Fannie Mae Cause Problems in the Future

My buddy Chris stumbled across an interesting little tidbit from the New York Times, dated nine years ago today -- September 30, 1999. It's an article that was published regarding the relaxation of credit requirements for companies like Fannie Mae to purchase loans. And it very eerily foreshadows the state of affairs today:

In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980's.

''From the perspective of many people, including me, this is another thrift industry growing up around us,'' said Peter Wallison a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. ''If they fail, the government will have to step up and bail them out the way it stepped up and bailed out the thrift industry.'

The full article can be found here, and it's quite an interesting (and short) read.

Let's Go (Home,) Mets!

You're a Mets fan. For the second straight year, your underachieving team was eliminated from postseason contention on the final day of the season. At home. Against the Marlins. Again. Now, for the next six months, you'll watch as the media hammers down on your players and manager, interrogating the team chemistry, the leadership in the clubhouse, the starting rotation and bullpen, and how a team of talented players can blow a division lead in two straight years.

The collapse wasn't as bad for the Metropolitans this year as last though. Last year's fall was the stuff of storybooks and eulogies. This year, they were bitten by the injury bug. And everyone knew the bullpen was going to stink. Especially when closer Billy Wagner went down with the injury. Even manager Jerry Manuel said that the bullpen was a "roll of the dice" every time he went to it.

"We knew [the bullpen] wasn't quite something that was going to hit on all cylinders," Manuel said. "When you don't have people in established roles in this time [of the year], you're gambling."

In fact, it really is the relievers who need to take the blame for this early ending in New York. They have been miserable all year, somehow managing to be only the tenth-worst pen in the NL. Even in the last game, the fate of the team was put into the hands of Scott Schoenweis and Luis Ayala with the score tied at two apiece. Just for fun, the two men gave up back-to-back solo homers in the eighth inning to seal their fate. The first one was a gift to pinch hitter Wes Helms. Ouch.

After the game, third baseman David Wright spoke about the second straight season of disappointment. "It's always going to be grouped together. Last year, for lack of a better word, we collapsed. This year, I think we hit a little rut in the wrong time to hit a rut."

Being that it was the last game in historic Shea Stadium, the Mets had scheduled a ceremony after the game to honor 45 of their former players, some of whom had won championships for their city. The fans wanted none of it though, filing out the doors of Shea for the last time as soon as the final pitch was delivered. With the spectators bailing out so quickly, all that was left to greet those former Met greats was the booming echoes of GM Omar Minaya's voice as it reverberated through the now-vacant expanse of the stadium.

Carlos Beltran summed it up simply in the clubhouse after the game. "It is what it is, guys," he said. "I have no more words."

So, what do you do when you're at a boring baseball game watching your team choke away another playoff berth down the stretch run of a long season? Why, you turn your attention to the drunk fans, of course. I stumbled on this video of Mets fans keeping themselves entertained during another drubbing. Enjoy.

Marketing the November Nine

PokerNews' own Martin Harris wrote a good piece today about the status of the November Nine. The article can be found here, and it's worth a read if you've wondered about the marketing aspects of delaying the final table.

Appalachian is Cold, Cold, Cold

I'm back in business after a damn good weekend in Boone. Chugging back up the mountain towards my old home, there are still familiar sights and sounds that jog my memory and take me back to another time. Everything is so recognizable. The hazy blue horizon out over the Blue Ridge Parkway, the sound of my 4-cylinder engine struggling up the hill, the smell of the foliage in the breeze; it was really quite pleasant to be back in such a comfortable and familiar place. As I got farther and farther up the hill, the leaves started to get darker and darker green, until they finally started to give way to a tinge of brown by the time I reach the 3,333-foot mark, where Boone resides. It is most certainly fall up there, complete with the chill in the air and the smell of autumn all around.

