A New Face

I was frustrated with certain elements on my old template, so I have switched over to this one.

Little Broken Bones

A day in my life...

Yesterday afternoon I had just hit "publish blog" on my most recent post, trying unsuccesfully to ignore the phone ringing incessantly beside me. Picking it up, I hear my daughter crying, telling me she thought she broke a bone and I need to come pick her up right away.

This is where the color drains out of most mother's faces and they rush around scrambling for their keys and purses in a panicked state. Visualizing the worst as they fumble with the lock at the front door.

Not me. I calmly tell her I will be there soon, hang up, and pick up the receiver again to place another call. My mother answers and I tell her that I wont be home this evening as I have to take Jess to the hospital since she broke her arm.

Again.

You see, my daughter tends to have the worst luck with things such as walking, falling out of her bed, and playing co-ed dodgeball. Four years, three casts. This has become old hat for me and I am sure that they are going to give me my own personalized parking spot at the Children's Hospital soon. I have paid enough in parking fees there over the last few years that I am on their Christmas card mailing list now.

The first time, just over 4 years ago now - she was 8 and was downstairs in her room sleeping. Something made her get up late at night and she tripped and fell - using her hand to brace her fall. She came upstairs and was whimpering a little, saying that she thought she may have broken something. I was thinking it was a lamp or a piece of furniture at first, but then she held up her little twig of an arm and you could see both the radius and ulna bones projecting up at weird angles. We spent 12 hours in emergency that night and she emerged with a plaster cast after they knocked her out and reset the bones in place.

The second time was last October when she was playing dodgeball in gym class. When I saw on my call display that it was her school, my first thought was "what did she break this time?" Another trip to Emerg and seven hours later her broken wrist was neatly fixed up in a purple fiberglass forearm cast.

So, yesterday when I heard the familiar words, I gathered my things and calmly went to pick her up. This was the first time that she actually was crying though -the pain was obviously much worse. We fought rush hour traffic and arrived at the hospital 35 minutes later. They weren't too busy for a change, and she was able to score some codeine and extra-strength tylenol for the pain while we waited. Four hours, some ketamine and a fluorescent orange full-arm cast later, I took her and her fractured radius home.

It was 11pm and she went to bed almost immediately, but kept waking up because of the pain. At 12:30am she began to complain that the cast felt too tight, and when I noticed her fingers were a purplish-shade, I phoned the hospital help line. They advised I bring her back so a doctor could evaluate, so off we went again. We booked another four hour session in ER while they cut through and loosened the cast, making it home around 5am.

There is something about an injured child that transforms them back several years. I look at my daughter most days and see her for what she is - almost a teenager, confident in who she is, terrorizing the boys and spending hours doing her hair. When something like this happens though all I can see is the little girl she once was. Helpless and scared, needing - no - really needing her mommy to make everything alright again. They say kids grow up too fast and it is true, so when fleeting moments like this happen I relish having that little girl back in my arms one more time. Even if it is to go get another cast.

More Tournaments

The rush continues, I am happy to say.

I scored my first victory in the Calgary tournament that I play several times a week. Down to three players with only 340 chips vs. 4500 and 5000 or so, I managed to double up several times and claim first place. That ties me for second on the leaderboard there - though it looks like they are going to start a new one in September.

Then last night I played yet another MTT on Noble. Pauly and Drizz came along for the ride, and we battled it out against 76 others. Drizz got KO'd after about an hour and went to sleep. Pauly and I ended up on the same table, and carried on to land in the top 20 when he suffered one of the worst beats I have seen in a while. A9 vs A6 and a 6 spikes on the river to take him out. Was there a last longer bet on the side between him and I you may ask? Well of course there was, we are - after all - professional gamblers. I believe the count is 12 beer you owe me now, eh Pauly? ;)

After he got knocked out I went on a super rush and had the table completely dominated. My average chip count was 45,000 and the next closest was 12,000. It had all the makings of a sure win for me - except, I didn't. I busted out in third after making a few bad decisions and taking a couple bad beats. Oh well - still just can't complain.

