Reality

Today I got my first whole paycheck, I was disappointed. We get paid Bi-weekly, I make $20 an hour and I still made 400 less than when I was in the Navy. Add everything up and I will be making about 1200 less a month now. I will have about 400 a month to spend on whatever I want. This kind of sucks, when I added everything up before I didn't take into account taxes and all that crap. I think I have them taking out more taxes now because last year I had to pay in and I probably will again this year and I don't want to do that anymore but still I figured it would be close to the same money. I think it's gonna be hard for the rest of the time I am here in this area. It probably wouldn't be so hard if my car payment wasn't so damn much but I probably still can't refinance the damn thing. Luckily I do have some money at the moment but that will probably go away whenever I get my taxes done. I'm still waiting to get my W-2 so I can find out how much I will have to pay this year, hopefully it won't be as much as last year. I guess I'll see. I'm just bummed. I had more in mind that I wanted to blog about but now I forgot. Maybe I'll remember later.

Some poker and other stuff

SO this weekend I did a little better at poker, yesterday at least. It wasn't big winnings but I just need the experience. It was a $2 tournament, there were like 600 or so people I came in 28th place, the winnings were only $4 but I was glad I was learning to fold. My main problem is I want to see the flop. I get so pissed when I see the end and I would have had the best hand. I probably would have made it further but I went for it and got beat. I am almost out of money on there, I started with 50 and am down to 5, but it at least lasted me a couple weeks. If I wouldn't have gotten pissed and started wasting my money on cash games I would still be good. Now I know better. It is all a learning experience for me.

It finally snowed here yesterday. I am a dumbass. I have this thing that when I have the heater on in the car I have to have a window cracked because I have a hard time breathing. SO Friday since it was cold I had the heater on and had the passenger window and the passenger back seat windows down about and inch and a half or 2. Well apparently I forgot to roll it up when I got home and since I didn't drive anywhere this weekend they stayed down and it snowed in my car. At least it wasn't raining all weekend. Maybe it aired some of the smoke smell out, I couldn't tell. I felt like a retard when I was knocking the snow off my car this morning and got to that side and saw it. Oh well, live and learn as always. Watched some football yesterday, I was pissed that the colts came back to win. I am rooting for the bears in the Superbowl. It should be a good game. Other than that not a very eventful weekend. It is just really cold. They cancelled and postponed schools today for some reason, we barely got any snow, maybe an inch and it was frozen but the roads were fine. Stupid people, I don't get out of work for snow days, I have to come or I don't get paid. They did talk to me on Friday about switching me to full time since I work over 30 hours a week. It sounds like I can still keep my flexible hours and everything the only difference would be that I will start to get vacation days, which I won't get that many before I leave. Hope everyone had a good weekend.

Poe Toaster, again...

So I missed it this year. I thought I stumbled on it yet again on the day of but I was wrong, it happened last night or this morning however you want to look at it. CNN quotes the gay curator as this years crowd behaved unlike last year, trying to interfere. I can't speak for the rest of the crowd that was there, I wanted to get a photo of the stuff on the grave. Sure I wouldn't mind following him and finding out who he is, maybe get a drink with him. Then I could say that hey I toasted with the Poe Toaster. I certainly wouldn't go blabbing his identity or anything but it would be fun. Who knows the guy might knock my ass out to help conceal his identity who knows. But I missed it and probably won't be here next year but if I come back I may just go and hop the fence myself and stake the grave and catch him by surprise just to see what happens. I wouldn't interfere with the toast just see what happens afterwards...lol.

Useless Facts

Consuming chocolate was once considered a sin during the 16th and 17th century. During that time it was provided in the form of a drink and since drinking wine during lent was a sin, so was drinking chocolate.

If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create explosion that is equal to an atomic bomb.

The ruby red slippers in the movie "The Wizard of Oz" were sold off at an auction for $660,000.

Lake Baikal, in Siberia, is the deepest lake in the world.

Every year Alaska has about 5,000 earthquakes, 1,000 of which measure above 3.5 on the Richter scale.

The average day is actually 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.09 seconds. We have a leap year every four years to make up for this shortfall.

The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

The stonefish, which lives off the coast of Australia, is the most poisonous fish in the world.

The clown fish has the ability to change its sex. If a breeding female dies, the male fish will change its sex and mate with another male.

Some people start to sneeze if they are exposed to sunlight or have a light shined into their eye.

In 2002, dogs have killed more people in the U.S. than the Great White shark has killed in the past 100 years.

There are places in Saskatchewan called Elbow, Eyebrow, and Drinkwater.

Seniors who drink a cup of coffee before a memory test score higher than those who drink a cup of decaffeinated coffee.

Paul Hunn holds the record for the loudest burp, which was 118.1 decibels, which is as loud as a chainsaw.

A 27 year old heir to a sausage empire was handed a ticket for 116,000 pounds for driving at 80 km/hr in a 40 km/hr zone. This is because the speeding tickets in Finland are based on how much money a person makes.

