Flotsam and Jetsam

Travel Note - Chinese New Year

2012-01-31T08:05:00.000-08:00

Just one quick observation about the sights we see this time of year. Starting from about the 15th of the month, and continuing through the 10th of February, everyone travels. It's like Thanksgiving Sunday on steroids.

Our office is right next to the main Guangzhou train station, so the crowds outside on the street are at least 5x what they are on a normal day. The travelers coming in and out of the train station never ends.

And they all see to carry these gigantic plastic bags. It's not a plastic bag from a grocery store, but a large bag that zips made of material that you would cover your outdoor porch furniture with in the winter. It's plastic-like on the outside, but there is some cloth on the inside. I hope someone in the comments has a better way to describe this material.

When I say they are gigantic, I mean it. It is not a reusable bag from the store - it can easily fit a large suitcase inside of it. When packed, they can weigh up to 60-70 pounds.

Everyone has these bags - and they are brightly colored; red and yellow stripes; blue and green flowers; purple stripes with blue accents. All these people in grey clothing carrying this massive colorful bag.

What's in there? I can't help but think it is the majority of their life's belongings. This is the big holiday for the country, where people travel to their family for 2-3 weeks; why wouldn't they pack up everything in that bage for the trip?

It's oddly mesmerizing to watch these old women, weighing 90 pounds, carrying a 50 pound bag with their possessions around the train station area, looking in vain for their family members to show up and pick them up.

Let's Make a Deal!

2012-01-31T07:49:00.000-08:00

Hello all, back from Thailand and the Chinese New Year holiday. Fireworks are still going off infrquently at night here, even though this is now Day 8 after the official start of the Lunar New Year.

We spent last week going to Chiang Mai for 3 days, a city in Northern Thailand, and then to an island in the southeast, Ko Chang. I will have pictures to post from those locations; hopefully it will all be up this weekend.

Chiang Mai has a night market that is a tourist destination - and it was right down the street from our hotel, so we frequented it several times during the trip. It's clear that I am not the best bargainer in the world.

But it's not all my fault! A lot has to do with leverage - who has the leverage in the negotiations?? And it is a FACT that if you have kids with you, you have no leverage.

We stopped at a sunglasses stall the first night - we all needed new ones - and immediately the boys saw the rows of multi-colored Oakley and started trying them on. Even Martin got into the act, and after 3 minutes he was in love with these yellow-framed Oakleys.

Well, it was finally time for the payment.

The vendor pulled out the calculator; "555 Baht for all of them."

The rate is about 30 Baht to 1 US Dollar.

I tried to be suave and negotiate. "How about 300 for all 5?"

She looked at the kids. Freddie and Warren already had theirs on; Martine was actually going up to strangers and saying, "See my new sunglasses? They're yellow!"

She replied: "I'm sorry, fixed price. 555 Baht".

I tried one more time. How about 400?

"No, sir, fixed price. 555 is the best".

500?

"550 is my final offer."

Done! I got her to come down 5 Baht!!!! That's......well, that's 16 cents.

But without kids, you have the leverage. I went into a clothing store to look at some T-shirts. "200 each" was the reply.

I said "I'm not interested", and walked out.

I got 3 steps away, when the man called back "100 each!". Done! I bought two.

I heard every line in the book out there from the vendors trying to guilt the white man into paying full price.

"It's Chinese New Year, this is the best I can do for you".
"Ooooh, you look like someone who appreciates good quality! Let me show you my other golf hats I have."
"I can't come down on price, I have children to feed."

And yes, all those lines worked on me.

T-shirt with a message?

2012-01-21T00:26:00.000-08:00

Before we leave for vacation - Thailand, thanks for asking! - I have to share this picture of a T-shirt someone was wearing on the river walk next to our apartment.

It is incredibly difficult to get a picture of someone's shirt, trailing them, without them knowing.

However, I should have asked her how much she would take for that shirt. This would be a great gift for someone I know.....

The year of the dragon

2012-01-21T00:20:00.000-08:00

And to prove it is the year of the dragon, the dragon made an appearance at the school program.....

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

2012-01-21T00:15:00.000-08:00

Guess what???

It's time for another holiday! It is Chinese New Year time here....the whole country closes up shop for one week as we celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Out with the old year (Rabbit), in with the new (Dragon). Apparently, being born under the Dragon year is a sign of good luck - so officials expect a big jump of births in 2012. They saw the same increase in births in 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964, ......

The school had the Chinese New Year program yesterday - here's one of the songs from the show.

The Bugs Bunny trick

2012-01-21T00:07:00.000-08:00

Do you remember Bugs Bunny cartoons - when Bugs was running away from Elmer Fudd or Yosemite Sam? He would disappear into a rabbit hole; Elmer would point the gun down the hole and say: "I got you now, wabbit!"

All of a sudden, Bugs would somehow pop into the picture and get his revenge on Elmer. Elmer would have that look on his face, saying "But..how? How did you get out of there???"

Funny, right? Hilarious?

Had the same experience yesterday. One of the joys of being an ex-pat is that our supporting firm requires us to pay quarterly taxes. They give us some money and the 1040-ES forms, and the requires us to file the forms. Never mind that they are based in Cleveland and we are 12,000 miles away in China.

Anyway, our OND returns were due this month, and we still don't have a good way to mail anything back to the US. I found out that one of the managers was heading back to the US on the week of the 9th; great! I put the form and the check in the envelope, sealed it, addressed it to the IRS center in St Louis, and asked him to mail it in the US. I gave him $2 for the stamps, even!

Fast forward to yesterday. In the Guangzhou office, I get a note that I have pouch mail for me at the mail office. Now, we have a PO Box in Cincinnati that letter can be sent to and then it is automatically forwarded here to work.

I go downstairs to see what came - a card? A Bill? - and what is it?

It's the envelope that I sent to the IRS - addressed to the IRS in St Louis. Sealed and all - with the uncashed check and tax form inside.

How? How did this appear back to me in China? There are no stamps, no postmark, no markings whatsoever that it was handled by the US Post office. My PO Box was used as the return address.......but still, how is this back to me?

I feel like Wile E Coyote after lighting a stick of dynamite, closing his eyes and putting his fingers in his ears....and then , 5 seconds later, the stick returns to him just as the fuse is about to run out......

Hoosiers!

2012-01-20T19:57:00.000-08:00

Two people care about this....

2012-01-16T19:12:00.000-08:00

God I have to get acclimated to the Big 12 quickly. College sports is all they care about down here. Kansas vs Baylor is all anyone could talk about today.

I was asked in front of 150 people today, which local college I would follow. I wanted to say who cares about your fly over conference, but I couldn't. I said that I won some money this year on K St football so I'm partial to them, but I'm really curious about KU basketball. That did not go over well at all. Then someone asked "Well what about Missouri" which I responded "What about them?" Everyone looked angry. I then joked that I'll cheer for the only college that can win a championship....Pitt St. That got a laugh and I quickly asked for another question.

Found out today that one of my female managers played on the Purdue golf team from 2001-2004. She has a fathead of Drew Brees in a Purdue uniform in her office which just looks weird. Asked her if she wanted to come to vegas to play golf with some other purdue grads and she asked when did they graduate. I estimated that it was in 93, and she said, Wow, why are you hanging out with such old men and I said I ask myself that same question every year. HA! Loved it.

The Move to Kansas City

2012-01-14T06:02:00.000-08:00

While I'm sure it won't be as exciting as Eric's updates on his experiences in China, I'm going to try to provide some interesting updates from Kansas City now that I'm almost settled in here. We can then compare which culture is more strange and interesting. Just a few notes since arriving here on Christmas:

Upgraded our 1600 sq foot home for a cozy 3500 sq foot home. And its half the price of our home in California. That's going to be nice.

Got a nice kick in the pants this past week as we got some snow. First snow that I've experienced in about 9 years. It was snowing sideways and the high that day was 11.

Moved to a town called Olathe. Quiet little suburb southwest of KC. The local McDonalds advertises a 50 peice chicken mcnugget meal deal. Its number 15 on the value meal deals. McDonalds wouldn't be doing this if there wasn't a demand for it, so wow! Very impressive.

Looks as if KC's values their Bass Pro Shops like most of us values Nordstrums. Bought Morgan's first piece of camo which was a pink camo stuffed animal. She loves it and won't put it down.

Funny to see people's desk decorated with Royal's gear. I have seen countless Brett, Sabs, Wilson, and Quisenberry bobble head dolls.

They are opening up a brand new casino (Hollywood Casino) about 10 minutes away at the KC Speedway. I'm praying that they don't have UTH there....please don't have it there.

People are religious about college sports down here. Kansas, Kansas St, and Missouri dominate most of the conversation. Fun.

Me and Mike Gundy

2012-01-10T06:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess today is officially the day I can imitate Mike Gundy and actually be telling the truth!

Short clip of Gundy
Here's the long version, the 3 minute press conference.

I'm always fascinated to see who shares my birthday. For the longest time, it seems that there were only a few celebrities that shared my birthday:

Rod Stewart
Pat Benatar (boy, those two names explain a lot, don't they? -ed)
George Foreman
Wille McCovey

Now I've finally found a few more names to add to that list:

Jake Delhomme (1975) - maybe this explains why I was so excited when he was named our starting QB in 2010.

Glenn Robinson (1973) - the Big Dog. Where is he now?

Doug E Doug (1969) - does he qualify as a star?
and finally

Chris H E Smith (1979).
Don't know who he is? Well, read this and it will make you want to jump.

Kansas City and Golf

2012-01-05T17:37:00.000-08:00

Am I the only one super pumped about the start of the golf season? Its come to a point now where the start of the season for golf now rivals those of other sports. If I had to ranked the most anticipated start of certain sporting seasons I would have to go with:

1. The start of the NFL season. Fantasy Football, Gambling, and now the SuperContest, I really couldn't sleep. It felt like Christmas as a little kid. That Saturday was a wash as I was just trying to get prepared for Sunday. I think I was in bed by 9 the night before.
2. The start of March Madness. Yes, I count this as its own separate season. Vegas, the games, and being with friends at the tables the night before arguing who is the idiot and who has the true lock of the year is very entertaining.
3. The start of the golf season. The main pickem pool, the side pool, the fantasy league, and the gambling. I spent most of this afternoon dissecting a new pool I joined that uses last years earnings for golfers and sets a salary cap of $19 million. Pick your team. Extremely entertaining and challenging.
4. Everything else from Baseball, NBA, College Football, NHL, and WNBA.

The only downfall to this golf season is that I'm now living in Kansas City in the Central Time zone. Man I'm going to miss the Pacific Time Zone and having those early Thursday and Friday morning text messages coming in when I'm still in bed about my golfer.

A late Christmas gift for Layup

2012-01-02T01:53:00.000-08:00

Just before Christmas, I took the boys to the mini street market a block from our house. One of the "booths" in that market is a DVD stand.....selections of many recent American movies, with the sound in English. They also had many DVD sets of American TV series, such as House, Glee (for Janice), Grey's Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother, etc.

Then I saw this. I think this makes the perfect gift for Layup, at the low low price of 25 RMB!

Also from the China Daily...

2012-01-02T01:40:00.000-08:00

I bet many of you NBA fans out there are asking yourself: "Geesh, I'm glad the NBA is back, but what I really miss is Stephon Marbury. The world is not the same without him".

Well, fear not! He has a weekly column in the China Daily. Here is one of them from a few weeks ago.

"The world has taken notice of our start..." Jay - isn't that correct? Aren't you noticing the 10-0 start of the Beijing Ducks and putting them in your daily 3-team parlay?

A friend

2012-01-02T01:31:00.001-08:00

Posted without comment: Here is the front page of China Daily, the official English newspaper in China, on the day after Kim Jong-Il's death was announced.......

NFL Week 17: Marina Bay Sands

2012-01-01T02:13:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Active blogging should begin soon, as the NFL season winds down and the photo backlog on my iPhone continues to grow. Let's see if I can put in 10 posts over the next 10 days.

With the kids out of school, we took a quick trip to Singapore this week. What a neat city/state. It's hard to get over the fact that the whole country is only 30 km x 40 km in size......but there's enough to do for a good 3 days. We went to the science museum, went snow tubing (there is a place called Snow City, a warehouse-size building that makes artifical snow and allows you to tube down a 60 foot hill), rode the big ferris wheel, and saw a movie! An actual movie! We haven't seen a movie in a real movie theater in .......2 years? 3? That was nice......

I have to include the famous pool picture..swimming on top of the world....

And oh yes, of course, gambling. We stayed at the Marina Bay Sands, one of only two hotel-casinos in Singapore. So of course I had to try out (every night...even had a good session with Janice!)

It's just a little different there - even different than Macau. First, you have to present your passport at the door - to at least 3 people. Foreigners can get in for free, but if you are a Singpore citizen, you have to pay a $100 entry fee just to get in. So there are multiple checks to make sure you are truly a foreigner.

The casino itself is amazing. It's two stories, with the main floor filled with tables. Filled. Blackjack, Roulette, Sic Bo, Baccarat - and two new ones, Pontoon and Three Pictures. I have no idea how to play those last two - Pontoon is sort of a blackjack variant. They also had the other Texas Hold em Table game, which I played a lot.

The whole feeling gambling there is just....a bit different. Dealers seem to change every hour or more, less frequent than most US casinos. There are a host of side bets on the blackjack table - there is a "lucky 8s" bets where you see if you can get a pair of 8's with your hand and the dealer's up card (or, if you are lucky, 3 of a kind). And the dealer does not deal himself two cards right away. He deals himself the up card - and that's it; normal play commences. Once all the players are done, then the dealer takes his second card. I don't like that.

About the side bets: it seems to be accepted that anyone can bet on anyone's cards. For instance, I was playing blackjack, and got a pair of Aces. Yes, split please! Play came to me, and the dealer split them - and then asked if I wanted to put a separate "any Pair" bet on the split aces.

Uh, no thank you. Just deal the card.
The dealer was about to pull the card out --when the guy 3 seats to my right leans over and puts a $25 chip next to my card. He wanted to play the any pair! The dealer pulled up a 7.
Then the next hand; the delaer paused again asking for the any pair bet; I didn't even get a chance to say no when another $25 chip came from the same guy. I got a 10, which was not a pair for him.

It is common to bet for other's hands. I can't get use to that.

In the end, it's still gambling, it's still fun, but it's just a bit different and you never know what unknown idiosyncracy you will bump up against.

It's kind of like week 17 in the NFL - it's still football, but the week is different; you don't know who is playing at full speed, who is mailing it in, who will sit the starters in the 3rd quarter and which 3-12 team will play full out to win.

Anyway, on to the games:

Chi 28, Min 20. I have to believe the Vikes will mail this in after the AP injury last week.

GB 20, Det 17. There will be a letdown factor for the Lions after the win last week; also, Flynn is not that bad as a backup.

Ten 16, Hou 13. Tennessee needs to win this game.

SF 24, StL 6. The Rams are already trying to figure out who will be their next coach; the 9ers still need to win to lock up the #2 seed.

Was 24, Phi 20. Why are the Eagles going to try hard in this game?

Jax 17, Ind 10. I can't believe the Colts will win this and lose the #1 pick.

NO 27, Car 24. The Niners will win, and that means the Saints will let up down the stretch.

NE 31, Buf 10. The Pats need this game and will try to gain some confidence - especially on D - after last week's Miami game.

NYJ 20, Mia 17, OT. Can't you just see theJets somehow sneaking in?

Atl 30, TB 10. Tampa has mailed it in since November.

Oak 23, SD 16. I just don't think the chargers have one more good game in them after they were eliminated last week.

Az 24, Sea 17. Who is the most unmotivated here?

Den 23, KC 13. Are we really going to deny Tebow a chance at the playoffs?

Bal 27, Cin 17. Baltimore needs a win to get the 2 seed and home field if they play pIttsburgh in the playoffs........I can't believe they will actually let this slip through their fingers.

NYG 27, Dal 20. Who will choke the most?

Best bets: we're ending with 20 of them! Last week: my worst week at 5-10; overall: 133-109-11

Chi +1.5
Chi/Min over 41.5
GB +4.5
Ten/Hou under 39
SF -10
Was +8
Jax -3
Ind/Jax under 37
Car +7
NE -10
Buf/NE under 49.5
NYJ +3
Atl -10
Oak -3
SD/Oak under 48.5
Az -3
Den -3
Bal -1.5
Bal/Cin over 38
NYG -3

And for the final supercontest picks:

GB +3.5
Was +8
Car +8.5
Bal -2.5
NYG -2.5

NFL Week 16: Imperial Palace

2011-12-23T17:55:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all out there! It's Christmas Eve morning here, where everyone is late to wake up in the house. This is probably a bad idea since Santa needs everyone to go to bed early tonight so he can prepare.....or Santa can get up at 3 in the morning to wrap presents tomorrow....while the NFL is on! Hey, what an idea!

This is another weird week, getting me out of my routine. It's Saturday, we are at home, with no soccer games, and there will be NFL games tomorrow morning (instead of Monday morning). It's a weird feeling to adjust the routine after 15 weeks. We are actually going into work on Monday morning - this means I can actually be productive at work on a Monday instead of being hal asleep on 4 hours of sleep?

When I talk about weird feelings in casinos, there's one casino that stands out as one that I am very uncomfortable at. Kermit could guess this answer right away without looking at the title - it's the Imperial Palace. Wow, I do not belong there. It starts with the extra long craps tables - I think they are designed to fit 10 on each side. It's very hard to throw the dice all the way down and hit the wall on this extra large table. It's like asking Greg Maddux to now throw a strike from the mound that is 75 feet away, not 60' 6". Usually, I am close to drunk when I gamble there, and there is heavy smoke fog in the casino - so when I roll, I can't see the dice. It's like gambling on the 1988 Fog Bowl playoff game. I'm relying on Verne Lundquist, the stick man, to tell me what the result of the roll is.

And then we get to the blackjack pit. It's not gambling as usual there. Somehow we end up there on a Fri or Sat night - which is when the performers come out and sing/dance in the middle of the pit. They usually are cover bands for famous artists; Madonna, Elvis, etc. The one still seared in my head is the Freddie Mercury look alike singing "Bicycle" while a stripper does a pole dance around an actual bicycle.

And I'm supposed to decide whether to split 3's vs a 4 with this going on?

And, finally, it's impossible to get to. There's no direct entrance to the casino off the strip. (Is there?)

It's not like I hate the place - there are others that I dislike a lot more than IP - but I just don't feel 100% there. I'm out of my comfort zone - like doing the picks on a Saturday morning.

But here they are, anyway:

Bal 23, Cle 9. Tell me how we will stop a very angry Ravens team with Ray Rice in the backfield. He rushed for 200 against us a few weeks ago -without really even trying.

Den 31, Buf 20. I just can't see the Broncos blowing this one.

Car 27, TB 17. I can't trust the Panthers just yet to win convincingly, even over bad teams like TB.

Was 27, Min 13. I think the Vikes have packed it in for the year; Washington, somehow, is playing well - they remind me of the 2009 Mangini-led Browns.

Ten 24, Jax 17. What to think of the Titans after last week's loss to the Colts? They had a playoff berth in their hand!

Pit 23, StL 7. Let's see how Batch can play in this one.

Cin 24, Az 23. Again, I will say it: I don't trust the Bengals. They may win, but it will be down to the wire.

NE 27, Mia 24. Mia will be able to score on the Pats, and have some defense, enough to stay in the game.

KC 23, Oak 13. I think last week's loss is it for Oakland. They will pack it in.

NYJ 24, NYG 21. Does anyone outside of New York care about this game? Wow, what a dud this turned out to be.

SD 28, Det 24. I've gone back and forth on this one. Maybe - just maybe? - the Chargers have turned the corner (albeit too late)???

Dal 28, Phi 24. Just a hunch. Rob Ryan will figure something out after being embarrassed the last time he faced the Eagles.

Sea 27, SF 20. Seattle is too hot right now.

GB 31, Chi 10. The Pack have something to prove.

NO 34, Atl 23. Speaking of "hot" - I lost in my semi-finals last week due to Brees and his FIVE touchdowns.

Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 8-5-1; overall: 128-99-11.

Bal -12
Den -3
Den/Buf over 43
Was -7
Az +4.5
Az/Cin over 41
Mia +9
KC -2.5
Oak/KC under 42
SD +1.5
Dal -1
Sea +1
SF/Sea over 37.5
GB -11.5
NO -7

Supercontest picks:
Bal -13
Den -2.5
Az +4
Mia +9.5
SD +2.5

NFL Week 15: Boomtown Casino

2011-12-16T14:59:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! We are taking off for early this morning for Sanya, a resort town on the island of Hainan, located on the southern tip of China. (The best part, according to the kids? No immigration to travel through!)

Hainan island is currently the world's center for golf course construction; there are over 100 courses on the island, and more projects are underway. China is imposing strict regulations on the construction of new courses on the mainland; however, on the resort island of Hainan - go ahead! Knock yourself out! I think Nicklaus has multiple projects in progress now, as does Norman.....

