kangarau
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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "kangarau" journal:[<< Previous 20 entries]
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07:00 pm
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Hot off the Presses!
What a way to end a tournament! Brian Bowman was a game back and tons of spread points behind Jeff Fiszbein before the KOH round at Pittsburgh.
Brian's first five plays were bingoes - including a trip-trip. Final score for him - something like 620. And oh yeah, he pulled ahead of Jeff.
Congrats, Brian!
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11:53 pm
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A Question I Must Ask (Again)
In Chicago last year, Lipie was complaining that airport security had confiscated his "facial moisturizer" from his carry-on bag. Not his lotion but his facial moisturizer. Jeremy C and I looked at each other and wondered aloud, "How is he NOT gay?!"
When I received his check for the HO, once again, I had to ask, "How is he NOT gay?!!"
( Behold the evidence! )
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07:44 am
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Attention HO-ers and hos
A couple questions, if you don't mind:
1) Friday's games begin at 2:00, with a dinner break after game 4. How do you feel about a buffet on site (the one I originally planned to have Saturday night) so that the night doesn't drag out too long. It will be a full buffet with 3 entrees, fresh fruit, salad, large dessert selection, coffee, tea, cold beverages. Price will be $30. Who would partake of this buffet? I might "compel" folks to have it by making dinner just one hour long. That way we don't end the games too late.
Part of the reason for doing this is financial: if I let the hotel provide this buffet, they will give me a break on the ballroom rental fee. So, this just means there'll be a bit more money for the prize pool - perhaps $200. Then, Saturday night would be dinner on your own.
2) Option two: I could keep the dinner on site Saturday. Which is better for you?
3) No-one replied the last time I asked, so I'll try again. Should I add karaoke Saturday night - or should I just leave it as a dance party? I just think it has the potential to be quite entertaining. This would be karaoke in addition to dancing. Or is this too ambitious, too fussy?
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02:40 am
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Okay, Perhaps this is Becoming an Illness, but. . .
. . .It's nearly 3:00 am, and I've been glued to the TV most of the night watching and re-watching (oh, about a dozen times) Adam's performances on the Idol finale.
He was 1,000 times better than Kris. He was even able to make the final number - Kara's hideous song - listenable, but I did feel sorry for both Adam and Kris that they had to sing it. Stupid lyrics, non-melody; just the cheesiest song ever. I mean, how does that woman have a career?! And that has to be the winner's first recording? A CRIME!!
If I were choosing for Adam, I'd have picked "Creep" by Radiohead. Perfect for him.
Anyway, WTF was up with the phone lines? I spent all four hours trying to call in - and I either got a busy signal or a recording saying the phone lines were down. I feel sad that I didn't even get one vote.
If he doesn't get crowned tomorrow night, I will plotz, then bawl my eyes out - and never watch AI again as long as I live.
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02:50 pm
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A Very, Very Important Night
I beg all of you:
Please, please vote for Adam! Please?
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03:29 pm
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I Admire This
In the last day, I received four entries for the HO. Of three yesterday, two were from players rated 909 and 1006. Today, I received one from a lady rated 865 - and now the lowest-rated entrant. She is also 90 years old.
So much for the naysayers who warned me I'd get NO lower-rated players without offering class prizes. Pah!
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09:27 pm
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Finally! Doc Visit/Terror Kitty
I was able to see the doc today, and he said I have the flu and bronchitis. He gave me a 'script for antibiotics (3 times a day for ten days), codeine and prescription-strength cough syrup (which had better be good since it cost $15.00 - even with insurance. If it lets me sleep, I'll pay whatever. Last night I was coughing so long and so violently that I started expectorating BLOOD! (As in "Buh- lud!" - the way that YouTube kid says it.) It was pretty gruesome and made me want to cry.
