Gamblin' Ramblin$

one half this, one half that

Few days good
Most days bad
Almost all days sad

The more I sleep, the more tired I get. An interesting equation.

The ringing never, ever stops.

How one can someone be so oblivious to how much hurt is caused?

Time to lay down.

180 degrees

I used to look forward to so many holidays. Now...I could not care less. So many things, little things, that just remind how alone I feel.

What I need....what I really, really need...is a trip to Vegas. It would not take much to convince me to make it a one way ticket. I want to leave here so badly. Hell...I've been pushed away and pretty much discarded by those who meant the most to me (not all, mind you)..why not? I won't be missed by them.

I feel like shit anyway and need to start all over, so why do it here? If I'm going to begin a new life, I might as well do it somewhere I like.

I just wish the ringing and spinning would stop.

Simply amazing

How many times am I going to have my nose rubbed in it...and how many times am I going to keep going back for more?

Hi...my name is doormat...just walk on in.

.......

How many times have I gone to sleep, wishing I wouldn't wake up?

Knowing things I wish I didn't.

The sadness and loneliness envelope me like an unwanted blanket on an already hot day.

I'm so tired of putting the "game face" on every day...I just don't want to do it anymore.

I give...something wins, but not me.

The Year That Was(n't)

Happy New Year!!

Well...Christmas is over and I'm here pecking away at the keyboard while the Rose Bowl is getting ready to start. I was able to visit the kids today and now my dinner is cooking. Things seem to be peaceful and for the moment...stress free. Now would be a good time to reflect on the past year...the good and the bad.

One of these days, I'll either move all my files to this laptop, or fire up the old one so I can upload some pics. One of these days.

I have to start with the 2 people , without whom I would probably not be around to write anything. They would be my brother, George, and my main man and voice of reason, Will Hallback. I've interacted with many folks over the past year, but these 2 have been the sturdiest of rocks I relied on (or cried to). My personal issues have been varied and some quite severe, and these guys have responded within minutes to provide aid. I can never repay them for the support they have given me...the best I can do is offer my sincere thanks.

Work has been good and I'm continuing to learn new things almost daily. It has been an exercise of patience at times, but overall very rewarding. I have looked into positions in other divisions of the Company as far away as Alaska and in Florida. I peek at Nevada too...lots of opportunity there...hahahahaha. Who knows where I will end up this time next year?

I have made several new friends, through work and through WOW. If I tried to mention them all, I would surely miss one or two. The ones who really stand out though, for whatever reasons are: Fjaweru/Zoqui, Nightsmoon, Michedica, Morgatha/Piobhorror, Erised/Enived, Eltsorro, Drclal & Msclal, Dew(in all her forms!), Distructor...the list could go on. These folks (some don't play anymore) were not only fun to play with, but fun to banter with during game play. It's fascinating how relationships develop within the game...helping with quests and achievements or general fussing about things out of our control...what class is OP (they all are except mages!), and so on. Amazingly enough, I've grown close to a few of the above mentioned folks...discussing their kids (we have a lot of couples in our guild), schools, parenting, "adult" subjects (heh heh),...etc. And one, whom I won't mention by name, I owe so much to. If any of my in game cronies actually read this thing...they may know who I'm talking about. This person was a beam of sunlight piercing the grey clouds of my horizon (oh puke!), showing me that, yes, there is some hope for me. Thank you! Not that this person also caused me some grief as well...the pros outweigh the cons. Christmas and New Year's Day were both pretty much saved by this one person. That's it..no more to be said.

I'm done...dinner is ready. Looks like a good game. I think we may raid tonight. So...2010...what do you have in store for me?

The best laid plans

What should have been the last day of an adventure filled weekend, is played out like the previous three days...blinds drawn, lights out, room dark. Unable to tell the time of day except with a clock.

Then again, things have been dark for a long, long time.

At least I'll be on time to work tomorrow.

Damn those trees

Over the years I have surrounded myself with very smart friends. Why am I not smart enough to listen to them?

Sound of Silence

I forgot how deafening silence can be...or maybe that's just the ringing in my ears.

Another Holiday Season is upon us...I was hanging on to futile hope that I would not be alone this time. Still the fool, I am.

March on!

I did not make it to any football games this year, so I didn't get to see the South Oldham Marching Dragons do their thing. Conor is a junior this year and a veteran member of the band. While I have always enjoyed their performances and thought they were an elite group, they had never been able to to make the State Finals from when Trevor played until now.

That changed this year as not only did they make the finals, they placed 3rd in State! Excellent job one and all. Conor, I am so proud of you.

Here is a link the 3rd Place performance...very impressive.

By Definition

I keep doing the same thing, while expecting a different result.

Am I going insane, or am I just a fucking idiot?

My, how time flies...

...but that doesn't mean I'm having fun.

Revisiting the past...and more past...does that sound right?

Let's look at yesterday, August 3rd. That date holds a lot of significance in my life, particularly 3 different dates:

1988- Perhaps the happiest day of my life, when I took the vows of matrimony and married Mary Beth. The enormity of committing and devoting the rest of my days to this woman was met with enthusiasm and eagerness.

2001- On that day as MB and I celebrated 13 years together, I lost my mother after a very brave fight to a frightening foe. That year, actually, sucked as a whole for so any reasons that if I had the ability to erase it from history...I would do so without thinking twice.

2008- After 20 years of marriage, I moved out of the house at MB's request leaving behind 3 beautiful children and the only person I had ever put on a pedestal. To say my heart was broken would have been such an understatement, that I would have had anyone who said just that tested for sanity. I, myself, died that day.

Yesterday- I didn't have that much time to stop and think. I was finishing up an inventory and working on 2.5 hours of sleep the past 48 hours. I was spent. As soon as I arrived home, I went straight to bed, not waking up till early the 4th. Rather ironic that one of the reasons of our strife, my work, kept me from stopping to think about the past 21 years.

So, now that the day has passed, I have things to say:

Goodbye Mom, I miss you. I wish we could visit Vegas just one more time.

Goodbye Mary Beth, how I wish I could change things. I miss you and the kids so much. Whatever I did or said, I am sorry.

It's storming outside...how very fitting.

How about that?

Well, my last entry dealt with introducing Emma to some new (for her) music. Today, I receive a call from my bud, Will, filling me in on an upcoming festival in downtown Louisville.

Forecastle

This looks like a lot of fun. Now, mind you, I'm not an activist of any sort but the chance to catch some great live music...I'm in!

Cosmic Debris

Emma came over on Tuesday. We had much fun going out to eat, shopping, watching TV, even hitting the swing sets in my complex.

While we were shopping, I came across a Zappa plays Zappa DVD. Mary Beth and I went that show when it was in town in December 2006. That was a special gift to me because Mary Beth wasn't really into Zappa. Happier times.

Anyway, I just had to buy the DVD.

When we got back to the apartment, Emma began playing something on the laptop, so I popped in the DVD. Did I get some strange looks!

Emma thought the lyrics were rather odd. so I told her to just listen to the music. I played about 6 tracks and then we went out for dinner. I don't know whether she actually liked the music, but at least she got some exposure to something new.

Even I can learn something

A few days ago, one of my employees was concerned that his department did not look right. He had received a large shipment that morning and was behind in getting his displays right and the rest of his frozen cases straightened out. Normally, he would ask if he could put in a little more time to complete his tasks and we would allow him to stay.

But...not that day.

You see, also on that day was a scheduled birthday party for his twin sons. When I arrived at work, he was already past his leaving time, and I knew what time the party was to take place. I called him into the office and asked him why was he still here? He stated that his department wasn't finished and I replied "So what? You have a party to go to. Get your butt out of here now!"

He left.

I was told by his wife (who also works for me) that he said I had fussed at him (well...I did!). She thanked me for what I did.

Damn.

If I had taken that same stand years ago, I might not be living alone now.

Can you go back home again?

While my final time with RadioShack may not have been so pleasant, I do have fond memories of my former employees. A couple of them I keep in constant contact and get with them fairly often. Others, however, I only hear from once in a great while.

I decided to do something about that.

There was some interest in a get-together with my constant contacts, but I figured I needed someone with a little fire in her to help get things really rolling. I called Hallie. I had not heard from Hallie since before I left the company as she had left my employ in 2004, so she was quite surprised when I finally made contact with her. After a flurry of emails, texts, calls,...etc, we decided on a date, time and place.

We went through a list of folks from the last two stores I spent time managing ( I don't count Oxmoor, because a lot of my Eastern Parkway crew came with me!). Some of the employees (can I now call them friends?) followed me from store to store...loyalty is a good thing. We gave them a lot of lead time to aid in their planning. After gathering all the contact numbers needed, I blasted out a text message to them.

The responses were immediate and enthusiastic.

I kept in contact with everyone and then the day arrived. On April 4, we gathered at a local pizzaria. For several hours, we traded hugs, handshakes, updates, and of course...the fun times we had while working together. A couple ended up not being able to come, but we'll resolve that for next time.

I have to say, that I am very proud of the group we assembled. Keep in mind that some of these folks were still in high school when I hired them or when they came on board with me (or I came onboard with them). In our little group we have a lawyer, an owner of two retail outlets, a member of Homeland Security, retail managers (not just me!)...the list goes on.

We made a promise to do this again very soon. So, I'll give Hallie another call and we'll brainstorm another outing, perhaps with some activities included with a dinner...sounds like fun!

C-A-R-D-S GO-CARDS-GO!!

It's the morning of Selection Sunday, and the folks in this area are wondering 2 things:

Will the U of L Cards get their deserved #1 seed?

What seed will the mildcats get in the NIT? *snicker*

To be fair, a lot of good teams go to the NIT simply because an undeserving team gets lucky and wins its conference tourney to bet the NCAA automatic bid. Anyone who says the NCAA Tourney has the 65 best teams in it does not have a clue about college basketball.

But then, there are the mildcats.

Why am I talking about them? Because some of the snarky, pompous UK fans have it coming. They tire me.

I don't really need to talk about U of L's Men's and Women's teams. I think they've done their talking well enough.

Kinda sad actually

I don't ask for much, my wants are relatively simple.

It doesn't take much to make me happy.

I've been told I have exhibited more patience than I should (that's debatable).

I overlook a lot, and just chalk it up as that's the way things are.

I'm far from perfect, and never claim to be remotely close.

But, I can also be hurt.

Those who know me well, will have an idea just what I'm talking about. Those who don't, I will not explain.

Today, I was hurt. Not because of something that happened, but because of something that didn't.

Could be the fault line

There's a rumbling around here. Poeple are growing wary of its presence. There is no denying of the powerful force making its way to...

The NCAA Tournament.

The mighty U of L Cardinals captured the Big East title yesterday. The meat grinder league that it is has 3 legitimate number one seeds in it. The Cards have done all they could to stake their claim. Great job guys!

Heck, the first 2 rounds of the tourney should be a breather for you. Good luck!

And for Mildcat fans? *chuckle*

If you blink, you'll miss it

This is so appropriate, it is scary

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say

Thanks to Pink Floyd

A most wonderful gift

I had the kids over on December 26. Mary Beth brought them over since my car was still sick.

I hope they had fun...they seemed to enjoy themselves and their gifts. We ate (twice), played games, shot the breeze, I was just thrilled to see them all.