Yes, I'm taking the clubs - and we are taking the boys' clubs as well. This will be the first time they will be golfing since we moved here; I'm sure they have outgrown the set we bought them in 2009. Freddie will be hitting my hybrid and then tossing it in the lake - just like his father!

I won't have access to the blog while I am gone, so I am up early this morning to post the picks. Getting up early to gamble is no big deal to me, but getting up early in order to post the picks before a morning flight requires a lot of logistics at 5:30 in the morning - very much like my degenerate travels to gamble in Biloxi.

There was one fall weekend in 2002 when I was in Albany, GA, for work - we have a paper plant there. I was there for a total of 9 days straight. Saturday we did testing on the line, and Sunday was a free day. What to do? I could go to a friend's bbq that evening (but I didn't know many people there); I could go to Friday's and watch the NFL games (but it was a dry country, so no beer), or......
I could drive 5 hours one way to Biloxi!

You know which one I chose. I left at 6; the first 2 hours of the drive was a trip going through the deepest of the deep south. (Find a map and try to find a route from Albany to I-10. It's very difficult). I arrived at the Boomtown casino around 11, where I gambled for 4-5 hours ($3 craps RULED!!!) and left around 5 to get back. I kept an eye on the Browns game while at the tables; the upset the Saints that day.

So today's small sacrifice for you, the dear reader, was nothing compared to what I did to get my fix 10 years ago. Ah, memories.

On to the games:

Dal 31, TB 14. The Bucs look like a team that has given up.

NYG 27, Was 17. I think the Skins will have a letdown, and the Giants know they have to keep going.

GB 31, KC 16. Orton is back! And lovable coach Romeo is back as well!

NO 27, Min 20. I neeed a big day from Harvin for one of my playoff games....

Sea 16, Chi 13. Chicago's offense still is struggling, and the Seahawks are on a roll.

Buf 27, Mia 23. Just a complete gut pick. I think Miami will lose a bit of their effort after Sparano was fired.

Hou 24, Car 23. Letdown for the Texans (just like the Niners let down last week).

Ten 20, Ind 13. The Colts are playing for Caldwell's job! That will give them the edge they need! (right? No...)

Cin 19, StL 16. I don't trust this Bengal team much anymore.

Oak 27, Det 20. Two teams imploding, so go against the dome team playing outdoors.

NE 24, Den 13. I saw the Broncos' game live last week, and I still don't believe it. How did that happen?

Phi 27, NYJ 24. I can't believe I am a sucker for the Eagles again this year.

Bal 27, SD 20. These are the games that the Chargers consistently lose under Norv.

SF 20, Pit 17. What a great measuring stick game for both of these teams.

Best bets: 14 of them. Last week: 12-7-1; overall: 120-94-10.

Dal -7
Buf -1
Mia/Buf over 41
Sea +3.5
Sea/Chi under 35.5
Car +5.5
Ten/Ind under 41.5
StL +7
NYG -6.5
Oak +1.5
NYJ/Phi over 44
NE -7.5
NE/Den under 46
Bal -2.5

Supercontest picks this week:
Dal -7
Sea +3.5
Car +6.5
Bal -2.5
And - for the first time this year! - Cle +6.5

NFL Week 14: Riverside Casino

2011-12-11T05:28:00.000-08:00

It's going to be a relatively relaxing Sunday/Monday for NFL football for me, as the Browns have already gotten their heartbreaking loss out of the way on Friday morning. Thanks, guys! (I introduced one of our friends here to an impressive f-bomb rate in the 2nd half. I also have him convinced that all announcers are out to ignore/diminish the Browns. What's that saying? "You're not paranoid if they really ARE out to get you? That's how I feel....)

Anyway, (oh, by the way, how come I am watching the game 12,000 miles away, and I can tell that McCoy doesn't look right --- but Shurmur can't?)

OK, got that out of my system.

So now we head to week 14, and a plethora of games to focus on without the distraction of the Browns. Kind of like a relaxing buffet of games and 5 hours of the red zone channel.

And when I want relaxing gambling, there's no question what is #1 on the list - Riverside Casino in Iowa! $5 craps, $5 blackjack, $5 Pai Gow Poker, $5 roulette, and $5 UTH. What else can you ask for? It's fun, easy, and you can't get in too much trouble there in terms of losing a bankroll.

The clientele? Well, a mix of retired farmers and U of Iowa seniors. That's it - you are either 21 or 73 there. The 21 year olds are impressed if you double the table limit (ooooh! $20 odds?) and the 73 year olds are too into their own game and busy chatting with the dealers.

The dealers themselves are not very good - there were an average of 2 mistakes made every time I played craps, and UTH was a disaster - but most of the time they were friendly.

The picture above is the walkway from the parking lot to the casino (I think; I don't actually think I made that walk in the daylight). Most of the time that was made in 10 degree weather with 30 mph winds.

It's everything a non-stressful, low-intensity casino should be....just like a Sunday without Browns football. And I'm so glad (in retrospect) that it wasn't open when I lived there; with the boys being 4 and 2 years old, and Janice going to bed at 9:30 most nights, I would have made the 15 minute trip at least 3 days a week and become a regular. At least.....

On to the games:

Cin 23, Hou 13. The Bengals will take their Steelers/Ravens frustrations out on TJ Yates and the Texans.

NE 27, Was 16. I think Belicheck will get this team focused after a too-close win over the Colts last week.

NYJ 24, KC 10. I'll say it again, how does KC score more than 10 points?

Mia 23, Phi 16. I think the Eagles have given up.

Atl 27, Car 20. I believe in a very desperate Falcons team. Probably to my detriment.

Bal 28, Ind 13. Like the Pats, Baltimore will not show anything special this game, and (most likely) a back door cover will ensue.

Ten 23, NO 20. I don't think people realize how bad the Saits are on the road.

Det 33, Min 21. The vikings defense last week was awful.

Jax 16, TB 13. Another team that has quit - the Bucs! I think the Jags rally around their interim coach here.

Den 17, Chi 10. Boy, is Tebow catching the right teams at the right time.

SF 24, Az 23. Maybe a letdown for the 49ers as they clinched the division last week and the Steelers coming up next week.

GB 31, Oak 24. Another let down game - this time for the Packers after the dramatic win last week?

SD 31, Buf 13. Please just shoot me - why am I trusting this Chargers team again?

NYG 27, Dal 24. It's time for a Romo collapse in the 4th quarter, isn't it?

Sea 20, StL 6. The Rams remind me of the 2000 Browns with Spergon Wynn as QB. The Rams did not cross the 35 yard line last week.

Best bets: 20 (!!) of them. Last week: 10-7; overall: 108-87-9

Cin -3
NE -8
NYJ -10.5
Mia -3
Phi/Mia under 45.5
Atl -3
Ten +3.5
NO/Ten under 50
Min/Det over 46.5
Jax +3
TB/Jax under 40.5
Den -3
Chi/Den under 35.5
Az +4
SF/Az over 39.5
Oak +11.5
SD -7
NYG +4.5
StL -10
Sea/StL under 36.5

And for the Supercontest:
NYJ -9
Atl -2.5
Ten +3.5
Az +3.5
Den -3.5

NFL Week 13: Mandalay Bay

2011-12-04T06:12:00.000-08:00

All the college football championship games (Clemson? ACC champions? Oh yeah, that Orange Bowl of Clemson vs TCU will be a real winner) remind me of a great weekend we had in Vegas for the end of the college football season – Layup’s bachelor party in 2006.

We didn’t technically go on Championship weekend – we went the week before Thanksgiving, which was then the end of the Big 10 season. There were so many games that Saturday, we camped out in the book for 12 hours placing bet after bet. It was awesome.

Mandalay is now one of my favorite casinos that I rarely go to anymore. The service seemed good, the table limits were high (although, looking back, were they really that high?), and the book seemed to have ample space to set up shop for the day. The games were normal – I don’t recall any carnival games – although I got killed at most of them. The restaurants were good, and (at the time) they had a good show in “Mama Mia”. ABBA music! What’s not to like?

The only problem is that you feel like you are on an island down there at Mandalay – if you want to leave the casino, there’s really nowhere to go within 10 minutes walk. You either take a cab or that stupid train to the Luxor. There’s no escape if you have a bad day.
Not much more to say about Mandalay – I would love to try it out again someday. But I’ll always have fond memories of the 2006 Ohio St- Michigan game, being in that book watching the last #1 vs #2 matchup (before this year).

On to the games.

NE 27, Ind 10. I don’t get the revenge angle here at all. “oooooh, Brady and Belicheck will pile up the score, and show the Colts who is boss!!! They will score 45 here!” Really? They’re going to rub it in to Jim Caldwell, Curtis Painter and crew? What’s the motivation here? They will run up the score – on purpose – against an 0-11 team? That smacks of weakness. This will not be the 45-3 beatdown that the Pats did vs. the Jets a few years back.

Ten 24, Buf 17. The Titans are still in it, and have the motivation.

Chi 19, KC 9. How many points will the Chiefs score on the road?

Atl 17, Hou 10. Again, how many points will the Texans score with their 3rd string quarterback?

Min 17, Den 13. If Tebow can do it AGAIN, this time in a dome….I don’t know. I am kind of a believer, but jeees – just put 8 in the box to stop the run! San Diego just plain quit last week, that’s how the Broncos won that game….

NYJ 20, Was 13. The Jets have to win out (or close to it). They won’t let the 2nd worst team in the NFC beat them.

TB 27, Car 17. Maybe Freeman is injured, maybe not. But I have enough faith in the Bucs defnse – and no faith in the Panthers D.

Mia 23, Oak 16. Oakland coming to the east, playing a 1:00 game vs a team that has 10 days rest.

Pit 24, Cin 20. I just think the Bengals will be in all these games coming down the stretch.

Dal 23, Az 20. A typical nail-biting win for the Cowboys in the desert.

GB 34, NYG 27. Does anybody really believe the Pack will lose a game this regular season?

SF 24, StL 6. Same comment above applies here – how many points do you see the Rams scoring? 6? 9? Maybe 10?

NO 34, Det 20. I think the Lions are in free fall.

SD 20, Jax 17. Maybe, just maybe, the Jags will be freed up and play loose after their coach got fired.

Best bets: 17 of them. Last week: 7-7; overall: 98-80-8.
Ind +20.5 (!!! I can't pass that up)
Ind/NE under 48.5
Ten +2
Chi -7
KC/Chi under 37
Atl -1.5
Atl/Hou under 38
Min +1
Den/Min under 37
NYJ -3
NYJ/Was under 39
TB -2
Mia -3
GB/NYG over 53
SF -14
StL/SF under 38
NO -8.5

For the Supercontest, maybe Tony Dorsett is the lucky charm we need (he looks good in person for being 50 years old!)

Ten +1.5
Atl -3
Mia -3
TB -3.5
SF -13

NFL Week 12: Luxor

2011-11-27T04:54:00.000-08:00

We had a bad week last week. Our Supercontest picks are 0-9-1 over the last two weeks. (That is probably statistically impossible if we were picking 10 games at random). So - to change our luck, let's review the casino that I seem to always win at over the years.

That's right, the Luxor. Everyone's favorite gimmick casino. It is amazing to walk into the lobby, look up, and see the inside of a pyramid with the hallways facing out. And the light at the top - the most visible item on earth when viewed from space.

But the casino, and my history there, is what stands out. I think I got my first tip from a high roller at the craps table. (I was rolling, some guy was betting blue chips ($1000!) on the BIG RED every roll - and I was ice cold, and kept rolling sevens. He tossed me a $100 chip after a while. I was amazed!) That was in 2003, I think. Then there was Layup's bachelor party, when I had a very good blackjack run to end the trip.

The casino, of course, is nothing spectacular. It is overly-lit, laid out in a weird floor plan (because of the shape of the building, obviously). The dealers are unremarkable, and one entrance to the casino is the people-mover to the Excalibur. And the tram that one has to take to the Mandalay is odd.

But I don't ever recall losing much there. It has a warm place in my heart as a safe haven from the gambling waters. And if ever I need a safe haven, it's this week.

About the Browns - I'm pulling a Ben Crenshaw out here...."Mark my words, I've got a very good feeling about this...."

To the games:

Az 20, StL 10. It's amazing that we actaully lost to this Rams team.

NYJ 27, Buf 10. Are we one week too late on the Bills collapse? Or are the Jets worse than everyone thinks- and this will be a close game?

Hou 23, Jax 10. Schaub is out - so what? The Jags can't score, and the Houston defense is pretty good. How will the Jags score more than 10 points?

Ind 28, Car 24. This is it - the last stand for the Colts. A loss here and it is 0-16.

Ten 24, TB 10. I like what I see in Locker. Tampa's last stand was last week at Lambeau.

Atl 27, Min 17. I have Ryan in the playoffs (already? -ed) in one of my leagues- the 300 yd, 4 TD game just isn't going to come this year.

Oak 20, Chi 17. The Bears defense is still good, and will hold down the Raiders - but I don't have faith in the Bears without Cutler.

Sea 23, Was 10. Last week was an aberration- the Skins always play the Boys tough. Back to reality for Shanahan.

NE 27, Phi 20. I think Belicheck is a better coach (and has better players) than Coughlin, and will gameplan well for Vince Young.

SD 20, Den 14. Staying away from this game. Anything can happen here - a 30 point Charger win, or a 20 point Denver upset.

Pit 24, KC 10. Speaking of teams that can't move the ball - the Chiefs!

NO 28, NYG 27. The Giants are a perfect example of a zig-zag team. Just when you think you can write them off (last week), they will have a big showing.

Best bets: 14 of them. Last week: 5-9-1; overall: 91-73-8
Az +3
Az/Stl Under 39
NYJ -9.5
Hou -6.5
Ind +3.5
Car/Ind over 46.5
Ten -3
TB/Ten under 43
Sea -3
NE +3.5
Den/SD under 41.5
Pit -10.5
Pit/KC under 40
NYG +7

Supercontest picks:
Az +3
NYJ -8.5
Ten -3
Sea -3.5
NYG +7

NFL Week 11: Binion's

2011-11-20T04:47:00.000-08:00

It's getting to that point in the NFL season where I feel like the picking becomes routine and less exciting. Over the first few weeks, the process to put together the picks is pure excitement. Another week! There's only 17 of them! Weeks 6-9 or so become an adrenaline rush, as we think we know some things about teams that Vegas (and others) haven't caught up on.

But now, the rush is gone, the reviews feel like work, and there's not a ton of effort that goes into these picks. It doesn't help that I spent all last week in India, where I didn't have a solid bowel movement for 5 days and we got delayed getting to the plant one day because a oil truck hit a motorcycle and killed two people. There's only one two-lane road to the manufacturing area near Bhopal - and that's an adventourous ride in itself; but then you have to avoid the cows, boars, and elephants on the road.

So there's not a lot of analysis in this week's review. Kind of like going downtown during our Vegas trip. Someone always suggests we do it one of the days - it's usually the third day, where tiredness creeps in. The intent to go downtown is -what? It's not the excitement of gambling; it's not the high stakes - what is it? I find myself not caring too much one way or another when I gamble downtown. So I lose $300 playing craps....that's fine for 4 hours of entertainment at Binions where the players are worse than in central Indiana, and the constant ringing of the drink "clicker" will be in your ears for days. The smoke will too.

It's fun, it's gambling, yes.....but I'm not a big fan of the downtown experience.

Let's get back to fun in the NFL this week. Maybe if we don't botch a snap on a 22 yard field goal to take the lead with 2:00 to go, some of the fun will come back.

Dal 23, Was 10. How, again, will Washington score? (ed- isn't it time for a Romo Pick 6? I think so. )

Min 27, Oak 17. Let's remind ourselves - Oakland is not good; they lost to Denver and Kansas City the two weeks prior. So they beat an imploding Chargers team. And Minnesota ran into a buzzsaw.

Buf 23, Mia 20. Miami's wins recently are against the Skins and the Chiefs. I'm not going to believe in them until they actually beat someone decent.

GB 31, TB 21. Something tells me the Bucs will keep it close.

Det 27, Car 20. You couldn't have two worse showings last week than those from these two teams.

Bal 27, Cin 24. I think the Bengals will stay in this, as the Bal defense is just not good enough to shut down teams like they used to. But I can't see the Ravens losing here.

SF 26, Az 17. The magical ride for the 49ers continues....

StL 23, Sea 10. The Seahawks are a different team away from home. And Jackson is a better runner at home.

SD 31, Chi 24. A purely irrational pick. Cutler can't have 3 great games in a row, can he?

Atl 30, Ten 20. This is the Falcons' season here. They will get up early and pile it on.

Phi 27, NYG 24. The Giants are due for an illogical loss right about now. And the Eagles will find something to pull this out (do I say that every week???)

NE 31, KC 14. Will anyone outside of Boston watch this game?

Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 10-8-1; overall: 86-64-7
Dal -7
Dal/Was under 41.5
Min -1.5
Buf +3
TB +14
Cin +7
Cin/Bal over 40.5
StL -3
Sea/StL under 39.5
SD +3.5
SD/Chi over 45
Atl -6.5
Ten/Atl over 44
Phi +5.5
Phi/NYG over 45

We will switch it up this week; here are the 5 Supercontest picks.
By the way, I need to calculate the odds of me going 10-8-1......and 5 of the 8 losses were the 5 entries for the Supercontest.....

Min +1
Buf +2
Atl -6
StL -2
SD +3.5

Week 10 Picks

2011-11-13T09:06:00.000-08:00

Maybe Felix Gordo will help us....

SD -7
Car -3
Buf +5
Det +2 1/2
Min +13

NFL Week 10: Belterra

2011-11-13T09:02:00.000-08:00

It’s going to be a weird Sunday/Monday for me this week. I am flying to India and will be staying overnight in Delhi. I have not yet firmed up any sleeping plans for tonight, so I could be watching the games in a lonely corner of the Delhi airport bumming off the free wireless. Or, I could be in a “sleeping pod” they have at the airport, where overnight travelers can stay in and get a few hours of sleep. But with the arcane airport access rules that Indian airports have, I may be paying $300 for an overpriced hotel room that I will use for 5-6 hours.

So we need to think of a comfort of home this week, and what better comforting memory to have than the Belterra casino between Cincinnati and Louisville. It’s the only casino with UTH in the area, and was the most popular stop for me, Don, Mike, and others for the past 3-4 years. The limits are cheap – they still are! – there usually is a $5 craps table open all the time. The UTH is always $5 as well. The high limit room is expensive - $25 a hand for BJ in the room! Who can afford those stakes?

The clientele? Of course, not the best. That’s the only downside if you can handle it. The UTH table is particularly bad, if I remember correctly. I think I got yelled at for going 4x on A-Q; I know Don had plenty of strange looks with his card and going all in on K-7.

But it’s home, it’s comfortable. It’s like meat loaf. Yeah, it’s not flashy, and there are more elegant casinos in the area, but Belterra makes you feel all warm inside. I don’t ever recall getting killed there – I’ve lost money, sure, but not a complete outing disaster unlike other casinos.
And the Jeff Ruby steakhouse is a plus.

The Browns will hopefully have some meat loaf home cooking this week with the Rams coming to town. I remember Steve inviting me to a home game in 1991 to watch the Rams; I had to back out at the last minute due to some events that I won’t rehash here at this time. 99 was our expansion season, and the Rams were on our schedule; I thought that would be a game we could possibly win, playing on the road and the Rams starting QB, trent Green, went down in week 1!

Of course, that was the Rams’ magical season.

The first Monday night game in Cleveland since 99 was vs. the Rams in 2003; another disappointing loss, and that game spelled the end of the Couch-Holcomb merry go round. However, in 2007, we won in St Louis in the middle of the season as we realized that maybe this Derek Anderson was going to be a good QB……

When are we ever going to get a decent quarterback?????

On to the games:

SD 31, Oak 13. Uh, not so much.

Hou 24, TB 20. Tampa is a good home team, but how are they going to score
here?

Phi 31, Az 10. I have to believe that the Eagles will take out their frustrations on someone. And the Cardinals are terrible – Skelton on the road?

Mia 20, Was 10. Browns vs Redskins, neutral field…..over/under is 15? Who ya got? I am a little surprised that the Dolphins are still playing for Sparano. And I picked up Reggie Bush in one my league –a nice surprise.

Den 21, KC 20. Just a hunch. I continue to believe that Kansas City is no good.

Ind 17, Jax 14. Another rhunch. If there’s ever a game the Colts will win tis year, it has to be this one. How does Jacksonville move the ball?

Dal 30, Buf 28. Another sol crushing loss for the Bills. However, I don’t see the Cowboys stopping Buffalo like the Jets did last week – unless the Ryan borthers compare notes.

Atl 30, NO 24. I think the Saints have proven themselves to be a poor road team, and Atlanta is moving into high gear.

Car 27, Ten 13. Carolina off a bye ? They will figure out how to contain the Titans and score at home.

Pit 27, Cin 23, The Steelers are a trap pick, and I am staying away. But really, I am biased and I just can’t force myself to see the Bwengals winning here.

Bal 23, Sea 20. Seattle is a good home team, and this is a trap game for the Ravens. Steelers last week, and the Bengals next week?

Det 27, Chi 14. A letdown game for the Bears after the big win Monday night. I think the Lions will be ready to go after the bye.

