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Today marks the start of the second trimester!

Jim — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:34:02 +0000

Back in February I posted about our trials and tribulations with trying to conceive and have it stick. Well after more than 2.5 years I am very happy to announce that today marks the start of the second trimester of my wife’s pregnancy! I’ve wanted to post about this for a while but forced myself to wait for the start of the second trimester. My understanding is this is kind of the “rule of thumb” when it comes to announcing a pregnancy. Of course our families already know and many close friends. We learned our lesson last time- when as soon as we saw that positive pregnancy test we told everyone- and unfortunately things took a turn for the worse real fast.

This time is different though. We’ve already been kicked out of the fertility clinic- no I wasn’t drunk- they’ve done their job so their work is done. We’ve had two ultrasounds, seen the baby both times (looked like a gummy bear) and heard that racing heartbeat. Actually my wife has an ultrasound machine at her work, so earlier this week she invited me over for a third, unofficial ultrasound! Words can’t explain it; I still catch myself in complete awe with my mouth open and drool dripping off my chin. At least now I finally have a reason when my wife asks WTF? OK serious now- I really am in awe and this is such an amazing time. We still have a long way to go though. My wife’s pregnancy is considered high risk and I’m hearing there is a chance she could go on bed rest late in the pregnancy. So although I’m happy as can be, we’re also a bit nervous and anxious about the months to come.

So wish us luck, or send us prayers, or send us money (preferred). Thanks!

Just in case you couldn't find the baby.

Official BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 Released!

Jim — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:12:17 +0000

"Starting Download..." was here.

I already love my BlackBerry, and it just keeps getting better. Last night the official BBM 5.0 was released. I tried to download it through App World but with the masses trying the same thing all I got was “Starting Download…” for about 12 hours. Luckily I hadn’t upgraded to the latest version of App World yet, and when I did it finally cleared the “Starting Download…” message. Instead of trying to get it through App World again, I visited http://blackberry.com/messenger for the OTA (Over The Air) download and it installed just fine. If you can’t get rid of the “Starting Download…” message in App World I also found this BlackBerry knowledge base article that might help. As far as the Messenger itself…

BlackBerry Messenger 5.0

I haven’t used it to actually chat with anyone yet, but here are a few features I’ve already noticed. First, you can now easily backup your contacts either locally or remotely. Remote backup allows you to backup your contacts to a remote BlackBerry server that is tied to your email address. Second is Avatar functionality. A minor thing I admit, but still a nice piece of the upgrade. Third is the Barcode. Each BBM 5.0 user has a unique barcode. The barcode can be easily scanned by another BlackBerry camera for a quick and easy way to add contacts. I’ve already tested this and it’s slick! Fourth, now you can create groups and communicate within said groups. Fifth, Broadcast Message. Just like it sounds, you can send a message to multiple contacts at the same time. Those are just some of the initial features that I have noticed, and this is coming from someone that hasn’t even had one chat conversation with the new version. Do you have BBM 5.0 yet, and if so what are your thoughts?

Promotions at Full Tilt promoting bad play?

Jim — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:03:24 +0000

I’m currently active in Full Tilt’s Take 2 promotion. All you have to do is play 2 ring game tables at the same time, earn 1 full tilt point while doing so, and if you do so for 25 days in September they’ll give you $50. Through 8 days in September I’ve only missed playing one day so far, and all 7 of those sessions have been winning sessions. I play micro-stakes, which most would agree already has the majority of bad players, but I think promos like Take 2 make bad players play even worse. It’s like people are just trying to get their “check mark” for the day and be done with it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, I’m simply making an observation and wondering if anyone else notices the same thing?

Playing at Full Tilt for the moment.

Jim — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:27:14 +0000

Wow time flies. I can’t believe it’s been a month since I last posted. I think of posting just about every day, but rarely have the time to do so. Anyway, I’ve been playing at Full Tilt for about the past 2 weeks straight. I’ve always liked Pokerstars better, but I will admit Full Tilt runs some good promotions. For the month of September, they are running an easy promo called Take 2. Basically, you can make up to $50 for the month, just for playing 2 ring game tables at the same time, which I already do anyway. So it was kind of a no-brainer to try and make as much on this promo as I can. I know $50 isn’t much money, but it’s free to try and earn it, and I can earn it playing the games I would be playing anyway. I’ll work on this promo this month at Full Tilt and probably go back to playing mainly at Pokerstars after that (unless another good promo shows up).

Slowly moving up to $10 NL holdem.