They gave me a gift I will cherish forever. A picture of the three of them when they were much younger. It was taken in front of the house...they are all smiling. I wish I could remember the exact date it was taken...if I were to guess...sometime in 1998.

I look at it all the time.

Thank you Mary Beth...thank you kids.

Happy New Year!

Just what I always wanted!

Not!!!

A new secondary air injector pump was not the gift I had mind for Christmas, but...what can you do? A new sofa or a Blue Ray player seemed more like it.

Oh well.

Merry Christmas to All!

What to do...what to do?

Well...I'm at my new store. Quite a change in pace from where I was. The people seem nice and they remember me from my training there three years ago.

I wonder if that's good or bad?

Heh heh.

I have to work Christmas Eve and I have to go in Christmas Day to check on things. But I do get New Year's Day and the day after off....and that means...FOOTBALL! I may just hook up another TV in here to provide gridiron overload. I think wings and mozz sticks are in order and...I just might have more than one beer!

Oh...I'm just a party animal.

Happy Thanksgiving

Or...

Happy Day Off.

To some, that's all it is.

In this time of "change"...why not?

After 2.5 years at the same store and on my 3rd Anniversary of my recent employer, I am changing stores. This change is pretty good as my new store is closer to the man cave. I also have experience in that store as it was the one where I did most of my training.

I'll miss my old crew. They taught me a lot about the business and the one word that paints the broad stroke in describing them is Pride. That store has a bad, yet undeserved, reputation and the employees there work very hard to overcome that rep.

I welcome the challenge of a larger store and new customers. Perhaps this will be the next step into a position that is closer to my expertise.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

What decorations I had planned are now up. The tree is on display, with some help from Emma. My new (gifted) furniture is cleaned, polished, and adorned with holiday stuff. Casino chips are tastefully hanging on three walls. On occasion, one can hear Christmas tunes filling the air.

Just need to vacuum the garland schrapnel and I'm ready for Santa.

Oh...I forgot...it seems I wasn't such a good kid this year. *sigh*

No worries Santa, just drop by for some 'Nog and nummies.

Putting the puzzle together

The table, chairs, and curio should arrive on Sunday, providing the weather holds up. I'm really looking forward to this. The finish, I'm told, is a dark walnut. That works for me since the chip cabinet will also be dark...cherry yes...but dark.

Having my first fire in my fireplace tonight. Man, I enjoy that.

Will came by and we buzzed up to Target for some things, George (and Barb) called and invited us to Impellizeri's for some 'sticks and pizza. Of course we were up for that.

Right now, I have my fire going, 'Bama football getting ready to start, going to fix a pot of chili (maybe). It's cozy in here and I feel (feek, for those who know) pretty good.

Could it get any better than this?

Certainly.

But this isn't too bad.

Good/bad, Black/white, Ying/yang...whatever

I'm feeling a bit odd today...and that's different from what?

The bad

leaving from work
going straight when I used to veer left
no furry greetings
a small mailbox
echoes
a brace in the middle of my back
my choices
the future
the incredible emptiness in such a small space
not seeing those I miss and love
shivering when I'm not cold
An August day in 2008

The good

leaving from work
the last business day of the month
1200 watts bridged @ 8 ohms
futile hope
padded envelopes in the mail
Monday Night Football
my circle
my choices
an August day in 1988

what have I done?

Just treading water

Not much going on right now...just kinda biding my time, wondering what is going to happen next.

Chips? A new display for my C-Notes is on the way. I have news that a corner curio may be mine for the asking...if so, I'll pick up some stands for some select chips.

I kan haz braclet 2?

Seems to me that Obama wanted to get into a johnson measuring contest.

"I have a bracelet too."

How about "Mine's bigger than yours." ?

I'm not into politics. But when someone pops off with something so monumentally stupid, I have to say something.

I'm a registered Dem, and catch hell for it. For good reason I'm afraid.

Change is good?

Anyone of the two or three people who occasionally visit this blog may have noticed the changes I've made. No mention of WOW in the title.

When I started this blog, it was to discuss chip collecting and acquisitions with the odd rant tossed in for some....flavor.

Well, recently I looked back through the archives and was actually taken back in how the direction veered away from my original idea. Granted, chip collecting targets a very small niche in the grand scheme of things, but it's what I enjoy. I also was unhappy how I took personal info and just threw it out for anyone to see. Pretty childish actually but I tend to be quick to show emotions and used this blog to let on what I was thinking without actually speaking to the person(s) I may have been targetting the post(s) to.

I said before I have a lot of work to do..some things big, others small.

Therefore, I will be going back through the archives once again. This time I will be removing selected entries. Some of these were hurtful and mean. I am sorry for them. I can't erase the past, but I can certainly remove a post.

And...I will get back to the business of chip collecting. Can't buy anything right now but I can keep things updated.

If you fail to water a plant...

...it dies.

Pretty simple, right?

I am far from a perfect person, manager, father, and husband...very far. Yet, I don't think I'm a total F-up.

I have issues...a few? Many? Too many? Hell...I don't know.

But what I do know, is that eventually I will wise up, become enlightened, realize, grow up...whatever...and will begin to address and resolve my issues.

All at once? No. Methodically, one at a time.

It's already started. I have removed a major source of strife in my relationships...that is World of Warcraft. I stated to my guild when I left...

"I have become a statistic, one of the fools that is ridiculed on the forums and talked about in articles."

The game is off my laptop. I no longer have access to my characters.

I feel this was a significant event to come to grips with my obsessive compulsive behavior (diagnosed), and was a bit of a shock to most I know. Others, dismissed it as no big deal.

No water? Dead plant.

This was an addiction, not lethal as are some, but destructive. Will something else take its place? That's up to me. If my addiction were to working out or cleaning house...I highly doubt there would have ever been a problem with my relationships...I guess I picked the wrong thing.

Are a few words of encouragement too much to ask for? Or even acknowledgement?

A watered plant will flourish and bloom.

I have a lot of work to do. I have more issues to contend with.

All I need is a drink now and then.

Someone please explain this to me...

...but don't show me how it works...ewwwww gross!

I've been looking at this sign for better than 2 years now and it just boggles my mind. Doesn't anyone think things out before they act? Oh wait...perhaps I'm not the right person to pose that question.

Anyway, the place is also a laundry-mat...so that makes sense...but what about the sign? It's all by itself.

You know? Somebody is proud of that thing...they made it, and someone else designed it. I bet all the while they were cracking up about the shop that ordered it...the scariest thing is that someone out there thought it was a great idea.

It almost makes me want to weep...but I'm too busy laughing.

Things I've learned

I suppose one is never too old to learn new things. So I should not be surprised about the events that unfolded in Vegas. Let me set you up.

George and I were hungry, Barb wasn't feeling well, so we set out to nail some nummies. We decided to stop in Lillie's Noodle House. The place was quite dark and comfy...I loved it. After perusing the menu, I settled on favorite of mine, General Tso's Chicken. Now, I like things spicy and that particular dish usually does the job, but...

Here is the lesson...

NEVER...NEVER...request "extra spicy" from a chef you do not know!!!

George says that my request was taken as "smack talk" by the chef, so he chose to show me a lesson. Makes sense to me.

After 2 bites, I looked over at George and said "I'm in trouble". After the 3rd bite I lost my voice. The dish looked and smelled great, and the taste?? Awesome!! and the heat??? a 25 on a scale from 1-10...good God!

Now it was my turn...this was a challenge I could not back away from. The only problem was that there was no chocolate milk nearby to knocfk out the heat. All I had was water, hot tea, and warm sake...not the best choices for my situation but that's the hand I was dealt...dealt hand...Vegas...get it? Oh well, moving on!

I managed to eat all but 3-4 pieces...I was stuffed...and in pain. The back of my neck was soaked and my hair was matted.

Lesson learned?? We'll see!

Whatta Blast

Got back last night...WOW! What an awesome time we had. Got to see Richard. We gambled a bit and he treated me to a buffet that he had comped.

Then hooked up with Bro and Barb...the rest was whirlwind. Hit the Chip Show, watched Bro in the Poker Tourney (he finished 6th!!!), gambled a ton, walked Fremont Street, took pictures, drink a few adult beverages, ate, laughed at noobs, gambled another ton, ate the hottest General Tso's Chicken I have ever had (I paid dearly for that).

When it was all said and done, we got 3 nights and 2 meals comped..that's pretty good. I came home with cash too! That's a surprise!

And we have stories to tell...some involve wine, showgirls, teasers at the Glitter Gulch, Poker Tourneys, one particuar Tahoe Chip Collector, and a few more.

With all that...whatever happened to us in Vegas, doesn't have to stay there...we behaved...and still managed to rock the joint!

And hopefully, I can get the pictures off the camera.

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

In just a few hours, I'll be on my way to Vegas...woot! I can't wait to see all my chipping buddies and catch the thrill that is Vegas! This time, I'll try to get pics.

I do have to say a big Thank You to MB. This was a Christmas/Birthday present for me. While she doesn't care too much for Vegas, she knows how much I enjoy the place. This is a wonderful gift, and besides...they get rid of me for a couple of days...heh heh...we all get a break!

Thank you MB! I will miss all of you.

Has it been that long?

Five years ago, I started this blog. Five years ago, I began my quest for a Tae Kwon Do Black Belt. Five years ago, I was about to board a plane for Las Vegas to attend the covention for my chip collecting club.

Five years ago.

Well, the blog is still here...I just don't add to it much anymore. I don't do TKD anymore and did not get my Black Belt...that's another story.

But...I AM getting ready to once again board a plane and head to Vegas for another convention...WOOT! I will meet George and Barb at the airport as they will arrive a day or so before me. Also...my buddy Richard will be finishing up a visit there when I arrive, so we'll get together Wednseday night for some food , talk of the old days, and donation of cash to the casino of our choosing!

DAMN

Ok...we did not play our best game when we needed to. But for the love of all that is Holy...Hansbrough (or however you spell it) gets away with with murder out there. So many hacks and no calls.

And the game announcers...I really think they are hot for him. I have never heard so much gushing about someone.

And if anyone wants to argue that this was not a home game for Carolina...kiss my ass...we can go outside and fight.

I'm not kidding.

Deal (with) the Cards!

3 games, 3 convincing wins. Now we face North Carolina for a shot at another Final 4. Can we beat them? Sure! Will we beat them? I hope so!

Regardless, it's been great fun watching this team the entire season. If only we had Padgett and Palacios for the whole time...? Wow...what it could have been? No matter...whether we're a 1 seed or a 3...we're in the hunt for another shot at the prize. We're peaking at the perfect time.

I would not want to play us right now.

GO CARDS!!

If you would have asked me...

...3 months ago, that U Of L would be 24-6 and playing for the Big East Championship...I would have asked you to share the dope you were smoking. But here they are, my beloved Cards...playing the best TEAM ball I have seen from a U of L club in a long time. Granted, the 'Cisco and Dean (2005) Show a few years back was special but the the game ran through those guys so much. This team has so many interchangeable parts, can play any style, guard any style, and flat out wear a team down by continously throwing fresh bodies at them. It is a joy to watch.

Allright boys, you have 5 days to prepare for Georgetown. Get rested and ready to spank those Hoyas and nab the Season Championship and the #1 seed in the Conference Tourney!

GO CARDS!!

