Rizo Part II

Naturally, Saturday arrived quicker than we wanted. With one last night to party in Scottsdale, Nico made arrangements for a VIP booth at Martini Ranch. It was 1 in the afternoon when we got the news and I already smelt trouble. It was the inevitable, we were on vacation. Before the night started, Jorge, Choke and I headed for the casino for one last stab at 3-6. We sat around mid afternoon all at the same table. Within the first 30 minutes, Choke and Jorge took some nice hands. I wasn't so lucky. Within the first 2 hours, I dropped 120. By the time we left, I lost 300 but walked away with 100 overall for the week. Realizing that I left as a winner, for once I was pleased with my play. Although, I should have stayed home .. trust me I know! Jorge and Choke left after their gambling limit was reached ... but I'm pretty sure they had a good time nonetheless ... K-9, K-9!!!

The night came quickly. We left for Martini Ranch at 11 and reached the doors no more than 10 minutes later. As usual, when rolling with Nico, there's never a line. Straight in, no cover, no hastle. A bouncer led us right to the booth. At the edge of the table it read, "Reserved. Nico."

A Kodak moment

Later that evening

Nuttin but trouble

Martini Ranch was very different from E4. The difference ... a LOT whiter. The music was also much whiter. No krunk up in hur! Lots of strange mixes btw 80s, pop and house ... but white folks loved it and they looked good dancing to it. Overall I preferred E4 but that didn't stop the boys. I wasn't moving unless I found some brown bumpin'. And the closest to brown I saw was cousin Cheryl ... big up girl! Anyway, the boys occassionally made their way to the dance floor and found some tail to dance with. Each trip out to the floor ended in an unsuccessful return. I recall one moment that 3 ladies joined us at the booth. It got real strange when found out that two of them were related ... mother and daughter types! I'll just say, the mother wasn't shy. And even better, the daughter wasn't shy either. At one point I could of swore she was cheer-f*kin' .. if you know what I mean. Take off goggles! Tanootz!

The time came when the lights got bright. The bill arrived and I couldn't believe my eyes ... $107 for the whole smash. I'm confident we cleared $300 ... but once again, Nico's jedi mind tricks cleared the bill of $200 easy. But as always, the the difference was left in the tip for our hostess ... she earned it! We made our way out to the street where madness pursued. Vito anxiously got his vehicle from valet and headed straight home with Jorge. Somehow, Nico convinced Choke and myself that we should take a "cab" ride. We waited for 15 minutes or so and expected yellow cab to pick us up on the corner or possibly at the typical stand. Instead, a jet black 2006 Escalade rolls up .. 24 spinners!! Nico opens the door and says, "Get in!" WHAT! Homeboy had some service going on taxiing drunk folk from place to place ... in his Escalade ... HOT! Movies playing, while pumpin hip-hop. Tylanol and fresh water in the back .. full up leather ... and rubbers if you're lucky ... absolutely rolling in class. My jaw was dropped during the 10 minute ride back to Vito's. UNREAL! We got dropped off at the house and he was asked to return to take us to an afterparty late night. Freakin Jorge had the cam and unfortunately no pics were taken. But the moment was bliss. All night we got those, "Who are they" stares! Real world Scottsdale ... betta recognize!

SInce we left da club, I was ready for an afterhour party. Then sometime between drunk and sober I came to and dreaded the long drive back to CO. Immediately, I snuck to my bed and passed out. Waking up at 9 the next morning, it all felt like one strange dream. Without a doubt, Scottsdale is on my list. Will I move there? The future will tell. Tomorrow, interview with The Walsh Company. So many options, very indecisive ... HELP!