Popped popcorn should be stored in the freezer or refrigerator as this way it can stay crunchy for up to three weeks.

In Belgium, there is a museum that is just for strawberries.

Ed Cox from San Francisco invented the pot scrubbing S.O.S. pads in 1917. His wife came up with the name, which stands for "Save Our Saucepans."

Dating back to 336 A.D., Christmas was first celebrated in ancient Rome, around 300 years after Christ's birth.

The rarest chocolate bar in the world is the Porcelana bar. There are only 20,000 of these bars produced a year, and they sell for $90 per pound.

In ancient Egypt, the only person who was allowed to wear cotton was the High Priest.

On the new hundred dollar bill the time on the clock tower of Independence Hall is 4:10.

On a Canadian two dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament building is an American flag.

Everyday approximately 35 meters of hair fibre is produced on the scalp of an adult.

Apple seeds are poisonous as they contain a cyanide compound.

Iceland was the first democratic country in the world.

There is a species of bird, Antpitta avis canis Ridgley, that barks like a dog.

Since its introduction in February 1935, more than two hundred million Monopoly board games have been sold worldwide.

Ants do not sleep.

Poker sucks

So I wasted about 40 bucks this weekend playing poker. I entered my first tournament and was doing really really good! I was up to 8th place and had a good hand but got beat by a better hand and finished just outside getting a cash prize, my second tounament I got knocked out about the same way but on the second hand. After that I got pissed and started playing some small cash games. It's not good to play when your pissed. Anytime I had a good hand, no one would bet with me and Id only win small pot. When I had an ok hand and stayed in to see if it was the best I would loose. It wasn't a good weekend.But I will keep playing for fake money during the week and hopefully get my skills up. Its hard because it seems some people just bet big to make everyone fold but the time you try to call their bluff they have a better hand than me. Hopefully next weekend I can win my money back. All I need is to place in one of these tournaments, the first one I could have won like 300 bucks. You win some and lose some, hopefully next weekend I'll win some.

Senses Fail Again!!

SO as usual when I go to concerts on workdays, I am tired as hell! Luckily I was home and in bed by midnight but still had to get up at 6am.

First up was a band called The Sleeping, they were ok, their songs seemed really really long though. They would stop and people would clap and then they'd start up again and I would start thinking that the music sounds the same as the last song, then he would start singing and then I'd be like oh this is still the last song. Also the singer kept asking for us to tear the place up but the music wasn't really that kind of music. They sounded ok though, maybe they'll get better.

Next up was Alexisonfire, these guys rocked. They sounded good, I think I'd heard a couple of their songs before. They seemed to be having a blast, the singer was wearing some short cut off jean shorts, which was just funny to look at. I will probably pick up their album and listen some more and maybe see them again. They sold me on their music. Unfortunately I didn't really research any of the bands, I was just going to see Senses Fail. Plus the guitarist did a triple or quadruple guitar spin, you know how some guitarists trow their guitars from the front down behind them and it comes up over their shoulder, well he threw it around and kinda hoola hooped it around several times, it was AWESOME! Plus the singer went out on the crowd and was singing, I always love when they do that, even if it was on the other side from me.

Then Saosin, all the teeny boppers loved them. They sounded ok, the singers voice reminded me kind of Chiodos lead singer, I liked his voice. The crowd was moshing and jumping all over the place, but it again didn't feel like that kind of music. The singer called for people to crowd surf to give the bouncers up front something to do. SO this band I am kind of on the border with, I may check their music out if I remember. Also I think this was when I got knocked around. At one point a pit opened up in front of me, no big deal I stood there, wasn't too bad then apparently one opened a little ways next to me and someone hit someone and they flew into me and sent me flying, I thought I got hit by a car! But all was good and even though I forgot to wear my steel toed boots, my feet survived.

Senses Fail !!! They kicked ass!! They played a good mix of new and old stuff, the crowd was going crazy! Buddy, the singer, was working on his mic cord swinging and pulled off some really cool ones including jumping off a speaker, swinging it behind his back and catching it under his leg. Also at one point he went off the stage and was doing something and he came back on stage doing back hand springs. The only slight problem was it seemed like he couldn't scream too well. Some of the spots that should have been screams he lightened up. I don't know if he's got a cold or something but he still rocked. That's got to be hard as hell, singing and screaming all the time then you get sick, you can't let down the fans, you got to keep your schedule. If that was the case he didn't let me down I still loved every minute of it! They will be on the Taste of Chaos Tour withe the Used, but not coming around here, if they come by you, GO SEE THEM! And they ended the show with one of my favorite songs from the new album, The Priest And The Matador and I'll leave you with the lyrics!

Here I lie
Staring At
Clouds and Shapes
Of dogs and cats.
I hear a woman
Start to yell
"Oh dear God, I think he fell"

I'm the arrow,
Shot straight to hell
From the bow of William Tell.
My body lies
Kissing the ground
Like a cross turned upside down.

A priest is rushing
To my side,
Begins to read me
My last rites.
Father you're too late
My faith is weak
So won't you save your
half-hearted speech.