A visit from the past

While I have been at my current location (work that is), I have seen a few people from my past. That's a good thing.

One was Phil Turner, an incredible banjo and guitar player that I had a chance to jam with and listen to when he would play at Fat Cat's Deli and Pub. This was back in the mid-late 80's when I lived on top of the place. I have several live recordings of Phil from that time. He gave me a disc of his latest release (yup he has a few albums out) and I was blown away to hear a couple of songs I recognized from back in our "running around" days. It was quite cool to hear the final, finished effort from his earlier days. It made me want to buy a new drum kit and give him a call, just to see if I could still keep a beat.

BTW, we do have rock band here...and I am the drummer...I kinda get carried away at times.

When I lived on top of the bar, I shared it with one of my best buds, Bruns, and his wife, Janet.

Well...today at the store, I ran into Bruns' mother. She will always be Mrs. Warner to me, regardless of how old I get. The memories of many days spent in their house in highlands quickly cascaded upon me as we chatted. Bruns and I ran with each other a lot...I mean a lot! His parents (now divorced) were the coolest folks I had met, aside from my own mom (of course).

She informed me of her task of getting another Master's Degree ( she has at least 2 currently). This one is in religion as she is seeking to enter the ministry of some type. A former lawyer and political activist, she was a wise sage to us "kids" as we progressed from high school to college and beyond as we began our own families. She still has the soft voice but with a tone that keeps your attention, regardless of what she is talking about...must be the lawyer in her, heh heh heh.

She told me that I needed to give Bruns a call, which I will do. I last saw him when we nabbed him and dragged him up to Indianapolis to see Roger Waters...oh yeah...he put up a real fight...pfffft!

As we parted, she also said that Bruns and I need to start running together again...that it would be good for both of us. Indeed, friends are always good to have, and I would like to do that.

It would be good for both of us.

Thank you Cards

Heh heh, just a little play on words here.

BTW...WTB a keyboard that's not a piece of garbage...ya figure $70 would get you a decent keyboard...but NO!!

Anyway...Thanks to the CARDS...for laying a 2nd half whipping on the Mildcats in Corrupt Arena no less.

I watched the first half and even though we let them back into the game by halftime, I knew they wouldn't be able to keep up.

The only problem is that I didn't get to watch the 2nd half as we needed to go to Conor's marching band banquet. I was not allowed to even listen to game along the way!! I did not get to hear the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half when the beat down took place. Ah well...victory none the less. Nice way to avenge the football team who GAVE their game to the cats...don't get me started on the football team again.

And to the Courier Journal..the Louisville newspaper that is fit only to line birdcages. Who in Hell made the decision to run that picture on the Sports page?? If I were an Admin at U of L, I would calling for someone's head. Since Gannet took over, the paper hasn't been worth printing. It wasn't a steady decline either...it was overnight. The only good things about the Bush-bashing, Cardinal hating CJ, are the coupons on Sunday. What's funny is that I have several customers who will buy the Sunday paper for the coupons, only to leave that rag for someone else to read...HAHAHAHAHAHA...that should tell you something about it.

Oh well...enough ranting...I'm looking for Christmas ornament storage boxes and Hallmark ornies for uber low prices...I have a few series to fill out.

Another Christmas come and gone

I kinda feel like Charlie Brown in the TV Special. I get a little down on Christmas Day and after.

Why?

Dunno...but it's been that way for awhile, but I must explain.

The period leading up to Christmas Day I love. The whole Holiday Season. I like the cooler temperatures, the decorations, the smells, and the music...ahh yes, the music.

The music is simply the best part. After singing for so long during school and being surrounded by great Holiday music every year, it's no wonder I love the sounds so much. Dad had the entire collection of Firestone Christmas albums and I remember listening to them. Some great folks on those pieces of vinyl. I have several CDs of Christmas music of all genres, but I didn't listen to any of them this year. Stupid me.

I miss being able to fully decorate the tree. Can't do that anymore because the cats are notorious for tearing up the tree and I sure don't want our valuable Hallmark ornaments failing any gravity tests. Heck, this year I missed out on decorating the tree all together...it was bought and put up while I was at work. The outside lights were a disaster this year...every set we bought last year worked ok at the start, then it seemed like each day another portion of a strand would fail. It almost was like an organized effort to piss me off. We bought more strands to fill the gaps and now there are so many light strands on the bushes..they are hopelessy tangled.

I also miss seeing my brother and his family on Christmas morning.

So, we have the event that is Christmas morning...Santa came..woohoo!

Dinner was fantastic, and I stuffed myself. BTW, we had a chinese food dinner on Christmas Eve that was awesome!

It's now evening and I have to be at work to open in the morning, life goes on. There are so many instances I wish I could just stop time...things just go by so fast.

Good news for a change

Well...my feet have recovered to the point that I do not require surgery...whew! I still need to wear the splint for awhile...no biggie, and I'll keep on doing my other therapy.

Oh....and...

I am going to Vegas in June!! I know what my Christmas present is!

Can't rule this out

Mucous Alchemy?

Could be...I'm turning something into gallons of crud...ewwwww.

A Question for the Ages

How can the human nasal passages produce so much snot?
SOMEBODY ANSWER ME!!!

Wha????

One not bad thing about having a cold, is that I can't smell some of the more "pungent" customers that shop at my store.

August 3rd...a day among days

That day invokes a lot of mixed feelings...good, bad, and "what the Hell were they thinking?"

First off, it's Mary Beth's and my Anniversary. Nineteen years and going...has it been that long? Wow...it really does feel like yesterday. Most of our married friends have since split up and moved on yet here we are...for better or worse.

Secondly, it's the anniversary of Mom's death. She passed in 2001 after a bout with lung cancer. I think about her often and can still hear her voice. I would love to join George and Barb at the chip convention to pay some homage to Mom at the Golden Nugget tables and slots. That was her favorite gaming spot. I can think of no better way to celebrate her life than to run a bunch of rolls of coins throught the machines there. Next year...for sure.

Lastly, filling out the WTH were "they" thinking...is that August 3rd is also Zelda's birthday. The other 2 cats we're not sure about, but we do know that Zelda was born on the day of Mom's death and our Anniversary. The reason I say "they" is that I had no participation in getting this or any of the cats...in fact I attribute bad things happening in my life to them. Zelda arrived the day I had hernia surgery...for whatever reason, the family thought it would be most fun to toss the kitten on me when they arrived home with her. Not the best plan since I was stitched up and in considerable pain. It's been downhill with the cats since then! We got Zoe on the day I found out I was being moved from my St. Matthews RadioShack to the "hood" Shack at Eastern Parkway. Can't remember what bad thing happened when we got Zippy, my mind has been dulled since then, but I'm sure there was something.

Things are looking up

After fretting over an impending assignment to a store that I really did not want to go to, I received a message yesterday that I would be staying at my current store for the time being.

YES!!

Actually, I had already started to look for other work and entertained the idea of starting an eBay biz dealing casino chips...hmmmm I may do that anyway for "mad" money.

Anyway, the folks at my store are pretty happy. I guess they like me.

I am sooooo happy...

to have left RadioShack. Yeah...I'm naming names now. That viper pit of soul sucking, moronically managed fools. Almost 2 years ago I "retired" from there after 21 years of faithful service. I ran a clean, very profitable operation. The key word is profitable because there were many managers who, while posting good sales, ran negative profit. But...because their sales were so spectacular, they were rewarded with promotions and accolades. Let's not mention those who admitted to losing control their operations, costing the company tens of thousands of dollars in "lost" inventory. They are still employed there...oh my God. The pure definition of stupidity.

The only redeeming thing I can think of is that the anal orifice who let me "retire" was eventually fired because he couldn't keep his johnson zipped up. Personally...I hope the thing rots off.

Anyway, I get a call last night from Oxmoor Security saying that the back door to my store was open.

WHAT?

I informed the officer that I no longer was employed there and in fact it had been 2 years since managed that store. The officer then asked about another employee who used to work there under me...and is no longer there. The officer just kind of chuckled and made a reference to the efficiency of the current staff...I agreed. He apologized and electronically went on his way.

2 years...2 years it's been and no one has thought to contact the mall office and change the contact information.

MORONS!!

Can you tell I've recently quit smoking?

Busy Busy Busy

Been going like crazy...work is fun but there's so much to do, it's tough to keep up with everything. The crew is vary nice and they all work hard but the store itself is old and the machinery keeps going down. The freezers especially. Ah well, at least we keep the maintenance guys employed!

A few chips have made their way to me also...the $100 Trump Plaza Derby is here, a real nice $500 Royal Inn, and a $100 Ambassador. I think I'll aim at collecting $100 chips from now on. You can get the older ones relatively cheaply and they are usually in better condition since not many folks could afford to play them. Of course there are some very expensive ones out there however there are plenty for me to collect without breaking the bank.

I'll still collect Derby chips...no way I'll give that up.

Clostridial is doing fine...waiting for the new expansion. If you actually care, here is my toon's profile.

I guess I'm official now

I just finished my first day of being an actual co-manager at Kroger's. The classroom stuff is all done and now it's really time to go out there and make a difference. The store I'm in is somewhat small and has lots of challenges but I'm looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting to work.

The rest of the management staff seems quite nice and willing to help this "newb". My schedule for the next month has been made and I have to say...it rocks! Yeah...several 10pm closing shifts but that's not such a big deal. Toss in every other weekend off and some 7-4 shifts and I'm a happy guy!

And YES! I still collect casino chips and have been able to pick up a few recently. Increased income never sucks. The Derby releases were kinda sad this year...only the Palms, Hard Rock, and Caesars Indiana had chips and the Hard Rock pulled the same crap as last year by requiring you to place bets to get their chips...argh!

I'm in the process of re-cataloguing my Derby chips with the help of a new binder that will will hold them all, so that means new scans and posts...hell, I might even update my website!

As we say in World of Warcraft when something good happens...wOOt!!

This has been fun...sorta

Well, after about a month with Kroger's I can say that I am enjoying things quite a bit. I'm learning a lot and have developed a huge appreciation for what many of us take for granted. My only dislike has been the unusual scheduling for instance next week I work 2 days from 8pm to 5am and 2 days from 3am to 12pm...yuck. However, it is vital that I see how things work during all shifts and departments so it is not a big deal...I'm just happy to be employed again!

I like the 5 day weeks and constant motion...there is never a down time. Also, the week after Christmas is typically slow unlike what I had been doing for the last 21 years so that's been a treat of some sorts.

I learned that one of my former employees at RS, who was running the largest store in the region, quit right before Christmas...good for him! He felt that he wasn't getting the support from the district manager that was needed...that figures. The current DM is quite the putz, has little to no people skills, and is basically a puppet for an even more inept regional manager. The only reason the RS is showing any kind of positive numbers is because things have been so bad the last couple of years the only direction was up...if only a little.

Screw them.

The funny thing is that I am required to do many things now that are standard operating procedures. Several of these things are similar to what RS was adopting when I left and I didn't like them at all...perhaps I really did stay there too long. I have no probs with my daily tasks and duties and in fact I enjoy doing them while I resented them at RS. I guess I wanted out and just couldn't convince myself of that. RS still sucks though as they have proven many times over that employee loyalty means nothing but ramming cell phones down the throats of customers means everything. Bah!

