More Apologies...

I've really been worried about Cheyenne this week, work has been a bear, and it's just been hard to post about "fun" stuff.

I am planning to pick up the game postings (especially) soon, after getting good news tomorrow.

I hope.

Cheyenne, Again...

Sorry to have missed the last couple days, but I've had a lot on my mind (in addition to mucho school work).

The big knot on Cheyenne's head has come back, and it's hard this time (not "mushy" like it was before). The vet is concerned, and I'm taking her in for X-rays and a biopsy on Friday. If we're lucky, it's just a strange hematoma that's healing oddly, and can be dealt with non-invasively. If we're not lucky, some type of surgery will be needed. It doesn't seem to be bothering her at all, presently, but it's exerting some pressure on the skull, which would only get worse with time. Worst case, it could be something very bad. With an active, healthy, 2 1/2 year old dog, it better not be -- I know I certainly couldn't deal with something bad, especially after what I went through with my beloved Gypsy up 'til her death in March, 2007.

So please, send some good vibes our way. :-)

On the gaming front, I'm headed over to Mike's for some Warriors of God tonight. Then, on Sunday, I have a 4-player Successors game planned. Thursday night there's a Sabres game. Just need to keep my mind occupied so I won't worry...

Thanks for listening.

Texas Hold 'Em and Colleagues...

A few weeks back, I was invited to my first poker game here at my new school. I believe there were 9 of us at the first game, and we ended up playing twice, $20 buy in each time. The top 3 positions paid out, I finished 3rd, then 4th, so I broke even for the night. Of course, the real fun was hanging with folks and getting to know them better over beers and chips (both kinds!). A lot of strange stories emanating from this school, evidently!

About a week after the first game, I was invited to second, and this time there were 10 of us. Same rules, top 3 pay out. In the first game, it got down to 4 of us, and we played for about an extra hour and a half (even with blinds going up every 12 minutes). I was low man in the chip count when I went all in with a suited A/Q. I was called by the guy in 2nd place, and if I won, we'd basically flip places. He called with a pair of 7s. The flop brought me both an Ace and a Queen. I was pretty confident! Nothing on the turn, but the river was a freakin' SEVEN. D'oh! So I finished out of the money... Next game was down to 8 people, same rules. I got down to the final 3, and was winning the chip count. I tried to knock the 2nd place guy (a woman, actually -- I used to work with her at the elementary school) when I went all in after being dealt A/A! She did call me (she'd already raised the pot before I went all in, so I figured she had a decent hand and would follow me in). I was correct, and she had unsuited A/K! Ouch for her -- only Kings could help here. Or so I thought. Both my Aces were black, hers was the Ace of Hearts. The 3 cards on the flop were Hearts, and then the turn was a Heart. I didn't even have to wait for the damn river to see I was screwed! Unbelievable... I finished in 3rd, in a match I should have won. Shoulda, coulda, woulda... At least I broke even for the night again, and, in spite of losing 2 big "all ins" I should have won, I had a lot of fun.

Can't wait for the next game, I'm due for a win...

I've gotta say, Texas Hold 'Em may be my favorite game. Not only is there a ton of strategy, but it's a great psychological game. I've been blessed with an excellent "poker face," and this helps. I've itching to get back to the casino to try to do better there than I did last time. I think decades of competitive wargaming have helped to hone my poker skills, and for that, I'm thankful. If I could only win Lotto, I'd head for Vegas and try my hand against the big boys (I'm more than willing to take my lumps, in order to learn, but I can't afford to "learn" from the best on a teacher's salary, LOL!).

Snowflakes???

Had some wet snow hitting my windshield this morning.

IT'S BACK!!!

Oh well, living in Western New York, we're used to this sort of thing. I am, at least. It drives Deanna crazy -- she needs one of those winter "seasonal affective disorder" lights. I should look into that, as her mood can really get dark...

Anyone know any good Internet sites for radio/picking individual songs? Just something to have on in the background. I like to have classical music going when the kids are working, and my old CD player just went on the fritz. I found "Radio Margaritaville," which I love, but which isn't really appropriate for the classroom -- "Wasted away again in Margaritaville," and all that...

