You Idiot

"Spoil me with loyalty, I can finance myself..." -Brittany Flores-

"If you can't go to war, don't start one..." -Marcel Luske-

"Looking at you, holding my breath, for once in my life, I'm scared to death, I'm taking a chance, letting you inside..." -Lifehouse- (First Time)

"Dear IRS, I would like to cancel my subscription.  Please remove my name from your mailing list..." -via Scott Marshall-

"We are born in one day.  We die in one day.  We can change in one day.  And we can fall in love in one day.  Anything can happen in just one day..." -Gayle Forman-
(via Training Truths:  The Good, The Bad, The Ugly - facebook page)



Good evening everyone.  So I took a long nap and I'm posting a little later than usual tonight (than I usually INTEND TO POST that is).  In related news (you guessed it), you will probably being seeing my entry on Saturday no earlier than early evening.  It seems that the Texas (yeah, that would be Longhorns) spring football game (orange/white scrimmage) is taking place at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, and will be preceded by a free 'Fan Fest' at 11:00 a.m.  Since there are rumors that someone is going to be moving back to Las Vegas before the end of the summer, someone decided that they should attend these events.  I'm apologizing to you in advance (yes..., because I'm going to be subjecting you to another blog post)...  Y'all are so mean...  :)

Speaking of university-related happenings, our good friend Gabby has some graduation photos that could easily end up on a Texas State University brochure...

Well..., if I WAS IN CHARGE of putting Bobcats on the brochures, Gabby would be on them...  :) What an incredible collegiate career she's had (I've documented a significant portion of Gabby's senior year achievements here in the blog)...  And just when you think that your opinion of Gabby couldn't be any higher, the caption that she included with her nine photos (yes, nine - see, I only pilfered a third of them) was, "Bye Texas State!  You have been so good to me!"  Gabby..., I think that you've been pretty good to Texas State as well...  :D  Just like the photo of Paige, Brooke, and Caitlin that I posted here recently, Gabby's snapshots are here to serve as a reminder that the school year and another round of graduations is now SERIOUSLY CLOSE to being upon us.  The next round of ceremonies down in San Marcos will begin three weeks from Thursday at my alma mater (yes, the same day that the NFL Draft begins - you WERE paying attention!).  As I was preparing to begin this blog entry tonight, I actually noticed that Brooke was seeking help in solving some sort of Candy Crush Saga dilemma - oh..., the stress that these Bobcats have to deal with these days...  :P  To all of you out there who are preparing to take your final exams, I wish you the best of luck, and to all of you who are about to graduate, CONGRATULATIONS!  :)

Back to Gabby (and really, to all of my friends who have appeared here), I truly appreciate how they take being featured in my little blog in stride.  When I sought Gabby's permission to post her photos and brag about her some more, she replied, "I mean if you insist!!"  :)  Our friend Brittany (who you've seen once or twice here recently) responded, "No problem!  I'm getting used to these weekly features..." when I asked about using her photo for a facebook blog "ad."  Interestingly enough, when I notify my facebook friends of new blog entries, facebook allows me to choose from 1 of 3 random photos that has appeared here to include with my link.  About once a month, I get to choose from 1 of 7 photos (yeah, it's pretty weird).  And again, I REALLY DO appreciate all of you who have let me share pieces of your life here...

Speaking of sharing and stealing, let's see what else I've got for you tonight...  My friend and fellow blogger Lightning recently made a comment that I haven't been posting much about poker lately, so I specifically included the quote above from Marcel Luske just for him (yeah, Luske was referring to poker in that quote, but I think that it can be taken as a "life quote" also)...  Also (just for you Lightning), I decided to share this specific Las Vegas photo tonight (note the lightning)...

  

Hopefully this gets me off the hook for the lack of poker content for a little while.  This is probably one of my favorite Vegas photos that I've come across recently, as I mull over the days til I return to the desert...  Speaking of fellow bloggers, this cartoon shared on facebook by my friend Timi actually got an "LOL" from Memphis Mojo, so I thought that I'd share it tonight...

And speaking of animals (just SO MANY nice segues tonight), my friend Valerie put this photo up recently...

The caption that accompanied Valerie's photo was, "Bacon wrapped stuffed with cream cheese and jalapeno!  It was delicious!"  I was honestly stumped as to what this was originally (although I've eaten it before), but the comments section (as always - and hey, let somebody else ask, right?) cleared things up...

Friend:  "Is that a frog? lol"

Valerie:  "Ha.  No, it's a bird..."

When I jumped in, admitting that I had been confused also (I think the photo makes them look smaller than they actually are), Valerie told me that these are (do you know already?...) quail. Yeah, should have known...  And yes, anytime that I see a sentence that starts with the words, "Bacon wrapped stuffed with cream cheese," you've got my undivided attention...  ;)

Okay, now it's time to revisit my highly unsuccessful golf experiment, and to talk about happier (hopefully) sports betting ventures...  If you read my last entry, you know that I wasted eight dollars by betting against Bubba Watson to win the Masters.  But guess what?!  TOMORROW NIGHT the NHL playoffs begin!!!  For those of you who have been reading my drivel here for quite some time now, you know that I LOVE the NHL playoffs, and ESPECIALLY the multiple overtime games. Well, I visited Bovada last night, and decided on a new futures sports betting experiment.  First, for $1.00 each, I took each of the following teams to win the Stanley Cup, at the odds specified...

Kings 10/1

Avalanche 14/1

Canadiens 20/1

Flyers 20/1

Red Wings 20/1

Wild 40/1

Blue Jackets 50/1

Stars 50/1

You will notice that I took the underdogs in most of the first round series to win it all - this is my thinking...  If these teams get through, I'm going to be in line to make a nice profit.  However, if one of these teams is on the brink of elimination, I can go back to that hedging, betting the favorite in their series to win the final game, where I'll either win that bet, or my underdog will still be alive.  I'll let you know how this goes, as usual.  By the way, I am a Montreal Canadiens fan, due to their success when I was very young (yes, 100 years ago).  However, I don't get to see them play very much, because they're located a million miles from Texas and don't receive much t.v. coverage here.  However, I will be rooting for them, and my other prop teams, and my double and triple and quadruple overtime games...  ;)

I think that's enough for one night, but I will be back on Saturday (or Sunday..., you know me) to bother you again.  Have a great week and I'll see you then!

