As for myself, I had gotten a call from my friend Bake that a fraternity brother of ours (who happens to also be his brother-in-law) was having a small gathering for the game. I was psyched because it meant that a) I would get to see Bake, Gil, Malf and their respective wives again and b) I would have a more enthusiastic audience to watch it with than my wife, who still hasn’t quite caught the fever for PSU football. Hey – I’m trying here…

It was really good to see some of the guys again. I pledged with Bake and Gil, and actually roomed with Chris (aka Malf) for a semester. But lately, I just haven’t gotten out to see them nearly as often as I would have liked (especially since Bake only lives 20 minutes away). Regardless, we all had a good time sitting back and watching a pretty good game. I still think that Anthony Morelli is the second coming of Tony Sacca, but at least Austin Scott looked stronger.

And the defense is looking better every day. Over the last two games, they have allowed a total of negative3 yards rushing total (yes, that’s -3: -3 for FIU, 0 for Notre Dame). Add to that the following defensive stats:

• 13 sacks for 100 yards
• 5 fumble recoveries
• 1 interception
• 2 blocked kicks

So, we all had a good time enjoying a variety of good beers (2 types of Chimay, Brooklyn Chocolate Stout, Left Hand Milk Stout, etc.) and talking about ‘the olden days’ and the upcoming game and tailgate at the Linc against the hapless Temple team. Of course, I shouldn’t get over-confident, I guess: I mean, Temple could be another Appalachian State.

Around the Interwebs

• Record Industry Proves Again How Much They’ve Lost The Plot – It’s ideas like this that prove the RIAA is doomed to fail.
• Pub Crawler – Drinking and riding, while you pedal yourself to the next bar. Brilliant.

—————-
Now playing: Sara Bareilles – Love Song

That first year, we had kind of a whirlwind process of getting everyone together, but it still turned out well – about two dozen alumni and actives showed up to drink beer, play golf, go out to the bars and play poker. Some were newbies to the game there only because it was a chance (ahem… excuse) to get together with old friends and drink some beer. Most of the people went out to Toftrees to play golf, a select few of us decided that our times was better spent at the annual State College Microbrew Exposition, sampling the wares of brewers both local and not-so-local. I drank a lot of good beer, and was pretty tired before the game, but still finished 9th – 1 out of the money.

Last year, preparations took place a bit earlier and things were more organized. Unfortunately, having just started a new job a few days before, I had to bow out at the last minute and didn’t make it. But amost 30 others did and had a great time that coincided with one brother’s bachelor party. It looked fun…

This year, I was determined to make it up again. I put my name in, withstood the jibes that I wouldn’t make it (I’ve been somewhat unreliable as of late), and waited for it to come around. I contacted one of the younger alums who was heading up from the Philly area, Al, and asked if he wouldn’t mind sharing a ride. He didn’t, and we got a ride to PSU with another former brother, James, who I hadn’t met before that day. My loss, it turns out. If you needed someone to watch your back, really protect you when things got ugly, would you choose a ninja or a lumberjack?We got a bit of a late start on Friday, not leaving the city until after 7, but made great time up, arriving a little after 10. It was interesting ride, talking about how things were at the house were when these two younger guys were there and how they contrasted from my experience (such as the fact that we had kegs on tap pretty much 24/7 and could serve beer at parties; they had to dismantle the keg box, couldn’t ever have kegs, and had to have non-alcohol parties as the majority of their events – that had to suck). But we had a bunch of interesting chats about Philadelphia restaurants (James is a health department inspector in the city), music, the wayward maniac kids in Haddonfield, why Barry Bonds should be shot in the arm before he breaks the record and what might be one of the best questions I’ve ever heard:

If you needed someone to watch your back, really protect you when things got ugly, would you choose a ninja or a lumberjack?

I had to laugh – the question was bizarre, and yet we ended up having a big discussion about the merits of each. Ninjas are obviously bad-ass, but lumberjacks are brawny men who carry axes. James was a ninja fan, while Al seemed to think that lumberjacks were the far superior warrior. I picked ninja, upsetting the balance, offering the fact that while “lumberjacks are okay, they sleep all night and work all day”*, they simply couldn’t hold a candle to the likes of a ninja coming out of the night. They were, after all, the warriors who attempted to bring down the samurai in medieval Japan. I had thought them originally derived from ronin, but found out that I was in error. Al countered that ninjas wouldn’t last an hour in the freezing temperatures in their pajamas, to which I replied that I would “rather be wearing pajamaas than ‘…cut down trees…wear high heels, suspenders and a bra”*. He couldn’t argue with that… So, what do you think: Ninja or Lumberjack?