Rizo

We arrived at Vito's last Wednesday late night .. about 1am. After our hellos, Vito and Jorge shared stories of their early evening at the lingerie party while Choke and I geared up for the casino. Choke cracked open beer after beer as I counted my loot trying to find my gambling limit for the night. The problem was, I have no limit! We headed out around 2am and 15 mins later, I was sat at a table. I sat, got my chips and started banging away. Up $60 in 30 mins. Scary to say but I feel at home whenever I'm at a holdem table. It all falls into place nicely. By 4:30 the boys were ready to split. My chips began to fall away and so were the cards but I ended $20+ by the time we left. Not a bad start.

Thanksgiving day started late ... about 2pm. We began our evening at another casino around the corner from the condo. No holdem here, mostly slots and blackjack tables. We got a few drinks in us and all played 21. Usually I'll waste all my money on 21 but on this night I left the table with $120+. I couldn't believe it! Shots for everyone!! We had our traditional turkey dinner at the casino restaurant where we met Uncle Louie. Uncle Louie is in his late 40's, with plugs and spray as hair. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Louie now resides in AZ where Vito found him ... amazing! Louie still has his NY talk and heavy accent. It's hilarious! What really took the cake was the red suede jogging suite he wore along with the bling bling around the wrists, neck, ear, you name it, it had bling. Let the shadiness begin .. Uncle Louie handed $1k cash to Vito and asked that we exchange the loot for large bills at the cashier. Uhhhh ... shady!!! When I was around him I got the feeling that the cameras were all over us. All I could think about was going to the big house for exchanging 20s for large bills. I was hoping someone was going to accept my collect call later that night. Obviously nothing happened but one wrong move would of been the end of the trip. We made it out alive!

Thanksgiving night @ E4 - A Vince Carter Party

Enter Nico ... we met Nico at the restaurant with Uncle Louie. As Vito said that night, "Where ever I land, I'll find them!" That he did. Originally from LV, Nico found his way to Scottsdale over a year ago. Since then, he has dialed in to the club scene like myspace ... it may be Nicospace. As we get to E4, there was a small line of 10 - 12. Nico gets us right up to the door ... we're in like jiffy. No cover, no hassle ... right in. E4 is a super hot club ... there's no doubt. 5 rooms, various VIP areas and lots and lots of beautiful people. It's been awhile since I've been at a club ... it's been even longer since I was at a club with people that have some color to their skin ... and they were hot! We got our drinks for cheap and toured the club from room to room. As we entered each room, Nico got us into the VIP booths. We were rolling deep. Each room we entered we got hooked up and it never ended.

Unfortunately, we never got the chance to met up with Vince Carter but Nico introduced us to other pro-atheletes that night. We got the chance to give Mikki Moore a pound as we left. And at one point of the night, Nico said, "Hey man, I want you to meet my boys. This is EJ." EJ? The Edge was no more than a hand shake away. A real down to earth cat that chills with the rest of the crowd. I couldn't believe my eyes. Apparently, Nico and the Edge are good friends and chill from time to time. Straight up, he's dialed in! Overall, we had a great turkey day and the evening was a success. It got even better when we reached the casino for afterhours gambling. I spent 2.5 hours at 3-6 limit and left with another $140+ for the night. $260+ on the day. I was on fire!!

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Down by the River

Black Friday was spent at Richie's house. We got up to Richie's by noon and took the dune buggies for a quick spin down by the river. It was a beautiful 78 degree day and everyone brought out their toys to play. BBQs, quads, trikes, 4-wheelers, fishing ... the river was packed. It reminded me of a drier Boulder Creek. But it's dry heat! Here I am spinning it out on my return from the canyon.

Spin, spin shuga!

After cutting it up for a few, the boys and I went far out into the desert to shoot off a couple rounds of various weapons straight from Richie's arsenal. AR-15, AK-47, 9mm, 357s, you name it we had it. We had enough guns to supply a small army. Richie hooked it up with free ammo for the day ... we were ready to unload.

Say hello to my little friend!

