Holiday Turkey - Brining Discovered

This year, we pulled the straw to bring the turkey to Christmas dinner. I would have rather had the gathering at our place but it was decided that we'd have it at mom's instead.  So I was determined that this would be a really, really good turkey, even though we'd cook it in Brighton and drive it to Dexter.

Now, I think I do quite well with poultry in general, but I needed an 'edge'.  So I began some light web browsing and came across 'brining'. Hmm, that sounds interesting, I thought.  Brining is basically a way to marinade an entire bird, or large cut of meat. Brining is a way to tenderize and keep meat moist when cooking, and you can also impart some additional flavor to it.

After looking a various recipes I settled upon one that was pretty basic. I wasn't sure how much flavor might be transferred so I was cautious.  For our 15 lb. turkey, most sources agreed that 12-24 hrs of brining was in order.  I couldn't find any 'brining bags' and preparation was less than a day away, but luckily we had a box of the extra large (really large) zip loc storage bags - you know, the kind you use for clothing.  It looked like it would accomodate the bird.

So I began the brining solution.  I used a 2qt saucepan and added a half cup of coarse sea salt, a half cup of sugar, a quarter cup of cracked black pepper, and a few bay leaves. Boiled, then simmered, then diluted into a total of a gallon and a half of water. The turkey went into the bag. This was a two person job, by the way.

As I started pouring in the cooled brining solution, we saw a leak in the bag. The darned turkey wing had punctured it. We had one last bag and carefully slid the turkey into it, transferred the solution and then added one large navel orange, sliced very thin, a few strips of cut sweet (vidalia) onion and zipped it shut.  This was also a two person job. Don't forget to remove the giblets and make sure your bird is totally defrosted when you do this.

The solution totally covered and immersed the bird. The bagged turkey went into a large plastic bin (in case of leaks), the refrigerator shelves were moved to accomodate the turkey in its bag and in its bin, and we had 25 hours and 10 minutes for it to brine. Perfect.

Christmas morning we were up early. The bird was removed from the bag and thoroughly washed inside and out, and patted dry.  I was having trouble getting my big hands into the turkey, so my wife took a handful of sea salt and just tapped it around inside the cavity. We let it set for the 45 minutes or so that it took to prepare the stuffing.  After stuffing, young Tom Turkey went into the roaster pan (uncovered), and the convection oven was set to 325 F. I set the timer for an hour, then pulled it out and basted it with extra virgin olive oil, topping it off with a light amount of McCormick's Montreal Chicken Seasoning.  It went back in the oven covered with a protective layer of foil and was re-basted about every 90 minutes.  For the last hour the temperature was increased to 365 F and the foil removed.

The meat thermometer confirmed that it was done pretty much on schedule and it was pulled to sit on the counter while we got the car loaded with presents, cookies and other dishes for the party. It was a perfect looking turkey! I hoped that it would taste good, too.

It took about 35 minutes to get to mom's and the turkey was ready to be carved as soon as we got there. I have to tell you that it sliced beautifully. It was also very moist and tasty, although I really couldn't detect any of the favors that were in the brine solution. Perhaps that was because I was conservative with the amounts. I don't know.  But it was a very good turkey.

I'll try brining again on whole chickens and even cut up chicken parts. Of course they'll need less time, perhaps 1-3 hours instead of 24, but I will be a bit more daring on the concentration of the flavorings to see what happens. I'm very satisfied regarding the tenderness of the meat, and that was my main goal.

I will also take the time and trouble to add some seasoning to the olive oil for basting the next time, but since we were in uncharted waters I wanted to keep things fairly simple.  That's one of the things I like about cooking - find something that works, then dress it up to be even better.

You can find your own way to brine by doing a web search for 'meat brining'. There will be enough links returned to keep you reading for a while.

Voter Backlash

Well, it seems that the old ‘kick the rascals out’ sentiment has prevailed with this year’s mid-term elections. Plenty of examples nationwide. Growing influence of the Tea Party. General disdain of the ruling Democratic Party.

Here are some of my observations from local races. In Michigan, Republican candidate for Governor Rick Snyder, a businessman with no political experience, not only refused to accept any endorsements, he wouldn’t even fill out their forms! He also refused any campaign finance donations from PACs or lobbyists. And guess what? He won! Of course, he is a successful businessman and was able to fund his campaign to the tune of $6 million. But he shouldn’t have to do that. Nobody should.

