Thursday, May 25, 2006
Week 1 Vegas
It’s been over a week since Cachaulo and I arrived in Vegas and it has been pretty wild. Cachaulo has been crushing the 2-5 game and I have also managed to do pretty well. A quick update on my finances: Spent: $680 (mostly on rent, food, and plane tickets) Poker Earnings : $1559 If this luck continues, I can accomplish all of my financial goals for the summer in three weeks here in Vegas. Other than that, Cachaulo and I took a few days off from poker while everyone was in town for Weapon’s 21st birthday. We dined on Weapon’s dad’s bill and we visited practically every casino in town. I quickly blew through 140 dollars gambling with the guys and called off all table games for the rest of the trip. Most everyone left Sunday night, except for Austin, who left on Tuesday morning.
While the three roommates were all in town together we went to the Wynn on Monday afternoon to eat lunch at their Buffet. This would prove to be the low point of the trip. The Food was magnificent, and free (thank you Wynn comps), but when we exiting the casino we found an awful surprise. Danny’s car, the car we have been using, got broken into.
My Guess is that the pricks who robbed our car, came into the parking lot in some sort of van with covered plates, saw that Danny’s car was full of luggage, jumped out, smashed the window, and took all of the nice luggage bags they could see. Fortunately for me, all of my valuables were on me and the small bag I had in the car was not taken. Cachaulo’s bag got taken with some valuables, some of which were insured and Austin got completely fucked. Austin had his life for the next three months taken. The next day Austin was leaving for Dubai for three months. All of his clothes and valuables were taken, including his passport. Now, Austin’s plans are completely up in the air. After that experience, and the four hour follow-up, we were ready to slow the trip down. We went back to our place, sat by the pool, and enjoyed a couple of beers. We drove Austin to the airport the next day and got back to work.
Poker has been really fun and I have gotten opportunities to meet funny new people AND run into the same characters that were here last time in Vegas. I can’t wait for the rest of my trip, everyday is a new adventure with money on the line and characters along the way..
While the three roommates were all in town together we went to the Wynn on Monday afternoon to eat lunch at their Buffet. This would prove to be the low point of the trip. The Food was magnificent, and free (thank you Wynn comps), but when we exiting the casino we found an awful surprise. Danny’s car, the car we have been using, got broken into.
My Guess is that the pricks who robbed our car, came into the parking lot in some sort of van with covered plates, saw that Danny’s car was full of luggage, jumped out, smashed the window, and took all of the nice luggage bags they could see. Fortunately for me, all of my valuables were on me and the small bag I had in the car was not taken. Cachaulo’s bag got taken with some valuables, some of which were insured and Austin got completely fucked. Austin had his life for the next three months taken. The next day Austin was leaving for Dubai for three months. All of his clothes and valuables were taken, including his passport. Now, Austin’s plans are completely up in the air. After that experience, and the four hour follow-up, we were ready to slow the trip down. We went back to our place, sat by the pool, and enjoyed a couple of beers. We drove Austin to the airport the next day and got back to work.
Poker has been really fun and I have gotten opportunities to meet funny new people AND run into the same characters that were here last time in Vegas. I can’t wait for the rest of my trip, everyday is a new adventure with money on the line and characters along the way..
Friday, May 19, 2006
Summer Time
Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas. Indeed, Cachaulo and I set out for Vegas on Tuesday and it has been really … well … fabulous. Everyday has been a journey with new adventures and outrageous characters along the way. It is already Friday and this has been my first opportunity to sit for a minute and write anything down. I have played about 30 hours of poker in the last three days. Cachaulo and I are about to break from poker and do other Vegas activities with the Theta Xi guys coming in this weekend. It is Weapon’s 21st birthday tonight at midnight. Weapon, his dad, Pearlman, Alicia, Preacher, and Austin will all be in town staying at the Tropicana. Cachaulo and I will move in with them for the weekend and be back on the strip.
I have been really bad on updating my journal so I will use this as an opportunity to write some of the things I have done since the conference on world affairs. The fraternity had a trip to Sand Dunes national monument in southern Colorado. This is a very unique and special place with mountains in the background, a river on the edge, and a desert in the middle. Words cannot describe this place with justice so here is a link to a good pic of the dunes (http://photo.net/photo/pcd0738/great-sand-dune-hills-dark-16.4.jpg). We camped out on the dunes and I celebrated Passover by walking the desert and eating free Matzo the Synagogue sent me.
