Uncle! Uncle! Uncle! (Again!)

Looks like I have another birthday to keep track of:

Gregory Alan Asberry, Jr. was born at 1:59 AM today (06/30/05) weighing in at 10 lb. 4 oz.

That was from an email my dad sent this morning (our family believes in the Internet, not phones). Congratulations to my brother Greg, Lynn and Cassie (who is now a big sister)! Can't wait to see the little (OK, maybe not so little) tike!

You've Got To Know When To Hold 'Em ... Or Have Beginners Luck!

So I played my first actual game of Texas Hold 'Em with living, breathing people the other night. My previous experience had been limited to watching the Michael Waltrip Celebrity Poker Tournament on Speed TV, which was what got me initially interested in the game, and playing maybe 3 or 4 rounds total online.

So, when our neighbors invited Donna and I over to play with them, another couple who are also neighbors, and some friends of theirs, we happily accepted the invitation, fully expecting to be the first ones out of the game. We went over with the expectation of losing but having a good time getting to know our neighbors a little better.

I have to say that I was very proud of Donna. She knew even less about the game than me. She had watched the same poker tournament on TV but I'm not sure how close attention she paid to the actual game itself. She had never played online or anything. But by golly, she managed to do halfway decent, and she wasn't the first person out of the game! OK, she was the second person out, but still, I thought that was pretty good! Especially with all the booze she was knocking back!

At the beginning of the game I was folding a lot because I was getting really crappy cards. I finally decided to start playing more agressively, and if I had anything even remotely playable to at least play till the flop. Eventually, the tide turned and I started getting better cards. I did my share of bluffing, but not too much. A couple of times some of the other players decided to call my bluff only to find out that I wasn't bluffing on that particular hand! Tee hee hee!

About the time half the table was out, my luck started to turn again, and I started losing a great deal of my considerable pile of chips. Bummer. Well, I hadn't really expected to win. But, my night was not over. My luck did yet another 180, and on one big pot one of the other players decided to go all in, and I had the cards to beat 'em. I went on to knock out the last two players and victory was mine! Woohoo!

Obviously, I'm now completely addicted to the game. Which only means that now that my beginner's luck is over, I'm probably going to start getting my brains beat in a lot. But that's OK. I'll enjoy the sweet smell of victory while it lasts.

Meanwhile, on a completely unrelated tangent, did you hear the one about the 16 year old boy who gave birth to his twin? OK, well, not exactly "gave birth", but ... wowzers that would really mess with your head wouldn't it?

I Feel Like a Zero

Well it's another Sunday evening and I once again feel like a Zero.

No, I'm not launching into a tirade of self-deprecation and loathing. Instead, I'm opening a can of Coke Zero, the new diet cola craze that is taking the nation by storm. Or something. Well, OK, I don't know about all that, but I have to say that it sure does taste a lot better than Diet Coke. I've always been a Coke person (and I don't care what those quack medical researchers say), but when it comes to the diet versions, I've always turned to the "dark side" and gave in to the temptation of Diet Pepsi. Sure, it sucked, but it sucked less than Diet Coke.

So the other day, I heard Clark Howard on the radio talking about the new drink Coke Zero and how it was sweetened with something called "ace-k" and that it tasted just like real Coke. I was intrigued but skeptical.

At my first opportunity I tried it and decided it was pretty good. I also thought, however, that saying that it tasted exactly like regular Coke was a bit of a stretch. But my opinion has evolved somewhat (or, perhaps, the power suggestion has finally overwhelmed my weak mind) and I am hopelessly addicted to the stuff. Donna thinks it just tastes OK, but frankly she is a complete loon! GET THY HANDS OFF MY COKE ZERO, WOMAN!

Ah, what a refreshing beverage. I suppose there is the downside that this new "ace-k" stuff will probably cause me to grow an extra head or something, but some things in life are worth taking a risk.

Some American is Online ... Using my Credit Card Number!

Well the earlier credit card conundrum was finally cleared up but now I have another one.

A couple of months ago when I was reviewing my credit card statement I noticed a charge for $23.90 from AOL. My first reaction was, "Damn! People still pay twenty-four bucks for crappy, dial-up internet service?" My second reaction was, "Hey, I ain't one of those people!".

So I put the item in dispute, and I've been issued a "temporary credit" while they investigate. Today, I received a new statement and there's yet another charge from AOL for $23.90. My guess is somebody, somewhere along the line fat-fingered a digit and got my CC# instead of theirs. It's possible someone else has my CC# and this was intentional I guess, but there haven't been any other charges, and if you were gonna use somebody's CC#, would you really use it for AOL and nothing else? So now I have two charges in dispute, hopefully they will get it sorted out.

And to the nameless, faceless American Online out there ... your free ride is over, sucka!