Super Bowl, etc.

So far here's the plan. Turkey, mashed potatoes, people over. That's all I can think of right now. Duluth will probably have to wait two weeks.

On another note I really need to go grocery shopping. Eating out for lunch everyday is great but I really should be saving more. I also need to keep up with my book on food science, as I want to finish that book sometime. Too much socializing lately to really do any reading at work.

Sorry to blab about work but for some reason this week so far has kinda sucked. It's mostly because I have had either a project with a 0.00001% probability of success or nothing to do at all. That really makes the time lag, and if I'm off chatting for too long I start to feel guilty. Time at work flies with a good project to do.

My roommate told me this joke when I got home today, I can only say it's so dumb it's funny... What time did the Chinese guy go to the dentist at? Tooth-hurty.

A bunch of random stuff

Kiefer Sutherland is awesome. He is not only Jack Bauer, but he's a party animal as well. I heard on 93X this morning that every time he goes out he gets so blasted that he invites everyone he meets over to his house for an a-bar. He got so friendly that he had to hire a staff member to make sure that he doesn't get too wild when he goes out. Wow. Also an earlier story had him in a UK hotel after a night of boozin' and he spotted an Xmas tree and said to an employee that it "had to go." He said he would pay for the damage and the employee gave him the okay. Kiefer proceeded to tackle the tree and comment, "This hotel fucking rocks!" I will fly to LA and find him for fun like this.

What to do this weekend... I have been meaning to go to Duluth for a weekend for a long time now as I have 23423090 friends there. Last time I was there was awesome as we went to some huge bar with a ton of people there and a dance floor. We'll just say it was a fun night, as some details aren't that vivid in my mind... So I'm thinking either this weekend or two weekends from now I'll head up there with my roommate who I do the go-back-to-college-to-party tour with. In the past few months we have hit Stout, St. Cloud, and Mankato. All three have been ridiculous. Especially St. Cloud for my roommate who somehow ended up in the hospital. That's all I know, and all he knows. We'll leave it at that. The nice thing about these trips is that once the weekend is over, we get to go back to a nice clean house. Some of the college housing we have left behind has not been pretty. I would HATE to have to live in that mess while going to class for the rest of the week. Yeah, it sucks that we leave behind such a mess, but hey, I've paid my dues, damn it. I've done plenty of my own after-party trash pickups. Madison would sooo be on this tour if it wasn't a four-hour drive. I'll have to take some days off in the future to go back but I've already taken a few off for Madison and Vegas, I can't slack too much.

When I get some money piled up, there's a few things I will buy. One, a bed. The little piece of shit I have now doesn't even fit me, and that's bad. I haven't decided between a king or a queen, but it will be big. Another thing on the list is a car with AC. I will NOT be driving to work in the summer sweating. Finally, a new laptop. The thing I have now I have to set on top of something so that air can flow underneath the damn thing so it stays cool enough to stay on. Yes, it gets so hot that it turns off if I don't do this. What a pain. The next one will have a nice wide screen. Yeeeahhh.

What's the deal with morons in the left lane? Seriously, if people are on your ass and/or passing you on the right, GET OUT OF THE LEFT LANE.

The best movie villian in a comedic role easily goes to Shooter McGavin of Happy Gilmore. That guy spit soo many funny lines...

"Eeeverybody seems to be coming around. Well IIII'M NOT, DOUG. Just the other day, I saw two big fat naked bikers in the woods off 17, havin' SEX. How am supposed to CHIP, with that goin' on..."

"Trying to reach the green from here Shooter?"
"Thaat's not possible, sir."
"I beg to differ. Happy Gilmore accomplished that feat no more than an hour ago."
"Wellll moron good for Happy GilmooohhhMYGOD!"

A nice wakeup

Since I was untrue to the poker blog having played last night, I was also lazy and didn't get off my ass. So this morning I got up early for a workout. The first few minutes sucked as usual morning sessions go since I was still half asleep but once I got into it everything went fine. It's nice to get the blood goin' early as I'm more alert to start the day.