Speaking of last-longer bets, stay tuned for another tale coming soon. Bobby Bracelet is mailing off something to me shortly in payment of our game from last Thursday. I am refraining from guessing what it will be, because quite frankly - I am a little afraid. Will it be huge? Will it be junk? Will it be huge junk? The jury is out. I promise pictures once I get it.

I'm going to end today with a little teaser. I got a new job. Yes, other than playing online tournaments. I don't want to give out more information until the details are finalized, but I'll fill you in over the next couple of days.

Tourney Top Five

I don't care how many of you don't like Noble, all the more fish for me. As mentioned, I have been playing nightly tourneys and ring games there recently with some success. The past two days have been even better though.

Thursday - $15 MTT, placed 2nd
Thursday - $20 MTT, placed 5th
Friday - $3+R MTT, placed 1st
Saturday - $10 MTT, placed 6th
Saturday - $5+R, placed 5th

All the tournaments I played had a field between 70-90 players, so even though the prizes weren't huge, it still beats the hell outta playing the $1, 2200-entrant tournaments for 6 hours to only make a buck or two.

I really didn't expect to even place in the one last night, as I joined late night after a few hours of IM-a-shots with Felicia, Iggy, Tactix, Drizz, Chad, and Spaceman. However Tac and I decided to enter it anyways, which turned out to be a good decision on both our parts. He placed 8th (in the money) and I scooped first place after going on a major rush. The only downside was it was 3am my time when it finished, and there was no one around to share my victory with. Damn people needing their sleep! ;)

Anyways, I am going to be playing a few more multi's this afternoon, then I am heading to the casino tonight for a live tournament. Hopefully, I will be reporting good things tomorrow.

Canuck Mixology 101, eh?

After a whirlwind week of nothing but checking and folding, raising and limping, I decided it was high time to relax with a beverage or two. I wasn't even planning to fire up a poker site.

Well, we all know how long that lasted. More on that in a bit.

I decided to make one of my favorite drinks, which is also the number one selling cocktail in Canada - a Caesar. This is similar to a Bloody Mary, except in place of the tomato juice we use Mott's Clamato. What is clamato you may ask? Well, it is a blend of tomato juice and clam broth. Sounds really quite disgusting when you say it like that, but I can assure you that with one taste you would be hooked.

The only problem with drinking those is the actual mixology required to make it perfect, and since I bartended for too many years to count, I won't accept anything less than perfection. First step is to salt the rim. Take a wedge of lime and run it around the rim of the glass, ideally leaving little bits of pulp behind. Next step is to dip it into celery salt. No, not just any salt will do - it must be celery salt and it shouldn't be more than 3mm thick on the rim.

Add some ice to your glass, and a shot (or two - dealer's choice) of vodka. I am picky and prefer only Stoli for my Caesars, but any vodka will do, really. Next, fill the glass about 5/6 full with the clamato. You really don't want to use just any clam either, Mott's is the best and the difference is quite noticable if you cheap out on this step. Add tobasco and worcestershire sauce to taste, and squeeze in some more of the lime that you used for the rim. if you are really fancy you could add a stalk of celery to the mix, as that is how they are served in restaurants, however I don't bother with this.

Drink, enjoy, repeat.


As you can tell, it becomes a bit tedious to make several of these in a night, so I almost always switch over to Clam-eyes, which is three parts beer and one part clamato. Ahhh much easier. Now I can focus on playing some online poker.

I signed up for my 8pm nightly tournament, and was short-stacked throughout most of the game. I went on a mini-rush near the end and became chipleader for the briefest of momemts, then bubbled out in 4th place after making a few bad back-to-back calls. No leaderboard points for me :(

Still in the mood to play some tournaments, I joined the $5+R tourney. I was chipleader for most of the game and made it to the final table, but unfortunately that is as far as I went. I barely squeezed into the money as I went out in 10th place, but I am overall really happy with my play.

