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Below are the most recent 25 friends' journal entries.
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| Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 |
cesarsalad
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12:53a |
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cesarsalad
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12:36a |
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| Monday, November 9th, 2009 |
drbing
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10:09p |
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cesarsalad
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7:49p |
More CO losing
Wow, I sure lost a lot of games at this tournament! Here's another one vs Mark Milan: http://www.cross-tables.com/annotated.php?u=5044#0See, I thought I'm playing all of these horribly and it turns out I lost like 25 equity points. That was about the number for most of the other losses I'm seeing. Maybe I did get a little unlucky. |
jigsawn
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7:31p |
sometimes it's better to be lucky than good
Very lucky weekend in many ways. Got to see a great performance of A Streetcar Named Desire starring Cate Blanchett on Saturday. Had to park in a spot of questionable legality, but didn't get a ticket. Sunday morning I drove up to Baltimore to pick up ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) kangarau and key_lime_guy en route to the Wilmington tourney. Signs told me there was a huge traffic snafu completely blocking up 95, but I was able to redirect my route to 295, get only slightly lost in Baltimore, and still arrive ten minutes early. It was great to see the Raus again, as we've not gotten to spend nearly enough time together even though we're all Maryland residents now. I just wish Terry could find ways to enjoy her time down here more. The tourney venue was very spacious, and I especially appreciated having a separate large table for each board. With a division of eight players who had all faced each other many times, everything went smoothly and quickly. To cut to the chase, I went 7-0, clinching first place before my game against Stefan in the last round. It's my first ever undefeated tourney, and I'm grateful for that regardless of how it came. That being said, I really didn't do anything particularly good to earn the result. I didn't have that many bingos, didn't play many fancy words, and didn't even score particularly high in any of my games. I never broke 500 and had two games that were in the 450's and 460's, which had more to do with how badly they went for my opponents than how well they went for me. Perhaps the most telling stat was this: none of my opponents broke 400. They were all pretty pedestrian wins, almost all of which I had pretty much in hand halfway through the game if not earlier. Whatever. You take 'em how you get 'em. Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled to finally score a perfect one-day tourney and to get my rating up near where I can qualify for the BAT Premier and Can-Am again. I just think that I've worked harder and played better in many 5-2 and 4-3 tourneys than I did in this one. The only game that was very competitive was this close and not particularly accurately played game against winterene. |
millcake16
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5:07p |
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quinquennia
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1:26p |
Priceless
I just saw this posted by a friend I used to work with, on Facebook. I can hardly believe our PM would watch a movie in a common theatre, but this friend wouldn't make this kind of stuff up. This is 100% awesome. Not as awesome as throwing shoes at Bush, but still I award him 1000 punk rock points, because Harper is a douche. :-)))  |
wisemonkey
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1:06p |
chiang mai cooking school
COURSE 2Morning activity: Making the curry paste Each person will be making their own Thai curry paste using a mortar and pestle, and then learn how to use the pastes to cook another range of Thai delicacies which they can enjoy for lunch. Panaeng Curry With Pork : Gaeng Panaeng Muu Chiang Mai Curry With Chicken : Gaeng Hanglay Gai Fried Fish With Chilli And Basil : Pla Nin Laad Prik Bai Horapa Sweet And Sour Vegetables : Phad Prio Wan Phak ~~~LUNCH~~~ Afternoon Dishes: Spicy Glass Noodle Salad: Yam Wun Sen Black Sticky Rice Pudding : Khao Neow Dam Piak ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COURSE 3 Morning activity: Tour of the local market The group will be taken to visit the local market and they will be taught on how to identify the various vegetables, fruits and numerous other amazing items for sale at the market. Chicken In Coconut Milk Soup : Tom Kha Gai Red Curry With Fish : Gaeng Phed Plaa Fried Mixed Mushrooms With Baby Corn : Phad Hed Ruam Khao Pod Orn Fried, Big Noodles With Thick Sauce : Raad Nah Muu ~~~ LUNCH ~~~ Afternoon Dishes: Papaya Salad And Sticky Rice : Som Tam Steamed Banana Cake : Khanom Kluay |
ididjonassalk
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9:05a |
Blargh.
