Pooped ain't the frikkin word

Calling for rain tomorrow so even tho today wasn't as nice as yesterday I decided I had to try and get some plants in the ground. Unlike the sun yesterday today was overcast but otherwise a decent fall day. Wanted to get an earlier start but was still tired and fell asleep after breakfast and didn't get up until noon. Thought it was going to be a bitch but turns out it made no difference. Started late and Dad decided to give me a hand. Thought I might just be able to use a heavy pointed rod to make some holes but when I opened the box of plants we noticed that, even tho the plants were bareroot, the rootballs were still fairly large. Meant bringing out the post hole digger. Amazingly I was able to get a grip on the damned thing and was able to operate it after a fashion something unthinkable just a week ago. Things are improving. Couldn't get enough leverage to get real deep so I started the holes and took a break while my father finished them off. All in all we got a dozen red raspberry canes and half a dozen blackberries in. After that I was bushed. My therapist going to kill me tomorrow as, from the way I feel now, my arm and hand will be totally useless. They got a good work out today however and while I'm pooped it's that good feeling you get from a great workout. Can only be good. Just hope my raspberries make it however. While most of the plants still had a lot of foliage and the bags they were packed in still had a lot of moisture in them so they weren't dried out the plants are supposed to be dormant but the red raspberries have sprouted new growth, probably due to the warm spell last week. Just hope they survive the cold. Still have a dozen golden raspberries, a dozen blackberries and about 15 blueberries still to go. Plus have about 15 trees coming in in the next couple of weeks also. A lot of digging still to go. Blueberries going to be the toughest as they are going into a section where I have to cut thru grass to get them in and they need bigger holes than the raspberries. Luckily they have some dirt around the roots so may be able to survive a few more days as long as they stay dormant. Have to say thanks to my father because without him nothing could have gotten done. Just have to make sure I don't wear him out or let him wear himself out. If it was up to him we would have gotten another dozen or two in the ground today, as least.

So, as the title suggests, my ass is dragging. Feels good to have accomplished something even if someone else did most of the heavy lifting. Did what I could and suprised myself with the ability to be able to do what I did. Hopefully the rest of the planting will build up stamina in my arm if I can get it done. The rain ain't going to be helpful for planting tho the wet ground will definitely be a benefit to the plants once they are in. Have a feeling tho that I'm hitting the sack early tonight.

Last, but definitely not least, today is my daughter's birthday. In case her mother has somehow stumbled across this blog, tell her her father sends birthday wishes. It's times like this that really get me down, not being there for the occassion. Have already called and wished her Happy Birthday and had a little chat but just not really the same as being there. In case you see this, Happy Birthday Scoot.

Hokay, arm is starting to feel like it's ready to fall off so guess that is the signal I've bored you enough for today. Thanks for the ear, or in this case, the eyeball.

Addendum. Just my frikkin luck. I had hoped to make the Dec gathering but that idea has gone by the wayside. So what arrives in the mail today? An offer from the Mirage for a 3 day stay in either a suite or deluxe room, it depends on which days you pick as to which you get, plus $250 towards play, good Dec thru Feb. Don't know if it was for me or my father but as we share the same name and he had no intention of traveling it could have been all mine. Never rains but it pours.

Further addendum. Fuck pooped, right now my damn muscles are stiffer than my dick got after perusing Bam's Halloween post or the one about contacts.

Pooped

It's a beautiful day here and I'm too pooped to enjoy it. Out late at the bar game last night and up early for the docs and therapy. Wanted to get those plants in the ground today but therapy has wasted my legs so hopefully tomorrow stays as nice and hopefully my plants are still alive. Any volunteers are more than welcome to stop by.

Good news from the doc. Got okayed to return to work, at least part time. Can start back 3 days a week on Mon. Acck, while writing this I got bad news call from work. Because of the way the handbook and rules are written I can't return to work. They made no differentiation between salaried and hourly personel and there is no provision for light duty in the rules so that even tho I would be doing my regular job, just less hours, it is construed as light duty and so if they allow me to do it they have to accomodate those folks in the plant with light duty jobs so I'm SOL until a full release. Arrrrrrgh!!!!!!! Stuck for now. Damn.

