The Halls

I recently got into a debate with my aunt about balancing one's checkbook.
She was proud of the fact that she was still able to do it with proficiency, and I said "I used to, but haven't balanced my checkbook in over 10 years"
to which she was abhorred.
I can't for the life of me even think of what reason there even is to balance a checkbook. When I did it, I was only once convinced I found a bank error, and I called them up all fuming, only to discover that I was the one who was wrong.

So got frustrated and stopped. At first, I expected many bad things to happen, that things would happen that I didn't understand or expect, but it never did.
So I never looked back.

The best I can think of is that was the only way to calculate how much money was actually in your account between statements. But that doesn't even make sense, because you only balance it when you get the monthly statement, so I have no idea.

Especially today, when you can check everything you want at anytime you want online.

So join me, brethren, and forsake all checkbook balancing!

Posted by Aaron at 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

That's a song, you know. sadly.
Have you seen the new Asus Eee PC?

This is a pretty cool new machine, I'm seeing this thing as an over grown PDA. And i want a PDA. The only thing missing is a cellphone accessory.
Maybe I'll get to work on that...

Posted by Aaron at 8:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've just ripped my million year old CD of monty python's 'Final Rip Off", it's quite good.


The best tracks on this are definately 'cheese shop' and 'book shop'
But another good skit is 'Bishhop on the Landing', where they are discussing what is for dinner, and the response is 'Jugged Fish'.
So I looked up 'jugged fish' and found out why it's funny, because it's so atrocious.

Posted by Aaron at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Played some cards this weekend, although I didn't play well in the tournament, and was the 2nd person out.
I did well in the cash game afterwords tho. And this was particularly fun because quite a few more people showed up than we normally get, and it was fun to chat and catch up with old friends.
One old friend from college came down from Omaha to play, and I didn't even know he played poker. He doesn't play much, but he's an actuarial guy, so I think he knows odds instantly, and definitely quickly realized good times to bluff. So for a guy that I didn't even think played. he kicked the crap out of us, which is rather humiliating.

I changed the oil in my new corolla, and had to laugh, as the filter is the size of a tuna can! it's like a little toy filter!
Well, I don't care, as long as it works, and the car keeps running.

Posted by Aaron at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

this is a test, I want to add google adsense to this site. Why not, right?

Posted by Aaron at 4:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm still working hard on my thesis. If you really want to know (and I'm sure you do), it's a acoustic echo canceller that is based on the fast block lms (or fblms) technique.
Implementing it on the C54x DSP, which is proving to be very difficult. I want to document it a little bit more in detail, just so I don't forget what I did.
I'm sure you're excited too.

Posted by Aaron at 2:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, I didn't want to be right, but I was right.
Houston Alexander cannot get out of the mount. And to be fair, not many guys can. I know I couldn't for 2 minutes.
I really wanted him to win, but you get thrown to the mat and mounted in less than a minute, and you have two plus minutes to try and fight off your back, you're in big trouble.

Brian Regan was great. I think he was sick, so he didn't do a lot of encore stuff, and I could see he was trying hard not to cough during the routines. I'll bet that's a fun part of the job. You book these shows almost a year in advance, so what happens if you get sick? Too bad, dude.
I was impressed at the amount of new material he had. It was all pretty good too.
I think he sold out the theater again, so hopefully he'll be back again in a year or so.

Posted by Aaron at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Tomorrow nite is the next fight of Houston Alexander, a guy from Omaha who has been killing guys in the UFC for his first two fights. He's definitely a local celebrity now, and his match tomorrow is very anticipated around here by many people.
I will be the first to say that he is untested on the ground, and we could see him get stomped if it goes to the ground. But if it stays standing up, I can't see how anyone can beat him.

I doubt I'll get to see it anyway, because tomorrow nite we're going to see Brian Regan in Lincoln again. I'm pretty stoked. I'll be very interested to see how much new material he has in just one year's time span.

Posted by Aaron at 6:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm currently reading this book,

per the recommendation of my neighbor. He's also an electrical engineer, and we like to talk about business, and potential new business opportunities.
He said I would like it, and it has good points about growing your income.
I'm halfway through it, and I guess it has good points. Frankly, there's nothing there I find very revealing. The main thrust of it all is you shouldn't buy frivolous, non-money producing liabilities like cars and boats, and only ever buy things that make you money, like rental properties and good stocks.

Genius.
Oh wait, I already knew that.
It sort of side-steps the main issue involved with that theory, that I have been spouting since I was in high school, that it takes money to make money.
I've been trying to acquire rental properties and land for some time now, but it's tough to buy much when you don't have much.

Glad I didn't pay anything for this awesome advice.

Posted by Aaron at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

man, I had a whole post up, and then the  internet connection died as it was trying to post, and then the whole thing was lost.
So I'll type this again.

