This morning

Well its good to know that my subconcisous is as excited as I am about going to Vegas. All my dreams now are centered around Vegas. So a couple of thoughts while getting ready this morning.

1. Fall Out Boy- Watching VH1 this morning and heard a song by them that was pretty good. It was about finding happiness in other people's misery. And this got me thinking about one of the major things I have really worked on over the past couple of years on losing out in Vegas. Here are the two things that I have worked on and hopefully all of you can tell a difference.

• Celebrating others success while getting destroyed. When I lose, I used to take it really tough. I would switch into full pussy bitch mode if I lost and someone else won. Oh you just had a great run, Fuck you, I just lost. Its not fair. Eric pointed this out a couple years back and I've tried really hard not to fall into that trap. I've tried to take the same stance in golf. Hey, I know I suck so why am I getting so pissed when I suck. Just enjoy it. And magically I end up golfing better. Same thing goes for gambling. Yeah I lost, but if I dwell on it and become jealous of others that won, I will just go into a huge deep hole, instead of brushing it off and understand that my time will come.
• Losing is not just as good as winning. We all have gotten to a point that we really do accept getting destroyed in Vegas. It's almost like a badge of honor with the group. At dinner, the people that lost the most get the most attention. And most of us get a giddy feeling when someone comes back to the group stating they just got hammered at Craps or BJ. I think this stems from a sense of relief that we weren't part of that destruction. I'm working on not asking question after question about the losing sessions of others.

2. So then in the shower this morning I was trying to compare people going on the trip to the current basketball teams in the tourney. Actually very entertaining, which resulted in me taking a 30 minute shower at 5:15am this morning with me giggling every minute. So onto the comparison. And please don't take offense to the list as this is all in fun.

• Micah= Kentucky: I know he isn't going but still deserves a shout out. Is there an easier comparison? His streak ends just like Kentucky.
• Kermit=Arizona: Should he go or shouldn't he? Everyone was questioning if he should be in, but as you know with teams like AZ, they will surprise everyone and win at least one game. I'm glad Kermit is joining us now, and I will be betting heavily on Arizona.
• Jay=Memphis: Probably doesn't get the respect from the national media for being a strong team or very strong gambler. Should surprise.
• Laura= Missouri: Its been a long time since they have been ranked this high? Can they live up to the pressure of being a 3 seed?
• Wiz= UNC: The big ticket team fits the big gambler. So much hype around this team at the beginning of the year that anything less than a championship would be a failure.
• Lee= Syracuse: Has gone through a lot to get here. Logging lots of minutes might hamper their ability to perform during the tourney and the trip.
• Don= Gonzaga: Surprised people years ago with a great run and has been a mainstay in the tourney ever since. With Don he surprised myself (and others) with his wine and food knowledge and has been a great addition to the trip. Gonzaga will travel anywhere to play anyone just like Don will travel at anytime to any riverboat to gamble. Even if it is during lunch. But is Gonzaga ranked too high? Yeah they traveled to play tough teams, but they lost. Let's see what they can produce this year.
• Mike= Purdue: Why such a low ranking after winning the Big Ten? No respect. Tourney experience and an easy path this weekend should put them in the sweet 16 (yes the gooch. your welcome). Always surprised after the fact that at how solid of a gambler Mike is and a great addition to the group.
• Derek= Duke: The team that people love to hate. Major holes in their game and is ripe for an upset. Plus, I love Duke.
• Eric=Michigan St: Flys under the radar and just wins. They seem like a grinding type of team which really describes Eric's golf and gambling style.

I'm sure I will get blasted on this, but oh well. Have a great morning.