I know Mike and Bill are continuing their molasses-like game of Third World War tonight. I have to head to Irondequoit to do a few errands, so I'll probably stop by and watch the blitz, err, sitzkreig for a bit. On Thursday, Greg D. is having game night at his house. I'm fishing for a game of Espana 1936, hope I get a bite!

One of Deanna's co-workers is in a band, and they're playing a local bar on Friday, Johnny's Irish Pub, so we'll stop by for a bit. I must admit, I don't like Johnny's -- it's one of those places with a bunch of regulars who tend to be unfriendly to newcomers. Last time I was there, years ago with Mike Cardwell, guys kept on glaring at us. Maybe they thought we were gay, LOL! I dunno... I would never set foot in this place on my own volition, hope Deanna won't want to go there again, either!

Cheyenne's new bump on her head seems to be going down, so we're hoping the tissue there is just still fragile, from the first one. She's playing in the "small dog" room this week, so she probably won't bump heads with anyone! At 48 pounds, she's kinda a "tweener," a more medium-sized dog, who acts like a big dog, but loves dogs of all sizes.

I went out to Shutt's cider mill over the weekend and got some excellent apples -- Pinatas. I've never had these before. They're like Honeycrisps, but a little "tarter." Really tasty. Some Macouns, as well. I love getting nice, fresh apples from the orchards around Sodus. Yum!

Tuesday, Tuesday...

Great Sabres game Friday night -- a 5-2 victory. Afterward, Bob and I went out for wings, and then I drove home, quite pooped, but entirely worth it. I really enjoy the Sabres, and getting to hang with a friend for a night while watching them live makes it even more fun.


At Millennium, it turned into a Rob vs. Jeff Burdett day. We started with Twilight Struggle, a game I hadn't played for ages (and don't really like, due to the sharks and the card combos). Having been away for a year or more, though, I approached it with fresh eyes, and had fun. I was the Soviets, and Jeff's Americans had the lead (a small one -- 1 to 5 points) for most of the game. The last 2 turns did it for me, however, as Africa scored 20 VPs for me over that span, and I was able to pull out a 20+ point victory. Great fun. We then turned to For the People, another game I used to like, but have tired of (too gamey). I was the South, and decided that I wouldn't play a gamey game (no weird Lee-led invasions of Ohio, for instance). I had to leave 1/2 way through (minor emergency at the house), and my position was real good. No states had fallen, no resource centers had been destroyed, and I held Kentucky and West Virginia. I was up by about 20 in SW. Bill Peeck took over, and he says he was on his way to winning when they got kicked out at 9:45. Two nice games that have been wrecked by "gaminess." Too bad -- I guess I'll pull them out once every year or so and have some fun vs. "non-sharks."

Probably more gaming later this week, have to get things organized...

TGIF...

These 4-day weeks are killin' me!

And, to make it worse, the next 3 weeks are 5-day weeks. How the Hell will I handle that?!?! I guess I can look forward to Veteran's Day, then Thanksgiving...

Last night, I popped by Mike's for about an hour to watch him play Bill in Third World War. I got there in time for combat, and I think they went through about 8 combats. I helped them with the modifiers and charts, but man, that took forever. I definitely know that this game ain't for me, that's for sure! I dunno, I think I really do hate hexes...

After school today, I'm heading to Bob Titran's place on Grand Island. Then onto the Buffalo/Vancouver hockey game. I hope to leave Buffalo late tonight after a win, as my last 2 trips to games have seen Sabres' losses -- including 2 years ago a double-overtime loss to Ottawa in the playoffs when my vehicle needed to be towed back to Rochester. I call that, my $1,700 nightmare evening...

And the fun doesn't stop! I'll be at Millennium this Saturday for my group's monthly meet. I have no idea what I'll be playing, but I know I'll have fun.

Sunday will be spent correcting math tests in front of the football games. Ugh, don't even want to think about that!

Well, I'm happy with my schedule for the next 36 hours or so, and I'm even happier that Cheyenne is back to normal. Now, if the Sabres win, it will be a great weekend!

