Browsing the Internet today, I came upon a local company which was soliciting Haikus. Not for a contest or for possible publication in a literary journal, but merely for display on their website. So I wrote one and emailed it.

if I seek knowledge,
I receive inspiration -
my means to an end…

-Valerie J Franch

This is the second time in the past few weeks I have solicited my ramblings to non-bluesmirk sites. I am a professed lurker, but reluctant poster. I prefer not to bring attention to my i.p.. Not just a back of the class sitter, but back in the corner - view to a kill.

I am not a fan of getting “truly” personal via my blog without relying on either sarcasm or embellishment to tell stories about Cheetos® or pet peeves. But I know some are wondering:

I got into law school. Very surprised. Very happy.

Just yesterday I was reading a post where some woman mentioned she is 36 and will be starting law school in a month and I felt encouraged, like, there are other older people trying to earn degrees of various sorts. Who cares that if in class they lined us up by age I would be standing at the end? The back of the line affords control in seeing what the others are doing.

Is it worth to go into such EXTREME debt purposefully? Will this be my saving career path? Will I meet some exceptional online poker players who will take me under their wing as a promising protégé? What will happen now…

A great big THANK YOU to RV and LS for writing those letters which undoubtedly helped get me into the program.

I was wrong - Negreanu did not make the final table. The table was filled of players I had not watched before, but I think I know who will be my preferred player after reading bios and viewing pix. I look forward to actually watching it on TV. Just “The Nuts” segments are really rather entertaining. Some funny people play the game.

Phil Hellmuth is supposedly slated to appear in the next “Surreal Life”. A year ago I would have responded, “who the hell is Phil Hellmuth”. Not a fan, but he seems to be good choice for such a program- loud, controversial and opinionated. He recently won his eleventh bracelet during this year’s WSOP. This puts him in the lead of overall bracelet holders. Just in case you were wondering

I think its cool when couples play poker together. It appears to be a very “learnable” game as we see people enter the poker arena after they start dating some poker pro.

Congratulations to John Franch whose book, Robber Baron: The Life of Charles Tyson Yerkes, was selected as Book of the Year by the Illinois State Historical Society.

My very cool, very cute niece rocks. Seriously.

All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl.
All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl.
All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl.
All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl.
All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl.
All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl.
All work and no play will still never yield
Stephen King-like caliber of works.

While walking the other day an object on the ground caught my eye. A stream of ants were marching over this 2-inch, slightly curved cylinder. It appeared to be a Cheeto®, the smooth, puffed kind versus the gnarled, crunchy ones. But the coloring threw me. Is was bright red, of the flaming hot variety. I was quite certain that Frito Lay’s brand of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos® only came in the crunchy variety. Huh, I was a bit baffled by this item being served at the ant’s sidewalk cafe. I hypothesized that it must be a generic cheese puff, possibly a Vitner’s or Jewel brand offering. Adding in the locale as a contextual clue, I was almost certain that it was in fact a generic, corn puff. I also concluded it was fried, not baked, considering its smooth, puffed status and very hot, but not Flamin’ Hot® due to trademark restrictions.

And just the other day my sister told me while watching The Good Shepherd that I wasn’t clever enough to be a spy? Well, actually, the interchange went as follows:

Me: You know, I can see myself being a spy. But of course not for the government.

Sister turns her head towards me, lowers her chin while raising both her eyes and eyebrows: A spy? You really think you’re that clever?

Puhhlease. I was all over the identity of that wannabe Cheeto®.

Tomorrow begins the World Championship No-Limit Texas Hold’em (Event 55) at The World Series of Poker. 12,000 entrants times a $10,000 buy-in = $120,000,000. Bet the Binion’s never imagined such earnings and tremendous viewer turn-out when they helped nurture the original World Series of Poker into its current tournament framework back in 1971. Hmmm, maybe I need to dream up some type of money generating, tournament. What’s the current situation with Jigsaw puzzle competitions? Maybe if I add some porn puzzles, I can draw a larger, more diverse participant field?

Found this from the past.
The girl on the right has aged some, but the guy on the left still looks about the same.