      

       

        

  

Taking Inventory

"Even the bravest of creatures have some fears, but it is not enough to stop them from moving in the path they are destined to walk upon..." -via Training Truths:  The Good, The Bad, The Ugly-
(facebook page)

"Just got told I look like Selena!!  I'm beyond thrilled... #chineseeyes #whenismile"
-Amanda Villalpando-

"All my friends are getting engaged/married and having babies and I'm just over here like, "I really love tacos"..." -via Jessica Johnson-

"Just scanned a baby from India and ssshhhhh'd my way through the whole exam.  Calming babies has no language barrier..." -Sara Hawkins-

"I tried to eat healthy today..., then my son wanted pizza..." -Belyne Gonzalez-



Good afternoon everyone.  Yeah, it's not Saturday - your guaranteed money-back refunds are in the mail...  ;)  We're going to start with sports today (to get it out of the way Miletus).  Let's start with golf, because that's what I'll be watching today.  When I returned home from work yesterday (more about that shortly), I looked at the proposition (prop) bets for the Masters golf tournament. At the time, Bubba Watson had a 5-stroke lead (at -8).  Due to that, he was a 1/1 favorite to win the tourney (win a dollar for every dollar that you bet).  However, the oddsmakers were giving the rest of the field really long odds, so I decided to jump on some of the underdogs (it was still early in the round, leaving the majority of two rounds to play - yesterday and today).  Over the years, I have seen many leaders in major golf tournies unravel, so I bet a $1.00 each on the following golfers to win the Masters:  Speith 9/1; Furyk 15/1; Senden 28/1; Fowler 16/1; Bjorn 25/1; Jimenez 25/1; Blixt 33/1; and Stadler 40/1.  What happened basically is that I skipped over Watson and Matt Kucher (who was only paying 6/1), but I then took every other golfer who was at -3 at the time. This is what the leaderboard looks like right now after yesterday played out...

Watson -5
* Speith -5
* Blixt -4
Kuchar -4
* Jimenez -3
* Fowler -3
Westwood -2
* Bjorn -2
* Furyk -2
* Senden -1
* Stadler -1

There are a couple of others at -1 right now, but you get the point.  All 8 of my golfers are on that list right now, so if I can fade Watson, Kuchar, and Westwood, and get one of my picks in that green jacket, I'll have a very interesting day for only an $8.00 investment.  This is a lot like my little NCAA Tourney experiment, but just more condensed...

Speaking of that investment, this is the follow-up for those of you who have stayed tuned.  If you haven't, I bet a $1.00 on 12 different teams to make the Final Four, and another $1.00 on each of those 12 to win the national championship (at different odds, much like the golfers above).  Long-story short, Kentucky was my little angel, paying 12 to 1 to reach the Final Four, and 33 to 1 to win the title.  When the experiment began, I had $48.00-ish bucks in my Bovada account, and obviously $24.00 and change left after making the bets.  Having the long odds allowed me to hedge (bet against myself) to ensure making some money once the Final Four and title game approached.  I lost like 4 bucks betting against the Wildcats in a hedge in the 'Elite 8' - however, I bet 13 bucks on UConn in the title game.  Again, long-story short, I ended up with $55.78 in my account after the tourney ended, including the other little bets that I made in the meantime.  I was just over $57.00 when I made those 8 bets yesterday, so send me your good karma and let's enjoy some golf today!  ;)

So how can I lay around and watch golf all day you ask (other than my MASSIVE investment in the tourney)?  Well, for the last four days at work, I was doing inventory.  Now numbers, and counting, that's pretty much right up my alley, but after four days on my feet...  I'm not doing JACK today...  And I did A LOT of counting...  Belyne's quote up top was very relevant to my diet yesterday also.  I've been doing very well watching what I eat, avoiding the bread and the sugar and the fatty foods.  WELL, Wednesday through Friday were just "normal" work days, where we took inventory, then ate the lunch that we brought, and then counted some more.  HOWEVER, yesterday we received the help of about a dozen current Longhorns to help us in finishing up the counts.  Since they enlisted the help of the college students, they decided to provide us with breakfast and lunch, along with drinks.  SOOOOOOO, yesterday Coach ate 2 breakfast tacos, 4 slices of pizza, and had 3 cokes.  HEY, it's against my nature..., and it goes against everything that I believe really, to turn down FREE FOOD...  :P  So yeah, I'll just be laying around today, and eating more healthy, and watching a lot of golf...  :)

I'm still preparing to move back to Las Vegas, and I think about it every day.  I thought that I knew about sports before (you know otherwise of course), but I'm going to be putting in a SICK amount of studying for this little sports betting venture that I'm about to embark upon.  I'll PROBABLY show up in a poker room or two along the way also, but I'm going to be an extremely well-informed bettor, you can count on that.  Oh yeah, here's another photo of Las Vegas for you...

Well, it appears that the golf is underway for today, so you're spared from further torture (for now).  Have a great Sunday and I'll see you again on Tuesday!

  

  

 

We Live Life

"How many guys does it take to break down an NCAA game at halftime?  Apparently EIGHT!  SMH..." -Pete Wyatt- (In reference to the Connecticut/Florida Final Four matchup)...

"If you don't like where you are, move.  You are not a tree!" -Belyne Gonzalez-

"Thanks for the AWESOME write up!  What an incredible world to have a past teacher turned friend at my show right before the big tour!" -HalleyAnna Finlay-

"Thanks Coach (Chris Wyatt) for givin' me a legit shout out on your blog, plus always offering an honest opinion and great conversation..." -Jessica Johnson-


"From my boyz in the band Chicago:

So hard to be
Free to love only you
People starin' at me
Try to take you away

There's no time to delay
We've got to live for today
I've got so much to give
And there is so much to say

Night after night
Day after day
In spite of our words
They all turn away" -Lightning36-


"Get out and do the things YOU want to do because time isn't slowing down..."
-Chris Wyatt- (via Brittany Flores)

Good evening everyone.  It would be an understatement to say that I'm very pleased with the very positive response to my most recent post here.  Brittany posted this photo of her sister Carrie and herself on facebook not long after sparking my blog entry.  "We Live Life" was the simple caption provided, and was all that needed to be said (which doesn't explain why I typed so much here on Saturday)...  ;)  And you remember Carrie, right?