And autumn means one thing to me: football. And my Appalachian State Mountaineers had a home game under the lights on Saturday, facing the holy might of Presbyterian University, -- backed by God, I'm assuming. Saturday morning, I shook myself from a deep sleep somewhere around 2:00pm, in time to catch some of the afternoon action on TV before tailgate time. We headed out to our spot in Greenwood a bit later on, grilled some burgers and some dogs, and imbibed copious amounts of beer and liquor. It was raining coldly off and on, even further proof that it is indeed football season in the mountains.

The contest was hard fought for the first half, but even God himself failed to help the visiting team overcome the stifling defense of the Mountaineers. We win 48-14. Bad news though: QB Armanti Edwards went down with a leg injury in the 3rd Quarter, and unfortunately, it appears to be somewhat serious. Best of luck to Edwards as he tries to recover in short order.

Backup QB DeAndre Presley diving towards the endzone

(Photo: www.goasu.com)

I'm back home now and back to the "grind" -- even though it's really no grind whatsoever. I'm supposed to meet Mareshah in Raleigh for dinner or something tonight. I haven't seen her since before the summer started, and that is simply unacceptable. I don't have much time for her though; I have a bunch of shit to get in order this week. Dentist appointment, new contacts, vaccinations: round two at the doctor's, boat loads of laundry, a little shopping, maybe a haircut, and everwhat else I can cram into the next six days. Then it's off on a jet plane again. More on that trip to follow.

Jason Shows No Mercier

Another story developing at the WSOPE as we speak centers around Jason Mercier. I met Jason for the first time in Uruguay when I was covering him in the LAPT event. He only lasted a couple hours in the tournament, but he and I hung around the same places for the better part of a week. I bumped into him again in Cannes, France just a couple weeks ago where he was playing in the Partouche Poker Tour main event. Once again, he lasted only a short time before being relegated to the rail.

So, Jason leaves Cannes and heads next door to Barcelona, Spain for the EPT event there a couple days later. He proceeds to cut a swath through the field, racking up a sixth place finish and pocketing a cool €227,000. I'm sure he was disappointed by the result, but making it through a field of 619 players to be among the final six is still impressive.

Move it forward just a week or so, and Mercier is up to his old tricks again. At this moment, they are on break in Event #3 of the WSOPE, which is a £5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha tournament. With 23 players remaining, Jason is the commanding chip leader, sitting on a stack of more than 425,000 chips. The next man closest to him is Shaun Deeb with about 260,000.

Jason was just moved to another table -- Shaun Deeb's table, in fact -- requiring him to rack up, carry, and then un-rack all 425,000 of those chips. "Now I gotta redo this whole thing," he complained with a sigh, as he started rebuilding his chip fortress.

"What a problem to have..." muttered his new neighbor, Deeb.

Jason Mericer rebuilding
(Photo: www.pokernews.com)

Kongen Med Oeksen!

With the World Series of Poker Europe about halfway through it's 2008 season, a number of compelling stories have already been written in London. One of the ones that grabbed my attention was the re-introduction of Jesper Hougaard to the poker world. I'll pick up at the beginning of the story.

My first run-in with this guy came over the summer, when I caught bits and pieces of the final table while he was winning his first bracelet, taking home the hardware in Event #36. I didn't cover the event though, and I therefore didn't get to see much of how he played. A few events later, I got the chance to meet him and nearly his entire country, I do believe. The tournament I was working was the $1,000 NLHE with rebuys, Event #44. Among those who made it to the final table were Rene Mouritsen and Albert Iversen, two Danish compatriots of Jesper Hougaard. Apparently, the Danes stick together. Beginning about midway through Day 2, a group of about 20 of their countrymen began filling up the rail, going deep into the night while the rest of the weary spectators trickled out of the Tropicana Room at their respective bed times. The Danish fans, including Jesper Hougaard, stayed till the end though, maintaining an enviable level of energy even into the wee hours of the morning. This is where I learned my first Danish phrase. Take a look at this hand I wrote up from the waning stages of that night:

Just before break, we witnessed a big pot at Table 61. We pick up the action on the flop in a heads-up battle between Rene Mouritsen and Curtis Kohlberg. The board shows . Mouritsen checks, and Kohlberg bets 40,000. Mouritsen flat calls.