SF 24, NYG 17. A game between two teams that I still don’t think are all that good. However, the Giants are on the road, and I think the 49ers wear them down with Gore.

NE 24, NYJ 20. This should be a great game, and I still have faithin Belicheck and Brady to not lose 3 in a row.

GB 27, Min 20. The Packers’ defense have a lot of holes in it. I think Ponder and the Vikings will score some garbage time points to cover the spread.

Best bets: 19 (!) of them, 0-1 already this week. Last week: 7-9; overall: 76-56-7
SD -7 (loss)
Phi -13.5
Mia -4
Was/Mia under 37
Den +3
Ind +3
Jax/Ind under 37.5
Buf +5.5
Buf/Dal over 48
Car -3.5
Ten/Car under 47
Atl -1
Pit/Cin over 41
Det +2.5
Det/Chi over 43.5
Sea +6.5
SF -3.5
NE +2
Min +13.5

The life of an ex-pat child, part 361

2011-11-10T18:28:00.000-08:00

Last week, we dropped off the kids at school - and we noticed that all the teachers were in formal dress - women in dresses, men in suits. The boy scouts arrived ( the middle / high school campus is 30 km away; they are not usually at the elementary school) in their uniform and the American flag.

We learned that the US Ambassador to China visited the school that day to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the school. The ambassador talked to the kids in an assembly that day.

We talked about this over dinner - we got out the internet and showed the boys this picture.

Do you know who is in the picture?

"Yes - that's Gary Locke! He is the ambassador from the US that came to the school today!"

And who is the other person in the picture?

"I don't know....he hasn't come to the school yet."

Hungry?

2011-11-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

Are you hungry?
Can I interest you in a hot dog with lettuce - for breakfast?

What about this as an afternoon snack?

I owe this blog a lot of posts

2011-11-06T13:54:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes, yes, I am way behind in regular posts of updates of our life in China. I've got about 6 posts all lined up and ready to go - I just need the time to go ahead and type them up.

While you wait, please enjoy some more Dancing on the Square videos by our apartment. As usual, this is taken on the public square right by our apartment (with the Pearl River in the background).

I love the fact that the leader is counting in English.

Week 9 Picks

2011-11-06T06:30:00.000-08:00

NO -8
Dal -11.5
NE -8.5
Pit -3
Chi +8

NFL Week 9: Monte Carlo

2011-11-06T06:15:00.000-08:00

The Browns head to Houston this week to play the favored Texans. If maybe, somehow, the Browns can get out of there with a win - they would be 4-4 at the halfway mark of the season. Yes, it is unlikely, but it is possible. There is a very small chance - like hitting a 6 way parlay or a $100 hard 8 - but stilla chance.

It reminds me of the old days at the Monte Carlo. It would be Saturday afternoon - we had a bad, but not horrid, Friday night - and you are within sight of break even (.500). Just one good run is needed! One big parlay, one nice craps run, or one good shoe at blackjack....

...but it never comes. You sink deeper and deeper, and by the end of the day,you're just trying to hang on for dear life. I have a feeling, at 3-5, the Browns will be hanging on for life after Sunday.

What to say about the Monte Carlo? It's the scene of my first serious gambling multi-day trips (starting in 03). So many good memories, good and bad....and none of them invovled being "up" for a long period of time. I always felt that I was chasing losses....from Black Friday to the International Craps scene, and yes - of course - banking Pai Gow against my friends. But even though it's the scene of so many losses, there are some many good memories that it's impossible to frown when thinking of this place.

On to the games:

Atl 23, Ind 13: Where is Indy's mind? I have to think that Atlanta realizes they can't afford to slip up here, especially after a bye.

NO 31, TB 16: The Saints have to be pissed after the loss to the Rams. They will be hungry for revenge at home.

Buf 27, NYJ 20: The home field advantage for the Bills is worth 3 points alone. I think they will be able to score when needed, unlike the Jets.

Mia 20, KC 17. A total gut feel game. KC is not that good, and will suffer from a letdown after the Mon night gift.

SF 23, Was 20. When is the run going to end for the 49ers? Are they really going to go 4-0 on the east coast? (It's against the Skins, so yes)

Dal 27, Sea 13. Does anyone know who the Seahawks QB is? Rob Ryan and the Cowboys are out to prove something.

Oak 20, Den 10. We all know how bad Den's offense is. What about the Raiders? They scored 10 vs. the Browns and 0 vs. the Chiefs. Who says the will run all over the Broncos?

Ten 27, Cin 17. The Bengals, a 5 game winning streak? Please God, no.

Az 31, StL 17. One win vs. the Saints and we think the Rams are off the bottom 3? No. Rams are still in the bottom 3 of the league. They should not be favored on the road (until next week......)

NE 34, NYG 20. Going with the anger theme again - the Pats will take care of business after the loss to the Steelers.

GB 31, SD 24. I will not hazard a guess on where the Chargers' minds are at.

Pit 27, Bal 17. There's no way the Steelers will let themselves get swept by Flacco - at home. No way.

Phi 31, Chi 27. After a bye, the Bears will keep this close. I don't think we can be confident in the Eagles just yet.

Best bets: 16 of them. Last week: 8-6. Overall: 69-47-7.

Atl -6.5
Atl/Ind under 45
NO -8.5
Buf -2.5
Mia +4
SF/Was over 37
Dal -11.5
Ten -2.5
Oak -7
Den/Oak under 42
Az -3
StL/Az over 41
NE -9
Pit -3
Chi +8
Chi/Phi over 47

Week 8

2011-10-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

I agree, Gigante!

Baltimore -12.5
Houston -9.5
Buffalo -6
Dallas +3.5
Kansas City +3.5

NFL Week 8 :Palazzo

2011-10-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Browns this week play at San Francisco - a team they have not lost in 20 years! I remember a Monday night game in Cleveland in 1993 that I attended - Joe Montana came to town, and we were big underdogs. Belicheck had a great game plan to shut down (or, rather, contain) the Niners and Michael Dyson (he was Michael Jackson, if you recall) had 2 touchdowns in the big win.

This is a test - believe it or not, the Browns are 3-3. Are they for real? Many will answer no, but we shall see. If they win - or even keep it close - it is a good sign for the team.

It's very much like our annual $25 craps run we have in Vegas - usually done at the Palazzo. The Palazzo is an upscale casino, and it's nice to try to test your skills at the high-roller place. The dealers are awesome, as they are sincerely rooting for you. If you can survive for more than an hour at the $25 craps table at the Palazzo, that is a stripe on your uniform.

Let's see if the Browns can get that stripe today.

To the games:

Bal 31, Arz 10. The Ravens are as mad as hornet's nest, and will take it out on a horrible road team.

Min 27, Car 20. Just a hunch. I think Ponder will continue to impress, and the Viking defense is just good enough to win.

Hou 24, Jax 10. I think we see just how bad the Jag's offense is - I think the Texans will be able to score in the 20s.

Ten 20, Ind 13. Have the Colts now officially given up for the season?

NO 30, StL 10. Should we ask the same question about the Rams?

NYG 24, Mia 20. Something about this game is fishy. I think the Giants' D is awful - see the loss to Seattle - and Miami's defense is halfway decent. I think the Dolphins keep it close.

Buf 31, Was 17. I don't see how the Redskins can keep up with the Bills' offense.

Det 23, Den 20. I have no idea on this game. Let's wait a few weeks to really evaluate Tebow.

Pit 34, NE 31. Yes, yes, I know, NE dominates Pit at Heinz field. But the Steelers match up well.

Cin 17, Sea 13. Ugh. My eyeballs still hurt watching Seattle try to move the ball last week.

Dal 27, Phi 24. I think the Cowboys are balanced enough to win this. And I believe Rob Ryan will be able to contain Vick.

KC 24, SD 23. Another blown game by Rivers, Turner and co.

Best bets: 14 of them. Last week: 8-6; overall: 61-41-7.
Bal -12.5
Min +3.5
Hou -9.5
Jax/Hou under 41
Ind/Ten under 44
NO -13
NO/StL under 48
Mia +9.5
Buf -6
Pit +2.5
NE/Pit over 52.5
Dal +3
KC +3

Picks for week 7

2011-10-23T03:55:00.000-07:00

What is with that hair?

Detroit -3
Tampa Bay +1
Houston+3
San Diego -2
Kansas City +4

NFL Week 7: Venetian Macao

2011-10-23T03:49:00.000-07:00

Hello - we are typing this week's preview live from - the Venetina Macao! The boys have school off on Monday and Tuesday for parent conferences, so we decided to take a long weekend and head here for 2 days. Actually, I was here last week to see a college friend who was in town (the immortal Ken from the golf team), so this is my second consecutive Sunday at the Venetian.

The Venetian is the biggest casino in the world, although it doesn't seem like it. It's all in one big room, unlike the MGM, which has its floor space broken up into multiple areas. The main game is baccarat, which is played very much like poker....the cards are dealt down to the player, who then pulls up a corner (like he's shielding the cards from....I'm not sure who), bends then back, puts a crease in the cards, studies them - and then flings them in anger at the dealer. It's like Steve and I playing gin back in the 90s. ("You have gin, sir? Well F you" - as I throw my ten cards in his face).

The cards are only used once, and then disposed.

A new came is here - I'm not sure what it is called, but it is a 10-foot diameter ring with a super model. SHe is flipping a coin - and the bettors around the ring bet on either green (phoenix) or red (dragon). I'm not sure where the commission comes in....but all it looks like is people better on the flip of a coin by Miss Macau 2012.

I've talked about craps before - but it is still fascinating that everyone plays the numbers and only about 30-40% of the people play the pass line. I was rolling, and in the middle of my roll I rolled a 3...no big deal, no harm done.....the guy next to me turned his numbers off.

After I hit the point, and established another, I did the same thing...and he turned his numbers off again.....and then, on another roller, someelse else joined him. The different superstitions that they have on this game fascinate me.

Speaking of "3", the winner of the Browns-Seahawks game will (believe it or not) be 3-3 on the season. Let's not lose a 1 pm home game to the worst road team in the league....

On to the games....

Hou 27, Ten 21. I believe this is a desperate time for Houston -they can't lose 3 in a row, especially to a division opponent. Desperate times call for desperate measures...

SD 24, NYJ 16. A big test for both teams - are the Jets still a good team? If so, they will win. If the Chargers are elite, they will win here.

Det 27, Atl 13. The Falcons are overrated, and the Lions won't lose 2 straight at home.

Was 19, Car 16. I don't really have a good idea. Why do I think Shanahan will get this team ready to play, after last week's performance? Maybe Beck will provide some magic.

TB 23, Chi 17. The Bears overperformed last week, and they will prove this week they are an average offensive team.

Mia 17, Den 13. Miami's offense - even with Moore - will move the ball vs. Denver's weak defense. And Miami will be pissed that they are honoring Tebow at halftime.

KC 23, Oak 20, OT. Boller will start? He looked awful last week.

Pit 31, Az 20. The Cardinals have a bad pass defense - and Pittsburgh (make no mistake) is a passing team.

Dal 23, StL 10. I see the Rams putting up a little fight - this is a letdown game in a way for the Cowboys - but they won't be able to last with Feeley at the helm.

GB 27, Min 17. Yeah, this should be a 24-point thrashing by the Pack. Maybe Peterson will give some spark here.

NO 34, Ind 16. The COlts are in a horrible position....losing motivation just as they go to New Orleans, who needs a win to keep pace in the division. The Saints will be up 20 at half.

Bal 24, Jax 16. I think this will be a Monday night stinkfest. Hope Ray Rice can get me some yards and TDs.

Best bets: 14 of them. Last week: 7-7-1; overall: 53-35-7.

Hou +3
SD +1
Det -4
Atl/Det under 47
Was +2.5
Was/Car under 43.5
TB +2
Mia +1
Den/Mia under 41.5
KC +4
Pit -3.5
Pit/Az over 44
StL/Dal under 43
NO -13.5

Eric's Culinary History

2011-10-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

Last week on Yahoo, I saw a link that was a list of "America's Disappearing Restaurant Chains". I thought that would be good for 2 minutes of entertainment - I thought York's Steak House or Bill Knapp (that was then, this is WOW) would be 1 and 2.....

.... 30 minutes later, I was sad, depressed, with a tear in my eye. This list brings back so many memories! I have personal experiences with 8 out of the top 10!

1. Bennigan's
There was one mall in Iowa when we lived there in 2004-05, the Coralville mall. Attached to the mall was a Target, where we (of course) made 5,215 stops at over 2 years. Next to the Target, accesible through the mall and through Target, was Bennigan's. We spent countless winter nights at Bennigan's, watching god-awful Big Ten basketball (Penn St. vs Minnesota, anyone?) and trying to make a 4-year old Freddie eat one piece of honey-mustard drenched lettuce and a 18-month-old Warren just eat one piece of hot dog (and no, not the piece that just fell on the floor).

2. Ground Round
Wow, this alone makes me cry. What a treat for Layup and me growing up when Dad would come home on a Friday and say: "it's payday! Let's go to Ground Round!" We'd either go to the one in Timonium (there was one there, right?) or up in York...and I would have the Salisbury steak. I'm a grown man- I'm 14! No hamburger for me! Give me the Salisbury steak - and then I would drench it with A1. MMMmmmmmmmmmmmm......
(There was a Ground Round in Iowa - I tried to take Janice there, she wanted no part of it....)

3. Baker's Square
Well, this is a must for any college student in NE Ohio. How many locations of Bakers' Square were there in Cleveland in the eatly 90s? 40? 50? There was one near every Finast, that's for sure. A slice of French Silk pie to go, please!

4.Damon's
Bakers' Square was college food....but you aspired to graduate from college to eat and watch sports at Damon's! I disticntly remember driving by a Damon's in March, 1994 in Solon (or Mayfield - somewhere on the east side) saying to myself: "I can't wait to have a job and money, so I can blow 2 days just sitting at Damon's, eating the Big Onion Loaf and watching the NCAA tournament......."

and when I got my first job in Dayton, that's exactly what I did in 1996!!!!My friend Paul and I spent 10 hours at the Damon's on Dorothy Lane watching the games. My first car - a brown Toyota Celica hand me down from Mom and Dad - turned 100,000 miles as I was driving to Damon's.

And that's where I watched this game - a game that brings a smile to any ACC fan......

5. Don Pablo's
How in the hell is this place on the list? I went here for lunchat least once a week for 3 years. Find a warehouse, serve cheap Mexican food, overcharge for it, serve expensive and fruity Margaritas.....profit! How do you screw that up?
Don Pablo's was one of only like 4 restaurants near her apartment in 1996-7 in Springdale, near Tri County mall. It was packed at 4:30 pm every day. There was a 20 minute wait every time we went - and we went often. How did they screw this up so badly??

7. Big Boy
If you have stepped foot in Ohio, then you must have eaten here at some point. What's your favorite thing? I was not a regular customer, but several friends kept trying to take us to the Big Boy's breakfast buffet on the weekend. Sorry, I prefer Shoney's.

8. Tony Roma's
Ah, another restaurant which you only aspired to go to when you were in college. There was a Tony Roma's on Mayfield on Birch in Beachwood/Mayfield Village (Kermit, is that right??) that we would drive past every day to and from golf practice. Ribs.....is there anything better to eat after a round of golf? 2 or three times in our career,we would get our $8 meal money for dinner after a tournament, and then grab some more money from the ATM and head to Tony Roma's......for completeyly average ribs that seemed at the time to be worth a million dollars.

9. Country Kitchen
Ah, another Iowa speciality. I think I went to a few of these on my travels around the state for golf....taking my 15-year old caddy with me into the restaurant. A lower-quality Bob Evans, with good breakfast.

So many memories.....all about to disappear.....

Week 6

2011-10-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

This week's picks:

Car +4
Ind +7
Pit -12
Chi -2.5
NYJ -7

NFL Week 6: The (Late) New Frontier

2011-10-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

The Browns are coming off a bye this week, going to Oakland – and facing the Raiders in the first home game since Al Davis died. I have many good memories about the Browns going to Oakland and winning –there was the classic game in 2005 where we won 9-7 (three Dawson field goals); who can forget a game in 1993 when Eric Metcalf returned a punt for a TD in the 2nd half to win.
Of course, there was a big loss in 2007 – the year we went 10-6 – when we were down 2 in the last seconds; Dawson kicked a 40 yard field goal to win – except Oakland called time out right before the snap. After the time out, the kick was blocked; that loss cost us a division titie and a playoff spot.

I had a 5 year bye myself with casino gambling from 1994-99. When I returned to Vegas for the 2nd time ever with Layup in 99, we stayed at one of the old classic casinos that is no longer there – the Frontier. They made low rollers feel right at home. $5 craps player? Great! Have a buffet coupon! To a young gambler, that was heaven – we felt like Sally Field. “They like us! They really like us!”

It had all the basics for a low budget, serious gambler – low limit blackjack, crpas tables, and roulette table. I think the dealers were actually friendly, too – they talked to you, not lke that pompous joint across the street (the Desert Inn). If you wanted a break from gambling at the Frontier, they had Keno; they also had the manual, whiteboard sportsbook. That huge whiteboard was mesmerizing during an NFL weekend.

We were able to overlook the cigarette burns in the bedsheets and the worn out carpet throughout the casino. Also,you had to get through the picketers out front – but if you never left the casino, you didn’t have to worry about it! I think Layup had his first major craps run here during this trip.

On to the games for week 6:

Car 27, Atl 23 – I just don’t like what I see rom Atlanta. You can’t take that big lead against GB, at home, in a primetime game, and then come out flat. And Carolina is rady to win a road game now. Us Browns fans would be very happy to see the Falcons keep losing.

Cin 20, Ind 17 – I know, I can’t help myself. I just don’t see the Bengals blowing anybody out.

Det 31, SF 23 – I think this Lion team is the real deal – they have the QB, WR and some running game, and the front seven of the defense is solid. And the 49ers now have injuries at the WR position.

GB 34, StL 17 – I can see the Rams scoring some points, but how is anyone going to stop the Packers?

Buf 30, NYG 27, OT – I was able to watch the Giants/Seahawks game last night; I can’t get the vision of Tavaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst tearing up the NYG D out of my head. If those Seatt;e QB’s can do it, I think Fitzpatrick can.

Pit 28, Jax 10 – Believe me, I’ve seen plenty of bad offenses go into Heiz field over the years. I don’t see the Jags scoring more than 10-13.

Was 23, Phi 17 – All right, I’m sick of waiting for the Eagles to show up. I believe in Shananhan after a bye.

Bal 27, Hou 23 – I think Houston will figure a way to keep it close – but lose, of course.

NE 31, Dal 27 – Speaking of keeping it close…. And then losing….we have Tony Romo! Dallas will be within 4 down the stretch – will he lead the Cowboys to a TD and the win, or fumble, or throw the pick six? You know it’s one of those 3.

NO 23, TB 20 – I just don’t think the Saints are the same team outdoors. And the Bucs need to show something as a bounce back after the debacle in SF.

Chi 24, Min 13 – The Bears are desperate; they have a good enough defense to shut down a one-dimensional offense in the Vikings, and they are at home. Are you telling me that Donovan McNabb will lead this team to victory?

NYJ 30, Mia 13 – Matt Moore on the road, against a Jets team returing home after a 3 game road trip?

Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 8-5-1; overall: 46-28-6
Car +3.5
Ind +6.5
Det -4
SF/Det over 45.5
GB -14
Buf +3
Buf/NYG over 50
Pit -12.5
Was +3
Phi/Was under 47
Hou +7
TB +6.5
NO/TB under 49.5
Chi -2
NYJ -6.5

Week 5

2011-10-09T06:20:00.000-07:00

We continue this week:

KC +2.5
Phi -2.5
Jax -2.5
NYG -9.5
NYJ +9

Vietnam Notes

2011-10-09T06:13:00.000-07:00

We just had a week long holiday here in China - so we got out of the country and went to Vietnam. We spent 3 days in Saigon (now called Ho Chi Minh City, or HCMC) and then 4 days at a beach town called Nha Trang.

Some completely random notes on the trip that may be of interest:

1. I know it's a sample size of 1, but our tour guide in Saigon was very complementary of Americans and disliked the people from the North. Yeah, I guess it is the spoils of war and all - the North "reunified" the country, and they are in the seat of government - but she talked openly of how the government and the "North" took everything over commerce-wise from Saigon in the past 10-20 years, and no one likes it. I guess I'm shocked that she was so open about it, and from her impression, the South part of Vietnam is still very much pro-American.

2. Went to the Cu Chi tunnels one day - that was interesting. The main attraction are the network of tunnels that the Viet Cong built underground. Freddie, Warren and I went in one and traveled about 40 meters - Freddie complained about them being too small. Warren was fine; he stands just under 4 feet. I was on my hands and knees the whole way.

.

And they say they have been enlarged for the tourists.

Of course, there were some disturbing images. There was a display of the man-made traps that the Viet cong built in the jungle. The picture here was the backdrop from the display. That was disturbing

3. A lot of French influence in Saigon. Here is a picture of the main Saigon post office - designed by a French architect. It was undisturbed during the war.

