8/22/2008

It's news..... I guess....

The Colonoscopy revealed no tumour. The glass is 1/2 full.

Biopsies were done to try and detect the cause of the bleeding. The bleeding which isn't slowing down at all. With his bypass surgery just a few short years ago, the cumiden used to increase his blood flow through the ever thinning veins, is a deadly enemy right now. He was taken off of it immediately of course. However, this brings with it another series of challenges and hurdles to over come. Including a complete blood transfusion to clean it out of his system. Oh and then there's the fact that Fred is also a Diabetic. Pile on the challenges right? The latest of which, very shallow breathing and shortness of breath, reared it's head over the last day or so.

When we heard the words, "there is no tumour," the rush of joy was instant and intense. I found myself fully focused on wanting to hear that sentence only. I wasn't really prepared to hear anymore than that. And from the look on everyone's faces as we heard the word "but," I think it's fair to say I wasn't alone in this situation.

Fred's in the right place and from everything that I can tell, has a great Doctor. Here's hoping we can fill up the other 1/2 of the glass fairly soon.

One side note from my own personal thoughts. This is a strong family. I'm continuously amazed at our ability to adjust and focus through some rather adverse conditions and relatively no sleep over the last several days. My Peb's comes from nothing but the finest of stock.

To our friends, thanks again for being there for us in every way that you have been.
(I really don't think I can can say that enough)

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....

8/21/2008

I hate to ask, but could you keep it up....

Thanks so much to all that took the time to IM, call, mail or comment yesterday. It's amazing how much better a little note can make you feel, in situations like these. Peb's would also like you all to know how much it means to her. A simple thank you is nowhere near enough, but it's all we got right now. So thanks.

The news on Fred from last night is mixed. His spirit was solid as it always is, but he has been placed in the Cancer ward of the Hospital. Results from his Colonoscopy will be revealed sometime this morning.

Our fingers and toes are crossed and all that is wood, has been knocked. There's nothing good about the "C" word, unless the word "beat" is right in front of it.

Thanks again for all the well wishes.

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....

8/20/2008

For those that have an extra 30 seconds....

We'll take all the help we can get right now.

For those I ran into at the Skillz STUD game last night, you'll realize that I donked off my stack in 8th. place in quite a hurry. I am sorry about that. But I'm not the type to just sit out and let my stack ride it out.

We got a call that wasn't good news. Fred, (Peb's dad) was admitted to Hospital late last night. There seems to be an issue with some internal bleeding. If you have any special connections to a superior power, I sure would appreciate it if you could put in a good word for him.

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....

8/19/2008

Besting Michael Phelps....

8x Gold in the pool....... big frickin' deal!

Try a dozen, (or so) liquid dinners and two TuckFard games! Add in a few special guest appearances by some good friends and I say, THAT's an Olympian effort!

We had another fairly light turnout for the games last night, with only 12 runners making it out for the fun. But a great 12 runners they were! Hell! We even managed to drag some Hippie and a Corporate kid into the mess that is TuckFard! I'm telling you, the TuckFard games on Monday nights are like crack! Well.... OK! Maybe they just smell like a crack! ;o)

Anywho.......

We had a fun crowd out last night and the Tuck I was NLHE. I think it was around hand #10 or so, when I just missed Al flopping Quad beyatches. Nothing quite says early chip leader, like DQBB's. As alway's, Al's response to the nh's was a classic! Over on the other table, muhc and I were in a serious situation. Who'll make the move with the TuckFard Nutz out on the board? We ended up chopping. :)


Scotty got away with a little lucky larceny here. He caught me chatting and drinking, as I was way to busy to click on the correct button for this situation.

The classic drunk miss-click! You gotta' love that! At least I was sober enough to record it for everyone to see what a Donk I can be. What's that? OH! You ALL already know that huh?

Well then......... Here's something you just don't see everyday!

Weird huh?

I then went on to a 6th. place finish in the Tuck II HORSE game. I really wasn't paying any attention in that game at all. The storm around Bedrock at that time, was monstrous to say the least. How we didn't lose power last night, is still a mystery to me. The electrical portion of last nights storm, left nothing to the imagination at all.

So sticking with the Donkey/idiot theme, I look down in the chat box and there's a message that reads:

alcanthang: Bam-Bam
alcanthang: answer your
alcanthang: phone-phone

Now the Tucks can attest, there just is no cell signal in Bedrock! Well, there is that one spot! Just out there in the middle of the driveway out front. It's that one spot where if you hold your phone and tongue just right, you'll get one bar for a minute or two. I said, screw the rain! Forget the lightening cracking all around me so that literally, every hair on my body was standing straight out at attention. Ignore the downed tree just over to side of the property there. It'll stop burning soon enough, what with all this rain! This was Al! This was for a dial-a-shot damn it! I'm going "postal!" Nothing can stop me from my appointed round!

So there I stood, Soaking wet. 200 yds from anything much taller than me, with lightening all around. I get that little one bar of signal, and I dial right away. Drink in hand, well protected from the evils of the damn falling water. Ring...... Ring...... Ring..... Ring........ "c'mon Al! A guy can drown out here for cripes sake!".... Ring....... Ring....... VOICEMAIL !!!!!!!!! You gotta' be shitting me!

LEMON !

I may owe you a drink or two good Sir Al, for all of our various activities together. But I'll be damned if I'm letting you get away with that one my friend! That's a two shot'er for sure! I'm keeping records, taking names and come September, I'm collecting!

Once I got back in the house, changed my clothes, got dried off and de-charged myself of the added voltage from my "dial-a-shot" with a "buddy," (guilt is best applied heavily don't you think?) I busted out of the HORSE game.