We shot off many, many rounds of each firearm. We set up the traditional paper targets and stuck some old potatoes on tree branches for additional target shooting. The potatoes didn't have a chance. Neither did the rafter that barely made it through our crossfire ... JK! It was pretty close ... it was a good thing his raft was a bright color! Of all the guns we shot, the AR-15 was my favorite. The power is incredible and you don't feel a thing. A light touch on the trigger and ka-pooow .. bye-bye potatoe. My second favorite, the Browning 9mm. Like Richie said, "That's a man's gun!" It was very accurate and the action is really smooth. A Bauer gun if you ask me!

After hours of shooting, we headed back to the ranch for another T-day dinner. Grandma went to town on dinner ... turkey, gravy, stuffing, mash potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, a noodle dish, salad, and it went on. We ate like kings till we couldn't move. Big up to Grandma for a wonderful dinner! We can't thank her enough. Nico made plans to head out to Martini Ranch were he hooked up 2 VIP booths for us to use. Unfortunately, turkey was winning the battle by the minute and by the time we got home, turkey won! Once our heads touched something soft and it was lights out. Amazingly, I managed to keep my eyes from shutting and headed out to the casino at 11:30 for a quick 5 hour session while the boys napped. After grinding it out for 5 hrs, I came home dead even but still $300+ for the week. At 4:30, I crashed hard. Sat was a new day!

to be continued ...

Vito SalDucci

Tomorrow we're off to AZ to visit Vito SalDucci. A 12-hour drive on unknown roads, heading towards the border, in a shady Prius, with NY licence plates ... "No officer, that's not mine. We're not sure how that got in here!" Wish us luck! And if by chance you receive a collect call from Choke or I, please accept the charges.

It's a fair bet that I won't be plugged during the next few days. Unfortuately, I will have to carry the crack-berry for the duration. But unless someone shoots themself in the eye with a nail gun, I ain't responding. With that, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I hope all of you have a great turkey day and may your turkey day wishes come true!!! Vito SalDucci for pres!

3 Days Later

"Don't bring any luggage. Don't talk to anyone. Just get on the plane."

>>Happy BDay Choke<<

Deer hunt selecta!!

Lock, Load & Pull

I spent my Sat morning at Colorado Clays, a sponsored event by AGC. Kym, one of our officers, organized for the students to met with industry professionals of various construction companies from the Boulder-Denver area. The idea was to have students network with professionals and ultimately land a solid employment opportunity for Spring or Summer 07. As you would imagine, there wasn't much shop talk going on but more, "How many have you hit?" discussions. Our group started at station 5 a little after 9 and shot off 100 shells by noon. Of the 100, I hit 27 clays while Geoff knocked off 34. Kym finished strong with a solid 51 and others averaged between high 30's and low 40's. Looking through the score cards, I finished second to last overall. For my first time shooting clay with a 12-gauge, I thought I did fairly well. So immediately after lunch, Chris and I went back out for trap shooting and spent an hour or so licking off another 125 shells.

If you have never gone before, I strongly recommend it. I can understand not wanting to hunt. There are many components of hunting that are not attractive. For some, its the actual act of shooting the animal. For me, it's getting the kill to the truck .. not fun. But clay shooting .. a totally different game. It's safe, fun, no blood, and you get to handle a shotgun! This year's creative gift may be a 20-gauge.

The Last Five

On the third day, I resigned ...

To tell you the truth, for whatever reason I was nervous on Tuesday. Yesterday, a migraine got rid of the nervousness. This morning, I felt like I was on top of the world ... but was still late to work. I made the call promptly at 9AM. As expected, they weren't ready for me but two minutes later, they rang my office. Flat out, she offered me a job after graduation. BUT, in Phoenix of course! As planned, I didn't accept nor deny the offer; just a suttle thank you but need sometime to think about it response. They asked if I would be willing to stay on through May ... mid Jan is as far as I go. If you've built one, you've built them all!!!

This morning I signed up for my last 5 undergraduate classes. Very exciting! Instantly after hitting the submit button, I made the executive decision not to work during my last semester ... we'll see how far that goes ... my student loan's are pretty ridiculous. I guess that's what you do when you're in your late 20's and not living with mom and dad ... take out loans to gamble with and hope to turn it around into millions while finishing the degree.