24 last night was awesome as usual, Jack Bauer should have cut out Walt's eyes though. They didn't show this but Walt shit his pants during every take of that scene. You know it to be true.

The Shield awaits tonight. I like the addition of Forest Whitaker as he is a sly bastard. It's nice that I got my roommates into this show too, I got one of my roommates season 1 for xmas and we want to get ahold of the other 3 eventually. You just don't f with Vic Mackey. That means you, asshole. (If you watched the show, you'd know what I meant...)

Lookin' great, feelin' great

New clothes are awesome.

24 tonight, awesome.

My hand still has "FIEND" stamped on it from Saturday night at the fine line. And I took a shower? Actually two since then, and plenty of hand washings. Jeez, do they have to make that ink so damn permanent? Someone at work is gonna notice it and wonder what I do with my weekends...

One of my best h-cuts ever, I think I found my new stylist for the next long while.

Back to workin' for the weekend.

Catching up

After a Mall of America shopping spree, I got to catch up with a friend from college. He was in the Materials Science program with me in Madison, but he's gone on to more schooling at U of M. I never really thought much about grad school, as I wanted out of school. I thought it felt too much like a chore, and that I could have chosen my major in a better way. I chose my major quite blindly. I thought I had to pick something in science or math as they were my strong points in high school. So I picked engineering and picked mat sci as it sounded interesting in the manual given to us at summer orientation in Madison. I have often thought about what might have been had I chosen business or culinary arts. But everything is going well now, so it's all good. Getting back to talking about my friend, we went to Kikugawa, a Japanese restaurant at Riverplace in Minneapolis. I had swordfish and yellow tail sushi, my second time having sushi. It was different and a nice change from what I usually eat. My friend was a jerk and grabbed the bill before I had a chance though, so I'll get him back for that :) After dinner we talked about how much life is different from just a year ago while we were in school. He was person #234293874 out of 234293874 people I have talked to who went to Madison and say that they miss it.

While I do miss Madison, I am beginning to realize that I have a whole new city to learn and conquer. As I have started to get to know Minneapolis, I realize there is a lot to do, you just have to know who to talk to and how to get there. Damn I can't wait until next weekend.

Pat McCurdy rocks!

Damn it, I could have seen him weekly when I was in Madison. I had meant to go a few times but every time something came up. The show last night was awesome, I had a ton of fun. That guy really knows how to grab a crowd. And oh man, do I have some gossip for at the office, I saw S & M smooch! Ha, actually they did it to freak me out. A thanks to S for driving me home and saving me a cab ride.

On another note, someone told me that gullible was written on the ceiling, and I looked. And I didn't just look, I looked and asked no questions, and I looked long and hard. Then I asked for help to try to find it. So yeah, I'm gullible. That thing I was shocked about on Friday turned out to be a big joke, someone got into someone else's e-mail and pulled a prank, and a damn good one at that.

Lucky M, traveling for 3 weeks around the world. I need to do that someday.

Last night's dinner was pretty good, I made a sirloin roast with lobster bisque (reheated from before), new potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic bread. One of my good friends finally got to see my house and got to eat some of my food, so I'm happy with how that went.

Now what to do with myself today? Probably a lot of poker, but I'm thinking about going to the mall to splurge a bit. I've got a few things in mind. Shoes, pants, jeans, shirts, belt, socks, underwear, okay so a lot of things. Wow I just convinced myself I'm going. Sweet. C ya

Random thoughts

I can't wait to get my hair cut tonight, I feel like I'm wearing a winter hat.

The great weather makes me feel great.

I can't wait for Saturday, it's hunting season.

I'm so glad I'm finally back on track with poker, time not playing is wasted money.

I need to fix my brakes! But I need money.

I miss Madison for the fact that you can walk anywhere, no worries about DD or gas.

I found out something today that has me in complete shock, I don't know what my reaction is yet, as I'm still thinking about it.

I still want a dog and a cat.

I need to download or buy more music.

I better end this blog entry so I don't get into trouble.