4. Tons - and tons - of motorbikes all over the place. Tons.

5. We also took a tour of the War Museum - yes, the propaganda was in full force there. There was a room called "Historical Truths". In it, charts outlined the American support for the "puppet" government in Sotuh Vietnam from 1954-75. There was a wing solely dedicated to the damage caused by Agent Orange. (The room was orange, by the way). And there were a few American tanks outside on display.

6. The beach town, Nha Trang, was unique. One of the attractions was a resort island called VinPearl. It is kind of like HersheyPark, Sea World, and Chuck E Cheese's all rolled into one, contained in a 5-star luxury resort.

We went on a Wednesday in what is the offseason. The admission fee was about $18 each. The park was open; there were maybe 50 people - maybe - in the whole park. The boys went on water slides for 2 hours and went to the wave pool for another 1 1/2 hours. No lines, no crowds. Just then it started to pour; there was an attraction called "Indoor Games"; in there were bumper cars, a kids play area, and 30 or so video games. All were free.

The play area had about 25% of the safety features of a normal Burger King play area. A sign was present saying the park had no liability for any "severy injuries or fatalities caused by this area". I did not doubt for one second that there mayhave been a fatality there in the past.

The kids corner also had a room for toddlers, with those kids' cars, whiteboards, and toddler beds (for napping). About half the beds had dirty sheets on them.

I'm still in amazement on how this place is still open. Oh - the picture we took is from a cable car that you must take to get to the island. The cable car was built too low; now cruise ships can not come in and dock in the city. This resort apparently has not made many friends in the town.

NFL Week 5: MGM Grand

2011-10-09T01:13:00.000-07:00

It's bye week for the Browns after laying a stink bomb last week vs. the Titans. 60 passes for Colt for 350 yards - 60! - breaking the franchise record. We dominated time of possession, but trading FGs for TDs early, and key defensive breakdowns bring us to 2-2 at the break.

Talking about breaks, the one Vegas casino that I take a relative break in is the MGM grand. Many years, we have a dinner at this casino, and we spend the hours before and after the dinner gambling at that casino. Most of the time, I don't gamble as much as other casinos. I hate the layout and the warehouse-like feel of the place. It's impossible to find an afforable craps game - I think there are more craps tables at the Monte Carlo than the MGM.

The dealers are excellent, but the limits are just too high. I just don't want to put in a long session on a Saturday night at the MGM. The one exception, of course, is if they bring back the "Card Sharks" game.....then maybe I will ask for the limits to be raised to $100.....

I've played BJ there for a limited bankroll; played higher-limit Pai Gow Poker ($50) for little risk - but nothing major. It's a nice place for taking a breather, for people watching (especially the people in this group), for light sports wagering - and not much more. A bye week during a typical Vegas trip.

On to the games:

Phi 31, Buf 24. OK, one last game to think that the Eagles will turn it around. And how good are the Bills, really? They beat an imploding KC team, won in a shootout vs. the Raiders, beat the Pats, but lost to the Bengals. So if they play a team with any semblance of defense, they will lose.

Pit 24, Ten 17. I think the Steelers are out to prove something here.

NYG 31, Sea 10. Seattle, on the road, in a 1pm game.....vs the Giants with a good pash rush. Hmmmmmm......Seems too obvious.

Min 20, Az 17. Two teams that can't close. No idea here - except that there will be a lot of mistakes.

Jax 23, Cin 13. Gut feeling - Jax's offense is slowly getting better with Gabbard, and Cincy's offense hasn't done much.

KC 24, Ind 17. I think Painter comes a bit back to earth here for this game.

Car 27, NO 24. All right, yes, I am a sucker for the Panthers.

Hou 27, Oak 24. This one should be decided by a field goal.

SF 24, TB 13. I don't think Tampa is all that good. They can't score if they play a semi-tough defense.

SD 30, Den 23. Denver's defense is the worst in the league. The question is - will the Chargers play down to the competition, again?

NE 30, NYJ 27. The Jets are struggling on offense - and that's fine here, since the Pats have no defense! I think this will be a shootout, and the Jets will stop the Pats just enough to make it close.

GB 30, Atl 28. Atlanta's stand here. They have got to show something here to give them confidence going forward.

Det 28, Chi 16. I think the Lions will come out firing immediately and get a huge lead on the Bears right away.

Best bets: 14 of them. Last week: 11-6; overall: 38-23-5

Phi -3
Pit -3
NYG -10
Az/Min under 45
Jax -1
KC +2
Car +6.5
SF -3
SD -3.5
Den/SD over 45.5
NYJ +7
NYJ/NE over 51
Atl +5.5
Det -5

Week 4

2011-10-02T01:11:00.000-07:00

This week's picks:

NO -6.5
NE -4
Arz pk
SD -7
Ind +10

Next stop: Vietnam

2011-09-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we are leaving for vacation (yes, another week-long Chinese holiday week); we are heading to Vietnam. 3 days in Saigon, and then 3 more in Nha Trang, a beach town.

We already have some tours lined up in Saigon - we will be seeing the Cu Chi tunnels, going to the War Museum, and some other city sightseeing. I don't think the tunnels will faze me too much - it will be interesting to see the network of tunnels that they built during the war. However, the museum may be too much. Most of the reviews that we've seen about the museum say that they are incredibly biased. I'll see how long I can stay in there before walking out.

And then, of course, Sunday night at Midnight, I will be on my slingbox watching the kickoff of the Browns game in the hotel. Is this what we envisioned as a future life in Vietnam 40 years after the war? We are fighting so that Americans can watch the NFL whenever, whereever they wanted in Vietnam?

NFL Week 4: Oneida Casino

2011-09-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

Well, the Browns are 2-1....and I really have no idea what to expect from this team. Are they good? (not in a Packers-good kid of way, but maybe Falcons, Eagles, or (dare I say) Steelers way - average to slightly better-than-average?) Or are they lucky and not very good at all? Yes, they have only beaten the Colts and Dolphins....but look what happened when Pittsburgh came to Indy. No one is putting the Steelers 20th in the power rankings.....

Anyway, I don't know what to expect from this team. We're 2-1 for the first time since - 2002. 9 years ago. We are veering a bit from our comfort zone here. And if somehow we can win vs. Tennessee, that means we are 3-1 at the break. I'm not confident, however; Chris Johnson has got to get untracked at some point and our run D is not good.

Speaking of moving out of the comfort zone, every young engineer in Tissue Towel that cared any bit about gambling had a trip to the Oneida casino in Green Bay. I still remember my first trip there fairly well. (And no - surprisingly, it was not with a fellow engineer that had multiple projects in Green Bay at the time...his name was Don).

I went with two other older engineeers in 1998 - it was a Monday night during football season. The Packers were not on. We went to one of the multiple $5 blackjack tables - all the $3 tables were full - and I sat down with $20.

I was not comfortable. It was not Vegas, and it was not my hometown Argosy. Were the rules different? (no) The players? (yes) The drinks? (no alcohol).

My $20 lasted 1 1/2 hours. My two fellow co-workers, who both busted out after about 15 minutes, were amazed. How in the hell did I make it last that long?

I think I have made at least 10 trips there during my time in Tissue Towel. The atmosphere at the casino would make Steve, Layup, Wiz, and others crazy. The age limit is 18 - so 18 year old are playing at the table with me. Let's just say the quality of play sucked. And since the age limit was 18, no alcohol was server. A bunch of high school seniors, drinking Mountain Dew and playing blackjack with me. That's Oneida.

On to the games!

Chi 23, Car 13. Back and forth on this one. I don't think Carolina has played a good defense yet this year.

Stl 23, Was 20, OT. A pure letdown pick after the Skins loss (but cover) on Monday night.

Phi 24, SF 16. I can't figure out the Eagles just yet.

Min 24, KC 20. I think Peterson will get the carries he dserves in the 4th quarter to seal it.

NO 26, Jax 13. With Gabbert, I think the Jags are one of the 3 or 4 worst teams in the league. And the Saints realize they can't slip up and fall to 2-2.

Hou 31, Pit 23. I know, I know, every year I say that BOTH Baltimore and Pittsburgh can't be good. I was wrong last year. I don't think I am wrong in 2011. Pittsbrugh can't run, and they can't stop a pass rush. A one-dimensional team can get to 8 or 9 wins, but not much more.

Dal 24, Det 20. Gees, if the Lions win THIS one, when is the letdown ever going to come?

Buf 20, Cin 17. The Bengals have a defense - but their offense won't be able to score enough.

Sea 26, Atl 20. Maybe these Falcons are not as good as advertised. (And that would make Browns fans extremely happy, as we own their #1 draft pick next year).

Az 27, NYG 20. Letdown, plus Fitzgerald vs. the beat up Giants secondary.

GB 28, Den 20. What's the motivation here for the Packers to go all out for this game?

SD 30, Mia 13. I think last week was the last straw for Sparano - the players are giving up.

NE 34, Oak 23. The Pats after a loss? I wouldn't want to be this team. And if the Pats lose? A lot of reevaluation will be going on.

Bal 29, NYJ 20. This game will have a lot of passing yards, and therefore a lot of scoring.

Tam 21, Ind 17. I can't see Tampa scoring enough to pull away.

Best bets: 17 of them. Last week: 9-8. Overall: 27-17-5.

Chi -6
Car/Chi under 42
Stl +2
NO -7
NO/Jax under 45
Hou -3.5
Pit/Hou over 45
Buf/Cin under 43.5
Sea +4
Atl/Sea over 38
Az +1
Den +12
SD -7
NE -4.5
Bal -3
NYJ/Bal over 42.5
Ind +10

Week 3

2011-09-25T02:32:00.000-07:00

The picks for week 3:

Cin -2.5
Phi -6.5
NO -4
Ind +10.5
Was +4.5

Back to Civilization?

2011-09-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to spend this week in the US (in Cincinnati) for the company Modeling & Simulation meetings. I spent Sunday with Layup, watching the NFL games at BW-3's for 6 hours. Having breakfast, snack, and lunch at BW-3's right off the airplane did not do good things for my stomach. It did not take all that grease kindly.

Layup is a wonderful good luck charm when watching the games. If he goes to the bathroom, it's a guarantee that something good will happen to the games we wagered on. He missed 2 Tampa Bay TDs in the can, and missed 2 Dallas TDs in the afternoon. He was also taking a piss when Romo completed the long pass in overtime.

I am finding myself becoming more Chinese, bit by bit. Some examples:
- when paying by credit card, it is now a habit for me to hand the card over with 2 hands (a very Asian custom).
- I went to McDonald's; the bill was $5.27. I didn't have a $5 or $10 bill, so I handed him a $20 and a $1. He looked at me like I was on Mars. This is standard practice in China.
- He asked if this was for here or to go. I said "it is take away" - exactly the broken English that is used everywhere in China.

I got to see my parents on Monday and Janice's brother on Wednesday - where a fully loaded duffel bag full of clothes and other goodies were waiting.

I'm heading back home tonight - and probably will see sights like those in the picture above as soon as I get in. This picture is taken on the sidewalk on the street in front of our complex.

See the man by the tree? He has picked up his son by his armpits - and, yes, those are the kid's legs dangling in the air.

And yes, the kid's pants are pulled down to his knees. I hope the dad brought some sort of toilet paper.

NFL Week 3: Casino Royale

2011-09-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

While we were reviewing the games this week, it was apparent quickly to Layup and I that there are several "trap" games on the schedule. Trap games are those where the superior team (on paper) should easily win - but the line is set at a place where everyone thinks it's too low. This usually happens when the favorite is the road team. Most analysts and bettors quickly look at the line, scoff at it - and jumps quickly on the favorite. By Sunday afternoon, it's clear it was a trap as the bettors lick their wounds.

I don't think there is a better definition of a "trap" casino than the infamous Casino Royale. Everyone know this place - right across the street from the Mirage, proudly advertising "$5 craps with 100 x odds!" - and on weekdays the limits could be even lower! They also have Blackjack switch!

More than once in Vegas, Layup and I have been bored - so we have the great idea to go to the Casino Royale. "C'mon", we say to each other. "How much trouble can we get into there? We'll roll the dice for a while - it's a $5 table! How much can we lose, $150??"

Two hours later, we struggle back into the daylight, absolutely beatne to a pulp. "What happened? 15x odds on the point of 8 sounds like a perfect idea!"

I think my career losses at the Royale are greater than losses at other, well known Vegas casinos, like the Luxor, Aladdin, TI, and Excalibur.

It was also the start of the Blackjack Switch love affair for our group. I remember one trip going, with Wiz, Layup, me, and maybe Jay. Layup was deathly ill (as usual) and sneezed and coughed all over the cards. He was sitting right next to Wiz - and Wiz was none too happy with this. Every cough made Wiz slug Layup in the arm, tellin ghim to get his "God damn saliva off of my cards". Of course, Wiz got sick later that week. *

* - maybe I have mis-remembered some (or all?) of the details. I'm sure I will be corrected in the comments.

Anyway, I think we are done with Casino Royale trips for the foreseeable future. How long can that casino, on a prime location on the strip, still be in business?

These are tough games this week - be very careful when wagering. Don't fall into the Royale traps.

NE 34, Buf 23. I'm too lazy to go against the convention wisdom for this game here. NE will be up by 10-17 all game, and Buffalo will score late to make it closer.

Cin 24, SF 13. The Bengals are an OK offensive team. The 49ers are not - and the Bengals defense is adequate.

Ten 23, Den 13. I was surprised to see the Titans stop the Ravens last week.

Det 20, Min 17. Casino Royale Game #1! Detroit has to come back to earth sometime, right?

NO 34, Hou 27. Who has Houston played? A shell shocked Colts team, and Miami at home. They have not been tested yet.

Phi 27, NYG 16. The eagles were moving the ball even with Kafka back there at QB.

Car 27, Jax 13. I think Cam keeps it going, although this could be Casino Royale Game #2.

NYJ 23, Oak 20. Casino Royale Game #3. This will go down to the wire and be decided by a field goal.

StL 24, Bal 20. Casino Royale Game #4. The Rams are desperate and at home - and won't self destruct like they did Monday night.

SD 31, KC 13. Not much to say here. The Chiefs offense could be the equivalent of the 1999-2000 Browns offense.

GB 20, Chi 19. Casino Royale Game #5. Should be a lot closer than people think.

Arz 20, Sea 17. Casino Royale Game #6. Seattle was playing a desperate Pittsburgh team last week - now they are at home facing a weak Arizona defense.

Atl 20, TB 16. I just don;t like Tampa's M.O. of falling way behind early.

Pit 24, Ind 20. Casino Royale Game #7. Indy is improving since thir world was rocked before the season started. They still have offensive weapons - Addai, Wayne, Clark. I'm not predicting a Colts win, but I think it will be close.

Dal 24, Was 23. Dallas just is not that good.

Best bets: 17 of them. Last week: 9-4-3; overall: 18-9-5.

NE -7
Cin -2.5
Den/Ten under 42.5
Det/Min under 45
NO -4
Hou/NO over 51.5
Phi -8
Car -3
StL +4
SD -14.5
Chi +4
GB/Chi under 45.5
Az/Sea under 43
Atl +1.5
Atl/TB under 46
Ind +10
Was +4.5

This week

2011-09-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

The picks this week:

NO -6.5
Jax +9
TB +3
Dal -3
Atl +2.5

NFL Week 2: Argosy Casino

2011-09-17T01:20:00.000-07:00

This week, the Browns go to Indiana to play in a new, pristine stadium that has been built in the last 2 years. The old stadium was serviceable, but it doesn't have all the amenities and space that the new stadium has. However, the old stadium really had charm, noise and character; the new stadium is anitseptic.

Hey wait, I'm not talking about the RCA Dome and Lucas Oil Field - I'm talking about the old Argosy Casino and the new Hollywood Casino!

The old Argosy - wow, I have a lot of memories from there. A temporary casino in Lawrenceburg opened in 1996, I believe. When I was working for TASC, a bunch of us from Dayton amde a road trip down there. I was still playing blackjack 80% of the time - and was at a $5 table. I put $10 in the circle - big money! - and they were about to deal the cards when a co-worker of mine butted in and put 5 red chips of his in my circle.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?" I blurted.
"What? I'm piggybacking"
"What does that mean? You're messing things up!!"

I got dealt and ace, then a king. Blackjack. I still was pissed at him.

Layup and I would go there at least once a year, blaring Annie Lennox from the radio as we drove down the lonely stretch of I-275 at 9 at night.
Don and I would secretly root for a rain out if we were playing in Kentucky so that we could sneak over to Lawrenceburg instead.
I successfully convinced Janice we should go for a Argosy run for my birthday in January, 2001....so we spent 3 hours at a smoky craps table......(while she was 8 months pregnant).
When I worked at Winton Hill, in the west side of Cincinnati, I actually snuck over there for "lunch" one day - left work at 11, got back around 1:30. Yes, I was by myself. Why do you ask?

And then, the intimacy, the magic, the memories are all gone. The Argosy was replaced in 2009 with the monstrosity that is the Hollywood Casino. It's huge, impersonal, and it frankly sucks. I don't win there. The atmosphere is terrible. The dealers are all new and horrid. I will purposely drive 20-30 minutes out of the way to gamble at one of the other casinos.

It's what is happening to all the NFL stadiums now (and, to an extent, all new stadiums). The character, intimacy, and feel is gone. Sports Guy hsa wrote about this - the home field advantage is less nowadays just because of the structure of the new stadiums - they don't give the advantage to the home team like they used to.

Anyway - the Browns going to Indy, and their new stadium, reminded me of Argosy for this reason...I know it's a tenuous link. Dad is actually going to the game on Sunday - I'll report what he says about the atmosphere.

On to the games: (and there's no way in hell I'm predicting anything about this Browns team)

Buf 24, Oak 17. I still am trying to figure out each of these teams.

Was 27, Az 17. My goodness, the Cardinals' secondary is horrid. Grossman and the Skins will light them up.

Bal 24, Ten 21. A classic letdown game for the Ravens.

Pit 28, Sea 10. The Seahawks are in the bottom 5 of the league. The Steelers should take their frustrations out on them.

NYJ 20, Jax 17. I refuse to believe the Jets are championship caliber.

NO 31, Chi 17. The Saints are a bit desperate - they won't go 0-2.

TB 23, Min 20. Another desperation game - this time for the Bucs.

GB 30, Car 24. I do believe that the Panthers will be able to move the ball on the Pack. They won't win, but maybe Cam is for real - at least until defensive coordinators figure him out.

Det 24, KC 14. Alarm bells! This one seems too easy.

Dal 23, SF 16. I have to thinkn that Garrett will get this team fired up after their loss on Monday. They can't afford to go 0-2 (and 2 games behind the Skins?!?!?)

NE 31, SD 27. An old fashioned shootout at Jack Murphy. Where is Charlie Jones and Todd Christensen when you need them?

Cin 20, Den 16. Not exactly a vote in the Bengals, but against the Broncos.

Mia 24, Hou 20. Another classic trap/letdown game for the Texans. They threw everything they had into week 1 vs. the Colts. A letdown is impossible to avoid.

Atl 27, Phi 24. Another desperation game - this time for Atlanta.

NYG 20, StL 13. These offenses are pretty putrid.

Best bets: 16 of them. Last week: 9-5-2 (based on the lines I listed).
Buf -3
Was -3
Bal/Ten over 38
Pit -14
Jax +8.5
NO -6.5
TB +2.5
Car +10
GB/Car over 45.5
Det -7.5
KC/Det under 44.5
Dal -3
Cin +3
Mia +3
Atl +2
Stl/NYG under 44

Off we go!

2011-09-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

Here are F&J's week 1 SuperContest picks. Lord help us!
The entire field's picks can be found here.

TB -1.5
Min +8.5
Arz -7
NE -7
Den -3

NFL Week 1: Palace Station

2011-09-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

Here we are again! The opening week of the NFL season. The preseason is interminable as the anticipation for the opening week begins. Next thing we know, it will be week 6 with 1/3 of the season already gone.

I love the idea of tying each week to a Casino that I have visited! So, for week 1, of course, we will review the first casino I gambled at – the wonderful Palace Station! Everyone remembers their first Vegas trip – the buildup is tremendous, the plane is full of energy, the shuttle bus ride from the airport contains 32 overweight middle-aged women hoping to hit it big at slots, and the bus driver reciting lame puns about “Lost Wages” (yes, that’s an indelible memory)….

… and the next thing you know, it’s day 2 of the trip and you are down $200. (which was a HUGE amount of money for me in 1994!)

That is very much like week 1 of the NFL season – everyone is giddy, even Chris Berman seems funny – and then your favorite team lays an egg. By Monday, you are wondering “what the hell happened to my team/picks/fantasy team?” The Monday/Tuesday after week 1 is usually such a letdown.

Let’s hope the afterglow of week 1 is better than the final day of my first Vegas trip – where I had to resort to playing BINGO at Palace Station (I think I won a pot worth $7.75) and I eventually got carded while playing the nickel slots.

Onward to the picks!

GB 23, NO 20 – yes, a cop out pick. I do believe the Saints will be better this year. We will see how the rookie Ingram does.