We have a real problem with political campaigning in this country and it is going to have to be resolved pretty soon or we will only be seeing the anointed and appointed ones running for office, with few exceptions like Rick Snyder.

Speaking of campaigning, it seems to me that a lot of the attack ads have backfired big time this year. Michigan Supreme Court justices Bob Young and Mary Beth Kelly were savaged in attack ads. Although this is supposedly a non-partisan office, Young and Kelly were endorsed by the Republican Party. The attack ads came from where? Oh yes, backers of the Democratic party candidates, although not the Michigan Democratic Party itself. That’s what PACs are for, right?

Why the partisanship in a non-partisan race? Hmm. The party that has the most juice with a majority of the Supreme Court justices will have a larger say in congressional district makeup and that will last for the next 10 years. You’re either non-partisan or you’re partisan. You can’t have it both ways. And judges shouldn’t be influenced or beholden to any political party. The election of Young and Kelly swing the Supreme Court from a Democratic 1 vote majority to Republican. Oh my. So both parties want that judge majority to get the congressional district advantage.

Sorry, that’s as wrong to me as splitting a single subdivision into two adjacent school districts. Isn’t that why we have ‘School of Choice’?

Speaking of schools, this could be an example of an attack ad gone bad. Leadership of the Brighton Education Association sent out postcards attacking candidate for Brighton Area Schools Board of Education John Conely by linking him to 21 lawsuits. Unfortunately, they forgot to mention that many were legitimate business suits to recover debts and that others were filed by his father, also John Conely. Why the animus? Mr. Conely (the candidate, now elected) had the cheek to suggest that teacher contracts get linked to state funding. If funding goes up, teachers get a raise. If funding goes down, they get a pay reduction. The district is facing a $7 million deficit now. It may not be a perfect solution, but increasing pay while facing larger deficits doesn’t seem like a very good solution either. Maybe all of the powers that be need to get together and talk . . . .

Nothing will change until voters demand change. You don’t have to be an activist. Just pay attention to what’s going on. Maybe miss one or two sitcoms a week and read the local paper, or go to an occasional school board or township meeting. An ignorant electorate is a rascal’s best friend.

By the way, I consider myself an independent that votes for who I consider to be the best candidate, regardless of party affiliation. I will - and do - vote for 'minor' party candidates.

Switching Gears

My golf buddies and I were talking last night and we're pretty sure that there's only a few more weeks of golfing left in this season. Last year, I played my last, very chilly round on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Bundled up, wearing winter golf gloves and a wicking 'beanie' cap wasn't quite the same, but at least I was playing golf. This year, I'll start playing at the simulator earlier. It's pretty realistic, except for the putting, which I'll forego. If I'm within 10 ft of the pin I'll declare a one putt. Any further and a two putt. At $20/hr that makes sense to me.

I'm also going to play a lot more poker this year. I've been playing in the Poker Stars Poker School Online league and will be doing more multi-table tournaments (MTTs). Cheap buy-ins, long sessions and hopefully a few final tables will be in my future. That should get me through the winter!

Woo Hoo! Who?

Does anybody *really* care that much about where LeBron ends up playing? Is it worth an hour of TV time? Oops, sorry, TV also 'rents' itself out to infomercials during slow hours, causes endless fascination over who gets axed on Apprentice, American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, etc., so I guess that was a stupid rhetorical question.

Personally, I'd rather work in the garden, listen to music, visit with friends or read a book. Or even go to bed early. Not that I wish anything bad for Mr. James, but honestly, is this worth the media hype? I don't think so.

I'm also pretty tired of hearing about the pop culture flavor of the moment, who right now seems to be either a young blond actress on trial for something or other, or a actor-director-producer without verbal or mental restraint. Personally speaking, if this is 'culture' it's better suited to a petri dish.

I guess once you're 'famous' and/or have some bucks, it's OK to act like a self-absorbed idiot. Or is that being eccentric? Eccentric literally derives from 'out of' or 'off' and 'center'. Hmm, maybe we are on to something here. . . .

All right, enough ranting. Now go read a newspaper or do something to make your community a better place in which to live. Find a volunteer organization and donate a few hours of time and energy to making things better. Let the TV sit idle, the sports, sit coms, and variety shows will survive without you for a day.

Rain? Only an 80% Chance . . .

