Poker?

One of my dear friends, cheech, asked "why is there no poker on your blog?"  i want to discuss poker and poker, and poker-related topics, certainly, but at the same time poker does not define me.  also, i am not sure how specific i should be getting.  do win/loss amounts or specific hands even interest people?  i have good days, and bad days at "work", just like everyone does.  my "bad days" take money from my pocket though, unlike the vast majority of americans (or for that matter, the rest of the world).  anyway, here i sit in the sands regency reno parking lot, 8-tabling at this very moment!  generator is on, so there is AC and computer.  its a bit strange to be playing poker online under the noses of all these casinos, but its certainly the +EV play!  i want to give some props to the sands before i continue:  the place looks incredible compared to the last time i was here, and reno as a whole has definitely undergone a face-lift.  also, the sands was the only casino of the six(?) we called that allowed us to park in their (huge) lot.  yes, the "recession" is hitting on ALL fronts.  ((wow, i just sucked out like a total chimp...runner runner straight...$422 pot)).

so, rachel and i both got a free $5 slot play for joining the bonus club.  we had to join in order to park the rv.  you must bet $1 of your own money, but then you get $5 more free play.  we sat at the star wars slot machine, and only rachel played.  she put in $10, and hit max bet ($3), and hit a $30 winner!  that is a huge result in my book, as i, like any good nit, am aware of the massive -EV of slots.  i MADE rachel cashout when she finished her free play (now she "feels bad" for the casinos, since we are "getting free parking", and "taking their money"  lolol, uh huh...i feel really bad too!)

we are off to get the "awful awful" burger...reno's best burger.  rach is not quite so interested, now that she found it was a half-pounder!  maybe they have a kiddie burger too...

Some Random Thoughts

Update:  we are now on the "shores" of "honey lake" (a dry lakebed) south of susanville, CA.  we are heading toward death valley it seems, via reno and ??  i am using the rv boards under the tires for the second time.  im up on the THIRD level.

Satellite dish, but no service
The rv came with a dish, and i assumed that we would subscribe to either dish or directv.  i wanted directv, as they offer the nfl sunday ticket.  soon found that both services require 2 year contracts just to start.  our trip is going to last one year (at least at this point), so i decided to forego getting satellite service.  at this point, i think it was the correct decision.  everywhere we have been, we have pulled in several free channels, many in HD.  its quite a change going from verizon FIOS to random channels, but i think its a change for the good.

Dumping the black/grey water holding tanks
Its much easier than i first feared.  I had a myriad of problems with the valves that empty both tanks (they were leaking.  the grey water valve required THREE fixes!)  It hasnt been much of a problem at all to dump now that everything is fixed, and that was one of my big worries going in to this trip.

More work, but worth it
This lifestyle is certainly more work.  whenever we move, its some work; not to mention the driving.  i was driving down the road today though, just thinking:  "we are really lucky."  im glad to have a wife who was interested in testing out this sort of lifestyle.  obviously, its a blessing to be able to see the country, and not have to worry about "working for the man".  anyway, i think its important for me to remember these blessings even through the rough periods.

Fantasy football
GO JASON WITTEN!!!  with 4:11 left in the 3rd, i am down exactly 3.59pts to arch-rival adam!

Proper Introduction

All of the previous posts were lifted from a thread i started on the 2plus2 poker forum http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/92/travel/america-rv-powered-poker-588711/. I think i should do a proper introduction for this blog at this point, as today is really the actual starting day for it. I was asked on that thread to show my computer setup inside the rv.  This image is looking toward the front windshield of the rv.  I am sitting in the passenger seat, which is turned around.  I have a DELL xps420 with twin Acer 22" monitors.  Above is the samsung 32" lcd that we just installed!

