Summer Nights

I can't believe it's been nearly a month since my last post....Where does the time go?  I've been busy, true....but it just seems like I don't do a lot that's really blog-worthy.  It seems easier to just do a once a month update, unless something comes up that makes for a good topic. 

The fact that I haven't played any poker in the last month probably doesn't help.  It's not by design....Losing my home game, not being interested in the new home game, and trying to do more outdoors during the nicer months all play a part.  One of the main appeals of my former home game was the host.  He was a great guy.  He was nice, fair, and a solid poker player himself.  He didn't necessarily operate by the poker rules of a casino poker room, but his variations weren't far off from theirs.  He wasn't afraid to tell someone to leave, and he never let someone take advantage of him.  He was willing to lend help if needed, but if you took advantage of that help once he wouldn't do it again.  He'd lend money, clothing, or just advice, as he was older and had a lot of knowledge.  You always knew where you stood with him.  He was more than a poker game host...he was a friend.  We had a few people who had tragedies strike in their lives, from house fires to health issues, and he was the first to help organize benefits for them.  My only option for home games that are similar to these is someone who lives farther away (the previous one was less than 10 minutes from my house).  It would be most of the same people, with a few new ones mixed in.  However, there was one guy who I really don't want to be around.  He was kicked out of the previous home game permanently.  He's the type who's an "expert" at poker.  Everything he does is right, and if you beat him, it was because you got lucky.  If you played a non-premium hand against him and won, he'd whine and moan most of the night.  However, when the situation was reversed and he had the sub-premium hand, "that's poker man".  He picked on people smaller than him, even making threats against me on occasion.  I don't believe any were serious, but when someone threatens to jump me after a poker game because of the style of my game, it's no longer fun.  I don't know him well enough to know if he was serious or not.  I could find another game, but the only other ones I know of are much higher stakes than I'm comfortable with outside of a casino setting.  I've also been a little too busy to head to the local casino lately.  I've done a lot of fishing, been shooting with friends, and even had a yard sale one weekend.  It's always something, although that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  I do have a weekend trip to Las Vegas coming up in August, so I know I'll get some poker in then.

For the 4th of July holiday,  I had been planning on going to the big celebration in town.  A few days before the 4th, my mom asked if we wanted to come out to her house and shoot off some fireworks of our own.  Growing up in the country, where she lives, we had often made trips to Missouri or Indiana to get fireworks that are illegal in Illinois.  I had wanted to do that, but didn't want to ask and impose.  We ended up having a small gathering of friends for a cookout and some fireworks.  Of course, having decided to do this at the last minute, I had no fireworks.  So on Friday, July 3rd, I made the 2 hour plus trip to Indiana to buy fireworks.  It was like shopping on Black Friday!  In other words, it was a madhouse.  In order to get a shopping cart, I had to follow someone to their car and wait for them to unload it.  It was so crowded that it was hard to get around someone to get to something I was looking for without waiting.  I spent nearly 2 hours there, finding what I wanted, checking out, and then going back in to use the store credit I received from my purchase.  I made it back home without seeing a single cop, even though I had seen 7 on the way over, and they were supposedly increasing their patrols for the holiday weekend.  We cooked burgers, brats, and hot dogs on the grill, everyone brought their own drinks and a side to share, and we had a great time!  My buddies and I waited until it got dark, and put on a decent show for the ladies and children.  Some of my mom's neighbors were also setting off fireworks, helping to alleviate worries of calls to the police from neighbors who may not have appreciated our little home fireworks show.  It doesn't happen often, but there are some older, grumpy people who live near my mom.  It was a great night, no one got hurt, and we all had a good time!

This past Friday, my wife, myself, and another couple headed north to Chicago to spend the day Saturday at Six Flags Great America.  We drove up Friday night and spent the night at a hotel across the street.  We got up Saturday morning, ate breakfast, and got to the park as it opened at 10:30am.  I knew from my studies that the new rollercoaster, Goliath, was the primary ride to experience.  We started out with Batman, then decided to head to Roaring Rapids, and the Loggers Run.  With the last 2 being water rides, designed to get you wet, we were pretty well drenched.  We then decided to head to the waterpark there, named Hurricane Harbor.  We went down a few waterslides, spent time in the wave pool, and relaxed in the Lazy River.  We started feeling some rain drops around 4pm, and decided to change back into normal clothes for the rest of the day.  We checked on Goliath, but there was a 2 hour wait, and we decided to head over and ride the Demon.  After the thrill of that rollercoaster, we headed back to Goliath, which was down to a 75 minute wait.  Knowing this was our last chance, we stood in line.  After waiting 20 minutes in a rather slow moving line, they made an announcement that there was a problem and they weren't sure how long it would take to fix.  We decided to wait 15 minutes and then move on to another ride if necessary.  The fix was quick, and we were soon moving again.  It appeared as though the brakes when the cars came back into the station were stuck.  We made it up to the front of the line with only about an hour wait total, and boarded Goliath.  It was an intense, nearly vertical climb, and then the drop seemed to be straight down, almost behind the peak!  The ride was quick, and it moved very fast.  It felt as though I was out of my seat and only saved by my lap belt and lap bar.  It was definitely worth the wait!  All in all we had a great time!