The Bridesmaid

Horse.

Me.

Back on.

Giddy-up.

Now that softball season is starting to fade into the rear-view mirror, poker is coming back onto my laptop as the choice of evening and sometimes afternoon entertainment. Instead of pulling up two or three dollah tourneys, I have adventured back to the cash games for relatively significant money. It has been awhile since I’ve checked out the $100 PLO8/NLHE and $2/$4 LO8 tables for more then trading a few blinds, and after shaking off some Similac-coated rust I managed to hold my own and not look entirely Spicoli-like stupid.

Omaha can be a funny game however, you could be sitting with the second nut full house and lose to the nut full house one hand (happened to me twice, paid him off because of previous hands), and turn around and watch someone rake a huge pot with bottom two pair after you throw away the winning hand. The first reaction is to curse the poker gods, throw your cat, and maybe launch a few expletives across the room that you hope your spawns did not retain for future use. Second sucks, it’s the first loser, and since this isn’t a tourney you get nothing but a sore pair of balls and possibly a hurt ego if you actually think you’re good enough to win at this game.

But why take it personally? They were just cards that didn’t fall in your favor. Find some good out of it by saying “hey, I lost the minimum I could have” (I didn’t, but that’s why I’m still learning and grinding out small wins at this level). Unfortunately, this re-found zeal for poker will curb my foray into the Wide World of Bingo. My sparkling silver dabber now sits on the oak armoire next to the Winnie the Pooh honey pot (with a limited edition Tigger watch inside) that I bought for my girlfriend nearly 10 years ago. Ugh, she’s put up with me for 10 years?!?!?

Poor woman.

At least she’s not this chick. Steven, who ever you are, I’m sure if she paid enough for the billboard, and has enough hatred to fill every strip club in Vegas, her “proof” will be on the internet if it isn’t already. You might consider moving soon with your mini-sized wee-wee in tow.

This weekend I met up with some folks who are not currently having their names splashed across Minnesota’s roadways. My dad’s side of the family gets together for a golf outing/cabin indulgence once a year (even after meeting up in Charleston earlier this year). Eagle Trace in Clearwater was the site of my brilliant golf game that made Tiger Woods check his ESPN mobile every two minutes for updates. The gods of sod and sand blessed me with elegant drives, soft wedges, and a Cap’n Coke that could have doubled as golf cart fuel. I like em strong, but least tell me you forgot to add the Coke before I take a sip. Amateurs like me are not used to straight shots at 7am. With aiming fluid trickling down my insides, I managed a round of 85 on this shot-maker course (I average between a 95 and 100 normally). Its not a long 18 holes but it is very easy to lose a ball or four into the trees and several tight tee shots.

Bolstered with victory at the golf course (and six dollars per golfer richer), we headed to my uncle’s cabin that was only three miles from the course. It’s a beautiful log cabin on a semi-private lake with a yard size that could fit about twenty houses from Toyko on it.

Cookies, rice kripsy bars, sandwiches from Subway, chips, and this cheese-sour cream-oh-my-god-I-need-more dip from my ailing grandmother filled the golfers up properly before our annual horseshoe pitching tourney. In the 12 years that we’ve been getting together I have yet to win. I tried to blame the ‘shoes, the sun, the mosquitoes, angle of the dangle, but still can’t win because my uncles and dad used to spend more then a couple hours throwing these pieces of bent metal up at the old family cabin.

My team came in second.

Prize money won: $0

Yep, I caught the second nut full house again. Giddy-up.

Thanks for dropping by, now head over to Mr. Bracelet’s site to view the newest “package” up for auction. This big “unit” of the For Peyton silent auction is sure to get plenty of “rising” from the ladies bidding on the items.

I’m on blogger time out for the above paragraph, let me out soon please.