Bam, appreciated the advice but the league game didn't come with corn dogs and chicken fries so that decided the issue, that and being able to get out of the house. (see above). Last night started hot and quickly fizzled. Third hand I flopped the nuts, K-hi straight, and had 2 folks push all in in front of me, smaller straight and 2 pair. Didn't even have to work at it. If only they were all that easy. After that the cards went further south than Argentina. Won a couple out of the blinds, stole a few but mainly just did a lot of folding tho when the blinds went up started to bleed chips with A-face hole cards and lo flops. C-bets only brought raises and my stack dropped. The death blow was dealt by one of those people who hate to give up an A no matter how low the kicker. Afraid to bet them and afraid to let them go. He limped and I raised with pp 10s and he called. Flop brings A-x-x and he checks and I throw out a pot and he calls. Turn a blank, another check, I figure a draw so I push and a call. He turns over A-3 off and river isn't a 10 so I'm left with a BB and a half. WTF? What is the purpose of check calling that lo ace? If you think it's good why not bet it or at least test bet it to see if that low kicker is useless? If you are afraid of that low kicker being no good why call the bets? I will never figure these people out. Was able to work the remaining chips up to a couple of BBs but went out in tenth. Wasn't too bad. Made it to the corndogs.

As for the league it didn't turn out too bad. I lost a few points of my lead but not most. Still have 30+ point lead with 4 games left. Think one of them is next Mon tho so have to make a good showing in the Sat game. We'll see how it goes.

BTW, since my legs are tired I sat and played poker, what else. Must be getting better, picked up $10 on the .05-.10 tables and another $3 on the penny ones. Except for that call from work not a bad morning.

OK, enuff boredom fofr you folks. Thanks for tuning in.

Frustration

As the title suggests frustration is setting in today. Frustration in everything, even the good things. Poker went so-so over the weekend. Died in the couple of blogger games I played yet picked up a few bucks in the penny ante and nickle and dime ring games. Better yet I took a 4th in my league game, which added to the first a couple of days earlier, has expanded my lead for the month to 50 points. So why frustration? The next league game is tonight and it's the night I like to play a live game. Also tonight's game is stud, one I usually do well in. Altho the league championship gains me nothing but bragging rights it one thing I haven't been able to do yet. Been close a number of times but always a bridesmaid, never a bride. While skipping the game won't kill me a good showing could just about put a lock on it. But I like my Monday night at the Trappe. Thus frustration.

Frustration is also resulting from the stroke. While things are coming along pretty well I received a number of berry plants I ordered last summer last week. Right now they are sitting out there, bareroot, and I can't get them in to the ground. Add to the fact that today looks like a beautiful day to do some planting and again some frustration. The fact that the last time I ordered these plants a couple of years ago they arrived at the same time as 3 straight weeks of rain and thus died while I waited to plant them doesn't help. Thought I was going to get them in Sat since my nephew was off work but the rain screwed that up.

Finally the rehab. Still going well, notice the arm has a lot nore strenghth and I have a lot more control of it but now we are down to the small things and they are, of course, frustrating. Movement, strength and control in the fingers and hand, while coming along, are progressing at a much slower rate than everyhing else. While to be expected it don't mean that I like it. It's tough and, what else, frustrating. Add in the fact that I don't know if the stiffness I'm fighting in the fingers is due to the stroke and will eventually clear or from the arthritus I've had for years and will just be a major impediment the rest of the way and I'm also majorly confused.

So, all and all, it's frustrating, to which I have just added a modicum of boredom so we will say adieu for now.

50-50

Payed some poker tourneys last night and came out 50-50. Played the Mookie on Tilt and I belomg to n online league at Poker Analysis and they had a game on Cake poker last night. (plug for PA at www.pokeranalysis.com it can use more participants) Sucked at the Mookie, won the league game. Gave me a few bucks on another site and last night confirmed my opinion of enjoying AP as my favorite poker site. I know, neither game was on AP, but trying to play on both site at the same time was difficult. While both sites have warning system for a live hand in play neither is as good as the one that AP has and I had hands folded because I was involved in a hand at the other table. A-A once at the Mookie. The risk of multi tabling. I do have one complaint about AP when it comes to multi tabling however. When the table in play pops up it is impossible to put it in the background without making the play which can interfere if you have a more important play also in action at anothe table. Can't have everything.

