Category: Journal

Hamster Cage #1 (GCK477)

I almost thought this would be a DNF. I had forgotten my printout of the log page, but had the coords in my PDA. I parked at the picnic area as I had remembered that. My GPS was pointing me to the other side of the road though. I didn’t see a way to get to the spot directly so I ended up walking down a dirt road a dozen or so yards up the road. I came across a large field and it looked like the cache was in the middle of it. As I was walking along the field (which turned into a swamp in some areas) I found paths in the tall grass where someone (or something) had been before. I chalked this up to other geocachers and was more convinced I was on the right path. Well, the field ended up against a wall of bushes and I was still 80′ away. I did a quick scout of the area in case the cache might be on this side of the wall, but didn’t find anything, so through the wall I went. On the other side was a full-blown swamp with fallen trees everywhere. You can get across most of the swamp by these trees so I equated this with the “Hamster Cage” name. After about 20 minutes of searching I found nothing. Re-checked the coords. and they were right on. I was on top of it. When I was about to give up I switched my GPS over to UTM and saw that those coords. didn’t match up with my GPS. In fact, the UTM coords. said the cache was right by my car, where I started. Back through the bush wall and across the field and down the dirt road back to the picnic area I went. And sure enough the cache was right by my car. I took a matchbox car and left a KFC game piece.

8.21.04

Poker Tournament at the Moose Lodge in Rutland, VT.

Ok, you know all the stuff I said about online poker being rigged? Well I take it all back. I saw the same shit happen in real games today. I lasted 2 1/2 hours. I don’t know what place I finished, but about half the field was gone. During the first hour I was playing really good. I had built up to about 4,000 chips (from 2,000) and had not had a showdown at all. Then the beer started kicking in. Not me, I was drinking tea. I’m talking about the other people at the table, including one guy very drunk guy who didn’t know the game *at all* and said to me during the first break “It doesn’t matter what cards you have because you have no idea what the flip will be!” I just agreed with him as I thought I wanted him playing any two cards. Well, the first hand back from the break I was in BB and got AKs. I like that. There were a couple of early limpers and the SB, Mr. “Any two cards”. I raise to 4xBB, and the early limpers fold. Mr. “Any Two” calls. The flop comes A-K-7 rainbow. Yes! SB checks, I bet out strong, SB calls. hmmm. Turn brings a 9. SB bets the minimum, leaving him about 200. I raise him that. He turns over 96o. “I’ve got a pair” he says. River comes another 9. Ugh. A few hands later I get QQ in mid-late position. UTG had already raised 2xBB, so I re-raise. Everyone folds and he calls. Flop comes rags. I bet out. He calls. Turn comes a rag. No flush or straights on the board I bet enough to put him all-in. He calls and turns over high card Ace. And the other A comes on the river. I then go completly cold and get blinded away until my last 300 are in the BB. I don’t even bother looking at my cards until the Mr. “Any Two” in the SB calls me. I have AQs. Alright. He has 34o. Alright. Flop comes 334. Alright. Fitting end to my day.

MacWorld 2004

What’s MacWorld without Microsoft, Adobe or even Apple? Kind of boring. But it was close, in Boston, so I took a swing over.

As you can see, there wasn’t much there. They only used about 1/3 of the available floor space, but a lot of people still showed up. SpyMac, a Apple rumor site, had the best booth, which says something. Another company that make a hi-res QuicktimeVR panorama camera had the largest “booth” taking up most of the right side wall. One other cool thing was a Lexus IS300 equipped with a G5 XServe, XServe RAID, 42″ Plasma screen, and 2 15″ LCD screens for editing HD video on the road.

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