With a bright sky Saturday morning instead of the forecasted rain, we hid our eyes under the covers and avoided getting out of bed to around 10 with the exception of getting coffee and the papers. It was great!
Then we felt we should join the day and bring a little more organization to the house. Carolyn made WW pancakes and I took out trash and put away the dishes. I then headed out to buy a new finishing sander while Carolyn headed off to purchase more yarn for her various projects (ponchos, baby booties, etc.). I had been unhappy with my previous efforts to re-finish the boat galley door and so I put the sander to the test. This time I went through three grits to get a good overall finish and I think I succeeded. Today, I'll begin re-staining and varnishing.
The afternoon began clouding up, but rain didn't seem likely then, so we motored down to SJC for a gathering at Saddleback Valley Christian School where our previous pastor, Mike, was going to talk. Several hundred former congregants were there to greet and encourage him. I was struck about how he really wanted to look forward, not concentrating on the past, as he laid out his vision for a new church that would center on strong Bible exegesis with current day applications and a commitment to expand that focus on new church plants within the larger Southern California area to start.
Afterwards we drove over to Wanda's to give her a brightly colored poncho Carolyn had made and then after a time of socializing, we all went out to dinner at Hennesy's in Dana Point. We sat outside near a patio heater and enjoyed burgers and pulled pork sandwiches while watching the full moon dance behind an increasingly cloudy sky. We even had a local who stopped by to comment on the coming storm - a 'meteorologist' he claimed who worked in a local surf shop and acquired one-of-a-kind Hawaiian shirts (this one silk). Wanda thought he was a little crazy, Carolyn thought he was just friendly, I thought he was trying to pick Wanda up! Just kidding. Anyway we had a good dinner and two desserts because yours truly was a klutz and spilled water on our first chocolate decadence when we were only about two thirds through. That justified a good tip.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Tournament Poker
Friday night I spent at my second friendly Texas Hold 'Em poker tournament. This one was held in an industrial warehouse just about 5 minutes from home.
There were 30 players, including about five women, who each bought in for $30 and began play on five tables. My table started off tentatively with a lot of checks (no raises) and people folding. Ilene 'The River' was taking a lot of pots on the last card and scared off at least a few. But other tables saw a few 'all ins' which eliminated someone.
As people were eliminated, we consolidated tables and I found myself on the last two. Unfortunately, I was knocked out at number 14 when I matched an 'all in' and my diamond flush to the king was beaten by a full house! Bummer.
I took the roll of dealer for the next hour or so as more and more were eliminated. And then there was one table. At eleven, I called it quits and came home to wife that had hoped I'd be bringing home the cash. Sorry! Maybe next time. I'll have to be a little more careful about the all ins!!
There were 30 players, including about five women, who each bought in for $30 and began play on five tables. My table started off tentatively with a lot of checks (no raises) and people folding. Ilene 'The River' was taking a lot of pots on the last card and scared off at least a few. But other tables saw a few 'all ins' which eliminated someone.
As people were eliminated, we consolidated tables and I found myself on the last two. Unfortunately, I was knocked out at number 14 when I matched an 'all in' and my diamond flush to the king was beaten by a full house! Bummer.
I took the roll of dealer for the next hour or so as more and more were eliminated. And then there was one table. At eleven, I called it quits and came home to wife that had hoped I'd be bringing home the cash. Sorry! Maybe next time. I'll have to be a little more careful about the all ins!!
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Know Your State
"Borrowed" from Hugh Hewitt, I listed only my favorites, if you wish to see the whole list check out his site.
KNOW YOUR STATE MOTTO
Alabama
Hell Yes, We Have Electricity.
Alaska
11,623 Eskimos Can't Be Wrong!
Arizona
But It's A Dry Heat.
Arkansas
Literacy Ain't Everything.
California
By 30, Our Women Have More Plastic Than Your Honda.
Colorado
If You Don't Ski, Don't Bother.
Hawaii
Haka Tiki Mou Sha'ami Leeki Toru
(Death To Mainland Scum,Leave Your Money)
Idaho
More Than Just Potatoes...
Well, Okay, We're Not, But The Potatoes Sure Are Real Good
Illinois
Please, Don't Pronounce the "S"
Michigan
First Line Of Defense From The Canadians
Minnesota
10,000 Lakes...And 10,000,000,000,000 Mosquitoes
Mississippi
Come And Feel Better About Your Own State
Nevada
Hookers and Poker!