It was a cleanup weekend. Got my thesis project further along.
Found out that my complex multiply in my fft filtering was messed up.
Make sure to save the real result in a temp spot first, then compute the imaginary result, and save both. I was saving the real result and then computing the imaginary result.


I spent the weekend cleaning up the backyard, taking down the trampoline and shade shelter to store away for winter.
Got the garage prepared for the snow, and almost have it all ready.

I need to get a car. Every morning now, Ann takes my truck to work, and I take the kids to school. Then I have to go swap vehicles so she can have the van to pick them up from school.
Pain in the a**.

So I hope to find a friend to take me to an auction to find something, because I will avoid going to a dealer at all costs.

Posted by Aaron at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

all right, some quick vegas highlights.

Thursday, I get in ~3pm.
Checkin to the MIrage, start playing 1-2 no limit.
I get absolutely no hands, and play a total of 4 pots, so basically get blinded out of $100.
Joel shows up, and we decide to go eat, while we wait for Chris and Tom.
We eat, then Chris shows up and we all start playing 3/6 holdem, and we play it forever.
I continue to lose, lose, lose. Just no good cards, and worse yet, a seemingly neverending string of 2nd best hands.
But we play until 6am. When I 'clock out' for room comp purposes, I have logged 14 hours of play since I got there.
I sleep 3 hours, and then just wake up.
Chris, Tom, Joel and I go eat at the mirage buffet, which is pretty good, I think.
Chris and I go right back to playing 3/6, and the others join us.
Beeline shows up that nite.
My luck has not turned, and I do nothing but lose, lose, lose.
Beeline wants to go play somewhere else, and I'm happy to oblige.
We all end up at the imperial palace, because there we can all get on one table.
I start drinking for the first time that day.

A quick preface:
I sent out an email saying that I would 'play almost any hand at a raised pot' and then beeline said something like "yeah, let's see you play 7-4 offsuit all the time and win"
We are at IP at a 2/4 table, and beeline and I are making a point of raising and re-raising each other often.
Many people get caught in between, and beeline and I just trade money back and forth.
At least once, I had a 7-4, and thought "ah yes, I'm going to buy this pot iwth my 7-4, and then stick it in Beeline's face"
I raise, beeline calls, 2 folders, and then the button raises me.I say "uh oh, I think I found someone with a real hand" and just call.
Beeline folds, so it's just me and my 7-4 and this other and his aces or kings.
Flop is 5-6-J. I have stupid looking inside straight draw, but I check, and big hand bets.
I think, "this is stupid to continue with this, but it's only me and him, and it's only $2"
Turn is a 7.
Ok, still a straight draw, and now I have a pair.
Another bet, and another call from me.
River is a 7.
I check raise him, he calls, and flips over his kings.
I flip over my 7-4 and give the knowing nod to beeline, who almost falls out of his chair in disbelief.
That was fun
I had another huge hand there later where I moved to a new table with a huge stack, and the second hand I played I had 9's hit a set on the flop, and I bet it out, had like 4 callers all the way to the river, and the board paired, so I crushed everyone, and they all feared me until 6 in the morning when I finally went back to the mirage.

Saturday.
Played more poker, lost more.
Maybe it was the mirage, maybe it was 3/6. So I played a little 4/8 to see if that was better, and I thought it was, but not by much.
We ate and went to play cards at IP again that nite, but they were full, so we tried harrahs.
I got killed there. Nothing but second best hands.
The crowning example of this:
I have pocket 5's.
I just call, and there's only 1 other caller.
The flop is 9-9-9.
Wow. This could be good for me, so I bet.
He calls.
turn is a 3.
This is also good, I bet again, and he calls. He must have big cards.
River is the case 9, the worst card I could imagine. Now I don't even lose to a legitimate boat.
I check, he bets, I turn my cards up and fold.
The "local expert" to my right and the dealer both said "no, you shouldn't fold, you will split"
I was started getting upset, "no! no I wouldn't!" I yelled. It took me 5 full minutes to convince them that I was right.
That pretty much sealed it for me. I was upset, and had lost my limit for the weekend, so I quit, and we all went back to the hotel and got some sleep before our flights the next day.

I hope this losing streak I'm on ends soon, poker is not fun when all you do is lose.

Posted by Aaron at 12:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Back from Vegas.
Had a big writeup 60% done, and then I restarted the browser before posting.
Genius.

I just had a strange experience. After reading an ad in a magazine on the plane, I thought it would be neat to take this quiz, and which of the current candidates, of which, none of whom look intriquing to me at all.
This is the quiz


My results?
Apparently I don't match very well with many of them, but there was one that stood out as matching with me the most.
The candidate? It was
John Edwards.
I don't care. I'm still voting for Stephen Colbert, even if he's not on the ballot.

Posted by Aaron at 8:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)