What a weekend. Friday after lunch, we took the 2 and a half hour trek to Pearl River Resort. We got there a little before 5 and took a look around the casinos. Silverstar reeked of smoke throughout the floor. It was hard to go anywhere and not cough until your body adjusted. Silverstar was really nothing special; it looked like any other basic casino: slot machines as far as the eye could see and a few gaming tables. Tucked away underneath a skylight behind one of the bars was the poker area which was decorated to look like an outdoor environment.

We made our way around the casino to the walkway that connects the two casinos. Golden Moon was a drastic contrast to Silverstar. It looked more like a Vegas casino than Silverstar did. The decorations were ornate and the colored lighting added a lot of effect to spruce up the environment. We found out the hard way that photos of the gaming floor are forbidden inside the casino. While standing next to one of the employees, Erika took out her camera, pointed it at the gaming area and snapped a shot. The casino employee watched the whole sequence of events and then proceeded to reprimand Erika for taking the picture. There were no signs posted saying that photos were not allowed. It wasn't until we were leaving Sunday that we saw a note stating photographs of the gaming floor were forbidden added on to the bottom of a sign stating gamblers must be 21 in order to play.

That irked us a little, but we finished wandering around the casino. It was still a little early for dinner so we stopped by the arcade so I could browse. Erika had a closed bottle of water that she was carrying and the arcade attendant rudely told her she couldn't have it in the arcade. We promptly turned around and walked out. Only there for an hour and already we were wondering if the rest of the weekend would be the same.

Friday night we ate inside the golden moon on the top of the resort. It looked very nice, but our waitress couldn't be bothered to do her job. She left it to someone else to take care of us, refill our drinks, etc. She was there to take our order and bring our check. When we ordered dessert she seemed perturbed that we ordered something off the menu that they weren't serving. Excuse me, but there was nothing saying that you were out of certain desserts. After that experience, we spent the rest of our night in the room.

Saturday was more pleasant. After breakfast, I went to play poker while Erika went to the spa. By lunch, I had won 88 dollars. Erika had a nice time being pampered except for almost passing out during a body wrap. Because they felt bad for her experience, they gave her some free treatments. After lunch, I headed back to the poker room while Erika went to the salon to get her nails done. My afternoon session was not as productive as I proceeded to lose 60 dollars, but I was still ahead. I could never get a feel for the table because it was constantly changing. It didn't help that Mr. Moneybags sat down at proceeded to play wrecklessly which ended up hurting me more than it hurt him. I saw him play stupid hands that should never be played like a K-4 that resulted in a pair of 4s on the flop. Any decent poker player knows better than to stay in for the flop at a 10-player table. Saturday night we ate at a Mexican restaurant at the resort. Ironically this was probably the best meal we had while we were there. After dinner we went up to the room to watch The Legend of Zorro.

Sunday morning I was supposed to go play Omaha Hi-Lo, but the information I received on Saturday was apparently incorrect. I was told they started playing around 8 or 9 but when calling on Sunday, I was told they don't play until late afternoon or early evening. So, we packed up and went to the buffet for breakfast. Although we managed to fill up, it wasn't the best food we had ever eaten. In fact, most of the food was rather bland. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise decent weekend. I had fun playing poker and enjoyed getting away for the weekend, but I don't think we will make the trip again.

Tomorrow begins my birthday weekend (and anniversary observed). To celebrate, I am being taken by Erika to Pearl River Resort. Saturday is dedicated to poker (and possibly the pool should I loose early). I'm hoping to make a little money, but I will probably be too conservative to make a lot of money. We are coming back Sunday to celebrate my birthday. I hope Alabama can take out Florida on the court Sunday to make the day even better.

As a present to you, I have posted a review for Underworld Evolution. There's also a write-up for the new CCG High Stakes Drifter in the Gameroom. Enjoy.

Waking up Saturday to a cold, dreary day was not my idea of a good weekend. Friday, although frigid, had been good. The gymnastics team thoroughly trounced the Razorbacks of Arkansas to stay in top contention for the season. So, on Saturday, I ventured out into the cold to see the men's basketball team take on Tennessee (who at the time were #8 in the nation). Wishing for at least a close game, I stepped into the Coliseum and took my seat. The game finally started, the crowd totally into the contest. Alabama took an early lead and also set the tempo for the rest of the game. Tennessee trailed early and could never find a way to get back into the game. When the 40 minutes were complete, Alabama had a 13 point lead and an ecstatic crowd. That alone was great, but the day was made even better as I left the game.

During the game, I noticed a guy sitting three seats down from me with crutches and a bandaged foot. It looked like he had done some major damage to his foot but something about him looked familiar. It wasn't his face, but his sweatsuit that seemed familiar. Could this be Tyrone Prothro? I really had no clue and had planned to look him up when I got home to see what he looked like. However, thanks to his friend next to him wearing a hat that said "Prothro's do it BIG", it was pretty easy to connect the dots. I noticed him give a few autographs and take a picture with one girl. Other athletes came up to him to chat. Wow, I was sitting three seats away from Tyrone Prothro! I had nothing to get an autograph, so the best I could do was say hi and shake his hand. I sat there most of the game wondering if I had the balls to do what I had planned. I knew I didn't want to interrupt the game for him, so I waited until a TV timeout was called. With Alabama already up by 15 and 3 minutes left in the game, I decided to beat the crowd out. I walked over to him and called his name. He looked up and I said "Nice to meet you" as I reached out to shake his hand. He shook my hand and said "You too." And with that, I turned around and left the Coliseum to drive home and tell my wife.