North Carolina
Tobacco Is A Vegetable
Oklahoma
Like The Play, But No Singing
Oregon
Spotted Owl...It's What's For Dinner
Pennsylvania
Cook With Coal
Texas
Se Hablo Ingles
Utah
Our Jesus Is Better Than Your Jesus
The District of Columbia
The Work-Free Drug Place!
KNOW YOUR STATE MOTTO
Alabama
Hell Yes, We Have Electricity.
Alaska
11,623 Eskimos Can't Be Wrong!
Arizona
But It's A Dry Heat.
Arkansas
Literacy Ain't Everything.
California
By 30, Our Women Have More Plastic Than Your Honda.
Colorado
If You Don't Ski, Don't Bother.
Hawaii
Haka Tiki Mou Sha'ami Leeki Toru
(Death To Mainland Scum,Leave Your Money)
Idaho
More Than Just Potatoes...
Well, Okay, We're Not, But The Potatoes Sure Are Real Good
Illinois
Please, Don't Pronounce the "S"
Michigan
First Line Of Defense From The Canadians
Minnesota
10,000 Lakes...And 10,000,000,000,000 Mosquitoes
Mississippi
Come And Feel Better About Your Own State
Nevada
Hookers and Poker!
North Carolina
Tobacco Is A Vegetable
Oklahoma
Like The Play, But No Singing
Oregon
Spotted Owl...It's What's For Dinner
Pennsylvania
Cook With Coal
Texas
Se Hablo Ingles
Utah
Our Jesus Is Better Than Your Jesus
The District of Columbia
The Work-Free Drug Place!
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Saturday Sailing
Dennis wasn't feeling well enough this weekend to join us so Carolyn and I headed down to Newport early Saturday afternoon for a sail. The wind was rather light and a little flooky but was mostly abeam which allowed us to sail down to the jetty and back with only a tack or two. Our biggest problem was getting out of and into our slip. The engine is a bit rough, just running on three cylinders, and the transmission doesn't like reverse very much. Thankfully a good sea scout helped us as we docked!
After our cruise up and down the bay, we enjoyed a glass or two of wine along with bread and cheese and grapes while watching others coming back to their berths. Then we cleaned up the boat and headed down the coast in the BMW with the top down and the sun and wind in our hair. A beautiful day!
After our cruise up and down the bay, we enjoyed a glass or two of wine along with bread and cheese and grapes while watching others coming back to their berths. Then we cleaned up the boat and headed down the coast in the BMW with the top down and the sun and wind in our hair. A beautiful day!
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Monthly Poker
Another good night with the boys playing Texas Hold 'Em last night. There were eight of us this evening seated around Paul's newly made oval table. The buy-in, as usual, was twenty bucks and I don't think I ever dipped below my initial purchase.
We had some really interesting hands. I lost one with a full house to a four kings and another player had stayed in with a slightly poorer full house. It was a good pot - unfortunately, I didn't take it. Trip twos won the pot on at least two occasions. But I took good pots with another full house and even a high pair.
The last twenty minutes we tried our luck with Omaha poker. In this game, you are dealt four cards down with the same flop, turn and river sequence as in Hold 'Em. The difference is you have to use two, and only two, of the cards in your hand along with three from the board to make your best hand. People stay in a little longer because of all the possibilities and, therefore, the pots are usually bigger. It takes a little getting used to the different probabilities.
Overall, I won $27.25 and sacrificed about an hour of sleep. That's what naps are for!
We had some really interesting hands. I lost one with a full house to a four kings and another player had stayed in with a slightly poorer full house. It was a good pot - unfortunately, I didn't take it. Trip twos won the pot on at least two occasions. But I took good pots with another full house and even a high pair.
The last twenty minutes we tried our luck with Omaha poker. In this game, you are dealt four cards down with the same flop, turn and river sequence as in Hold 'Em. The difference is you have to use two, and only two, of the cards in your hand along with three from the board to make your best hand. People stay in a little longer because of all the possibilities and, therefore, the pots are usually bigger. It takes a little getting used to the different probabilities.
Overall, I won $27.25 and sacrificed about an hour of sleep. That's what naps are for!
Monday, April 11, 2005
Augustine
I like this quote which I found on the Federalist today.
"Let us understand that God is a physician, and that suffering is a medicine for salvation, not a punishment for damnation." - Augustine
"Let us understand that God is a physician, and that suffering is a medicine for salvation, not a punishment for damnation." - Augustine
Politics and Religion at Dinner
This weekend was beautiful in So. Cal., the sky was clear and bright and we started off for a few errands as we drove down to San Clemente so Carolyn could pick up some items on sale at the art store while I checked out possible window replacements. Then we stopped at Expo to check out possibilities for new bathroom fixtures and tile choices (just looking). Then it was off to BevMo to replenish the wine refrigerator. We finished up with a good late lunch at La Salsa.