The turn is the . Once more, Mouritsen checks. Kohlberg bets again, this time 100,000. Mouritsen again calls.

The river comes the , pairing the board. Mouritsen passes, and Kohlberg fires a third bullet, 200,000. Mouritsen calls.

Kohlberg:
Mouritsen:

As soon as he had tabled his hand, Mouritsen stood up and let out a yell. From the rail, his Danish counterparts broke out into a frenzy, screaming, "Kongen med oeksen!" or "King with the axe!" They tell us the king with the axe is their very favorite hand, and the loud Danish contingent was thrilled to see their buddy take down a big pot with it.

After dragging in that pot, Mouritsen crests the one-million milestone, sitting with 1,070,000. Kohlberg, meanwhile, is crippled down to just 80,000.

Rene Mouritsen and Albert Iversen

I got the spelling and the translation from the Danish cheerleaders, and they continued to give me little tidbits of information throughout the evening. We shared a number of cigarette breaks outside, and I got acquainted with them as the morning hours slowly ticked by. I wasn't actively prodding them for conversation or information, but they were very outgoing and friendly, and were more than happy to talk about their friends and the state of Danish poker in general. Really just a nice group of guys. And damn good poker players.

Play concluded a long time later, as Jamie Rosen bubbled out in 10th Place to set the final table for the following day. Much to my entertainment, the Danes were back in style on that Day 3. All of them showed up to the ESPN arena wearing king's crowns and sporting plastic battle axes in honor of their namesake poker hand. They were sitting in the bleachers just above where I was working, and they were LOUD. Spotting me at the desk, they piled into the seats nearby, close enough to converse with me as I pecked away at my keyboard. They insisted that I wear one of their crowns, and I obliged them for a little while as I tried to get some work done. They were very, very noisy, occasionally breaking into a complete frenzy of cheering and shouting. It was as loud as some sporting events I've been to, and it made for a very entertaining final table to cover.

Jesper Hougaard leads the Danish cheerleading squad
(Photos: www.pokernews.com)

Neither Iversen nor Mouritsen could take home the bracelet though, finishing back-to-back in third and second place, respectively. But they were part of a great showing by the Danes at the WSOP, and I enjoyed having the chance to interact with them for a few days.

Fast forward to this week in London, where Jesper Hougaard was back at a final table, playing for another World Series title. He would indeed manage to win Event #1, besting 410 players to earn his second gold bracelet. PokerNews' Gloria Balding did a nice interview with a very happy Hougaard just after the tournament:

Who's Getting Fired Today?

With the teams making their midweek decisions in the NFL, all was mostly quiet on the firing front. Maddeningly, the Lane Kiffin situation in Oakland continues to drag on. And on. The guy has been on thin ice for such a long time now. The wait-and-see approach with him has run its course though, and he needed a strong start this year to save his head. He will almost certainly be fired. Unfortunately, when you're in Oakland, the one thing that is certain is that nothing is certain -- at least as long as Al Davis is running things. The man operates as if a random number generator is making decisions for him. He's unsolvable. So, until Kiffin's number comes up, he is still safe from the time being.

Another man who can breathe easy for at least one more week is Rams' coach Scott Linehan. At 0-3, St. Louis is in panic mode, and they did pull the trigger on a number of roster moves, continuing to shuffle their depth chart around. Marc Bulger even got the axe; the team announced they'll put their hopes in the hands of 38-year-old QB Trent Green for their Week 4 bout with Buffalo. The decision comes after watching the offense just writhe in agonizing pain for three weeks. They scored just two touchdowns in that span and rank dead last in total productivity. This current state of affairs foreshadows a number of long-term problems for the Rams. You may remember they just put a good chunk of money into Bulger, signing him to a contract worth $65 million last year. Now that offense is in shambles, and the front office is running out of people to blame. Linehan is just 11-24 since taking the job, and he may not be around long enough to add too many more numbers to either side of that tally. He too is safe for now though.