   

Yeah, I thought that would help (speaking of the professional-quality profile photos that I've seen from my facebook friends)...  :)  Well, after I published that post on Saturday, Brittany actually quoted ME on facebook.  As I told her, I'm always stealing from other people, but no one ever quotes me.  Brittany also shared the link to my last entry on facebook, as did Jessica, who also had very kind things to say about me.  Above their statuses up top is the message that HalleyAnna sent me from Memphis regarding that post.  In addition to all of the kind words and gratitude that I received from these young ladies, Lightning36 (from the blog 'Lightning Strikes' in the links to the right) left the lyrics to the Chicago song, 'So Much To Give, So Much To Say' in the comments section of that entry.  It is pretty eerie how closely the themes in those lyrics resemble what I wrote about in that blog post, especially since I had never heard the song before...  Thanks again to everyone who contributed to that entry (and to all of the posts that I make here), and I really do appreciate all of the positive feedback that I received from y'all.

Speaking of stealing from my friends, I have a little story from my friend Amanda that I noticed on facebook over the weekend.  This is the same Amanda that I wrote about almost a year ago now (can you believe that it's been that long?) when she graduated from college ('BEEP BEEP!!!' - 5/20/13).  Now Amanda has a young son who is playing t-ball.  A family member shared a video on facebook with the caption, "This ones soooo funny!!  He ran to the bases with his eyes closed!" Now Amanda is one of my former softball players, and she is an excellent mother.  I've seen Amanda with her son, I've seen the photos and the comments that she shares on facebook..., just an awesome person and mother (and very unassuming, just like Bianca, if you want another segue to my last post)...  :)  With all that being said, you KNOW that Amanda is just going to JUMP to her little boy's defense.  The very first comment under the video (from Amanda of course) was, "I'm telling you he didn't get his base running from me!!"  :)  Amanda already knows this, but for those of you who may have missed my last post, I only pick on people I like (and that comment made me smile)...  :)

And then there are punks like Alma, posting photographs like this...

  

My friends Kate and Sean were kind enough to invite me to their annual crawfish boil once again.  I wrote a VERY LONG POST about last year's event (and Kate was right, it WAS too long)...  :) Well, as you may know, my vehicle hasn't been running for a while.  However, I could have contacted someone about giving me a ride to San Marcos for this popular event.  Honestly, I might have rented a car just so that I wouldn't miss out on this (THAT would have been a good story)...  ;) As luck would have it however, I was on call Sunday as 4 of the 5 living Presidents are going to be speaking here at the University of Texas at Austin over the next few days.  LUCKILY though, I had friends like Alma posting photos from this party.  GRRRRR...  And that's all, carry on...  ;)

I have to do inventory at work for the next four days, so I'm going to quit for right now, and I'll probably see you later than usual on Saturday (yes, Saturday would be the fourth day)...  Have a good one and I'll see you then!



     

I Have So Much To Say

Lyndi:  "Mommy, what you doin'?"
Me:  "Trying to pop a pimple.  Owww..."
Lyndi:  "Mommy, your nipple hurt?"
Me:  "WHAT??"
Lyndi:  "Your nipple hurts??"
Me:  "OH!!!  My pimple....yes, it hurts... lol"

"And now we are eating 'sloppy jokes' for dinner... lol" -Kelley Senn Leeds-

"I do five sit-ups every morning.  May not sound like much, but there's only so many times you can hit the snooze button..." -via Francesca Welch-

"If you don't have emotional control, all your other skills are useless..." -Daniel Negreanu-

"If you want me to go running with you, I'm going to need some motivation...  Like a clown chasing us with a bloody knife and margaritas at the finish line..." -The Bikini Model Cookbook-
(via Leanne Calderon)

"According to this 3yr old, he won't get dressed unless I iron his clothes..."
-Monica Rodriguez-



Good afternoon everyone.  Yeah, this would be the alter ego of the 'I Have Nothing To Say' post that I did last time.  Lucki from 'Small Potatoes Poker and Sports Betting' in the links to the right left the comment, "For someone who didn't have anything to say, you sure said a lot."  Well just wait y'all, because I PLAN on saying a lot this time.  Since I obviously don't have any time to waste on all of this small talk with you, let's get started...  ;)

Yes, let's lead off with HalleyAnna.  Right here we also have to recognize the power of "advertising" on facebook.  When I worked at Harper's last year in San Marcos, I would constantly post statuses on the social network because I didn't want to be at work alone.  I also post blog 'ads' on facebook every time that I write a new entry (and still no one reads the blog).  :P  Yeah, we're going to pass 67,000 total pageviews here today, but we're here to talk about HalleyAnna, so PLEASE focus...  I powered up my facebook after I got home from work on Thursday, and as I was about to take my semi-traditional nap, I saw that my friend HalleyAnna was going to be headlining that night at the Cactus Cafe on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin.  I hadn't seen HalleyAnna headline anywhere, and some of you might be aware of the rumor that I'm moving to Las Vegas in four months.  Although this venue was going to be way out of my way, I decided that I would do my best to make her show.  "Wait Coach..., don't you work at UT, and don't you WALK to work???"  Know-it-alls...  Yes, I work at UT, and the Cactus Cafe is located in the Texas Union, which is about half as far as I walk to work, and I walked to the show from my apartment in less than ten minutes...  ;)