There is a live tournament tonight at one of the local casinos which I was thinking about going to, $20+rebuy but no add on. I am playing live on Saturday night again so I may pass on this one, but I am still undecided at this point. Either way, I am pretty sure I will be hitting up some tournaments this evening.

Home Game, Calgary Poker Network, and my very own Theme Song

It is 3am on Sunday night/Monday morning, and I can't sleep. Way too wired from all the poker I played this weekend. In fact, I don't think I did anything BUT play poker.

First of all - I am going to say something that no self-respecting blogger would normally say. I have actually grown to like Noble. Maybe it is because they have dramatically improved their game interface since the blogger tourney there. Perhaps it is because the games are so very soft - literally candy from a baby. But the main reason is because I have discovered a secret little nightly tournament there that I have become somewhat addicted to.

I was bored a few weeks back and still had a bonus to clear at Noble, (yes - from way back when) so I was scouting out the tournaments there. I came across one that was hosted by the Calgary Poker Network. The tournaments are open to anyone from anywhere, but since membership is free (and I happen to live in that city), I joined up. The tournament is a $5+50 freezout at 8pm MST nightly, and as of right now the field averages about 20 players. Nice small tourney, little commitment for money and time - perfect for someone like me who averages several tournaments in a night. Top three places pay (at least for all the ones I have played so far) and the first time I played I came in second. Bob came along for the ride the second time I played, and he scooped first and I ended up second again. Yes - you heard me correctly, I had to take second place to Bobby Bracelet and his twice-confirmed huge junk. I've since placed second again, and took third another time - placing in the money four out of six games total. We all know that I am a sucker for anything with a leaderboard, and they just happen to have one. Currently I am tied for 4th place.

Anyways - these fine people who host the nightly tournament also play live every week or two at the various casinos here in Calgary, so I decided that I would go play in the $30+3 freezeout earlier tonight. There were 45 entrants on 5 tables, and starting chip count was T4000 - which is so nice after playing so many with only T1000 to start.

I don't think I played more than a dozen hands all night, but managed to make it to the final table after four hours of play. Unfortunately, I had exactly T4000, and the big blind was - you guessed it, T4000. My saving grace was I had a bit of time to choose where I was going to make my stand, as I started the final table in cut off position. Three hands later, I looked down to find JJ and went all in. I was called by 77, and fortunately the Jacks held up, giving me T14,000. I felt pretty confident that I could outlast a few more people at this point, even possibly bully a few people out of their blinds, so when I saw AdKd UTG, I raised all-in. A young guy in middle position thought about it for what seemed like hours, then finally called me. He flipped over 77, and I just about died when he completed a set on the flop. The turn was a diamond though - giving me four to the flush, but lady luck didn't bring another on the river and I was out in 9th place. (Incidentally, the guy who busted me out won the entire tournament with pocket sevens. He was, even more ironically, the same person who won the tournament at their previous live event.)

Unfortunately only the top 3 places paid - plus 4th received a free entry into the next live event - so I didn't cash. I'm already signed up for the next one this coming Saturday night, so I hope to have a better ending then.

Saturday night I played in a tournament with my brother and a bunch of his friends. This one was also live, but it was a home game with 23 players. I didn't do as well though, after receiving three horrible bad beats in a row I ended up 17th or 18th I think. Fortunately, I doubled up in the cash game we played on the side, so that helped ease my pain (and bankroll) a little.

If that wasn't quite enough poker content for you, I also played a freeroll on Noble this afternoon before the casino tournament, and placed 3rd out of about 85 players.

Just to top off my weekend, I received multiple dial-a-shots from Al, Pauly, and April (sorry April - I was out when you called - or at least when someone called from your cell phone lol) so that eased the pain of having missed yet another blogger event.