Busy Week...

Man, but it's been non-stop this week! A lot going on at school and continual packing/moving at the homestead -- seems like I haven't had a chance to catch my breath. And Deanna and I have had no time to ourselves, and we need some...

Life really zooms on, sometimes.

Man...

So, I'm thinking I deserve a nap this afternoon. Just a little one, but I've really gotta get "rejuvenated!" A bunch of grading to get to this evening, then over to Mike's to watch a little Third World War and find out why Bill's been avoiding me -- LOL!

Last night, before I went to bed, I decided to order Conflict of Heroes. Now, I'm not much of a tactical guy, and WWII ain't my era. Add to this equation that I already own and love Combat Commander, and one needs to wonder why I did this. I guess I'm both a sucker for a good game, and an addict, to boot.

D'oh!

I'm trying to resist buying Clash of Monarchs, a game I'm pretty sure will be much too "gritty" for me, but my resolve is weakening. Why does this always happen to me?!?!

Oh well, one can never have too many games. Until one has to begin packing them away.

D'oh again!

Finally, I need to vent about Consimworld. That place is really turning into a cesspool. All the wackos, left and right, are getting real nasty, making the place a "my candidate rocks, yours sucks" bulletin board. Guys, we're supposed to be chatting about games, there. Man, I have no patience to most of these buttloads...

OK, enough of that. Off to lalaland for a bit, then one more day of school after which non-stop fun (which I need) begins -- Sabres, then gameday.

Yee-haw!

Veggin'...

Tonight will just be an evening of veggin' out, correcting papers, and watching the Sabres game, as I am pooped! All those days off and sleeping in spoiled me -- now I can't get to sleep at night, yet I have to get up at 5:55 when my alarm starts going off.

Ugh...

Looks like no gaming this week, though our group's monthly meet at Millennium is on Saturday. So, once Friday hits, I'll have the Sabres' game that night, then gaming all the next day. Not a bad deal, just have to get through 2 more days...

Mike and Bill are playing Third World War on Thursday at Mike's, so I'll probably stop by the see that. I'm not really interested in the game (too many damn hexes!), so it'll just be for the beer and to shoot the shit. Haven't seen Bill in ages, actually!


And on the Niagara Boardgaming Weekend front, spoke with Marty Sample last night and it looks like he'll be coming in from New Hampshire! Too cool! Looking forward to NBW even more, now. Mmmmmm... Niagara Falls in February!

Y'all should be coming, ya know...

Back to the Salt Mines...

Rather an unexciting weekend, though the Sabres won (twice!) and I got some solo plays in of Hold the Line. Most of the weekend I was growing more and more concerned with the growing lump on Cheyenne's head. It got to the size of a golf ball, and was quite worrisome. Gypsy, my "dog of a lifetime," died last year from effin' lumps -- mast cell tumors. So, seeing something like this grow on Cheyenne wasn't good for me.

Went to the vet's Monday morning, and she'd noticed it had grown since Friday -- not good. Decided to aspirate with a needle to check what was going on inside there via a biopsy. So she took a reluctant Cheyenne into the treatment room, and came back about 5 minutes later with...

...NO LUMP! Evidently, Cheyenne must have really whacked her head, as this was a huge hematoma. But it didn't even hurt her! Anyway, it collapsed when blood was drawn, and I got a call later in the day that all the vet found was "stagnant" red blood cells and a few white cells, all what one would normally find in a 5 day old bruise.

Whew...

A huge relief, I don't think I could have gone through all that crap again, especially with a seemingly healthy, happy, young dog.

In other news, the Sabres are 2-0, beating Montreal in a shootout Friday night and then crushing the Islanders on Long Island, 7-1 yesterday. I will be going to the Vancouver game this coming Friday, looking forward to it. I think this team has the skill and attitude needed to win in the NHL, and last year might have been the kick in the butt they needed to just get going. Let us hope...


