Vegas with the Guys

We arrived in Vegas around 9:30 am local time. We had to wait for one rookie that checked a bag. He immediately redeemed himself by picking up the taxi. There would be 13 of us in town this weekend. One had fallen by the wayside because of a combination of moving from St. Louis to Denver, a business trip back to St. Louis and a severe case of vagitis.

Our first stop was the lobby of the MGM. Up until this point I had only stayed at the IP, the Excal, The Aladdin (during construction to transform to PH) and the LV Hilton. The MGM kicks them all in the junk. After dropping our bags we hooked up with the brothers W and headed to Fat Burger. Nothing says welcome to Las Vegas had a great day like a 10:30 Fat Burger and Strawberry shake.

Next stop was Caesar's Palace where after some up and down play I ended up dropping a buy in at the 1/3 NL game. We left and headed to La Salsa of AlCantHang party fame. Food was meh and soon we were off again. It was back to the room to call for our bags. The guest of honor passed out and I joined the Brothers for Pai Gow at the Excal. I dropped a BF rather quickly and headed home, stuck $600 for the day. My single largest one day loss in LV.

Friday morning we were up pretty early as the rest of the crew started touching down around 9:30. We hit the poker room for a while. I started to get healthy when I cracked KK and QQ with 82. UTG raised to 15 which screamed "I have a large pocket pair" I was in the big blind and thought to myself that if there are at least 3 callers I will come along for the ride as well. 3 callers and $75 in the pot I flop 2 pair. I make it $80 to go and 3 of us get it in. WTF? I have top and bottom pair and know I can't be behind everyone.

KK, QQ and a set of deuces. The 222 guy only has $25 left. So I wind up with a double instead of going broke. We leave and go eat sushi at the Grand Wok. Marty and I cash our comps so we contribute $100 to the meal. After lunch its back to the table. I go play 2/4 with some of the boys and to get my drink on. Table is really quite loose.

I cap pre-flop with 85spades and river the flush for a $130 pot. At 2/4. I cash out up around $100. I am only stuck $300 now. At 8:30 we catch a stretch hummer to the Hofbrahaus. We see Mr. T and get our drink on. We then take a walk around the block to check out Double Down Saloon. You know that scene in Animal House, the "mind if we dance with your dates?" scene? That was us only the bar was full of tattooed and pierced white guys and goth chicks. Funny thing about brawling with a dude that has a bunch of shit in his face like that. He falls to the ground when you rip it out.

Anyway we watch a really awful band to start the night. Thankfully we only had to endure the last of their set. I can't describe the awesomeness that was this band. They
were a Goth band with rock after notes. But they had no drummer. The bas player wore a Huey Lewis and the News tie. The Lead singers biceps were bigger than his calves. and he wore spandex AND THEY HAD a PRE_RECORDED drum track. ick. I guess maybe they're just not my thing.

The second band was Skorchamenza. A classice power trio that played hard and fast. Much better imo. Of course old ladys stepping on cats might have been better than the goth train wreck. I was soon beckoned off my couch to rejoin the boys and trek back to the parking lot where some guys left.

Those of us carrying on boarded a different stretch Hummer which went on to the next club were we entered the back door VIP entrance a la goodfellas. How do I know it was ala goodfella's? Because when we emerged into the main area everyone stopped and talked about how that it was just ike goodfella's. I was able to score a $15 beer while there.

We left that place and headed to the Excal. I bought into the 1/3 $200 max NL game and doubled up in the first five hands. EVEN!!!!

Saturday was poker at the MGM, nap, more poker, Dinner at Luxor Steakhouse, Slot tournament, 2nd place in a SNG just for us ( I AM UP!!) Pai Gow (lost a bit), prego paigow hookers and then dropping a buyin and a half at 1/3 at the Excal (Otis is a donkey).

Someone puked 6 times on Sunday and it wasn't me.

Disco Inferno

I was hired as an independent contractor by [the company] in July of 2003. My project was to end in September 2003. My boss at the time requested that I remain with [the company] as an independent contractor until January 2004 at which time he would bring me on as a full time employee. A full time offer never materialized in that time frame. I worked non-stop for [the company] from July 2003 until July 2004 and then separated for a little over a month, returning to [the company] as an independent contractor in August 2004, a position I held until March 1^st of this year.

During the period of August 2004 until March of 2007 I was given the title of Product Manager. I was told by my boss and my boss's boss to introduce myself as such at the semi annual sales meetings and to outside vendors. Very few people, inside or out, realized that I was not a FTE. I had business cards and was referred to as Product Manager in internal and external communications. I was told to update my profile on [the internal website].