The afternoon was spent sanding the door for our sailboat which we had brought home and Carolyn worked on her various art projects. Then we readied ourselves for a dinner hosted by Debbie for Steve Kanda's birthday.
We were the first to arrive at 6:15 to find Debbie, Steve and Steph (Manny was taking a required writing exam) making final preparations on a gourmet dinner of tri-tip, asparagus, stuffed artichokes, diced potatoes, a salad including goat cheese and small tomatoes, and, of course, plenty of wine and champagne! Within twenty minutes, we were joined by the rest of the old SMCHS crowd, Dave, Mary Margaret, Arthur and Linda Gome.
Within moments, Mary made it clear that "it was about time" since the Kandas and Hutchins had not invited them to any events/parties in a long time. Debbie was most gracious and apologized that they hadn't reciprocated in a long time and that life sometimes just gets too busy. Mary was sort of off the hook, but she seemed to be placated a little although her ears perked up when it was casually mentioned that the Kandas and we had spent some time together in October (our trip to SLO).
But the real fireworks occurred around the dining room table as discussions veered from Steph's wedding plans (March 2006) to Terri Schiavo and the Pope. They always warn you to never discuss politics or religion, and the intensity of some of the comments were pretty extreme around the table, quite often by Mary!
Besides the normal info on Steph's wedding, a significant conversation related to their desire to have a 'spiritual' wedding, but not a religious one. Raised a Catholic, marrying an adopted Jew, that could cause some issues, but neither Steph or Manny attend church/synagogue, yet Debbie and Steve would prefer they are married by a priest, perhaps with a rabbi in attendance. While all the other major issues of their wedding have already been addressed, I'm guessing that who performs the ceremony will be one of the more complicated ones to complete.
Catholic discussions led to the Pope's recent death and Mary's assertion that he had set back the Church decades because he was so conservative having rejected the ordination of women priests or the use of birth control especially condoms in places like Africa with high incidents of AIDS. Of course, Mary can rarely just discuss these issues, but must 'comment' at a rather higher than conversational decibel level. I think we and the Gomes (Presbyterians) defended the Pope's conservative stands more forcibly than the two Catholic couples.
And then we got into a discussion of Terri Schiavo and the use of life support treatments. Mary was adamant that she would never provide respiratory or life support to David or her kids if their probable future life would be less vital than currently. I was aghast to find that she (and Dave) concurred that if they were to be confined to a wheelchair they would rather die! And, of course, Mary stated she would abort a child that was likely to not be 'normal'. Carolyn strongly spoke of the intrinsic value of every life, and soon she and Arthur had left the room to avoid further heated discussions and to try to learn a few Latin dance steps and which was ultimately her undoing.
In addition to the politics/religion, Dave and I discussed sailing and his five year plan to purchase a 40' plus catamaran to circumnavigate the globe over four or five years. He is a stronger man than me as I could not imagine being confined with MM that long. They will be trying their hand at a longer time sailing this summer when they take their family on a week bareboat cruise through the British Virgin Islands.
Walking to our car around 12:30 a.m., Carolyn discovered that her dance moves with Arthur had really hurt her hip and she felt as if she had torn a ligament! Sunday morning she could barely move and so we decided to stay home (we had planned to go to Coast Hills) and take it easy. We began the morning with the papers, coffee, juice and sausage and scrambled eggs made by yours truly. Carolyn did some more painting and Bible study while I watched Tiger win his fourth Masters primarily due to his ball's half revolution on the 16th that dropped in for a birdie rather than hanging on the side of the cup.
I'm hoping that we were appropriately forceful in our defense of our beliefs and faith over the weekend, but the dinner party seems to focus on our desire to be with those who are more closely aligned with us spiritually and even politically.
The afternoon was spent sanding the door for our sailboat which we had brought home and Carolyn worked on her various art projects. Then we readied ourselves for a dinner hosted by Debbie for Steve Kanda's birthday.
We were the first to arrive at 6:15 to find Debbie, Steve and Steph (Manny was taking a required writing exam) making final preparations on a gourmet dinner of tri-tip, asparagus, stuffed artichokes, diced potatoes, a salad including goat cheese and small tomatoes, and, of course, plenty of wine and champagne! Within twenty minutes, we were joined by the rest of the old SMCHS crowd, Dave, Mary Margaret, Arthur and Linda Gome.