Bal 27, Pit 17 – I do believe in the power of desperation. If a team is desperate, they will throw everything out there in order to win that game. It’s hard to think of week 1 as desperation, but if the Ravens lose – at home – they will be 1 down to the Steelers and they still have to go to Pit. Sports Guy’s podcast threw this idea out, and it makes sense. I think the Ravens will do anything to win this game.

TB 26, Det 20 – I like Josh Freeman, and I don’t trust the Lions (do they have a RB?) yet.

Atl 23, Chi 20 – who knows. I’m afraid of the Falcons outdoors. Cutler is good for some good games, and the Falcons don’t have a great defensive team.

KC 17, Buf 16 – Tyler Palko is in. Wow. Do they really deserve to be a heavy favorite here?

Hou 27, Ind 17 – I’m staying away from each of these until we find out more from each team.

Phi 20, StL 19 – The Eagles’ O-line sucks. I would be scared if you have Vick on your fantasy team.

Ten 27, Jax 17 – I’ve seen the Luke McCown show before – 5 years ago. I don’t think he has gotten much better from his days when I proclaimed for him to be the answer in Cleveland.

Was 27, NYG 24 – Grossman is starting, and the Giants have no secondary. This seems like a good opportunity for Grossman to have a nice start to the season before a real defense comes along.

Az 27, Car 13- - I just see the Panthers as clearly the worst team in football.

SF 20, Sea 16 – no idea here. Who’s starting for the Niners?

SD 24, Min 20 – look here now. Minnesota is not that bad. They have the best RB in football. McNabb is adequate – and he’s much better than what Favre game him last year. I think this will be a close game.

Dal 23, NYJ 17 - I think Sanchez is a mediocre quarterback – and look who the Dallas D coordinator is – Rob Ryan, our D coordinator last year. Rob developed game plans against Brady, Brees and Sanchez last year – and we went 2-0-1 against them. * I think Sanchez will look a little lost at times out there.

NE 30, Mia 16 – I just don’t see how NE is threatened in this game.

Den 30, Oak 20 – I like Kyle Orton. I think he’s at least an average quarterback. And I the coach is definitely an upgrade.

Best Bets of the week:
Bal -1
Pit/Bal over 36
TB -1.5
Buf +6
Buf/KC under 40
StL +4.5
Ten +2
Ten/Jax over 37
Was +3
Was/NYG over 37.5
Az -7
Min +8.5
Dal +4.5
NE -7
Den -3
Oak/Den over 40

*we beat the Pats and the Saints last year – and if we chose to, we could have tied the Jets. However, Mangini gambled for the win instead of settling for the sure tie (a decision I agreed with) , but lost. So I count this as a tie in my book.

2011-09-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Just spent the last four days in Vegas getting this set up, losing money at UTH, and doing a football fantasy draft. I have to say that drafting in Vegas was absolutely amazing.

7 out of the 10 guys showed up. I greeted all of them with a $5 WNBA wager on Seattle Storm. What a huge hit! Thanks Eric for the idea. And to boot, the Storm covered and I am a legend now with the League.
Had to do the draft in our room. Worked out great. Got 7 CPK pizzas delivered up to the room, which lasted only about 15 minutes.
The commissioner (Brian) incorporated a great drinking idea into our draft. Each of us had to submit two names of players that would get drafted outside of the first three rounds. When they were drafted, the person who drafted said player had to do a shot. If the player was drafted by one of the three guys not in attendance, then you had to do the shot for him. Most of us picked kickers and defenses, so it really made the last three rounds awesome. Nothing like timidly selecting a kicker and then the commissioner announcing that you had to do 2 shots with the group going crazy.
After the draft, we were all pretty much trashed. Handing out 14 shots started to take its toll. I only gambled for another hour after the draft and then we all ended up going to a country bar over at the TI. Why? Because we saw that they were having specials on shots. Not a good idea. The last thing I remember was being pushed around in a cart in the TI casino before jumping off and all of us running out of the casino before being kicked out. I also ordered a double shot of lamb burgers. Yes, I ate 2 lamb burgers at BLT at 4 am in the morning before passing out at the table. Great time.

As for gambling, I took it on the chin. Lost a $600 hand at UTH on a kicker. And the UTH dealers now are acting all weird. Like you have to bet in order and no talking or sharing cards. Something must of happened for them to be that strict. The dealers do recognize me now which is nice, but probably not a good thing. I've been doing so bad at UTH that as a result of this latest outing, they comp'd two rooms for me during labor day weekend. Ugh. I can't wait for March though....

2011 NFL Season Preview

2011-08-31T08:20:00.000-07:00

OK, everyone, it's time for the audience participation part of the blog! The 2011 NFL season is coming up soon - and yes, I am cautiously optimistic (as usual) about the Browns this year. I just watch the Direct TV "Short Cuts" of the 34-14 win over the Pats from last year - and I'm ready for the season to start.

A few notes:

1. I am planning to re-start the weekly NFL previews with my picks. I just need a topic to center the previews around. To recap, I started this preview theme in 2006 by listing one of my favorite "Price is Right" games each week. In 2007, it was Seinfeld characters; in 2008, it was summarizing the NFL Head referees, and in 2009, it was the 18 holes of Augusta. We didn't do the weekly previews last year for obvious reasons.

So - looking for input from the readers on possible topics for 2011. It would have to be a "top 17" list for each week of the season.
We could focus on pop culture (like: 17 top sitcoms of the 80s; the 17 shows I watched the most in college, 17 one-hit wonders)
It could focus on football (top 17 Browns victories since the return, top 17 Browns quarterbacks, etc.)
(Do the Browns actually have 17 victories since 1999? -ed) Ha ha
Or it could be completely arrogant and focus on me (top 17 golf rounds in my career, top 17 putts that put the dagger in my friends, etc.)

Any input is welcome.

2. I went back and actually looked at my record in doing these picks. Here is the recap; these picks and records are all on the blog for public review, with the exception of 2010. I put this statement here for complete disclosure, unlike a certain friend of Wiz's whose initials are D.M.
2006: 140-124-8 (53%)
2007: partial year: 84-101-10 (45%)
2008: 143-105-8 (58%)
2009: 104-120-4 (46%)
2010: 119-102-4 (54%)

For a grand total of: 590-552-34, or 51.7%. Hmmmmm...seems like 590-552 should sound better than 52%.

The pattern I am falling into - even numbered years are good, odd numbered years are bad - is not a good sign as we move into..........

3. Stepping it up: Layup and I have an announcement to make. We have decided to make fools of ourselves this year and see how we fare vs. real competition in the Las Vegas Hilton Supercontest. Basically, we pick 5 games against the spread each week - and after 17, the entries with the best records win. Simple as that. We are still working out all the details - I'm sure we will have a link so people can see the standings.

4. Am I a degenerate, or merely a fan? Do you really want an answer? -ed One of the ex-pats here in Guangzhou is also a Browns fan. This is his first NFL season here - and he bought the "NFL Rewind" package from NFL.com that plays the shortened versions of each game over the internet, on demand. The games will be available for download at midnight each night Eastern time.

He invited a bunch of us - including me - to come over every Monday night to his place and watch 1) the Browns game and 2) other games after that. It's clear that the Browns are the main attraction....

....but I told him I probably would decline. You see, he requested that no one log into the internet or check scores all day Monday - so that we see the games for the first time on Monday night. That makes sense - and many people can do that - but I can't. There's just no way that:
1) I can sleep when the NFL is on and I have a slingbox, and
2) I can go a whole day without checking the scores on the internet/iPhone.

There's just no way I can see myself having that self-discipline. None. Am I weak, or just normal?

5. Home vs. Cincinnati....at Indy, maybe without Peyton.....home vs. Miami.....home vs. Tennessee....at Oakland...home vs. Seattle....at San Fran....at Houston....home vs. St Louis....home vs. Jacksonville....at Cincinnati.....

Yep, that's our first 11 games....and that just sounds like 8-3, no?

Ah, the ex-pat life

2011-08-27T23:41:00.000-07:00

Today, Janice took the boys to a real Chinese hair salon to get their hair cut. Last year, we went to the ex-pat compound where most of the Americans live - there is a hair salon in that complex. The boys got their hair cut for 38 RMB each.....and each cut was done in record time (under 6 minutes each). So it wasn't the highest quality.

Janice took the boys out on our street to one of the local hair salons - there are at least 10 of them between our apartment and the main bridge, a span of 2 km.

What occurred was pretty much what you would expect. The boys were pampered. Martin, especially, loved the attention - as you can see in the picture.

All for a price of 30 RMB ($4.75) each.

Two random pictures

2011-08-27T23:37:00.000-07:00

1. I found my soulmate in Hong Kong! Here is a picture of the dashboard of our taxi in HK before we left. So - for all of you who made fun of me for my phone & pager obsessions, I have nothing on this guy.
(I wonder what each phone is for....)

2. There is a popular book out about Chinese society, called "Sleeping Chinese". It is a photo book filled with pictures of Chinese citizens sleeping in odd, public places. Here is the website.

Let me just say that it is 100% complete reality. I was walking on the sidewalk from our P&G office to our travel agent in another building....at 12:30 in the afternoon.

This is just one random picture during my walk that was repeated 15, 20 times. Everywhere you looked - people napping in public.

Civilized Dining in Guangzhou

2011-08-21T00:49:00.000-07:00

1. A sign of civilization here in Guangzhou! The first Burger King in the city opened in May - and we finally got around to going to it yesterday. (It's located in a mall).

The whoppers were very similar to the ones in the US; the onion rings were a bit underdone and dry. But still - can't complain!

2. Here is part of a drink menu from a restuarant we went to Friday night. Has anyone every heard of this drink? Somehow, I don't think Sprite has entered Kermit's body since 1994.

Don't get to work late

2011-08-21T00:42:00.000-07:00

I got into the office late one day - about 8:45, 8:50 or so. After getting my 600mL bottle of Pepsi at the Circle K (cost: 3.50 yuan, or about 60 cents) I headed to the elevators.

Apparently, the subway just arrived and there were a horde of people at the elevators. Here is a picture of the line I was in - the elevator I wanted was directly to the right.

The line of people in back is for the far elevators - the elevators are by the blurry TV screen. There were at least 50 people in line.

As you can see, they set up the airplane-gate ropes by the elevator to maintain a constant queue going to the separate elevators.

The lesson, of course - everyone in the 40 story office building arrives between 8:45 and 9:30. Don't arrive at those times.

A picture to make an Irishman cry

2011-08-21T00:13:00.000-07:00

Had to put this picture up for Craig. This is a picture from a supermarket that features many foreign foods. For import foods, the flag of the nation is there to show where it was imported from.

Here's a picture of the beer aisle. You can see - Beck's imported from Germany, Heineken from Holland, and a mystery beer in the top left, imported from Malaysia....

A glowing review

2011-08-16T08:10:00.001-07:00

There is a small waterpark nearby our apartment. A friend of ours went on Sunday with his kids - I asked for a review, and whether we should take our boys sometime.

His response, verbatim:

Fun, but go early, as the filters have a hard time keeping up with population. Water very clean at beginning, by noon a little cloudy. Plus, more public urination than I prefer at my water parks.

Otherwise, lovely!

The definition of demotivation

2011-08-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the gym at our complex was closed - no reason given, just a notice that "on August 14th, the facitilies will be temporarily closed". I really needed to get some exercise, as I have skipped a couple of sessions last week - so I decided to run outside yesterday afternoon.

It wasn't deathly hot - even though it was 90-95 degrees and 90% humidity - the run was on the river and there was some shade, at least. I completed 5K in about 30 minutes (29:45!!!) and walked back into the apartment complex.

I was dripping with sweat and still trying to catch my breath fully when I went into the elevator with a middle-aged Chinese woman. After saying "Ni Hao", she responded with something like:

"Pao Lao Ti"

I had no idea what she was saying, so she tried again, a bit slower:

"Pao Lao Tai" - different word on the end.

"Pao Lao Tai", she tried one more time.

I shrugged - again - and got to my floor and exited.

5 seconds later - it hit me. Hey- maybe I know some of those words! "Tai", I remember, is "too" - like too hot, too much, too cold, etc.

"Lao" - where I have heard that before? "Lao Shi" is the word for teacher....literally meaning "old leader". So "Lao" must be old, or elderly....

Hey, wait a minute...I don't like where this is going.

I looked up "Pao" on my IPhone Chinese dictionary - yup, one of the definitions for Pao means "to run"

So - she literally told me "run old too", or, with some simple rearranging, "too old to run" - I'm too old to run.

I'm going to have to learn Chinese in order to respond to insults within an hour.....

(* "Lao Ti" I think is worse; it means "old and weak". So she could be saying "I run like an old, weak man".)

Only the best

2011-08-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of our engineering department shirts that were ordered for an offsite.

I think the owner of the company who makes the shirt needs to take the advanced

English lessons.....

Chinese Logic

2011-08-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

We have been doing a lot of miscellaneous stuff around the apartment here to get ready for another year here in China. It's very hard to believe that the 1 year anniversary for our assignment was on Saturday; it's even harder to believe that the boys go back to school on Wednesday!

The feeling around here reminds me of the first hours of a Vegas trip on Wednesday. Our friends are arriving bit by bit - we all know that they have to be here by Wednesday, but I'm not sure of their exact arrival dates. One friendof ours came back last Thursday; another arrived this weekend; twomore are coming tomorrow (I think).....it's very much like a Wednesday night in Vegas, when the whole group starts arriving in stages.

The big addition to the apartment this year is a new router we bought in California; it workslike a charm and I can access the signal all the way in the kitchen. Slingbox now works on the main TV - so I may be camped out on our couch for the NFL games on Monday morning from 1-4 am.

We also went to the sporting goods store to buy a bike for Martin. As you can see in the first picture - you will be satisfied or....you will be satisfied! There is no other choice!

The mindset of customers in stores here is much different. The second picture is a picture of the ping-pong table displays in the store. As you can see, customers have no problem in helping themselves in trying the equipment/table out. The bike area in this store is filled with customers actually riding sample bikes up and down the aisle.

And it's like this in every store. You should see the IKEA on a Saturday ( I did yesterday). It's like a hospital waiting room. 90% of the seats of the sofas/chairs on display are occupied. At least half of the beds on display has someone laying on it. Hey, it's there to be used, right?

The landlord's assistant came over on Saturday as we shared a list of things we wanted done around the place to renew our lease. One of the items was the swimming pool at the apartment. The pool is open from 8:30 - 11, and then from 3:30 - 9. It is closed from 11-3:30.

Those hours are fine during the week, but during the weekend, with 3 kids? I mean, early afternoon hours are prime hours to be at the pool!!! So I brought this up with the manager.

"Yes, it is closed from 11 - 3:30."

Well, can it be open during those hours on a weekend?

"Oh....hmmmm...well, those are the hours when the sun shines on the pool."

And?

"It gets hot on the pool deck - with the sun there. It's too hot to work. So we close it down until it gets colder at 3:30."

So - you actaully close the pool because it is too hot to swim?

"Yes, that's right."

Let me get you the number of a pool manager in Las Vegas and you can talk to them on how to keep a pool open during the summer.....

Am I getting soft?

2011-08-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

Layup and I made a trip to the Pala Casino in Southern California the night before I left. We ended up spending 4 1/2 hours out there - we thought we would play some UTH, some Pai Gow, blackjack - you know, some variety.

As you probably guessed, 100% of the time was spent on UTH.

And not just normal UTH - this was Progressive! For an extra $1 (or more, I guess) on top of the trips, you have a side bet on the hand you form with your two hole cards and the three flop cards. A royal wins $75,000!

(Of course, no one came close).

Anyway, Layup and I settled in nicely - to his left, Layup made friends with a 60 year old Asian woman who knew no English but would engage Layup in a high-ten (two hands) when they both hit a winning hand. Stevie Williams and Tiger had better coordination.

Next to me was a 50-something woman who seemed to be Mexican by birth but was Americanized. Her and I would chat a bit about the hands - very friendly. Every once in a while, this strange male, about 25-30, who had some sort of mental defect would come over and hover; the lady would quickly scold him in Spanish, telling him to sit down over there and shut up. (Sientese alli! See, I still know some spanish.

After the third visit by this man, I gave my neighbor a quizzical look.

"That's my son. He fell into a pool when he was young, drowned and had some brain damage because of it."

Oh - sorry to hear that.

"Yes, he likes to come with me and hang out while I play. He's going in for surgery tomorrow - he's getting a skin graft - and he can't have anything to eat after midnight. So I have to keep an eye on him."

Um - ok. I will file that away in my brain - if any of you think I have a gambling problem (you know, taking my 7 month pregnant wife to play craps in a smoky Argosy casino, betting halftime lines for WNBA, driving 10 hours in one day to gamble)- I'll just throw this lady out as the counter example. I'm not as bad as her!

Anyway, about 2 hours in, I was winning some and Layup was up some too. Two ladies came over and occupied the seats at the far end of the table. One was a 60-year old country girl, dressed in a cowboy shirt that was adorned with rhinestones. I immediately thought "Ann Richards", but Layup beat me to it and whispered "Rhinestone Cowboy is here".

Two hands in - two hands! - she noticed that Layup and I were not playing the trips. Here we go again.

"You're not playing the trips? That's stupid. That's how you make money in this game! You have to play the trips!"

Before I could say anything, Layup pulls the "Shufflemaster" card out and says he works for Shufflemaster and said the Trips bet "is for suckers only". That shut everyone up for a while.

The mood of the table turned icy - but a strange thing happened. I started winning. And - oddly - I was the only one winning. Layup went on a losing streak; our friends started losing, and Rhinestone kept losing too. But I kept winning. I would guess that 40-50% of my hands were A-x, K-6 or higher or Q-J - --- all hands to go in 4x before the flop. I didn't win all of them, but I did win about 75% of them - that helps the bankroll.

Rhinestone started paying attention, and then was interested in our methods.
"You go 4x on any ace?"

Oh dear, I can see this coming a mile away. Yes, I replied.

"Hmmmmph...."

The next hand - the next one, I swear! - she got dealt an ace. She went 4x. She lost.

Three hands later, she got A-x again. She did not go 4x, she waited until the last round, went 1x - and won.

By then, the mood of the table was in the pits. No one was winning. Layup, who was up a few hundred, was now down to his last few bets. Our friends left.

But I kept on winning.

I felt sympathtic to the table - and even toward Rhinestone. Five years ago - one year ago? - I would have muttered "f*** her" to Layup. But no - she's just a mistaken woman who can't be bothered to understand the odds. I felt some pity for her.

And it depressed me that no one else was winning. The best times at a casino are when everyone wins. This was an odd feeling - I'm winning but no one else can buy a hand.

We played another hour - the mood did not improve, and Layup fought back to even - but I never felt vengeful, or overjoyed at the table. I won 4 digits of profit - and yet I just wish Rhinestone would have shut her mouth and hept her head down when she sat at the table.

What's wrong with me? I am getting soft and emotional as I get older, aren't I?

Chinese Young Love

2011-08-02T16:52:00.000-07:00

In the Starbucks near work (actaully, on the 1st floor of our building), there is a notebook where aspiring young artists/poets/party memebers can write down their deepest thoughts & notes. I was flipping through it yesterday while waiting for my drink....and came across this.

Is this sarcastic? Quixote-ish? Encouraging? Who knows.....I will have to find Jason somehow....

Jet Lag

2011-08-02T16:49:00.001-07:00

It's been a week now since we've been in China - and I think it's safe to say now that we are over the jet lag. It only took us 7 days!

(there is some sort of scientific study that it takes you one day to recover from jet lag for each time zone you travel. That may be true for 80-year olds, but cmon....3 days to recover from a visit to/from CA?)

We landed early Wednesday morning last week - after a 14 hour flight. Everyone took some sort of nap that day. At 6:30 pm, the boys were crying that they wanted to go to bed. They went to bed at 7 pm.

The whole house was up Thursday morning at 2:30 am.

On Friday, everyone was up at 4; on Saturday, it was 5. For 5 days, everyone was in bed sleeping at 10 pm - including us.

On Sunday, I tried to stay up to 10:30 pm at night, only to wake up at 4:30. On the bright side, I was able to watch the end of the golf and see my golfer, Gary Woodland, woefully underclub on 18 when he needed a birdie.

Only today are the boys finally waking up at the regular hour (7 am).

It's much, much tougher coming here than going from here to the US.

Golf Notes for the future

2011-07-31T07:13:00.000-07:00

Had a chance to play 6 rounds of golf while in the US. As most of you know, I have been struggling off the tee with the driver; the solid slight draw that I learned in 2003 and played until about 2007 is now gone, replaced by a hard pull-hook (lovingly called a spatula by Steve). Over the last 3 years, I really have had no good idea where the ball is going off the tee; I have been trying to hit a hard fade as the go-to shot.

That worked for a while. I hit it for the first round at Yankee, when I shot 79 (44-35, including a 40 yard chip in on the last). However, that fade went away the next day with Don and Mike in a disastorous round.

