I’m a pretty serious guy…overly serious at times….

I mean I’m silly too, don’t get me wrong, but the things I’m serious about, I’m almsot TOO serious about…you know? I don’t do things half ass….

That is especially true of Internet Poker….now I’m no expert….I’ve never won a tourney, hell I’ve only made one final table, although I’ve gotten two royal flushes (one of which you can see here)….

At any rate today I was doing VERY well….

So with a few annotations (thanks Carmen for helping me REALLY learn this word) along the way I’ll show you the life of a poker addict!

A couple of things before we really start. Maxaint is the homie Max who I turn to occassionally for poker advice because he is more experienced than me…..things take a turn….well you’ll see if you read it all. Also The first number (and usually any number) I mention is my chip stack. If I give a name of a city (like palmdale) it’s the room the table is in….I got moved a few times.

TheKillaCal: 11935 in poker room
TheKillaCal: palmdale
Maxaint: ok

We talk football for a second….pardon)

Maxaint: Florida - Alabama, who would u take?
TheKillaCal: Bama
TheKillaCal: on a hunch
TheKillaCal: both teams are strong
TheKillaCal: I can’t see Bama losing at home
TheKillaCal: as long as Croyle makes it through that game
TheKillaCal: as a matter of fact…do ya’ll play UGA?
Maxaint: not this year
Maxaint: Tennessee and LSU

Resume poker talk

Maxaint: hmm big stack huh
TheKillaCal: YES
TheKillaCal: and a folded a staight flush!
Maxaint: lol
Maxaint: oops
TheKillaCal: yeah man I was heated
TheKillaCal: I had the nine of diamonds
TheKillaCal: if I had played it to flop I woulda played it all the way
TheKillaCal: cuz 10, j flopped
TheKillaCal: then the q
TheKillaCal: then the 8
Maxaint: dayum

I made someone commit alot of chips and then lay down his hand….basically I punked him like Deebo

Maxaint: good move
TheKillaCal: thanks
TheKillaCal: had a straight draw
TheKillaCal: figured better to get him committed or get him out
TheKillaCal: biggest threat at table
TheKillaCal: had K-9!!
TheKillaCal: folded (sic)

I would have gotten a full house at this point….it was a bad lay down on my part….the first of a few….you’ll see!!

Maxaint: damn
TheKillaCal: 10-9 off?

This means I had a 10 and 9 of different suits…..as opposed to 10-9 spades or something

TheKillaCal: ARGH!
TheKillaCal: last time I listen to you!
TheKillaCal: then again Jungleface woulda won
TheKillaCal: okay
TheKillaCal: fair enough
Maxaint: LOL
Maxaint: break 1, in 47th place… not bad
Maxaint: u ever been chip leader deep into a tournament?
TheKillaCal: yep
TheKillaCal: at inter
TheKillaCal: I play better when I drink
TheKillaCal: that’s what I’ve observed
TheKillaCal: especially when I’m drinking something I like
TheKillaCal: like right now I’m drinking Smirnoff cranberry twist vodka and cran-apple
TheKillaCal: I’m enjoying this emminsely (I spell poorly)
TheKillaCal: yeah I know that was a bad play

I played a hand I shouldn’t have and got lucky and won…

TheKillaCal: part of my problem is that I get mad about hands I fold
TheKillaCal: that I could have won
TheKillaCal: that makes me want to play more hands
Maxaint is idle at 2:43:21 PM.
Maxaint: lol avoid that brb
Maxaint is no longer idle at 2:43:54 PM.
TheKillaCal: new table chapel hill
TheKillaCal: 17898
Maxaint signed off at 2:47:18 PM.
Maxaint signed on at 2:59:49 PM.
TheKillaCal: inglewood
Maxaint: ok
TheKillaCal: man…I just had an open ended straight draw AND a flush draw
TheKillaCal: didn’t make either
TheKillaCal: folded though
Maxaint: ok
TheKillaCal: before it got hairy
TheKillaCal: ugh
Maxaint: oooooo
Maxaint: that was SO mean

My chip stack which was at 38000 or so dwindled when I got a bad beat…a bad beat is when you are the hand favored to win until the last card, the river, turns over and saves the other player.

TheKillaCal: yeah it was
TheKillaCal: pocket deuces now
TheKillaCal: still salvagable
Maxaint: yeah

Okay here is where things get hairy….by the way pocket deuces means I had two 2’s as my hole/down cards.