Knowing that I have a solid employment opportunity after graduation is a great blanket to have. Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll be able to determine if I can get into the department that I really want to work for. If it all works out, I may run for the border. Mercury is in retrograde, Venus moving into Sagittarius and Uranus to direct speed!

Crossroads

We've just lost cabin pressure ...

This morning I was asked by the avp of my department if I could speak with her on thursday. Naturally I accepted but instantly wondered what was on the agenda. I thought about it for an hour or so but then I was suddenly distracted by the next semi-attractive female student that walked by on campus. After 5 hours of classes, I was on my way back to work. After twenty minutes or so back onsite, I received a call from my counterpart asking if I could meet with her in her office. Typically she calls with a specific question or if we could meet somewhere at the facility to put out a fire of sorts. But instead, she wanted to meet in her office ... huh! I reached her office ten minutes later. As I entered, she got up from her chair and seductively walked towards me. She passed me gently, grabbed the door with her right hand and slammed it shut. She pressed up against me and ran her hand up my back. She took her other hand and ran it through the back of my head. She was breathing heavily around my ear. I turned towards her and said, "You crazy!"

No, really ... When I got there she was on the phone making arrangements for our next construction meeting. Minutes later, she got off the phone and we began to discuss action items for the next day. After we organized, she dropped the bomb. She was laid off ... buyakasha! Dun dun dunnnn! She was given the "relocate to our office or we'll have to let you go speech." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Immediately after she told me the story, I felt really bad. Then I thought of her inexperience. It was for the best. Instantly, the pieces fell right into place. And I first thought I was in trouble for being tardy. Does any one still use that word ... tardy? Anyway, the time has come to make my first decision of many. I really might need help with this one! 60 hours and counting ....

Picked Up

My bro's GF picked up by the boys!

Newcombe, Bucco & Math?

After lunch w/ Brown yesterdy, I suddenly got the poker itch and decided to spend a few hours in the afternoon at Blackhawk, hoping to come home with an xtra $100. That was the initial goal ...$100 and I'm on my way home. Porter and I got up there around 3 and found 2 open seats at the Lodge no more than 10 minutes later. Within the first half hour, I was down $60. Porter won a $60 pot on his first hand but lost his limit an hour later. After Porter left the table, my roll began. I was taking pot after pot and I felt unbreakable. I went from $40 to a little over $220. I was at my goal with a few dollars xtra to buy a pack of cigs. Minutes later Porter came strolling by and asked if I wanted to go. Naturally, I asked for 20 more minutes, which eventually lead to an additional 3 hours of Limit Texas Holdem and with nothing to show for it. I lost it all. I wanted to fight myself. I reached my goal within 2 hours then greed took over and any rational thought when right out the window. AHHHHH! I'm still upset with myself.

Instead of coming home at 6 like I planned, I walked in the door at 11. I made dinner and stared at the TV for an hour while replaying my afternoon in my head. There were a few moments after I ate, when I thought to head back up to Blackhawk. Then I quickly realized how dumb that I idea was, I brushed my teeth and went to bed.