I felt at the time and still do believe that [the company] took advantage of this situation. [the company] received the benefits of having a Full Time Equivalent that they controlled 100 percent while they didn’t need to pay for benefits, payroll taxes and such. I was not independent in my work actions and could not conceivably be considered a consultant. I was an intricate part of the daily business of the company. I was making business decisions that impacted the daily operations of the company. My work was wholly directed by my superiors. I was not performing project based work.

There are actions that a company can take to avoid having temporary agency workers or independent contractors potentially reclassified by a court or agency down the road: Don't give them business cards, list them in the company directory, provide company badges or identification, or include temporary workers in company sponsored social events. I had company business cards, was listed in the company directory, had an ID badge with my photo on it and attended all the company social events (Department Picnic, Company Picnic, Holiday Party as well as the sales meetings and all the social hoopla that goes with that). I even won door prizes at the 2005 Christmas party.

Suddenly I received a full time offer in February 2007. I believe that [the company] consistently and deliberately breaks known labor laws especially in dealing with independent contractors and consultants hired through agencies. I am led to this conclusion because of the reason I was given for the sudden rush to full time offers. There was a Department of Labor investigation at the beginning of 2007 looking at misclassification of exempt workers. I was told that the investigation made it paramount to correct my employment arrangement lest the DOL found out and came down.

When I switched to being an FTE little changed about my job. My role was the same as was my title. However I was forced to take a $30,000 a year pay cut. Additionally the amount of salary I was offered was well below the amount that I had been promised in September of 2003. I am not alone in this situation as it is almost identical to that of [a former employee], only his cut in pay was more substantial.

[the company] hires consultants on a perpetual basis to accomplish ongoing operations. I feel that [the company] is in very dangerous territory with regards to its use of consultants. Hiring consultants and independent contractors for years on end and then paying them directly or filtering the pay through a 3rd party. I suggest that [the company] review the case of Vizcaino v. Microsoft and the simultaneous Internal Revenue Service ruling that Microsoft owed millions of dollars in payroll taxes. The IRS determined that permatemp employees were common law employees of Microsoft and the staffing firm's role was simply that of payroll processor.

My reasons for leaving are many, but mainly it is that I was taken advantage of from August 2004 until Feb 2007 and then the salary I was offered fell short of what I had been promised 4 years earlier. When I tried to negotiate more money or retain my independent contractor status I was told that I could accept the offer or pack my bags, I guess I selected both options. I also learned a lesson: look out for number 1.

Giddy. Thats my mood.

I quit my job today. I couldn't do it yesterday because the boss was out and I refused to do it over the phone.

Thursday I pick Marty up at 7 am and head to the airport.

Giggity Giggity. Giggity Goo.

My wife noticed the mood elevation. The smile has been on my face since 4:30 Friday. I am eating less. I feel better. This job was really dragging on me.

I think I was shopping for make-up today. I don't really know what that means.

Its not what you know but whom you know.
-My Grandpa among others

I'll be giving notice at work on Monday. End of day Friday I received an offer.

I am debating on actually giving two weeks notice. My choices are two weeks or three days. You see I leave Thursday morning for Vegas. Taking a week off in between jobs would be nice.

It just goes against my moral make-up to screw them over that bad. But they have screwed me plenty over the past four years.

Dawn and Clay

]	<good43>	So the CLay Aiken broadway play closed the same day it opened.
	<JoeSpeake>	nice to be playing HE on all thre tables. helpful to my brain
[22:11]	<good43>	they sold 17 tickets
	<Drizztdj>	I got PLO on my 3rd table
	<good43>	All to Dawn Summers
	<Drizztdj>	ROFL
	<txApril>	lol
	<Pokerama>	And she took a loss on 16 of them.

************Update*******************
Here is a link in case you thought I was making this up.

Dear Al,

I am not a talented writer like Otis or Daddy. I cannot begin to spin a tale about my love of bacon that could begin to compete with their velvet keyboards. Your open ended contest almost seems to be rigged to send bacony goodness to one of your friends while manufacturing links back to your own site.

But I know that isn't the case because I know you to be a fair man with the highest of morals. The morals of a fellow drinker and gambler. And of course a fellow bacon connoisseur. A man that accepts things for the meaning behind the outward action. A man that can read between the lines. With that in mind I commit my desire for your bacon gift to cyber space so that I can be judged as an equal. Not that my writing abilities can develop a prose or a fiction that can begin to compete with Jose or what ever donkeyesque story Daddy will surely develop. Hell I bet Pokerchamp might even get in on the action of this one.