Well, I was the first one in the door (I like arriving to shows early too, just like sporting events).  I took a seat right up front, but against the wall, so that I would have a good vantage point, but hopefully wouldn't make HalleyAnna nervous, being front and center.  (Oh, and HalleyAnna, when I spoke to you after the show, and forgot what I was going to ask you, I meant to ask you what the biggest crowd was that you've played for)...  :)  As it turns out, Thursday night's show on campus was her last performance before embarking on a three-week tour, and HalleyAnna had a lot of friends in the intimate setting of the cafe.  The obvious sign that I enjoyed the show was that it went by way too fast.  Have you ever gone out and the time just FLEW BY?  HalleyAnna's music is Americana (defined by the Americana Music Association as "American roots music based on the traditions of country").  She hit a note in a song and I had to stop and think, "WHO does she remind me of?"  The answer was Bonnie Raitt.  Thank God that HalleyAnna knew who Ms. Raitt was when I asked her after the show, AND that she likes her...  :D  She's versatile in that a write-up that I read on Thursday afternoon likened her to Patsy Cline.  I have to brag on HalleyAnna a little bit here by letting you know that she's been nominated for 'Lone Star Music's Emerging Artist of 2014 Award.'  You can find several of her songs on YouTube, and you can visit her webpage at www.halleyanna.com to learn more about her.  I even gave HalleyAnna a suggestion for the name of a new song of hers that has yet to be titled.  I really enjoyed the show, both the music and HalleyAnna's interaction with the audience.  She's going to be in the Little Rock, Nashville, Alabama, South Carolina area soon if you're in the neighborhood (yeah, BIG AREA, I know), and she's due to be back home in Texas near the end of the month.  Give her music a spin and get out and see her if you get the chance...

Profile photos...  Brittany, this is all your fault, but I'm going to start with my friend Rose.  This picture came across my newsfeed a couple of days ago...

             

I KNOW that Rose posted this shot just to bother me, and I'm sure that Jessica, Leanne, Kari, and Pete (among others) will appreciate that.  Then, when the Yankees were winning a game recently, she gave a "what what" in a status.  I made a clever (or so I thought) comment about being confused by the Yankees success also, and Rose replied, "Are you Dazed?"  Now you cool kids will get that...  #dazedandconfused  Oh..., it's going to be a LONG baseball season...  ;)

Now for our troublemaker, and the reason that this will turn into such a long (but worthwhile) entry today.  I saw Brittany's new profile photo on my Droid Wednesday, and when I saw it again on my computer after I got home, I was really impressed with it.

I wasn't the only one who liked it...  I'm sure that you've heard of instances where people have ended relationships by sending a text message.  WAY on the other end of that spectrum is something that I don't ever remember seeing (or hearing about) before...  One of Brittany's friends commented, "Would you like to marry me?  I'm available right now..." beneath her photo.  Wouldn't that be something if someone successfully proposed marriage via a facebook comment??? Unfortunately, Cupid missed the mark in this case, as Brittany replied, "Ooooh so tempting...ha ha..."  Her response surely had NOTHING TO DO with the additional comment stating that he wasn't sure if he would feel this way for more than a couple of days...  #friendsarethebest  :)

Truth be told (and why would I lie?), there were A LOT of comments about this photo, including a touching family moment when her aunt commented on her mascara, and asked Brittany who taught her how to put it on (I'll give you one guess...  NO..., it wasn't me, it was her aunt)... #keepuppeople  To be totally honest, what stood out in the photo to me was Brittany's Chanel "I go out more and have had more fun in the past month than some people do in their entire lives, AND I'm very possibly going to Las Vegas in MAY COACH, BEFORE YOU" shade of pink lipstick...  Or is it Dior..., Clinique..., Revlon???  ;)  As you can obviously tell, Brittany is a really good sport about letting me share her stuff, and it makes me wish that her sister posted more also.  However, I'm sure that Carrie is probably saying, "Blog?  Who wants to be in a blog?  Blogs are so two thousand and late..."  Okay..., Carrie PROBABLY ISN'T saying this, but then I learned that Carrie and Brittany used to RAP, so who knows?...  :)  As these young ladies are enjoying strawberries today (strawberry festival, wouldn't you know it?), the point of using Brittany's lipstick to tease her about her awesome social life was to segue back to my last blog entry (and yes, I'm now segueing between posts).  Get out and do the things that you want to do, because time isn't slowing down...

Shortly after I first saw Brittany's photo, this picture appeared on my facebook page...

Now this is my friend Jessica, and she hits twice on the segue meter...  Jess has a cool new profile photo, and she's doing what she wants to do.  Jess is incredibly bright, and I'm talking both "book smart" and "street smart" - she's very sharp.  She studied International Business Management, and after college Jess decided to go into modeling and promoting and I don't think I can even begin to do justice trying to list everything that she does...  ;)  Back to her being bright (and talented), Jessica was about the only true post that I had on a junior varsity girls basketball team with A LOT of guards.  Now we were scrappy and we hustled, but we just weren't very tall. Jessica was so coachable and so smart that she managed to pull in A TON of rebounds AND stay out of foul trouble despite being the focal point of our opponents underneath.  Editor's Note: I'm still saying all of these nice (and rest assured, they're true) things about Jessica, DESPITE THE FACT that she broke out the word 'Coachella' a few days ago...  ;)  One day she's a j.v. post player, and the next day she's art...  :)  Jessica told me that this work was done at 'Beyond The Canvas' in San Antonio, and that the theme of this piece is 'Witchblade' (a comic book superheroine).  Alright, so I've seen the new photos from Brittany and Jess, and then Jennifer posts this shot...

You might remember Jennifer from the 'Pompadorable' post that I did not too long ago.  Jennifer said the greatest thing when I asked her if I could use this picture in the blog:  "Yes, but you have to mention I really do have a shirt on!  Lol  :)"  Totally Pompadorable...  ;)  Okay, so now that's THREE pictures (I cannot in good faith praise the photo with the Yankees jerseys, sorry Rose... :P), and it dawns on me that my friends have some REALLY INCREDIBLE profile photos.  Earlier in the week, I would have been completely satisfied just picking on Brittany, but now I have a theme, so I'm keeping my eyes open, and trying to remember some of the older profile photos that my friends have used.  There's Lindsey...