I am the Champion!

League Champion
Lord Cow's Army

After 16 grueling weeks of pigskin battles, I have emerged as the winner of our league...WOOT!!!

This was my 3rd year in Fantasy Football, each year getting better as I did more research and planned my teams a few weeks in advance to take care of byes, matchups...etc.

Now I can simply cheer for my fav teams instead of pouring over stats.

Oh HELL Yeah!

WOOT!

I'm now back in the ranks of the employed!!

I accepted an offer from Kroger's for a Co-Manager position. I'll make a base pay of much more than RS's manager base. With bonuses, I would make more at RS but bonuses can't be counted on or budgeted for, so this will be much, much better.

To celebrate, I bought a few Excalibur Dragon Series chips. I'll keep searching until I complete the set. Once I receive them, I'll post pics...really!

Now it's time for some congratulatory WOW!

So this is what it's like...

I actually got to spend time with the family on the day after Thanksgiving! Keep in mind that for the last 21years I have spent the entire day running around like crazy, or being stuck behind the sales counter.

I got to get up late, eat, watch TV, play some World of Warcraft, and yes...I got to go shopping myself. Mary Beth and I hit the streets in search of presents for the kids. And we did well. Can't discuss it of course but rest assured they will be pretty happy Christmas morning.

How nice it was to go to a store that had plenty of the advertised items. How nice it was to get miffed at all the pushy customers without having to put on the "Happy Face". Heck, it was even fun going to Kroger's for groceries.

I could get used to this.

Oh My Gawd...It's just a Game!

Yep....I spend a ridiculous amount of time playing World of Warcraft. I have a lot of fun with it playing with and against other people from around the world. I spend $15/month to play all I want. Cool.

I know exactly what I'm getting.

About the X-Box 360...

There are people waiting in line at stores...camping out...for a shot at this thing. Most stores are only getting a small amount...Nice going Microsoft. I would bet that most...90%...of these will end up on eBay...think I'm wrong?

Take a look.

At 7:20am EST there were over 7400 eBay entries for the X-Box 360...some were scams too...selling a password to then sell another...Woot!

There were bids over $1200 for the console. For a console!

Now...the question remains...the morons paying this absurd amount...are you going to play it? Or are you going to try to resell it? Good luck.

I would bet that I could get one before Christmas for the retail price. But then, why would I want to? Oh yeah, the kids want one. Hmmm... then maybe they will leave my laptop alone for me to play WOW. Guess I better get in line.

Maybe...just maybe?

Well, I just finished taking 2 assessment surveys for a new position with a major retail chain for entry level management. I'm not mentioning the name just yet because I don't want to jinx anything. It's a significant job. Even though I have over 27 years retail experience with 18 of those in management, I'll be starting over completely.

Hopefully I'll hear from them soon and on to my 2nd interview...WOOT! Back in the workforce.

And to my old company...RS...up yours! I'll never set foot in one of your stores regardless if you are the only supplier of what I need...I'll just do without. You treat your employees like garbage and show no loyalty what so ever to employees who have stuck with you through the bad times.

Bah!

Whew!

Numenorean


To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
brought to you by Quizilla

My wife ended up being an Elf.

Now that's all good and fine for her...but being an undead in WOW, how could I face my fellow Hordies if I'm truly an elf?

More info about the Moulin Rouge

Historic casino faces challenges

By Ed Koch

LAS VEGAS SUN

WEEKEND EDITION

The facade and distinctive script-lettered marquee of the Moulin Rouge is all that remains of the landmark that stands as both an icon of Las Vegas' civil rights progress and a crumbling monument to West Las Vegas' economic failures.

The 50th anniversary of the opening of the Moulin Rouge passed on Tuesday with little fanfare. There long has been talk of restoring the city's historic first integrated casino to its former glory, but so far no brick-and-mortar progress has been seen.

On May 29, 2003, an arson fire destroyed all but the neon sign and front wall of the historic building at 900 W. Bonanza Road.

The resort's current owner, the Moulin Rouge Development Corp., continues to predict there will be a groundbreaking this fall for a $200 million Moulin Rouge resort that will be built in three phases. The projected completion date for the first phase is 2006, with the other two phases completed by 2008.

"The vision is still intact," Chauncey Moore, one of the project's principals, said of the plans that were announced in January 2004 for a 500-room hotel, 40,000-square-foot casino and a 500-seat showroom. "We are strongly committed to making the Moulin Rouge rise from the ashes."

Local historians say that although the Moulin Rouge's heyday lasted less than half a year during its first year of operation, its historical significance in Las Vegas and to America's civil rights movement remains indelible.

"In its brief time in operation it committed the town to a form of integration that was not common in the rest of the nation at that time," UNLV history department Chairman Hal Rothman said.

David Millman, a historian at the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society at Lorenzi Park, said the Moulin Rouge's importance was as "a beacon of integration. Its lasting legacy was not the actual hotel, but rather the idea. Its existence guaranteed that things were going to change in racial policies in Las Vegas."

When the Moulin Rouge closed for what would be the final time in 1997, it was a shell of its former self -- virtually a large snack shop with a bar.

The building that in 1992 was put on the National Register of Historic Places once featured slot machines and blackjack and roulette tables. But it lost its gaming license in 1994.

The resort's 110-room hotel was converted into low-rent apartment housing. Those and other apartments around the site now number more than 350 and provide the income that is keeping alive the dream of rebuilding the resort.

The Moulin Rouge is in what has long been one of Las Vegas' poorest areas.

Sarann Preddy, who co-owned the Moulin Rouge from 1985 to 1997 and has supported subsequent owners in their revival efforts, called the land around her property "the forsaken part of town" in a Nov. 18, 1996, Sun story.

In the 1950s, conditions were so bad in West Las Vegas some homes were mere shacks with no water, sewage system or electricity. Laws of the time prohibited blacks from living anywhere else in town.

Despite such economic woes in the area around the Moulin Rouge, the resort began with much promise when Beverly Hills, Calif., real estate entrepreneur Alex Bisno and New York restaurateur Louis Rubin -- the creator of the Rubin sandwich -- built it for $7 million.

At the time, blacks were barred from being guests in Strip hotels. The Moulin Rouge quickly became a late-night hot spot when Strip performers, including Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., frequented the resort after their shows to party and gamble all night with a throng of people of all races.

Black showgirls performed on a stage amid a backdrop of walls featuring mahogany wood trim and Toulouse Lautrec-style murals of black French cancan dancers. Former world heavyweight boxing champ Joe Louis was the chief casino greeter for the 88,900-square-foot facility.

The showroom featured "Tropi-Can-Can" under the tutelage of veteran producer Clarence Robinson. Jazz great Benny Carter conducted the original orchestra. Later, Lionel Hampton and Les Brown brought in their bands.

But five months after its opening, the Moulin Rouge closed its doors and its owners filed for bankruptcy. It has long been debated how such a jumping joint, stacked to the rafters every night with paying customers and Strip celebrities, could fail so quickly.

"There are two theories," Millman said. "One is that it was undercapitalized and mismanaged. The other is that the white casino owners tried to put it out of business by preventing their employees and entertainers from going there after hours.

"I think there is a little truth in both of those theories."

Millman said Las Vegas, in 1955, was going through a period of economic slowdown and a number of gaming properties were hit hard by it.

"The Dunes closed at the end of 1955 and had to be leased by the Sands to reopen and keep going, and The Royal Nevada was in trouble all year and had to get help from the New Frontier," Millman said.

"But no one helped the Moulin Rouge, which gives some credence to the theory white casino owners wanted it to go away."

Still, Millman says, he has never seen "any real hard evidence" the white casino owners tried to stop their stars from going to the Moulin Rouge after hours. It might be true, he said, or it might just be an urban legend.

A reopened Moulin Rouge nearly five years after its meteoric first run again played a roll in the civil rights movement. In March 1960, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and community leaders met at the Moulin Rouge to broker a deal with white casino owners to end segregation practices on the Strip.

Desegregation, however, did not help the Moulin Rouge. Ironically, it not only cost the Moulin Rouge much of its customer base, but also helped put out of business nearly all of the black-owned nightclub casinos along Jackson Street -- the one area of West Las Vegas where the economy had been booming.

A string of subsequent owners of the Moulin Rouge failed to revive it.

In 1997, Canadian businessman Bart Maybie, president of CBC Financial Corp., bought the rundown property in the high-crime area for $3 million and sank hundreds of thousands of dollars into restoring it.

At the time, the original chandeliers were still hanging in the main casino, where Maybie envisioned 165 slot machines and eight gaming tables, as well as a restaurant, 350-room hotel and museum.

Then came the fire that injured three people and caused an estimated $12 million in damage.

In February 2004, Fred Ball, one of two men who authorities said was responsible for setting the fire, was sentenced by a federal judge to 51 months in prison and ordered to pay $5.6 million in restitution.

Ball, then 45, and John Antwan Caver, then 29, were originally charged with arson and conspiracy charges by Clark County. But those charges were dropped when federal authorities took over prosecution of the case. To date, no federal charges have been filed against Caver.

Meanwhile, the debate continues over whether a new Moulin Rouge at the same location will do any better than the original.

Much of the Moulin Rouge's potential success might lie in its colorful past.

"We have to embrace the historical significance of the Moulin Rouge," Moore said. "We should not forget history because it provides the substance of what we are today.

"I believe the frontage and the sign surviving the fire sent a strong message that the Moulin Rouge was meant to be here."

On the edge and looking over

Well I did it...yep...I have linked Ebay to my cell phone, that's so sad. I'm looking for the Hard Rock Derby chip and I want to be notified if one shows up. I know one person who has one and guess what? It doesn't look as pretty as the one I posted a few days ago. Instead of the nice black and red inserts on the edge, it's solid red...ewwww! Not nearly as nice but still only 200 were made and from what I hear...any that go unsold(given away) will be destroyed! That sucks. It could mean these chips will be extemely scarce and may be out of my reach financially, that sucks too.

If Steak Were an Angel...

...then Pat's Steakhouse is Heaven.

Conor's birthday is tomorrow but we decided to celebrate today. Conor received a set of golf clubs so he and I went out this afternoon and hit a bucket of balls, tried the putting green and the practice sand trap...what fun! He's going to a golf camp this summer so maybe he'll be able to teach me a couple of things...I need all the help I can get.

Dinner was outstanding! The service was great and the steaks...oooohhh...the steaks! Even Trevor, who primarily exists on cheese, dug into a New York Strip that looked like a big piece of cake. Everything was sogood and there was so much of it that none of us were able to finish. We brought about as much meat as we typically order at other places.

Excuse me, it's time for a nap.

Me Against "It"

The "It" being the lawn. I hate cutting grass but when there is one oasis of jungle among the neatly trimmed yards in the neighborhood...well...alright, I'll do it...before the neighbors come after me with torches and pitchforks.

I had to pick the mower up after being tuned up and got right on it. Good thing I had the blade sharpened because the stuff (grass and other growth) was pretty tall and thick. I think I uncovered a couple of new species of plants in the backyard, I should have brought my camera phone with me to verify them.

After an hour and a half, it's done. The lawn mower is waving a white flag and the raccoon that visits us nightly will have an easier time getting to the garbage cans...*sigh*

Happy Birthday Zippy!!

