I get to wear these while reading or working at the computer. I was an English Lit major and I play WoW... so...

I made these this morning from a recipe that a coworker gave me. I hope they are tasty, when they cool.

where then the time?

Okay.

Started work at the bridge today. Today was mostly just sitting and providing answers that were readily available (both in the head and elsewhere) to questions that were...

Tomorrow (after a sleep) I will be going to Ottawa for an interview with Citizenship and Immigration. That is exciting. Although I determined that I can't remove my degree from its frame, so I will be bringing the whole thing. I probably should have ordered a backup copy, but I don't think they do that. It remains my most valuable possession.

Ryan, when he came down, gave me $1 on PokerStars, so I started playing there to build a bankroll. I am up to $1.70 I think. I haven't been playing in earnest, but I played a bit of scared money while watching the latest (I think) episode of High Stakes Poker in my relaxation time. I'm back over $100 on FullTilt, but I haven't played there in a few days. I've no professional/grinder-like aspirations, so these have been exercises in seeing if I can reach milestones. With FullTilt my ambition is to get to the point where I'm freerolling, so I have to reach a milestone above my initial deposit from a year ago. With PokerStars, I don't have that same requirement because I am essentially freerolling right now. The sky is the limit.

WoW has been interesting-ish. Dual-spec has made it easier to be a healer because I can dash around in non-raids as some kind of damage-dealer, which makes soloing much easier. I need to grind instances to get my damage-dealing gear up to snuff (and spec appropriately). But there is time for that.

Waiting to find out what my work schedule will be like at the bridge before I make any sort of gaming plans in the real world, or those worlds adjacent to the real world. I might drive up to Toronto this weekend, if it's time off. You know, before Stacey goes up to the camp.

i forgot to give this a title

It's been that kind of week. Sigh.

Tomorrow, for better or worse, I am done yet another term at Queen's. Technically. I may need to try to sleaze one extra day, but we'll see.

Next week I start working at the border again. That's the physical (and metaphysical) boundary between my country and the one to the south. Not the radio station (I'm not sure if it still exists). Nor the bookstore (though that one is usually in the plural form). That will be exciting.

I think about the way I worked there last summer and how there are things I would have done differently. I'll get the chance to do that this year, maybe. There were ways I carried myself that I regret, maybe people will have forgotten those. Unfortunately for me, I tend not to forget those sorts of things.

We'll see. It's late, and I hope to be sleeping soon.

The epilogue of that hand above? I just took out the fellow who was holding the straight flush in the picture above. My KK versus his J3... flop was J37 ... and another 7 on the river.

i want to see where you go when you can't be here

I awoke at 05h30 this morning.

Although I think I was asleep by 23h30 last night... I watched a few episodes of HOUSE while preparing to sleep. I know better than to watch something while trying to sleep.

I have to fax something off and I am hoping that it will mean employment. My telephone interview yesterday was... unsuccessful. The fellow who conducted the interview indicated that I was short by "1 point" and that I was "the next on the list if one of the others did not report" (those are paraphrased). Probably something to make me feel better about not getting it — I was obviously excited by the prospect of working for them. So that's not a complete bust. We'll see.

Two more exams, only one of which is a sit-down exam. My take-home exam is shaping up nicely.

i know this is awkward, but

HOUSE returns to the diagnostic room after a brief conversation with CUDDY in the hallway regarding their kiss the previous evening.

CAMERON: [continuing the differential] Portable equipment can't distinguish a bleed or a tumor, can't see vasculitis. What did Cuddy want?

HOUSE: I kind of hit that last night, so now she's all on my jock.

HADLEY: Wow. She looks pretty good for someone on rufies.

well played, sir

Okay.

So I've been awake since 04h30. Roughly. But that's not really the point.

I have a telephone interview today for a summer job, which is exciting. It will be at 09h30. Roughly.

I haven't yet heard back from the Port of Lansdowne. So if I get the offer from Parks Canada, I will take it. It will be a different experience with a different pay rate, but, as near as I can tell, it will be a great deal of work out of doors and near the water. It might even be fun.

never give up, never surrender!

I played a ME Race Rd 2 late into Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning. After a number of bad calls — I knew I was beat but called it down anyway — I was stuck playing short-stacked for the last two hours of the tournament. It was a fairly high tension session of online poker... you'd almost forget that it was a Freeroll and the only prize up for grabs was a shot at another Freeroll.

All the same, I was disappointed when I finished sixth (at one point I was probably 34/40 and I know I was 15/15).

All of that had to do with my making a good read on my opponent's hand (it has to be pretty obvious for me to figure it out) and then paying it off anyway. This next bit has to do with me just running into some bad luck.

Full Tilt Poker .COM Main Event Race Rd 1 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t25/t50 Blinds - 8 players - View hand 97157 (The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter)

SB: t3945 M = 52.60
BB: t7570 M = 100.93
UTG: t1450 M = 19.33
UTG+1: t1110 M = 14.80
MP1: t1500 M = 20
Hero (MP2): t1685 M = 22.47
CO: t2070 M = 27.60
BTN: t2330 M = 31.07

Pre Flop: (t75) Hero is MP2 with Q A

2 folds, MP1 calls t50, Hero raises to t150, 4 folds, MP1 calls t100

Flop: (t375) 3 4 A (2 players)

MP1 checks, Hero bets t200, MP1 calls t200

Turn: (t775) Q (2 players)

MP1 bets t1150 all in, Hero calls t1150

River: (t3075) 5 (2 players - 1 is all in)

MP1 had 22, which we found out on the Turn. I wound up losing the hand and falling to 185 in chips. He apologised, like he had something to do with bad luck. I told him that those hands happen, and played on. All the same, with my short-stack play I worked my way up to a big stack again and finished 5th in the tournament. Again, like the ME Rd 2 above, I need to finish second and played boneheadedly to narrow down my chances... but it's gratifying to my ego to see that kind of playing happen.

I need to translate these fifth place finishes into second or first place finishes. Even though need is a strong word.