    

Now this is the same Lindsey that contributed the photograph that looked like art from the Bobcat baseball game recently (her snapshot and Jessica's picture are about the only art that you're ever going to find in my blog, unless you count the art from Charli of course)...  ;)  Going further back (to the fall), this is also the Lindsey who commented on the pizza that I was eating at Harper's, and who proceeded to BUY ME A PIECE after I let her try my slice...  :)  I like the similarity between Jennifer's photo and this one, but at this point there are far too many similarities and segues to keep up with...  ;)  However, with that being said, Lindsey and myself have a mutual friend named Bianca...

    

Now I really don't remember when this started, but I know that more than once in the past, I've addressed Bianca as 'supermodel' when our paths have crossed.  Just like Jessica (and HalleyAnna and Carrie for that matter), Bianca is a former student of mine who I was more than happy to add as a friend on facebook once I joined (which was obviously long after I taught and coached, since that was 100 years ago, as we've covered here before)...  ;)  Now Bianca has always been just the most level-headed, unassuming person that you would ever want to meet. Editor's Admission:  I knew that 'unassuming' was the word that I wanted to use, but I did recheck the definition just to be sure, and the word means, "lacking in arrogance, pleasant, polite..."  So yeah, 'unassuming' is EXACTLY the word that I wanted to use to describe Bianca - she might beat you up and steal your lunch money, but she's always been nice to me...  :)  This points us in the direction of my personal moral of this "little" blog entry (and thanks again for starting all of this Brittany - my blog entries never required "morals of the story" before), which we'll get to shortly.  I now find it ironic that 'supermodel' is the word that I've sometimes used to address Bianca, because unassuming (see definition above :P) is about the last word that I'd associate with supermodels...  And then there's the young lady who breaks us away from the profile photo theme, but that theme only...

  

Heather is being tagged to photos on facebook constantly due to the fact that she dances for the Austin Toros, but her current profile shot is a little bit..., grainy??? (for lack of a better word)... However, I wanted to include a photo of Heather here because I didn't know her very well (I had actually just met her) when I first mentioned her in the blog.  This is the young lady who was waiting tables at Bobcat Nation when I visited back in the fall, the one who told me, "you better stop watching me," which were the first words EVER spoken between us...  Like I said, I thought this was AWESOME, and now you have a face to put with that story.  I think I mentioned in that post that I already knew several of the other people who worked there, and that Heather could see that, but it was still one of the most memorable first encounters that I've ever had.  And that brings us to our last photo, until we get to Joey and myself, who are obviously the real supermodels here...  :)

  

As I continued to find and remember all of these amazing profile photos, I recalled something that I told my good friend Kelley (not quite 100 years ago)...  Obviously, in every photo from HalleyAnna all the way down to Kelley (and YES, you too Rose, EVEN in that YANKEES jersey ;) ), this is an extremely photogenic group of people.  I wouldn't hesitate to use the word beautiful to describe any of them, and I don't just throw that word around recklessly.  Since you've been with me for 67,000 pageviews now, this is something that you should know about me (and hopefully you already do). What I told Kelley is that no matter how physically attractive somebody is..., if they aren't cool..., if they're jerks..., if they don't treat other people with respect..., then I don't care about them at all. They're not attractive anymore...  If you want a Las Vegas segue right here, we can talk about cocktail waitresses (who are generally considered to be pretty attractive)...

        

Okay, I guess this is a bonus photo for you before we get to Joey and myself, but we both worked with Maly, so this is like a double or triple segue...  :)  This is my favorite cocktail waitress, and for exactly the reason that I stated above.  Maly is an extremely cool person (she even started betting football games with us).  Maly became less cool when she started winning more bets than we did, but that's another story...  ;)  Anyway, if a cocktail waitress is rude to me, I will tip her for whatever she brought me (having a lengthy service industry background myself), but that's the last time that she'll be my cocktail waitress.  The next time that I need something, I will find another waitress.  If the waitresses are only allowed to provide service to their specific sections in the casino, then I'll go to the bar, or to the gift shop, or I'll just go without.

As my blog continues to pick up a greater following, and as I prepare to move back to Las Vegas (where I'm bound to meet exponentially more people this time around), this message is very timely (thanks again Brittany - I knew that you had a plan in mind all along)...  ;)  Treat myself and others with respect, or I won't have anything to do with you.  To all of you above who gave me permission to use your photos and quotes today, thanks again.  You're an AWESOME group of people, as are all of my friends.  For those of you who don't already know this (and I told Rose this earlier in the week), I only pick on people I like, so if I do tease you, please take it in stride...  ;)


And now onto the Final Four.  Because this post has taken me longer to write than I originally thought, I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Connecticut will upset Florida.  WOW, I got it right!!!  Yeah, the game just finished, and we're waiting for the second game to tip off...  Hold on, let's make this official...

Coach (4-6 in the NCAA Tourney)


Kentucky is my only prop team that is still alive.  The good news is that I bet them at 33 to 1 to win the championship.  I went ahead and hedged $4.00 today on Wisconsin at (+1 1/2).  PLEASE root for the Wildcats!  ;)  I'm going to predict that Kentucky wins this game 65-57 over the Badgers (and hopefully I'll hit the 'publish' button before the game begins, so this pick isn't sketchy)...  :P Now, live from the Palace Station Sportsbook in Las Vegas, here's Joey...

Joey (4-6 in the NCAA Tourney)


Final Four picks - I'll keep it short and sweet.  Florida is the best team in the country (uh oh Joey). They are playing great and coach Billy Donovan will have them focused, plus U. Conn is the last team to beat Florida (don't do it Joey).  I'm not big for revenge games, but this game is too important.  Florida jumps out early and keeps the hammer down.  Florida 72  U. Conn 62 (Awwww, sorry Joey)...  ;)

Everybody is supporting Kentucky.  The public was behind Michigan State and Louisville, and they both lost, so I'll bet against the Wildcats.  Wisconsin 65  Kentucky 60

That's it for the parlay card til football season.  Come by Palace Station and say hi.  By the way, Florida wins the national championship 72-65  (Try again Joey???)


Thanks again for stopping by, have an outstanding weekend, and I'll see you again on Tuesday!