Friday night will be at home

So many chores and errands have piled up the past two weeks that I absolutely must take an entire night to fix that. Laundry, dry cleaning, h-cut, clean kitchen, clean bathroom, vacuum, grocery shop, pay bills, clean room. I HATE to miss a Friday night out but I think I will be glad that I did, as the next day I will be fully rested and will wake up to a clean house. Also, I told my roommate I could be his DD as he is having drinks with co-workers after work, so I'll help him out there. Now, I can't wait for Saturday, as I will regain rockstar status. "nite!

Konstantine

I can't think of anything to write about today, so, another song.

I will never have this song out of my head.


Something Corporate - Konstantine

I can't imagine all the people that you know
And the places that you go
When the lights are turned down low
And I don't understand
All the things you've seen
But I'm slipping in between
You and your big...
dreams
it's always you
in my big dreams
And you tell me
That it's over
Wake up lying in a patch
of four leaf clover
And you're restless
And I'm naked
You've got to get out
You can't stand to see me shaking
no,
could you let me go
I didn't think so
and you don't want to be here in the future
So you saythe present's just a pleasant
Interruption to the past
And you don't want to look much closer
'Cause you're afraid to find out all this hope
That you had sent into the sky by now had...
crashed
and it did
because of me

And then you bring me home
Afraid to find out that you're alone, no
And I'm sleeping in your living room
But we don't have much room
To live

I had these dreams, in them I learned to play guitar
Maybe cross the country
Become a rockstar
And there was hope in me
That I could take you there
But damn it you're so young
But I don't think I care
and if I hurt you
then I'm sorry
please don't think that this was easy
And then you bring me home
'Cause we both know what it's like to be alone, no
And I'm dreaming in your living room
But we don't have much room
To live

And Konstantine is walking down the stairs
Doesn't she look good
Standing in her underwear?
And I was thinking,
what I was thinking
But we've been drinking
And it doesn't get me anywhere
My Konstantine came walking down the stairs
And all that I could do
Was touch her long blonde hair
And I've been thinking
It hurts me thinking
That these nights when we were drinking
No they never got us anywhere, no

This is because I can spell konfusion with a K
And I can like it
It's to dying in anothers arms
and why i had to try it
It's to jimmy eat world
and those nights in my car
when the first star you see
may not be a star
I'm not your star?
Isn't that what you said
what you thought this song meant

And if this is what it takes
just to lie with my mistakes
and live with what I did to you
All the hell I put you through
I always catch the clock
it's 11:11
And now you want to talk
it's not hard to dream
You'll always be my Konstantine
My Konstantine
They'll never hurt you like I do
No, They'll never hurt you like I do
No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No
This is to a girl who got into my head
with all the pretty things she did
Hey,
You know
that you keep me up in bed
It's to a girl who got into my head
with all the fucked up things I did
Hey maybe baby,
you could keep me up in bed
My Konstantine
Spin around me like a dream
We played out on this movie screen
And I said,
Did you know I miss you
Did you know I miss you
Did you know I miss you
Did you know I miss you
Did you know I miss you
Did you know I miss you
Did you know I miss you
I miss you

And then you bring me home
And we'll go to sleep but this time not alone, no No,
And then you'll kiss me in your living room, oh
I know you miss me in your living room
Cause these nights I think maybe that I miss you in my living room
We don't have much room
I said, does anybody need that room?
Because we all need a little more room
To live...

My Konstantine

I saw the light...

...as I left work today. It was so different, leaving when there was still light. It was surprisingly refreshing.

I was thinking about what I have to look forward to now in life. In school it was always about getting to the weekend, getting to spring break, getting to winter break, getting to the summer, and getting back to school. And now? My one week of vacation some week this year and the weekends. So different, so routine. I don't have as many friends close by anymore either, they're either still at college, moved back to their own state they grew up in, or just moved. What does this mean to me? More time for self-improvement, more to look forward to on the weekend, and new people to meet and bring into my life. A friend once gave me some great advice as I was leaving college. He told me that we could stay here (college) for the next ten years and be happy, but our time had come to move on and plunge into adult life, and that it will be truly scary, but exciting. It's something I inherently knew but to hear him tell me this was quite moving, and I'm glad I got to hear it from him.