Waking up this morning, I had trouble differentiating my dream from reality. I had one of those dreams that "seemed so real." I was back in high school heading to my last period class. I remembered (maybe from a previous dream) that I changed my schedule around and that my last period class was different from where I was going. I ended up in Newcombe's class, my high school english teacher. Walking into the classroom, I felt that something wasn't right but couldn't put my finger on it. I told Newcombe that I wasn't sure if I was registered for his class and asked if it would be ok to sit in. He really didn't answer so I assumed it was fine to stay. As I strolled over to an empty seat, I glanced at the board. Newcombe was erasing math equations, swiping the eraser from left to right. Then as he swiped the eraser from top to bottom of the black board and new math equations appeared. It took a second to register but Newcombe was performing magic tricks while teaching math. I know ...strange! Bugged out, I tried to find an open seat in the classroom as quickly as possible. Either I was scared of Newcombe or I couldn't wait to see what he was going to do next. I eventually found a seat in the back of the room by my high school classmate, Bucco. I took the seat and moved it over to her right to give her some room. As class went on, stranger things began to happen. A student asked Newcombe a question and to answer the student, he slapped two chalk erasers together. The cloud of chalk puffed in the air and suddently the chalk dust clumped together and provided the answer. HA! Was Newcombe from Hogwarts? From what I recall, Newcombe never spoke and continued to answer questions in some magical way. He still had his grey beard and was just as tall from what I remember in HS ... magical! At the end of class, I realized that I had my legs propped up on an open seat in front of Bucco and I. What was strange at this moment was thatI had my leg over hers and our seats were closer than when I first got there. It was high school romantic. HAHA! It's so MTV!

I'm obviously leaving out some detail but you can imagine that the dream got stranger and stranger as it went on. I ended up in a cab with Bucco heading towards an apartment. It could of been hers, mine, or someone else's ... but it was an apartment that I've never ever seen in my entire life. It looked like it belonged somewhere in Forest Hills but the reality is that it could of been anywhere. Before things got really interesting, my phone rang. I woke up to 20Red asking if I wanted to watch the Viks at the Tic. I immediately said no, hung up and hoped to fall right back into my dream. It never happend, no matter how hard I shut my eyes. It felt so real, I felt really awkward after I woke up. Minutes later, I spoke with Choke and Brown, planning our trip down to Denver for Dim Sum. I felt right back to normal and couldn't wait for DIM SUM .. Yum Yum!

Not sure what the dream means if it means anything at all. Trying to analyze it would just want me to go back to that "special place." If I ever do, I'll be sure to make it to the apt before I answer the phone. Better yet, I'm setting my phone to silent before I go to bed each night. Sweet dreams!!!

Heads or Tails

A friend of mine is a learning assistant (LA) for a calculus workshop at CU. The workshop is a 1 credit hour class designed to help freshman and sophmore students develop their understanding of calculus. During the hour, students apply their learning on worksheet prepared by the TA, while LAs roam the room helping the students troubleshoot the various exercises. Since the beginning of the semester, Erin gave me an overview of her experiences as an LA and how much she enjoys the opportunity. Then she told me about the check she gets every month ... you can imagine that it's not much at all ... but I was immediately sold on the idea. It's obviously not about the money by any means ... but to get paid for helping students with calc problems .. come on ... count me in!

I got home a few minutes ago from the LA meeting for Spring 07. Without a doubt, I'm going to apply. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with younger female students ... JK! Seriously, it is a great opportunity ... an opportunity that may change my career into education ... doubtful, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

On another note, I ran into a few familiar faces at the meeting, most of which were my professors for applied math and physics classes; two of my favorite subjects. After the meeting, I had a quick chat with my calc 3 professor, Adam. After I mentioned that I would be graduating in May, naturally he asked what I would be doing after graduation. I told him as I tell most, I'm not sure! And I'm not sure ... tomorrow the VP and AVP of my department is coming out to the mall for a "visit." Right ... I already went through the interview in my head a few times this afternoon as soon as I received the email. Anyway, back to Adam ... after my response, he influenced me to strongly consider grad school, specifically in applied mathematics. If I were to pursue, I would eventually receive a master's from CU's school of engineering AND I'd be "doing" math. Not a bad idea at all. Considering graduate school, I would continue the work/school schedule for another 1.5 years ... and so far it's been a rough ride. What to do?

I'm not going to make any decisions yet. Like I said before, I've got Phoenix in a few weeks and the "visit" tomorrow. Just so you know, although I got the email today, I got a heads up a week ago ... have your people call my people! Anyway, I'm sure I'll be flipping the coin when the time comes. HA! Tails never fails ... $100 super bowl 07!