Anyway, when we arrived, no one was sitting around, so we quickly located them at the bars and made our way down to infamous Skeller. The place was fairly full, and a good majority of those in attendance were Theta Delts enjoying memories, cheap beer and the Skellar atmosphere as they shared the required tales of what they were doing now, how their wives were, had they seen [insert name], etc. After a few hours there, it was time to go back to the house for some food, more beer and euchre, a house specialty that we played nearly every moment that were weren’t on a golf course, bar or playing poker. Actually, some of them were even playing AT the bars, too…

I spent most of Saturday NOT golfing, since I hate the game, instead heading around campus to all of the bookstores and shops to refill my Penn State gear list. I needed a couple of shirts for work, and some gifts for the wife, son and nephew. I was amazed by the variety of items out there and the disparity of prices as you went from store to store. I originally wanted to get Caleb a Penn State football jersey, but couldn’t find one that made sense for the money (at 2 1/2, he’s going to grow out of it in about 15 minutes). Instead, I figured that a t-shirt would be sufficient for now, although I’ll probably splurge on a jersey later. Have to counter-act that Univ. of Georgia influence he’s getting. I walked around campus for a while, seeing the multitude of changes that have happened recently. It’s amazing how much it’s changed not only since I graduated all of those years ago, but since I stopped being a regular visitor.

Eventually, I met up with others for lunch and then some pre-game happies. The real festivities began at 8 that night with the tournament. I happened to be sitting with two of the better players, which frightened me a bit. Web could be a semi-pro player and Stellar has a natural card ability that makes him dangerous. But the person who ended up being most dangerous was Joel, who plays clueless and free with the cards, and had such amazing luck that I’m surprised he didn’t pull out a royal flush to take the whole tourney off of a A – 2 unsuited deal. He played the most ridiculous deals, and managed to pull out winning hands on the flop, turn and river all night. He should have been out quickly; instead, he managed to parlay luck over skill well enough to make it to the final table.

As for me, I went 14 hands in a row without out betting, and after that, when I would stay in early, the flops were merciless. I finally had one decent hand and pushed it all in, hoping to counter what I thought was a bluff by Web. It wasn’t and he cleaned me out, 6th person out of the 31-person field. My luck didn’t change much in the cash game afterward. Luckily, I wasn’t as invested here and left only $5 after an hour of playing. Some nights the cards just avoid you, I guess.

It was great to get up to Penn State that weekend, anyway. I got to see a lot of people that I haven’t seen in a while, meet some of the newer brothers, and hung out with some old friends. I didn’t win at poker, but I didn’t devestate my body, either, as I’ve been prone to do on other occasions. All in all, it was a good time – and now I’m looking forward to heading back during football season…

*Thanks to the immortal Monty Python for those lines…

It was just after 8 in the morning – the start of the day, the end of a life all in the span of a phone call. We chit-chatted for a bit, but you could tell that neither of us knew really how to grasp the news. Mark was a fraternity brother of ours, a few classes older but close enough that we were in the house with him for a bit. He was my roommates big brother and so I got to know him pretty well during the whole pledging thing. He was a quiet guy, with a soft, dry humor that came out of nowhere when you least expected it.

I’d only seen him once in the last few years, and for the life of me I can’t remember if it was at a party someone through, or at the house for Homecoming or even at last year’s poker tournament. Strange that you never think those moments might be the last time you see someone. There’s never any reason to think that it is – and even if you stopped to consider, and thought that you’d never see that person again, it was happenstance, that you just never connected over time and distance and family obligations and such. Never that one of you would die before the opportunity passed.

I still don’t know what happened, but in many ways it doesn’t matter. It’s a brother who’s passed far before his time, and the circumstances may add a touch of tragedy or solemnity or a shake of the head, but in the end it’s the fact that he has gone that really matters. His family is probably in shock; his pledge brothers likewise in their own ways; even the rest of us are surely wondering about our own mortality even as we try to remember the moments we shared with this man in and after college. For some, those memories will be painful to bear, while others will remember them as hallmarks of a good life. Either way, it’s the memories that remain in stories told over a cold beer, anecdotes at a summer barbecue and toasts given at the next home football game.

Until then, godspeed Mark. We’ll toast the old lady when next we meet.

I’ve got a pair of 4′s on the draw and I’m to the right of the dealer, so I’m nearly last to decide whether I’m in or out. There are six still playing, and two before me stay in on the deal by matching the blind ($2000). I’m deciding whether to go strong (all in with $5,200) or just call. I called – and that was my downfall.

The flop gave us an Ace, 8 clubs and a 3. Both other players checked and I went all in – $3,200. Player 1 folded, but player 2 called me – and when we flipped, showed an 8 and Q – giving him a pair of 8′s to my 4′s. The rest of the deal was trash, but he said later that had I gone strong from the deal, he would have folded. I KNOW the rule is to go hard to avoid the flop when fortunes can change dramatically, and I didn’t do it and it cost me. In the end, I probably was just holding off the inevitable, but at least I could have played a few more hands if I had played right – and who knows what can happen with the right cards.