It's gonna be another one of those afteroons

...filled with boredom. La la la, what should I do?

Hmm, how about clothes. I swear I'm never happy with what I have. Lately I haven't had much spare $ so I can't upgrade quite yet, but I could use about 23o420984 more pairs of pants and 984792374 more pairs of shoes. A few more nice work shirts could do as well. Back to pants, I swear clothes designers don't think people my size exist. It took me years and many wasted dollars to find Lucky jeans, one of the only brands that fits me well. Then there's khaki pants. I don't think I've ever found a pair I like. Looks like I'll be going to the hemmer a lot, that is, once I have more $. Okay that's enough about clothes.

I wish I had a cat and a dog. I would watch them fight with each other over my attention. I could take walks and meet other dog walkers. I'm not sure what kind of dog I would want, a big dog or a little dog. I have heard some of my friends fight over which is better, which was interesting to watch. The big dog backer would be like, "Dude my dog would kill your dog." Then the little dog backer would be like, "Your dog is big and stinky." Then the big dog backer would be like, "Yeah? At least my dog doesn't look like a rat." And this would go on and on. Pretty funny. Me? I'm indifferent at the moment. I love getting to know other peoples' pets, and having them recognize me the next time they see me.

Oh yeah, I can't wait for 24 tonight. This show is definitely in my top 5 favorite shows. It's one of the only ones I make a point to see every week, and I will schedule other things around it. Sounds sick, but damn it's good.

Two others in the top 5 are The Shield and Curb Your Enthusiasm. The Shield is funny, hardcore, and moving at times, and Curb Your Enthusiasm has caused me to start punching my couch at times due to the undescribably awkward funny moments. I don't care what anyone says, Larry David is a genius.

Pizza didn't happen, movies that move you

Damn it. I had too many dishes to do and I was lazy. Oh well, some other day soon.

I was flippin' through channels with a roommate the other day and we stumbled across Rudy. He said it's probably the only movie that gives him shivers. I started thinking about movies that did that to me. Hmm...

Rocky. For sure.

LOTR: The Two Towers and ROTK. Yeah I can be a geek sometimes.

Top Gun. Why does Goose have to die every time?

The season finale of season one of The Shield. Not a movie, but I shivered at the end of the episode when they played Trouble.

I know there's many more but I just can't think of 'em right now.

What to eat, what to eat

Before I get into that I just want to say I hope I didn't come off too pissed off in that last post. Just a rant. But let's just say I won't be drawing any cool pictures on his whiteboard at work. My birthday night out was great, I got to spend some time with my roommates and a select few from work. I think the bachelor from work and I should form a piano-drum-beer group. Or maybe it just sounded good at the time:)

Okay, now onto food. I'm contemplating whether to make a pasta sauce out of my lobster bisque or to just make a pizza, oh decisions decisions. I'm going to flip a coin. Heads is pasta, tails is pizza. Here it goes. It's pizza! It's pizza! Sweet. I think I'll try to make a Mediterranean pizza like I had from this place I can't remember the name of. I think it had olive oil, spinach, basil, mozzarella, onions, chicken, and roma tomatoes. Actually I'm not too sure about the cheese type. I think I'll throw some feta on there. Yeah.

You're on my shit list, buddy

Okay, I don't mean to sound like a stuck-up prick, but am I supposed to buy others drinks on MY birthday? He bought me a drink, and then asked repeatedly for his. What?

Then, he made fun of my hair and jokingly called me a faggot. He apologized right after and said just joking, but to me that's crossing the fuckin' line. Nobody fucks with the hair, and nobody calls me that, even jokingly.

You're on my shit list, buddy.

Sleeping-in just got better

Sleeping-in used to mean getting up sometime after noon. Today it was 10 AM, which makes my day, because not only am I totally refreshed, I have a whole day ahead of me! That is, this is much better than waking up at say, 3 PM. The day is mine...

Another song

Another fave.

