Another day, another day. Mmm...Mr. Nooodles....cheap and filling! The best way to save money. I've been really slacking off when it comes to bringing lunch to work. At corporate it never really mattered because there was always leftovers in the training room from lunch. But here at a division, food is hard to come by. Well free food at least...there's always the wheel of destiny...err the vending machine down in the lunch room. I guess I could try that out....yeah right. We've got two grocery stores (or supermarkets if you are from Fort Erie) really close by, so selection isn't a problem. Then again, this is Aurora.

Onto poker...lost $30 on Sunday, $10 on Monday. Yay me!!! On Monday I went somewhere in the neighbourhood of an hour without seeing face cards in my hand. Got dealt 2-4 in 3 straight hands, followed by 2-5 off suit. Used my bluffing skills to steal 25 chips with the 2-5! Tried to wait out the tournament for the next half hour....but couldn't get any cards to work with. Went all in on A-5 off suit...tried to steal the blinds....it horribly backfired as Rich showed me pocket 8's. No worries I think....until I saw the 8 come on the flop. I be fucked.

So no hockey...well that's not a total truth, there is the world championships (which if the organizers were smart, they'd be expanding the tournament to feature more round robin games). If Hockey Canada was smart (well...they are, they hold every significant hockey title right now), they'd be organizing a tour of North America to play the US in some "exhibition games". But what do I know about making money? What gets me is there is still talk that they might play a season. Are these guys idiots or something? Well...I'm not going to blame them for negotiating a deal (for the record anything above 42.5 million means the NHL players on average will make more than the NFL players, and we all know which league gets more TV money to offset any gate revenue.

Nothing else much has been going on for me lately. Hit the gym 3 times this week, played poker on Sunday and Monday ($40 and $20 profits) and that was about it. Played a few games of madden and I was done for. Man I forgot how much I love playing Madden.

Will the NHL make up their freakin minds?!? I gotta admit...I'm kinda hungry for some NHL hockey. Probably because there is a lack of anything good on TV right now. Yes I know it's not popular to say this because I'm supposed to be impartial to the whole hockey thing but I'm not. I think this absence of hockey has actually made me crave it. Don't get me wrong though...it's not like I was going to buy a ticket this year anyway.

Personally...I have my doubts there will be a season, but if there is, I love the 28 game idea! So much better than an 82 game season. Maybe it's because I don't usually give a fuck about hockey until Februrary that I feel this way. Because lets face it, the NFL has the best regular season by far (only 16 games). So why doesn't the NHL try to copy the NFL? If only one game is needed to win a playoff round in football, but 4 in hockey...take 16 x 4 and you have 64. The ideal length of an NHL season. But hey, just an idea.

Of course if the NHL season never gets off the ground, how many people will be lining up to see the world championships??? Dear god that'll be a great tournament! If the organizers are smart, they'll capitalize on the lack of an NHL season and milk the tournament for all it's worth. Add extra games for the hell of it so we can see some of our best players again the lesser countries.

I just love this whole NHL lockout stuff. Man what I wouldn't give to be in that negotiating room. It's beyond the point of what's best for the league and now it's down to who can save face. My personal opinion is there should be linkage (revenues tied to salaries) but the owners and teams should all be forced to disclose how much revenue they actually get (by independent accountants...not these enron types). I'll admit though...I am missing hockey now that football is done. And no, I flat out refuse to watch basketball (personal preference).

Ahh well...there's always poker on tv (well not always...just sometimes). And I wonder if there is any relation to the increase in popularity of poker with the lack of Hockey. Ahh well...baseball is only 2 months away...I can wait. And what about that rogers center? You know, if they really want people to come to a game more than once a year, just lower that beer cost. Baseball is a lot more tolerable after I've had a few beers than it is when I'm sober (see Homer Simpson).

Did I ever mention how much I hate the process of buying things at work. Create requisition, get requisition signed. Get requisition electronically signed. Get P.O. get P.O. signed by controller, then GM. Submit PO to vendor. Takes almost 2 weeks to get a freaking keyboard!!!! Bah!