The following weekend I returned home for my cousin Alex’s Bar Mitzvah. It was great timing because Brad was also in town for a wedding and Eric was in town because he never leaves. We went to Sarki’s, basically it was awesome. Charlie and I got hammered at the Bar Mitzvah and then went to Teddy O’s for a couple drinks and to check out the Highwood scene. When I return to Teddy’s again it will be to fulfill Brad’s dream on his 21st birthday, to get drunk in Highwood and walk home. I also spent one night in Chicago to see Charlie’s place and party with Depaul kids (lame). Going out with Eric is pretty funny though, he calls practically every girl that he has a chance with that night and asks to see them, half say they can’t, but invariably more than one can and he finds himself in a little situation. He meets up with them and dismisses all but the best and works it. I played wingman and distracted the friend while he got it on. Hilariously, she facebook friended me and stalked my pics. She wrote on my wall that she is into Pearlman. Overall, the trip was great, I had to miss formal which was a big bummer, but I got to see family and friends and have some good times.
At school we wrapped up championships in Intramural dodge ball and soccer. Soccer was fun because we got to play the semis and finals on the same day and we dominated. I was pretty bad in the semis but in the finals I played really well and had a goal and two assists. I had a very relaxing finals week. I made pretty good grades an A,A,A-, and B-. The B- was the lowest grade I have gotten in school but It was close to a B and it was in nutrition. Overall though, my GPA is back on the rise and I will probably finish above a 3.5. That will be my goal.
Speaking of goals, I have established some plans for the summer and also some goals. My plans, which have already began, include being in Las Vegas until our rent is up on the 5th of June. I will be home for Charlie and Brad’s birthdays. I will be home from then until the 4th of July (minus a weekend in New York). For the fourth of July and for the following month I will be in Madison, WI. I will live in Brad’s frat house and live the Madison life. I came up with this plan when I couldn’t decide where to be this summer and I decided to do it all, four summers in one.
As far as goals for money, my low-end goal of the summer is to make enough money playing online and live poker this summer to support all of my expenses for the summer which I will track pretty meticulously. My high-end goal is to make all of that plus $2,000 which I can use to supplement my living until I graduate next May. Other things that I want to establish this summer is a lot of guitar playing, a good work out regiment., and learning to cook and prepare food for myself for an extended period time, something I consider a valuable life skill. While I am in Vegas most of these goals will be put on hold. I will try to post at least every other day and report my wins, loses, and expenses.
I have been really bad on updating my journal so I will use this as an opportunity to write some of the things I have done since the conference on world affairs. The fraternity had a trip to Sand Dunes national monument in southern Colorado. This is a very unique and special place with mountains in the background, a river on the edge, and a desert in the middle. Words cannot describe this place with justice so here is a link to a good pic of the dunes (http://photo.net/photo/pcd0738/great-sand-dune-hills-dark-16.4.jpg). We camped out on the dunes and I celebrated Passover by walking the desert and eating free Matzo the Synagogue sent me.
The following weekend I returned home for my cousin Alex’s Bar Mitzvah. It was great timing because Brad was also in town for a wedding and Eric was in town because he never leaves. We went to Sarki’s, basically it was awesome. Charlie and I got hammered at the Bar Mitzvah and then went to Teddy O’s for a couple drinks and to check out the Highwood scene. When I return to Teddy’s again it will be to fulfill Brad’s dream on his 21st birthday, to get drunk in Highwood and walk home. I also spent one night in Chicago to see Charlie’s place and party with Depaul kids (lame). Going out with Eric is pretty funny though, he calls practically every girl that he has a chance with that night and asks to see them, half say they can’t, but invariably more than one can and he finds himself in a little situation. He meets up with them and dismisses all but the best and works it. I played wingman and distracted the friend while he got it on. Hilariously, she facebook friended me and stalked my pics. She wrote on my wall that she is into Pearlman. Overall, the trip was great, I had to miss formal which was a big bummer, but I got to see family and friends and have some good times.
At school we wrapped up championships in Intramural dodge ball and soccer. Soccer was fun because we got to play the semis and finals on the same day and we dominated. I was pretty bad in the semis but in the finals I played really well and had a goal and two assists. I had a very relaxing finals week. I made pretty good grades an A,A,A-, and B-. The B- was the lowest grade I have gotten in school but It was close to a B and it was in nutrition. Overall though, my GPA is back on the rise and I will probably finish above a 3.5. That will be my goal.
Speaking of goals, I have established some plans for the summer and also some goals. My plans, which have already began, include being in Las Vegas until our rent is up on the 5th of June. I will be home for Charlie and Brad’s birthdays. I will be home from then until the 4th of July (minus a weekend in New York). For the fourth of July and for the following month I will be in Madison, WI. I will live in Brad’s frat house and live the Madison life. I came up with this plan when I couldn’t decide where to be this summer and I decided to do it all, four summers in one.