 
  



    

I Have Nothing To Say

"The radio won't let you leave my mind, I know it's over but I don't know why..."
-Richard Marx- (Should've Known Better)

"I saw your eyes..., and you made me smile..., and for a little while..., I was falling in love..."
-A Flock Of Seagulls- (Space Age Love Song)

"Well excuse me, guess I've mistaken you for somebody else, somebody who gave a damn, somebody more like myself..." -Jewel- (Foolish Games)



Good evening everyone.  With the exception of a few pictures that I've brought for you, I've come to you with nothing specific to say tonight, thus the title.  "So Coach, you're saying that when you normally write the blog, PLANNING goes into that?"  Yes my friends, and thanks for the support... ;)  Okay folks, here's your old-timey Vegas photo...

I actually stayed at the Imperial Palace on my most recent visit to Las Vegas (a year ago at Christmas), but the name had just been changed to The Quad.  This photo is a little bit older, and was probably taken closer to the time that the Imperial Palace was built.

The following photo is here to remind us that time keeps marching on...

This snapshot came across my facebook newsfeed a few days ago with the caption, "We're done forever!  #txstcheer"  Pictured above (from right to left) are my two all-time favorite Bobcat Cheerleaders, Paige and Brooke, along with their cheermate Caitlin (who is cool also obviously, or she wouldn't be in the picture)...  ;)  I know that Caitlin must appreciate that I took the time to find her name on Paige's facebook page, as opposed to referring to her as "cheerleader on far left..." :P ANYWAY,  these young ladies will be graduating from my alma mater (soon to be OUR alma mater) in a little more than a month.  A weird but completely cool coincidence just clicked with me, as I realized that the dates of the Texas State graduations (May 8th-10th) are the same as the dates for the NFL Draft.  Yes, more proof that my alma mater is the best school ever!  ;)  I actually saved and uploaded this photo with the tag 'bittersweet' when I saw it (yes, you can go and get your box of Kleenex now)...  :)  Another group of Bobcats is about to graduate and leave San Marcos, America, and another group will be arriving in the fall.  I guess my point here is that if you have things that you want to do, then go ahead and do them, because time isn't going to slow down for you...  (Let me take a quick moment here to congratulate these young ladies, and then I'll continue with that last thought).  Paige, Brooke, Caitlin..., study hard for your finals and CONGRATULATIONS!  #eatemupcats  :D

Doing the things that you want to do...  This brings us back to my impending move to Las Vegas (because we all know that I don't talk about that enough)...  As I've said here before, I'm 100 years old (but not really), and that's the main reason that I want to move back to Las Vegas this summer (as opposed to next year, or the year after, etc)...  I am probably (most definitely) going to have to work, but I want to spend as much time as possible trying to make as much (losing as little) money as I can betting sports and playing poker.  These are things that I really enjoy doing, and although the prudent thing might be to wait another year until I've saved up more money (or another, and so on, and so on...), I'm ready to head west again.  As I've said before (and I really ought to revisit the 'pros and cons about living in Las Vegas' entry that I wrote here once upon a time), living in the DESERT does not thrill me in the least.  What I'm talking about here is the surroundings and the lack of water.  However, on the 'pros' side, I am a "people person," and I LOVE the wide variety of humanity that you're exposed to in Las Vegas.  In addition to the diversity of the city's residents, Vegas also gets a huge influx of tourists (in case you weren't aware of that)...  #breakingnews  ;)  I'm sure at this point that you're looking forward to me moving as much as I am (so that I'll stop talking about it).  As the weather continues to get warmer here in Austin and the time keeps passing, I find that my anticipation continues to be offset by the stress that I have over the things that I need to get done before I leave...

On that note, I'm going to go to bed now so that I can wake up on time to make some more money to put toward this endeavor.  ;)  Have a great week and I'll see you again on Saturday!

      

                

Cheat Meal

"Do not fall in love with people like me.  I will take you to museums, and parks, and monuments, and kiss you in every beautiful place, so that you can never go back to them without tasting me like blood in your mouth.  I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible.  And when I leave you will finally understand, why storms are named after people..." -Caitlyn Siehl- (via Joy Dyer)

"I've got some imperfections, but how can you collect them all and throw them in my face?"
-Staind- (Right Here)

"Sometimes you have to move on without certain people.  If they're meant to be in your life, they'll catch up..." -Mandy Hale- (via Valerie Saenz)



Good morning everyone.  I wasn't sure if I should title this post 'Cheat Meal' or 'The Bus.'  Since the cheat meal storyline is good for me personally, I went with that, but we'll start with the bus stories, just because I'm annoying like that...

This first story is one that I meant to tell you last weekend, since it happened at the end of last week.  I was leaving campus for the day, and when my mostly empty West Campus bus showed up, I had my Droid in my right hand and my backpack in my left hand as I went to take my seat.  I was going for the far left seat in a row of three seats whose backs are up against the window on the driver's side of the bus.  Too late, I found out that this driver WAS NOT WAITING for anything, and before I could even sit down, the bus JERKED FORWARD, and I lost my balance and fell toward the far right seat of the trio.  Fortunately for me, I didn't crash onto the seat, as it was occupied by a girl...  YEAH..., I fell down RIGHT ON TOP of a girl (don't worry, this is going to sound at least TEN TIMES WORSE when we get to that cheat meal section a little bit later)...  My upper body landed on this poor girl's left arm and shoulder, while my lower body landed on her left thigh. Fortunately for both of us, this girl is about 5'10", fairly athletic, and not only did she NOT get crushed to death, but she actually ended up catching me...  When I regained my balance, I popped over into the seat that I was aiming for originally (there was no one in the middle seat).  I immediately said, "sorry about that hon," and she replied, "that's okay..."  After a few seconds, I added, "she's really serious" (referring to the bus driver), to which this awesome girl responded, "don't worry, it happens all the time..."  Then she went back to whatever she was doing on her phone, without missing a beat.  What an INCREDIBLE disposition!

