Dog Days

No, this entry doesn't have anything to do with our dog Dax, though maybe I should hunt up a picture of her for the blog as well.....hang on......


Yes, that's a Santa hat under her. No, don't ask why we have a Santa hat out in the middle of July. Housekeeping isn't quite at the top of our priority list sometimes.............

Anyway, the dog days of summer are here, and have arrived with a vengence for the Cardinals, who recently lost 8 straight and haven't played much better since snapping the streak. When you lose two out of three to the Royals, you know you are having troubles. And yet they have kept their lead in the Central since everyone else is just about as bad. Yesterday's trade for Jeff Weaver may help get the rotation to where it's not giving up double digits twice a week. Then again, Weaver's not been tearing it up, so maybe it'll be more of the same. I'm thinking it can't get much worse, though.


Played poker a couple of times since the last update. The main PPT game was a bust. I tried to be a bit more aggressive with the hands I played, but all that did was run me out first. Always hate to be the first one done, but I got in plenty of dealing practice.

However, we had a ring game on the 4th. I thought it was starting at 3, but it actually got underway at 4. I was supposed to be at my parents at 6:30, so I figured I'd have to really just play loose and see if I couldn't win or lose it all in about an hour. I even told the guys, "I'm going to have to go soon." However, it backfired a bit on me and I was gathering up chips faster than I was losing them. My wife calls a little after 5, and I'm expecting her to say I need to get home. Instead, she says, "You have to win, I just went and bought Benjamin shoes. You have 45 minutes or so." Of course, the pile of chips at that time was weak, but livable. So instead of leaving at 5, it was closer to 6, but the "going home" bit worked to my advantage and I was able to pull off the win, thanks to a great river card on a late all-in that gave me a full house to beat Jon's straight.

We had our Sunday School party on the 3rd this year, so that everyone could stay late and not have to worry about getting up for work the next day. Benjamin had a great time as long as it was daylight. We took the wiffle ball and bat, plus the bubble gun, and he played with that and with the other kids. He even watched some of the early fireworks like a fountain and some smoke bombs. Once the noise level ratcheted up, however, he didn't want to have much to do with that. He and I stayed inside for a while, then Meron took a shift with him. He kept saying, "Go", though, so I took him home while she stayed to watch the fireworks. She rescued one of the big ones we bought, though, and we shot it off on the 4th out at my parents' house.

All in all, it wasn't a bad holiday break. Now we just have to make it through until September. Labor Day can't get here soon enough!