January Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made in January 2007, I have withdrawn $200 from my poker bankroll this month. I have also taken out an extra $200. It is also good to note that I met and surpassed my goal early this month.

'08-YTD=+$400
'07-YTD=+$400
'06-YTD=+$800

I seem to be playing better with more consistent results. My favorite game right now is the 6-player no-limit hold 'em sit-n-go turbo (blinds go up every 3 minutes) tournaments. Effective next month, I will raise my monthly withdrawal goal from $200 to $300. My next withdrawal of $300 from my poker winnings is due by February 29, 2008. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

World Clock

This is an interesting little World Clock. The clock seems to imply that we are wasting the resources of the Earth, killing animals, going to war, causing global warming, and clear cutting forests. What is really profound, to me, is the number of abortions it shows taking place in the world. That is the real tragedy of mankind.

A Different Kind of Drug Problem

The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farm house in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, ”Why didn’t we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?”

I replied: But I did have a drug problem when I wuz a kid growing up. I had a drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.

I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher. Or if I didn’t put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me. I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profane four letter word. I was drug out to pull weeds in mom’s garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad’s fields.

I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline or chop some fire wood. And if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin, and if today’s children had this kind of drug problem, America might be a better place today.

God bless the parents who drugged us.
--author unknown

Match-O-Matic

from the ABC News website: Match-O-Matic

Take this eleven question quiz to match you with the Presidential candidate most aligned with your views. Keep in mind that most of the candidates have already dropped out or are irrelevent. When you get to the page that tells you your matches, be sure to roll-over the check marks and the Xs (on the left) to see what the candidate said about that particular issue.

My results:
1) Huckabee
2) Romney
3) Giuliani

When I took the quiz a second time, picking the most outrageous (in my opinion) answers available, my results were:
1) Kucinich
2) Gravel
3) Edwards

Mike Huckabee

At this time, my favorite candidate for President is Mike Huckabee. I would still vote for any of the other major Republican candidates (in order: Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Rudy Guiliani) over Obama or Clinton, but I like Huck (fyi-Lisa doesn't like him).

I am getting a little tired of all of the anti-Huckabee sentiment that is going around, especially from Rush Limbaugh, Hugh Hewitt, and other 'conservative' commentators. So here is the link to the Truth Squad on Huckabee's official site that hopefully shoots down some of the negative things being said about him.

Happy Holidays

I am one who purposely buy things during the Christmas season that say, "Merry Christmas" over things with the "Happy Holidays" sentiment. I received a different perspective on the use of Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas from a homily that I heard at Mass a few weeks ago.

The priest said that as Catholics, we really are celebrating a lot of holidays during this time. There are the four weeks of Advent, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the solemnity of the Virgin Mary on New Years Day, the twelve days of Christmas, and the Epiphany of the Lord. So when someone says, "Happy Holidays" to us, we have an opportunity to reflect on all of the holidays that come at this time of year.

Something to think about.

Annual Christmas Letter

We have fallen behind on sending out Christmas cards this year. Here is the copy of our annual Christmas letter.

Dear Family and Friends,
Merry Christmas from beautiful Colorado Springs! What a year of changes it has been for us. We arrived here with all of our belongings in tow on Christmas Day of last year. It seems like such a long time ago.

We visited Colorado Springs for three days in August of last year and decided at that time that we needed to move here. Lisa found a job almost immediately after our decision. We purchased an awesome house here in March after our California home closed. It is like Heaven on Earth. According to Lisa, we are dying in this house (hopefully not soon).

Alex and Marisa started school for the first time this fall after a lifetime of home schooling. They are going to Divine Redeemer Catholic School and they love it! They have adjusted well and are both thriving in their new environments. Alex is in fifth grade and Marisa is in second. We are so fortunate to have found such a great and challenging school.

Alex played soccer competitively for the first time this fall on the DR 5th grade team. Although their record was 6 losses and 1 win (the last game!), they all had a blast playing. He altar served for the first time last month. Marisa received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time this month.