Third Eye Blind - Motorcycle Drive By

Summer time and the wind is blowing outside
In lower Chelsea and I don't know
What I'm doing in this city
The sun is always in my eyes
It crashes through the windows
And I'm sleeping on the couch
When I came to visit you
That's when I knew
I could never have you
I knew that before you did
Still I'm the one who's stupid
And there's this burning
Like there's always been
I never been so alone
And I've never been so alive

Visions of you on a motorcycle drive by
The cigarette ash flies in your eyes
And you don't mind, you smile
And say the world doesn't fit with you
I don't believe you, you're so serene
Careening through the universe
Your axis on a tilt, you're guiltless and free
I hope you take a piece of me with you
And there's things I'd like to do
That you don't believe in
I would like to build something
But you never see it happen
And there's this burning
Like there's always been
I've never been so alone
And I've, I've never been so alive

And there's this burning
There is this burning
Where's the soul I want to know
New York City is evil
The surface is everything but I could never do that
Someone would see through that
And this is our last time
We'll be friends again
I'll get over you, you'll wonder who I am
And there's this burning
Just like there's always been
I've never been so alone alone
And I've, and I've never been so alive

So alive I go home to the coast
It starts to rain I paddle out on the water
Alone
Taste the salt and taste the pain
I'm not thinking of you again
Summer dies and swells rise
The sun goes down in my eyes
See this rolling wave
Darkly coming to take me
Home
And I've never been so alone
And I've never been so alive

A lazy day, etc.

I had all this energy at work, and I came home and totally vegged out. No workout today, just watched The Wedding Crashers with one of my roommates and played poker while having a few casual drinks. This sounds like my life a few months ago. That was some life then, totally upside-down, out all the time, up late every night. But I feel infinitely more mature than I was just a few months ago, and I like it. Hell, it was fresh just being at a bar that had a range of ages that didn't just span from 18-25 (oh those fake IDs) last weekend.

I was talking to a guy from work today during lunch about how he met his wife, and it was quite interesting. One thing he said that struck me is that when you're actively looking for someone, you never seem to find her. And then, out of the blue when you least expect it, voila. From my experiences, so true. I can't wait to see what the future holds. But I will.

I know this is a no work blog, but...

I AM SO BORED!!!!!!!!!!!! I just watered the plant, again. I'm playing with a container full of ball bearings like it's a baby rattle. I've played darts countless times. I've bugged everyone I know at work a number of times. What's a little lab technician to do?

Hmm, let's look toward the weekend. Friday night? Don't know, hopefully out somewhere. Saturday? Out for sure, it's my 23rd, whoopdidoo, getting older. Sunday? I should go out Sunday too just to call it a rockstar weekend. Or am I just saying that now because I have nothing to do?

I can't wait to get home and run sprints in my basement. I wish I had pets too, then I could walk them. So much energy right now but nothing to do with it, 55 minutes to go. Wow I am so bored. Please someone come interrupt me so I can finish my day productively.

Favorite song

I have thought about this one for awhile. I picked it because I don't just love the song, it means something to me. I'll keep that meaning for myself.

Coldplay - Trouble

O no, I see,
A spider web is tangled up with me,
And I lost my head,
The thought of all the stupid things I've said,

O no, what's this?
A spider web, and I'm caught in the middle,
So I turned to run,
The thought of all the stupid things I've done,

I never meant to cause you trouble
And I never meant to do you wrong,
And I, well if I ever caused you trouble
O no, I never meant to do you harm

O no, I see
A spider web and it's me in the middle,
So I twist and turn
Here am I in my little bubble.

Singing out, I never meant to cause you trouble,
I never meant to do you wrong,
Ahhh, well if I ever caused you trouble
O no I never meant to do you harm

They spun a web for me
They spun a web for me
They spun a web for me

"I don't care what anyone says, ..."

The dot dot dot I'm talking about is something you support no matter what, something you're absolutely passionate about. I remember my freshman year roommate saying, "I don't care what anyone says, The Cable Guy is an awesome movie." Yeah, that's it, stuff like that.

Some of mine? Hmm...

...The Darkness rocks.
...a drinking fountain is not a bubbler.
...poker is NOT a sport!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...original Nintendo is awesome.

It's fun hearing what others' dot dot dots are too. That Cable Guy one from above is one of my faves.