We celebrated Zippy's B-Day this evening with a home-cooked meal, cake, and presents! The cats weren't too interested in what we were eating but the round paper wrapped gift sure had them curious. When "they" opened the ball-in-a-tube thing all Hell broke loose. Every cat wanted a part of the action. The catnip toys didn't get second look, hmmmm, most unusual. Cat dope is typically a crowd favorite but not tonight.

I took the pic while there was much badness taking place. We have had the windows open a little to let in some fresh air. Guess what happens when a bird lands near an open window and starts chirping? A cat free-for-all trying to get to the ledge, which is right above the kitchen sink.

Bad kitties.

The look on Zippy's face says it all. "So? What if we are acting up? What are you going to do about it?"

Spirit Of St. Louis

OMG!!! My Louisville Cardinals are going to the Final Four!!!

We'll hook up with Illinois on Saturday. They had better bring their best game as we've proved we can play (and beat) anybody.

No team has a bigger heart than the Cards...I can't wait to see that new NCAA Champion banner hanging in Freedom Hall!

You Gotta Believe!

Now have The Cards earned some respect? Doesn't the selection committee look silly not giving them a 2, or maybe a 1?

Folks, Louisville is not just winning games, they are beating the Hell out of teams. They are adjusting on the fly, playing a wicked zone defense that no one has been able to defeat...solve maybe, but not defeat. And there is no one...NO ONE playing as well as Garcia.

See you in St. Louis!

Somebody Explain...

... how a team, ranked 4th in the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, on a 9 game winning streak, who won its conference and conference tournament, who won 19 out of its last 20 games, who has a terrific road record, who beat one team at its home court and that same team beat a 2 seed twice in the last week...gets a 4 seed?

What a bunch of crap! What is wrong with the selection committee? No respect for C-USA that's for sure and yet 4 C-USA teams made it in and the best team only gets a 4 seed? BS!!!

Well, get ready because The Cards will earn respect before it's all over and we're cutting down the nets in Albuquerque and on the way to St. Louis!

GO CARDS!!!!!!!

Talk about nerve!

One of the perks of being a manager is that I get an extra paid weekend off each quarter. The only condition is that I notify my DM when I'm planning on taking a weekend off, fair enough.

I did what I was supposed to do and I received a confirmation this morning that there was no problem as long as I had adequate coverage. We have our big, huge exhibition this Saturday and I'll need to be off all day. Hopefully I'll have some good pics of Grandmaster doing his once-a-year demo.

Anyway, around 2pm, I get a call from the DM. He prefaces the call by saying "About your weekend off...". He then says that I need to make a deal because I'm taking off on a Saturday. He wants me to help with an Open House tonight! I tell him "no" because I have Tae-Kwon-Do with the boys on Monday nights. I offered to help another time, or conduct the New Employee Orientation but that wasn't good enough. It pissed me off for him to pull that stunt because there are no requirements for the weekend off. There are no deals that need to be made. I don't have to give a reason why I'm taking the time off, it's my weekend.

I don't anything will come of it, but if he makes an issue of it, I'm taking things over his head. I don't need this garbage and I was tempted to toss my keys on the roof. I've got 20 years with this company and I don't deserve to be treated this way. Hell, it's bad enough that they've essentially put me in a "window office". In three years I've gone from the highest volume store in town to the lowest ticket writing store in town. I'm not stupid, I know they are trying to get rid of me because I'm "stuck in my ways". Funny thing is...I still run a profitable business, even in a mall store. But I don't know what I'm doing...right. These idiots running the show wouldn't know a good business if it bit them in the ass. They talk a good game of customer service, but that still means shoving cellular phones down people's throats. I live customer service every single day. I train customer service to all my employees. Interesting that 3 current managers who trained under me are very successful and earning promotions while people trained by the former DM and current DM candidate are being fired for stealing or falsifying records and inventories.

But I don't know what I'm doing.

Happy Birthday to Me!

March 9th is my B-Day...woohoo! 43 years young...or something like that. When do I get to start acting cranky and have people just chalk it up to old age?

UGH

I don't mind getting my butt kicked in tae-kwon-do, but I hate having a cold knock me out like this last one has. Geez, I've left work early three days and took a day off with all time spent in bed and this damn thing isn't letting up.

Back to bed.

I don't think so!!

We were watching CSI tonight and they were discussing line bets at a sports book that resulted in someone's murder...cool plotline, but there is/was a big problem.

The story had Duke as a 17-23 point favorite over Louisville. Hey...I like a good story as much as the next person but don't...I said DON'T EVER have Duke over my Cards...nope...uh, uh. Yeah, I know it's fiction but still...c'mon...the Cards rule!

What can you do?

So here I am, fired up to get back to work and do my Leadership Test. Within 5 minutes of arriving at the store, I get a call from my District Manager and he pulls one of my employees to another store! So now I'm by myself for a couple of hours until my other help shows up at noon.

No Leadership Test for me and shorthanded for the day...!@#$%

I won't get to test again until who knows when...damn.

To my Love

Mary Beth...who puts up with me, my short-temperedness, my illogical way of looking at things, my Tae-kwon-do, my chip collecting, my lousy aim at the clothes hamper, my car with the uncomfortable seats, my constant yelling at the TV during sporting events(like it helps!), my always wanting chinese food, my/our bad cats, my complaining about my job...the list goes on and on.

Without you, my life would be nothing...empty...worthless.

Without me, your life would at least be...good or bad...less eventful.

I Love You

Quite the week

Been very busy the last few days.

We were visited by the DM and Loss Prevention officer, and blew them away! The store is almost perfect now (thanks to Travis!!!) and all the paperwork is spot-on (thanks to me!!!). The visit reports were gushing with "atta-boys"...gotta love that!

Tae-kwon-do has been active as well. The boys and I made it to several classes this past week and got in some good sparring. The adult leadership is having another test on the 19th, this time for my patch. We are also begining work on our demo for the exhibition in March. Hopefully we'll get some good pics this time.

I have the week off and my "to-do" list is daunting. Many outdoor projects to take care of but Ma' Nature isn't cooperating. It's tough to rae leaves and repair gutters when it's raining. Oh well, I guess I'll have to hone my X-Box skills!

Chips? Did someone say chips?

I did!

A most sweet Cal Neva $100 is on its way and I'll have time to scan some stuff this week. A new book is due out in the next couple of weeks. My buddy James Campiglia is releasing his new Official U.S. Casino Chip Price Guide. It's a wonderful book full of chip scans, postcard scans, and short histories. I can't wait for my autographed copy.

I also got to go to my first U of L basketball game in a loooooooonnngg time. A fellow TKD student gave me tickets, and what tickets they were! Center Court, 5 rows up! Ten feet to the left and we would have been on TV the whole time! Mary Beth wasn't feeling well enough to go so I asked my brother, George, if he wanted to sit with me. It worked perfectly as he already has 3 tickets in another section. That enabled his daughter, wife, and mother-in-law to sit together while George and I experienced Basketball Nirvana. When the game was over and we were leaving, we saw the immortal coach Denny Crum sitting a few rows behind us with nobody else around...unreal! George went up to talk to Coach's wife (another story there regarding his Christmas present from his daughter) while I approached Coach Crum for an autograph. Coach shopped my store in St. Matthews several times while I was there and it was quite cool for him to sign my program. I think I'll give it to Mr. Aberson in thanks for letting me have his tickets.

What a week!

I'm so old

Well, today marked another one of those milestones that just lets you know that you're getting old. Trevor got his driving permit today. Man, it wasn't that long ago that he was playing T-ball, finding worms and bugs under 2nd base.

We have his preschool pictures on the wall of the kitchen, what a cute little kid! Now he's a 6'1", full of attitude and probably is no better at T-ball than he was 10 years ago! But he's tough on an X-box!

Happy 16th Birthday Trevor!!

Breaths of Fire

I've mentioned a friend of ours in Scotland who is very much into dragons. While I was watching the special about Pompeii tonight there was a commercial previewing a new special coming up on The Discovery Channel. It's all about dragons. I thought of her and checked out the site, take a look for yourself.

Dragons Are Coming

Blue...no...Green, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Once again, Mary Beth has provided a link to some vital info.

Thanks to Jonathan Corum and his in-depth research, we now know the answer to the question that has had us scratching our heads for the last 3 decades:

What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

You may now cross the Bridge...knigget.

Go Cats!!

I'm a University of Louisville fan...big time. Mary Beth pointed out a Blog to me and this entry brought me to tears. Allan of Inside Allan's Mind has found that he has a post that says he's showing in Google as Number 1 for University of Kentucky Wildcat Weblog. This post has some great UofK jokes that I need to remember the next time UofL beats the crap out of plays the Cats.

Hmmm...I guess I'm somewhat normal?

I can't find my pocket protector!

C'mon...you know you want to find out. We won't tell anyone.

All Aboard

I love trains and used to mess with model railroads all the time (before casino chips). One of the highlights of the year was the Great American Train Show, full of demos, dealers, and train stuff!

It's now called Greenberg's Worlds's Largest Train, Toy, and Hobby Show. It's happening the 29th and 30th at the Ky International Convention Center.

If you get the chance...it's a lot of fun!

This has got to stop

I'm just recovering from another inventory at my store. The take-over ended up with a huge loss, so large that loss prevention is getting involved. It doesn't really affect me and my pay but it could be trouble for the previous manager and employees. Last night's count was to confirm the first one to see if we hosed things up.

The result was within a couple of hundred dollars...that does not bode well for the previous manager, I would not want to be him when loss prevention arrives to interview him.

Demotion...continued

So here's the deal.

The regional director came in for a surprise visit. Obviously unhappy with my performance the last three months, he took me out as manager of Parkway and offered me Oxmoor. Let's look at things.

1) I hated being at Parkway
2) I liked my crew at Parkway
3) Most of my crew was transferred to Oxmoor before I was demoted
4) I'm back on "my" side of town
5) My drive time is cut in half, not to mention the savings on gas

Somebody needs to tell me that this is bad.

Granted, it doesn't write the tickets that I'm used to. In fact it gets boring sometimes but there are plenty of things to do. The store is pretty wrecked right now but Travis is a maniac trying to get it back together. The previous manager let things get totally out of hand regarding the inventory and he was getting ripped off right and left. That's another issue we will solve quickly.

We have work to do but the store will look awesome in no time and people will stop in to check us out. Then we apply our selling skills!

I got demoted...

then why am I happy about it?

Another Year Gone...Wheee!

So...what has happened or is happening? Well...work sucks more than ever. I have never been so depressed about my job. After 20 years it has come to point where I just don't feel like going to work...imagine that?

Actually, I like working and I really like(d) my crew of employees but I have been instructed to move a couple of them to other stores while bringing in some new blood. I prefer to do things on my own terms but this time I have been given no choice. Damn.

Besides my crew, the only other redeeming point of working where I do is being able to meet with my chipping buddies on Mondays.

I could do without the homeless people wandering in, the people reeking of alcohol or pot, and the incredibly stupid. Am I an elitest snob? Yep! I'm tired of dealing with people who will pay cab fare to buy airtime for their pre-paid phones...that's one of the more stupid things we witness but we can't forget the drivers who insist that one way signs are for everyone else...not them!

The bright side is that I picked up some very cool chips and made lots of progress toward earning my Black Belt. If things proceed as scheduled, I test for my Black Belt in September.