The week won't pass without someone losing their job though, dammit! Thank god for Matt Millen. If there were one single person in the entire league who least deserves to have his job -- to be in a decision-making role for a major NFL franchise -- it would have to be Matt Millen. His firing was way overdue four years ago. And that was when they were getting close to having a winning record. They never got there though. The best they could muster under Millen's oversight was last year's unremarkable 7-9 run. That doesn't mean they're getting better as time goes on though. They too have yet to pick up a win this year, and have looked miserable on both sides of the ball. It really is about time that Millen was called to account for his team's long-stading suckiness. His record: 31-84. Yikes. Millen can't draft, he can't run a team, and he won't ever have another job in the NFL.

For now, the Lions' head coach Rod Marinelli has been allowed to keep his office though. I am glad that the owners fired the right guy in Millen, and I am anxious to see how long a leash they give Marinelli now. He might be the best coach in the NFL, and that's no exaggeration. At the least, he is unanimously reknowned for his football knowledge among coaches in the league. Even for a guy like him though, it may be a futile effort in Detroit.

You Want Mint For Pillow?

I've been doing some housekeeping lately -- both literally and figuratively -- getting things back into their proper places so that my ADD brain doesn't go on the fritz. I cleaned my bedroom, my desk, and my office/den/sports lounge thoroughly. I built a new PC and there is nothing better than a clean machine. I have been moving all the files, photos, and videos over from the old box and re-organizing them like a fiend. I just washed, waxed, and detailed my car from top to bottom. I've been going through old clothes and old CD's, and getting rid of the vast majority of both. I cleaned all my camera gear. I even washed behind my ears and scrubbed my elbows this morning.

This cleaning and organizing bonanza is sort of a microcosm of a sort of change I am trying to perpetuate in my entire being. I have difficulty focusing on my goals fully if I am immersed in a cluttered room, or in a cluttered lifestyle. Simplicity is key for the way I work, as is organization. Part of my ADD (or maybe it's OCD) ways, like I said. But anyways, I finally have a little stretch of time at home, and I am using it to get all un-cluttered from the summer, and to get re-acquainted with what's important and meanginful to me.

Right off the bat, I need to write more, and I have geared my organizing efforts to that end. Along with the new PC, I have simplified my desk area and tried to create an environment where ideas flow freely from my brain through my keyboard and out into the dark corners of cyberspace. I think I have succeded, as I am already seeing an increase in motivation -- and hence productivity.

Expect content for this blog to be much more regular in the coming months. I'm going to try and keep it full of lots of miscellaneous crap, basically. So if you're interested in poker, photography, football and sports in general, travel, food, news, humor, or any of my senseless drivel about life and the pursuit of happiness, you won't want to miss one captivating word that I have to say. For I am, of course, all knowing..

In addition, now that hockey season is nearly upon us, The Coldest Blog in Town is up and running once again. On that side, I'll be keeping myself and hundreds of billions of riveted, loyal readers informed on all the Carolina Hurricanes' team news, as well as providing recaps and analysis of all the games. With any luck, it will be packed with stories well into next summer as the 'Canes hope to fight off the injury bug and rise to postseason greatness once again. We've got a long way to go before we worry about that though.

Another of my big goals for the near future is to update my Zenfolio gallery. You can't even imagine how many photos I have to filter, process, and upload -- I would guess about 15,000 of them. There are some really meaningful ones from the summer though, and I want to have a place to display them. Zenfolio is an elegant web gallery, and I will be adding some of my shots to that space as time permits. Check back soon for a link when I open things up.

As always, these improvements are solely for my own enjoyment and satisfaction. These blogs are a writing excercise for me, a tool that I use to both empty my brain of that maligned clutter and to learn more about my writing style and how to convey my ideas best in text form. Similarly, my Zenfolio gallery will be a place where I can publish my work, and a place where I can critique myself and be critiqued by others. It is just a learning tool as I strive to attain a higher level of photographic aptitude. Along the way though, I do hope you are entertained or offended or made to laugh by my thoughts and pictures. And please, comments and criticism are always encouraged!