Apparently I have an obsession

I got home at 6:15, did some housework, and automatically started cooking. Chicken breasts stuffed with spinach and cheese with rotini and all topped with marinara. The thing is, I wasn't even hungry... and it's 9:30 now, workout time. Well at least tomorrow's lunch should be spectacular.

3 days 'til the weekend...

Hockey

After hearing a co-worker talk about hockey at lunch, I realize I miss it a lot. I miss the thrill of a game-winning goal and a sweet setup. It was so much easier when I was in some sort of league in high school, so there was always ice time set aside for you and your team. Now, you have to pick a day when both your friends can play and the weather complies. Next year I am joining some sort of men's league, period.

The little things in life...

I have found that I really appreciate the little things in life. Like today, the drive home from work was a breeze, thanks to MLKJ day. Then I got home and remembered what I had practiced on the piano yesterday. Compliments. Unintentional comedy. A good night's sleep. Stuff like that. Sometimes they make your moment better, your hour, your day, your week. My favorite is when you're thinking about something and you laugh out loud, and everyone stares at you like you're crazy. That in itself is another one of those little things I enjoy.

Cooked out, dogs and cats

No I didn't cook dogs and cats. Just tired from a long time in the kitchen, and another random question I ask people sometimes.

Wow, it feels like I spent my entire weekend in my kitchen. In addition to lobster and lobster bisque, today added salsa and rotisserie chicken, PLUS I had to do all of the dishes. If soap grew on trees, I killed two today, maybe three.

On a random note, I sometimes wonder or ask people if they are a dog or a cat person. Personally I am almost 50/50, but in the end it's more like 51 cat/49 dog, so in black and white I'm a cat person. If I had a choice, I would have both. What does being a cat or dog person say about someone, if anything at all? I ask people which they are for some reason, probably because I think it tells me something about them. But what?

Makin' bisque ain't brisk

I've never had lobster bisque before, so unfortunately I didn't know what it was supposed to taste like. I was actually surprised at how much I liked it upon first tasting, so hopefully that's a good sign. Tomorrow, err later today I will have plenty of critics over to let me know. 

Dinner party for two

:) 

Lobster update

Holy shit, the lobsters were huge! And they made my entire house reek of lobster! And they tasted great!

Time to make bisque!

Lobster and the universe

Lobster, my task for the day. Universe, just a random thing I wonder about.

I have four live lobsters in my fridge and a friend from college coming over to help out with them. I've never cooked lobster before, so it should be an experience. Am I worried about killing them? No. They are my food, and I will eat them.

The universe boggles my mind. Probably more than anything else I've ever wondered about. Seriously, how friggin' big is it? It can't be infinite space, can it? Crap, my mind is boggling again, which is not helping the headache I already have from last night and thattasteoftequilainmymouththanksalotSeth!

One wish

I wish I didn't have to sleep. I could get so much more done. Yeah some may say that sleep is pleasurable. But if it wasn't necessary, would it be?

Damn laundry, keeping me up late. Ok done ranting.

Does the fact that I have an old friend in town make me old?

My friend calls me up and says that she's back in town for the weekend visiting. After I see her I probably won't see her again for months. Crap. I remember the days, well the first 21 years of my life-days, when this was a rare situation. Now this situation I would expect to be commonplace more and more as time goes on.

Now what to do about this? Keep in touch somehow. I know for a fact that my keep-in-touch skills could use some work... perhaps this could be my new year's resolution. More time online, more phone calls, more emails. And visits. It's a plan.

Monday, Monday

I used to dread Mondays, but now after a weekend I am actually refreshed, not having homework and school responsibilities to worry about. I don't mind work at all. I look forward to making a contribution to something productive each day, something I didn't have when playing poker.

Poker poker poker. The no poker blog and no work blog title doesn't seem to be applying so far... I'll try to get away from that. How about... piano?