Personal quote from the Brad-O-Ween festivities via dial-a-shot:

"Some people get nicknames, but you get your own fucking theme song"

- Al Cant Hang, as he and the others sang their drunken rendition of "O Canada" while on speaker phone with me, except the words have now been changed to JO-anada. Nice guys, thanks ;)

Monotony

I've been lacking creative thought the past few days/week. The whole moving/not moving, packing/unpacking thing is enough to warrant a vacation from my everyday life, however I am pretty much stuck in one place for the remainder of the summer. I've been in a state - not depression, exactly, but sadness and uncertainty nonetheless and it is difficult not to bring it to the blog.

I don't like feeling that way and it isn't who I am, so I have been trying to think of the things that make me happiest in life. Some of them are silly and sappy, others are - well, just plain strange. But every one of these things are guaranteed to put me in a better mood:

- Having my cat curled up in my lap, purring. There is something exceptionally soothing about the rhythmic noises a cat makes when they are happy, that somehow lulls me into a similar sense of contentment.

- Traveling. I don't care where I am going, and I don't care how I get there. Bus, car, plane. Ok, maybe not bus - but I would take it over staying at home anyday. If I can't be traveling, I want to be planning my next trip.

- A mug of SmartAss draught and a plate of chicken wings. The pub by my house has the best draught beer, and they offer a platter full of appetizers that kicks ass on most other places. Chicken wings, mini-meatballs, deep fried cheese, onion rings, breaded jalepenos, etc, etc. Soooo goood. Now I am hungry. Since I spend a lot of time alone, it is probably the social aspect of being out at the pub that increases my mood, but either way this is one of my favorite

- Italian meat. Minds out of the gutter, please. When I worked as a catering coordinator for a large hotel, we served an antipasto platter that included the most delicious meat known to man. I still haunt my local deli every week for prosciutto, capicollo, Genoa salami and any other meat that ends in a vowel. I don't really know why this makes me happy, it just does.

- Palm trees. It took 29 years for me to see my first one in person, and I have since started growing potted versions in my house. It is difficult to pass up buying more everytime I go to the store. Something about them just make me happy.

- Music. I love music of all kinds. The style of music I am listening to is a direct reflection of the type of mood I am in. We pay monthly for satellite television, and pretty much the only channels I ever tune into are the music stations. The few times that I can't decide on a particular station - I will just turn on jazz and let it play in the backgroud.

- Coconut and pineapple. The smell of these two things instantly make me happier. I wash my hair with coconut shampoo, and slather on the pineapple cream all day long. Every time I go to the store I buy more products. In fact, this is about the only thing I actually like shopping for. If you ever want to sell me anything, just slap a picture of a coconut on it and I will buy it, regardless of the price. The picture to the left is just a small sample of my ever-increasing collection. Yes, I may smell like a pina colada, but I am sure there are worse things.

- Friends. Can't really have a list of things that make me happy without including my friends. Some of them I see on a regular basis, and others I see only a few times a year which is never enough. I have learned the importance of the phrase "they are only a phone call away" over the years though, and try to stay in contact with as many as possible, even if for only a few minutes at a time. I often find it funny that the people I do talk on a daily basis are the friends of the new millennium, the internet friends. I know more about what is going on in some of the lives of people I have never met than the friends I have had for decades, but that is just the way it is now.

- Reading. Whenever I need to escape what is happening (or not happening) in my life, I turn to books, weblogs, anything that is in print. Sounds so cliche, but there is nothing like slipping into someone else's world for some true escapism.

Well, that is all I can think of off the top of my head. Just thinking of these things makes me a whole lot happier, which in turn make me a better person. I am curious what others do / think of to put themselves in a better state of mind.

On A Rush

It's been a good weekend, poker-wise. I stated some time ago that my goal in tournament poker was to reach a top 10% average, and this weekend certainly helped.