TheKillaCal: k-10 spades
Maxaint: ok…
Maxaint: OOPS
TheKillaCal: yeah…big oops
TheKillaCal: j-9 hearts
TheKillaCal: ???
Maxaint: i’d pass
TheKillaCal: grrrrr
Maxaint: wait for it…
TheKillaCal: GRRRRRRRRRRR

I would have had a flush AND a straight…the hand that won was a pair of 9’s or something…point is, I could have doubled or even tripled up at this point!

TheKillaCal: 7-5 diamonds
Maxaint: *shrug*
TheKillaCal: ARGH!!!
Maxaint: holy

once again, I would have had a winning flush…but I folded per Max’s advice or non-advice as it were

TheKillaCal: instincts now
TheKillaCal: those two hands were MY hands
TheKillaCal: I’d be SUPER chip leader
Maxaint: :hindsight:
Maxaint: 118 left
TheKillaCal: did you see that?!?!!
TheKillaCal: man I’m so mad right now
Maxaint: I couldnt get in… what happened?
TheKillaCal: I had a straight…
TheKillaCal: only thing that could beat me was a 9 on the river
TheKillaCal: 9!!!!
Maxaint: so you’re out?
TheKillaCal: yes
Maxaint: damn
Maxaint: what place?
TheKillaCal: 101
TheKillaCal: I’m so fucking mad!!!
TheKillaCal: those two hands man!!!!!!!!!!!
Maxaint: well, you made the right long-term decisions
TheKillaCal: NO I DIDN’T!!!
TheKillaCal: What are you doing tomorrow?!?!
TheKillaCal: I challenge you to a head to head poker tourney
TheKillaCal: venue of your choice!!!
TheKillaCal: I demand satisfaction!!!
Maxaint: well, besides bama-florida, nothing
TheKillaCal: you can pick the game and stakes
Maxaint: I’m surprised you didnt hit me with a glove
TheKillaCal: *hits you with a glove*
Maxaint: ok I’ll have time before the geme
Maxaint: game
TheKillaCal: I’ll be here!!!
Maxaint: a spot in pokerroom since that’s the only place that will d/load on these POS
TheKillaCal: okay….you make the table…IM me when it’s ready!
TheKillaCal: not today
Maxaint: will do suh
TheKillaCal: I’m going to drink
TheKillaCal: I’m publishing this convo with some added stuff on my weblog

So yeah….that’s a day in the life of a poker addict….

By the way….I miss her….alot…thanks for the nice comments everyone….

You may or may not have noticed, but I’ve been gone for awhile. I left some hints on my livejournal, but overall I’ve been kind of vague.

I had a guest in town with me. Recall the California trip, I mentioned meeting a young lady (or maybe I didn’t on this site). Well anyway, a series of events unfolded which led to said young lady coming out here to visit.

She was here for 10 days, and I know some of y’all (more judgemental) folks are like “damn you just met her, won’t y’all get tired of each other, blah, blah, blah….and I’mma just ask that if you feel that way, keep it to yourself and stop reading (period honestly….like never come back to this website….for real).

Things went really well. I enjoyed cooking for her, I enjoyed rolling out with her and my friends, I enjoyed just sitting here and (making attempts at) watching movies and stuff.

And now….I miss her so much. It’s funny that not even a month ago I was opining about how lonely and miserable I was, and then she comes into my life and turns it upside down.

As things have unfolded I’ve tried my best not to get “too excited” and “take it slowly”, but man, I can’t recall being this happy in so long. Like, even though she’s gone and I miss her something terrible, it’s not like the other “lonely” I felt before her. I know I’ll see her again (although even if it was tomorrow it wouldn’t be soon enough).

There is so much about her that I want to say, how we both love music, how we are both left handed, other corny things….but yeah man….

Let’s see how this new chapter in the Killa Cal lifestory evolves….

This week was busy….I gotta write about it later….now isn’t the time…it’s ongoing, one of those stories you write about after the fact (if at all).

Anyway, recall that including my late pick on the Raiders-Pats game, I went 8-8 last week in my picks. This week I HAVE to do better. I think I have more of a feel for how things will shape up this season.

So here goes nothing:

Ravens 17 - Titans 14
Pittsburgh 33 - Houston 20
Jacksonville 28 - Indianapolis 24
Detroit 17 - Chicago 6
Cincinnati 33 - Minnesota 27
Philadelphia 44 - San Francisco 10
Tampa Bay 24 - Buffalo 17
New England 31 - Carolina 30
Atlanta 24 - Seattle 21
Arizona 35 - St. Louis 31
NY Jets 21 - Miami 16
Green Bay 35 - Cleveland 10
San Diego 33 - Denver 7
Kansas City 38 - Oakland 21
New Orleans 22 - NY Giants 21
Dallas 38 - Washington 6

So here they are….hopefully I’ll break .500!