Jim — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:25:35 +0000

In recent weeks the bankroll has been as high as $424 and as low as $390. Currently it rests at $409. Last night I played some of my first $10NL at Pokerstars and it went well. Of course I’ve played $10NL before, but only here and there and rarely with the intention of “moving up”. Last night was the first time I played with thoughts of officially moving up. I still mixed in some tables of $5NL (yes I am very conservative with my bankroll), hence the “slowly” moving up. I’m going to play at least one $10NL table each session to get a feel for the players and action, and as long as it keeps going well I’ll make the official move at that point. So here is hoping I’ve moved up to $10NL soon! Oh, and here is one of the bigger hands I had at $10NL last night:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $0.10 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

CO ($2.70)
Button ($10.30)
SB ($7.15)
BB ($5.45)
UTG ($5.65)
Hero ($10)

Preflop: Hero is MP with Kd, Ks.

1 fold, Hero raises to $0.35, CO calls $0.35, 1 fold, SB raises to $2.5, 1 fold, Hero raises to $10, CO folds, SB calls $4.65 (All-In).

Flop: ($17.60) 9s, 5d, 6d (2 players, 1 all-in)

Turn: ($17.60) Ts (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($17.60) 9d (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $17.60

Results:

SB has Kc As (one pair, nines).

Hero has Kd Ks (two pair, kings and nines).

Outcome: Hero wins $17.60.

Wordpress for Blackberry

Jim — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:33:17 +0000

Today was the first I’ve heard of a wordpress for blackberry app. Of course I’m testing it from my blackberry with this post. The nice thing about the app is it’s from wordpress and they are constantly updating the beta version with upgrades and fixes. Visit blackberry for wordpress from your phones browser to install and try it for yourself.

Pull my lever.

Jim — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:20:18 +0000

Get your minds out of the gutter! This photo was taken aboard the USS Midway in San Diego. My wife had a conference in San Diego so I tagged along and made a vacation out of it. I loved San Diego, beautiful area and the weather seemed perfect every day. Of course I took a lot of photos but I’m just now revisiting some of them. I added a little HDR effect to this one with Picnik. So what do you think, like it or does the HDR add a bit much to it?

A woman. A man. Two touching poems.

Jim — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:10:09 +0000

A WOMAN‘S POEM:

Before I lay me down to sleep, I pray for a man who’s not a creep, One who’s handsome, smart and strong.
One who loves to listen long, One who thinks before he speaks, One who’ll call, not wait for weeks.
I pray he’s rich and self-employed, And when I spend, won’t be annoyed.
Pull out my chair and hold my hand. Massage my feet and help me stand.
Oh send a king to make me queen. A man who loves to cook and clean.
I pray this man will love no other.. And relish visits with my mother.

A MAN’S POEM:
I pray for a deaf-mute gymnast nymphomaniac with big tits who owns a bar on a golf course,
and loves to send me fishing and drinking. This doesn’t rhyme and I don’t give a shit.

Take me to your leader. [ Photo ]

Jim — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:37:07 +0000

This photo equipment looked a bit like an alien robot, hence the title and photo caption. Of course my mind goes places most don’t, so you’ll probably see something completely different. That’s the beauty of photography- the endless interpretations. This was taken on the beach at Lake Michigan near P.J. Hoffmaster State Park while a some random people were getting their wedding photos done.

I’m playing poker again!

Jim — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:34:48 +0000

That’s right, my poker blog is going to start featuring poker again, as I have resumed my journey. I’ve been playing every day at some point for about the last 5 or 6 days. I was playing every Thursday in the Twitter Poker Tour, but that was it. I have the desire to play again. It’s been a long break, probably close to a couple months, but I see a lot more poker in the future. Last night, the very first hand I played I was dealt pocket Aces. The turn saved my ass after the villain flopped three of a kind:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $0.05 BB (5 handed) - Poker-Stars Hand Converter from HandHistoryConverter.com

SB ($14.56) Hero (BB) ($10) UTG ($7.22) MP ($13.93) Button ($6.85)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Ah, As 2 folds, Button bets $0.10, SB calls $0.08, Hero raises to $0.35, Button calls $0.25, SB calls $0.25

Flop: ($1.05) 8d, 10d, 8s (3 players) SB bets $0.60, Hero raises to $2, 1 fold, SB raises to $14.21 (All-In), Hero calls $7.65 (All-In)

Turn: ($20.35) Ad (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($20.35) 7s (2 players, 2 all-in) Total pot: $20.35 | Rake: $1