The next week I played with Steve and Kermit, and the power fade was working for about 7 holes; I was +2 and really should have been even. Then I hit an awful block-slice on 8, and that was it for me off the tee. The afternoon round at Granville was horrid - I can't recall any drive that hit the fairway in that round.

The next day I played with Janice's cousin at NorthStar, a new semi-private John Cook design just north of Columbus. Same thing - power fade works for 6-8 holes, then disappears. On the back side, after missing a 40-yard-wide fairway for the 4th hole in a row, I said "f it" and tried to hit the draw again.

It worked. Two tight draws to end the round, and they were the longest drives I've hit in 6 months. Right before i left, I snuck out to play Crooked Tree at 6 in the morning; I tried the same swing off the tee and put it out of play just once. That, unfortunately, is a vast improvement.

But something clicked. It felt right. Yes, this is the swing that worked in the mid-2000s. This is it. So, even though no one cares, here are the keys to the "magic" swing I found for the last 20 holes. I need to read this before each infrequent round of golf....

1. Line up square! Don't overcompensate by closing or opening the stance.
2. Line up to the right edge of the fairway
3. Normal backswing - don't exaggerate by taking it too far in or out.
4. Compact backswing - the complete opposite of Kermit's backswing.
5. On the downswing, pivot around left leg.
6. Swing out! Don't steer by "pulling" the clubhead. Swing out and trust it!

In fact, this song played in my head all through Iowa in 2004-05 to remind me of the in-to-out swing path. I regret I never had a chance to sing it to anyone this summer.

I'm the one you hurt
And I'm the one you need
I'm the one who cried
the one you used to meet

But you are pretendng you don't care
But the fire is still there!
Now we are much too young to love each other this way

I'll leave it to the commenters to name the title of this tune.

Back up and running

2011-07-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Hello again! We are back in China after a 4-week trip to the US. I first want to thank everyone for a great time during the last four weeks. Thanks to all for making the time to see us during the compressed schedule!

Once I got back, a lot of people here asked how my "vacation" was. Well, to be honest, only the last 4 days in California actually felt like a vacation! The three weeks in Cincinnati were a whirlwind - both Janice and Itried to work half the time and then take off the other half.....and that plan was a mixed success. It seems like we didn't have enough time for either. There may be some changes for next year's visit.

(Also, so many people told me when I got back here... "you look relaxed!" What do I normally look like? As uptight as Brad Childress?

What did I miss the most about the US? I think the freedom.....the freedom to go anywhere, drive anywhere. If I got up at 6:30 and wanted an Almond Joy Latte from the local coffee shop, I can get in the car and do that. Martin got a fever one night - so I hopped in the car at 11 pm and went to Kroger's. That just can't happen here, due to the fact that I can't drive and most stores aren't open at those hours.

The boys didn't miss a beat - we landed at 10 am on a Monday and asked if thye could play with their friends in the neighborhood that afternoon. And it truly felt- for them - like nothing had changed; they went right to their Wii games or legos, just like they did in summer of 2010.

However, China truly feels like home now. By the 4th week, we were looking forward to coming "home" to China. Even Freddie made that comment. That was unexpected.

Once we arrvied here, we were quickly reminded of the life in China in the summer; the smells and odors are very pungent in July. Just imagine a trash can sitting full on a city street in 95 degree heat 24 hours day - by day 3, it's fairly "ripe". Those are the smells we are greeted with as we walked to the store yesterday.

Oh - that and the cockroach found in our baby wipes drawer in the laundry room.

Many of you mentioned that you'd love to see more blogging - so I will try to create most posts for this coming year. We bought a laptop, so that should help a lot - I am currently blogging while eating Trix and ddrinking coffee at our dining room table. I'll make an effort to post more photos/comments in the future.

Welcome Home!

2011-07-01T03:51:00.000-07:00

Well - we are back! We are here in the US for about 4 weeks for our annual return home. For me, it's about 50% work and 50% vacation - which means running around for doctor's appointments, clothes shopping, and to see everyone.

Some initial impressions about being back:

- it's cool in the morning! I never appreciated summer mornings when you wake up and it is 65 degrees. In Guangzhou, we haven't seen that temperature since April. It's amazing how refreshing that feels.
- the sun! Ow! My eyes! Constant sunlight! It's so bright!
- You can see the horizon - the sunsets - the morning sky. It's been clear here for the few days we've been back - and I never realized how much I've taken the "clear" sky for granted. You can see for miles! That's just not the case in Guangzhou. And Cincinnati isn't exactly what you call a "clean" sky - Iowa is 10x better - but the difference is remarkable.
- Martin has some eczema on his skin - that magically is clearing up nicely after just four days here in the US! Hmmmmmmm...
- My stomach is on overload. We got breakfast on Monday in the Detroit airport; I quickly ordered the "Sausage and Cheese sandwich on a Maple Biscuit". What genius invented this sandwich? Wow - heavenly. It's been nothing but bad food since then. And my stomach isn't processing it too well.....

T-shirts

2011-06-18T00:10:00.000-07:00

Something random for a Saturday: T-shirts.

Most of the T-Shirts that native Chinese are wearing have words in English.As you can imagine, the English on the shirts are mangled...

...but even on those where the English is not mangled, the T-shirts makes no sense.

I should keep a running list of confusing/hilarious/odd shirts that I have seen; the three that I saw over the past week:

"World Wide Wet" (with drops of water coming from the words)

"My Green in Greener than your Life" (the T-shirt had a camoflauge design)

and:

"Who the F*** is Mick Jagger? (yes, the word was spelled correctly on the shirt)

I just wonder who makes these shirt designs. Fascinating.

US Open thoughts

2011-06-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

Hi all....I know it's been a while since there's been a posting here - we've had computer problems (a week of the blue screen on startup), and life has been extremely busy.

But it is Open week! It's going to be weird to get home from work tomorrow, eat dinner, play with the kids, put them in bed.....and then go to the Slingbox and turn on ESPN to start watching the Open.

I'm truly excited for the tournament. It's wide open - and that's good. It should set up for a crowded finish, with 8-10 people within 2 shots of the lead. Everyone in the top 10 right now has flaws.....

(which means Ben Curtis will be your winner? Hey,he's got a good track record at Avenel.....)

Some quick takes on the tournament matchups on VIP: here's who I like (ok, here's who I love:)

Westwood -105 over Donald
Kaymer -115 over D Johnson
F Molinari -115 over Quiros
Glover -125 over Els
Poulter -105 over Snedeker
Vegas -115 over Fisher
Manassero -110 over Casey
Day +105 over Toms

8-way Parlay action!

Why?

2011-05-25T02:41:00.000-07:00

Why have I heard "Auld Lang Syne" on the elevator twice in the past week? And why did I hear "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" by Burl Ives at Starbucks on Saturday?

Why is there a small trash can in every public restroom stall? *

Why - since everyone here lives in an apartment building with elevators - does no one here have any common courtesy? Why are these sort of things commonplace:

- anytime the door opens, people think it is their turn to get on - or off- the elevator. It's a mass traffic jam at the ground floor when all the people are trying to get off when the doors open - and the people coming in don't wait and try to get on at the same instant.

- at least once per day I get on the elevator and go up; the elevator stops at a few floors and then some lady giggles; she pushes the button of a floor we already past. It never fails. People don't realize they past their floor. Why?

- at least one per week, I get to the elevator, and I see a person standing next to the elevators, apparently waiting......but the "up" or "down" button is not pushed. I push "up"; it comes, and the person gets in with me and we go up.
Um - do you think it magically knows you are there? You do have to push the button, you know....

And speaking of elevators,
Why is this KFC commercial constantly playing in our office elevator? Do people actually buy this?
(No, I have not tried it - yes, I want to. I will file a full report once I order it).
(thanks to Keith for the link to the commercial)

* - I actually know this answer....I just would like some of you to guess why.

Sports Blogging, part 2

2011-05-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

Time for a bowling outing!

A few weeks ago, 5 families got together for a bowling outing at the local lanes - new lanes at the Asia Games sports center.

(Do you sense a theme here? A lot of the "infrastructure" improvements in the city were all sprruedon by the city hosting the Asia games last fall. That's why many veteran ex-pats here just shake their heads at all the changes they have seen in this city in the past 5 years. It really has become a modern city.)

It's a very modern facility a 32-lane center with (of course) automated scoring and bumpers, if needed. They had shoes my size (size 11!) and the lanes were extremely well lit. The flags of the participating countries were still hanging from the ceiling.

The ball racks were all labeled; you would see a "9" on a rack, and that means that's where the 9 lb balls go there. I thought that was ingenious. No more wasting 10 minutes at the beginning trying to find a proper ball.

However, the downside: there were racks and racks of 8, 10, 11, 12 lb balls; in the whole 32 lane facility, there were 6 15-lb balls and 3 16-lb balls. That's it. It's like the complete opposite of the US, where there is one 8 lb ball for the kids and 3,562 16 lb balls for Vito and his pals.

(The adults did get to bowl one game; my 138 was not that awful, considering it's been 18 months since I bowled and the presence of 2 Chinese kids crawling all over the ball return system while I bowled. It's not a jungle gym.....)

Sports blogging, part 1

2011-05-21T17:24:00.001-07:00

So if I told you that the boys are in Little League here in China, what would you think? How do you picture a little league field? When I heard that ex-pats were trying to put together a Little League this spring, I thought we would be playing on a converted soccer field, on a lot of dirt/hardpan, with possibly some rebar/nails sticking out of the ground.

I couldn't be more wrong.

Here is a video of the field that the boys play at. The league has rented out the Asia Games baseball stadium every Saturday in the spring (for a fee of 500 RMB/$90 weekly).

I am standing in centerfield; you can see games going on in the left field corner and the right field corner. (Freddie's team is practicing in cetner field; and yes, I throw up a little when I have to wear a red jersey with the words "SOX" on it.)

The fields are immaculate. The grass is always cut, it is perfectly flat (no bad bounces), and we get the use of the locker room (and even the stands, to keep toddlers occupied).

The field is located in the heart of the city- the surroundings are spectacular. The large building right behind us in center field is the Citic building, the 15th largest building in the world. You can also see the Soccer stadium behind the right field line.

These kids have no idea how good they have it. It is 10,000% better than the field I grew up on - the field down the hill behind Sparks elementary that flooded every time we got 1/4" of rain, or the field for Freddie's 1st grade league that was hidden behind the Lakota school bus depot......

(as an aside, I never really knew how hard it is to "teach" baseball until now. Let's say you have a bunch of kids that know nothing about sports. Nothing. They are a blank slate. What's easiest to teach?

1. Soccer - kick the ball in the net, don't use your hands.
2. Basketball - put the ball in the hoop, try to dribble every once in a while, don't hold on defense.
3. Baseball. I don't think we Americans realize how many basic rules there are that has to be taught before even having a semi-competitive game. The rules on force plays alone confuse the non-American kids (and the adults). Why can I overrun first base but not 2nd? What happens on a fly ball that's caught?

Heading Back to Vegas

2011-05-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

So in two weeks Carol and I will be heading out to Vegas for her birthday. Her friend, Lauren, will be watching Morgan leaving us 3 days to ourselves. This will be very interesting since my gambling habits have changed dramatically since the last time we gambled together. Let's see what has changed since my last trip:

1. Craps- I can't half ass it anymore. There is a saying in poker, if you get nervous making a bet, then you are playing beyond your means. Well a $25 table doesn't scare me anymore and a $12 wager is boring. There's good and bad things about that. One thing I liked about our trip in March was how easy it was to saddle up to one of those tables and cash in for the correct amount and not just a couple of hundred, hoping the table doesn't go cold. Back in March, craps really went well for me. I played the most I've ever played and did very well. When our group either broke even or was down, I seemed to be up. So I'm set on playing the come from now on. The only problem is can I control the hard ways.

2. UTH- Carol loves this game and when we both played it in Nov 2009, the swings were almost too much for me. Having to bankroll two hands at a $15 table, it can get ugly so quickly.

3. I will take Carol into the Lounge and we will see what her reaction will be. Once again, if she wants to play, then the budget is going to get crazy. Now Carol loves blackjack and I'm not too sure if I can stomach playing at a $10 table with all the riff raff anymore. I've become so pretentious haven't I?

4. Roulette- I only played for 15 minutes back in March waiting for Wiz to cash in his chips and I ended up walking away from the table because the dealer was a jackass. I love the tables at the Mirage and will hopefully be able to spend some time there this trip.

So I never posted anything about this last trip, which now I'm sad that I didn't. Too much work and too much baby time. I rate this trip very high in my book. Its up there with the time we first were introduced to Don and Mike. The UTH dealers were great, the dinners were very good, played golf on an amazing course, and almost came back as a winner. Below are some additional highlights:
1. I was all but done come Saturday. I was down to my last $500 and put all of it on games that day. My friend Brian came out from San Diego and we ended up going to the Mirage wine bar to watch some of the games. I had to pay for dinner that night so I had some funds for gambling. Then I went on an amazing run. Kicked ass at the Palazzo craps table, another great run at the Mirage craps table, and finally did very well at the UTH table. Ventured into the Lounge and did OK at the BJ table. Oh, and I went undefeated on my sports wagering. I was able to get back within $1000 of my original budget.
2. Got a text from Jay on Thursday morning asking how everything was going, and I responded that I "had to pump sea water into reactor one last night. reactor two is showing signs of overheating. Not a good start." That was my worst Wed/Thurs/Fri combo ever. It was horrific.
3. I know that its not fair, but I hold Eric to a different standard than others. When I found out that he bet the don't, I was devastated. When I saw him not being honest and take money from a dealer, I was appalled. And when he told me that he had a previous wager on FSU and he picked the other way in our parlay, I was shocked. SHOCKED!!!!! This is the crap I expect out of Wiz and Lee, not Eric. I'm writing my gamblers manifesto to give to Morgan and my nephews, and all three of these offenses will be in there on what not to do in a casino.
4. Speaking of the book, I have 6 chapters so far; Group Selection, Casino and Restaurant Selection, Room Behavior, Money Management, Gooching, and How to build positive Karma.

The news story that will never end

2011-05-14T19:10:00.001-07:00

I suppose that many of us have things in the back of our brains that are there for unknown reasons. I seem to have vivid memories of certain events that occur around personal life-changing moments - for instance, I can tell you that OutKast's "Hey Ya!" was played 24 times on Sirius Channel 1 when we drove from Cincinnati to Iowa in January 2004 during our move.

One of these odd memories involved news reports in August, 1989, when my parents, Layup and I went to Cleveland as I started my freshamn year at Case. We stayed in a hotel for the first few days before I moved into the dorm; I distinctly remember reports of a "John Demjanjuk" taking over the lead story of the Channel 8 newscast.

(Ah, Wilma Smith....)

I still can't figure out why, but Demjanjuk was all over the news during that week. As most of you know, he lived in Cleveland then - in the neighborhood of Seven Hills, southeast of the city. It was fascinating to realize that an alleged Nazi war criminal was living literally down the street from the hotel you were staying at! *

Now, fast forward 22 years later to May, 2011....and he is still in the news. How is this still going on? Can't the wheels of international justice turn any faster? The latest update is that he has been convicted, but is released to a nursing home because of his health. Appeals are pending.

Can't we just end this chapter of history? I have no idea whether he is guiilty of war crimes or not - but you would hope that after 22 years (or even more!), a decision would be made on his guilt or innocence.

What is wrong with our system(s) to have the prosecution of Demjanjuk still going on? It's 2011......

* - for those of you familiar with Cleveland geography, you may wonder why our family would be staying at a hotel in Independence/Seven Hills when Case is in downtown Cleveland, 20 miles away. I think it has to do with "Marriott" points - some questions are best left unanswered.

Summer has started

2011-05-14T17:17:00.000-07:00

A weather update: the weather has certainly turned over the past 3 weeks here, and now it is starting to feel like summer. Since the end of April, the temperatures have been in the mid to high 80s for a high with humidity always near 80%. And in most days, the sun is never our. If the sun pops out - that's when it feels really bad.

The worst part about it is the humidity. Once you start sweating, you can't stop - and there's nothing you can do about it. This is my t-shirt after a 20 minute jog on the treadmill. And no, this amount of sweat is not because I am out of shape. You just can't stop sweating because of the humidity.

As you probably would guess, this is certainly not the hottest it will be; the true summers in July and August will be the same humidity, but 10-15 degress warmer. Just great.

We've already had some mornings that felt like a unbearable muggy day in Cincinnati.

But it doesn't affect the natives, however. Our pool here opened up on May 1 - a cloudy day of about 82 degrees and 70-80% humidity (it would storm that night). We went down to the pool on opening day; and we were the only ones. A crowd of 4-5 workers came out at various times to watch the white family play in the "cold" (for them) pool. I seriously think they need it to be much warmer before they will take a dip in the outdoor pool.

Hong Kong trip report

2011-05-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

So I am very late to post some random comments about our April trip to Hong Kong. Here is a picture from the Ocean Park amusement park/aquarium; the park is split into two sections, separated by a large hill. You have to take a sky cable car to go from one side to the other. The views are spectacular.

1. It is very disorienting and difficult to walk in the city. The sidewalks are fine; the problem is crossing the street. I have 39 years of experience in crossing street, so it is obviously second nature to look a certain way when crossing an intersection.

But, of course, in Hong Kong, drivers drive on the left hand side.

You really have to stop yourself and think - where are the cars coming from? For example - if you are on the southwest corner of an intersection and want to walk to the northwest corner, you automatically look to your left for oncoming cars. It's empty - you start walking - and a car comes zooming by you on your right, making a left hand turn in front of you. It's hard to override all your instincts.

2. We went to a beach one afternoon on the ocean. While we were there, a few Caucasian families with children were there. One of them starting playing ball with Freddie.

I asked him where he lived. As soon as I asked, I realized that was a dumb question - he could have said anything - a road, a city, a country. He responded by saying the name of some apartment complex near by.

The next automatic question to any Caucasian over here is "how long have you lived here?" I was about to ask the boy that, but then stopped. It is certainly possible - probable? - that this is not a temporary stop, but his permanent home. He could be a "citizen".... For whatever reason, that boggled my mind. For the past 9 months, any "white" person I see is automatically a foreigner and could live anywhere in the world...here I am in "China" and I see a white person - it does not even dawn on me that this person could be a native - and that his parents could have been living here for their whole life.

3. Hong Kong is full of culinary delights! We had dinner by the pool one night - I got a club sandwich with fries. Out came my order - the fries were perfectly done - with a side of Grey Poupon.

Now that's something I have missed. My mouth is still watering thinking about Grey Poupon and how great it went with those fries......

bin Laden notes

2011-05-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Layup for alerting me last Monday of the breaking news that OBL was captured and killed. I really don't know when I would have found out about it if he did not text me at 11 in the morning. It's about damn time - congrats to the SEALs, all in the military, and Obama and his staff for making this happen.

Now, some whimiscal thoughts on the operation:

1. They had to have put a GPS tracker on the body bag, right? So someone has got to know the exact location of the body in the Indian (?) Ocean....
2. It's weird what your mind forms from words and reports. As the details started to filter in about how operation took place, the location that OBL was in was described as a "mansion", "fortress", "a house with impenetrable walls". I was detecting some huge structure, maybe a moat involved....
....and then you see the pictures of the compound. It was not at all what I pictured.
3. By now, everyone has seen the famous picture of Obama and his staff gathered around the TV that Sunday evening to watch the operation. My quick thoughts:

a. Obama - intense and focused, as you would expect (like his job depended on it??). However - I read a comment somewhere that I 100% agree with. Who gave him the lawn chair and made him sit in the corner? Why didn't he kick the general out of the command chair that was right next to him?
b. Hillary - I know that look. She's got the same look on her face that I do when the Browns are winning a close one in the 4th quarter. "Can they hang on? Can they do this? I know they are going to blow this. I can't watch."
c. Biden - Doesn't it just look like they had to pull him away from "Angry Birds" on his laptop to pay attention?
"Joe - the SEALs have now landed in the compound!"
"Fine, fine, fine..let me save the game......"
d. Who is the Roberto de Vincenzo look alike that is still wearing the coat and tie, without a button undone, during this high-stress situation? That's a person who clearly voted "no" on casual Fridays at the White House.

The Tribe!

2011-05-09T07:49:00.001-07:00

OK, time to start blogging again. Life has been pretty crazy over the last few weeks - and the backlog of blog topics keep piling up.

How about the Tribe! With their good start, I saw this stat from ESPN. If this doesn't give you a nostaglic smile, then.....well, you must be a Red Sox fan....

With Tomlin at 4-0 and Justin Masterson at 5-0, the Indians have two pitchers with at least 4-0 records since Greg Swindell and Tom Candiotti did it in 1988.

Candiotti and Swindell....ah, the good old days.

(It is pretty amazing - every once in a while, I see a Chinese citizen wearing a Tribe hat. This photo was snapped in Beijing (he has this look on his face like "why are you taking my picture?)

This weekend, while walking to the store, I passed a woman in a tan and black striped dress......with a Chief Wahoo logo on it. I didn't get to my iPhone camera in time. They say China is now more technologically advanced than the US...maybe they know that the Tribe will be very popular in October and November this year.....