This bus story isn't as happy, but it's a good example of how I'm slowly but surely beginning to lose my patience with thoughtless people...  "You will finally understand why storms are named after people," from the quote above..., YEAH...  I rode the bus on Thursday to get my groceries (which I'll list for you later, and YES, my blog RARELY gets this exciting...), and when I boarded the bus after shopping, the driver informed me that his bus was now out of service - WONDERFUL...  He then irritated me more by informing me that the next bus would arrive in a couple of minutes.  You see, the new MetroRapid bus stops here in Austin have an electronic board which tells you when the next couple of buses will arrive, and I already knew that the next bus after his wouldn't be getting to the stop for ANOTHER fifteen minutes (which it did).  So I take the long bus ride home, but as I go to depart, carrying a bag of groceries in each hand, while wearing a backpack loaded with more, three guys decide that they MUST board the bus before I can leave it...  Hmmmm...  Being in the chipper mood that I was, I deadpanned, "Really guys..., seriously???," which accompanied my thrilled look as I stepped past them and off the bus.  I even gave the back of the bus (where they boarded) the "evil eye" as I crossed the street, which wasn't gratifying for me AT ALL since the bus has tinted windows...  ;)

This last story is more of a bus stop story, kind of...  As I walked to work one day this week, a female jogger ran by me about two blocks shy of Guadalupe (the street that separates West Campus from the actual UT campus).  Due to the stop light at Guadalupe, I was able to continue walking while she had to stop and wait.  "I can't believe you let me catch up with you" were the words that I greeted this total stranger with upon reaching her, and yes, she laughed, because she's obviously one of the cool kids...  ;)  Since I am extremely shy, there's no telling what you're going to be reading about here if I move back to Vegas for more than a month this time...  :P  And yes, there's a bus stop just to the right of where this jogger was standing, so it's a bus stop story, kind of...

Okay, lets give you a Las Vegas photo (because that's what we do here)...

This shot is one of my favorites, capturing the city just before twilight, as the sun is preparing to set (thanks for defining 'twilight' for us Coach)...  You'll notice that this is a "retro" photo as the old Stardust stands proudly in the foreground (to the right).  I've been finding these old photos online and rotating them through my facebook and twitter accounts as cover photos (yes, I lead an exhilarating life)...  ;)

Basketball?  Sure...  Joey and myself both repeated our awesome 2-3 weeks from the opening of the NCAA Tournament, so now we're both sitting at 4-6 on our best bets (so you want to move to Las Vegas and bet sports, eh?)...  However, I am sitting in a good position on my pre-tournament prop bets, and I have the Kentucky Wildcats to thank for that.  Let me list the remaining three teams that still have life for me in this tournament...


Team/Final Four Odds/National Champion Odds

Florida - 17/10 - 5/1 (Florida has clinched a spot in the Final Four - I'm rich!!!)
Michigan State - 9/4 - 6/1
Kentucky - 12/1 - 33/1


Now if you'll remember, I invested $24.00 in my little experiment.  I've been reimbursed $2.70 so far (the $1.70 for Florida clinching, plus the return of the dollar that I bet on the Gators).  I would get back a little more than $3.00 if Michigan State wins later today, and I would be reimbursed $13.00 if Kentucky is victorious.  This gives me a little leverage, and I can now "hedge" my bets if I want to guarantee myself some money.  I can bet on Michigan to wins today's contest against the Wildcats, and I'll be guaranteed to get some of my money back (since I'll receive $13.00 if Kentucky wins).  I also have the chance of "middling" here and winning twice, since Kentucky is actually a 2 1/2 point favorite (if I bet on Michigan (+2 1/2) and Kentucky wins the game by 2 for example, I'd win the Michigan bet and my prop bet).  As I said before, if I had spent the same amount of time learning the ins and outs of sports betting that I've put into poker (it hurts even thinking about it)...  Anyway, I haven't decided how much I'm going to hedge yet, but I don't want to deposit into this Bovada account again before I move to Las Vegas, so I will probably guarantee myself some money here.  If Kentucky does win today, you see that I'd receive $33.00 back for my initial $1.00 bet if they were to win the tourney, so we may not be done with the hedging...  ;)

Okay, now we're (finally) at the point where we're going to talk about cheat meals, and how proud I am of my friend Leanne, and even a little proud of myself...  ;)  First, this photo came across my facebook feed earlier in the week from the 'Training Truths:  The Good, The Bad, The Ugly' facebook page, with the accompanying tagline...  "Since I didn't get my cheat meal yesterday....  I treated myself to a little salad with my ranch.  nummm numms"

OF COURSE I had something to say about this...  "You might be hardcore if your cheat meal IS A SALAD!"  Yeah, that sounds like something I'd say...  ;)  And although I was already going to pass along everything that I just shared with you, Leanne posted a "throwback" photo on Thursday which enables me to show you the definition of hardcore...

On the left we have Leanne 2009, and on the right, we have Leanne today...  I am SO PROUD of you Leanne!  :D  And I have to be sure that she knows that, because after I saw this photo on Thursday, I immediately messaged her, "You are unbelievable..."  You see my friends, I got on my scale a few weeks ago, and almost broke it...  Okay, not quite, but I weighed-in at (sit down if you're not already..., and hold your breath...) TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-FIVE POUNDS!!!  (cue ominous music)  NOW YOU SEE why the girl on the bus is lucky that I didn't crush her to death, and why my joke to the jogger was funny...  ;)  ANYWAY, on that day almost 2 weeks ago, I decided that I was going to end that nonsense, and changing my diet has enabled me to lose 7 pounds in 11 days.  It seems like it wasn't five minutes since I learned that I had lost the weight before I saw Leanne's comparison photos shown above...  I'm not going to gear the theme of my blog toward weight-loss in the coming weeks, but I think that you will be interested in what's happening here, so I'll cover it real quick.  After that scary weigh-in, I went back to NO cokes, NO bread, NO chips, and NO microwave popcorn.  Additionally, the shopping receipt that I'm looking at from Thursday includes:  eight heads of lettuce; cauliflower; black olives; mushrooms; tomatoes; avocados, and cucumbers.  Can anyone say "salad" my friends?  And yes, that would be REGULAR MEAL, not cheat meal...  ;)  Yogurt and bananas can also be found on that receipt... There's NO WAY that I'm going to be carrying 245 pounds around the desert...

