Sunday, August 30, 2009

Feeling old

Demon child started high school. She decided to take German because one of the neighbors encouraged it and is one of the German teachers at DC's school and would be willing to help. This weekend she had a homework assignment to translate several sentences.

She was really struggling with 1 word in 4th sentence so I looked up "isst" and learned it meant "eat". Daughter was suspicous of how I could be so sure until she quickly manuevered to see screen and saw I was on "secret web-site". She immediately wanted url and I acting under wife's instructions refused to provide. Teacher had instructed not to use web as there were sites that would translate whole paragraphs. (Yes secret web site will). Daughter went on full blown monkey tilt that I did not provide resource to help with her education.

I went with "wife told me not to reveal, but if she says it is okay when she gets back I will share" defense. In interim daughter did revisit 4 times for final 2 sentences for me to look up words in "secret web site". "Attraktiv" would have to confirm that daughter goes to site too easily.

Tomorrow we go old school and get daughter a German to English book at Borders. Wife did not approve reveal of site. I give daughter 2 weeks until she finds site.

Friday I got 2 phone calls from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Due to the death of Ted Kennedy they are at 59 which is not filibuster proof and they wanted me to contribute $500 to the cause of next years Senate elections.

My 1st response was "Shouldn't you have the common decency to let Senator Kennedy be buried before invoking his name for fundraising?"

I ignored most of prepared script from phone drone the asked.

"I was employed during entire Bush administration and have been unemployed pretty much entire Obama administration so what benefit do I get from more Democratic control?"

After a few more minutes of partisan droning I agreed to donate 5% of my next paycheck and hung up.

10 minutes later she called back, apparently when entering my 'pledge' in the computer system she encountered an error and needed to know exact dollar amount.

I replied "5% of $0 is $0 you stupid cunt if you call back before I get a job I will donate to the Republicans".

My 1st time voting was in the 1980 Massachusetts primary and I registered as a Democrat to vote against Ted because I thought it was wrong for him to challenge the incumbent President of his own party. But it still strikes me as completely tacky to use the death of the remaining Kennedy brother as a fund raising tool.

RIP Ted

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Ready for some Football?


Hat tip to John Saunders on ESPN's Sports Reporters for informing me that dedicated dog owning Eagle's Fans can buy the Michael Vick dog jersey.
Demon child starts High School in morning, suddenly I feel old, she is anxious about change. I realized when I took her to orientation that this is only 3rd different school she has enrolled at.
I managed to go to 4 elementary schools, 2 Jr. Highs and 2 High Schools. My goal was not to moved the daughter around as much as my parents moved me. I made a lot of acquaintances but after each move was less likely to develop any close friendships.
Job search is still going slowly but it seems like there are more jobs being advertised.
Nothing much happening on online poker front as I really haven't felt like I was in good mindset, may settle for Silver on FullTilt this month.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Today's Comments

No poker:

I am watching NBC's Today Show as I wait to depart for flight, todays stories and my take.

1) Paula Abdul turned down 30% raise because she wanted 500% raise. I feel her pain in this economy.

2) Snakes, balding, nudity: Which causes you most anxiety? I have to go with snakes and that's just a matter of whether they are poisonous or not.

3) Guide dogs very cool.

Last night wife went on tilt. She saw 2 guys show up in apartment complex (our rent is in $2k range/month). Get out of car, one goes to Asian chicas apartment in adjacent building, other one goes to asian chicas apartment downstairs. Hour later one of the guys is just hanging around on sidewalk, other guy eventually joins him and they leave. A little later another car shows up/ repeat.

Hopefully while I am out of town wife won't get in trouble with someone's pimp.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

12th inning, score is 2-2

and the Ray's announcers are still whining about a play from the 8th inning.

Worst part is they acknowledged in the 9th that the umpires made the correct call after it was clarified that it was not a judgment call on where runners were when ball was declared dead. The local ground rules for Rays called for runners position to be set by where they were when ball left 1st player to fields hand. Ball got lodged in an equipment bag in RAYS bullpen and was declared dead.

12th inning Kevin Kennedy is still whining about the "controversial call" and the rule has to be changed.

Being in Bay area I still hear about the "tuck rule", that has not changed, we'll see if Rays make changes to their ground rules but if you have an open bullpen shit happens.