Posted without comment

2011-04-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

Coming back from our trip to Beijing, we got a nice jolt back to Chinese culture and politics. We got a call that evening from the "boss" of our nannies...she said that the nanny will not be there in the morning; she is requiring surgery and will be out for a while.

Oh no, I said! I hope everything is ok!

She said she will be fine, and she will come back in 5 days.

OK.....wow. Surgery. Sounds serious. I hope nothing really awful happened.

The next day, her sister came and filled in for her shift. I asked if she is ok, is she hurt, is everything ok?

"No, everything fine. She be back on Monday."

What happened?

"Just operation to take baby away"

Ah....I see......

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter to all! It's hard to set up an Easter Egg hunt in an apartment complex, so we went downstairs to one of the common areas to hide eggs. In this pciture, there are 40 eggs.... boy, did I get some strange looks from the Chinese residents when I was hiding the eggs....

Just off the screen to the left, there is a door to the Children's playroom; I put two eggs right at the base of the door for Martin to find. Just as we started the Easter Egg Hunt, a cleaning lady arrive to clean that room.

After 10 seconds of the Easter Egg Hunt, the egg tally was:

Freddie 0
Warren 0
Martin 0
Cleaning Lady 2

The hunt was suspended for 30 seconds as I tried to convince the lady that the eggs were not trash and she needs to put them down.

Today we are having an Easter BBQ over another ex-pat's place; they were planning it last weekend at a dinner, and one of the quotes from the host was:

"What goes better with Easter than shots of Malibu?"

I think I will like this party tonight!

Beijing Zoo

2011-04-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

Wehn someone goes to Beijing, there are two types of pcitures that the tourists are expected to share with their friends:

1. A picture of the Great wall; and
2. A picture of a Panda.

The Great Wall pictures turned out well; I don't think this pictures does justice to the elevation changes in the walkway. It truly is an amazing engineering feat.

(and to think that our tour guide said that "it is estimated that 1,000 people died for every mile of construction of the Great Wall". Now, the wall is 4000 miles long.......)

And our picture of the panda? Well, this is what greeted us at the Zoo on a Sunday morning.

"74" is now a true adult

2011-04-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the 21st anniversary of "74" day....

(here is the blog post defining the significance of that day)

It's hard to believe this was 21 years ago. I celebrated with cream soda and.....we had no rum, so I had to mix it with Southern Comfort. Cream Soda and Southern Comfort tastes surprisingly good together.

I wonder if the Poison Ivy scars have finally disappeared from Steve's hands from that round.......

Paparazzi

2011-04-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Now here is the China that we have been warned about.

So this is our first day in Beijing - it's been a long day, as we have visited Tianemen Square and the Forbidden Palace. After lunch, we went to the Summer Garden, a huge plot of land about 3 km south of the Square where the emporers prayed and relaxed.

(There was an "abstinence garden", where the Emporer was required to spend 7 days in before going to the temples. No comment necessary.)

So, around 3 pm, we stopped to take a break. Janice gave Martin a sucker and he sat down in one area of the garden.

Immediately, 4 middle aged Chinese women came over and started taking pictures. 4 turned into 5...then 6...then 8 women surrounding Martin.

The picture here best captures it. You can see Martin on the left with his lollipop (right under Freddie's head) - and on the right is all the Paparazzi that surrounded him.

It was interesting ....for the first 2 minutes. It never stopped. We had to shoo them away after about 10 minutes. Forcibly.

Why Layup would not make it in Hong Kong

2011-04-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

It is a well known secret that the Zahn brothers love McDonald's breakfast....specifically, the Sausage McMuffin with egg. Oh, those good old days at the Monte Carlo when they were $1 each...we would down 3 each in the morning on the way to the sports book...

Well, here we are in the Hong Kong train station, and there is a McDonald's there. Time for lunch. Here are some of the choices for the Extra Value meal:

8. Double Cheeseburger meal
9. Quarter Pounder meal
10. Sausage McMuffin with Egg meal

That's right - you can get a Sausage McMuffin all day at McDonald's in Hong Kong. If Layup moved there, I would say his weight would be +50 pounds after 6 months. He would not be able to resist....

Snack for the boys

2011-04-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

Continuing the food theme, here is the latest snack to arrive at our conveinence store downstairs.....

Beijing Cuisine

2011-04-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

So the first night we were in Beijing, we found ourselves at the silk market at dinner time. We had to find something soon for the kids. We wanted something comfortable but yet a bit exotic....a place where you could be adventorous if you wanted, but if not - there were plenty of familiar choices to choose from.

Something like...a Sizzler.

What's that in the distance?

(No, we did not go there. But all of you probably expected me to eat there, right? )

The next day we were between tourist locales at lunchtime, and our tour guide recommended a buffet. It had some Chinese dishes, but it had Pizza and hot dogs too. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't very good.

And the translation for the names of the dishes were not very good. I did not try the upper dish in this picture. I don't know who made this translation, but they need some help.

(and the translation on the bottom dish isn't very descriptive, either)

NCAA Picks - post mortem

2011-04-10T00:30:00.000-07:00

Here are my official picks for single games from my notebook for each day. Recorded just for historical reference.

Thursday's games:
"A" games:
Old Dominion -2 Butler (L)
Temple -2.5 Penn St (L)
Pitt -17 NC-Asheville (W)
SD St/N Col over 129.5 (L)
UC Santa Barbara +12.5 (L)
Wofford +8 BYU (W)
Mich St -1.5 UCLA (L)
Cincinnati pick em Mizzou (W)
Utah St +2 Kansas St (L)
"B" games:
Morehead +10 Louisville (W)
Richmond +2.5 Vandy (W)
Richmond/Vandy under 135.5 (W)
Gonzaga +1 St John's (W)
Bucknell/UConn under 132.5 (L)
"C" games:
Clemson +1.5 West Va (L)
Pitt/NC-A under 135.5 (W)

Fri Mar 18:
"A" games:
Michigan +1.5 Tennessee (W)
George Mason +1 Villanova (W)
Arizona -5.5 Memphis (L)
Marquette/Xavier over 140 (L)
UNLV -2 Illinois (LLLLLLLLLLLL)
Georgia +5 Washington (W, thanks, Wiz!)
"B" games:
Oakland +10 Texas (W)
Michigan/Tenn over 127.5 (L; I still don't beleive this did not win)
Kansas -23 Boston (L)
Purdue -14.5 St Peter's (W)
Marquette +1 Xavier (W)
Ill/UNLV under 132.5 (L)
Ind St +12 Syracuse (L)
Fla St/Tx A&M under 122.5 (W)
Georgetown/VCU under 133.5 (W)

Sat Mar 19
"A" games:
Temple +6 San Diego St (L, in 2 OT!!)
Florida -6 UCLA (W)
Richmond -4.5 Morehead St (W)
BYU -1 Gonzaga (W)
Wisconsin -3 Kansas St (W)
"B" games:
Richmond/Morehead St under 126.5 (W)
Florida/UCLA over 133.5 (W)
Pitt/Butler under 126.5 (L)

Sun Mar 20
"A" games:
Duke -12 Michigan (L)
NC -4.5 Washington (L)
Ohio St -11.5 George Mason (W)
Marq/Syracuse over 140.5 (L)
Arizona +6 Texas (W)
Az/Texas over 139 (T)
"B" games:
Syracuse -5 Marquette (L)
Fla St/Notre Dame under 133 (W)
Illinois +8.5 (L)

25-22-1, if I counted correctly.

2011 Vegas Diary - Part 3

2011-04-09T23:36:00.000-07:00

And finally, the rest of the story....

Sat Mar 19 (continued)

So we took a full timeout after the Salon mishap. Um, you want to call a four-digit loss a "mishap"? -ed. After a break of about an hour, the six of us found ourselves back at the craps table. All of us had one side of the table; on the other side was a man and his date/wife, a 6'1" blonde who was probably a swimmer, and about 3 kids just out of college.

It was one of those times when the atmosphere was just right. No one was obnoxious, everybody was in a good mood and there were plenty of good - not hot, but good - rolls. The hard ways auctions between Layup and Wiz started again. I bet my usual $5 hard 4 - and it hit! - and then had the courage to parlay it.

It hit again. Finally, a parlay'd hard way. That was nice.

In the middle of one of the good rolls, a middle-aged man in a yellow sportcoat came up to our side and tried to squeeze his way in. I have to say, there was a lot of excellent boxing out (and words being exchanged) to prevent him from getting in and ruining the atmosphere. He finally found a spot on the other side of the table and made his way in between the swimmer and the kids. He was an ass the whole night.

He was there for 2-3 rolls before....

"Cocktails? Cocktails?"

Alcohol time! I turn around....and see a 70 year old woman's cleavage right in front of me. For whatever reason, the Mirage has a 70 year old drink waitress working Saturday nights. It's depressing, really. That's not exactly what you want to see at that time of day......Sunday morning at 11 am, well, that's acceptable. Not at Saturday night at 10 pm.

As soon as she arrives at the table, a 7 comes up on the dice. Out!

15 minutes later, she arrives again...."Seven out! Line away!"

The third time she came back, Layup and Wiz yelled for security. She never came back to serve us.

The rest of the night consisted a Pai Gow Poker session with John - who killed me again - and then back to the Ultimate Hold Em table. I think it was just Layup, Wiz and I. It was about 1 am, when all the drunks make their way out of the bar and stumble...where, exactly?

Behind us, about 30 feet, there was a group of about 4 20-something guys, one who was in bad shape with his head down on a slot machine. His face seemed to be in the coin collection area...he couldn't, could he?

No - he moved his head away from the slot machine and vomited all over the floor.

One minute goes by...two of his friends had fled the scene. Another round of vomiting. Part of this one goes on the slot machine itself.

Another minute...another round on the floor.

Wiz is screaming at the pit boss.... "Can't you do something? Call someone over!"

Ten minutes later, the cleaning ladies were there attending to the mess. A good time to call it a night.

Sun Mar 20

Sunday morning was golf at Rio Secco, with Layup and Wiz backing out. And, well, they probably made the right choice. The weather was 60-65 degrees, with constant winds at 25 gusting to 40-50. It was an interesting round. I played the best I have played in a year, going +3 for the first 6 holes in that weather (and it could have been even, if not for a missed 3 footer on 1 and a misclub on 4.)

Then the real adventures began. #7 was a 190 yard par 3 all over water which just happened to play into the wind. I foolishly picked a 5 wood, swung hard, and ducked it in to the lake. Don had the club selection of the day, hitting a 3/4 driver to pin high.

Leland hit a good shot to the right, chipped on to about 20 feet below the hole. It was downhill from the hole to the front of the green, where the front of the green was shaved down to the lake.

After marking, Leland replaced his ball, stepped away to look at the putt....and the wind caused Leland's ball to move. And roll. And roll away from the hole, down the front of the green, and down to within 2 feet of the lake before he stopped it.

We were all laughing - and Leland casually chipped the ball back up to the hole, and it sped past the hole to about 20 feet above the hole.

Then it stopped, and came back.....slowly....slowly....gaining speed.....and dove right into the hole.

After that turn of events, we knew this round was over. There was no way we were playing all 18. On #8, we played "Surivivor" - we all picked up except Leland, the only one to record a score. We called it quite after #9 and had lunch in the clubhouse, where we listened to the speakers for some person's 75th birthday.....

Back to the casino, where it was a good run at craps (I don't remember this; I think it was just the 4 of us as Don and Mike were watching the Purdue-VCU game), another good UTH run, and the 6 of us at the blackjack switch table where it was proven that none of us can play that awful game.

Before the craps run, I placed my bets for the late afternoon games. I was doing well, and - for whatever reason - put in a few wacko bets for the afternoon. I don't like the Big East at all, so for no reason I took Florida State. I wanted to play a parlay as well, so I said "what the hell" and put in a $50 money-line parlay on VCU and Florida St. That means both of those underdogs have to win for me to get a nice 13-to-1 payout.

Anyway, before the Kansas game, the four of us got together to put in a group parlay for the two late games, Kansas-Illinois and Fla St-Notre Dame. We each would pick a side or total for a 4-way parlay.

Wiz took the Fla St under.
Layup took Kansas -8.
It was my turn. I had no feeling whatsoever on the Kansas over/under, so it was up to the Notre Dame/Fla St game, with ND giving 5.

I really didn't want to drag everyone down with me on the Floridat State flyer. And it was a flyer! There was no reasoning at all for me to pick them earlier in the day - it was just because I hated the Big East!

So I chose Notre Dame -5. Leland took the Kansas under. We put $25 down each to win a total of $1100 if all 4 came through.

Well, the Kansas game ended up 73-55 or so, so we were 2-0 for that game. It was down to the final game of the night, Fla St-ND.

Now, VCU was the upset of the day, and they beat Purdue, so now my underdog parlay to win $650 is live. And Florida State got out to a big early lead, shutting down Notre Dame....and the under was looking good....

Layup asked me what I have left for my betting slips. I showed him the Fla St bet and the live parlay.

He was a bit confused. "What did you do?"

Well, I don't really like the Florida State bet, I stammered.

"You hedged against us!"

No! That's not it at all!

I was really waiting for Sean Connery to show up.....in that scene from Entrapment, when he realizes that Catherine Zeta-Jones is a double agent...

"YOU'RE PLAYING BOTH SIDES!!!!!"

No! I protested. I just didn't want to take you down on a losing Florida State bet.......

Florida State, of course, won by 19 in another big upset; the under covered as well. I collected my Fla St straight bet, my VCU-Fla St parlay, and we lost the group parlay because of my pick........

Dinner that night was a bit cold as we watched the end of the game.

After dinner, Wiz and I had another High-limit blackjack run, which ended a little better than the first time (it was actually positive). The trip ended with Leland and I running from one craps table to another trying to find one last hot roll - and we were unsuccessful.

The alarm came too soon at Monday at 5 am to pack up and leave.

2011 Vegas Diary, part 2

2011-04-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

Back from a mini-vacation to Beijing. The past 2 days were a holiday in China for "tomb-sweeping" days, where the living honors the dead by.....burning (fake?) paper money in public. Will have lots of photos at a later date.

But let's continue (and even finish?) the Vegas diary, since it has only been 3 weeks now since the trip began. By the way, I would never be able to do this without my little record book that I keep. If I didn't have this, I would mix up the days so bad and forget 75% of the ancedotes.

Fri Mar 18 (continued)

After the magical UTH run, where better to parlay the winnings than the craps table? If I recall correctly, Leland and I found a table and started playing; Wiz and Layup came over later but there was no room, so they went to another table. It was a busy Friday night, and 6 tables were open.

Our table did not get hot. I got beat pretty bad.

The table where Wiz and Layup were at did not get hot.

There were loud, Augusta like cheers from at least two other tables. I felt like Feherty, being confined to the 14th green at Augusta when all the excitement is occuring around him at 13 and 15.

We decided then to have our first serious go at Blackjack - the four of us. (Don and Mike were still at the UTH table; Don was sending me text messages about the Danish pirate - "he went 4x on a $300 hand - and won!", 2 separate times. The four of us found an empty table, and off we started. However, we got one hand into the shoe when two other guys came over and asked to join.

The best way to describe the lead guy of the two (the other one seemed to be a deaf mute) would be a 40 year old Jersey guy who worked too many years at an Applebee's. He was trying way too hard to be our friend....and to show he was COOL.

"Let's make some MONEY tonight, boys!"

and, after he sensed that he wasn't entering friendly waters...

"Oh don't worry, O know how to PLAY this game!"

He gave Leland about 15 fist bumps whenever he won. He never crossed the line into being obnoxious, but he was always annoying. There was just something - fake? Over-the-top MTVish? - that was just too much for me, and I packed it up after 30 minutes.

(To show you how naive I am, Leland and Wiz talked about him the next day. "He was so high, you could see the coke on his nose." I'm sure you could see it - I just never made that connection. I just thought he was an arrogant asshole).

Sat Mar 19

A first in Vegas! Layup actually got up before me and asked if I wanted to place a bet! Unfortunately, the Excedrin PM was still kicking in and I probably said something to him like "Rick Pitino and Katie Couric"....it was unintelligible. I actually told Layup to put $1000 on Kentucky....oh well....

(The Excedrin PM helped me to my best day in the book, with winners like Richmond -4, Florida -6, BYU, Wisconsin, Richmond under.....the only one I had wrong was Temple +6, which lost in Double OT).

Today was the day I had planned to go shopping. Janice sent me to the US with a shopping list for items that we needed. We got most of the medicine on Wednesday, but there were odds and ends that one trip to the mall would take care of.

** wife complaining alert***

I don't normally air any complaints about Janice on here, but I have to now. This "list" grew and grew on the days before the trip. It started with a trip to Wal Mart, and then a few clothes for the boys. "You can pick that up at Target", she said. Um, but there is no Target on the strip.

Then, three days before Vegas, she drops this bombshell.

"And we need document boxes, too. Can you pick those up?"

What? Document boxes?

"Yes, Decorative boxes to hold office papers."

Um...um....didn't we just buy those at the Guangzhou IKEA last weekend? (Yes, there is such a thing)

"Yes, but they are the wrong size."

Excuse me?

"The boxes we bought were for A4 paper, and we have the US 8.5x11 paper. So we need boxes sold in the US"

Um....ok....where does one get these boxes?

"You may have to look for them...They should be at Staples or Office Depot"

She doesn't really think that Don, Leland and I take off Sunday morning for an 8 hours shopping trip around Vegas, does she?
(Don't answer that).

Anyway, 3 hours on Saturday afternoon was spent going over to the Fashion Square mall to buy DS games for the boys, Apple power cords - and then a taxi to Target for a shopping trip that resembled "SuperMarket sweep", where I run up and down the aisles and get to the cash register in 15 minutes while the taxi meter kept running outside.

Yes, they did have document boxes - but no, they did not fit in the suitcase. Consuela the maid for the week should have those lovely boxes by now.

Craps with Mike after that; we got to the table, and the first point was 10. If I play the hard ways, it's only the 4 and 10 - I don't know why. Everyone loves the hard 6 and 8; someone has got to show the love for the other two numbers. So I threw a few bucks on the hard 4 and 10....did not hit.

The next point was 4; same thing - a few bucks on the 4 and 10 again, but nope.

The next point was 6. I put my odds down on the point, and a place bet on the 8, and waited for the next roll. However, the dice were still in the middle of the table.

The dealer held out his hand in my direction. I looked at him.

"I'm waiting for your hard 6", he said.

I corrected him. "No, I only play the hard 4 and 10" I said proudly.

It doesn't take an idiot to guess what was rolled on the very next roll. I am still surprised that Mike didn't immediately hop the 3-3 for $10.

Dinner that night was at Table 10 at the Palazzo at 6:30; the ending for the Butler-Pittsburgh game occurred as we were walking over there. We couldn't figure out what happened, because 3 different phones had three different scores. In a 10 second span, three phones showed:

Pitt 71, Butler 70 (F)
Pitt 70, Butler 70 (End Reg)
Butler 70, Pitt 69 (0:01 left)

We had no idea what was going on until 20 minutes later.

Dinner that night was nice, but I don't think it was great. And what's with the Pear Vodka fad? Jesus, I accidentally was served one of those, and I hated it. When did this become cool? I know I sound like a hypocrite here - but there is a line in the sand for alcoholic drinks. When you want to have fun, hey, have your strawberry daiquiris and your Tom Collins. I love those! But when it is serious drinking time, don't fool around. There is nothing more comforting than a good Vodka Tonic with lime.

When you are expecting that drink, and instead sip something like a Vodka Fresca with a flower in it, you should have the right to spit it out on your neighbor.

Saturday continued with the annual $25 craps run at the Palazzo (and yes, every year it is amazing to compare the craps dealers at the Palazzo to the Mirage). We returned to the Mirage later that evening, played some more UTH (which was another nice winning session for me).

At this point, it is Saturday night, and I am almost break even for the trip. Wiz then was looking for takers for the high-limit salon. I decided to try my luck.

So - for those of you that care - this was my first dive into black-chip only play. And I'm not drunk (yet) (probably because of that Pear vodka) - so I am a little nervous. This could get out of hand quickly......

The fourth or fifth hand I was dealt was the hand you don't really want to see when betting a lot. (Well, most of you would not want to see a pair of 8's - and you would be right. This is the second-worst hand to have).

I was dealt 11 vs a 10. Now, I am about 70/30 with that; 70% of the time, I would double, but if things aren't going well, then I would just hit.

I lost the first 3 hands at the table, so I sensed this would be a struggle. I elected to just hit. I got a 4, then busted; Wiz and Layup immediately started to yell at me.

Was that a sign? I lost 12 out of 15 hands, and after 20 minutes, I picked up what was left of my chips and ran out of there. I needed a full time-out after that trashing.

Finally got one

2011-04-05T07:33:00.000-07:00

In Part 1 of the diary, I talked about winning money off of Wiz (a first?) on the Washington-Georgia game. I was the only one in the casino, it seemed, who had Georgia plus the points.

If we go three weeks back, we find this post:

3 weeks away!

I should have named that "the 7-10 game that only Wiz and I care about"...