It seems that every Wednesday (my golf league night), we've had a rainy forecast. 80% chance has been seen multiple times in the last month or so. We go out with our rain gear and start play, get drizzled upon, then the clouds part, the sun comes out and we play in wonderful conditions.

Last week I went to Oscoda, to Lakewood Shores Resort, and we had the same forecast for Tuesday - our 'all day' golfing day. Our luck held out again. A little drizzle on and off for an hour or so, then a beautiful day. What luck.

I golfed 18 with a group from my league on Sunday. We're meeting for breakfast and golf, switching courses and restaurants every week. Hawk Meadows was the venue for that week.

Then I left for Oscoda Monday morning, played 29 holes (till dark), 36 more on Tuesday, and golfed the league Wednesday night. I pre-played 5 bonus holes before the league, too, for a total of 97 holes in 4 days. I think that's the most I've ever golfed in four days and I have to admit I was a bit sore afterwards. A restful Thursday and a good morning workout at the gym on Friday seemed the right thing to fix me up.

Lakewood Shores Resort was a lot of fun. The Gailes course was very tough (Scottish links style course), Blackshire was challenging with a lot of hazard all the way across numerous fairways, and the Serradella was my favorite. We had a great package deal for an overnight stay Monday evening and 36 holes on Tuesday for $139/person. Our 'extra' 18 during the day Monday was $25/person. They have a lot of great weekday and weekend packages and the four of us are talking about making this an annual trek.

Friendly staff, good food, and there was a chip and putt set of holes behind the lodging where you could practice, too. They let you take coolers out there and we saw numerous groups taking advantage of that feature. We didn't get a chance to use that particular facility, but it looked like a better way to spend your time than watching television.

If you go up to Oscoda, find the Wiltse's Brew Pub. Very good food and an interesting mix of beers. Stay away from the 'Crippler' - 10.5% ABV - or have a DD ready to step in. The Au Sable Inn is very good, too.

Summer Time!

Yes, the warm weather arrived early this year. It was in the low 70's wa-a-a-y back on St. Patrick's Day (my day of playing golf here). Since then we've been very lucky with the mostly warm weather.

The gardens are doing well, school is either out or about to be out for the districts in my area, and gasoline prices are staying reasonable or even dropping a little.

I'm fortunate to live in area with an abundance of inland lakes, and the boaters and fishermen seem to be having a good time. I can see a couple of the larger lakes in our area daily, as I drive fom here to there. And in the last two weeks, there have been multiple occasions where I was tempted to stop and take a quick dip.

In a week or so, I'm heading to Oscoda (Michigan, around the 44th parallel) for a two day, one night golf trip with a couple of budddies. We've found a great room rate, so we'll drive up and play 18 that day, stay overnight, wake up and play 36 the next day, then head home. Luckily it's only a two and a half to three hour drive, so we won't spend a lot of time on the travel part. I'm looking forward to it, and there are plenty of golfing opportunities within 45 minutes of our location.

I haven't been able to play much golf, and my game seems to have deteriorated. I'm hoping that a lot of golf in a short window of time will help shake out the rust, but then again, I am an optimist.

I hope things are going well for you, and if they're not - well, come on over to Michigan. There's plenty to see and do all over the state.

Gulf Oil Spill, Politics and Blame

OK, we're facing perhaps the largest natural disaster ever (by the time it's resolved) and everybody is looking at somebody else to blame. And there's plenty to go around.

Where to start? Me. And you. Our cars, trucks and SUV's require more and more oil. Most of us outside of a large central city don't have access to good public transportation and are 'dead in the water' (no pun intended) without a personal vehicle, and we're still using (needing, demanding) that oil. And by the way, keep the cost under $2 (or $3 or $4) a gallon, please.

Politicans. Are they too cozy with big businesses? Too afraid of losing campaign fund donations? Too busy to properly manage and oversee government departments that are supposed to be doing the regulating/overseeing?

Governments. Federal and State governments have to be held somewhat responsible, too. Allegations about corporate cost cutting, taking short cuts to get wells into production - shouldn't that have been discovered with proper oversight? How about the Minerals & Management Service of the US Dept, of the Interior? Sure, they're on the case now, but did they do everything the were supposed to do prior to this accident? Some Gulf States are also screaming up a storm about deep water drilling cuts that will adversely impact their budgets. Wow. How about another oil leak for adverse impact? You can't have it both ways.

