How to Impress a Lady

Dealing Blackjack the other night the discussion at the table centered around drinking, vacations, couples, dating, marriage, divorce and the rules of the road surrounding each.  Being newly single again (after 23 years of marriage) one of the guys at my table had some sound advice for me that I am going to pass on to all of you.

During one of the moments as I was shuffling the eight decks of cards, this kind gentleman reached in his pocket and gave me a 3" x 5" card which was titled "How to Impress a Lady", in an easy to read block style font, it read:

"Wine her, Dine her, Call her, Hug her, Support her, Hold her, Surprise her, Compliment her, Smile at her,  Listen to her, Laugh with her, Cry with her, Romance her, Encourage her, Believe in her, Pray with her, Cuddle with her, Shop with her, Give her jewelry, Buy her flowers, Hold her hand, Write love letters to her, Go to the end of the Earth and back again for her."  (I now know where I went wrong, haha)

He then said to turn the card over, I did such and it was titled "How to Impress a Man" and printed in a fancy script font it read:  "Show up naked . . . Bring food . . . Don't block the TV".

Thanks to this kind stranger, I have learned so much and am happy to pass these words of wisdom along to all of you.  You never know where or when you may learn something important as I did the other night while dealing Blackjack.   

For those of you who may not know, my nighttime life is as a Las Vegas theme party planner / Casino dealer for Casino Nights .  

Toast Your Team

I received the ultimate gift from my daughter last night.

Because in our house we celebrate both Chanuka and Christmas, the exchange of our immediate family gifts is usually on a day between the two holidays (though we usually leave at least one to be opened on Christmas morning).

So, last night we had our Chanu-mas dinner and gift exchange.  Naturally I did receive two packages of Pepperridge Farms Rapsberry Milano's (some family members actually read my blog), a bottle of Crown Royal (yes I have a dark side) and . . . drum roll please . . .

This toaster which has the Chicago Cubs logo on the inside to brand each piece of my toast. 

Now my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches will taste better and my breakfast egg and cheese sandwiches will be blazing in the Cubs trademark too. 

My thought is that if the Cubs have a bad day, stink up the joint, lose a thriller, get shutout or worse yet be the victim of a no-hitter I can always burn a piece of toast beyond eat-a-bility. 

But, if the Cubbies have a good day, win in a walk off, pitch a no hitter or even shall I say make a run for the World Series (and actually get there ?!), I shall be toasting plenty of slices of bread in honor of their success.

For now, thanks to my daughter, I can Toast the Cubs every day !

I have an addiction

ok before anyone gets too worried, it is NOT one of those addictions that are serious nor require medications, support groups or a ten step process,  I wont be invited on the Dr. Phil, Oprah or Jerry Springer shows either.

Now that I have set that record straight, my addiction is Raspberry Milano.  Ok, one more clarification.  It is NOT an infatuation with the one and only Alyssa Milano wearing a raspberry robe, though I could very easily be persuaded to be addicted to her.  That would certainly be a more healthy addiction than the one I am about to confess to but she may not agree.

My (newest) addiction is one of the cookie sort, more accurately a Pepperidge Farm cookie called the Raspberry Milano.  If you have not tried these, dont ! You too will become addicted very quickly.  So I warn you - do not even try them ! 

The package begs us to "indulge in a little raspberry romance . . . " and continues to tell us to "embrace decadent cravings. Reward yourself. Open . . .Taste . . .Delight"

With a package so enticing it is no wonder that I have this addiction. 

If you care to help me with my issue, go buy a package; at least then there will be one less for me to consume.  If you dont care to help, leave them on the groceries shelves, I will be around your neighborhood soon enough to but them all and stock my entire home. 

If neither of those options appeal to you, just let Alyssa know.  She might be the only cure to my addiction.

Something you probably did not know

CASINO NIGHTS is more than just your typical provider of Las Vegas style table games and professional dealers for your party.

One thing that separates us from the crowd is our connection to so much more.  Yes Casino Nights is actually part of Apollo Amusements and Gameroom SuperStores along with Saturn 5 indoor amusement center in Bradenton Florida.

This allows us to offer YOU the largest selection of video and pinball games, foosball, air hockey, ping pong and even billiards for rental.  All of these can add major FUN at any of your upcoming events.

If you only want to rent a few video games, have an air hockey or foos ball fun filled afternoon, reward your employees (or friends) with an evening of friendly competition without the "formality" of tuxedo wearing dealers, then calling Casino Nights and renting these other FUN games is all you need.

When you call 1-877/FLA-PLAY you get the full array of FUN for any sort of event you may want to plan.  Ask for Steve or John and let us know you have read this blog for an extra discount.

See, this is something you probably did not know.

Fringe Benefit

We all have fringe benefits at work, some are better than others.

Check out my new blog post at Casino Nights Blog and see what I mean.

This is a tease.

I love my job ! 

A new blog

I have started a new blog . . . CASINO NIGHTS BLOG I hope some of you will follow along.

This is my new life, a FUN life it is . . . baseball cards are my hobby (a forgotten sole as it has been a rough year or so). I shall return to spending more time (and money) on my hobby one day soon, but for now my new venture as an event planner / casino dealer must take top honors.

If you have ever attended a casino night party, las vegas style event fund-raiser, poker tournament or have ever gone to a real casino to try your hand at "real" gambling then my new blog might be of interest. If not . . . I understand.