I remember taking lessons in grade school from one of my good friends' moms. She was an amazing piano player, I doubt I'll ever reach her level. I also remember her telling her son (my friend) about when I cried because I was strugging during one lesson, and then hearing about it during a mocking session from my pals. So much for the teacher-student confidentiality, oh well. I deserved it as I saw piano practice as a chore back then and ignored it for the most part inbetween weekly lessons. And now, I wish I had cared a little more. In my current living space is a lonely piano I feel compelled to play now and then. In fact, I have found myself playing around on it for hours trying to learn new songs such as "Konstantine" by Something Corporate and refining old songs I have memorized such as "Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin. Someday I hope to play Maple Leaf Rag through and through, and at the current pace, I definitely see that happening. I can't wait.

Changes

So many changes over the last few months... finally some sort of schedule to follow. Off the top of my head, the following is a list of major changes:

1. Moved out of parents' house
2. Acquired "real" job
3. Almost completely stopped playing poker, because of #2
4. Have focused more attention on other hobbies, due to #3
5. I was going to think of something witty and untrue to put here but I'm blanking

Of course, each listed change branches out into many subtopics. Which one to start off with? Hmm, how about #3, to get it out of the way.

Anyone who has known me for a while probably thinks I am a poker nut. To an extent I do agree, but I think most people do not understand my motives for playing. My number one goal when playing poker is to make money. Period. To have a good time while playing is secondary. This mindset is a direct result of playing poker for a job for a few years.

I think most people think that I play mainly for fun and competition, and that if I hear about another good player, I want to sit down with him or her and prove that I am better than them. However, this couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact, one might say I am disgusted when someone who has heard that I play often and well comes up to me and says something like, "Hey, I heard about you, we should play sometime." I translate this as, "Yo, you think you're good? Let's sit and find out." Sorry, not interested. I will admit that this was my motivation when I first started playing in high school, but things have changed much since then. I am usually reluctant to join a home game with friends nowadays since the stakes they usually play for are petty and honestly not worth my time. This probably sounds cocky, but what I am actually trying to say is that since my main goal when playing poker is to make money, I don't want the money coming out of my friends' pockets, and if I do happen to win, the sum is not nearly what I could be making if at the cardroom or online, if my friends lose then I'm not happy, and if I lose I'm not happy. Yes there have been fun moments, but I would rather be having fun in another setting than at a poker table; more on that later. When playing with strangers, I feel no regret.

Getting back on track to explain #3 from above, I have played hardly at all since obtaining my new job in the beginning of November. I think this helps prove my aforementioned priorities in playing poker -- now that I have a steady source of income, poker playing has become nearly nonexistent.

Okay, enough poker for the no poker blog, just had to get that out. Anything more on poker in the future I will try to enter in the blog entitled, "poker."

Now it's time to pick another number. Hmm, I shall choose #5. Hahahaha

How about #4, other hobbies.

Welllllll, the first one that comes to mind is definitely cooking. I have always been interested in food and everything related. How to prepare it well, presentation, budget, compatibility, health, etc. My interest led me to experiment and invest some time in cooking while in college. The other motivating factor was boredom -- while friends were at full-time summer jobs, I was on Christmas vacation all the time, playing poker only when I wanted.

As my interest has grown the past few years, I have acquired a few accessories, which include the Ronco rotisserie oven you see on TV, a buffet-style electric food-serving thinger (something a caterer would use), a vacuum sealer, the QuickChop as seen on TV, the Ronco knife set as as seen on TV, a book called "On Food and Cooking" which discusses the actual science and some history behind all foods, and a few other smaller items. In addition, I have taught myself food preparation methods and techniques by watching the food channel and through hours of experimentation.

Why do I do all of this for food? Does it taste better? Does it cost less? Wow, I haven't ever really put myself on the spot to answer this question directly and completely. Now that I think about it, I would say that I find cooking is an art form, something I can find happiness in and also something that I can share with others so that they may experience the same. I find myself pleased when I spread a bit of joy into others by sharing something satisfying that I created. I also like the idea of making an everyday necessity (food) extraordinary; if you have to do it, why not enjoy?

So what have I made lately? This weekend I made spaghetti pizza on Friday, and a cayenne quiche and chicken pizza with white sauce on Sunday. A few months ago, much of that time would have been spent on poker. I like this better, and I think my roommates and friends do too.