Noodle continues to terrorize me - to the point that I have converted the office into her "time-out" room. Had to move the kitty litter igloo in there too. That and water - no toys, no food. Yesterday she knocked over the trash again, spilling all its contents (papaya peels, coffee grounds, chicken wing bones) all over the kitchen floor. When I caught her, she was sitting atop the pile gnawing on what remained of my corn on the cob. Could someone please "steal" her for an extended vacation - mine? I will pay you!!
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10:05 pm
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What the F&%# is Wrong with People?!!!!!
I just watched the tape of Idol, and I am teary, stressed out, enraged - and relieved. The appalling news: Adam was almost sent home tonight!!! ADAM!!!!
Yes, the tasteless idiots that populate our country decided that Adam was worse than Allison (meh), Kris (yawn) and Hokey (blechh). This was almost a crime against decency. To insure that this travesty doesn't happen again, I will be calling in my votes for the full two hours for the next few weeks.
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02:08 pm
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A Serious Post
If your rating is 300-999, I will give you a free home-baked chocolate chip cookie if you register for the HO.
If your rating is 1000-1400, you will get hug and fondle from Lipie (yes, I'm pimpin' him out) and two shots of yagermeister (sp.?) for attending.
If you're between 1401-1900, I should forewarn you that this will be a horrible tourney at a flea-bag hotel with known cases of swine flu and contaminated, i.e., non-potable, water (check the news - this last bit is true!)
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11:03 am
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Noodle "Earns" a Bath - Sorry, Shells
As Binsky and Derek can attest, Noodle is extremely adorable. She also, however, tests my every last nerve, every single day. Early this morning, I went and got myself a whole duck 'cause I thought I'd be ambitious and make a roast duck for RauHaus this Saturday.
Anyone who has ever tried to cook a duck knows that it has a ton of fat, so I broiled it in the oven so that the skin would be nice and crispy. More than a cup of fat drained from the bird, and I set it aside in the sink, so that it could congeal enough for me to throw away. Then I walked away to do some work for class tonight.
I come back into the kitchen and there is Noodle, sitting in the sink amidst a pile of dirty pans and soapy water - even though she's petrified of water - all in an attempt to get at the duck fat. She had sopped up half of it (I mean, she DRANK pure duck fat!), and she had the rest on her front paws, and oily dribbles down her neck.
So, off to the bath she went, crying her eyes out, but really, what could I do?
Even though I lathered her up with Fructis, she still smells a bit ducky. . .She doesn't take kindly to the blow dryer, so she's sitting at my feet, furiously licking her fur in an attempt to dry off. Hope she has learned a lesson, 'cause I can't take much more of this. . .
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10:14 pm
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Adam!!!!!
Is just. . . awesome. I love this man SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much.
Last week he blew me away with his exquisite rendition of Mad World, which imo was 1000% better than that boring guy's version from Donnie Darko. BUT he was almost too eerily restrained.
Tonight he did a 180 and was bouncing off the walls doing Born to be Wild. Simon agreed that the vocals were incredible, but said the performance was Rocky Horroresque, but I loved Rocky Horror (saw it 55 times back in the day), so overall, as Kurt noted, spectacular.
Spouse is resisting my mandate to sport black eyeliner, but I'm gonna make him wear it, goddammit!
The others? BORING, with really sappy song choices. Danny Hokey singing Endless Love? Pleez. Bore me.
I didn't like how Lil got all defensive and crybabyish (much as Anoop did two weeks ago). Granted, Simon was a bit harsh, but she should have just taken it. I'm sure she'll be in the bottom three with Anoop and probably Matt Giraud - or even Allison.
Kris Allen, though, was good. Really good. His crooked mouth thing still gives me the creeps, but he chose an awesome song, and did surprisingly well with it.
But, mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Adam.
In other news, Spouse and I had a great day today. He took the day off, so we went on a super-long mall date and went to our favorite Indian place for lunch. Tasty goat curry. I got my hair cut again, and I'm really happy with it. Then, he surprised me by buying me an adorable little mini laptop. So cute. The laptop's not bad either.
