Oldest brewery found
Archeologists have found what they believe to be the world's oldest brewery in the Andes. The Wari empire built it before the Incans took over. The best part of the brewery? The researchers believe it may have been used to provide "chicha", an alcoholic drink made from the berry of the molle pepper, which was probably used during "ritual intoxication". So, they really weren't all that different from us. Although, they estimate each nobleman drank about 2.6 gallons of the stuff at each ceremony.
That’s no space station
Awesome picture of the Saturn moon, Mimas.
![[Catalog Image of PIA05423]](http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpegMod/PIA05423_modest.jpg)
Straight from the JPL Photo Journal site.
Why I hate poker
So, I'm playing a little tournament online tonight. It's an unlimited rebuy tournament, and I really didn't know what I was getting into. Bad idea.
I sat back for the first half hour or so. I even folded pocket Kings on my first hand, because I didn't want to call an all-in on the first hand. Turns out I should have. The guy had nothing, and proceeded to go all-in on almost every hand. He re-bought his way into the tournament four times. He eventually gave up.
I played very tight, but when I was dealt pocket queens and had two all-ins in front of me, I couldn't fold away the chance to triple up. My opponents had 10-2s and 9-4o. That made me a 71.7% favorite to win the hand. The flop came 3-3-5, making me an 87.9% favorite to win the hand. The next card was a 7. I was 90.5%, only a 6 could beat me. And a 6 it was. Grr...
I decided to rebuy again. I was playing with free money, so who could care? Not long after, I had k-6o from the small blind and just called. 5 players saw the flop come 9-9-K. I had two pair, and it was up to me to act. I raised it about the pot amount and got one caller. I knew I was a big favorite with two pair, unless he was slow-playing a nine. The next card was an 8. I checked, he raised, and I went all-in. If he was on a draw, which I figured he had to be, he'd pay for it, and hopefully I would double up. He called, he was on a draw, with J-10 in his hand. I was still about a 80% favorite though. And of course, I got busted again when the seven rivered his straight again. Lost twice to the same guy on runner-runner straights.
I'm really hating playing poker online right now. I'm just not playing well, and getting beat when I do play well. I'll have to get the guys from work together for another game, because at least I know them, and won't feel bad if I lose money to them. Losing to stupid strangers really gets to me.
Busted up
I've been working out with some guys (and a gal) at work in the mornings lately We've been going for a couple of weeks now, and I've been getting a lot stronger. It's a killer workout, and I can never do everything we do, but I've been doing more and more.
So, yesterday, we did our normal workout. But we also decided to go mountain biking as well. Their theory goes, it's better to go biking on the same day than having the workout the morning after. It is true, I'm not very sore today from the workout or ride. But somehow I managed to sprain my ankle. I can only figure that when trying to ride over a large log, my tire slipped, and I tried to put my foot down on the log, and my foot slipped and twisted it.
At the doctor's office today, the physician's assistant decided not to do an x-ray, and just gave me an air cast and told me to stay off it for a couple of weeks. All my workouts from the past couple of weeks are going to be blown away now, and I'll be starting again from scratch, whenever I am able to run again. This really sucks!
Gum Blondes
Here a guy who has an interesting way of creating art. It's all made out of chewed gum! This is one you have to see to believe.
Gaming Club Freeroll
(I realized I used some terms that could be confusing to non-poker players. For you, check out this Poker glossary.)
6:00 pm, the Rookie Freeroll starts. 382 players, vying for $5000 in prize money.
6:08, first hand won. Dealt pocket tens, called in early position. Flop came 10-Q-A rainbow. Bet out. Called by chip leader. 6 on the turn, bigger bet. He folds, I win with three of a kind. One guy at our table already went out, btw.
6:15, I see a few hands I could limp on, but nothing special. People are crazy with their all-ins. I don't want to get in the way right now, it's still early.
