Off to Phoenix Again

Well, we're headed off to Phoenix. Hopefully Nakamura will sign me off and I'll never have to go back to her again (not because I don't like her, despite the problem with pain, I actually do, but because if I never have to go back to her again, that means I never have problems with cancer in my chest or armpits again).

After bidding adieu to Nakamura, we will probably grab some grub, then jump back on 101 and head towards Ft. McDowell. I am still feening to play in their 15/30 mixed game. Since I've abandoned all pretense of "loving" Hold'em, and have sworn off on playing it when my mind is not in the right place, I'm all over the mixed games.

If everything goes as planned, we'll probably end up there most of the afternoon and evening. When we run out of steam, we'll jump back on 101 and head south to check into our free hotel room (get cancer, have to travel for treatment? The American Cancer Society pays for your hotel). Hopefully the pool and jacuzzi stay open late so that we can soak to our heart's content.

On Friday morning we'll probably sleep in late, then head to the cancer center so that I can see Partyka, the oncologist. After some testing and having her look through my chart, she will decide if I should start chemo right then, wait a few days, or if I can put it off for 4-8 weeks, which is what I'm hoping.

If I have to start chemo on Friday, I will likely stay in Phoenix for a few days to recover and make sure I don't suffer any wacko side effects (one woman said she lost her sight for a while, due to such low labs).

If I don't start chemo on Friday, we'll likely head back up to Ft. McDowell to play some more poker. We have the hotel room Friday night, too, so we'll get in some real poker time.

I'll only go over to Casino Arizona if the games are atrocious at FM. I'm no fan of CAZ, but I have to admit they have the biggest cardroom in Arizona, with the widest selection of games.

Assuming all goes well, we'll be back in northern Arizona sometime on Saturday.

We have the "new" laptop, so I should be in touch. It even came with the wireless software and card, so I can take advantage of the free highspeed wireless connection at the hotel. Wooohooo, I think I might have entered the 21st century after all!
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I hope you all know that I like Pauly dearly and am just taking digs at him. We have met several times and he is a good friend. I love it when people play practical jokes on me. Although his refusal to rate me as a woman wasn't really a practical joke, I felt that a real practical joke in return was just payment for his PC-ness. I would love nothing better than if he pulled a real practical joke on me, and it really succeeded.

One of the best practical jokes I've ever had played on me was this:

Glenn and I decided that it was finally warm enough to take the convertible out for a long drive one spring. We were driving through the countryside and beautiful scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains in West Virginia.

I either got something in my eye, or needed to adjust my cap or something, so I pulled down the sun visor and opened the mirror.

As I was doing whatever it was, Glenn rounded a tight, country corner. There were tons of mud puddles and goop all around from a recent spring shower. Glenn splashed right into one, and all of the mud and stuff flew up into my face and hair while I was looking in the mirror.

I started laughing hilariously and telling Glenn that was a "good one," and that he "got me good."

To this day he denies it was on purpose, but it was still the best practical joke that anyone has ever played on me.

I think maybe unintentional practical jokes are the best. Like the time Ted Forrest told me I'd be the 3rd best Razz player at his table...and he was playing head's up! LOL!

Help me get Pauly!!!

Felicia :)

All Hold'em, All the time...?

On Sunday night there is a $40 buy-in NLHE tourney. There is only one optional rebuy/add-on, to be used within the first hour. If you bust out again, too bad, so sad, you are out. So it's usually an $85 investment ($40+40+5 optional dealer's add-on).

I started out playing very well. That is usually when I get into trouble. I had increased my starting 3000 chips to about 4000 or so, when I decided to get fancy. We had a guy at our table who was playing almost any hand, and raising with any ace, any pair. The rest of the hands he limped. So when he raised up front with A3o, I decided I would trap him with a bad ace, with my AKs. The flop came A3x. I figured I had him, and put him all-in. Yeah, he had a bad kicker, alright, a bad kicker that gave him two pair, lol. The board never paired, nor did I catch my king, so I was crippled down to about 1000 in chips. I did the rebuy.

Glenn felt bad about the hand, because he dealt it to me, but I just laughed and chided myself for trying to get fancy. Had I reraised him, I'd have been HU with a woman who had 66, and the trey wouldn't have mattered. Live and learn.

Not long after that, I misplayed another hand, and then didn't play again until we were down to three tables and I was a short stack with only four BB's left.

Suddenly it hit me again, as it has several times in the past. I simply don't care for Hold'em. I don't like it enough to be concerned about the outcome. I don't care if I play the hand or not, if I win the hand or not, if I outplay my opponent or not, if I get outdrawn by a one-outer or a twenty-two outer, if I make the final table, if I bubble, if I win. I just don't care. It's become like video poker, I just sit there like a zombie not caring about the game or my investment.

This is when you know you're in trouble.

So once again, I'm going to stop playing HE. I'm just wasting my time and money. I'll stick to other poker games and tourneys when they come up.

After the tourney, a Stud game got going, and I sat in that for about an hour. Didn't make a penny, but had a good time. I don't care for 1-5, but I was just relaxing, so it didn't matter. All of the dealers were scared to deal, most of them have never dealt anything except HE. Glenn was my first dealer, and I got to laugh at him making little mistakes. For whatever reason, I thought he'd be okay, because we played so much Stud in AC. But it wasn't to be, because he has gotten used to HE, HE, all the time, every time. It's a curse.

My brain started cooking again playing Stud. My adrenaline kicked in, my power over the table came back to me. What have I been thinking, playing a game I don't even care for? And why do I have to ask myself this question all of the time, and keep coming back to it? The only thing I can say is that I'm off balance. I should be put away in the nut house.

I know, you guys knew it all along!

Felicia :)

No Mo' Cancer

Just found out that the brain and bone cancer tests came back all clear.

Not that I expected anything to come up, but good news is always fantastic!

Felicia :)