Alex and Marisa are still taking karate. We found a really great Mixed Martial Arts Karate school here. They are up to high purple now. Perhaps in a few more years they will earn their black belts.

Lisa is enjoying her job at Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind. She’s trying to learn American Sign Language, which is hard to do at her age (which we will not mention).

Donn is still getting adjusted to life without the kids at home. He is volunteering at school and is doing a bunch of ‘projects’ at home like taking down wallpaper and painting. He is on the RCIA team (helping adults in becoming Catholic) at our parish, Holy Trinity.

We miss you all! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love and God’s Blessings to you,
Donn, Lisa, Alex, and Marisa

New Year, New Posts

My New Year's Resolution: After many, many requests about the lack of recent posts this blog, I will have new entries coming soon. I am thinking about starting over with a brand new blog/hosting site. At the very least, I need to clean up some of the outdated sidebar links. And I will probably pre-date a few of my entries (for keepsake purposes). Stay tuned.

Merry Christmas

We have been living in Colorado Springs for exactly one year now. What incredible changes have happened in 365 days. Life is good!

December Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made in January 2007, I have withdrawn $200 from my poker bankroll this month. I have also taken out an extra $200. YTD=+$2,600. '06-YTD=+$6,900. '05-YTD=+$4,800. Looking at the yearly trend of money won, I believe that there are 3 reasons for the drop off: 1)I am playing much less. 2)I am not receiving any bonuses from the poker sites that were available to me in the earlier years. 3)I have moved up in levels (both in ring and tourneys), and the competition is a little better. My next withdrawal of $200 from my winnings is due by January 31, 2008. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

300 Game

I was never able to (and never will) bowl a 300 game in 'real' bowling. I did bowl my first 300 game today playing on the Nintendo Wii. Weeeeeeeee!

Redemption > Win

At the last 5th grade soccer match against another local private Christian school, our Divine Redeemer Cardinals lost 2-0.

However I heard the most amusing cheer from our bench. During the game, our substitute players on the sidelines were chanting, "WE WILL, WE WILL, REDEEM YOU!" I got a big chuckle out of that one.

Spam-O-Rama

Last night we attended a party given by co-workers (Forrest and Nancy) of Lisa. It was the 5th annual Spam-O-Rama. Everyone was supposed to bring a spam dish to be judged by previous winners of the contest. Lisa made Spam corn muffins and I made Spam musubi (rice/spam/rice wrapped with seaweed). Some of the other entries included; Spam pot stickers, Spam and beans, Spockets (Spam Hot Pockets), Spasta salad, Spam-ghetti, Spam-a-cotti, Spesto Dip, among others.

Judging was based upon three categories (I believe). Originality, Presentation, and Taste. From what I understand from the judges comments, I won for originality (while not original to me, I suppose my dish looked very exotic) and presentation (all I did there was to place the musubis neatly on a pizza pan). I think that my dish was very close to the top in taste (the Spockets were very tasty). So, based upon my placing in the three categories, I won! I take home the 'coveted' and very nice looking Spam perpetual plaque. It will be engraved with my name and the name of my dish. As winner, I am obligated to be one of the judges next year and pass on the plaque (a la 'green jacket') to the new winner. I'll post a picture of the plaque when I receive it.

There was also a Spam Toss. About 8 pairs competed in this event. You toss a whole slab of Spam to your partner. When it is caught, you take 2 steps backwards. Continue until it is dropped. Lisa and I won this event. Here is the trophy that we won (and can keep forever!):

First Month of School

After 4 weeks of school, it seems that both Alex and Marisa are thriving in their new environments.

We were a little bit worried that Alex would be an outcast since we placed him in 5th grade rather than 4th. He is doing alright academically. In fact, his math teacher has placed him with a few other students who are working a little bit ahead of the rest of the class. He also seems to be making friends. He is playing on the 5th grade soccer team even though he has never played organized soccer in his life. He still does not totally understand what 'offsides' is and how to prevent it from happening.