Corporations. Yup, they exist to prevent any one person from being held responsible and to make the most possible money from their ventures. When times are good the management team gets kudos. As long as the shareholders keep collecting dividends there isn't a problem. It'll be very interesting to see what happens in this case.

Environmentalists. Did their successful lobbying to stop on-shore and drilling at shallower depths force companies to go a mile or more deeper with oil rigs? I'm not a rocket scientist, but even I can see that problems are more easily solved on land or at a few hundred feet than at 5,000 feet under water.

There is no 'cure' for this event. And I have doubts as to whether we will learn the myriad of causes. I have less confidence that we will adequately correct the causes the become known to us, too. There's too much money and political power at stake. Somebody will take the 'fall' for it, but a huge natural area will still be devastated.

I've long considered myself a political independent, trying very hard to choose the best candidate for the office regardless of political party affiliation. Political parties are entities that want to accumulate and then retain political power to further their goals. It becomes their primary purpose and you have to wonder how often the greater good is thrown out the window when it's convenient for them to do so. In that way, they are no different than what many people call 'big business'. You might even make the argument that organized political parties (at least the two primary ones) *are* big business.

Is there hope for our future? I think there is, when citizens start taking more than a passing interest in how business and government really works. I believe we have the best system and the best way of living in the world. Let's not let a group if idiots mess it up for us.

Stretching Your Dollars

If you've got any left to stretch, that is. Here's a few local 'deals' that I've seen.

For casual atmosphere socializing after work, try Bennigan's at Latson & Grand River in Howell for $2 pints of domestic draft beer - and they have full pint glasses. They also have a nice selection of happy hour appetizers running from 3-7 pm and then again 9pm - closing. On Thursday evenings they have $1 bottle beer (domestic).

Just a stone's throw away from Bennigan's is Los Tres Amigos, who offer $1 domestic drafts M-F, and if you go there on a Monday, you can get $1 tacos, too. Hard shell, beef only, but what a great bargain - and a tasty one. Good for dine-in or take-out, by the way, so here's a cheap Monday dinner idea for you.

In Brighton? Try Stout's Irish Pub for an every day happy hour of $2 domestic drafts (12 or 14 oz glasses) and discounted 'premium' drafts. Wednesdays are $3 burger days - and this is a pretty good burger.

Want to golf? Faulkwood Shores Golf Club, Hawk Meadows and Chemung Hills Golf Club (all in Howell) have $18 for 18 with cart, weekdays senior rate. Faulkwood is age 55 and over for senior, Chemung Hills is 50 and over. Faulkwood also publishes some coupons for 18 holes w/cart for $16.75 - you can find them in the Val Pak mailing or sometimes in the Detroit Newspapers coupons in the golf area of the Sports section.
Chemung Hills is also a good deal to hit a large bucket of balls, just $6! Nice practice putting green, too.

Infomercials

I've been pretty much out of the infomercial loop, but I woke up this morning at 4:15 and decided to stay in bed watching television with the sound very low for a while. (I normally get up just before 5 am.) As I flipped about the channels, I discovered some amazing opportunities.

I can buy a $50 US Buffalo Gold Piece for just $9.99. Yes, that's right. Near the end of the advertisment came the information that this is a gold clad coin that has a total of 14 milligrams of 24 karat gold. Wow, sounds impressive. Until you find out that it converts to 0.000493 oz of gold. Even at $1100 an ounce for gold, that means you're buying 54 cents worth of gold for $9.99 - quite a deal.

I know the coin blank costs money and that shipping has to be charged, but really. P.T. Barnum was a master of capitalizing on the public's naivete with his sign that said, "This way to the great egress" (which of course pointed people out to the exits). These folks must have taken lessons from him.

There are also tons (no pun intended) of weight loss and fitness systems/products out there. Why you can be a beautiful, fit, lean woman by trying flirty fitness, or follow Hollywood spokespersons for one of the more recognizable 'name brand' weight loss systems.

I am not saying that these are outright scams. Obviously if they can pay for these to air, they must be making money. What I am saying is that when it comes ot me, "no thanks."

SCOOP Poker Tournament

I'm continuing with the Scoop Poker Tournament on PokerStars.com - wish me luck! I won a qualifier and hope to continue on to bigger and better rounds.

The 2010 SCOOP will have a lot of opportunities for advancement with buy-ins as low as $11. I think I'm one of two players in this from my 47 person online poker league (also at PokerStars.com).

