Over as Quickly as it Came...

So Thanksgiving weekend has already come to an end. The long weekend really blew by for me, as I was constantly doing... oh wait... nothing. Good times.

Thanksgiving night itself went really well, as I happily enjoyed my first ever real T-day turkey. My family ordered an 11-pound bird from Boston Market, and we also got a casserole of what might have been the greatest sweet potatoes I have ever had. The dinner itself went along okay, as my brother - who has become maybe the most annoying, hard-headed person I have ever come across - kept his inner-asshole in check.

The Friday and Saturday after the big day weren't especially eventful, as I hung out with some friends here and there. I certainly didn't go shopping on Black Friday... that mania that surrounds that day just fucking frustrates me. Plus, if I had to list everything that I hated, Black Friday encompasses some of the higher items on the list; that being crazy women, shopping, and big crowds. No thank you.

Oh, I also forgot to mention the part where I definitely didn't choose to go to my high school's five-year reunion. I remember high school, like most people do, as this really awkward time where I had some friends, but really didn't like most people at all. Plus, going to the reunion would've meant that I would have had to dress up, drive to DC, park in DC, and surround myself with far too many drunk and preppy douches. Again, no thanks. Maybe in another five years... maybe.

Coke or Pepsi?

Coca-Cola has, as long as I can remember, been my soft drink of choice. I always was fervently a Coke guy through and through, even going as far as besmirching the name of Pepsi whenever the opportunity arose. My hate for Pepsi was that strong... or at least it used to be.

In the last few months now, Pepsi has slowly been giving Coke a run for its money. And just this past weekend, it happened. I'm a Pepsi man now. Why, you must be wondering, did I make the switch? I really have no reason for it. The only logical answer I can offer up is that the Pepsi machine in my place of work is merely 20 steps away from my cubicle, while the Coke machine sits all the way on the other side of the building. Can I truly be so lazy that I would be willing to switch my allegiance from one brand to another merely for the sake of said level of convenience? An extra 300 step traverse I would need to take to reach another product is all it takes to sway me and my morals?

Answer: yes.

An Itch to Scratch...

So I've been playing quite a bit of poker lately. For the most part it's just been a freeroll here or a play chip tournament there, and actually even a low-stakes home game just recently, but it's all gone rather well. Now I do have a decent bankroll split up between my online account and cash-in-hand, but I really want to make this go-around count. I'm easing myself back into the grind that poker can become, and just dipping my toe in the water with, like I said, freerolls and microstakes cash games, is the way to go.

You see, over the last two to three years I've rarely played for a variety of issues, but now I think I have come to a point where, if I wanted, I could jump back into the thick of things and commit a lot hours to playing. Yet, every time I've done just that before I would be in over my head, and would forget/ignore even the most basic, fundamental concepts of play. My bankroll would then dwindle a bit, and just as soon as I started to play I would stop.

But now? I'm rereading game theory books I already read five years ago, and although I once went over all these basics, it's brand-new material all over again. This analytical side of the game I never really had a stable base for, and going over that material will be a good point to jump from so that I don't repeat mistakes I've made in the past.

The instinctual part of the game, what I believe is my strength, will come definitely back to me... it always does once I get on a regular schedule of play. Most poker players, hell even just people in general, claim that they can "read" people well and naturally have that instinct. Said people are full of horseshit, just for the record. In my case though, that actually rings pretty true. I'm not going to drop the cliche that I've always had a sixth sense for these kinds of things (I hate people who say that), but I do hone in on people's body language, voice level, and more - all of which you can learn a tremendous amount from - more than the average person.

Ideally I'd like to arrive at the point where I equally weigh this sixth sense I have (ugh) with my understanding of game theory for every decision, but that's a long ways away. If I had to put a number on it, I'd say that, at my peak as a poker player, I gave maybe 10-15% credence to game theory, and mostly relied on instinct for my decisions. So as you can see, I'm reaching for the sky here with regards to where I aim to go.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

So Modern Warfare 2, the sixth installment of the Call of Duty video game franchise is, well, only the best game evAr. But no really, it was definitely worth getting a new 360 for (and trashing my old broken system... Microsoft needs to seriously create a 'cash-for- XBox 360 clunkers' program, as I have never in my lifetime seen a company exhibit such disregard for all the short and long-term flaws in such a popular item)... but I digress.

Everything I could have possibly asked for from the game, I got. I can't fathom buying another title for months now, as my hands should be tied for a while. Goodbye Madden 09 and NBA 2k9, I hardly knew ye.

Bumps...

So it's been a little over a week since I last wrote here, and a number of interesting things have happened in the wrestling world since. Being that I am going to touch on these happenings, this would normally be called a "Quick Hits" column or something of that nature. That is rather lame though, and I'm one who likes to be contrarian just for the sake of being contrarian . So let's call this post a... hmmmmm... a "Quick Punch" column? No, a "Quick Bangs" column? Nah, that doesn't work either.