Friday night I played the $1.00 O8 nightly tournament that so many of us play on a regular basis. Though I bubbled out in 97th (top 63 pay) I was still pretty happy to hold on for so long. (Placing top 13.6%)

Saturday began with a $1 SNG, and came in 4th out of 45, top 7 were pay spots. (8.89%)

Next, for lack of choices, I played a FPP entry tournament. There were 872 entrants, with only the top 9 places paying. I ended up in 18th, which was out of the money but again I'm not complaining. (2.06%)

Then last night, Al, Drizz, Felicia, EasyCure and I were all signed up for the $1 O8 again. Al ended up not being able to play, but the rest of us grinded for hours against 905 others. Drizz made 27th, and I battled it out to the final table. Actually, going into the top nine I was the chip leader, but three bad beats in a row reduced my stack considerably and I went out in 8th place. (0.88%)

Simultaneously, I played a $3 limit hold em tourney with 870 entrants. I was paying very little attention to this table, as the O8 tournament required a lot more attention. I was short stacked through most of it until I hit a rush and started dominating the hands. Shortly after I finished the O8, I busted out in 39th place, once again making the money. (4.48%)

Since I made the final table in the O8 tourney, I gained entry into a weekly freeroll this afternoon, and was debating whether or not to bother. I was most concerned about reckless players, and didn't really want to bring down my average for a freeroll. Anyways, I decided to play, and for the first hour seven players at my table were sitting out. I KO'd the eighth guy within a few hands, and had another opponent join me. We decided to just take turns scooping the blinds, as there was not a lot of sense battling it out against each other. I had a decent chip stack once I was brought to a table full of players, and managed to double then triple up right away. I was actually the chip leader at one point, then hit the driest run of cards imaginable. I finally pushed all in with A9 when I was shortstacked, only to come across quad Q's. I ended up finishing in 34th place out of 937 others. (3.63%)

Though there was not one significant prize amount in the bunch, it was a good weekend for getting my head back in the game and focusing on what it is I want to accomplish by playing poker. My average for these six tournaments lands me in the top 5.59%, so I am more than happy about that. Now I have to consider playing some tournaments that have higher buy-ins so I can actually make some money at this again.

Dinner

I dont feel like writing anything - so here is a picture of what I made for dinner tonight.

88 Lines about 44 Women

Ok - maybe it is just 88 lines about me.
Or - maybe it is just 88 lines of confessions from me.
Either way - this is all about me.