This will be a quick entry….

First of all happy birthday to Janelle aka twinzmum….and I don’t know if he reads or not, but happy birthday to Ian as well….and a quick moment of silence for the 9/11 and Katrina victims……..

Okay….

I’m already 0-1 this week as I picked the Raiders to upset the Patriots, so I’ll either continue the trend or show that was a fluke…but here goes….

Washington over Chicago 24-10
NY Jets over KC Chiefs 38-34
Houston over Buffalo 31-24
Detroit over Green Bay 35-14
Tennessee over Pittsburgh 14-10
Jacksonville over Seattle 28-27
St. Louis over San Fran 42-14
Indy over Baltimore 34-21
Tampa Bay over Minnesota 27-14
Cincinatti over Cleveland 42-38
Dallas over San Diego 20-13
Denver over Miami 33-7
Carolina over N.O. 22-13
Arizona over NY Giants 38-10
Atlanta over Philly 21-17

This is always one of the best times of the year….headed to the homie Dave’s to watch it on DirecTV…

First things first I have to give a shout out to the beautiful Miss Akirah. There’s a Donnell Jones song playing somewhere for you….

Now on to the entry….

So I was sitting at Chili’s yesterday with Geoff, shooting the shit, when we started talking about our respective childhoods. Geoff mentioned one summer where he was “too old to have a babysitter” and “too young to go out and do anything else” and mentioned that it was the summer where he really discovered/watched a bunch of HBO. I realized I had a summer like that myself. Mine was probably the same as my sisters now that I think of it.

Then I started thinking, just about everyone at one point or another from my generation probably had an “HBO Summer”, like before there were 20 HBO channels on digital cable, back when cable was sort of a novelty, and HBO even more so. Back before DVD’s made movies READILY available.

*I just had to take a quick break….one day soon I’ll make an entry and tell ya’ll why*

My HBO summer was the summer of 1987 when my parents were getting divorced and we stayed in Mississippi with my grandparents. It seems like the movies that summer were the BEST ever, or maybe it’s because I watched them so much.

Movies like, “The Legend of Billy Jean” and “Lucus” would come on everyday and I’d watch them just about everyday. This was the summer I discovered “Big Trouble In Little China” also. I watched way more “Howard the Duck” than I should admit. I also watched, “Weird Science” more often than a kid my age should have. “Karate Kid Part II” got watched so much, me and my sisters learned just about ALL of the dialogue. Sometimes I was able to sneak all the way up to Showtime and watch “Friday the 13th part 6″, but that was the only movie worth watching on there. I also discovered….SKINAMAX, but I can’t remember the names of any of the movies other than “Cheech and Chong’s Nice Dreams”, whose Pee Wee Herman appearance confused me!

Anyway I watched WAY too many movies that summer. I never had a summer like that again where I watched that many movies. So what was your “HBO Summer”? What movies did you love?

I have a few friends (as most people do) from New Orleans. As of yet, I haven’t spoken on the whole Hurricane Katrina thing for a variety of reasons. I don’t really deal well with death and dying. It literally rips me apart inside. I guess I’m just a sensitive sucka I don’t know. But whatever the case maybe I try not to join the blogger bandwagoners.

But tonight I was talking (or really am still via AIM) a friend who is dealing with this tragedy. And I’m telling her to be strong. As she’s having to deal with losing family members, all the while still managing to volunteer and help others out.

It makes me look at the things I complain about and really take a pause, like, “Hold up dude….ALL your shit could end…you are blessed.” It puts a real damper on my pity parties you know?

On another semi-related note. On a couple of the message boards I frequent there are some people who hold the sentiment that certain folks haven’t done enough as it regards our people down there (not BUSH, we all agree he hasn’t done enough). Like Oprah or even Kanye and Jigga (because talking isn’t enough).

Now with Bush, it’s his duty as leader of the “free world” to be the HEAD dog on this, but clearly he’s not up to task. As it pertains to our “celebs” though, they don’t HAVE to do anything, but for the most part they ARE, whether it be words or actions. I find it frustrating when other people find it in their heart to say what people SHOULD be doing, especially when they aren’t doing anything themselves. Oprah doesn’t HAVE to donate a penny and hell for the work she’s put in as a morale booster and JUST BEING there she’s done more than any amount of money could do. Anyway that’s just how I feel, criticize Bush or FEMA….but any other effort no matter how small or large is the same in my eyes.