In between bouts of moving, boxing, and cleaning up my "new" gameroom, I had Hold the Line out. I played one game of Hobkirk's Hill (American victory) and two games of Eutaw Springs (both British victories). Of course, solo play is, at best, something to do to relieve boredom (or take one's mind off dog issues), and this game definitely suffers when there aren't 2 playing -- plans take a while to unfold, ad it's very hard to be the attacker when the defender (also you!) knows exactly where the main attack is headed! But fun, all the same, as the game's quick and easy.

Class for "hematoma-less" Cheyenne tonight. I need a nap...

Ile-de-France Rocks!

Mike and I played through 5 turns of Warriors of God last evening, and my French were up to 28 VPs (30 is a victory), so we decided to call it. A brutal game that was close early, then I got some lucky area control rolls which built up the "empire." Bertrand, the 4-3 leader, led an invasion of England, which gloriously succeeded. He promptly died, but there was enough strength in England to keep it French for a while, while 3 English noblemen rotted in French prison. Since the French were winning the battles and had the areas, we both saw the writing on the wall...

Damn fun game, and we plan to play again, switching sides. Finally, I'll get to be the "good guys!"

Cheyenne's head lump is still there -- she looks like a conehead from the old Saturday Night Live. But it doesn't seem to be bothering her at all, so that's good. I have a vet appointment for 3:00 PM today, and I'm hoping a quick cortisone shot (or something) will get her back to normal. Poor girl...

My friend at work informed me this morning that she can't go to the Sabres/Canuks game next Friday (the 17th), so she offered me the tix for 1/2 price. Too cool, I couldn't say no! I'm looking forward to the NHL season getting started for Buffalo tonight vs. the Canadiens, as I'll hang out and watch it on the tube tonight. Deanna's going out with the 2 other English teachers on her team tonight, so I can have "manland" kick in. Go Sabres!

Funny thing about the NHL -- I really love watching the Sabres, but I wouldn't say I'm an NHL fan. When the Sabres aren't playing, I can't get really interested in the games. I enjoy the international game (bigger rinks, no fighting, penalties consistently enforced) much more, and hope the NHL keeps heading in this direction. But for now, I can't get real excited about an Anaheim/Philadelphia game. Oh well...

A 3-day weekend coming. I will continue to move/clean up my game room, as I've got a lot of cataloging to do. I'd also like to sell a bunch of stuff, gotta get moving on that...

Doggie Bumps

Had today off school for Yom Kippur. Even though I'm not Jewish, I decided to atone for my sins. Therefore, I worked extra hard on cleaning up the gameroom...

Noticed a while back that Cheyenne has a big ol' goose egg on the top/back of her head. It doesn't bother her when I touch it, so she didn't bump into anything or get hit there, I don't think. She's been in the basement with me for most of the afternoon, so I'm guessing it's a spider bite. I gave her a Benadryl, and I hope this helps. After what I went through with Gypsy and her mast cell tumors, finding a big bump/lump on my dog is definitely something that can panic me.

I am headed over to Mike's tonight for some more Warriors of God. I think we're going to try the 100 Years War scenario again, and Mike's going to try to keep his leaders alive! I've gotta admit, I enjoy the game, chaotic as it is. Looking through my game collection, it's probably the best IGS game in my opinion. Fun is most important to me. And though the game is procedural heavy (something I tend to dislike in wargames), it isn't a bad thing here, as the game is so easy and light. I think the whole "procedural heavy" stuff really hurts more complicated games -- I just want to play the situation, not the rulebook!

Well, off to box up some old Avalon Hill stuff, then over to Mike's.

Outdoor Education and BACSIM

Last Thursday and Friday, I was running a low ropes course for teams of kids at their 6th Grade Outdoor Education. They have a good time, and need to work as a team to complete 5 tasks at my station. But the best news was that I caught 2 snakes! On Thursday, I found an 18" garter snake (who liked to bite me, LOL!) and proceeded to scare the snot out of a 7th Grade Chemistry teacher. On Friday, I found the most beautiful emerald green grass snake, about 10" long. It didn't bite, and once it calmed down, it curled around my fingers for the next hour or so. I let her go in a nice sunny patch before I left, well out of the way. A gorgeous creature.