As far as goals for money, my low-end goal of the summer is to make enough money playing online and live poker this summer to support all of my expenses for the summer which I will track pretty meticulously. My high-end goal is to make all of that plus $2,000 which I can use to supplement my living until I graduate next May. Other things that I want to establish this summer is a lot of guitar playing, a good work out regiment., and learning to cook and prepare food for myself for an extended period time, something I consider a valuable life skill. While I am in Vegas most of these goals will be put on hold. I will try to post at least every other day and report my wins, loses, and expenses.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Conference on World Affairs
Here are some papers I wrote on the events I went to at this years Conference on Wolrd Affairs. The CWA is a great opportunity to learn appliable knowledge to succeding outside of the classroom and also to learn about the world. The four events I attended were
Friends - the Family We Choose
Sports and The Meaning of Life
Quarter Life Cunundrum - from college to cubicle
Is Islam a Real Threat to teh West?
Friends – The Family we Choose
The three panelists that spoke on this topic were Barbara Cambridge, Marion Swaybill , and Susan Zolla-Pazner. The three women spoke from very different backgrounds but one common theme prevailed.
Ms. Cambridge was born in a traditional black neighborhood in the south, surrounded by family. As a young girl she married and moved with her husband far from her family and friends to Western Texas. She addressed a scenario that was my main reason for attending this lecture, when you move to a new place, how do you reestablish a network of friends. When I graduate college, there is no telling where I might end up, and probably only few if any of my current friends and family will live there. She explained that she had not reached out and made new friends, that her husband was her only friend. Sadly, her husband passed away and she was left in a town with no one but two children to raise. She learned to branch out and make friends with people of common interest, people from her church and people from her work. In the end, she has had a rewarding life by leaning on her friends for support
Ms. Swaybill and Ms. Zolla-Pazner provided insight on how their relationship was formed. Days after Ms. Swaybill’s husband passed there was a dinner at their common synagogue. When Susan noticed that no one had sat next to Marion she did so sympathetically. After years of seeing each other but never speaking more than greetings, in one night they bonded. Now they have a rewarding relationship.
The biggest learning experience of the lecture may have been an obvious point but it spoke true in a new profound way. Friends are an important and rewarding part of life, they make the best moments better and the worst moments brighter. But making friends requires thought and effort, thought and effort that is worthwhile.
Sports and the Meaning of Life
This one was kind of a waste of time. But I heard a great quote, "I want to have Muhammad Ali's body for one day because there are two guys I want to beat up and three girls I want to screw.”
Quarter Life Conundrum
I learned two valuable things from this panel. One is that Patch Adams, the doctor portrayed in the movie by Robin Williams is insane, more so than even Robin Williams. He was in his late 60’s and had his grey hair slicked back in a pony tail, half of it painted blue. He is so left he is basically a communist and he called Bush a Nazi. The other thing I learned was that it is more than ok, it is great, to leave college not knowing what is going to happen for the rest of your life. An Ex-film student at CU said it best, when you go to High School you come in as a freshman and you don’t really know what it will be like but you figure it out. When you go to college you come in as a freshman and you don’t really know what it will be like but you figure it out. When you graduate college you enter “the real world” as a freshman and you don’t really know what it will be like but you figure it out. That will be me, I will figure it out.
Is Islam a Real Threat to the West
If you were keeping score at this discussion of Ahmad Ghoreishi, Daniel Odescalchi , Lewis M. Simons , and Kim Thachuk, the score would be three to one, yes. Everyone in the room listening to the panelists, including the panelists themselves could tell that an amazingly insightful conversation was taking place. All four panelists had a unique and intimate relationship with the current volatile Muslim world. Mr. Ghoreishi, the sole Muslim panelist, provided insight from his experience as US-Iran relations advisor. Mr. Odescalchi currently works as an advisor in Iraq to establish free-market economic policies. Mr. Simons, a Pulitzer Prize winning author, has extensive personal experience with the Muslim population in South-East Asia. Ms. Thachuk works for the Department of Defense for issues related to transnational terrorism, crime syndicates, and drug trafficking.
The panelists strongly emphasized that Islam itself is not a threat, in fact a majority of Muslims have more common beliefs with modern Americans then Islamic terrorists groups. The war is not between the West and Islam but instead between Muslims who want to live like it is the middle ages and Muslims who want to live like it is the 21st century. Mr. Odescalchi spoke of his experience in Jordan where the majority of its population likes the United States, they just worry because they know that Americans do not separate them from the most extreme Muslims.
Mr. Simons had interesting insight about the largest Muslim population, those of South-East Asia. Where thirty years ago, during the Vietnam war, a majority of the regions Muslims we’re quite ambivalent to world affairs and we’re uninterested in American policy, now anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism is bigger in these countries than anywhere in the Middle East.