Farewell, Yankee Stadium

Last night, the New York Yankees bid a very fond farewell to their beloved home of the last 85 years, historic Yankee Stadium. Playing in their final home game under the lights of the 'house that Ruth built', the Yankees mustered a 7-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. The occasion was marked by a whole slew of ceremonies, both before and during the game.

The gates to Ruth's house were opened some seven hours before the first pitch, allowing the fans to come down for one last walk through monument park in the outfield. As game time drew nearer, the spectators found their seats and were thrilled by some of the great Yankee legends taking the field in their old positions, one-by-one. Bernie Williams jogged out to center field greeted by the familiar chorus: "Ber-nie, Ber-nie." Willie Randolph took up his spot at second base and rubbed some of the coarse infield dirt into his clean uniform with a big smile. Some of the late greats were memorialized by their children, as Randy Maris, Michael Munson, David Mantle, and others stood in for their fathers. And of course, there was Reggie Jackson. It was a moment of overwhelming emotion for players past and present.

“It’s remarkable,” said Phil Coke, a rookie pitcher with just three weeks of major-league experience. “Totally and completely blows my mind. I turn around and look over and see Goose Gossage walking around our clubhouse. Wow.”

Wow, indeed. Prior to game time, all of the former players mingled in the clubhouse, all in full uniform -- right down to Yogi Berra's recognizable stirrups. During the game, the bench was so full that some of the players sat on the roof of the dugout. Jorge Posada was seen standing on the field, taking pictures for his own keepsake, just another mesmerized fan of Yankee Stadium.

Even the quotable Yogi was struggling to find the right words in his pregame news conference. “It will always be in my heart, it will,” he said, fumbling. "I’m sorry to see it over, I tell you that.”

When game time finally did roll around, Andy Pettitte got the start for the home team, working more than five innings and picking up the win. When he was relieved of the mound in the sixth inning, the crowd rose in boisterous ovation, and they didn't let up until he re-emerged from the dugout for a brief curtain call. After the game, Pettitte reflected on the moment: “The way I feel emotionally right now... and just physically so drained... it feels like a huge postseason win for us. I kind of feel embarrassed saying that because, unless a miracle happens, we’re not going to the postseason. But it was special.”

Although this season is indeed a loss for the Pinstripes, there was still something to play for last night. They were facing the prospect of being officially eliminated from postseason contention on the same night they were retiring their house, and that could not happen in such a historic and memorable venue. The team was playing, then, for the ghosts of the Bambino and Mickey Mantle, for Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig, and all those who were responsible for creating and perpetuating the legend of Yankee Stadium.

In fitting fashion, it was Mariano Rivera who closed out the evening, storming through a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal the deal. After the last batter was put out at first base, the ball was returned to Rivera, who knows just what to do with it. “Mr. George, he gave me the opportunity, and he gave me the chance,” Rivera said, referencing long-time owner Mr. Steinbrenner. “The least I can do is give the ball to him.”

Derek Jeter was lifted from the game with one out left by manager Joe Girardi, allowing him to take one final curtain call of his own. After the game, as the players gathered on the mound, he addressed the crowd. “We are relying on you to take the memories from this stadium. Add them to the new memories to come at the new Yankee Stadium. And continue to pass them on from generation to generation,” he said.

The Yankees will open their new home at the beginning of next season on April 16, 2009. It remains to be seen whether the ghosts of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Murcer, Mantle, and all of the others will make the trip across the street to their new home as well.

We can only hope so.

Kiffin Might Be Job Hunting

The Oakland Raiders are holding their weekly press conference this afternoon, and one issue presumably on the docket is the status of their head-coaching position. Right now, that spot is occupied by Lane Kiffin, but that may be nullified by the end of the day today. The front office wanted to fire their coach last week, but his team pulled a win out of their -- well, they managed to win somehow, granting Kiffin a stay of execution for the time being. After some weeks of speculation and rumors though, it appears that Kiffin's tenure with the Raiders will indeed end this afternoon.