Marisa absolutely loves school. Every time that I pick her up, she says, "I love school!" She is doing well in her studies. According to her progress report, she is averaging very close to 100% in all of her subjects.

The only thing that I do not like about the school is that the mascot is the Cardinals. As a life-long Chicago Cubs fan, you can probably understand the reasoning. Nonetheless, I must cheer, "Go Cardinals!" while watching the soccer matches.

September 11th Remembered

In Alex's social studies class, the students paid tribute to those who are sacrificing themselves for our country. The entire 5th grade had 'lunch with a soldier'. It was written up here in the Colorado Springs Gazette.

Each student was asked to write a thank you letter to a member of our military overseas. Alex wrote a very touching letter that I could not have done any better writing. He wrote:

Dear Servicemember,
Thank you for fighting. I am appreciative for what you do for a living. I am aware of the many sacrifices you make for our country every day. Thank you for putting your life on the line for our freedom.
Sincerely,
Alex

Ditto.

Belt Test

Alex and Marisa had their first belt test here in Colorado Springs. They were able to get promoted here without taking tests because of their previous experience. Congratulations on passing your tests and receiving your purple belts!

August Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made in January, I have withdrawn $200 from my poker bankroll this month. YTD=+1,800. '06-YTD=+$4,900. '05-YTD=+$2,400. My next withdrawal of $200 from my winnings is due by September 30, 2007. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

First Day of School...

...EVER! Alex (5th grade) and Marisa (2nd grade) had their first day of school after being home schooled their entire lives. We have enrolled them at Divine Redeemer Catholic School. Does this mean that I have to get a job?

July Poker Winnings

I have had my best month at online poker since June of last year. However, I am only withdrawing $200 this month because I want to build up my playing bankroll again. Perhaps if I have another comparable month, I will raise my withdrawal goal to what it once was at the peak ($500/month).

As per the updated resolution that I made in January, I have withdrawn $200 from my poker bankroll this month. YTD=+1,600. '06-YTD=+$4,300. '05-YTD=+$2,100. My next withdrawal of $200 from my winnings is due by August 30, 2007. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

Welcome Sarah

(official stats coming) My brother and his wife had their third child born today. A 6+ pounds, 18+ inches, girl was born at around 2:05 PM in Denver. Mother and baby are doing fine. Pray for the their new addition to the family.

Welcome to the world, Sarah!

Karate

We finally decided on a karate studio to continue the kids' quest for a black belt. It is called Champions MMA (mixed-martial arts).

The Harry Potter Book Adventure

Last night, we all went to Border's to get the new Harry Potter book. The party started at 9:30. Most of the people there dressed up as some character in the series. Marisa dressed up as Harry. Alex didn't dress up.

Some of the characters we saw were Fluffy (3 people in the costume), Dobby, Hagrid, Madame Maxine, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Trelawny, and of course Harry. One of the best tha I saw was a Dad dressed as Harry and he had his newborn baby dressed as Hedwig the owl (very clever).

When we pulled a number for the official line when they start selling the book at 12:00am, I was informed that I could start lining up at 2am. We hung out awhile at the store, but we all decided to go back home at around 10:30. Alex and I came back to the store a little before our time. Another hour in line, and Alex finaaly had his book (and free commemorative poster).

I found Alex still reading the book at 4:30, when I happened to wake up and check up on him. He wanted to stay up to continue to read, but I told him to get some sleep.

My Eighth Royal Flush

I hit my eighth royal flush today playing a $10+1 Limit Omaha H/L 9-player tournament at Full Tilt. This was my first royal flush in a tournament. With seven left, I was severely short-stacked with 435 chips. The person who was sixth in chips at the time had over 1200. I was dealt [As, Js, 2h, 6d] in middle position. I raised and re-raised all-in pre-flop with one other player. Board came out [Qh, Qs, Ks, Ac, Ts]. Other person ended up having a full house, queens over aces. I needed that ten of spades on the river to win (a one outer!). I played well and came back to finish the tourney in second place for a $27 payout.