I've been playing fairly solid, but my new nickname may be 'bubble boy' if I don't quit choking when I get close to the money!

Poker - Skill or Luck?

I have had this debate with numerous folks over the years. While this is painting with a wide brush, generally the non-players (poker, that is) think there's a very high degree of luck involved in winning. Obviously, serious players and students of the game think the opposite.

"Skill" is generally defined as an ability acquired through training and experience. (Of course there are other definitions, but let's use this one today.) We'll tackle "luck" at the end.

Anybody that has played a lot of poker knows that there are skill sets that will help you get "into the money". It's relatively easy to figure out the hold 'em starting power hands. Those are the obvious ones, A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, A-K suited, etc. If you want the shortcut, try one of the many books written by past champions or the poker experts. But poker is much more than the top 10 or top 20 hands.

There's that pesky qualifier called 'position'. Position is what makes cards like an unsuited K-Q alright to play later in the hand, but not so good early in the hand. Why? Because there are still a lot of ways to get beat if you're acting early with a lot of people in the game, but if a lot of the table folds or simply calls the big blind (no raises) and you're last to act, you've got a couple of fairly powerful cards. This is not something that is necessarily intuitive to new players.

They see a couple of face cards and start throwing their money in the pot - often with negative results. I'm happy to report that some players have to do this repeatedly before they learn. I always hope that I'm at that table when they play this way, too! They are paying for, or buying, their experience - definitely the hard road to follow.

It is worse when they've gotten 'lucky' with those cards previously. Because it won once or twice, they think it's a sure thing and play those cards with abandon - a costly mistake.

Another aspect of poker training is 'reading' your opponent. Does he or she act a certain way when they hold a strong hand, a weak hand? Are there physical clues? I play with a nice guy who's a good poker player, but when he gets a monster hand, his hands literally tremble. Pretty easy to see and figure out. Others have clues that are more subtle, but there for the observant to notice. These clues, by the way, are called 'tells'.

Is somebody prone to bluffing? How about the guy that raises every pot if he holds an ace with any other card-in any position? This are all training to the serious poker player. The best training is often simply to play more and more and to observe more and more and more.

Now for luck. We've all experienced lucky (and unlucky) breaks. You can call it the law of averages, fate, destiny, whatever you wish. Nothing is 100% true all of the time. You can have the best starting poker hand with two cards in hold 'em and still get smoked and lose a lot of chips. If I had a gallon of gas for every time my two aces lost, I could hit the road for very, very long time. Interestingly, the term 'pressing your luck' pretty much means to risk your good fortune, often by acting out of overconfidence. I call that inexperience, which is why playing poker is clearly a game of skill.

Benjamin Franklin said that "diligence is the mother of good luck", but you're probably more familiar with this paraphrased quote attributed to many, including Samuel Goldwyn and Gary Player, amongst others: "The harder I work the luckier I get."

As it is with any venture, it is also true of poker. Don't stop analyzing your game, your opponents, your actions and reactions, or theirs. Poker is not a science, but an understanding of mathematical odds doesn't hurt, either. If you're going to play, keep your eyes and mind open.

We Need Some Snow!

Here in lovely SE Michigan, we've had two years of abundant snowfall. Through the end of January this year, we've had only 18.9 inches, compared to 71.7 inches in 2007-2008 and 65.7 inches in 2008-2009.

I know, some are saying, "Good!"

But really, why live in a northern state if you don't like winter and snow? Part of our beautiful State's charm is the changing of the seasons. I love them all - Spring's beauty and fresh smell, Summer's opportunity to immerse myself in a cold-water river in search of trout, Fall's dazzling colors and decided 'nip' in temperatures (just to contrast summer), and of course, Winter. (Fall is my favorite, by the way.)

How many kids have NEVER seen snow? Never had the chance to build a snowman, or have a snowball fight? We really, truly live in a special place.

All of this was brought on my this morning's news that starting tomorrow, we will likely be under a Winter Storm Warning, with 8+ inches of snow expected. That'll be our largest snowfall this winter. Yes, it makes for a day or two of adapting, allowing more travel time, etc., but the way this winter has been going, I suspect that the accumulation will not last very long. And things look so fresh and clean with a nice layer of new snow.

So get ready! Test that snow blower, wax the skis, get the kids' mittens and scarves ready, and let's have some winter fun!