1. I honestly believe that yelling at my computer screen affects the outcome of the cards that fall on the flop, turn, and river
2. I am selfish as all hell - though I don't always appear that way
3. Sadly I love cigarettes more than just about anything in the world
4. When I sit at a poker table, I honestly do believe that I am the best player at that table. The day I stop believing that is the day I quit playing.
5. I derive sinful pleasure from check-raising when I have the nuts
6. I would rather win a pot with the hammer than with any other hand
7. My greatest gift in poker is patience, my worst flaw is undervaluing my hands
8. My favorite job ever was working as a bartender. I would do it again for minimum wage without tips if I had to
9. Women in general piss me off with their "girly" ways. However, when I find women that I respect and like, I will go out of my way to be in their company
10. I like cards, beer, golf, fishing, baseball and football more than most things in life.
11. I like being alone way more than I should
12. I like cats and dogs equally, and will spend hours trying to convince people that I need to adopt every stray I find - though I never actually do
13. I do not goo and gush at the sight of a baby
14. I believe in the power of meditation
15. Though I am from Canada, if you ask me the temperature I will probably tell you in degrees F
16. I probably use the words 'eh' and 'dude' more than any other word in the english language
17. I hate brandy. I used to hate scotch, but have since acquired a taste for it and would drink it any day of the week
18. I love beer. Any kind of beer
19. There are approximately 2000 people in this world who know me only by the nickname "Bobo". It is a really long, boring story why
20. I did not listen to any kind of heavy metal in the 80's, though I really like it now
21. I used to ride a skateboard, and lived for quarter and half pipes
22. The longest crush I ever had was for a guy named Rob Oliver. I have no idea where he is now, and don't really want to know
23. I love cooking, and will spend seventeen hours straight making a meal if I have to
24. Money is not the reason I do things, yet I do dream of being a millionaire
25. I have never dated anyone based on what they looked like
26. If I go to a bar, the last thing I want to do is dance
27. I can not sing. At all. Don't ask me to, cause I won't
28. I do, however, love singing when I am alone
29. If I had to pick one famous man to be my 'ideal' - it would be John Corbett
30. There are times in my life when I feel completely and utterly lost, and others when I feel invincible
31. Sappy commercials make me cry. So do game shows
32. I am a contradiction of terms, and I am ok with that
33. I always had short hair as a kid, and I now refuse to cut it. I also refuse to cut my daughters hair and cried the only time I ever did.
34. I think you learn more about people when they are drunk than when they are sober
35. I am left-handed, so chances are I will die 4 years before most of you
36. I play hockey, golf, and baseball with both hands though
37. All my favorite teams are from Michigan. I have said that before, but it bears repeating
38. My favorite foods are chicken wings, ribs, cedar-smoked salmon, and rare steak
39. I could never be a vegetarian - though I agree with the principles
40. If I could live anywhere, it would be Vegas. I am sure I would be sick of it within 2 months, but I am willing to risk that
41. I have never been off this continent
42. If I could travel anywhere in the world - it would be Italy. No question
43. I willingly studied Latin. And Russian.
44. My favorite wine is a Chateauneuf De Pape, and it is not that expensive
45. I love champagne, but am not that impressed with Dom Perignon
46. I have no desire to travel to England, but would still go if presented with the opportunity
47. I like to stay up as late as humanly possible every night, yet I love being up in the morning. I have no use for afternoons
48. I am fairly independent and will fix and build things myself, but I firmly believe in the mantra: car broke, man fix
49. The thought of working in another cubicle terrifies me, but every now and then I miss it
50. At age 15 I knew who I was. At 20 I had no idea. At 25 I knew again, but I am once again trying to figure it out
51. I don't understand sibling rivalry. My brother and I have always been great friends
52. My best friend and I have been friends for 26 years. I consider that one of my greatest accomplishments
53. I am still trying to figure out how to make money doing the things I love
54. Though I don't necessarily love working, I can't seem to ever stop
55. I like cleaning, but hate clutter. Unfortunately, my house if very cluttered
56. I think Corner Gas is the best show to hit tv in decades
57. I watch very little tv, but love movies
58. I can answer most questions about celebrities, but it is not because I really care, I just read a lot
59. I can achieve a zen state of mind by folding hand after hand in poker
60. In a bar, I am most comfortable working, but if I were to go to one, you will usually find me sitting at the end of the bar talking to the bartender
61. I am the most competitive person I know. By far.
62. I wish I was independently wealthy enough to just travel for a few years - I don't even really care where
63. I paint, sketch, and draw, but very rarely get around to any of it
64. When I was little, my grandma used to make homemade ice cream. It was so delicious that I have never been able to eat commercial ice cream and enjoy it since
65. I will buy anything that smells like coconut or pineapple
66. When I was 13, I got busted for stealing $40 worth of stickers (scratch 'n sniff, etc.) from a drug store
67. The only magazine I buy on a regular basis is Maxim
68. I don't like censoring myself, but there are things that I just wont let myself write about online
69. I do not have a favorite color. I like them all
70. The only music I won't listen to is techno
71. I love playstation and other video games. I wont touch them for years, but when I do, I play for days
72. I worked in a pool hall when I was 16/17, and seriously considered making a living outta playing pool
73. I am only 5'4", and have never wanted to be taller
74. I wouldn't know a Manolo Blahnik if it speared me in the head with it's pointy little heel, but I own about 17 pairs of sandals
75. I cant stand having anything on my feet
76. I hate chocolate
77. I am addicted to Degrassi, the Next Generation
78. I am very proud that my daughter knows what the Hammer is, and knows how to play it
79. I hate starting sentences with the word "I", so writing this list is driving me nuts
80. I have never watched an episode of Sex & The City, nor do I ever want to
81. I hate it when people complain about the radio. It is free, and you have the option of changing the station or turning it off
82. As a single parent working full time plus every Fri and Sat night in the bar for a decade, I refused to serve women who used the excuse that they couldn't afford to tip because they were single parents
83. I am not tough, but I have forcibly removed men from the bar when they pissed me off enough
84. My favorite soup is chicken gumbo, but I make outstanding beef barley and split pea too.
85. You guys make fun of the way we talk, but I can't stand to hear the word roof pronounced "ruff"
86. There is only one beer that I won't drink, and it is called Maibock. I have a bottle in my fridge that will be there until the end of time
87. I drank enough Sambuca in my twenties to choke a small horse. The smell of it makes me nauseous now
88. My favorite quote from a movie is "Sell crazy somewhere else, we're all stocked up here"