With the consensus that the war is not between the United States and Islam, the question was raised, should the United States get involved and protect their interests? The answer from the panelists was as passionate as it was surprising, YES. The United States has an interest for security and the passion for human rights around the world to stop extreme Muslims from committing the atrocities around the world from the World Trade Center, to women’s rights, to mass destruction and genocide in Africa.
Friends - the Family We Choose
Sports and The Meaning of Life
Quarter Life Cunundrum - from college to cubicle
Is Islam a Real Threat to teh West?
Friends – The Family we Choose
The three panelists that spoke on this topic were Barbara Cambridge, Marion Swaybill , and Susan Zolla-Pazner. The three women spoke from very different backgrounds but one common theme prevailed.
Ms. Cambridge was born in a traditional black neighborhood in the south, surrounded by family. As a young girl she married and moved with her husband far from her family and friends to Western Texas. She addressed a scenario that was my main reason for attending this lecture, when you move to a new place, how do you reestablish a network of friends. When I graduate college, there is no telling where I might end up, and probably only few if any of my current friends and family will live there. She explained that she had not reached out and made new friends, that her husband was her only friend. Sadly, her husband passed away and she was left in a town with no one but two children to raise. She learned to branch out and make friends with people of common interest, people from her church and people from her work. In the end, she has had a rewarding life by leaning on her friends for support
Ms. Swaybill and Ms. Zolla-Pazner provided insight on how their relationship was formed. Days after Ms. Swaybill’s husband passed there was a dinner at their common synagogue. When Susan noticed that no one had sat next to Marion she did so sympathetically. After years of seeing each other but never speaking more than greetings, in one night they bonded. Now they have a rewarding relationship.
The biggest learning experience of the lecture may have been an obvious point but it spoke true in a new profound way. Friends are an important and rewarding part of life, they make the best moments better and the worst moments brighter. But making friends requires thought and effort, thought and effort that is worthwhile.
Sports and the Meaning of Life
This one was kind of a waste of time. But I heard a great quote, "I want to have Muhammad Ali's body for one day because there are two guys I want to beat up and three girls I want to screw.”
Quarter Life Conundrum
I learned two valuable things from this panel. One is that Patch Adams, the doctor portrayed in the movie by Robin Williams is insane, more so than even Robin Williams. He was in his late 60’s and had his grey hair slicked back in a pony tail, half of it painted blue. He is so left he is basically a communist and he called Bush a Nazi. The other thing I learned was that it is more than ok, it is great, to leave college not knowing what is going to happen for the rest of your life. An Ex-film student at CU said it best, when you go to High School you come in as a freshman and you don’t really know what it will be like but you figure it out. When you go to college you come in as a freshman and you don’t really know what it will be like but you figure it out. When you graduate college you enter “the real world” as a freshman and you don’t really know what it will be like but you figure it out. That will be me, I will figure it out.
Is Islam a Real Threat to the West
If you were keeping score at this discussion of Ahmad Ghoreishi, Daniel Odescalchi , Lewis M. Simons , and Kim Thachuk, the score would be three to one, yes. Everyone in the room listening to the panelists, including the panelists themselves could tell that an amazingly insightful conversation was taking place. All four panelists had a unique and intimate relationship with the current volatile Muslim world. Mr. Ghoreishi, the sole Muslim panelist, provided insight from his experience as US-Iran relations advisor. Mr. Odescalchi currently works as an advisor in Iraq to establish free-market economic policies. Mr. Simons, a Pulitzer Prize winning author, has extensive personal experience with the Muslim population in South-East Asia. Ms. Thachuk works for the Department of Defense for issues related to transnational terrorism, crime syndicates, and drug trafficking.
The panelists strongly emphasized that Islam itself is not a threat, in fact a majority of Muslims have more common beliefs with modern Americans then Islamic terrorists groups. The war is not between the West and Islam but instead between Muslims who want to live like it is the middle ages and Muslims who want to live like it is the 21st century. Mr. Odescalchi spoke of his experience in Jordan where the majority of its population likes the United States, they just worry because they know that Americans do not separate them from the most extreme Muslims.
Mr. Simons had interesting insight about the largest Muslim population, those of South-East Asia. Where thirty years ago, during the Vietnam war, a majority of the regions Muslims we’re quite ambivalent to world affairs and we’re uninterested in American policy, now anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism is bigger in these countries than anywhere in the Middle East.
With the consensus that the war is not between the United States and Islam, the question was raised, should the United States get involved and protect their interests? The answer from the panelists was as passionate as it was surprising, YES. The United States has an interest for security and the passion for human rights around the world to stop extreme Muslims from committing the atrocities around the world from the World Trade Center, to women’s rights, to mass destruction and genocide in Africa.