A man bends down and says,
"Son, we're going to get through this one
take my hand and let us pray..."
I scream, "Please get the fuck away."

The ambulance is singing
As cops push back the crowd
I start to take my last breath,
As blood pours out my mouth.
The medics walk in my way
I think this could be it.
I hear them start to state
The time of death is half past six.

I'm the arrow,
Shot straight to hell

The perfect ending

I am now a civilian. All my doubts were taken away as I pulled onto the base. Lately I have had a hoop in my lip because the skin on the inside has been trying to grow over the stud and was hurting a bit and not looking too good. I know the rules, you aren't supposed to have piercings in when your active duty on base. SO I pulled up and the dumb bitch working yelled at me and told me to take it out, I tried to explain I am getting out today. She said she didn't care so I took it out and as I was pulling away I held it back to my mouth and she yelled and stopped me and told me not to put it back in. I nicely told her whatever despite my urge to tell her to go fuck herself, what is she going to do write me up for disobeying her? I'd be out before she started the paperwork. SO I go up and had to gather some more crap and then endeds up waiting a long time. I did put it back in but took the ball off so it wasn't as obvious, though I am sure a small metal bar sticking out looked pretty funny. While they were going through my record they didn't see all this leave I have been on and was going to give me money for it but I told them no because I know they would come back and I would owe them more when I least expected it so they fixed that, then they had no record of me going to school to be a Radiation Health tech...none, except for a little stamp when I checked in. No graduation certificate, I told him that I had a copy at home but didn't want to go get it, we figured out when I graduated and he added it based on my word which is hugely suprising! But now I got my paperwork and am done, well sorta. Technically I am on inactive reserves until 2010. I have no clue why they do this and don't tell you until you are about to get out that they can call you back until you serve 8 years from the date you join. If I could I would just get really fat so they couldn't call me back, but I can't so if they try I'll just have to sacrifice a couple toes or something.

I downloaded the Full tilt poker, it seems cool so far exceeept that I am having problems getting money into the account. I played a bit with fake money and wasn't doing too hot, I ended up breaking a little less than even, I will probably keep playing that for a while to get the feel for the other people who play there and how they play. This will be a slow process for me since I don't really have the money to keep blowing on it, I have to be smart about it and play the low stakes, when I get good at it I will move up to the higher cost ones. But I will keep you updated.

New Career?

SO I decided that I am going to venture into the online poker field. I've been watching the Texas Hold'em on TV and used to play quite a bit. Lately I've been thinking how cool would it be to sit and play cards for a couple hours, granted the big tournaments are days but then win hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions. I think I could live good off that. I know chances are slim of me ever becoming one of the few who wins that much but hey, maybe I could win some extra cash. I need to figure out something since I have grown accustomed to having extra cash from a second job and all.I've decided to go with Full Tilt Poker which seems good. You can play fake money games and real money games. Some of the games have real pros on there. I figured that since I get home an hour or 2 before HB that perhaps I can play some games when I get home from work or something and then maybe some tournaments on weekends. HB has been complaining since I sit in the basement on weekends to watch what I want to instead of her shows and cartoons, now I will have a legitimate reason, I am working, I am trying to earn some money. I don't want to become one of those fat lazy guys who sit at the computer all day but I think it's the only way to really make money online. The ad-sense thing I added a long time ago and asked everyone to click but no one did, earned like a dollar in the past gawd knows how long. I like poker, don't have any friends to play with anymore so why not try, you see guys on the TV tournaments that made it from online poker, most fall out fast but there are some who make it up to the final table and earn lots of money. Personally I'd be happy maybe winning a couple hundred on the weekends. I'll keep you updated on how it goes. I think I'll download it tonight, but don't know if I will get a chance to try it out or not, we'll see.

Tomorrow I am officially out of the Navy! Thursday I will be going to see Senses Fail for the 3rd time, well the first time was warped tour but it still counts. It's gonna be great! Hopefully we will be able to take pics, it's at Ram's Head Live, last time there we couldn't take pics but I think it was just cause Jared Leto had a zit or something. Hope everyone had a good weekend.

Happy New Year

Hope everyone had a good New Years! Mine was nice and boring. We went out for dinner with some friends and then went home and watched South Park until the ball dropped and went to bed. For the first day of the new year I sat and watched UFC marathon. Nice and boring, a good way to start it out. With this year I will be going through a lot of changes, no I'm not turning into a woman or anything. This year is scary for me to look forward to though. In a couple days I will no longer have any health benefits, I will no longer be getting paid everyday even if I'm not at work, I will be moving further away from my family, and will be looking for a job. Granted I've been through all of these things before, well I wasn't paid everyday until I joined the Navy but everything else, just not all at the same time. All I can do is sit back and wait as times grow closer to the big change. Hopefully the transition will go smoothly and quickly. If anyone knows of a job opportunity that involves playing with radiation in San Antonio, let me know! I haven't been too inspired to write on here and now isn't any different so I will try to think of something and come back. Later.