Back to the games. The Mookie was fun but probably would have been better if my attention wasn't divided and the cards hadn't sucked so bad. Won a couple of hands but tey were mainly just keeping my head above water, never good enough to make a threat. Just hung on and had some fun. As for the league game it was touch and go early on. Was doing OK but twiced flopped top 2 and had the board come up 4 card straight or flush after a couple of check calls to half or pot sized bets which led me to giving up the hands to river bets. A table change and some decent cards got me up to third place and K-K and a reraise from top stack got me to first about halfway in. That was about what it took. Never went below 3rd after that even after a couple of suckouts by some short stacks all in pre. That and the fact that K-K popped up 3 more times in just the right situations, and held up every time, put the W on the board. It was first game of the month so I take an early lead in league standings. Want the bragging rights of a league win. Come close a number of times but always seem to fall a few points short. This month it is mine. Just have to make sure I make the games.

Speaking of games and site difficulties, isn't there a easy way of finding a game on Tilt? They have names but Tilt doesn't use them in the lobby. I basically search by time and buy in but I'll be damned if I could find the Mookie last night. Finally got there by doing a search on Riggs' name figuring he would be playing and found it. Thank Riggs, knew you would eventually be good for something someday.

For those interested the recovery goes on. Pushed too hard the other day and damaged the hand somewhat. Thing was swollen and exercises had to be put on hold. Iced it down and swelling id going down. Still working the arm and leg. Feel good. Therapists are bitches tho. Just when I start feeling good about my progress they come up with anew exercise that makes me sweat my cojons off and realise how much farther I still have to go.

Enough boredom for now. Thanks for your attention.

Legging it out

Feeling good this morning. Legs, which had been feeling tired over the weekend, feel strong. Not up to any jogging but walking a lot more naturally and can actually take my shower standing instead of sitting down. Still keeping the chair handy tho, to be on the safe side. Arm is steadily improving. Forcing it to try and do some easy tasks and it's getting so I can pick up some clothes with it and shut, and sometimes open, doors. Just thought I'ld let you know for those who care how the rehab is coming. For those of you who don't really give a flying fuck, bite me. You just have to live with it. Life and blogs are a bitch.

Spent most of the day yesterday playing poker online while watching football. Damn Eagles better improve before they face the Giants next week. Poker was basically a wash for the day. The donkey tables on UB were kind to the donkeys yesterday so I lost a few bucks over there. However as they say, the Lord also giveth. Cashed a $3 PLO on AP along with a couple of $1 SnGs to make up my loses on UB. May have actually made a buck or two in the final outcome. Should have done better in the PLO but not paying attention caused me to screw myself. My final hand, in position, I flopped top and bottom with no draws on the board and had it checked around to me. Normally I pot it in this situation but I didn't notice bottom pair so I just checked also and then caught sight of the second pair. With 5 in the pot it was a decent one at that level. When the turn came a blank, or so I thought, and it again checked around I hit the pot button and wound up with a caller. Damn, as that pot bet put in 3/4 of my chips. Still it was a rainbow board and that turn, a 6, only put out the faintest of straight draws. The river another blank, get a check, I push the rest of my chips figuring I might still be good, Get the call and that turn shafted me, Guy had pair of 6s in his hand. Still can't figure why he checked that turn but considering his hand I couldn't have seen him sticking around if I had only punched that flop. Ah well, such is life, and poker.

Speaking of poker I really wanted to play the Tuck Fard tonight but Monday is the night of the one RPT game I play regularly nd haven't been there in awhile. If I had both arms working I would take the laptop with me and do both but with only one arm there is no way I can juggle both. Besides they have a free buffet with mini corn dogs on it and my corn dog quotient is damn low these days. Maybe in another week or so. As I said the arm is getting stronger.

Ok, this is long enough in the kingdom of boredom. Thanks for allowing me to be your guide.