Within moments, Mary made it clear that "it was about time" since the Kandas and Hutchins had not invited them to any events/parties in a long time. Debbie was most gracious and apologized that they hadn't reciprocated in a long time and that life sometimes just gets too busy. Mary was sort of off the hook, but she seemed to be placated a little although her ears perked up when it was casually mentioned that the Kandas and we had spent some time together in October (our trip to SLO).
But the real fireworks occurred around the dining room table as discussions veered from Steph's wedding plans (March 2006) to Terri Schiavo and the Pope. They always warn you to never discuss politics or religion, and the intensity of some of the comments were pretty extreme around the table, quite often by Mary!
Besides the normal info on Steph's wedding, a significant conversation related to their desire to have a 'spiritual' wedding, but not a religious one. Raised a Catholic, marrying an adopted Jew, that could cause some issues, but neither Steph or Manny attend church/synagogue, yet Debbie and Steve would prefer they are married by a priest, perhaps with a rabbi in attendance. While all the other major issues of their wedding have already been addressed, I'm guessing that who performs the ceremony will be one of the more complicated ones to complete.
Catholic discussions led to the Pope's recent death and Mary's assertion that he had set back the Church decades because he was so conservative having rejected the ordination of women priests or the use of birth control especially condoms in places like Africa with high incidents of AIDS. Of course, Mary can rarely just discuss these issues, but must 'comment' at a rather higher than conversational decibel level. I think we and the Gomes (Presbyterians) defended the Pope's conservative stands more forcibly than the two Catholic couples.
And then we got into a discussion of Terri Schiavo and the use of life support treatments. Mary was adamant that she would never provide respiratory or life support to David or her kids if their probable future life would be less vital than currently. I was aghast to find that she (and Dave) concurred that if they were to be confined to a wheelchair they would rather die! And, of course, Mary stated she would abort a child that was likely to not be 'normal'. Carolyn strongly spoke of the intrinsic value of every life, and soon she and Arthur had left the room to avoid further heated discussions and to try to learn a few Latin dance steps and which was ultimately her undoing.
In addition to the politics/religion, Dave and I discussed sailing and his five year plan to purchase a 40' plus catamaran to circumnavigate the globe over four or five years. He is a stronger man than me as I could not imagine being confined with MM that long. They will be trying their hand at a longer time sailing this summer when they take their family on a week bareboat cruise through the British Virgin Islands.
Walking to our car around 12:30 a.m., Carolyn discovered that her dance moves with Arthur had really hurt her hip and she felt as if she had torn a ligament! Sunday morning she could barely move and so we decided to stay home (we had planned to go to Coast Hills) and take it easy. We began the morning with the papers, coffee, juice and sausage and scrambled eggs made by yours truly. Carolyn did some more painting and Bible study while I watched Tiger win his fourth Masters primarily due to his ball's half revolution on the 16th that dropped in for a birdie rather than hanging on the side of the cup.
I'm hoping that we were appropriately forceful in our defense of our beliefs and faith over the weekend, but the dinner party seems to focus on our desire to be with those who are more closely aligned with us spiritually and even politically.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.
UPDATE: Turned off haloscan because it couldn't import the old Blogger comments. Well, I tried!
UPDATE: Turned off haloscan because it couldn't import the old Blogger comments. Well, I tried!
Monday, April 04, 2005
Weekend Update
While we thought of Ashley and Bryce in London, Saturday was spent working out in the yard mowing, trimming, planting under a beautiful sunny day. We probably spent three or four hours welcoming Spring outside, before I was able to catch a short nap before getting ready for dinner.
The Hales had invited us down to Laguna for dinner in Romeo's off of Main Beach. We met up at 6 and had great pasta, or salmon, or veal and a good bottle of Chianti. Then it was off to the High School for a performance of the LA Scots, a pipe and drum corp who played numerous reels, etc. Carolyn said it reminded her of the Highland Games even though the pipers were not nearly as numerous (obviously). We had a good time and good conversation and the music kept both John and me awake.
Sunday, after an hour less sleep because of Daylight Savings, we went to church at Saddleback again, primarily to pick up tickets for their 25th anniversary celebration which will be held in Anaheim Stadium on the 17th which Katie wants to attend. This time we actually ran into a few people we knew including Jill Schreiber and the Youngs from our Bible study.
Then it was home for a quick read of the Sunday papers and lunch before we headed to Newport to meet the Hughes for an afternoon sail. We decided to ignore any chores this time and took the opportunity to have Gloria and Carolyn 'man' the tiller for a while to get a feel of the boat's handling while I got more familiar with the mainsail and jib. It was a great day just enjoying the sun, wind and salt air without too many boats in the harbor.