6:18, A10h in the big blind just as they go up. Only me and the small blind in, I fold when K-Q hits the board and he raises, but get it back on the next hand when I go head to head with the big blind, and take it on a nothing flop. I'm hovering around the average stack, not getting crazy. The chip leader's at our table, and he is nuts. Someone's going to take him for a lot of chips soon. For now, he's using his big stack to push people around and call any hand. He could be doing a lot more though, if he knew anything.
6:23, my first knockout. My pair of fives hold up against A-2 of a small stack.
6:33, first stupid play, I try to bluff the BB with nothing when a K hits the flop, he calls. I check the turn, he bets, I have to fold. Yuk. I'm now well below the average stack at 1360 (started with 1500)
6:38, second knockout when my cowboys hold up against jacks. Getting annoyed though because one guy is a big staller, waiting till the clock runs all the way down on him before folding. He's a guy who can cost people the chance to build up bigger stacks as players get knocked out.
6:45, down to 236 players left. Still a little below the average stack, but hanging in there as we hit the first break. Four players are just below my chip count at my table, so it would be nice to knock them out, or double through one of the big stacks.
6:56, lots of blind stealing going on. Makes sense, they're up to 150/300 now. I can't get involved since I have no hands to speak of. Just hanging around, waiting for the cards to fall my way.
7:00, forced all in on A5d and double up when my diamond hits on the turn and river for the flush. feel better after losing both my blinds to crazy stealers.
7:11, not a lucky time for me, as both my blinds get stolen again, and I'm short stacked. I probably should have picked one of the hands and played it, but I didn't.
7:14, I go all-in two hands in a row. First one, I am lucky to escape, because I outchipped the other guy, though it was by a lot (my Aces and 8s fell to his 8s full of deuces, and I did win some chips from one other caller). Second one, I go all-in with KQs, get one caller with JJ. Flop comes KQ6, and I'm feeling good. But then the cursed J spikes me on the turn and the river is no help. I'm out, in 96th place, when top 50 paid.
Well, I'm happy with how I played that one. I really only had a couple of bad plays, trying to steal blinds when I had no business doing it. When I was slightly short-stacked there at the end, I had to pick some hands to play, and I had good ones. I was a huge favorite to win the last hand (after the flop, anyhow), and busted out when one of the guy's two outs hit. It would have taken some good cards in the next few rounds to keep me in it, as I was pretty short, and the other stacks were getting big. They're down to 50 about 20 minutes later, which would have put the blinds at 500/1000, requiring a lot of good play to stay in. It was a nice practice, anyway, and it was free to enter to try for some good money. Hopefully I can try to play in another one next week. I like the odds of doing well in a tourney like that.
Ken Lay indicted!
At long last, after 2 1/2 years of investigation, Ken Lay, former CEO of Enron, had been indicted. I guess the strategy of building up the case against him by going after the underlings first is finally paying off.
Happy Independence Day!
Hope everyone has a good Fourth. For your listening pleasure, check out the stars of NPR reading the Declaration of Independence. I imagine most of us know "We hold these truths to be self-evident...", but you probably don't know most of the rest of it. Enjoy!
Chips are here!
Yay! Initial impression: I like em! They look like they are errors from various custom sets made back in the day. Looks like they stamped initials on them, and then stamped a starburst pattern over them. They seem somewhat light, but they feel very nice. The case is in pretty good shape too.
The chips in their case. 300 chips total, amazingly the full set.
A look at samples of each color.
A look at the edge of the blue one. The layers show how they used to compress whatever material used to make it nice and solid. Nowadays, it's all ABS plastic molded stuff.
The logo around the edges is a top hat and cane, like I mentioned before. I have no idea if these are really autherntic, but I don't care that much either. I bought them to play poker with, not to look at. But they are pretty, even so. They look an awful lot like the ones sold here, but they are obviously rejects of some kind. Some of the chips have the starburst imprinted over someone's initials, and some are imprinted over denominations. Like I said though, I like them, and can't wait to play with them.
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