Now we have an interesting photo that my brother shared on facebook last night...

Up til now, I didn't realize that it was possible to sit HIGHER THAN THE SCOREBOARD at the AT&T Center...  ;)  My brother and his family have evidently been seeing more hockey than usual this week (the AT&T Center houses the Rampage in addition to the Spurs down in San Antonio). I'm not going to share the photo from the suite that they were in the game before this one, because they're punks for not inviting me to that game...  :)

I hope that you enjoy the start of the Major League Baseball season (isn't it EERIE how I haven't mentioned baseball here AT ALL yet since I'm not playing fantasy this year?) and I'll see you again on Tuesday!







  

  





       

Just Breathe

"And breathe..., just breathe..., oh breathe..., just breathe..." -Anna Nalick- (Breathe - 2 A.M.)

"I'm not slurring my words, I'm speaking cursive..." -via Mandy Jones-

"Dogs have owners, cats have staff..." -Woody Paige-



Good evening everyone.  I'm just sitting here at my computer watching hockey as I begin this entry (I took the Flyers (+1 1/2) @ the Rangers).  Yes, that's right my friends, I'm a basketball snob. Louisiana Tech is playing at Florida State in a perfectly good college basketball game, but because it's an NIT game and not an NCAA Tourney Game, I can't watch it...  Hopefully my viewpoint will change by the time that I've moved back to the desert, when I should be looking under every rock and scouring the betting sheets for every profitable wager, but Flyers/Rangers just interests me more tonight...

Speaking of turtles (huh?), I came across a neat tattoo recently that carries a good message...

Okay, let's get back to basketball, and to my prop bets for the NCAA Tourney.  From the 12 teams that I began with a week ago, 8 are still alive as we prepare to begin the 'Sweet 16.'  Strangely enough, I still have 2 of my 3 picks playing in each region.  The next 2 days will be very interesting for me as a spectator, as 3 of the games will feature matchups pitting 6 of my 8 remaining teams against each other.  This means that I am guaranteed to have at least 3 of my selections playing in the 'Elite 8' for a spot in the 'Final 4.'  Let me give you the odds against my remaining teams reaching the Final Four and winning the national championship, and I'll follow that with their matchups for the next couple of days...


Team/Final Four Odds/National Champion Odds

Florida - 17/10 - 5/1
UCLA - 10/1 - 40/1

San Diego State - 9/1 - 50/1
Baylor - 14/1 - 100/1

Michigan State - 9/4 - 6/1
Virginia - 3/1 - 12/1

Louisville - 8/5 - 13/2
Kentucky - 12/1 - 33/1


So yeah, if Baylor takes home the trophy, I'll be pretty happy...  ;)  For those of you who are joining my little experiment late, I bet $1.00 each on 12 teams to reach the Final Four and also to win the championship ($24.00 total).


That would bring us to our "best bets" for the 'Sweet Sixteen.'  It's time to give you our 5 best wagers for the next 8 tourney games...

    

Coach's Tourney Best Bets (Last week 2-3/Overall record of 2-3)

Iowa State (-1 1/2) vs. Connecticut - Cyclones beat my Tar Heels, BETTER cover here...
Florida (-4 1/2) vs. UCLA - Gators have looked impressive so far...
Michigan (-2 1/2) vs. Tennessee - Have to take Wolverines against upstart Vols...
Dayton (+3) vs. Stanford - Flyers Cinderella over Cardinal Cinderella???
Baylor (+3 1/2) vs. Wisconsin - Bears have been SCORCHING HOT recently...


And now it's Joey's turn.  You must note that both Joey and myself went 2-3 on our best bets last week, so take our picks (well, at least mine) with a grain (shaker, OCEAN) of salt...  I must also say here that fellow blogger Lightning36 picked the Spartans of Michigan State to reach the Final Four and likely win the national championship before the tournament even began (for the record)... ;)  And now, coming to you live from the Palace Station Sportsbook in Las Vegas, here's Joey... Oh, and just so you know, it's a complete coincidence that Joey and I picked the same 5 games out of the 8 for this blog entry...

Joey's Tourney Best Bets (Last week 2-3/Overall record of 2-3)

The opening round of the tournament lived up to its name.  Three of the four #1's continued on, and an 11-seed plays a 10-seed.  This proves there is more parity in college basketball.

My top bet starts with this matchup.  Stanford has a great inside game and will want a slow grind game.  Stanford 53  Dayton 47

I have yet to be sold on Wisconsin.  They lost to Nebraska and have not played consistent since. Wisconsin is bigger, but Baylor is much faster and their bench is deeper.  Baylor advances 81-71.

There is a reason that Florida is the #1 ranked team and they are playing strong on offense, defense, and in transition, which is what they will do against a young UCLA team.  It's Florida 74-62.

Iowa State is still my dark horse to win it all, even with one of their best players injured.  I think Iowa State starts fast and stays ahead.  Iowa State 67  Connecticut 61

Finally, my new favorite team in the tourney gets a Big Ten team.  Yep, Tennessee...  They are angry that they had to play an extra game.  This week the Vols get to take it out on an overrated Michigan squad.  Tennessee moves on in a buzzer-beater.  Tennessee 63-62

That's all for the elite parlay card.  Final Four picks next week.  May all your parlay cards cash!


Stanford (-3) vs. Dayton
Baylor (+3 1/2) vs. Wisconsin
Florida (-4 1/2) vs. UCLA
Iowa State (-1 1/2) vs. Connecticut
Tennessee (+2 1/2) vs. Michigan


And this would be the part of the blog where I steal of few photos from my friends and then watch the rest of the hockey game (Rangers 1-0 after 1, if you must know)...

In addition to his picks, Joey did provide us with this picture on facebook recently...

Someone has a sense of humor is all that I have to say...  My friend George shared this one, and called it a "man-size Bloody Mary."  Amen...

My new favorite drink...  ;)  And my friend Renetta found this one, although I believe that these rules apply equally to adults...

Have a great evening, enjoy the 'Sweet Sixteen,' and I'll see you again on Saturday!