That could be potentially good news for us Syracuse fans. Kiffin getting another gig in the NFL would be like George W. Bush getting a shot at running another country. But, move things over to the college game, and one would think the credentialed coach could pretty much name his job. At the moment, there are a shortage of big-time jobs available for someone like him, but that may not be the case for very long either. One team that may soon have a coaching vacancy is my beloved Syracuse Orange.

Current coach Greg Robinson seems to be a great football person and a competent coach. But he just isn't finding success in Upstate New York right now. It's so hard to fault Robinson for the demise of the 'Cuse, but there's no one else to blame. You could blame Paul Pasqualoni for putting us in a hole so deep, no mortal human could dig us out. But he's the Defensive Coordinator for Bill Parcells' Miami Dolphins now, having turned Syracuse's once-potent option offense into a paper tiger on his way to the top. After four years, that offense is still in disrepair, and an offensive-minded guy like Lane Kiffin seems to fit the bill of what Syracuse would be looking for in their next head coach.

Musings on the NFL: Week 3

This third weekend of professional football was a dandy, providing fans with a number of nail-biting finishes and heroic performances.

First stop: Foxboro, Massachusetts, where the Brady-less Patriots have been on a little bit of a roll with backup Matt Cassel at the helm. Having worked out wins in the first two weeks, they had a cupcake Miami team coming into town, fresh off a 21-point drubbing at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals last week. Easy "W" of course. In the words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friend."

The 'Phins came in ready to play -- or at least one of them did. Ronnie Brown had a career day for the visiting team, putting up gaudy numbers. He ran for four scores, three of which were direct snaps straight to him. The best way to keep Chad Pennington from messing up is to just bypass him entirely, apparently. The longest of those plays resulted in a 62-yard scamper to pay dirt. Brown also threw for a score, taking yet another direct snap and lobbing it left-handed to an open Anthony Fasano in the end zone. As far as I can tell, there is no need for Chad Pennington to even bother suiting up for the next game. Brown accounted for all five touchdowns then, as the Dolphins posted a stunning 38-13 upset on the road.

In Philadelphia, the Steelers and the Eagles played a blue-collar game in the trenches. Brian Westbrook left the game with an ankle injury early, after stepping on the leg of a blocker. He would not return to play, leaving the primary work to Correll Buckhalter, who stepped into the role nicely. He only ran for 12 yards, but he caught six passes, including a Donovan McNabb touchdown pass, which was a very important touchdown pass indeed. It was the only one scored in the contest, and it was #176 for McNabb, moving him into first place all-time among Eagles' QB's. May I remind you that he is the pride of... Syracuse University.

The home team's defense was all over the field today, and all over visiting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. They sacked him eight times and picked off one of his passes, shutting down the Steelers offense entirely. Eagles get the win 15-6.

The injury to Brian Westbrook seems to be minor, relatively speaking. The word is that it is a strained ankle, and he will have a precautionary MRI today.

Elsewhere, we had some real barn burners going on in the last two minutes. In a game that truly proved Oakland's suckiness, they blew a 16-point lead with eight minutes remaining to lose to the Buffalo Bills 24-23. Ryan Lindell directed a 38-yard field goal in between the posts as time ran out to put his team on top.

The Bears know a thing or two about blowing leads as well. Last week, they fell to the Carolina Panthers after having them down 17-3 in the second half. Fast forward one week, where they are on top of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-14 in the fourth quarter. All of the sudden, a 35-yard Mark Bryant field goal and an inspired 79-yard game-tying Brian Griese touchdown drive later, the Bears find themselves in overtime, trying to block a game-winning 21-yard chip shot. They couldn't, and they end up dropping their second straight game in fall-from-ahead fashion.