Since the ol' noggin' isn't working at the moment - it is Monday after all - let's refer to a trusty thesaurus for synonyms of the word "hit". That's right folks - nowhere else will you see a columnist openly refer to a thesaurus in the midst of his/her column, especially in search for synonyms of "hit" - a task so simple that third graders could assuredly do in a jiffy...

1. KO
2. bang
3. bash
4. beat
5. blitz
6. bump... I like bump.

So there, let's call this a "Quick Bumps" column. That's close enough to "hit", and hell, it kind of ties into wrestling, right?

...

Somebody?

...

Anybody?

Okay, moving on.

The big news of the week is that Hulk Hogan, along with Eric Bischoff, have signed with TNA. Normally this is something I'd be behind for a few reasons. First off, Hogan legitimizes TNA with some mainstream star power, and TNA's ratings will probably bump up whenever he debuts. And if TNA's ratings go up at all, the WWE has to take some notice and, in turn, step up their game. Competition is always a good thing for us fans. See: The Attitude Era

But a part of me wonders what will happen to the rising talent that have made a name for themselves over the last few months; namely Abyss, Matt Morgan, A.J. Styles, and Hernandez. Will these guys get put over Hogan if they had a match with him? Will Hogan take valuable time from them that, for the sake of the long run, could be put to better use to build young talent? Are we in for another version of the Main Event Mafia, only with Hogan starting up NWO again, and will take over half the show just as MEM did?

As great as it is for TNA to have added maybe the biggest name in wrestling history, they are operating on a slippery slope where much of their work could be erased in a week or two of Hogan's reign. It's a helluva gamble though, and it will be fun to see how it unfolds.

Another noteworthy event that took place in the wrestling world was Batista turning on his cartoon character of a friend Rey Mysterio. I am all for this, because if there is one thing I like of my heels it is that they look as imposing as Batista does. And in this regard, Batista has not failed me the least bit. When he first turned during Bragging Rights, telling Mysterio that he wanted to 'rip his head off', and then went from that semi-smirk to that deranged, I'm-going-to-tear-your-fucking-head-off look, I got chills. It was awesome.

A high profile heel turn like this has been needed for some time, and Batista, if anybody, was the right guy. His look, his move set, and his ability as of late to sway the crowd whatever way he wants (despite not being all that charismatic) is conducive to any heel.

Plus, for a minute there I thought, with all the over-the-top hugging and snuggling Rey and Dave had going before the turn, we were in store for a Billy and Chuck kind of storyline. And not that there's anything wrong with that, but considering the size difference between the two, one would think Rey could only take so much of Batista's dick. That storyline just wouldn't have been believable now that I think about it. Maybe now though, Mysterio and Evan Bourne can go at it... secretly I've always been rooting for those two anyways.

Old gimmicks are old. I don't know about you, but seeing unprepared weekly guest hosts on Monday Night RAW have been embarrassing to me as a wrestling fan. I'd venture to guess that at least half of them, if not more, came in with little-to-no prep, and went on to spit in our faces by mispronouncing names and ruining segments (I will admit "Summerfest" was a gem though).

You might say that it was already a freak show before, but ever since the guest host gimmick, RAW has truly transformed itself into a pathetic gimmick yearning for mainstream attention. I can only count on one hand how many good hosts we have had (Shaq, Bob Barker, Snoop Dog, and that's fucking it) through the months, yet it seems like S.T.U.P.I.D. is going to keep this weekly trainwreck going, all in the name of an extra tenth of a point or two in the Nielsen ratings. No mispronunciations that embarrass the company are going to stop the madman from putting on whichever celebrity or flavor of the month wants to push their product. I swear to you, if RAW is a catastrophe tonight, it's coming off my DVR scheduled recordings. I'm really tired of wasting my time with it. /end rant

One more thing I'd like to mention before I end this... Ken Anderson, what happened to you? After S.T.U.P.I.D. fired you, you entertained your fans for a couple of months with weekly Youtube sketches that, although only a couple minutes in length, allowed us to get our weekly "fix" of your talent. When you put an end to those episodes, which was roughly around the same time your no-compete clause with the WWE expired, we all expected your grand return to the ring. After all, we have only seen you wrestling on television just once in eleven months: eight months out with that injury, and three months of the no-compete clause. Yet now we're fast approaching a month that you have yet to sign anywhere after being eligible; when really, there is only one place to sign: TNA.

So what's with the wait? Did I not obsess and praise over you enough? I sincerely doubt that. I mean after all, I had dreams where you and I... nevermind.

The end.