KyleBits

So, I’ve been lead to believe, both by what I’ve been told, and by my now 6 years of experience living in Texas, that July and August are “drought season”. We sit here sweltering, begging for rain to rejuvenate our yellow lawns. It goes along with the saying “there are 3 seasons in Texas: summer, July and August.” Not so this year! It has rained pretty much every day for the last month here in Houston. My lawn is a swamp! There’s just nowhere for the water to go … and no end in sight.

The house is coming along nicely. I still haven’t set up the office fully … but that’s always the hardest part for me. I’m hoping to tackle it some more tomorrow. The kitchen is done, the living room is 95% done, and the bedroom is done except for hanging artwork. The guest room and the dining room are still just storage for stuff I haven’t figured out what to do with yet. By next weekend, I’ll have most of that stuff dealt with, and I will have cleaned out the guest room so I can prepare it for furniture … which I will buy just as soon as someone tells me they’re visiting. So, c’mon down!

Well, yesterday was the big move. It was actually the most unprofessional move I’ve ever had, and I’ve now used 5 different moving companies over the last 15 years. This one was Progressive Moving, who have a presence in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. My rep is Jimmy Wright, and I’m waiting to hear from him. Read on for the story…

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Yesterday (the 28th) was the first day of the move. I packed up a few computers, various odds and ends, and the cats, for the drive down to Houston in the XTerra. I got some “kitty valium” from the vet before the drive, and the cats were quite baked during the trip. This is good, because Grapenut does not handle the car well.
I got the cats settled, the gas hooked up, and set up DSL. Now I just need to wait for the rest of my stuff to arrive (part 2 of the move is Monday) before I figure out what to do with all the extra space I have now. I’ve got an office and a guest room. I’ve got a huge area next to the kitchen that I’d think was a dining room, if it weren’t for the actual dining room. I’ve got a “game room” on the way out to the back yard. I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to put in all of these places. We’ll see.

First and foremost, no, I didn’t cash in either of the WSOP events I played. But, I’m quite pleased with my play, and on the 2nd event, I came very close before my pocket Kings fell to pocket Aces … held by two people at once! (At least I had outs and they didn’t!) The other games (craps, blackjack, pai-gow) were choppy, but I came home not down too much.

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It’s that time again, my friends… time for the World Series of Poker. This year I’m making the trip without Jeff (the bastard decided LASIK was more important than poker and craps!) and without my new-found poker buddy Robyn, but I’m going with plenty of great friends. Many, like Steve & Laura and Durbin, made the trip last year. Some, like Haley, are new to the annual pilgrimage. But all of us will have a great time. I plan to play in events 35 and 38 [schedule]. Most of the group will only play in 38. I’ll post trip updates here as I can. Wish us luck!

I just got back from DC, where I spent 4 days with Beckie and the kids. Ok, technically, I’m not back, I’m on the plane, typing this up on my new OQO model 2. But, only the geekiest among you (and there are a few) will be following the OQO link right now, and most will be wondering how our first vacation together went. In a word: Great!

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So, it’s time to bring up a topic I haven’t wanted to write about until now… not because I’m not excited, but because I didn’t want to jinx anything. Since March, I’ve been seeing someone new. Her name is Beckie. She’s got 2 great kids (Josh,16, and Kate, 12). She’s smart and beautiful and sexy. and unfortunately she lives in Houston.

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Yesterday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram ran a front page story about my friend and former co-worker, Francisco “Paco” Martinez. It’s quite the story does a good job showing why I think Paco is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, and why I am proud to call him my friend.

Walking through a grocery store (something I admittedly don’t do very often), I’m struck by the number of products that proudly proclaim “no trans fats!” on the label. Entire cities have banned trans fats from restaurants. People, speaking with their wallet, have begun to demand these nasty little trans fats things don’t enter their body anymore.

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I’m finally feeling somewhat — but not entirely — human again, after a bout with some sort of intestinal thing. It knocked me down for a full 2 days, but now I’m feeling decent enough to spend some time in the living room instead of just the bathroom or bedroom. The sad part is I missed out on playing in a tournament in Tulsa that I had already registered for. So, I’m out $230. Dammit.