Michigan In Winter

Well, it does take a hearty soul to last through Michigan winters. It really, really helps if you force yourself to do more than run from the house to the car to the office to the car, to the . . . You get the idea.

'Up North' (around Gaylord - or the 45th parallel) is snowmobile heaven. Plenty of public trails, towns that cater to the winter recreation, and of course skiing of both alpine and nordic types.

Let's not forget the northern climate pasttime of ice (or 'hard water') fishing. Drive or drag your equipment out into the lake, cut holes in the ice, and catch some fish. Shanties, as they're called, can be simple home made shacks, the new collapsable types, or even very deluxe units with every convenience short of cable TV (satellite TV in some wouldn't surprise me!).

Here in southern Michigan we can still do a lot of these activities, but you need a good base of snow to effectively snowmobile. Here in Livingston County you can downhill ski at Mt. Brighton, or make a short trip to Alpine Valley or Pine Knob. Huron Clinton Metroparks have a lot of cross country skiing options open, and there are plentiful lakes from which you can fish.

If nothing else, you can make a snowman, have a snowball fight, or visit on of the many 'ice festivals' that are around. It's all winter fun, as my friend Linda says, "It's all good".

And here's something you can only do in a cold location - The Ice House Detroit Project. Labeled as, "Ice House Detroit is an architectural installation and social change project currently taking place in Detroit" is an unusual and eye-catching project. The exact east side Detroit location will be made public on February 7th, but it has garnered national attention already.

And speaking of Detroit, don't forget the 'Motown Winter Blast' that will be centered around Campus Martius Park (Woodward and Michigan Aves) in downtown on February 12-14th. Plenty of fun from bands, food, drinks, winter activities, ice sculptures - all within walking distance of some great hotels and Greektown. I understand the sled dogs and huge snowboard hill won't be there this year due to budget reasons, but it still sounds like a lot of fun. I've been to a couple of them, and it's a great way to spend a day.

Happy Anniversary Michigan - (belated)

On Tuesday, January 26th, Michigan celebrated it's 173rd anniversary of being admitted into the Union. The 26th State, admitted in 1837, its population grew to the size required for Statehood largely because of the opening of the Erie Canal, which made Great Lakes travel more accomodating.

We have the third most registered boats in America and more lighthouses than any other state. Our residents (Michiganians or Michiganders, if you like) can show you where they are by pointing with their left index finger to spots on their upright right hand. If you practice, you can also mimic both of Michigan's peninsulas by using both hands.

Do you have a fun fact about Michigan? Make a comment.

WBCOOP Ticket Won!

After my first experience, detailed in numerous blog entries, and trying to get one of the 'spot' awards for online blogging during the event, I tried again - and got a ticket.

I did not try to blog while playing (a smart move), played tight and aggressive and at my peak made it to 20th of 148 players. I went all in with Q's and got hit by K's to finish 145th. Oh well, into the prize pool and I still have one entry left. I'll see if I can improve on the last attempt with my final ticket.

How Much Is A Billion?

How about a little LESS SPENDING???

In the USA, a BILLION is a thousand million, or 1,000,000,000. In England, it's a million million or 1,000,000,000,000. Americans define this second figure as a trillion. Using the American system for a billion:

• If we wanted to pay down a billion dollars of the US debt, paying one dollar a second, it would take 31 years, 259 days, 1 hour, 46 minutes, and 40 seconds.
• To pay off a trillion dollars of debt, at a dollar a second, would take about 32,000 years.
  About a billion minutes ago, the Roman Empire was in full swing. (One billion minutes is about 1,900 years.)
• About a billion hours ago, we were living in the Stone Age. (One billion hours is about 114,000 years.)
• About a billion months ago, dinosaurs walked the earth. (One billion months is about 82 million years.)
• A billion inches is 15,783 miles, more than halfway around the earth (circumference).
  The earth is about 8,000 miles wide (diameter), and the sun is about 800,000 miles wide, not quite a million.

attributed to: http://uspolitics.about.com/od/politicaljunkies/l/bl_how_much_billion.htm

According to the U.S. National Debt Clock, the National debt has been increasing by $3.89 billion per day since September 28, 2007!

attributed to: http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

WBCOOP - final post

2 hrs 17 minutes, finished 268th.Better luck next time.

WBCOOP - almost over

I just dodged a huge bullet. Down to 32 chips, now at 1382 in about 5 hands. One bad decision crippled me and I have to climb out of a deep hole.