Another OT game, Bengals at Giants. After a back-and-forth affair, Cincinnati stormed down the field at the end of the regulation to tie things up 23-23 on the foot of Shayne Graham. He was outdone by New York's kicker though. Backup John Carney tallied four field goals, including the big one from 22 yards out to give the G-Men the win in the extra period.

Kickers were the story of the day, and it was no different in Denver, where the Broncos held off the New Orleans Saints 34-32. The visiting kicker, Martin Gramatica, had a 43-yard try with less than two minutes remaining to put his club in the lead. He pushed it wide right though, and the Broncos held the ball as the clock expired.

And one more close one, a disappointment to me. In the match between Jacksonville and Indianapolis, both of the Jaguars' running backs -- Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew -- topped 100 yards on the ground. Their team possessed the ball for a whopping 41 minutes, controlling the pace of the game with a few solid drives. Despite that, they found themselves trailing as the clock worked against them in the final minutes. Having made it down to the 34-yard line, kicker Josh Scobee lined up for a field goal try with four seconds on the clock. Just as he did in 2004 -- the last time the Jags beat the Colts -- Scobee drilled the long try, giving Jacksonville a big road win and moving both teams to 1-2 on the year.

Tidbits:

• Tenessee Titans defensive back Cortland Finnegan had a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown, eclipsing the franchise record by one yard. Houston QB Matt Schaub was the one who threw the bad ball.
• The Steelers have lost their last eight games in Philadelphia, dating back to 1965.
• Baltimore defensive back Ed Reed returned a Derek Anderson interception for a touchdown in the Ravens' win. The franchise is now 29-5 when scoring a defensive TD.
• Ed Hochuli was the referee in charge of that Browns/Ravens game, one week after blowing the big call for San Diego. The Hoch is the still the league's best ref, and hopefully we have moved on. The NFL has, officially asking Ed to quit talking about the botched whistle.
• Gus Frerotte got the start at QB for Minnesota this week, relegating Tavaris Jackson to the bench after two miserable games. You know you're struggling when Gus Frerotte is a better option for your team.
• Larry Johnson now has 4,981 career rushing yards, moving him ahead of Christian Okoye and into second place on the Chiefs' all-time list.
• The Patriots' loss ends their incredible string of 21 straight regular-season wins. The 25-point margin was the biggest defeat in seven seasons at Gillette Stadium. Ellis Hobbs set a franchise record though, with 237 yards on six kickoff returns. Setting a kick return record is a good indication you have lost the game.
• Buffalo's win marks the first time a team other than New England is on top of the AFC East since Week 4 of 2005. The Bills are now solely in the lead.
• Including the preseason, Indianapolis is now 0-4 in their new home, Lucas Oil Stadium.

Back, But Not Back-Back

I've been back in the States for more than a week now, just laying low and taking care of a few things that I've neglected for too long. And lots of laundry.

I have a good bit to write about, mostly because I am behind and need to catch up on the past couple weeks. If I'm honest though, I just haven't had the energy or the motivation to sit down and write of late. It frustrates me, so I am preparing for a self-inflicted forced-writing regiment. I have decided to broaden this blog out a little bit, because there's a lot more going on than just poker, and limiting myself to only a few subjects makes me not want to write about anything at all.

And to that end...

I just built myself a new computer, which I should spend a fair portion of my life sitting in front of if all goes according to plan. This PC is a huge step up from my last box, which I built several years ago around a starter Pentium 4 with crappy RAM. Setting out, I intended to just build something basic and quick this time, but ended up getting a bit carried away. For you nerds out there, this is what your mom stares at when she's under my desk:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz
Asus P5Q Pro ATX motherboard
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
Rosewill 500W power supply
G. Skill 4GB DDR2 1100 Dual Channel Memory
Western Digital Caviar 750GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
Sony NEC Optiarc DVD+/-RW with LightScribe
Creative Sound Blaster 7.1 X-Fi Titanium
ASUS Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit

... all packed inside a Cooler Master Centurion case and manipulated by a wonderful Logitech S510 Cordless Keyboard and Mouse that I found for cheap. I planned to build a $500 system but came out with a $1200 monster that I love instead. It's super fast, though I am becoming a bit frustrated by some of the software limitations of 64-bit. And I am still working some of the glitches out of my video card, it seems. I'd like to buy a nice set of speakers now to take advantage of my sound card, but it's not imperative.