Enough for now, I'm sick, tired, and grumpy. Happy !@#$%'in New Year!

Woohoo!! I'm in Print!

Weelllllllll...kinda!

My article has now appeared in PokerPages. Damn, that makes me proud. Here's a taste, follow the link to view the rest.

Casino Chips

To the gamblers they are a way of tracking wins and losses. To the casinos they are cash. To the collectors they are pieces of history and art to be archived and displayed.

MMMMmmmm...pie!

This is a recipe for pumpkin pie that I like to use. I made a mistake and used condensed sweetened milk instead of evaprated milk...the results were quite good.

PUMPKIN PIE

3 eggs
1 can pumpkin
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Pie Shell

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Lightly beat eggs. Add pumpkin, sugar, salt, and spices. Blend well. Add evaporated milk. Pour mixture into pie shell.

Bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for about 30 minutes or until almost set. Turn oven off. Do not open door. Leave pie in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes. It should be set when removed. Cool pie on rack.

NUMMY!!

Catching up

Ok...with all the holiday preparations at the store, sneaking in some classes, I haven't had time to Blog at all. There are a few new chips to report about and a couple of new ones that landed here too.

The person who won my $1 Christmas Tree chip wasn't happy with it! OMG!!! It's not mint, I never said it was, but it is the best looking one I've seen. I offered him his money back but received no reply.

Another collector recently contacted me about Golden Nugget stuff...hmmm...Golden Nugget! Perhaps a chip or two may end up here as a result.

More entries coming soon!

It's just not the same

One of the things I enjoyed as a child was sitting down to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parades. I really liked William Conrad as the host for the CBS show.

So today, as I sat down with the kids to watch the festivities, I was frosted to see all of the other stuff that filled the parade time...the dancing, singing...etc. Not that these folks weren't talented, I wanted to see the balloons, bands, floats and so on. I realize this is the way its been done for the last few years but that doesn't mean I have to like it. It seems that if it doesn't contain a lot of hoopla and flash, no one will watch.

Call me old-fashioned, but I would rather see a marching band that worked hard to earn enough money to march at Macy's than see a production that's not much more than a commercial for some Broadway show.

Goodbye Rodney...I always respected you!

Comic Rodney Dangerfield Dies at Age 82

Las Vegas Review-Journal

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Rodney Dangerfield, the bug-eyed comic whose self-deprecating one-liners brought him stardom in clubs, television and movies and made his lament "I don't get no respect" a catchphrase, died Tuesday. He was 82.

Dangerfield, who fell into a coma after undergoing heart surgery, died at 1:20 p.m., said publicist Kevin Sasaki. Dangerfield had a heart valve replaced Aug. 25 at the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center.

Sasaki said in a statement that Dangerfield suffered a small stroke after the operation and developed infectious and abdominal complications. But in the past week he had emerged from the coma, the publicist said.

"When Rodney emerged, he kissed me, squeezed my hand and smiled for his doctors," Dangerfield's wife, Joan, said in the statement. The comic is also survived by two children from a previous marriage.

As a comic, Dangerfield - clad in a black suit, red tie and white shirt with collar that seemed too tight - convulsed audiences with lines such as: "When I was born, I was so ugly that the doctor slapped my mother"; "When I started in show business, I played one club that was so far out my act was reviewed in Field and Stream"; and "Every time I get in an elevator, the operator says the same thing to me: `Basement?'"

In a 1986 interview, he explained the origin of his "respect" trademark:

"I had this joke: `I played hide and seek; they wouldn't even look for me.' To make it work better, you look for something to put in front of it: I was so poor, I was so dumb, so this, so that. I thought, `Now what fits that joke?' Well, `No one liked me' was all right. But then I thought, a more profound thing would be, `I get no respect.'"

He tried it at a New York club, and the joke drew a bigger response than ever. He kept the phrase in the act, and it seemed to establish a bond with his audience. After hearing him perform years later, Jack Benny remarked: "Me, I get laughs because I'm cheap and 39. Your image goes into the soul of everyone."

AP VIDEO

Classic Comedian Rodney Dangerfield Dies





Flowers were placed on his star on Hollywood Boulevard after word of his death, and the marquee of The Improv, a comedy club where Dangerfield often performed, read "Rest In Peace Rodney."

Teller, half of the magic duo "Penn & Teller," said Dangerfield hardly needed material since he was "intrinsically funny." He said Dangerfield at times would appear while they were performing in Las Vegas, walking around the casino wearing a satin dressing gown and sandals with a beautiful girl on his arm.

"He was so confident," Teller said. "He was Rodney and he could do anything."

Comedian Adam Sandler, who starred with Dangerfield in 2000's "Little Nicky," said the affection felt for Dangerfield "when you saw him on TV or in the movies was doubled when you had the pleasure to meet him. He was a hero who lived up to the hype."

Dangerfield had a strange career in show business. At 19 he started as a standup comedian. He made only a fair living, traveling a great deal and appearing in rundown joints. Married at 27, he decided he couldn't support a family on his meager earnings.

He returned to comedy at 42 and began to attract notice. He appeared on the Ed Sullivan show seven times and on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson more than 70 times.

After his first major film role in "Caddyshack," he began starring in his own movies.

He was born Jacob Cohen on Nov. 22, 1921, on New York's Long Island. Growing up in the borough of Queens, his mother was uncaring and his father was absent. As Philip Roy, the father and his brother toured in vaudeville as a pantomime comedy-juggling act, Roy and Arthur. Young Jacob's parents divorced, and the mother struggled to support her daughter and son.

The boy helped bring in money by selling ice cream at the beach and working for a grocery store. "I found myself going to school with kids and then in the afternoon I'd be delivering groceries to their back door," he recalled. "I ended up feeling inferior to everybody."

He ingratiated himself to his schoolmates by being funny; at 15 he was writing down jokes and storing them in a duffel bag. When he was 19, he adopted the name Jack Roy and tried out the jokes at a resort in the Catskills, training ground for Danny Kaye, Jerry Lewis, Red Button, Sid Caesar and other comedians. The job paid $12 a week plus room and meals.

In New York, he drove a laundry and fish truck, taking time off to hunt for work as a comedian. The jobs came slowly, but in time he was averaging $300 a week.

He married Joyce Indig, a singer he met at a New York club. Both had wearied of the uncertainty of a performer's life.

"We wanted to lead a normal life," he remarked in a 1986 interview. "I wanted a house and a picket fence and kids, and the heck with show business. Love is more important, you see. When the show is over, you're alone."

The couple settled in Englewood, N.J., had two children, Brian and Melanie, and he worked selling paint and siding. But the idyllic suburban life soured as the pair battled. The couple divorced in 1962, remarried a year later and again divorced.

In 1993, Dangerfield married Joan Child, a flower importer.

At age 42, he returned to show business as Jack Roy. He remembered in 1986:

"It was like a need. I had to work. I had to tell jokes. I had to write them and tell them. It was like a fix. I had the habit."

Even during his domestic years, he continued filling the duffel bag with jokes. He didn't want to break in his new act with any notice, so he asked the owner of New York's Inwood Lounge, George McFadden, not to bill him as Jack Roy. McFadden came up with the absurd name Rodney Dangerfield. It stuck.

Dangerfield's bookings improved, and he landed television gigs. After his ex-wife died, he took over the responsibility of raising his two children. He decided to quit touring and open a New York nightclub, Dangerfield's, so he could stay close to home. A beer commercial and the Carson shows brought him national attention.

His film debut came in 1971 with "The Projectionist," which he described as "the kind of a movie that you went to the location on the subway." He did better in 1980 with "Caddyshack," in which he held his own with such comics as Chevy Chase, Ted Knight and Bill Murray.

Despite his good reviews, Dangerfield claimed he didn't like movies or TV series: "Too much waiting around, too much memorizing; I need that immediate feedback of people laughing."

Still, he continued starring in and sometimes writing films such as "Easy Money," "Back to School," "Moving," "The Scout," "Ladybugs" and "Meet Wally Sparks." He turned dramatic as a sadistic father in Oliver Stone's 1994 "Natural Born Killers."

In 1995, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rejected Dangerfield's application for membership. A letter from Roddy McDowall of the actors branch explained that the comedian had failed to execute "enough of the kinds of roles that allow a performer to demonstrate the mastery of his craft."

The ultimate rejection, and Dangerfield played it to the hilt. He had established his own Web site ("I went out and bought an Apple Computer; it had a worm in it"), and his fans used it to express their indignation. The public reaction prompted the academy to reverse itself and offer membership. Dangerfield declined.

"They don't even apologize or nothing," he said. "They give no respect at all - pardon the pun - to comedy."

Famed Ponderosa Ranch closes

Park was site of 'Bonanza' television series

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INCLINE VILLAGE -- Nevada's Ponderosa Ranch has faded into the sunset.

Thousands of people visited the park over the weekend for one last snapshot of the Ponderosa and the Bonanza television show that featured the Cartwright family -- Ben, Little Joe, Hoss and Adam.

Mary Beth and I visited the Ponderosa Ranch in 1998. The whole area is just incredible with its scenery. If you went up a hill behind the ranch, there was a collection of old tractors and other farm machinery. Not the prettiest collection I've seen, but still interesting. I sincerely hope that something will be done to preserve the entire site. It is a beautiful place and deserves to be left intact.

"It's the final day and look at the crowds," Royce Anderson, whose father Bill opened the Ponderosa in 1967, said Sunday.

"On Saturday we had 2,200. It was the biggest September day we've ever had. People are coming out of the woodwork."

Anderson said some of the TV program's scenes were shot in the Incline Village area and horses for the show were kept at the Incline Stables, which his father opened in 1963.

The stables later became the theme park.

Bonanza, which was first broadcast in 1959, went off the air in 1973. But the Ponderosa Ranch, with its Western town, memorabilia, "Hoss" burgers and hayride breakfasts, stayed open.

Owners of the ranch sold it in July to Incline Village resident and developer David Duffield for an undisclosed price.

A coalition of government agencies had hoped to buy the land, putting together more than $50 million for the purchase before the Ponderosa's owners made a deal with Duffield.

Government officials had said they wanted to preserve the ranch as public land.

In a written statement shortly after the sale was announced, Duffield said he had "no immediate development plans" for the property.

"It's really the end of an era," said Anderson, who was 6 years old when he first went to work for his parents at the Ponderosa.

The ranch, which was open from April to October every year, was a successful business until the end, Anderson said.

"This is the biggest year we've ever had," he said.

Vote...for your favorite

Gallopalooza...the creative placing of 223 almost life size winged, non-winged, and sometimes wheeled horses throughout Louisville. All of the horses are painted, sometimes with a theme. It's fun picking them out while you're driving around town. Of course there are folks who are getting pictures of all the Gallopaloozas, a challenge to say the least.

Well here is your chance to vote for your favorite. You only have until October 12 so don't hesitate!!

I found one, I found one!

Well, actually they emailed me as I'm on their mailing list. I'm talking about the Tiny Treasures Web Journal.

It's one the only other 'Blogs I've found that deals with casino collectibles. It's a great 'Blog with much more interesting gaming news than I find. Of course I have to mention their main focus, and that's framing your stuff!