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06:27 pm
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Farewell, Rose
I'm very sad about Rose. What a lovely lady she was. I will miss her.
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02:48 pm
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What is Wrong with People?
I had to run a few errands this morning, and I wanted to punch a wall by the time I finished.
First, the Fed-Ex office. Spouse asked me to overnight something for him. In line before me was a guy mailing four huge tires. Yes, tires. Now, they were four identical tires, so a reasonable person would assume that each weighed exactly the same, right? But, NO! The snooty, pinch-nosed, pimply fuggles who was working still insisted that the guy weigh each tire - quite a production since the scale was about 15 inches square. He then had to cut two piece of cardboard the same size as each tire and then tape the hell out of it. Each "wrapping" took about four minutes. So, that's four minutes times four. In the meantime, one other Fed-Ex employee was picking his nose and filing papers, and the other was on the phone - with what sounded like a personal call. Not even a, "We'll be with you in a minute." No acknowledgment at all from any of the three employees. Finally, as the tire guy was wrapping the fourth tire, I said, "Is there anyone else who can help me with this?" Pimply counter girl glared at me and said, "Can't you see I'm with a customer?"
To add insult to injury, the cost of mailing the envelope was $17.34 - for Monday delivery. (Saturday would have been double). Ridiculous.
Then, on to Starbucks for my latte fix. I'm in line behind about six people including one lady with a screaming baby, another who couldn't make up her mind, and another who had such a ridiculously long order, "blah, blah, blah with two extra shots, caramel syrup, no foam, no whip." Her drink cost $6.30. Absurd when you think some folks can't afford a meal. Finally it was my turn, but there were two Paris Hilton wannabe hos in line behind me. One invaded my personal space, standing 3 inches from me, and kept yawning without covering her mouth. Her equally rude friend needed to get a bottle of water and elbowed past me without saying a simple, "Excuse me" like normal people. The girl who took my order asked for my name, and I say Terry. Later, the fat girl making the drinks yells out. "Venti latte for Carnie!" Hmm. Again she yells, "Carnie!" I say, I think that's mine, but I'm Terry. "Well, this is for Carnie!!" Finally the girl who took my order tells fatty it's mine.
Next, Trader Joe's. Must be family shopping day for West Hartford 'cause there are no parking spaces. I finally see one, but of course another super fatty leaves her cart right in the space. I wanted to yell out, "And you wonder why you're so rotund!!!" That is my biggest pet peeve. How hard is it to return a friggin' cart. Unless you're umbrella-less and it's pouring, or you have one leg, there is no excuse.
So, I came home a rantles, but Spouse took the day off and is going to take me on a mall date - YAY!
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01:03 pm
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And Now, On a Lighter Note. . .
Since I'm done ranting like a mofo, I'd like to report that Noodle just scarfed down a plate of spaghetti and meatballs - well, one meatball that I had cut into tiny bits lest she choke on the meatball that was half the size of her head.
Then, with her tummy protruding, she still cried her eyes out as she saw me eating my lunch of spanokopita, spinach pie. Noodle loves spinach!!
btw, in case you don't know, SPANOKOPITA is good, and it's a cool front-extension bingo for PITA.
-She, who knows all the K bingoes, even if they never show up. . .
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01:01 pm
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Technology Kills Me
So, I have this shiny new phone with all types of cool features, yet I've spent the past two hours trying to figure out how to work it. I haven't gotten very far. I finally loaded the instructional CD, and the damn thing is now stuck in the CD drive - of the stupid home-made computer Spouse built - and I can't do a thing! So, I'm off to the At&T store to ask our salesman to show me how to work this new gadget. Yes, I am a Luddite, and yes, I feel dumb.
Current Mood:  frustrated
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04:15 pm
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The Next - and Last - RauHaus
I have my guest list ready, and will be sending out invitations in the next day or so. Our final RauHaus will be on Saturday, April 25th at noon. For those who've been negligent and NOT sent me your mailing addresses, please do so now.