Go State!

The weekend began with the trip up to Penn State – a much shorter and faster trip than I remembered, thanks to the tons of new construction. When we got there, we were met by a large group of other Theta Delts at the Cafe. We made quite a ruckus there before heading over to an old favorite – Zeno’s. It was there that I got into trouble, switching from Yuengling Lager to Chimay and Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. Both were delicious but added to my light-headedness.

It was a cool place to be, though, since they were sponsoring the BrewFest the next day – and there were a lot of brewers and beer afficianados in attendance to drink from Zeno’s 29 taps and over 200 different beers (and you’d be hard pressed to find anything brewed by the Big 3. Along the way, I met Matt from Stoudt’s Brewery, a good guy to talk beer with. We reviewed our favorites, talked about his work and he gave me a bit of a lesson on some of the styles that I’m less familiar with, as well as inviting me to stop by the next day.

As the night went on, I realized that I just can’t drink like I used to – but I can still kick butt in darts, winning 3 of 4 games. After the performance (and much trash-talking), everyone then headed back to the house where I quickly found my long work week catching up to me.

Dear Ol’ State

I got up early on Saturday morning to enjoy the beginning of the day and run up to campus to take some pictures. I have always wanted to get some shots of the highlights of campus, and this was going to be my chance, now that I have my new Nikon D70 camera. I have to say that I was impressed and amazed by the number of changes on campus. There aren’t only new buildings, there are entire new sections of the campus. The technology center, the fact that Shortlidge is no longer a car-accessible road (instead being a pedestrian mall in between two wings of the huge Science Classroom Building, the new HUB. It’s all changed so much, and one of the actives at the house was telling me that East Halls – familiarly known as The Tundra in my day – was intended to one day be near the center of campus. Penn State is growing.

But as much as it is growing and getting newer, there are things which still stand and point to the origins of the place. The walking malls are still there, lined with grass and begging squirrels. And there is still Old Main and the Nittany Lion Shrine, my destinations for the day. Below are some of the pictures I got:

State College Microbrewery Exposition 2005

To follow up on a picture-perfect (no pun intended) morning, I was met by the other members of the entourage heading to the BrewFest outside of town. There were only five of us since most people were going to play golf (can’t figure that one out), and we were eager to try the wares of the various brewers and distributors. The $35 entrance fee included the obligatory tasting glass, access to all the beer you could drink (although that defeats the purpose) and a buffet. So, we headed in and went to start sampling brews from all over the world, with a focus on the Pennsylvania region. My scorecard:

• Affligem Blond » 7
• Ayinger Celebrator Doublebock » 8.5
• Chimay Cinq Cents » 9
  Good as usual, but it tasted as though the lines were a little funky.
• Dogfish Head Aprihop » 6.5
• Duvel » 8.5
• Hoegaarden » 8.5
• KClinger’s Brown » 3
• Lancaster Brewing Milk Stout » 7
  I think I actually like this one better in bottle – the tapped version tasted a bit too smoky.
• Lancaster Brewing Strawberry Wheat » 7.5
• Rodenbach » 8
  To be honest, I like the Monk’s version better
• Stoudt’s Trippel » 7.5
• Stoudt’s Weizen » 7
• Troeg’s Troegenator» 6.5
• Unibroue Maudite » 8
• Unibroue Terrible » 9
• Unibroue La Fin Du Monde » 8.5
• Unibroue Edition 2005 » 10
  Absolutely outstanding beer. I got two others hooked on this – I’ll be getting it soon.
• Victory Whirlwind Wit » 8
• Woodchuck Pear » 7.5
  A bit too fruity for me, but not bad
• Young’s Oatmeal Stout » 8
• Young’s Double Chocolate Stout » 9

And Mr. and Mrs. Jerky were making some fine jerky styles, too.

World Series of Poker, Theta Delta Chi Style

Then came the big event – the poker tournament. 39 people were supposed to play, but only 29 showed up – still a great showing with lots of guys that I haven’t seen in a while – in some cases, almost a decade. Web did a fantastic job at getting everything organized and started on time. I played well, although not as well as I did at the last tournament. In the end, I made it to the final table, where I spent my first dozen or so hands getting only 2 face cards total. Makes it hard to play when you can’t even stay in. So, my measly pot kept dwindling and dwindling in the face of the antes and blinds until I took a chance (“Columbus took a chance…”) – a chance with J-3 in the hole against a K-something. I started out well, getting a 3 on the flop, but a king showed up on the turn, and it was all over. I was out, finishing 9th place. Still, not too bad – I played for 4+ hours and took out some of the guys I thought would be there until the end.