Second straight WLWLLL day, only this was less of a "fun learning experience" and more of a "less-fun frustrating day of Scrabble" (over the board, anyway). 1300-ish perf rating (it's almost like I was overrated coming in) ... barely held on to the title of "Jason No. 2"; now only five rating points ahead of synodalhaj. More below: ( Losses, in a three-sentence nutshell )( Bingo list (if you care) )( Other Worlds notes (probably mostly only of interest to WSC participants) )I don't feel like I played 4-8 bad this weekend, but there is (as always) a lot to work on, a lot to clean up. Many, many thanks to pbzeigler for selflessly organizing this. It didn't have the attendance either of us would've liked. (As one Ohio player said: "The thought of playing Collins makes me break out in hives" ... combine that with the idea of it supporting my WSC trip and that's a little like getting p*ssed on while drowning.) Since stmonday and I didn't cash either day, I think we lost money at our own fundraiser, even with the free entry Saturday. But still, I wouldn't trade the weekend for anything. A great experience that will definitely help me in Malaysia. Many, many thanks to Pete for making it happen; and I hope to repay the favor with my raffle at February Fury (only four guaranteed tourney spots available!), all proceeds going toward his medical bills. Trust me, you'll hear more on that later. Jason |
quinquennia
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10:30a |
Nines
No I haven't been studying nines (yet), but I just checked to see if I missed anything in MEDIA-STAR (through AR). Nothing there that fit. DRAMATISED is the nine. Cool. |
drbing
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12:19a |
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| Sunday, November 8th, 2009 |
verbophage
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10:23p |
This post delayed by the move of a broken TV
Found at Venice at Bagley: A labyrinth of oddities... A salute to what passed for science in the early 20th century... A hall of microscopic art works made of butterfly wing scales... A proposed explanation of why we seem to remember things before they happen... all this and more... It's The Museum of Jurassic Technology.I didn't know the dinosaurs had technology. Whatever, it is awesome in the way shopping at Archie McPhee is awesome. Current Mood:  hoping my fingers are okCurrent Music: the fans of five computers |
cesarsalad
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10:10p |
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redessence
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4:18p |
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anendlessnight
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6:53p |
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wisemonkey
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4:55p |
trip
we finally got it together enough to make plans. we leave a week from thursday (!). nov 19: boston-->chicago-->hong kong-->singapore we land late friday and check in at the scarlet hotel in chinatown. we've got four days in singapore to get used to the time and eat street cart food. i bought the makansutra 2009, which is a sort of zagat guide to the city's thousands of food carts. i'm bookmarking where to find the best chilli crab, chicken rice, char kway teow and nasi lemak! nov 25: singapore--> johor bahru we're staying at the zon and taking the meal plan, so our time in malaysia will be pretty much occupied with the tournament and meeting everyone there. i figured i'd go off sightseeing or something while they play scrabble, but there doesn't seem to be so much to see in/around johor bahru, so i think i'll end up helping with the tournament. nov 30: johor bahru-->koala lumpur-->bangkok-->chiangmai after the tournament, it's on to northern thailand by way of a bunch of one-hour flights. thanks to tolarjev we connected to mameow, a scrabble player in chiangmai who signs all her messages with kitty ears. she recommended an awesome-looking bed and breakfast and a cooking school where we'll be taking two daylong classes!!! dec 3: chiangmai-->bangkok we've got two nights at the lamphu tree house. no plans here, basically exploring and eating. dec 5: bangkok-->tokyo--> chicago-->boston wish we had more time in thailand, but we hope to go back someday. i really want to run into wild monkeys at some point, but not sure where it would be most likely. we got immunizations and don't need any visas, so before then i figure we need to read up a bit more on culture, history and language, and figure out what to pack for two weeks in asia. all advice appreciated. |
j_is_worth8
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2:05p |
Camping in the Woods
I moved into the new place yesterday.
I have a small folding table, two camp chairs, one small non-stick skillet, a medium sauce pan with a lid, a small kettle, paper plates, same utensils, a queen size air bed, a sleeping bag and a down comforter, my pillows, clothes, bathroom neccessities, cleaning supplies and a vacuum cleaner. That was all I could fit in my car last week when I drove over to start the job.
It looks pretty sparse in the 980 square feet available in 14' x 70' mobile home.
No internet service yet so I'm parked on the street in Newport next to Owen's Grocery, Deli and Soda Fountain. They aren't open today but their free network is functioning. The bag girl at the Safeway clued me into the little wi-fi hot spot here. Apparently I should be able to get wireless service in Diamond Lake from the new antenna tower.
Next weekend is the big moving weekend. I'll be driving back across the state and my brother and sister are going to help me load and transport the furniture and stuff. I'll be driving back with the cats in my car.