The next view is taken from the drivers seat of the coach:

Here is our RV, with the Suzuki tow car tucked behind:

Here is our dog Mandi:

This is my beautiful wife Rachel and I at Descheutes brewery (holding obsidian and drinking one too!):

Volcano Beds national monument

Still in tulelake.  I am a bit disappointed with myself in that i felt uncomfortable (as a whitey) in a prominently hispanic town.  Still good internet, and 12 tabling last nite.  Down 1/3 a stack so no big thing.  The lava beds monument wasnt near as impressive as newberry monument (the most impressive thing we have seen so far imo).  This area was the site of a japanese internment camp in ww2; i think it will be important to check that out today.

Tulelake, CA

My favorite 5/10 games are keeping us flush.  Got to 12 table last nite for only the second time on the trip.

We are in tulelake, ca.  I went for a walk thru town with the pooch, and it is pretty shocking to see how some americans live.  This town looks quite depressed.  More than half of the space in the buildings on main street is deserted.  There are many people living in tiny apartments.  All the houses are very small. a 1000sq ft (2br/1ba) house is for sale for $89,000.  Looked at two nice parks dedicated to our military service people.  Props to all of you.  Off to the lava beds nat'l monument this morning.

Crater Lake, and a casino

Went to crater lake national park yesterday on a day trip.  It was impressive, but there wasnt much to it besides the big lake.  Did learn some more about the volcanic activity in this area.  As the next stop is going to be "lava beds national monument", and then after that "lassen national park", we should soon be experts in the field!  Wifey likes geology, so its good for her.

We spent the past two nites for free at Kla-ma-yo casino near Chiloquin, OR.  Each nite i was planning on playing some blackjack in there, but both times after hitting the buffet the thought of sitting at a bj table was horrific!  Have had reliable internet here, and played two sessions yesterday, ending about even.

Anger

Last nite was some bs. i freaked out about:  1. cigarette lighter in tow car coming apart/not working (was working prior to departure on this trip, and was going to use it for the garmin gps and invertor to power a laptop).  2. "check engine" light coming on in tow vehicle (after i tinkered with fuse boxes).  it was on today and has since gone out.  3. the NEW ac power charger for the laptop (bought about 1.5 month ago) coming apart at its head. i attempted to take off the protective electrical tape i had put on it, and ripped the head right off. i blew my top last nite. not good for me.


still havent been able to play poker, and getting a bit antsy, as i should be keeping up my playing to keep up the funds. have had a great month prior to this tho. just getting comfortable with 5/10nl.

went to get the tow vehicle looked at/fixed today. they fixed the cigarette lighter and looked at another problem (the front wheel bearings need to be replaced i guess). charged $60 to fix the cigarette lighter. we saw some more volcano stuff (a huge obsidian flow that came 1.5k years ago), and a peak 7k over sea level, plus downtown bend.  sitting outside now relaxing which is really cool.

Setbacks

Today started with our tow vehicle's (Suzuki Sidekick Sport) cigarette lighter malfunctioning. later, its "check engine" light came on. its one project after the next around here. we got to see the volcanic cave and some other volcanic stuff which was interesting tho. i havnet played poker for a week now...our internet is spotty. ive got a lot on my mind...

Starting out

im about one week in to my epic 1+ year rv trip around america. wifey quit her job as a full-time 6th grade teacher, we bought a 35 foot rv and a tow car, rented my house to her mom, and took off. the plan is to travel from seattle to key west and back over a year, seeing as much as we can (or just relaxing), and living off savings and my poker income. i have been playing online for several years, and have derived all my income from it since feb 2007 (wife has also worked). i hope to get feedback from fellow poker players, see if anyone else has done or is doing what we are, keep family/friends informed, and see where others would suggest to go.

we traveled to spokane, wa to visit grandparents, then to silverton, or to meet up with other rvr's including my parents. now we are in bend, or to visit the newberry national volcanic monument and heading next to crater lake. already had my first accident, since im such an rv noob. hit one of those cement protector bars in the second gas station we visited. tard-tastic.

i have a laptop and also desktop system with 2x 22" monitors, but i need to get an antenna for my aircard (currently go thru millenicom for cellular-internet service with the franklin cdu 680 device).

any advice/suggestions/feedback/shouts are appreciated. anyway, off to bed...wish us luck (more than just the tables, please!)