6/22/05-My First Royal Flush
12/01/05-My Second Royal Flush
12/22/05-My Third Royal Flush
3/14/06-My Fourth Royal Flush
4/30/06-My Fifth Royal Flush
11/19/06-My Sixth Royal Flush
4/22/07-My Seventh Royal Flush

OK, I'll Stay

One of the things that I miss about L.A. (and Hawaii) is a good local Hawaiian plate lunch. Hooray! L&L Hawaiian BBQ is coming soon!

Flag Display Rules and Regulations

To celebrate the Fourth, I bought an American flag to hang by our front door. I kept bringing it in and out because it looked like it was going to rain. I thought that we shouldn't display the flag in the rain. I found out that it was OK to display the flag in the rain because I had an all-weather flag. I just need to make sure that I take it down before sunset. I also discovered that I really shouldn't be wearing t-shirts with an American flag on it (I have two). It is not like the flag police will come out and arrest me, it is just a sign of respect.

please see: Flag Rules and Regulations

Hugh is Home!

Hugh is home from Iraq. Safe and sound into the arms of his family. Thank you for your service for all of us! God Bless. Please check out his stories from Iraq at Defending Purple Mountain Majesties.

June Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made in January, I have withdrawn $200 from my poker bankroll this month. YTD=+1,400. '06-YTD=+$3,800. '05-YTD=+$1,600. My next withdrawal of $200 from my winnings is due by July 31, 2007. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

NEED WASHING???

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom. She must have been 6 years old, a beautiful red-haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring rain outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the store.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sight and sound of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running and splashing as a carefree child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, "Mom let's run through the rain," she said. "What?" Mom asked.
"Lets run through the rain!" she repeated.
"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied
This young child waited another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain."
"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.
"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.
"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"
"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.
Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now, some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD lets us get wet, well maybe we just need washing," Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling, and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked... But, they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But, no one can ever take away your precious memories... So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.

--author unknown

72 Inches

Anthony, a college student, was writing a paper on quality of life. He wanted to know what made people happy and if they were content with their lives. He did not want to question common people on the street but sought the advice of someone who had lived an entire lifetime. At a local nursing home he asked who was the wisest person there and everyone pointed to Joe.

Joe was an elderly man in his eighties with a body to match his age, sitting in a wheelchair, back slumped and head down, drooling from the mouth. But he had a sharp mind and tongue. Old Joe had fought in a World War before founding a manufacturing company and retiring a millionaire. He once bought a yacht and sailed around the world. Anthony knew he had found the man who could explain happiness and quality of life.

Joe reached in his pocket and pulled out a tape measure and handed it to Anthony and said "this will explain life." Anthony was confused. How could a tape measure explain life? Was Joe senile?

Then Joe said to pull the tape measure until 72 inches were showing. He explained each inch represents one year of life and the average person has 72 years of productive life. Many people are active after 72 years but many also die or are disabled before that time. He told Anthony to run his finger from the end of the measure to inch number 6. That is the first years of a person's life when they learn to walk, talk and tie their shoes. Next, inches 7 to 22 is the years a person is getting an education and preparing for life. Then from inches 23 all the way to 62 is when a person marries, raises a family, works a job and hopefully saves money for retirement.

The remaining inches, 62 to 72, is the time when a person can do all the things he wants to do in life but never seemed to have time to do them. Anthony looked at those 10 inches and they looked small compared to the 62 inches already consumed. The more he looked, the more he understood what Joe was trying to say.

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH THOSE 10 INCHES OR YEARS?

Did you always want to see the Grand Canyon, tour Europe, ride a motorcycle to Key West or write a book? Ten years is a short period in a person's life and those are the years you can fulfill your life long dreams. SO GET GOING! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

--author unknown

Remember Me

Please continue to pray for Hugh and his family.

5 minute video tribute to our troops:




hat tip: Sandy S.