I attended services at the local Lutheran church this morning. I think it is going to be a good church for me. The folks were really friendly and took time to greet me and introduce me around.
The adventure continues.
Current Mood:  optimistic |
millcake16
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9:05a |
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| Saturday, November 7th, 2009 |
drbing
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11:13p |
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xpmorgan
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8:44p |
simple fare
Chef Jackass kept it simple tonight. well, simple for me anyway – epic beef soaked in key lime and grilled medium rare, sautéed brown mushrooms, salad of red onion and tenacious tomatoes. i mean, seriously, its november and the tomato plants are still churning out the fruits. best tomato plant ever. i need a little spice here to get the endorphins running, to try and get this headcold out of the system, so i went for an old favorite sauce of mine to give the food some zing. North Carolina style BBQ saucethis is table sauce meant to accompany any sort of slow-cooked or grilled meats, veggies, or what have you. you'd find it served in a squeezie bottle in a good BBQ joint, and you can slop it all over everything. 3/4 C white vinegar 3/4 C red vinegar 1 T brown sugar 1 T chile (i used chile powder, but cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes also work) 1-2 T Tabasco or other red hot sauce combine all of that, let it sit at least 4 hrs. in the fridge. (i left mine over night). then bring it to room temp and stir it up once more just before serving. i poured that all over my dinner tonight. it makes my mouth happy. coming soon to the program – how Chef Jackass fights vegetable abuse. stay tuned. Current Mood:  pleased |
verbophage
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8:12p |
Stuff I've been doing in Calif. since the open
2-Mon: Down to Santa Cruz, out on the wharf, up to see the surf at Davenport. Much wilder bit of coastline than the Olympic Peninsula for the same weather conditions... 3-Tue: Ed takes us to a movie while the beets cook (setting up for Mom's borscht, which rules*, even though it's out of the Microwave Gourmet and she doesn't use the 'wave)... the movie is Paranormal Activity... which I can only recommend to those that thought Blair Witch Project to be great stuff. *At least according to all the borscht aficionados who have experienced it. 4-Wed: Travel day. Bus SJC-Stockton, train SCK-BFL, bus BFL-LAX... gets to LA a couple of hours before the Coast Starlight. Funny. Dinner at Greek restaurant on 2nd St Long Beach, now with uncle on Mom's side. 5-Thu: Join Steve on beach walk, then up to the Queen Mary tour. The Ghosts and Legends thing is a bit cheesy, but worth it (they hired that guy for the voice). Mom loves Art Deco. Play a few games of Quiddler in evening. 6-Fri: Another museum- the Norton Simon in Pasadena. Smog not as bad as Beijing but they still have work to do. Really need two days for it... your eyes can only take so much neat stuff. Mexican for dinner, cousin Catherine joins us. Discover one thing about Quiddler... you can't afford to eat a card. 7- Sat/ today: Transfer day to uncle on Dad's side, cousin Leilah joins in from Palm Springs, all to Canter's Deli on Fairfax. They got stuff you like. And probably too big a portion. I should have gotten the "Mishmosh" soup (matzo ball, noodles, kreplach) and the sweet potato fries, but opt for the BBQ chicken sandwich (I'm still smelling the sauce on my hands)... On the other hand: egg cream. What might elsewhere be called a "chocolate soda." Continue to the Folk Art museum close by, neat craft market alongside. That about catches up to the moment. Current Mood:  no dinner but no problemCurrent Music: this G4 clicks weirdly |
ididjonassalk
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8:36p |
Akron Collins tourney results
Five of us here: Hoekstra and I, stmonday, aruspex and director pbzeigler. Brian and I got free entries, the latter two got a list of twos to consult (and each purchased the list of threes for $5). So, since entry was $40, that put $130 in the prize pool. Was a round-robin group of six, including Mr. Bye, then Pete selflessly forfeited the last two so none of the rest of us would sit out the KOTH rounds. So, results not counting byes: Hoekstra: 5-1 ($90) McKenzie: 3-3 ($40) Bowman: 3-3, worse spread Idalski: 2-4 Zeigler: 1-3 So much for that whole fundraising for the U.S. team thing... :) Lot of fun, great learning experience. Octothorp-free clubby tomorrow. Jason |
quinquennia
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7:17p |
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millcake16
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9:02a |
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| Friday, November 6th, 2009 |
drbing
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11:19p |
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annoyed