Leaving around 5, both we and the Hughes headed down PCH, stopping for a brief dinner at Del Taco in Dana Point, before we drove to PCC for an open meeting on the history of the dispute that led to Pastor Mike's resignation and the plans for the future. The parking lot was full and the street was fully parked for two hundred yards from the church. We ended up in an upstairs annex listening to the discussion on a video feed. It was the most painful meeting I've ever had the displeasure to endure even after an admonition to behave in a Biblical fashion! The level of animosity was painfully obvious from many who spoke from the crowd, and the two senior associate pastors had a real difficulty in either controlling it or explaining well the circumstances of Mike's departure. It felt as if they we're sugar-coating much of their descriptions, and it sounded like they had not appropriately responded to legitimate requests for information/meetings as mandated by the church's constitution. After an hour and half, we couldn't take it any more, so we left for home to unwind before the beginning of this work week. It was not a fun way to end an otherwise really good weekend.
The Hales had invited us down to Laguna for dinner in Romeo's off of Main Beach. We met up at 6 and had great pasta, or salmon, or veal and a good bottle of Chianti. Then it was off to the High School for a performance of the LA Scots, a pipe and drum corp who played numerous reels, etc. Carolyn said it reminded her of the Highland Games even though the pipers were not nearly as numerous (obviously). We had a good time and good conversation and the music kept both John and me awake.
Sunday, after an hour less sleep because of Daylight Savings, we went to church at Saddleback again, primarily to pick up tickets for their 25th anniversary celebration which will be held in Anaheim Stadium on the 17th which Katie wants to attend. This time we actually ran into a few people we knew including Jill Schreiber and the Youngs from our Bible study.
Then it was home for a quick read of the Sunday papers and lunch before we headed to Newport to meet the Hughes for an afternoon sail. We decided to ignore any chores this time and took the opportunity to have Gloria and Carolyn 'man' the tiller for a while to get a feel of the boat's handling while I got more familiar with the mainsail and jib. It was a great day just enjoying the sun, wind and salt air without too many boats in the harbor.
Leaving around 5, both we and the Hughes headed down PCH, stopping for a brief dinner at Del Taco in Dana Point, before we drove to PCC for an open meeting on the history of the dispute that led to Pastor Mike's resignation and the plans for the future. The parking lot was full and the street was fully parked for two hundred yards from the church. We ended up in an upstairs annex listening to the discussion on a video feed. It was the most painful meeting I've ever had the displeasure to endure even after an admonition to behave in a Biblical fashion! The level of animosity was painfully obvious from many who spoke from the crowd, and the two senior associate pastors had a real difficulty in either controlling it or explaining well the circumstances of Mike's departure. It felt as if they we're sugar-coating much of their descriptions, and it sounded like they had not appropriately responded to legitimate requests for information/meetings as mandated by the church's constitution. After an hour and half, we couldn't take it any more, so we left for home to unwind before the beginning of this work week. It was not a fun way to end an otherwise really good weekend.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Nana's Honda!!
Carolyn took Wanda up to the Circle of Orange for a little "girl" excursion to have lunch at the Filling Station and tour the antique shops. Then on the way home Carolyn asked me via her mobile whether they had any cars that fit Wanda's requirements at Capistrano Car. I quickly checked, they didn't, but I looked on the CarMax site for their new Irvine lot (off of Bake) and found listed a 1995 Honda Accord with 107k miles for just under $8k, champagne color with leather seats. A possible match so I called Carolyn back.
Less than an hour later, Carolyn called and told me they were at CarMax and were buying that exact car! We talked about buying a warranty and declined. An hour after that, on my way home, Carolyn called again to tell me that they were still there and she had prevented them from charging an additional $300 through a dyslexic mistake. So, this evening I arrived home before wife or mother-in-law.
Rolling in around 6:30, and after two and half hours at the dealer, the 'new car' rolled in with Wanda behind the wheel. She was totally excited with the firm leather seats, the wood trimmed interior, and the easy ride. We all lifted glasses of wine to celebrate with crackers and cheese while Wanda continued to thank me for finding the car for her. I continued to mention she might want to thank Carolyn who had actually endured 2.5 hours of car buying hell! She had performed admirably in keeping all the paperwork straight and not allowing them to add costs.
We are glad that Wanda now has good transportation as her old car was falling apart, and Carolyn and I laughed about how I was the good son-in-law and get credit even when credit is barely due.
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