Yes indeed, I'm a client! I have a couple of their frames and can attest to the quality of the product. The frames I purchased were for chips, but as they state "If you collect it, we can frame it".

I say give them a shot, you won't be disappointed.

Everybody was Kung-Fu...What??

I enjoy a good(?) martial arts movie as much as the next guy. A few stand out from the others... Crouching Tiger-Hidden Dragon, Big Trouble in Little China, and of course...Enter the Dragon. Victor was talking to me today about a movie he saw recently called The Vampire Effect. It sounded interesting enough so I checked eBay. Every one of the available DVDs was from Asia and while the purchase price was respectable, the shipping was up there. Granted the things were/are coming from the Orient. I wonder if they are original?? Anyway, it looks pretty cool so I'll have to rent it first.

The Hero looks good too...and Jet Li kicks butt!!

Ya can't fuss if you don't vote!

Vote or Not

Hey, who couldn't use $100,000? I sure could and here is your chance to help me and help yourself! If you're a registered voter, just follow the Vote or Not link and fill in the info. You'll even get a link to post on your own website or 'Blog. In the meantime, we both get entries to win.

It doesn't matter who you vote for as long as you are registered!

As I have said before, I'm not very political and my 'Blog typically does not venture into that arena, but the chance for $100,000 speaks loudly!

For Dmitri and my Crew

Here is a pic of a classic Star Trek villain. The reason it's here is that Dmitri has a pic of himself on his PCS phone. It looks remarkably similar to this pic.

Hopefully they will check my blog so they can compare the shots.

'NUFF SAID!!!

Louisville - 28

Kentucky - 0

Here's the story if you're interested!

*ahem*

WOOHOO!!!!

Ok, one last thing

The Olympics are over, I'm sad and tired. I wish for one thing...

the idiot that interfered with the marathon today (yesterday?) should be put in a ring with a Cuban boxer for some gloveless sparring. It's a shame he didn't get clipped by one the F1 cars when he decided to stroll down the track some time ago

The Day has Come

It's the last day of the Olympics and while the athletes celebrate their performances and newly made frindships, I find the finality of the ending of the Games a bit sad similar to taking down the Christmas Tree.

I won't get the chance to write anymore today as I'll be at work for an extended period conducting inventory. In fact I doubt I'll see the Closing Ceremonies.

Just one man's opinion...I thought Athens did a marvelous job with the Games.

Less than 2 years until the Winter Games and I'll be watching.

For the last time...for a while anyway...

I LOVE THE OLYMPICS!!

Contrast

In Athens, there is a gathering of the greatest athletes in the world. People who are the very best at what they do. This gathering is called the Olympics.

In Louisville, there is a gathering of human debris, the polluted end of the gene pool many of whom have family trees that form a loop. This gathering is called the Kentucky State Fair.

Is the fair all that bad? Not really, but if I wanted to create a mullet-cam with my camera phone I would have needed a couple more batteries! Lots of tattoos and women with bare-belly shirts that had no business showing that stuff off. I could do without huge wrinkled cleavage as well...wow, that was disturbing.

There were some nice looking people though as the Horse Show was in its final night. These folks have some bucks and it showed. But within 50 feet of this cultural oasis the sea of overweight and dentally challenged ebbs and flows.

I really don't know why I go every year to see the same old thing. Perhaps I'll enter some illegal chips next year. Some guy has put in a couple of Indiana illegals and he wrongly claims them to be from Kentucky. Mary Beth has done well with her baked goodies, winning a 3rd place ribbon for a batch of forgotten cookies. She once won a 1st place ribbon for a shawl she knitted a long time ago...cool. Maybe being a part of the whole experience will bring back some of the excitement.

Followed by a grey cloud

Ever have "one of those days" where little things just bug the hell out of you? Not only did they bug me, but there were a lot of little things happening today.

Crabby customers, one of the Wireless carriers had computer problems, causing incredible delays, business sucked, short handed, not enough time to go to tae-kwon-do, too busy to watch any Olympics at all. I got in such a rotten mood that my employees threw me out of the store and told me to go home!

The Best of the Best

Ok, with all of the controversy surrounding the Gymnastics judging, coupled with that tremendous display of sportsmanship by the crowd at the individual apparatus last nght, it's no wonder that Paul Hamm is pretty disgusted with the whole thing, I don't blame him.

Here's the way I see things:

The Russian gymnast showed a ton of class trying to get the crowd to calm down. I agree he got hosed on his scores as his routine was incredible. To have his scores changed was/is unprecidented...chalk that up to the figure skating fiasco that occurred in Salt Lake City during the 2002 Winter Games.

Paul Hamm had to perform after waiting over 10 minutes while the crowd was continuing its barrage of boos. When the crowd quieted some and he was announced...the chorus of class started up again. Just what did he do to deserve this? He then proceded to nail his routine with only a small hop on his landing keeping it from perfect. When he received a higher score than the Russian, the boos got even louder...unreal.

Paul earned the Silver Medal due to an unusual tie-breakng system and that may have been a good thing to happen given how the crowd was acting. What he should have done was go back up on the floor and salute all of those idiots with a couple of solitary fingers. While not wise, it would have been appropriate. It was also ironic that the Korean gymnast, who is/was involved in the original controversy, blew his routine completely...hitting the bar on a release move. In my opinion that left no doubt that Paul was the all-around top male gymnast. He managed to overcome all types of adversity to earn his medals...it's time to congratulate him for a job well done!

It goes on and on...

Did I mention that I LOVE the Olympics?? I've been watching as much as I can, perhaps more than I should at work but it's too tempting. Even with all of the complaining from the Koreans (ok, maybe they got robbed) and the female Russian gymnast (she got beat!), I've been soaking in all the action.

I'm eagerly waiting to see the Tae-Kwon-Do matches...just to see World Class Martial Artists do their thing.

The only problem is that it will end too soon. I am a blubbering idiot when things finish up. I'll look over at MB and sigh "I miss the Olympics".

I know, what a wuss!

To my crew

I don't think too many people actually visit this blog. I have had over 60 votes on BlogHop so there are a few of you.

I just want to let everyone know what a fine crew of employees I have. These guys and girls bust their tails to keep the store looking great and to maintain the level of customer service I demand of them. We may not have the best numbers or sell the most of a certain product, but we do set the standard in the district for Company Return on Investment, maintained gross profit and bottom line profit.

There is a sense of pride in the store that I've never felt anywhere else. A few of the employees have matured over the last year and their level of committment is incredible. I just wish that those in charge would look past the numbers and see how these kids (compared to me!!) work together. It's pretty damn amazing.

Thanks y'all...you make my job that much easier.

Back In Business!!

All Right!!

The scanner is running again...woohoo!! I've already caught up my images, the cropping and resizing will begin tomorrow night. I spent this evening watching the Opening Ceremonies of the Athens Olympics.

I love The Olympics!

Once every four years, I get the chance to see the world's best ping-pong players, kayakers, archers...etc. This is great!

Back to School!

The day that many parents circle on the calendar. Hours of peace and quiet each day...what to do?

All the kids got up on time and were dressed and ready to go...so far so good, but it's only the first day. Plenty of time for early morning battles.

Something's amiss

Still feeling rotten and half the damn internet is down or slow...like eBay, the ChipBoard, and Home Star Runner was fouling up my Windows Explorer. Looks the 'Net is broken, guess I'll play some PSO with the kids.

Yuck

Someone smacked me with an allergy hammer last night. Everything is swollen and my face feels like it's full of cement. What a great thing to happen the last 2 days of vacation...!@#$%^

I'll just have remain quiet today...no martial arts, no yelling at kids, no cleaning up in our room (yay!). I think rest with lots of sports on TV is just the thing!

Dr Jeff is out!

Here's something cool...

...that we found at Joe Ley. It's a Jim Beam Decanter for the Harold's Club in Reno, Nevada. I can't find anything like it on eBay, but there are other (lots) of Beam decanters. MB took the shot, I think it's killer and a steal for only $90!! BTW, it's still full, the seal's unbroken.

A Trip to the Past

MB and I took a break from the kids to go visit Joe Ley Antiques. It's located in an old school building in downtown Louisville. Now I've been to lots of antique stores and malls, but I've never been to anything like this! From the ordinary to the ornate, this place has it all. Hardware, plumbing, doors, postcards, and yes...gambling memorabilia fill 3 stories of the building...wait, don't forget the basement! Just the items from the old Fountaine Ferry Park make it worth the trip.

This place is a must see if you travel to Louisville and if you already live here...what are you waiting for?

Props from a Blogger

I was just peering over my stats in Blogshares and I noticed that I had a new incoming link from Linn Skinner's Blogsharing. It's a pretty new Blog that discusses what Linn finds good...or bad...while traveling through the game.

It's always nice when someone else speaks well of you, so I'm returning the favor to Linn. Good luck in your searches!

The Corrs

Those who know me will attest to the fact that I'm a big Led Zeppelin freak. I have my untorn ticket from the 1977 Louisville show, numerous *ahem* albums of questionable origin (bootlegs son...about 60 of them). I emulated John Bonham's style in my own drumming and when he died in 1980, I died as well.

As I grew older, my tastes expanded to jazz, fusion, and celtic. I also like to listen to well played guitar.

Of all places to find something new, I was watching an instore demo on an IBM computer we were selling and I see this 60 second piece from this band named The Corrs that consisted of 3 girls and a guy. The tune (Right Time) just caught me and I wanted to check them out. I was blown away by the folksy sound with an edge to it. A bonus was Simon Philips playing drums on a tune called Toss the Feathers. If you've never heard him play...Holy Cow...go find Pete Townshend's Deep End on Video. This guy will amaze you!

I learned that the band was named for the members, who are all siblings. The 1st album, Forgiven not Forgotten will send you on a roller coaster ride of traditional folk tunes, ballads, and face melting rock...all with a folk undertow featuring traditional instruments.

The next 2 albums, while good, didn't have the same folk flavor. It seemed they were heading in a more pop direction. Now they have a new album out called Borrowed Heaven. I'm going to check it out to see if they have circled back to their roots.

There is a very well done site dedicated to The Corrs and worth a look.

In the Eye/Ear of the Beholder

We just took our oldest child to register for high school. After paying the (over $200) fees for the "free" public school education, we discussed the dress code. This has been a stickler, because a lot of the policies are just plain stupid, or they are totally ignored. I've been a witness to the latter as I would drop Trevor off in the morning and would see a lot of varying interpretations of the code. They never dressed like that when I was in school!!!

As we were leaving the school we stopped by the booster club table and saw a few t-shirts, sweat shirts, shorts, etc...

The shorts (they were athletic) were very short...not even close to dress code. MB and Trevor were thinking of starting trouble and going to the office to complain, I'm glad they didn't.

What I found offensive was the idiot in the parking lot with the 1000 watt stereo shaking the ground with bass. I really don't understand having music(?) with nothing but a bass line, unless it's for the sole purpose of annoying everyone within a 200 foot radius. Don't get me wrong, I like music...all kinds of music, and sometimes I like it loud.

BUT!

I don't subject everyone around me to what I want to listen to. And what I do listen to is music...not some putz who got paid to lay down a bass track using a Casio Keyboard. If the school wants to have a policy to enforce...the loud, annoying music...errr...noise coming from cars would be a good one. Y'know...if someone is wearing something weird or goofy, you can look the other way but if someone is polluting the air with offensive sound, you can't escape.

