Job update

I decided that I it won't work out with L3.  While i like the benefits, it comes down to the pay being too little.  Sorry to be such a prima donna, but I gotta eat!

I got word today that they want to keep me on here at CACI.  It's a weird contact that I need to stay here another 450 hours before I can move on to the full-time CACI contract.  I'm not resting on my laurels, I have an interview on Tuesday that I am looking forward to.

Job hunting...again...

I haven't lost this job yet, but it ends Friday.  My manager submitted my resume for another position within CACI but there seems to be a lot up in the air.  My manager said it was all set, but until I have an offer letter, I don't trust anything. 

  So I am keeping my options open.  I had an interview with L3 corp and the job is located near the New Carrolton Metro station.  I think I won the interview, but....(there is always a but) let me do a pros can cons

Pro - It's a job.       Con - The pay is a bit of a cut.
Pro - The travel to New Carollton isn't too bad.    
Con - I have to walk about 1/2 mile to the office from the train station and I didn't notice anywhere to eat lunch.
Pro - It gets me back into working with systems.    Con - They are old systems and Sun Solaris systems.

That's about it.  The woman I interviewed with seemed to love me.  Let me get the offer first and I'll weigh what happens after that.

Next Tuesday I have an interview with a company that really looks good.  They have GREAT benifits and the job is located at Ft. Meade.  But it always seems that whenever there is a job that I really WANT I don't get it and end up settleing for some half-assed organization that is doesn't know what they are doing and has a shitty work environment, but think you should be happy to have a job. 

I also have a few other feelers out there, but most people won't make a deceision in the near term as they try to find a way to make it on the cheap.

PPA rally in DC

Today at lunch time, I attended the rally at The Capital for the Poker Players Alliance.  This group's goal is to make online poker legal and regulated.  This rally was trying to do just that.  Below are a couple of pictures from the rally.

This is me and Greg Raymer, professional poker player.

This is Sen. Alfonse D’Amato and Greg Raymer

Not so lucky tonight...

I played poker in the weekly game at Ft. Meade and finished in 8th place.

What sucked is that I came to the final table as the chip leader, I was down to 3 big blinds and worked my way back up to the chip lead.  But at the final table I had a lot of second best hands, I even had pocket Ace's cracked.  It was a rough way to go out, but I have the points to play in the Championship game (top 24 people in the past 10 weeks). 
Tomorrow at lunch time I am going to Capital Hill for the Poker Players Alliance 'Fly-In'.  This is a rally and press conference to try to have on-line poker legalized and regulated.  I will report what happens from there.

Recent media that I have ingested

Since it's been a while for posting my ramblings, I have continued to read, watch TV and movies.  So without further adu, let's start with books.

First up I recently finished They Call Me Baba Booey by Gary Dell'Abate.  Baba Booey is the nickname that the author was given on the Howard Stern show over 20 years ago.  The book is an autobiography.  As with most people, there are triumphs and tragedies, people who anchor you, and people who drive you crazy.  This book is no different.  While a lot of people know Gary from the Stern show, his personal life is a lot different (as most people in the media usually are) and this is no different.  It's interesting how his family his relationship with his crazy Mother helped to actually strengthen his personality on when dealing with the public.  Overall the book is good, not great.  I would give it 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Next up on the hit parade, The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values by Sam Harris.  In this explosive new book, Sam Harris tears down the wall between scientific facts and human values, arguing that most people are simply mistaken about the relationship between morality and the rest of human knowledge. Harris urges us to think about morality in terms of human and animal well-being, viewing the experiences of conscious creatures as peaks and valleys on a "moral landscape". Because there are definite facts to be known about where we fall on this landscape, Harris foresees a time when science will no longer limit itself to merely describing what people do in the name of "morality"; in principle, science should be able to tell us what we ought to do to live the best lives possible. 

It was difficult to listen to at times as Harris described the atrocities that religion forces on various societies.  But he has to point of the atrocities to make his case of how terrible organized religion treats everyday people.  I agree with the premise of the book, and after reading this book, it only reaffirmed what I had felt before.  I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

A break from the books.  I saw Thor a last week, and I was impressed!  I was never a comicbook kid.  The only way I knew of the various superheros was from Saturday morning cartoons.  So when these vaious comicbook movies come out, I like the background story that a lot of them provide.  What I don't like is when they are a 'hit' and then go back and make  pre-quil.  Start at the begining and take it from there.  I think Marvel is kind of doing that with these movies that are leading up to The Avengers movie in 2012, essentially building a grand story from all of these individuals.
Anyway, the story is really good and I give it 4 our of 5 stars.



I'll add updates as I read and watch more.

Mid-Atlantic Ambassador to Ante Up Magazine...

It's official, I am now the Mid-Atlantic Ambassador for Ante Up Magazine! This gives me an excuse to visit poker rooms in the region and write about my observations.

Most of the time I will visit the local charity games and the rooms in Delaware.  I'll visit with the poker room managers and write a monthly column for the magazine.  While it doesn't pay anything, I hope it will give me a higher profile in the poker community.

13 years of eBay...

Wow! Time flies.  I know I was one of the first people I know to get on ebay, but 13 years is a long time.  I wish I could remember why I originally logged in.  For that matter, what was the first item that I won.  Here's to another 13 years with ya ebay!  It's been an interesting road together!

Lucky Day...

This past Monday, was my lucky day.
I was coming through the DC Metro.  I was at L'Efant Plaza metro station going to my next train, when I look down and see some money on the ground.  I reached down and grabed it and went on to my next train.  On the train I counted it, $84!  I thought it was just a couple of dollars.

Later that night, I played poker in my weekly game at Ft. Meade and won!  This time $100!  Not bad for a day.

Update...It's been almost a yeat!

So it's been a while since I've posted anything here.  Most of my posts have been on Facebook, but I shouldn't abandon my good ole Blog.  I'll give you the highlights since my last post, which was around the time of Mickey's birth.

Things sure are a lot busier with two kids.  It's not just twice the work, it's expodential or more.  But we are surviving... Teri was out of work from July 22 until right after Columbus day. 

I was working on a contract for a company called IAI until the first week in August, 2010.  That was the end of the contract.  I wouldn't have taken this contract if I knew it was so short.  That happens, I joined a company at the end of August called SMS Data Products I thought I was going to be at this company for the long term.  But the contract was cut and we all lost our jobs.  This was really bad.  Something good did come out of it, I meet a great friend Toni.  I hope we are friends for a long time.

 Presently I am working a contract for a small company by the name of Alta IT Solutions.  I think the contract is going to end in a couple of weeks, so I have a lot of feelers out to find something else.  I really would like to find a job where I could stay a LONG time.

With the two kids, I have cut back on the concert goings.  But also, not many bands have come around that I am interested in seeing.  I did see Tom Petty last August and Rush in September.  Some pictures are below.

I thought I had pictures of Rush, but I guess I misplaced them.  Both shows were very good. 

We didn't have alot of snow over the winter, which I'm not complaining about.  This spring was pretty typical and I am working on the latest planting of the garden. 

It's nice to have help with the endeavor.

Other then that, I continue to play poker, exclusively at casinos since Full Tilt poker was shut down.  But I do hope to have more involvement with Ante Up magazine as I now thier Delaware/Maryland Ambassador.  It probably means more work for me, but it's something to do.  I'll be publishing 500 words each month in the magazine.

Now that we are up to date, I'll try to post regularly.