No I compete on even ground giving forth my love of bacon with a solemn promise that no one will love the bacon more than I will. No one with covet its rind like I. It will never be over cooked or left limp. It will be prepared graciously with the reverence that can only become that magical beast from which it was harvested.

You see my love affair with all things hog began when I was very young. My grandfather took it upon himself to build a hog cooker out of a 500 gallon oil drum. The cooker was mounted on a trailer and equipped with an electric rotisserie spit and two removable fire boxes that could be stoked with ease. I would help my grandfather prepare the hogs days before the blessed event. Brining for a period of time followed by a a nice spiced rub down and finally loading on the spit.

Cooking a hog like this is a labor of love. The process takes a week of preparation and 12-18 hours of actual cooking time. The time on the spit is spent constantly monitoring fire temperature, internal temperature and moisture levels. Opening the cooker entailed a choreographed dance that would make Deney Terrio proud. Check the fire, check the hog, baste and close - all in a matter of seconds.

I treat every pork preparation with that level of attention. Pork chops, pork steaks, pork roast, chicken fried pork, pork fried rice, my Easter ham, my ham sandwich for lunch and yes bacon. If this gift is bestowed upon me you and your readers can expect only the finest in monthly bacon reports, complete with photos and my own unabashed giddiness.

I am a fat kid and bacon makes me happy. Everyone likes to see a fat kid smile. Won't you make my dream come true?

-Chilly

On Parenting

Being a parent is the best job in the world.

If its not then you're doing it wrong.

Dear Daddy-

Some random chick from SFO started stalking me and a few of my friends on twitter. We'd like you to address the situation by joing twitter and haranguing her.

-Chilly

Quad disease

dqb9999
Originally uploaded by good43.

I have caught 3 sets of quads this week.

DQBJJJ

DQBJJJ
Originally uploaded by good43.

So I hit quads again tonight.

This time ran down by Ace high.

dqb AAAA

dqbAAAA
Originally uploaded by good43.

Flopping it is easy. Getting paid is hard.

I think I got 4 BB's out after the flop.

Twitter?

Really? How have we fallen so far that now I need to know the girth of your toe jam from moment to moment? I don't really care that you Twitter, but somehow its existence bothers me. Twitter, not toe jam.

I checked it out.

I don't like it. I want to disconnect more.

Is it narcissism, this Twitter?

If people want to know what you're doing hour by hour can't they call you? or ask you later? or get a fucking life of their own?

Does your mother read it?

Oh good god, now in the midst of trying it out so I can dish on it I have a follower. I won't link to her lest the pea of my opinion bruise her through her mattressessss.

And now I have updated it.

Giving royalty what it demands.

Addiction.

I hate the internet.

In my overflow of free time I have been working to develop a small website for my children's day care here is St. Louis Missouri. Developmental Child Care can be seen at www.developmentalchildcare.com. Not that I am trying to improve SE results by linking it here or anything like that....

The website is in its first iteration. I built it using Google Apps which is okay. It limits the design but it is push button meaning that about anyone that can word process can manage the site. Right now I am in need of a banner and additional content. Yes I know it looks very good for 2001. I am hopeful that the director has a digital copy of the logo that appears on their brochures so that I can incorporate that into the site and standardize the banner.

The cool thing about google apps is that everyone on staff will get a gmail account with the developmental child care domain and document sharing and stuff like that. The other cool thing like I said is that it is easy to maintain and when I turn the keys over I won't feel like I dropped them off on the moon.

Special thanks go to Heather for helping me with DNS issues. She has the patience of Budda, that probably why she stacks you all the time. Yes Daddy I am talking to you.

Hello there, its been a while.

I play online sporadically still. Last night I was two tabling PLO8 6 handed and NLH 9 handed. I can't wrap my brain around O or O8. I find Razz a lot easier. I think that its mostly my lack of comfort with starting hands. I can't pick a good one and I don't pump up pots on my jams draws. O8 has lot more swings and I am just not used to it.

Other things are going well. I tapped into my network and out sprung a job interview. I have what I hope to be a final interview next week. I also found some other things that look interesting but that I'll have to revise my resume for.

I hate knowing the grammar rules, looking and a sentence and purposely deciding not to revise it so that it doesn't make me cringe.