We have a winner!

I've been in retail for over 26 years, 18 of them in management, so I have an idea what I'm talking about. I used to think that the lowest form of retail life was in the fast food industry. Let's face it, every time you hit the Drive Thru, you have to check your order to make sure it's correct. These people are paid to get things right! Obviously, they are paid too much.

Well, today I have come to the conclusion that Fast Food has been taken by the mighty retail team at Walmart. I can't call them a sales team because they don't sell you anything, they just stock the shelves. But as they are stocking the shelves, they make sure to get in the way as much as possible. I had to do a double-take at the mullet headed "Cart Crew" because they were holding a conversation that only Jeff Foxworthy could appreciate.

There is no pride in my local Walmart, you can tell just by the way it looks. If I ran my store that way I would have been fired long ago. Perhaps that what happened there because there were several employees from other stores helping get stuff on the shelves. There were more employees there than I have ever seen.

Congratulations Walmart...keep talking up that customer service!! I rest easy knowing that you're there!!

Has it been that long?

Since I last posted? Looks like it, hmmm I'm slacking. Actually I've been putting in some extra time at the store and playing a lot of Blogshares.

I have picked up a new chip and have a few on the way. A nice little Victorian Gambling Hall $100 chip made its way to me and a Tropicana Showgirls chip arrived here in a trade.

I had someone contact me regarding one of my Cal Neva Lodge chips. It seems he has some personal history with the chip and wants to share that info...awesome! I would love to hear all about it!

Fight night tonight, and Trevor will have earned enough hours to get his new uniform...very cool!

What a cut up!

I love the martial arts and I like watching Jeopardy with the family, so what could be better than...

Ninja Jeopardy??

Not really for the kiddos, the language is a bit strong.

New and Exciting!

Ok...for quite some time I've been posting about new releases and such...well now I've got something new in the works. Soon I'll be showing uber-rare chips from Casinorarities.com. James will be providing images of chips that sell for thousands of dollars. Here's a chance to see some of the more rare and desired chips that exist.

Happy Birthday USA!!!

Today is the day we get to celebrate our freedoms and our rights to blow off our fingers with explosives!! Thus giving emergency rooms the rights to charge us outrageous amounts to physically correct our stupidity! Ain't America Great!!?

The Dark Side

I once posted about one of my employees, Dmitri, and his band, Dark Realm. Well, he and his mates are working on an album and they have loaded up one of their songs on GarageBand.com. Here is a link to their page:

http://www.garageband.com/artist/darkrealm

Give it a listen if you're able. They had the Track of the Day!! Woohoo! While it's not quite the kind of music I listen to, it's still pretty cool to see someone progress through the "ranks"...so to speak.

Good luck Dark Realm.

Nice work Pete!

The majority of the chip images come from hot links to the website of Pete and Chantal Rizzo, owners of OldVegasChips.com. Selling chips and poker sets are how these folks earn their money, plain and simple. The Rizzos are aggressive and shrewd business folk and their website is top notch. I use their scans exclusively for several reasons:

The site contains excellent scans.
Pete granted me permission.
I wanted to give their site as much exposure as I could.

Besides my Blog, my personal website, Jeff's Casino Chips, also contains a banner link to Pete's ste on every page. Pete did me a favor in exchange for a banner link, a deal that I considered quite fair. I consider Pete a friend though we've never met and I continue to purchase chips from him.

Here's the real reason for this post. Poker is hot, hot, hot. You can't escape it on TV and the popularity is spreading faster than a wildfire in Arizona. Even in Iraq, the poker fever is catching and Pete is helping fan the flames with his donations of poker sets. Check out this article.

Hats off to our troops. They have a tremendously difficult job to complete and Pete has given some of them the tools needed to temporarily take their minds off their dangerous situaton.

Note: I don't spout off politically on this Blog unless it involves the possibility of land based casinos in Kentucky. I want to, just for the moment, lash out against this Putz named Michael Moore. I'm tired of his self-serving drivel he constantly puts out. Oh? He won an award for this crap? Where? Cannes? That's French isn't it? Figures.

Mr. Moore...just keep one thing in mind. Our President, our government, and our troops fight for your right to produce your crap. They also protect my right to call your product what it is. Keep cranking out that garbage, Mr. Moore, because as long as you do, we won't have to worry about you being in office or on the front lines. Try to do what you do, in some of the countries our troops are in right now and you would be in a world of hurt.

What are you going to do for a sequel when GW wins his second term? Pout?

I'm done...back to casino chips!

I have a date!

With the Back Yard of Doom! After getting (finally) the lawn mower repaired, I can now attack the back yard...who knows what I will find out there!

When I'm done I'm meeting with George to talk about the convention and visit a local antique mall.What a fun filled Thursday I have planned!! Woohoo!

Having fun on vacation.

While burning up week 3 of 4 vacations this year, we spent some time at the Frazier Historical Arms Museum.

What a fascinating place. Lots of armor and medieval weaponry. Everything from pikes to gatling guns and info spanning from the middle ages to the Presidency of Teddy Roosevelt. It opened late May, so it's not even a month old. The layout is excellent and the exhibits are all well presented. A lot of thought and planning went into this project. It's a "must see" for anyone visiting Louisville.

How about that?

George called me this morning from Vegas, I thought he was letting me know that he hit a big one and that there were plane tickets waiting for me...alas that was not the case.

He did say that he was doing well so far, up a few hundred so that's good. The Early Bird Banquet was held Wednesday night. That is quite an event and there are several awards handed out through the course of the evening. George let me know that I won an award for recruiting new members to the Club...how cool is that?

**SIGH**

Well, my brother and his wife are in Vegas as are most of my chipping buddies. There is a webcam set up at the convention so I'll be able to see just a little bit of the action...just wish I could be there, waving back at the camera!

With any luck, the key word luck, my brother will hit a $1 Progressive Video Poker jackpot and I'll receive a phone call telling me that there are plane tickets waiting for me at Louisville International Airport. That would be cool...very cool. Or if he simply won enough to lay down an opening bid of $1800 for that sweet, Red, Black Inlayed $5 Golden Nugget that's in the Club Auction...oh yeah! Dare to dream!

Anyway...gotta vacation coming up soon and I will dedicate some time to finish updating my website and getting those scans up.

A True Winner

I was asked to talk about the more...ummmm..."colorful" customers that I deal with on a daily basis. I'm not talking about folks who are un-informed about consumer electronics, that's what I do!! I help them out.

Nope, I'm talking about the "winners"...the folks who need to do society a favor and not reproduce and let Darwinism run its course.

Like the guy who came in today looking for vacuum cleaner bags. Ok, I'll cut him a little slack, we were a long shot. After breaking the bad news to him, I suggested a few places close by that may have the bags. What I didn't need was a 5 minute rambling story of how he had been running from yard sale to yard sale looking for stuff and found a vacuum cheap. All it needed was a new bag.

So he left and life returned to normal...that is until he returned to let us know that he ran into the owner of the hardware store down the block and talked him into opening up for a second so he could buy a bag...geez! Oh well, good for this guy.

MT is messing up...will add more later.

Not much happening

Working on my website, getting scans resized and cropped. Not much else going on. The Convention is next week and everybody who is going is leaving this weekend. Good for them...it's sure to be a great time.

I'm gone...Hwang's wore me out tonight.

A bit blue

I was saddened by the announcement of President Reagan's death.

Will he do it?

Smarty Jones runs for the Triple Crown in about 5 minutes...I'm rooting for him. Let's see how he does!

MY Cuisine Reigns Supreme!

Take the Which Iron Chef Are You? Test!
Created by Elyse

I found this great quiz at Random Thoughts

Lord of the Rings

Ok...so the DVD was released last night but I didn't get mine until today. Of course I watched it...loudly!

There is a little booklet inside the case with all kinds of cool stuff relating to the movie...pendants, brooches, swords, etc. I remember seeing the booklet before in the other DVDs, but that was after the kids did their number on it so it was in pretty bad shape. If you like LOTR stuff, you need to check this site out. Mind you, these are not cheap trinkets. The swords average about $300 and rings from $300 down but just looking at them in the booklet and then looking for them in the movie is fun.

Check them out at:

The Noble Collection

Someone was kind enough to share...

...some cold germs!!

!@#$%^

Man...I could have done without coming down with a cold on Derby Day. This thing hit me like a brick, causing me to go home early from work. Now before you start going "Uh-Huh...sneaked out for a little betting action eh?", nope...right to bed, got up to watch the race and then back to bed where I stayed the rest of the night and all day Sunday...yuck!

Anyway...my horse, Limehouse, gave it a run but just not enough horse there. The Aladdin released a Derby chip...very nice and I have one on the way. I put up a couple of bids on some Tahoe stuff and paid for a nice little Limited set from the Tahoe Nugget. A reproduction of sorts...pretty cool.

Ah well...just rambling tonight, put in an hour at Hwang's, though it killed me with this cold, I couldn't catch my breath and we weren't working real hard, just forms. Trevor wants to try it so I'm going to sign him up for a couple of weeks to see how he likes it.

Booooring!

Well, not much happening. No new chips really worth mentioning. I sent my cash to Gene for the Palms Derby chips. Hopefully there will be some other releases to talk about this week.

Conor's Brthday Party is tomorrow, we're having the fiesta at Hwang's. I get to help with the party as it counts towards my Leadership Patch...if only I could get my uniform!

We've been watching the Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters programs on the Food Network. I think Morimoto got hosed in his spiny lobster battle.

Down for the count

Man, I felt pretty good Wed. night after sparring class except for getting viscously nailed by a spinning back kick from Alex. I almost went on the mat after that one, but I sucked it up and kept fighting...whew!

Not long after Conor and I got home I started feeling bad. Mary Beth also said she was ill and we discussed our symptons, they were the same...the stomach virus that has been going around...ugh! So Thursday was spent on the couch trying to sleep while the monsters were playing their games. They kept the noise down for the most part which helped a bunch.

Today I'm feeling much better but I'm not going to start eating like crazy..that'll set me up for a horrible Saturday. I have a 3 hour discipline training in the morning, don't know if I'll make it. I have inventory tmorrow as well and as much as I love Tae-Kwon-Do, I have to get my work done first!

Ramble On

I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!

I mean c'mon...I've got the Stairway to Heaven studio sessions on vinyl stashed away in a closet.




Classic rock! Without you the other genres
wouldn't exist! You are the raw and original
sound of rock! Other genres may try to imitate
your rawness, but they can never be like you!


What genre of rock are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Oh well, we did beat Kentucky

College basketball season is over for me...*sigh*

A fitting end for such a strong finish to the regular season. Where in hell was Garcia in the 2nd half? C'mon Rick...that's 2 years in a row that your (our) team had World Beater status in Nov, Dec, and Jan...but whoa!!! Here comes February...we forgot how to play. Ok, I'll give you guys a break with the injuries and illnesses, but once you were to full strength...nothing but a fraction of the team I watched early in the year. And then that awesome meltdown against Xavier tonight. You were up 14 points! You got blown out in the last 15 minutes!

BTW...I've been a Cards fan for over 20 years...through thick and thin, so I've earned the right to bitch.

We'll be back...right now it just hurts.

Good luck Luke, you define the word warrior.