February 28, 2005
Happy monday, poker
Happy Monday!
Had some folks over to play poker last night, and a good time was had by all. We're so used to playing with 10-16 people that our 6-person table, playing no-limit Texas hold 'em, took only an hour to decide a winner. So we played a second tournament with the remaining 5 of us who wanted to stick around. Good times! Hopefully next month some time we'll arrange for a larger event.
In more poker news, I've been playing at Partypoker.com's site for a long time now, but I just started playing Omaha (hi/lo as well as the standard game). It's a bit more involved than Texas hold 'em, and has a different stratergy. That said, I've won more than $150 in the last 3 weeks, playing only $0.50/$1 tables. Something's going right there. If you'd like to sign up, use my email address (michael@michris.com) as a referer, and we both get something. It's a fun place to play.
February 25, 2005
back from illness
Forgive my not posting much this week, I've come down with a rather annoying cold, and all the coughing, sneezing, congestion and body aches that go along with it. It's different from my flu of a couple weeks ago, which didn't feature much in the way of nasal problems. Hopefully these two are the extent of my winter illnesses. Bring on the sunshine and relative wellness of springtime!
I've said it before, and I'll say it again - Spike TV's weekday lineup of MacGuyver, Seven Days, Star Trek DS9 x2, Star Trek: TNG x2, MacGuyver is the best 7 hour stretch on one channel in television. It makes sick days more bearable. That, and the internet.
February 24, 2005
February 21, 2005
lucky strike sucks
As an avid bowler, I was intrigued by the Lucky Strike bowling alley that opened at The Block at Orange last year. However, after spending an hour there, all that's changed. Read my Open Letter to Lucky Strike over at the OC Metblog.
February 19, 2005
February 17, 2005
February 16, 2005
trip to the dentist
Over the weekend one of my upper teeth decided it'd had enough of my neglect, and was going to start letting me know exactly how it felt. This was a tooth I knew needed a root canal for a while, though it'd never given me any pain. So when the pain started, I knew I'd have to go in. The decision on when to go in was made much easier by the throbbing, I-can't-eat-because-it-hurts-to-bad pain that sprung up Monday night.
I had an appointment yesterday (though the pain decided to go away by then), and they ended up doing a root canal, crown prep, and crown lengthening. While it was uncomfortable having my mouth open for 3 hours, there wasn't a whole lot of pain involved, and for all the work they did, I'm amazed that the only thing hurting today is my wallet. Past root canals have left soreness and dull aches, this one has had nothing. No extra bleeding, no pain, not a thing. Whatever they're doing at my dentist's office, I'm glad - it seems to be working.
February 11, 2005
mardi gras party
I seem to remember thinking on Tuesday that I was going to post a lot this week. Alas, it's Friday. Well, here I am.
Tomorrow's my Mardi Gras party, but turnout is looking light. There are quite a few people on the "maybe" list, though, so who knows. Regardless, it should be a good time with whoever is there. If I know you, and you'd like to come, email me and I'll get you the details.
February 08, 2005
1200 - Mardi Gras and Tori
Happy Mardi Gras to all my readers. What's an atheist doing celebrating a day that boils down to being "holy-time eve"? Well, it's an excuse to party, first off. Second, it's a day that celebrates things i think everyone should practice all year long - good times and pleasure making.
It hasn't always been a big deal for me, because of non-Catholicness, and it's always on a Tuesday. But my hero for the day, Tori (Link not safe for work - you've been warned), has always held it as important, and her reasoning is similar to mine. She's inspired me this year, hence my more active participation in the event. I'm doing the main celebrating this Saturday at my place with friends (if I know you, and you'd like to attend, drop me a line) - it should be a good time.
In totally unrelated news, this is post 1200 on Insignifica. Thanks to all my readers!
February 07, 2005
mardi gras, mud wrestling
Celebrating Mardi Gras a little early, we went out to Maggiano's Little Italy on Saturday and indulged in some wonderful (and deliciously fatty) Italian food. Service was a little slow (they were, as usual, busy), but the food was fantastic. It's not somewhere we go often, but it's good every time we go.
Other than that, the weekend was spent relaxing. Spent some time with my sick girlfriend (she's got the cold I had last week), and saw family on Sunday. We keep meaning to go to the San Diego Zoo, but illness and weather have prevented that. Hopefully soon. We are planning a trip to northern California for a week - if you're a friend of mine up there, let me know when you'll be free, and we'll schedule some time. We'll be hitting San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and points between.
Some politics, and another reason I have no interest in joining the military: Female soldier demoted for mud wrestling. As is usual in military-style scapegoating, one woman gets a demotion for "indecent exposure", but the people who planned the mud wrestling, the superior officers, everyone else involved received, at most, "counseling". How or why this affects this soldier's ability to perform her duty is beyond me. I feel the same for all the military's "moral" codes - just another way to keep people in check. What do you think?
Thanks to everyone who responded to my previous post. If you haven't, please do. I'm very curious who's reading.
February 04, 2005
who are my readers?
If you've sent me an email today or yesterday, it's possible your message is currently floating in the ether of the internet. My server's been having quite a few problems lately. I don't think any mail has been lost, but your server's probably waiting for my server to get it's act together. Of course, if you haven't sent me an email, you probably don't care.
On a semi-related note, I'm very curious about who reads Insignifica. I've heard from many friends that they read but never post a comment - usually they'll come up to me in real life and reference something I posted. Maybe it's just because I post comments and keep pretty close to most of the people I talk with online, but it's weird to know that people close to me are reading what I write, and I have no idea. So, if you would, let me know who you are reading this. If you're a regular reader but you don't know me in real life, let me know how you found the site. If you're a friend or co-worker, say hello! You don't have to post your email or website, but just post a comment, and let me know that you're reading.
Shpadoinkle
A few days back I started watching "Cannibal! - the Musical", Trey Parker's absurdist musical version of the life of Alferd Packer. I haven't had time to finish it, but the film's first song, "Shpadoinkle", won't get out of my head. This must be why the movie has such a cult following...I just keep singing along...
Sky is blue and all the leaves are green...The air's as pure as a baked potato...
Seriously, it's coming very close to driving me crazy.
February 02, 2005
back from illness, weekend upcoming
Finally back at work after two sick days - it's been a while since I've had to take any at all. Whatever it is I have, it's annoying more than debilitating; every day has had slightly different symptoms. Today's is congestion, and Advil Cold and Sinus is useless - it does nothing! I should have spent the extra two bucks on the Aleve - that stuff is awesome, and seems to actually work.
Busy Saturday upcoming - Strato in the morning, OC Metblogging meetup in the afternoon, and a trip to our favorite "all you can eat, but way more than you should" Italian Restaurant. Maggiano's that evening. Sunday, if I'm feeling better, my lady and I are going to the San Diego Zoo (we were supposed to go on Sunday, but I was ill), then heading to my mom's to watch a little bit of the Super Bowl (mostly hang out with family - most of us don't care much about the game). Busy busy busy...