Vegas Diary - 2011 - Part 1

2011-04-01T08:28:00.001-07:00

Well, I better get going here and put my thoughts, memories, and summaries on to paper before they all get lost in the haze of my mind. Let me get some text down on the blog first - then maybe later I can embellish with pictures and other decorations.

Tue Mar 15
You know it's a weird Vegas trip when it starts on a Tuesday - actually, I left work in Guangzhou around 1 pm - so my trip actually started 10 pm Monday, Vegas time. Caught a train to Hong Kong, where I actually worked for about 4 hours in the hotel room before the early morning flight.

Besides working, the other main activity in the hotel room was to create my own tournament guide. For some reason, the publishers of the Blue Ribbon tournament guide decided not to write one this year. Now what will I do? Well, I signed up for the ESPN Insider account, found a preview page for each of the teams, copied those into a Word document, cut out the 68 pictures of Joe Lunardi contained in each preview, shrunk it down to 6 pt font - and voila! An 80 page tournament guide.

Now, printing it out at the hotel cost HK $10 a page, so I have started my trip about US $100 in the hole before even boarding an airplane.

Wed Mar 16
Flight leaves at 8, it's an international flight - so be there 2 hours early, 40 min taxi to the hotel: Gees, that's a 4:30 wake up call. What jolted me awake? I was in the shower and realized: "the next shower I will take will be in Vegas". That always brings a smile....

First leg: Hong Kong-Tokyo. March 16, 5 days after the earthquake. There was NO ONE on that plane. Each row was 3-4-3, and there was literally 1-2 people per row. A bit scary. However, when I landed in Tokyo, it seemed to be business as usual. Nothing seemed out of place.

Boarded the plane for LA at 4 pm local; I brought my NyQuil so I can sleep! Smart! I got 4 hours of sleep before my 4;30 wakeup call, I'll be dead tired on the plane and I can crash.

Dinner comes, darkness on the plane, and I comfortably fall asleep.....

....and then I wake up. Hmmmm, I wonder what time it is.....it's still dark out....

I was asleep for 90 minutes.

I took another nap on the plane for 30-40 minutes, and that was it.

Land in LA - gees, the lines at US Immigration are at least 3x as long as other airports - and Layup picks me up - and off we go to Vegas!

The ride was not as long as I thought; after the first two hours, I tried to get in a quick nap - and I got three naps in. Each was about 4 minutes long.

But before we get to the Mirage, we needed to do twoside trips: one to a Wal Mart to go medicine shopping, and to a US Bank to get loaded for the trip. The Wal Mart trip was uneventful, except for the occasional stares as two men were circling the pharmacy with a shopping cart half-full of Children's Motrin, NyQuil, and Benadryl.
The bank was an adventure, as the "bank" was not a stand-alone branch but one of those mini branches inside a grocery store. There was just one teller, with another lady who was in and out of the back room hanging up decroations out front. She seemeed to be a janitor of some kind.
It's my turn, I give her the check and withdrawal slip - and the teller makes this smirk. That's not good. Then she calls over the janitor - who apparently is the branch manager, in between her St Patrick Day deocration duties - who looks at my account on the screen, chuckles, and approves it. I am still baffled by that turn of events.

I don't remember much of gambling that night - I think the opening game was Pai Gow Poker with Don and Mike and their golf bage along side. I remember being half asleep as I tried to eat a 3 lb roast beef sandwich at the deli; I lost $500 at UTH waiting for Wiz and Leland to arrive. Not the greatest of starts.

Thu Mar 17

Started the day - after placing sports bets; the first "big bet" of the day was Old Dominion -2 vs Butler. Butler can't handle the physicality! - with Craps. I think I played more craps with Leland on this trip than the rest of the trips combined.

As we played, I got 4 texts and 2 phone calls from Wiz, who was in hiding watching Clemson.

It was 1:10 pm Eastern; I knew exactly what he was calling for.

"Is anyone near the book?"

I'm here now. What do you want?

"What's the Clemson halftime line?"

WV by 1 1/2.

"How much do you have?"

Um....it's all at the table.....

"Do you have $1000????"

No, sorry. I got $250 for you.....

Of course, I didn't place any money for me on West Virginia's 2nd half bet, which was an easy winner.....

First real winning session was that afternoon at UTH...nothing stands out there. However, we all had our first experience with the power of the Gold Card - the players club card. Layup was at the Gold level (the third level out of four), and we all went to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch. There was a significant line - 10? 15 people?

Layup flashes his card - "um, can I get a table for 6??"
We were seated in 60 seconds. It was amazing.

An afternoon jog (yes, first time that has happened for me in Vegas) amid watching another Big Bet game go down in flames ("Yes! Santa Barbara has the experience to stay close to Florida") and then it was off to dinner.

I don't know if it was the food, or the fact that I haven't had a filet in 9 months - but the filet that night at Mesa was memorable. Just wonderful.

(And the fact that no one in Vegas thought that Cincinnati would beat Missouri except for me .....that helped too.....)

Ended the day with (apparently) a craps loss and the annual tradition of losing at Pai Gow to John the Dealer......

Fri Mar 18

A strong 6 hours of sleep, which could be a record for me in Vegas. Layup recommended Excedrin PM, which was extremely helpful all week.

Golf in the morning at Southern Highlands - and that was wonderful. I keep thinking about that course. It is the perfect definition of a "fair, but difficult" course. There are no tricks. The greens are not unfair; I thought (and still think) that I can 2 putt from anywhere out there (and I did, on some holes!) You get rewarded for good shots and punished for bad shots. The course is right there in front of you - there's not a lot of hidden hazards lurking.

I would gladly go back there again in a future year. I just hope I am not blackballed after yelling at the TV in the men's locker room during the end of the Arizona-Memphis game. The members sitting 3 tables away shot several dirty looks in our (my?) direction......and then quickly left the room 5 minutes later. Well, the ends justify the means, correct?

Friday, after golf, was a wild day gambling. Another losing session at craps (I think this time was with Mike) - I put my chips in my pocket and headed over to the UTH table where everyone was located. We talked about the games, and the fact that I just put in a second half bet on VCU vs Georgetown. Layup wanted some of that action, so he gave me some money to place the bet.

As I walked over there, I cashed in my two black chips from craps and put that money in my pocket and headed over to the book. I took out Layup's money and my wallet - placed his bet - and then took out my green book to look at other games.

It was when I was ready to place another bet for myself when I realized - I didn't have the $200 from my two chips I cashed at the cage.

I checked each pocket 5 times - no luck.

I felt like an extreme idiot as I went back to the same counter in the sportsbook.

"Can I help you, honey?" she said.

Um, yeah....um......did anyone, um, turn in $200?

"What? You mean turn in found money?"

Yeah....I just dropped it here 5 minutes ago.....

She checked around and - no, no one turned it in. Of course not - but I had to ask.
As I left the counter, I saw some middle aged, 5'6" man look at me and smirk to himself. I am 90% positive that he found the money on the floor of the book (while I was fumbling around) and pocketed it. But what in the hell am I supposed to do? It is my fault - that's why I always put the money in my wallet after cashing at the cage.

Anyway, the day got a little better when I won a big bet when - again - I seemed to be the only one at the casino who liked Georgia and the points (+5- which moved to +6 by tip) vs. Washington. A late 3 by the Bulldogs gave me the cover. And I didn't collect from the casino - I collected from Wiz! Even better.

Then I sat down at UTH as we had a long session. It was 5 of us - Leland was off playng his marathon of craps. From left to right, we had

Layup
Wiz
Me
Mike
Don
and....the Danish Pirate

This guy at the end of the table was 50 or so, glasses, beard, and he grunted with every bet. He said he was in Vegas for 2 weeks and was losing money, but he loved the UTH game.

All of a sudden (his hot streak probably started when Wiz and I got into a spitting fight and I was banished to the Phat Cats cafe), this guy was on fire. He started playing a $50 ante. Then $75. Then $100 every once in a while. Then $100 every hand.

And he kept winning.

He started with, oh, $500. By the end of the 3rd hour at the table, he had $3,000 on the table and AT LEAST - AT LEAST - $5,000 in his pocket. He spit out a tooth at one point into the cards - no matter, that didn't break the string. Everything he touched was gold.

(And how did I do? Well, it was the classic case of someone shooting a 59 at a golf tournament. When someone shoots a 59 on the PGA Tour, all the attention focuses to that golfer. Every move they make is magnified and lauded.

They don't see the golfer in the group behind shooting a 62.

I tripled my money at that table, by far my best outing at UTH. And this was a $15 minimum, so we are not talkig tripling $50 into $150.

I got up to the cage, cashed in my chips - and before they took the money out of the drawer, they asked:
"Do you have any markers you want to settle?"

I don't know why, but I was offended. Hell NO! I didn't take any loans out to win this money! This is from my own sweat and blood!

Well, I'm out of steam for tonight, but Friday's diary is not complete.
Here's what you can look forward to in the next installment:

"Let's make some money!"
I only play the hard 4 and 10
Afternoons in Vegas: a Taxi to Target
Brandt Snedeker costing me $25
"Security!" and the 70 year old waitress on Saturday night
My first foray into the Salon
Cleanup on aisle 9
Sean Connery will star in "Entrapment"

Quick update!

2011-03-15T20:03:00.001-07:00

With all the attention on the "NC2A" - don't sleep on the NBA! I am uploading my updated NBA Flow chart which should show some possible games to give an extra look.

Some games I would look at:

3-16 (Wed) magic (vs the Bucks). bucks are playing 4 games in 5 days. Need to investigate how they've handled that scenario and minutes of the previous games. Hmmm, just say that the Bucks mailed tonights game against ATL in, so this might not be a good bet.

3-17 (thurs) Bulls vs Nets. Would look at how Nets have handled "success" in the past. They are coming off a big win against Celtics. My guess is they are due to relax. Bulls are playing very well and smell #1 seed in the east.

3-18 (Friday) Nuggets @ Orlando. Orlando is a crazy team that can't put together solid stretches of basketball. Nuggets are playing very well since the MeloDrama has ended. Teams returning home after a long road trip usually lose that first game back. Especially since they aren't playing a "name" opponent. Actually doing some quick research shows they lost to Atlanta after a 5 day road trip, lost to Philly after a WC trip, AND needed OT to beat philly after another long road trip. So I like Denver here.

3-19 Sat Celtics @ Hornets. Celtics are absolutely HORRIFIC on the 2nd night of the back to back. They aren't playing well to boot,so the Hornets seem like the play here.

3-19 Sat Pacers @ Grizzlies. Grizz are waaay better than you think ATS. Plus Pacers will be in a 4 game in 5 night stretch. Again lets check the minutes of those games, and outcomes. Did they mail one in in this previous stretch? Did any go into overtime, or was a tough physical low scoring game? What I look for in these stretches are minutes played, and if they mailed one in (as well as how has team responded in previous 4/5 situations).Looks like they are 1-1 in these situations so far, so might be worth a look but wouldn't go crazy, unless they have two OT game or something.

I think that should be enough to sprinkle in with your NCAA buffet! Good luck everyone, and stay safe out there. :)

Random Notes

2011-03-07T04:41:00.000-08:00

Just a few notes while waiting for the latest Bracketology projections....

1. I rarely follow orders from the Chinese....but I saw this sign on a bank entrance (!) - why, yes, I will obey that command!

2. Speaking of eating and cuising, I haven't blogged too much about food here in Southern China. I will say one thing......and it will offend at least one reader on this blog....

Dim Sum is highly overrated.

You take some low-quality pork sausage, steam (not fry) it, wrap it in some filo dough, steam it again until it is rubbery, and voila! There you go.
The steamed buns are ok, but not awesome; the rest of dim sum is just .....ehhhhh. Take it or leave it. I'd rather have a good Japanese Udon noodle dish over Dim Sum any day.

3. Jeff W - you can stop reading now!
So I got an invitation on Linked In today- out of the blue - from an old college classmate. It was the woman I had a major crush on. She was in my major, American (which is no small feat at Case), and pretty damn hot. We shared at least 1 class together almost every semester.

I distinctly remember asking her out once - and it went nowhere. I can't remember if it was during my sophomore year - when I was depresses most of the team - or the start of my junior year, when I got contacts and a 1000% increase in self confidence.

So after accepting her invitation to be "linked" on LinkedIn, when is the appropriate time to say: "Uh, hey, why the hell did you turn me down for that asshole on the track team?"

Dancing in the streets

2011-02-23T07:17:00.000-08:00

This is a typical Saturday night in a little public square next to our apartment.

It seems that someone sets up a CD player as night falls, and couples (or singles!) gather to dance - and even learn new dance moves.

Learning new dance moves? Something for you to think about, Eric! -ed

The age of the participants here vary widely, from about 25 to 70. Just cool to see.

No, I have no interest yet in joining this fray....

3 weeks away

2011-02-23T07:03:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's that time again - 3 weeks until the tournament. As many of you know, I am still planning to be in Vegas with a business/personal trip; however, there are rumors of travel restrictions coming....we are in the middle of plan B planning right now.

Anyway, here is our look at some projected games for this year's tournament, from ESPN's bracketology. It's less fun to do this when Maryland or Clemson (or Dayton) are not projected to be in.

The Kampen Game
(2) Purdue vs (15) Vermont

Layup's 5-12 Lock
(5) Syracuse vs (12) Belmont

Eric's Ohio Underdog game
(5) Vanderbilt vs (12) Cleveland St

Layup's $1000 on the Money Line game
(4) North Carolina vs (13) Oakland

The 7-10 game no one cares about
(7) Washington vs (10) Georgia

The Paul Goydos Game
(2) BYU vs (15) Long Beach St

The Jay Memorial 9 am on Thursday first upset game
(7) Missouri vs (10) St Mary's

Wiz's ACC Lock
(6) West Virginia vs (11) Virginia Tech

Virginia is for Lover's game
(7) George Mason vs (10) Alabama

The game only Eric cares about
(1) Pittsburgh vs (16) Miami-OH

Mike's Philly Cheesesteak Game
(7) Temple vs (10) Old Dominion
(is Bucknell in Philly?)

Leland's Dino Gaudio Memorial Game
(8) Illinois vs (9) UCLA

90s Baseball Nostalgia

2011-02-17T07:50:00.000-08:00

Had some time tonight to surf a bit, and landed on Joe Posnanski's blog at si.com. I like him and most of his writing on si.com (and not just because he grew up in Cleveland).

In January, he put some posts up about the Hall of Fame balloting for this year. One post focused on 12 players that were on the ballot this year. The only qualification to be on the ballot for the Hall of Fame is that you had to play 10 years in the majors.

Those 12 players listed - wow. If you are any sort of baseball fan, you can't help but say "Oh yeah!", "I forgot about that", and "I remember him!" multiple times during this piece.

Take a read, and remember what innocence was like around 1990-1998.

(and how about name #1 on that list! I'll have to tell you the story sometime of when Janice (not Steve!) and I saw history at old Municipal stadium....

2011 Hall of Fame Voting

Taiwan Blogging part 2

2011-02-12T13:43:00.000-08:00

The next day we took the boys to the Taiwan Science Museum. Great place. The kids spent 20 minutes outside the museum to start watching one of those "marble roll" things - where 30-40 marbles follow all sorts of different paths. Why spend any money going inside when all the entertainment is for free outside?

We went in, anyway - the cost was a whole US$2.50 per person - and it was pretty impressive. Four floors of science and math exhibits. DNA, Physics, Chemistry, Math.....pretty neat stuff. There was even a full display on LaVoisier.

(I think I've heard of him in the past......maybe.....what's he famous for again?)

We got to one section in the biology area - and it was a section on the digestive system. And let's just say the Taiwanese are not subtle. They wanted to make it as realistic as possible.

You pretended to be food, and you enter the exhibit through the mouth and exit the exhibit - that's right - through the anus.

Along the way, there are signs to point out different parts of the digetsive systems. The signs were comic strip-like in nature, with three kids asking different questions. Here's two of them. I know we are prudes in the US - but really? 10 year olds in Taiwan can handle this without giggling?

Taiwan Blogging, part 1

2011-02-12T13:25:00.001-08:00

Lot of picture dumps coming. So we dook a three day trip to Taiwan right at the start of the (Western) New Year. We landed in the afternoon, checked in and went right to Taipei 101, the big landmark in the city.

We first ate dinner at the food court in the basement of the building, which was a 4-story mall. The boys saw a Subway and insisted on that. I ordered noodle/soup dishes from two other stands in the food court. Janice wasn't that hungry, so she touched maybe 1/3 of hers.

Of course, so I ended up eating mine and most of the rest of hers.

As Julia Roberts said..."That's a mistake. Big Mistake". I could see people running around our dinner tale with red flags, yelling "Warning! Warning! Don't eat too much!".

Of course, I got sick that night.

Went to the conveinence store to get something - anything - to try to settle my stomach down. My first thought was: "Shasta....what I wouldn't give for a Shasta right now!"

And lo and behold, my prayers were answered!

Super Bowl XLV

2011-02-07T00:14:00.001-08:00

Well, as you can guess, I am very, very happy in the result of the Super Bowl. The thought of the Steelers winning another ring and their fans becoming that much more arrogant.....ugh.

Also, this is the second year in a row where I did have a winning wager on the player to score the first TD. Thanks, Jordy! I don't think I will hit another one of those for the next 20 years.....

It was nice to watch the Super Bowl in the morning. Super Bowl Sunday usually is interminable - the pregame shows are unwatchable, and you just want for 6:30 to come around. Not here - I went to sleep, set the alarm for 6:45, got ready and went to the Sports Bar with the boys to watch the game.

The bar was about 90% Packers fans - or, I should say, 90% of the people there were rooting for the Packers.

We did not have the Fox feed - Freddie was disappointed that we couldn't see the commericials. We had the feed from the "ASN" network, which took the NFL network feed. The annoucners were Bob Papa and - wait for it - Joe Theisman. Argh.

However, at half time and at the end of each quarter, a trio of Chinese broadcasters would pop up and provide some analysis. To my knowledge, there is no NFL equivalent of a "Chien-Ming Wang", so these were not ex-players. The guy in the middle seemed to be asleep and completely disinterested in commenting. Picture a blackjack table with me on one side, Don on the other side and Layup in the middle - and Don and I recounting, in great detail, our golf from earlier that day. Layup's look in that conversation mirrored what our middle commentator looked like all game.

Hello from Boracay

2011-02-04T05:24:00.000-08:00

As I said in the last post, we are vacationing this week in the Philippine Island of Boracay. This is an island about in the middle of the Philippine chain, and is about 6 miles long and 1-2 miles wide. The main part of "town" is a pedestrian mall that is attached to a boardwalk-type of walkway that runs parellel to the beach. There is no "boardwalk", however, the path is just a trample path of sand. This part of town, obviously built for tourists, is very much like a miniature version of the Ocean City boardwalk.

Many different types of cultures here - a lot of Koreans and Japanese, a healthy dose of American ex-pat families, and a surprising amount of Germans.

The Philippine people are very nice - but service may not be there strong point. There are people everywhere eager to help, but nothing gets down. It took 6 people behind a bar a total of 5 minutes to get a Sprite. And I was the only customer.

Walking on the sand, there are boys - maybe 7-12 years old - that make these works of art in the sand, obviously hoping to attract the eye of tourists and to get a donation. A sand bowl is made next to the drawing (sometimes labeled, "Tip") for these donations.

Warren tried a similar tactic with his sand drawing of a fish - but no money appeared. I wonder why.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

2011-02-04T04:28:00.000-08:00

Hello there! Happy New Year! I've had to go to work for three weeks in 2011, and now it's time for another holiday - Chinese New Year! The whole country pretty much shuts down for 5-7 days; we've been advised to get out of the country. So, right now, I am blogging from Boracay Island in the Phillipines. 85 degrees every day. More blogging on that to come.

When we get back, we have to hand out red envelopes to people that wish us Happy New Year. These people include:
- driver and nanny (of course)
- doormen
- the girls that work in the conveinence store in the building
- direct reports/secretaries
- any unmarried people
- children

The amount in the envelope will vary; before we left on vacation, I had the chore of filling about 150 envelopes with various amounts of cash. We bought these envelopes from a department store; some of the envelopes had a acetyl-alcohol kind of smell. I was feeling very much like Susan in "Seinfeld". She dies before the wedding with George because George bought the cheapo-envelopes. I felt I would suffer the same fate with the fumes I was inhaling.

Anyway, I'm so behind on blogging - got a lot to talk about, especially reporting about Taiwan and our 3-day adventure there. But one more item about life in China - we are living in an apartment complex with about 90% Chinese and 10% foreigners. They try to translate all apartment complex notices into English - but it looks like they need help. This is an actual sign posted by the elevator going to our apartment. The general idea is conveyed, I guess.....

Nice 2 Meat You

2011-01-23T06:23:00.000-08:00

Steve, I expect a full review this summer of this burger that will be sold at Canal Park. Canal Park is in Akron, home of the Akron Aeros (the AA-affiliate of the Tribe).

"1 ¼ lb. hamburger, stuffed with a ½ lb. hot dog, and ¼ lb. of bacon, cheese, and onions.". That makes a good jingle.

It looks so bad...but I want one.