Well there I go, I’m just like every other blogger out there now. To the people braving it in NO and everywhere else and to the people with family and friends doing so, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

So when I left ya’ll we had gone to Magic Mountain and shit….

And I kinda left ya’ll hanging on the Shitty Hill of Death and the Hippie on Roller Skates among other stories…..

So here it is…everything I can remember….this is going to be a LONG entry….

The Shitty Hill of Death

So this is what happened. Niggas were riding around downtown LA (which is JUST LIKE Grand Theft Auto), when in the background we saw the Hollywood sign. So being that Jen, OJ, and myself ALL had cameras and are some picture taking mufufuas we were like, “Let’s get closer”. So Liz is like she knows a spot that’s SUPER close and we can get some good pictures so we were with it! So we start going up a series of winding ass hills. And we keep going and going until we reach this horse ranch! We park and….well, we KEPT going up the hill, this time on feet! Now mind you Jen and Liz BOTH have on open toed shoes and shit. And once we stepped foot on that horse ranch….man talk about FULL OF SHIT….like there were trails of shit that led to piles of shit that led to more trails of shit….AND it was dusty as fuck. Man we were walking for what seemed like FOREVER until we almost gave up and then around the bend there it was….the Hollywood sign! We stayed up there for a minute, partly because we wanted good pictures and the setting sun made for really good shots, and partly because we were dreading climbing back down the shitty hill of death. After awhile we turned and walked back the same way we came. When we made it back to the car….we saw some white folks taking an ALTERNATE LESS SHITTY HILL!!!

Hippies on Roller Skates

Okay since OJ lived in a nicer part of LA, I didn’t really get to see any “wacked out” citizens of LaLa Land when I first got there. That changed QUICKILY when we hit up the city proper. First we were rolling by the Hollywood Bowl when we saw this shirtless man with a hat walking some dogs. My words can’t really do this scene as much justice as actually seeing his dirty ass, but trust, it was the guts! But this guy was soon topped by what we saw when we hit Hollywood Blvd. We looked to our left at a corner and there was a nigga in a hippie tunic with a LONG ASS FAKE GREY BEARD and he had a sign that said, “Make Love Not War” or something like that….AND HE WAS ON ROLLER SKATES!!!!! This man was the pure personification of the guts!!! For real. Even as I was walking around the mall over by Kodak Center and stuff with my dusty ass shoes (my souvenir from the shitty hill of death) I was laughing about that.

Random Shout Outs

I want to give a shout out to Jen the Diva for 1) being the MOST IDed person on earth and 2) falling for the scientology flim flam. I know the number of people who will get this reference are about 2….but the Scientology building looked JUST LIKE the Cult of Kefka from Final Fantasy 3…..

Anyway shouts out to Liz for driving super cautiously and letting me beat her in speed and fake ass 2 person Texas Hold Em games….and trivia at Fridays too….

Sunday’s Events

Sunday started out slow. Niggas were TIRED from the night before…..but it picked up when we went by Dennis and Calvin’s crib. We chopped it up over there for a minute, I saw the pictures from when OJ went to Mexico and flattened the bungee mat. We smoked and TRIED to watch Shogun Assassin (the TV was fucking up). Sometime after that (which is kinda hazy cuz a nigga was VERY high) we headed to Venice Beach. I didn’t see a bunch of muthafuckas working out but I did see three notable things.

Firstly this nigga on a bike was working the crowd trying to get people to go from one marked line to another on his nigga rigged bike. The steering was reversed and you couldn’t put your feet on the ground. No one could do it.

Secondly, some dude with the worst haircut I’ve seen in a while (he had a widows peak AND a overhanging cliff/hightop fade) was trying to dance to funk music and making little kids dance with him. He also had on a BAD suit (and not bad meaning good, but bad meaning bad).

Lastly, we traveled onto the actual beach and saw some people having some kind of musical ritual. Like all sorts of random mufufuas had drums and saxophones and other instruments and they were ALL playing their own tunes. But weirdly it all came together, and niggas were dancing in a trance like state in the middle.

Venice Beach was interesting! The property on the beach was AMAZING. I saw where Prince may have lived in like 1986 or so….this purple ass house on the beach. Niggas who lived out there were doing it BIG!

So anyway we go back to OJ’s side of LA and get dressed to hit up Jamaican Gold. I really liked that spot. They had three rooms, well actually two rooms and an outside area. The outside area was the reggae part. I’m usually not a big reggae fan, but it was pretty cool (or maybe it helped that I was dancing….yeah that’s probably it)………where was I….yeah, so I was drinking Crown on the rocks all night (a few with a splash of coke)…..MAN drinks in LA are expensive….9 bucks!! But I still managed to get right!