WBCOOP - Second Break

OK, at the end of the 2nd hour there are 343 players on 39 tables. I've increased my chip stack significantly with measured aggression. As the blinds and antes go up, we'll see a lot more desperation moves, especially from players with less than 3000 chips.

If the loss of 12 players/minute holds steady, I need to hang out for another 20 minutes or so to get in the prize pool. Ideally, I'll make it to the final table. We'll see.

Just checked on the chicken soup (home made) that I started just as the tourney began - it's WONDERFUL!!!

WBCOOP 2nd round update

Full Box just took over 5000 chips from cctruckee.

I'm floating between 3rd & 4th at this table, it's been a good round so far.

We're down to 415 players on 47 tables, pays go out to first 153. Break in 8 minutes.

WBCOOP First Break

At the end of the first hour there are 1026 players on 114 tables. The corrected entries was 1740, so we lost 13 players a minute for the first hour.

I've increased my chips but am not a 'big stack' at this point. My strategy is OK for now, but I will slow down on bloggin so I can get a better feel for the players and take advantage of stealing a few pots whenever possible.

My position is 497 out of 1026 remaining players, and there is still a lot of poker to play. See you somewhere between now and the next break.

40 minutes and we have 1207 playes on 135 tables, an average of 13 players per minute getting knocked out.

I think for the first two hrs. I'll be able to blog and play. Once we get beyond that, I'll likely have to slow down posting or wait until breaks. Luckily, my style of play allows me to post a bit during the tourney.

Just got pocket J's again, innocuous flop, I bet 3x the blinds and get two callers. J on the turn, and oh, goodness, another on the river for quads! About 750 more chips come my way. Sweet!

I've had unsuited A-9 about 8 times already, all in early position. An ace has flopped around half of those times. 7 minutes to the first break.

I'm going to concentrate on this table till then. See you after the break.

WBCOOP First Round - update

At 30 minutes we have 1351 players on 151 tables.

I got a 3-5 unsuited on the big blind, limped into a flop of Q-5-5. One minimum bet and everybody folded! Bummer.

I was 2 minutes late to the table because I had started a big pot of chicken soup. I hope that'll be my victory dinner tonight. :-)

Pace seems to be slowing down a bit. First 30 minutes were at breakneck speed, it seemed.

Good cards have stopped for a little spell, but I'm going to stick with my strategy. Player taasver is frequently going all in pre-flop. Not sure if he's really getting great hands or just trying to steal blinds. We'll keep a closer eye on him. Maybe I can trap him.

Well, he just got called on an all-in. He had pocket 10's vs. pocket 9's. A none on the flop, he's crippled. Just went all in with a K-4 (next hand), and he pulled it out. Another taasver all-in. Wow. He's stealing a lot of blinds and up to 1200 chips. Oops, one too many and he's gone on the 50th hand.

More WBCOOP Poker

Late position, limped in with Q-10 unsuited. Lousy flop, but check around and I get a pr of 10's on the turn. Everyone folds, I get 130 more chips.

I'm playing strict position and letting some marginal hands go by, but that's OK as I'm more of a 'grind it out' player. Tonight I'll try to pick up the aggressive factor a bit, because most of these guys are very aggressive.

At 20 minutes, we're down to 1470 players and losing about 12 a minute. taasver is the first all-in at my table. Hope it was a good hand - he only won 14o chips.

I just let a suited 8-9 go by on the button, flop is 6-7-9. Huge bet folds the field. You always think 'that could've been my pot', but poker is funny.

At least for the first hour, I'm playing fairly tight, but aggressive. I'll re-evaluate at the first break. Looking for our poker league leader, mikeniks, but don't see him on the list of players. I thought he was registered for sure.

Update

A good hand for late position, A-J unsuited. My pr of J's beat another one due to the ace kicker. My chipstack is up by 255 from that hand.

A-Q unsuited went nowhere.

Another A-Q unsuited gives me a Q high straight, but I split the pot with kimmy_md91.

WBCOOP First Round

I'm going to give periodic updates for as long as I last tonight in this tournament.

We're starting with 1704 players for no limit hold 'em. 10 minutes in and we're already down to 1589 players! I've had pocket J's and K's so far, but my K's got musted by - pocket J's! Must be the good luck hand of the night.

Winter Blues

Well, this time of year is good for re-organizing your office and doing small project around the house, but not for much else if you don't ski.

