind.
Whatever, poker is poker and I invite more poker into my life.
My next trick will be to present all of this poker stuff to the new woman in a way which she will be comfortable with. She has some reservations about gambling in general that are in no way related to me but you know how issues are - they stick with you no matter what.
So, I'll be developing a plan to help ease her into it and get her approval so that it will not be something that could later come between us.
On the more dorky side of life, Issue #3 of Witch Doctor: Malpractice came out and I'm happy to report that the letter (to the writers) that I sent end ended up being published. That makes me feel all dorky and tingly inside.
I've also decided that I can't read nothing but Spiderman over the course of the year or my brain will explode so I know my goal won't be hit but I'm still going to put a large dent into it.
That being said I want to point out that I started reading this great new comic called Revival.
This comic is about a small town where a bunch of dead loved ones decide to start living again. Not becoming Zombies or anything like that, but just coming back to life and really messing shit up for those around them who have already gone through the grieving (and possibly healing) process.
It deals a lot with the issues of dead people coming back to life and the strain it puts on their families and those around them.
I went through the 1st 5 issues (released as a collection) and really dig it so I'm going to have to start following it from here as it was quite enjoyable.
Dead chicks are hot :)
At work I had to fill out an end of the year self evaluation crap fest thing that sucked. I got promoted for the last quarter and had to submit something. My submission basically said "I don't know what you are looking for and need guidance" and never received that guidance.
4 months later I now have to evaluate myself based on the "goals" that I didn't set up and everything that went into my "plan" that really wasn't submitted.
No one ever looked over my submission and got back to me, sat down with me so that we could set anything up and as such this is going to make this first "review" pretty painful.
It's going to show a lack of effort on my part for not seeking out the information and a lack of care on the part of my supervisors for not bothering to even look at what was submitted so that we could form a course of action. I'm fairly certain the blame will all be pointed at me because we know "shit rolls down hills" and I'm cool with that. Leaves all my improvement over the course of 2013 to look that much more impressive I guess.
Yeah,
At one point in time I used to play and talk about this game that I love so much. I live in one of the top 3 cities for games going on at all hours of the day and yet I haven't played once in probably two months.
What the hell happened?
Oh. Those damned holidays took all of my extra money away. Relieved me of that extra money would be a polite way to put it.
I do have a plan though and while semi talking about it with Coach I decided that I should tell all of you as well.
Yes, I really y'all probably don't really give a shit but the fact is I love to hear myself type and this is a good enough reason to type as any I'll find before passing out tonight.
March Madness
That is what I'm aiming for.
I don't have all the logistics worked out just yet as I came up with this date just while talking to Coach, but in my head with a brief going over it makes perfect sense to me.
Rough calculations in my head put my remaining debt somewhere around three grand.
I've got my income tax refund coming to me 1st week or so of February and combine that with a regular payment on my student loan that will knock out about half of the debt right there.
Now, here is where a little good fortune needs to come into play. Based on all of the information that I currently have at my disposal I am on target to bonus at work for the 4th quarter of the 2012 fiscal year. There is one piece of information that I do not have (just so happens to be the same piece of information which actually kept us from hitting bonus last quarter) but all signs are pointing to that being in our favor as well. So, if things work out the way I want them to work out I'll be receiving a big fat bonus with my 1st check in March and that will allow me to finish paying off all of my debt.
The only issue that I'm seeing now is I need to find somewhere to pull a few buy-ins together so that I can actually put some hours in during March Madness and take advantage of the juicy games that go on during this time of year.
As it is I'm a bit sad that I'll be missing the Super Bowl weekend games but it is more important that I finish what I set out to do. All in due time I guess.
In the meantime it's more work, more budgeting, more planning and more reading comics in my spare time.
I want to upgrade my Kindle Fire to a Kindle Fire HD - specifically the 8.9 inch screen, though I'd be willing to settle for the 7 inch screen if need be. Scouring craigslist daily looking for a dope head to just wants to get rid of theirs (or someone else's) cheaply for a quick fix.