We eventually left there and went to a Mickey D’s parking lot. To be honest with you, this was the highlight! Between Drew’s definition of S.O.B.E.R. and his talking about “serenity now” I almost died from choking on my own laughter. It got so funny at one point I got out and started harlem shaking like I did when I dressed as Tyrone Biggums for Halloween. The rest of the details are hazy….a nigga was drunk, blowed, AND tired. The beer scooter got us home.

Labor Day

I woke up at around 12 or 1….LA time!!! Yeah it was like that the night before….

Niggas went to the store to pick up shit for the BBQ later. I got my “Big Lebowski” memories on as we shopped in Ralph’s. A Ralph’s card is a beautiful thing also, it’ll take 30 bucks off of your grocery bill!

When we got back, people started arriving and shit. Peta-Gay fell through with her friends whose names I’m going to mangle, but ummm there was Miran, Simone, and Ivy….yeah I think that’s it. JD of the bumblebee story fame came through with his daughter and his sister Kiki. Of course Drew and D fell through. Nicole aka Coley Cole aka Cocoa Butter came through. By the time Liz and Jen got there I was on my 9th or 10th Kamikazi shot! I had 16 in all before my shot glass got hidden from me. Jane came by, but I missed alot of the Jane antics.

Sometime later I ended up playing a game of “Hi-low” taking shots of Captain Morgan’s. That got a nigga NICE and faded.

People started to roll out or whatever after awhile. I ended up playing Soulcaliber with Drew and D until they left and then eventually going to bed (around 3 in the morning).

I don’t know how me and OJ made it to the airport the next day….but we did….

which leads to

Yesterday

I woke up REALLY not wanting to leave….like REALLY….I met some great folks in LA and the scenery was beautiful….I gotta come back….but a nigga had a round trip ticket so you know how that goes….I got on American Airlines flight 2047 non-stop to Nashville…..

I got off the plane and immediately started drinking…..I made some drunken phone calls that I think I’m going to regret, but niggas kicked it hard for the homie Geoff’s birthday….

And well…now it’s back to the Nashville grind….kindaaaaaaaaaa

(yeah I’mma leave ya’ll hanging on that note)

I’m Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too druknk to make an entry right now….

It’s that nigga Geoff (and Heather, and Toney G) birthday….so I’ll fill in the blanks on the cali trip tomorrow….I got alot to say though!!! So be here mufufua!!!

Man I’m telling ya’ll, if you ever go to Magic Mountain make sure you bring this nigga OJ with you. You are promised to have a gutty time.

First of all, the park is fucking HUGE. They have as many roller coasters as Cedar Point, something that surprised me, and for some reason it wasn’t actually all that crowded.

Me, OJ, Liz, Jen, Drew, D, D’s girl Estella, and Carlton all rolled. The first ride we rode was the Viper, but by that time the jokes were well underway. We got a discount thanks to Coke products and that inspired Drew and Carlton to sing that Coke song (you know…”I’d like to teach the world to sing”) while holding their coke cans high.

In line we saw a disciple of Columbine who was steady talking about “being a statistic”, he looked like he was gonna grab a gun from a security officer and just start BLASTING. We decided to try to stay on the other side of the park from him in case something like that went down.

We saw this chick who quite possibly had a side job posing as a gargoyle. Yeah, she was that bad. But ALL day we kept running into this chick who was dressed like she had a performance she was late for. Like she was America’s Top Next Idol. She had on this dressy ass shimmering silver shirt and some high heels and she had the biggest head this side of Stewie Griffin. I told this nigga OJ he shoulda took a picture with her.

Oh speaking of OJ and pictures, I’m SURE at some point this nigga is gonna scan the picture they took of niggas on the Viper. This nigga knew where ALL the camera’s were, so when it came time on that he had the PERFECT point pose. He bought it or whatever but didn’t pick it up til we were about to leave. So anyway as we were leaving out he was fucking around with the security guard about getting a hand stamp when this other park personel muthafucka was like, “Say, did you take a picture pointing at the camera on the Viper??” That nigga had dropped the picture or whatever. It was just funny that his pose was so memorable that he could get hawked down in the middle of a crowd for that.

Today should be just as busy. I think we are going to the beach or something. LA is huge man. I don’t think I could live out here, but I’m having hella fun visiting!

Finally met up with Jen and Liz….we had a great ass time….but I gotta leave myself 2 mental reminders to elaborate on next time I get a chance to make an entry…..1)the shitty neverending hill of death and 2) hippies on roller skates….

Yeah….heading to magic mountain soon, so I’ll get back!