It was great to see everyone out last night. I hope we can add a few more names to the list next week, and in the weeks to come as well. It's always a good time, donking it up with such a great group of friends. Even if you all only let me win once in a while!

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....

8/18/2008

I'll take "what's in a name?" for $100....

So as I read around our little community, it appears that bad beat stories are running rampant once again. Apparently I'm not the only one getting it in good, only to have that one or two outer come along on the turn or river for a loss. Sometimes however I have to admit that I'm not getting it in good. And can admit that I find myself catching that miracle card when I need it as well. Being honest, I can admit that I've been seeing a lot more of these ridiculous hands ending up as winners, over the last few months. But I've been spending all that time on FullTilt. The fact that I've been witness to dozens of this style of beat, combined with the stories and HH's that I've been reading and seeing amongst our little group, it all convinced me to try a little something different over the weekend. I decided to see Stars. PokerStars to be exact.

So I fired up a 9 player game and settled in with a good Scotch. Only 37 hands into the game and I was heads up. With a small chiplead to boot! 13 hands of heads up, and I had a win. Hmmmmmmmm????? It was a pretty quick game and I was nowhere near ready to quit playing just yet, so I jumped into one more. Just 62 hands later and I had a 2nd. place result, after pushing K-K into A-A on a raggedy looking flop. Hmmmmmm?????

Peb's asked how I was doing, and I told her about both games. She said that it was my time to go on a hot run and... to get myself into another game. So I did! I sat in an 18 player game and managed to get down to final table with about an average stack. Nothing spectacular came along but with four players left, I found myself second in chips. The two short stacks both took runs at the chip leader, and I was suddenly heads up again. I had the same scenario occur as the last game I was in. Where I pushed my K-K into a flop that looked like crap. This time, well this time I was ahead. I also managed to stay there. I now held a 3 to 1 chiplead and found Q-Q when my opponent put his stack on the line. Heads up, I just can't see myself laying that down. I made the call and saw I was up against A-10. Now I don't know about you, but after all of the hands over the last few months and all of the reading in that timeframe too, I just knew I was going to lose this one. It's just that, apparently no one told PokerStars. My hand held and I had another tick in the win column. Hmmmmmmmm??????

Saturday morning after grabbing a coffee, I found my Peb's sitting in a head's up situation of her own. I watched about 9 or 10 hands. She had her opponent on the ropes, holding about a 4 to 1 chiplead. Buddy finally shoved his stack in, while Pebbles was in the BB. She held pocket Aces! He turns up a suited K-J and the race is on! Peb's hit her set on the river but of course, that was the only card that could help her opponent. His runner-runner-runner to the straight, gave him the double up he needed to make it interesting. The last hand of the game saw Peb's in with K-K. Her opponent flipped up the hammer. We looked at each other and in almost stereo said, "totally screwed!" Flop of course came 7-Q-2. Turn... the duece! Then just as all hope had been lost, FullTilt's RnG tossed up a King on the river for the win. I ask you, what are the odds in that? Head's up match, one player dominating and the other forced to play the hammer due to his stack size? AND BOTH HIT BOATS? Hmmmmmmm??????

I joined into a 90 player game next and had A-A cracked, not once.... But TWICE! The only two hands I played too! I went out in 33rd. spot as 2-2 > A-A and as it always will be when I hold Aces, K-K > A-A too! I signed off and fired up Stars. After winning my second straight 9 player table with no drama, no tilt and watching best hands continue to hold on, I decided to get into another 18 player game. I ran A-A into K-K on the sixth hand of the game, against a player that had played every hand so far and was really low in chips. My first reaction? "I'm doomed!" But no help at all for him. Not even close! Hmmmmmmm??????

With nothing special happening early, I was allowed to check my BB while holding 7-10off and getting three limpers into the pot. A flop of 6-9-8 rainbow, was enough to keep two of those limpers interested. There was a raise and re-raise and I just had to believe I was good. I jammed and waited to see what would happen next. Both called! It was a set of 6's vs. a set of 9's vs. my flopped straight... and it held! I finished second in that game after running so card dead during the final table, that I wasn't sure that there were any face cards left in the deck at all. But this happens and I totally understand it. My demise came while holding a suited 9-10. (The best hand I'd seen in the last 30 or so) I was up against K-10 and did not improve at all. Hmmmmmm??????

Sunday as I was at "the office." Peb's came down and asked about the Brit Game. I said they'd moved over to Tilt and that, "I would rather not play to be honest." She took one look at my stack and said, "damn! having a good run are we?" I realized that I'd been playing for sometime now, and I did in fact have 7 or 8 buy-ins in front of me. I signed off and asked Peb's if she wanted to play in the Blogament. She did and I went to sign her on and in. Only one issue! I signed myself back on instead. No problem! "Just play as me hun!" and so she did. There was a big mistake early, as a short stack pushed when Peb's was holding Ac-Kc. Once again, the player had played every hand so far and she struggled with the decision. But she eventually decided that his range was way too large to give up on. She said, "best he's got is a small pair, 8-8 or less and you know what? I'll take that race if I have too." He flipped up 7-7, and she did not improve. She hung around and hung around, got no action to two A-A all-ins and managed to push "presto" twice just for fun. Nothing came of anything she did. I just sat by her side and chatted it up with the remaining gang. I don't remember exactly where she ended up finishing to be honest, I think it was around eighth or so. It was a good time seeing the gang from across the pond once again, and I highly recommend you join in on the fun one Sunday afternoon. Good times indeed!

Which reminds me! Tonight is TuckFard night once again. 7:00pm NLHE and 8:00pm HORSE, both on FullTilt. Password for both is as always, donkey. Hopefully those that have the chance to donk it up a little earlier in the evening than normal, will make it out for all the fun. Hope to see you there! I'll be the chatty player with no chips left!

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....