Home Game

There has been so much confusion lately that it was finally time to put everything aside and just play some poker.

I headed over to my brother's house earlier today for some NLHE action. We were only able to play one tournament, so we didn't waste time with pleasantries and such, we just sat and got right down to business.

I had terrible cards for most of the game, but that didn't stop me from betting recklessly at every pot that I ventured into. Fortunately I picked a night where my opponents were playing super tight, so I got away with it for the most part. They were getting a little tired of my forceful play, and the one time Jess made a stand against me was the time I actually had pocket kings vs. her pocket sevens.

One by one I took them out and emerged victorious. Unfortunately, we didn't stop at the bank machine on the way there, so we were forced to play a freeroll format. All I won were the bragging rights - but I am making the most of that, of course ;)

I'm going to finish off the night playing some SNG's over at Noble, taking my stab at the million dollar challenge. Pauly and I were haunting those tables a few days ago, and I hear that Grubby is working on it as well. Good luck guys!

Picture Dump

Random pictures taken on the trip from Calgary to Ontario and back


Jess at the Terry Fox Memorial

Saskatchewan. Yes, it is that boring.

Chipmunk at our cabin

You know you have entered Ontario when you see nothing but lakes and trees

Boats docked on Lake Superior in Thunder Bay

The Canadian Shield

The infamous Yonge Street in Ontario

This is the lake where we were / are / might possibly move

This is my baby. It killed me to leave her behind again

Bridge to America at the Sarnia, On / Port Huron, MI border

View of Port Huron, from the bridge

Lake Huron, from the bridge. We were on the bridge for a while

Entering Michigan. Looks a lot like Ontario.

Chicago

Not what you expect to see in Wisconsin

More Wisconsin

Somewhere in between Minneapolis and Fargo

North Dakota - the west side















Rolling hills of Montana















Final stretch home. To the west of Calgary lie the Rocky Mountains. To the east, north and south there is a lot of very, very flat land. However, it still isnt as bad as Saskatchewan.

A Little Clarification...

As I said in my previous post, we MAY not be moving.

Without getting into too much detail at this point, it boils down to this: There are good job offers coming from places other than Ontario now. It doesn't seem logical anymore to pack up and move all that way if he may be working elsewhere again. At least here in Calgary we have the support of our friends and family if Jess and I have to be alone.

Stress level is quite high since this news came at the 11th hour, but hopefully all will work out for the best. We should know more in the next few days.

Curveball

Bases are loaded. Two outs and the pitcher throws a curve.
And just like that....things change.

I may not be moving after all.

More soon.

August Already?

Over the past 5 days I have done nothing but pack, clean, and paint. Ugh.

I am going to try to play a tournament tonight though.
Will be back soon.