I'm trying to hit a bucket of balls every week, but there were two weeks that I didn't do that, even with covered and heated tees. So what's a guy to do? I joined on online poker league. Once a week, $5.50, usually 25-35 guys playing. So far my competition views me as less than illustrious, I'm sure, but I hope to change that soon. I've actually been playing pretty decent in the tournaments, not so much in the small stakes cash games. And a guy's got to stick to his budget.

Once golf season starts, poker will go on the back burner for the rest of the good weather. Speaking of golf, rumor has it that Chemung Hills has been sold. Hopefully they will open for golf in the Spring. It's such a nice course, I'd hate to see its loss.

'Crazy Stella' - Rest In Peace

I was sad to see an item in today's Detroit News about Greektown's former standout personality, Stella Paris, who recently passed on.

As a North Cass Corridor resident for a good part of the 70's and into the early 80's, Greektown was beacon to me. Back then, Trapper's Alley really had an alley, King's used books was the dominant store, and many interesting restaurants that have since closed or sold out were a second home for me.

Lamb chops at Grecian Gardens (the absolute best) and the excitement of the persistent rumors that it was a mafia hangout led me there when I had a little extra money. They were more expensive than most of the restaurants but the food was very good. The old International was a great and friendly place, even if you weren't greek. A couple of times I wandered into the coffee shop on Monroe where euchre was game and there was no pretense in furnishings or menu offerings.

Almost every visit, all year long, you would run into Stella, her crazy nurses attire intermized with other articles, ranting, yelling, at you or at nobody in particular. Sometimes I'd see her inside the old bakery. Over the years she just became part of the fabric of Greektown to me. In some ways, I miss that old Greektown. It's so much more commercial now.

The old Greektown had the Bouzouki Lounge - then a fairly classy place with *real* belly dancers. It has since transitioned into a 'Gentlemen's Club'. Of course, that was all before the casinos opened, not that casinos are bad. It was just a different time.

I've been aware of Stella's absence on Monroe for a while now, even though my visits to Greektown have become much less frequent. The story said that she's been living in a nursing facility for the last few years, that she had calmed down some, and that she seemed at peace. I'm happy for that because I don't think she had a lot of peace in her life.

For those of us that remember the 'old' Greektown, it just isn't the same without Hella's, Grecian Gardens or Stella.

Winter - but for how long?

A second in a row winter! Starts early, stays cold, fair amount of snow. This year, you can't even escape by flying to Florida since they are having record low temps, too. We're supposed to get above freezing by the end of the week, so I'll likely go to the driving range that has heated tees. I'm tired of swinging my clubs in the living room, but my wife is thankful that our vaulted ceiling allows me to at least do that with no danger to her knick knacks.

A good number of ugly early morning commutes so far this year. I hope at least the snow removal guys are making some money after many years of spotty snowfall and too warm winter temperatures. Every cloud has a silver lining for somebody!

Speaking of silver linings, Livingston County is getting a battery recycling company, Recupyl Battery Solutions, which will start with 10-12 machinists in a 14,000 sq ft facility in Brighton Township. Every little bit helps with getting people back to work.

Hooray for the students at Maltby Intermediate School in Brighton. They collected 7600 lns of food in a two week period for the Gleaners Food Bank! What an outstanding effort. I know that the food pantry struggles with keeping enough food on the shelf at times, so this is a great accomplishment. We should all follow their lead and pick up something for Gleaners the next time we're shopping.

Things I've Been Thinking About

(but not *too* hard)

If local municipalities want us to use potassium salt in our water softeners, why are they still using sodium salt on the roads? All that stuff gets into the water shed and our drinking water supply anyway, doesn't it? I guess it's OK for us to buy salt that's four times more expensive, but not the government. Hmm.

Isn't it funny that most people in the State know who Don Cherry is, but have no idea about John Cherry. Maybe John needs to take some hints on haberdashery from Don - people would certainly remember him! He might have even been able to make that run for Governor.

Loving the fact that on May 1, 2010 I'll be able to have a beer without smoke in my eyes, and nose, and on my clothes. To my smoking friends - sorry. I respect your right to smoke, just not within a closed public space. Boos (and hisses) to the State Legislature for not having the balls to stand up to the casino lobbyists and giving them an exemption.

Pretty slick move by the banks. Repay the TARP money quick to get the government oversight off their backs, then the bonuses can fly again. That's enough for now, I have a headache.