I had two main intentions when I was setting up this system. Primarily, I wanted big speed for processing photos and videos and for rocking out the occasional graphically-intensive game. Mission accomplished. Secondly, I wanted to set up more of an office environment that would be conducive to daily blogging. I'm not sure if I've succeeded in that yet; only time will tell. But I am working to create a fully functional workspace where I can do some good, productive things.

Do You Know the Way to Barcelona?

Dammit.

I am in Nice, France again, having checked out of the worst hotel on the planet earlier in the day in Cannes. My intentions were to get to Barcelona, Spain today and stay there until my scheduled return to the States on the 15th. Well, that didn't quite pan out, and it's mostly my fault... for once.

If you ever get the chance to stay here... don't. Four stars my ass.

I got up this morning and checked airfare. I know there are a few airlines that fly intracontinentally here in Europe for very cheap. Like, less than $50 cheap. But I couldn't find any flights on those airlines, and the mega airlines were charging, oh, just $1,000 or so for the 1 hour flight. Yikes.

How about a train? Lots of people travel by train in Europe, right? Well, apparently LOTS of people travel by train, because they were completely sold out.

I know: I'll rent a car and drive there! Through the Pyranees, no less... perfect. I shopped around for a good rate for about an hour or so. I could rent one way to Spain and only pay for one day of rental, something like €90. Oh, then there's a €250 fee for dropping the car off in a different country and I still have to find a way back to Nice a few days later. Hmmm. OK, help me out Europcar... There we go. Five days of car rental for just under €200, about $300. That's really all I was looking for, so I booked it.

Seeing the bright prospect of leaving France just ahead of me, I hop on the bus back to the airport, where I am scheduled to pick up my supposed car. I get to the desk and they tell me that they need to authorize my credit card for €1,000 as a deposit. That's like $1,600 USD. Ouch... but whatever. They refund it if the car is returned safely. Then I realize that I only have one credit card with me, and I don't have enough head room on it to process the transaction. Call the bank, transferred to five different people, credit check, animated menus with faulty voice recognition technology, full interview, credit line increase, etc.

Back to the Europcar desk some 45 minutes later, which is, by the way, conveniently located on the polar opposite side of the airport. I'm really regretting packing such a big suitcase. Fill out more piles of paperwork. Finally, after a year's worth of hassles, I'm finally all set to go. The bitch -- sorry, the lady -- walks me through the receipt, and it totals €582 Euros, roughly $900 USD. From $300 to $900... quite le jump, non?

The culprit was the myriads of fees they tack on at the end, including €40/day for insurance, €33/day for being under the age of 25, and on and on and on. Plus, I had to pay ridiculous EU gas prices back and forth on the 600km trip to Barcelona and back. It was going to end up costing me about $1,200 or so in the end, just for travel. No thanks, France. You can keep your damn Hyundai i50.

They're still adding fees on to my bill at the desk.

So. It appears now that I won't be going to Barcelona, thanks in part to my lack of planning, intentional though it was. Now I'm in the airport in Nice with no hotel room, no rental car, no friends, and I have to sit next to a particularly smelly vagrant while I sulk.

At least there's French coffee.

*****

Enough. I get on the phone to Delta and tell them to book me a ticket on the first thing steaming. They charge me a measley $170.02 to change my ticket, and before you know it, I'm all set up to depart at 10:50am tomorrow morning. It was not what I had planned, but I'm more than a little bit relieved to be getting out of this damn country. $170 is quite a small price to pay. See you tomorrow, America.

Wait, what the fuck am I going to do for the next 16 hours?

All's quiet inside the airport at 11:10pm