Everyone had a good time, and my buddy Tony took the whole thing (I taught him well, it seems). It was a lot of fun for the weekend – although I was bushed on Sunday (and today).

Epilogue

A bunch of beers, poker and seeing old friends – all made for a great time. We’re already planning for next year’s tournament.

Daily Links »

• Tom Cruise is Nuts (dotcom) – amusing

Sometimes, you can do nothing wrong. I started off the night with the following:

• a dealt flush in 5-card draw poker.
• a flush on the river in Texas Hold ‘Em.
• a full-house in Texas Hold ‘Em.

Then Steve sat down and muddied my mojo a bit, but I was still doing pretty well (2 more flushes, another full house along the way). All in all, a pretty good night at our mid-stakes ($40 a person, average) dealer’s choice game.

On the other hand, Darius must have pissed off Lady Luck something fierce. He could have had five-of-a-kind Kings and someone would have had five-of-a-kind Aces. It was that kind of night, typified by his luck at High-Low. For those of you who don’t know it, this game involves betting whether you can get a 3rd card between the first two that were dealt. For example, if you are dealt a four and a jack, you’d be betting that the card turned up between them will be a 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10. If not, you pay the pot your bet – in our case somewhere between 50 cents and the whole pot.

Darius, had at least SIX different combinations of 4-J or better, and lost them all. The cards would show up in his favor, but invariably would give him a losing deal. It started becoming a bane to get those cards because you KNEW that you were going to get screwed. But he kept hesitating and then making the fateful bets – and sweetening the pot. And his bad luck didn’t abate after that – he kept hemorraghing cash game after game, giving up a full house to a better full house, losing a straight to a flush, pulling 21 only to have the dealer also get 21 – resulting in a push. It was tragic. I haven’t seen luck that bad since a friend drafted Rob Moore in the 4th round in fantasy football – about 30 seconds before the announcement of his season-ending injury (of course, pundits would say drafting Rob Moore up that high deserved that stroke of luck).

Of course, I came out $35 ahead, so I walked away snickering.

Daily Links »

• Relax, Everything Is Deeply Intertwingled: Weblications
• CSS min-height hack – fairly simple hack for addressing the height of divs

Daily Links »

• Playboy introduces the iBod – Now no man needs be away from porn…
• Email Pranks – frickin’ hysterical.
• Huh? Marketing – Although obviously a joke (I hope), the site design is actually pretty nice.

Speaking of which, the kid came this close to getting himself squashed by his mother yesterday. After installing some new RAM for him (we put him up to 1GB), she restarted his computer – and was immediately assualted by 110 different pop-ups, programs, etc. She was miffed, to be bland about it, until she ran an Adaware and Norton Anti-virus scan. The tally – over 1,000! various programs that were classified as adware or worse.

I’m extremely anal about my system, making sure that I don’t download all sorts of ‘neat’ programs because I just know that they are laden with spyware, adware and even malware. We all have Norton Internet Security 2004 on our systems to prevent attacks, but it seems that the boy has either a) turned it off at times or b) been slack in getting updates. Considering some of the spamware has been fixed since May by Norton, I’m assuming a combination. Of course, he claims that he doesn’t know how it got onto his computer, but the 20+ programs we found on his system kind of answer that.

The worst part – I don’t think he really knows how much danger he has put the rest of us in. Since we are a home LAN, anything he gets could potentially get to our systems, although the NIS2004 should catch most of it on our machines. Still, it kind of peeves me that he was so laissez faire about it when he mom was about to blow a gasket. So, last night we spent 4 hours trying (semi-successfully) to clean his system. It will take another few hours today to get all of the crap purged – and he had the gall to blow up because we wouldn’t let him use the computer last night when he got home. C’mon, kid – you aren’t that naive – help us out, okay?

Anyone have any suggestions of a really good Spyware program that we can install? Like I said, he has NIS2004 installed (AND updated), and we just installed the latest version of adaware. But I want to make sure that we prevent him from doing this again. We’ve tried the abstinence talk, but I doubt it will take hold – I want to therefore innoculate the best that I can…

Links »

• Stupid Client Quotes - I couldn’t stop laughing. Oh, if I could only add to this…

In the spirit of Halloween, I thought I would dredge up this image from my past. It’s me and 3 college buddies enjoying the chance to relive some of our youth. I haven’t seen most of these guys in years, but I know for a fact that ‘Paul Stanley’ has this same picture up in his house. And now to come up with something for this year…

Links »

• The guys over at WebLinc redesign their site, and get a nod from CSSVault.
• Who is that with Jeremy? Lucky kid – he’ll have quite a photo album when he’s older. He’ll have to open up a deli somewhere…
• Excellent review of the changes in the The Empire Strikes Back DVD.