A long deserved update for the Gameroom has been uploaded. Read about WizKids new collectible card game High Stakes Drifter. It was a good idea, but there isn't much substance behind this Wild West game.

Last week, I turned on my desktop PC for the first time this year. I turned it off on Christmas Eve and hadn't touched it until last week. For six whole weeks, my PC sat dormant in my office. What finally forced me to turn it on? I had to scan a document for Erika to put out on the web for her journalism history class. How sad is that? It wasn't a game or the Internet, but the scanner, that persuaded me to turn on my computer. And now, another week later, that is the only thing I have done on the computer. The games still lay dormant due to the lack of time currently invading my life. As the quarter comes to an end, there is a small glimmer of hope that the PC might be used more, but for how long remains a mystery as I still don't have my schedule for the next quarter.

We were told at the beginning of the year (January 6 to be precise) that the new schedules would be finished that weekend and we would have some input as to what we teach and when we teach. It was confirmed and promised in a private discussion with the dean later that day. Here it is five weeks later and there's still no schedule. The students know what classes they are taking, but no one knows who is teaching the classes. I'm still waiting to give my input on the schedule, but I probably shouldn't hold my breath.

Welcome to the second half of the Heath Ledger double feature. Today, there is a review for Casanova in Now Playing. Thanks to my wife for filling in for me while I struggle with my hectic schedule. Enjoy!

This past weekend, I took a little trip down to Panama City Beach. Yes, it was a little early for Spring Break, but the quick diversion from everyday life was pleasant. I was actually down there with Erika while she attended a conference. Unfortunately, the beach weather left a lot to be desired.

We didn't arrive in PCB until almost 5:00 PM. By that time a dense fog had rolled in and the sun was quickly setting. That didn't stop me from taking a quick trip to the beach. Walking out, I made a beeline to the ocean to find out it was quite frigid. I was glad that I had forgotten my swimming trunks. After wandering the beach and picking up some shells, we went back to the room to get ready for dinner.

We ate with some of Erika's colleagues at a restaurant called Montego Bay. I ordered some Jamaican spice wings and ribs, both of which were absolutely amazing. The wings could have stood a little more pepper, but the ribs were amazing. I've always heard of ribs so tender the meat just falls off the bone, but this was the first time I had ever experienced it. Every bite just melted in my mouth. After dinner we went to a little bar called Harpoon Harry's for a drink and good times. The highlight of the night was passing by The Horny Goat Bar (which was right next to Hooters). Alas, the bar was not open.

Saturday morning, I went back down to the beach for a walk. It was sunny, but the wind was blowing in at about 20 mph which dropped the wind chill down quite a bit. Along my walk I encountered some rare aquatic sea life. During high tide, several jellyfish had been stranded on the beach. Several of them were as big as dinner plates. One of the creatures may have even been a Portugese man-of-war. While this is a bit unlikely, the creature on the beach looked like a 20 pound granite rock sitting in the surf.

I wish I had been able to spend more time on the beach, but the little time I did get to spend there was nice. It reminded me of all the family vacations when I was younger which were some really good times. When it gets warmer, we will be visiting the beach again and staying a little longer.

This is in response to the comments left on the previous entry.

Anonymous writes:
"It is pretty clear from the tone of this comment and the review that the only comments you seek are those that agree with your viewpoint."

I seek no comments, but thank you for yours. You are certainly entitled to your opinion and I respect that.

Anonymous writes:
"The insistance[sic] that those who don't necessarily approve of homosexual behavior (and for the record I don't care what two adults do in private) are "close minded, immature, etc..." shows the authors passing just as much judgement[sic] as those they wag their finger at."

If you wish to quote what I said, please do so, but do it correctly. I did use the word close-minded. "[I]mmature, etc." were not written by me nor were they implied. The term closed-minded is not a term of judgment. Closed-minded by definition is "Intolerant of the beliefs and opinions of others" (dictionary.com). This is not a judgment of other people by me, but a mere description of the attitudes of that person. Using a word to describe someone is not judgment. Is it judgment to call a white person white? No. Would it be a judgment by me to call someone wearing a white tank top and cutoff jeans white trash? Yes. I don't believe anywhere in my blog that I judged anyone. There are indeed people who are closed-minded.

Anonymous writes:
"Drop the politically correct pretense and get used to the idea that mainstream society will always have an issue with the 2-3% who engage in such behavior."

There is no political correct pretense here. This is a perfect example of judging. You make an assumption that is not true. I feel that homosexuals are people just like I am. If they think they are in love, so be it. Who am I (or anyone else) to say they should be treated differently for not loving the opposite gender. You are correct that society will never fully accept homosexuality. There is no denying that some people will remain close-minded. This is a simple fact, not a judgment.

"You know I ain't queer", said Ennis. Just because I saw Brokeback Mountain doesn't make me gay. Granted I probably wouldn't have seen it if Erika didn't want to see it, but I wasn't ashamed to walk into the theater. On the other side, I'm called homophobic because I didn't really want to see it. Why should I be judged either way. The movie didn't look appealing to me regardless of it's homosexual theme. Just because it has cowboys I'm supposed to be an instant fan? Nope, sorry, doesn't work that way. But if I see it, I'm told that I shouldn't "admit that out loud." Why? Because there are people in this world that are too closed-minded to accept people for who they are? I understand that many people believe homosexuality to be a sin, but doesn't the Bible teach love to those that are different? Should we be judging these people? If homosexuality is wrong, why can't God do the judging?

With that said, I have posted a review for Brokeback Mountain. It was written by Erika as a way to help me catch up on reviews. I invite you to give it a read and decide for yourself if this movie is one you might want to see.