This will be a special, high-stakes one, and will include not only a Korean barbecue but also a special treat of all-day appetizers. Entry fee is $100, with a 100% prize payout. Joey B, this might be one you'll not want to sit out. :-)
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03:39 pm
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A Change
Spouse confessed something to me: he says he hates it that I've been going to all these tourneys by myself. Not the expense of the flights, hotels and entry fees, but that he doesn't get his spouse back for days afterward. When you go away, he said, and sleep little or not at all, you come home exhausted, and then have to make up all that time when you're here with me.
Yes, it's true. Last night I canceled dinner plans with friends at the last minute, and instead fell asleep in the guest room with all my clothes on and contacts in, and I woke up this morning, not knowing what day it was or whether it was morning or night. Three coffees later, and I'm still sleepy.
SO, no more! After Princeton and BAT, I'm going to cut down for a while. Probably not another one until the Nationals. I have to stop neglecting Spouse, especially since he doesn't know how to cook or take basic care of himself while I'm gone.
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11:00 pm
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My Pa - the Korean James Dean (in his Prime)
My brother and my dad got the looks in the family. I always said about my brother, he got the looks, the brains, but I got the charm. Well, maybe not so much anymore now that I'm an irascible wench. When I visited my parents recently, I came upon an old album in my dad's office, filled with black-and-whites from his years in med school, and during his internship in, of all places, Hawaii. There used to be one of him on the beach with swim trunks, in which he looks exactly like James Dean, but here are some others. Isn't he a dreamboat?
Why he's always been in such good shape.
He's the one without the goofy hair - or lack of hair.
One from med school. Not a special day - this is how they dressed just to go to class!
I feel bad that his shoes were all scuffed, but for an orphan with three younger sisters to take care of, he still dressed pretty well. And look at that gorgeous hair!
Many years later, my brother, in his med school photo. You can see the genetic apple didn't fall far from the tree.
Click on photos to see larger images. Sorry - still haven't figured out how to make a cut with photos.
Current Mood:  nostalgic
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08:38 pm
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Safely Back Home - More HO developments
I was extremely nervous, but I made it to the airport and back even though, going about 65, I made an unsafe lane-change, and almost got into what would've been a bad accident. The guy who was in my blind spot, honked his horn - and kept his hand on the horn - and as he passed, he raised his fist in anger, sort of like my "you're an asshole, you're an asshole!!!" gesture.
Spent over two hours at the Hilton Garden Inn, meeting the General Manager, Sales Manager, Assistant Sales and Beverage Managers and a rep from the Cahmber of Commerce. The way they greeted me, I felt like the Queen of England. Good, productive meeting. I am pleased to announce Channel 8, the Hartford Courant (oldest newspaper in America) and the local papers will be covering the event.
I also made a great deal for a buffet dinner Saturday night - the night of the 80's dance party. The hotel had offered $39 bucks a head, but I talked them down to $28.00. For this price, you will get a full buffet with salad, 3 entrees, veggies, potatoes, desserts and non-alcoholic beverages. With a supermarket and a Subway down the road from the hotel, I convinced the manager that it was in her best interest to keep the dinner price affordable. "You don't realize how many Scrabblers live marginal existences, and for them almost $40 for dinner is just not affordable." She accepted. I just need to get it in writing, but then I'll add that to the flyer.
The private but adjoining room for the top tables will comfortably accommodate Tables 1 through 6, and I think the main playing room will hold more than 100, maybe as many as 150. I'm still working on the layout, so I'll know for sure when I figure that out. So, I'm excited. This has all been a lot easier than I thought it'd be. I'm sure it'll get more hectic as the date nears, but I feel happy that the big details have been taken care of.
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01:36 pm
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You Would Think. . .
. . .the rental car company would NOT give a brand new, luxurious, full-sized car to someone they know has already had two major accidents?! Where is the dinged up compact when I need one?
I have to drive to the airport now to pick up my luggage from Dallas. It's raining. I'm worried.
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