Well...what an interesting weekend I had. Saturday started off pretty good. Went to Abercromibe and Fitch. Score one for me since it was Tax free days in Buffalo!!!! I'm thinking sweet! Got a couple of really nice shirts (I wouldn't be able to pick them out without help). Went to Media Play afterwards (hey...how come nobody told me they stole Jumbo Video's idea of giving away free popcorn...MMmmm...popcorn). Got a Diet Vanilla Cherry Dr. Pepper (tasted really good). Had my first Yoohoo (I don't even know if that's the right spelling) and headed back to Fallsview Casino (I'm figuring hey...my luck is pretty good right now...lets try my luck there!) Well my chaufer misses a turn in the casino parking lot...tries to back track when....scratch! I'll post pics tomorrow...but the rear passenger door has a nice scratch on it...no worries I think (well not true...I cried like a baby for over an hour)...lets go to the Casino and win some money!!!! $20 later...I had a scratched car and no money in my wallet :( But at least I got a free coke!!!

Day didn't end off so bad as I went to Pizza Antica for dinner (by far and away the best pizza in Ontario -- take that Pizza Pizza!!!). Played a couple games of Madden (1 win, 1 loss...did I mention I'm 9-1 in my past 10 games?!?) and went to bed.

Sunday was a new day. Hit the gym early for the gunshow (watch Anchroman again if you still don't know that gunshow is). Showered and headed to the superbowl party...took out $160 cash from the ATM. $65 admission fee, $30 for a hug (and some raffle tickets) left me down to $75 (I had $5 lying around). $10 for the first poker tournament...yeah I was gone quick and I'm down to $65. Time for some blackjack!!! That was a good attempt...I'm down to $5!!! Whats this...the first quater of the superbowl ended at 0-0! 15 % of a $300 pool is $45!!! Yay me...well...lets try another poker tourney...hmm...at least I won my money back on that one. 1 more for the road! Yeah...I'm out another $10 (and now I'm $5 in debt because I borrwed money off him).

Alrighty then...it's raffel time!!! Nope...didn't win the pasta...nope...not the olive oil...nope...not the bike...nope...not the microwave...nope not the two lift tickets to blue mountain! Bah...that's an expensive hug I got :( But wait....there's a draw for a 20-inch slyvania (I know...I thought it was a country too!) flat screen TV!! haha...Seems like I finally won something!!!! Woohoo...I was offered to trade the microwave straight up for the tv...I declined...wasn't until I got home that I realized I should have took the microwave...ahh well :( At least I've got the Slyvania!!!

Monday morning get in to work to collect my money. Seems like I misheard something along the way. The prize pool wasn't $300...it's $500!!!! So instead of $45, I get $75!!!!!!!

Fast forward to Monday night...I skip TJ's...and play another poker tourny. 7 people...my basement, $10 buy-ins winner take all. Started the tournament at 9:45. By 11pm only one person had been eliminated and Edwin was well on his way to winning, holding the chip lead. Midnight came...Edwin still had a 40 chip lead on me but I was catching up. 12:30, rich gets cleaned out by me when I show him Trips Aces. Deal is made that the winner get $50, loser gets $20. 12:45 As Jc 7d was showing on the board. Edwin goes all in, I call with a pair of aces. Edwin flips over his 7 for a pair of 7's. 2 blanks hit, I win! So I start my day with an empty wallet and finish it with $125!!! I'd say Monday was a good day!

Happy groundhog day everybody!!!!

But seriously, on to more important things. I had a talking to by the boss yesterday about my $250 cell phone bill for last month. It wasn't the long distance charges that killed us, it was all the fact that I went 500 minutes over my limit. Well...i've added evenings and weekends to my account so it shouldn't be soo bad (he did have $100 in roaming charges so he couldn't really lecture me). Ahh well...maybe now I'll stop calling Ethopia and asking what's for dinner when I need a good laugh.

I'm eating a panzarotti for lunch today. These things are just not the same unless they are fresh from a deep fryer. Mine was baked yesterday. Yes baked. I know...it disgusts me too but when you don't wanna spend money...you eat things like this.