On Saturday, headed out to BACSIM at UB for the day. Started off by playing some Hold the Line, which is a really nice game. Played the Harlem Heights scenario, and the Americans pulled out a win on the last turn (Turn 22), by killing a Light Foot I couldn't get back to my lines. Some folks will write this off as just a bunch of dice rolling, but there is nice strategy here. I like it, and plan to play a lot more.

Next up was a 5-player New World: A Carcassonne Game. I'm not a big fan of Carcassonne, but I liked this adaptation. We all started out on the East coast of the soon to come US, with the cities Plymouth, New York, and Jamestown already there. As you build Westward, you can place shopkeepers, robbers, farmers, and trappers. A "gotcha" in the game is that as something is scored, one of 2 "Surveyors" moves West. If you get a meeple caught East of both Surveyors, it's removed from the game. This makes the West, and expansion there, more important than trying to "fill in some blanks" in the East. It was decent, I'd play again.

Finished up with MMP's new Storm Over Stalingrad. This is an area movement game, with cards that affect combat. Game was decent, and my Germans came up one area short vs. Mike Cardwell's Soviets. Very bloody! The very few areas (and avenues of approach) might make this one stale, quickly. We shall see. There is an awful lot of luck in the cards, and the game can often hinge on an artillery/bombing barrage and/or a sniper duel (assuming one has the cards). One thing I didn't like was watching Soviet units retreat back and forth between the same 2 areas. Yuck. I think MMP's "IGS" line has some decent games, but very little that's special. As always, I'll be trading for these, so, as long as I get a play, I'm moderately happy. One really wishes some of these Japanese designers would make some new games, and not just get old ones reprinted.

Anyway, it was a fun day -- I spent a lot of time watching other games and chatting. I was pooped by the time I got home. Now, a Poker night this coming Wednesday -- can never get enough gaming!

Da Raiders, Gaming, and the Great Outdoors...

Well, the living zombie Davis finally fired the best coach he's had since Gruden. A talented team that will probably languish in another 4-12 season. Davis has gone from football genius to football joke, and I hung on for way too long. The man is a complete bag of shit, and, frankly, that's being unfair to bags of shit. I still want to bleed silver and black, but I really can't do that anymore without feeling really dirty. No, I'll start rooting for the Toronto, uh, Barfalo Bills as my #1...

Ugh, my favorites (or former favorites as long as Davis lives) in football give me pause to hate the game. Between Oakland in the NFL and Syracuse in the NCAA, 2 proud franchises have certainly hit rock bottom. At least there's nowhere to go but up. At least I think that has to be the case...

Keep laughing, baby, you're free!

Played Poker the other night at a work friend's house, and even though I was exhausted and light-headed from the bug, I hung in there, finishing just out of the money. I lost my chance to make it into 3rd position (out of 8) when I went all in with A/Q of hearts. Of course, the flop had a 9 in it, and the other guy's call of unsuited A/9 beat me, as a 2nd 9 came up on the river. Ugh again! It was fun, and I had time to watch the end of the football game...

Tonight is Warriors of God at Mike's place. We did the "Lion in Winter" scenario last time, so I guess we'll tackle the "100 Years War" this evening. Then on Saturday, "Mr. BACSIM" is hosting the Buffalo group's 4th Anniversary bash. I will be there, and even Mike threatens the same! I hope to get in a 4-player Successors, and with a bigger than usual crowd, this just might happen. I'll bring that and a few other games, and happily get into anything.

Tomorrow and Friday the 6th graders on my team are out in Rush, NY for "Outdoor Education." The kids are put on teams of 11 or 12, and perform 12 team activities over a 2-day period (they stay overnight on Thursday). I'll be heading up the Ropes course, where they have to work as a team to overcome obstacles involving, you got it, ropes! They have a lot of fun, and, frankly, so do I, but it is exhausting! I think I'll be crashing at about 6:00 PM Friday so I'll be able to drive to Buffalo Saturday morning.

Only downside is the predicted weather. Low/mid 50s and intermittent rain. Gotta remember to bring my umbrella and silicone my boots this evening...

And if I don't get a post in tomorrow (I will try...), it's because I was at the camp all day, so give me a break!