Public service announcement

This is a message for the victims of stroke, both the actual person and their friends and relatives. I originally started this blog after I met a crazy group of fun people who shared a common vice with me, poker. Even worse these folks carried their degeneracy even further, they actually wrote about their vice. After meeting them however I decided that maybe this wasn't as disgusting to the normalmind as it sounded. Or maybe it's just that I am not normal. Either way I had decided that I would participate in this peculiar type of degeneracy, at least dip my toes in the water. I have a sick mind there is no doubt. However, something occured between the intention and actuality. I had a stroke.

I had a stroke, simple sentence, major problems. I was lucky, my stroke was minor, as far as these things go. Lost use of my left arm and weakened left leg but my higher functions were unimpaired. However, as lucky as I was there are still problems that go with having your body fail you, especially at what is considered a fairly young age. Not to mention being cooped up in rehab and all the indignities that accompany it. All this time on my hands led me to following thru on my intention to blog altho the focus, at least temporarily switched from poker to my condition and circumstances. Be that as it may, blogging helped me thru a tough time and the encouragement of other bloggers and the fact that they linked to my blog so that others might read is highly appreciated and can never be paid back.

So what does all this bullshit have to do with a PSA? Only this. For anyone who might be reading this and is either stuck in rehab or knows someone who is, I recommend blogging, if possible. Most rehab hospitals seem to have wifi and if no laptop available some have a community computer. It's a connection to the outside world, a way to rail against the indignaties of the world and a good all around stress reliever. If someone does start one or knows of someone who has and informs me of it I will try to do what I can to see that it circulates because while blogging itself was theraputic knowing it was being read added to the effect.

That's all I have to say for now and hope this hasn't bored anyone and may actually help.

Ready to roar

OK. it's a new week and feeling like a new man. The lassitude is falling away. Now I just need to get out and about to find some fodder for my dearthless wit and prose. If not I might just have to start voicing my views on the campaign. God help you if I start that.

Spent Saturday with Dr. Pauly. Interesting game. Considering my few associations with blogger games, the Numb Blow and a charity rebuy, and the fact it was PLO, I was expecting more madness. Suprised the hell out of me to find a fairly tight, reasonably played table. Was enjoyable to play a PLO tourney where half the people didn't think that a high pair meant a preflop pot raise. Made it to 6th and was a lucky shit to do that. Early on cards were so cold I got frikkin frostbite on my fingers. The couple of times I did get playable hands I was in the BB and got a walk. Forced to go all in with marginal hands a couple of times and wound up sucking out to stay alive. Cards did wake up just before final table and I got myself up to a reasonable stack for the final but I died when I got good hole cards but couldn't catch a flop. Oh well, I made up my entry fee over on UB on the penny ante and nickle and dime NL games. Just love donkey tables when the donkeys aren't getting lucky. Good game people and will keep it in mind when my Sat afternoons are not spoken for. BTW, thanks for the cheering from the rail whoever you were. Didn't recognize the screen name but all flattery highly appreciated.

Speaking of UB, I hate the site. Had to put some bucks on it because I didn't realize I could get cash onto Stars or Tilt (also not a favored site tho the bloggers seem to love it) and UB was my only option for action in the hospital, or so I thought. Thing is, UB was the first site I played many moons ago and I did like. Changes in policy and the recent scandal seem to have cut into player participation however so the amunt of available games as decreased since I played there and I hate the "contributing" rake factor when it comes to clearing bonus. Major disincentive if you play tight. However I have some money there now so will see if I can persuade the donkeys to keep contributing to the fund until I reach the amount where I can transfer back into my AP account. I could do an AP transfer to UB and then back to AP but what the hell, I'm up 50% so far so might as well see if I can keep milking the cow. Besides beginning to like getting ranted at. you gotta love it when you get bitched at for a play and when, in violation of usual policy I tried explaining. As the guy kept bitching a third party chimes in saying not to hand out free lessons, The bitcher replies that he just has to educate me and the third party replies, "I wasn't talking to you, I was speaking to Wolf". That, of course, sets off a whole new series of rants. Priceless.

OK, time to catch up on my reading and play some poker. Damn Eagles have a late game so need to keep myself occupied for awhile.

Bored you long enough, i thak you for allowing me to do so.