Thank you ALL for your loyal readership, generosity (baseball card collectors are some of the most generous bloggers out there) and friendship (yes I do consider some of you friends).

Here's the link to my website and new adventure . . . . CASINO NIGHTS

Thank you !

There's always next year

It occurred sometime last week and I missed it. To be honest, it has actually occurred every year since 1908 at different times of the year so I sometimes just lose track of things. Not that I dont care but I do try (not) to "celebrate" this event.

Yes, you might have guessed it, the Chicago Cubs have been officially eliminated from the playoffs, let alone winning anything this year. In honor of this moment I have turned to a book that offers some levity to this situation, titled: "The Cubs Fan's Guide to Happiness" by George Ellis, circa 2007.

With chapters such as; Beer will make it better (Chap 2) and At Least You're Not a Sox Fan (Chap 7) to the 15 Habits of Highly Happy Cubs Fan's the theme of being "frustrated" for 100+ years is evident throughout out these pages.

So as the season winds down with some teams preparing for or pushing themselves for that last run at the playoffs and potential World Series celebration, other teams just go home ashamed of under-performing, I turn to a book.

We however as the eternal optimist called a Cubs Fan, we simply chant "wait til next year".

The Tao of Pooh

I know this is supposed to be a baseball card blog, but it is my blog and I feel like posting a book review. To be perfectly honest, it really is not a book review. I am not a reader at all; nor am I a writer, an airplane pilot, doctor, lawyer, professional athlete or anything really worthy of anything. I am however a self-proclaimed Winnie the Pooh "aficionado".

That's right I like Winne the Pooh and all of his friends in the hundred acre wood forest. Winnie after all is the Bear with very little Brain and I can relate to that.

The book I now have read several times (ok I know what you are thinking but it IS a book for "adults") is titled The Tao of Pooh written by Benjamin Hoff. Hoff also wrote a second book called the Te of Piglet which is a natural continuation of the understanding of the connection between Taoism and Winnie the Pooh and his friends.

Hoff takes us on a journey that each of us can relate to. In actuality we all possess personality qualities of Pooh and all his friends; some more dominant than others and in understanding the basis for each of those traits we find a better understanding of ourselves.

Some of the Chapters are titled: The How of Pooh, Spelling Tuesday, The Pooh Way and Nowhere and Nothing. Who can pass up a book with chapters like that.

The back cover of the book sums it up perfectly; ". . . in which it is revealed that one of the world's great Taoist masters is not Chinese or a venerable philosopher, but is in fact none other that that effortlessly calm, still, reflective bear; A A Milne Winnie the Pooh".

". . . while Eeyore frets . . and Piglet hesitates, Rabbit calculates, and Owl pontificates . . . Pooh just is". To the right is a poem written to help you find your way.

I recommend everyone finding a copy, reading this book and finding out how closely each of you resembles one of thee characters. For me I am a mixed up combination of Piglet, Rabbit and Pooh.

Thanks to all for reading my blog and allowing me to review this book.

Happy Birthday Cal Ripken Jr

Born in 1960 on August 24th, Cal Ripken Jr turns 50 today. The second "Iron Man" of major league baseball, Ripken deserves to have a special birthday.

Ripken's baseball feats are almost endless. Not withstanding the record that never will be broken of playing in 2632 consecutive games. The 1982 Rookie of the year who actually began his career as a third baseman was shifted to shortstop, played in 19, yes nineteen, consecutive all-star games, has one world series ring (1983), a member of the 3000 hit club and played his entire career in Baltimore, naturally having his # 8 uniform retired and inducted into Baseballs Hall of Fame as a first ballot inductee in 2007.

This 1982 Topps Future Stars Card #21 was one of my very first "big" purchases in 1984 when I bought five of these. If my memory serves me correctly they were less than $ 5.00 each at the time. I have since donated (gave away) two of them over the years, holding onto three of them for no apparent reason. If anyone out there is interested in a trade for one of them - let me know. I am still more of a Cubs fan !

Originally listed as a third baseman and sharing future star status with Bob Bonner and Jeff Schneider (each of whom had incredibly short stints in the major leagues), Ripken certainly made up for it.

Happy 50th Birthday wishes go out to Ripken. Being a fellow 1960 baby, I feel slightly embarrassed in even having one thing in common with the "Iron Man".

a third time

For the third time in three years my beautiful daughter is off on an adventure.

Two August's ago she embarked on the Rotary Youth Exchange program and headed to Finland (yes Finland) for ten months. Upon returning home last summer she then went off to start her college life (freshman year) at Flagler College in St Augustine Florida. While both of those experiences were positive (and not so positive) in many ways, my daughter was craving something different . . . again.

Just the other day she left again, for Chicago, our old home town, to attend Columbia College and pursue her creative writing aspirations. I wish her the very best in everything, am so proud of her and look forward to visiting her and taking her to a Cubs game.

Below you will find a song sung by Winnie the Pooh to Piglet that I have now sent my daughter three years in a row. Maybe this year it will inspire her to be "big" !

You can be a guiding star,
If you make the most of Who You Are.
And the sensitivity,
That you are now discovering to see
Can be developed even more,
So you can find the hidden doors
To places no one’s been before.
And the pride you’ll feel inside
Is not the kind that makes you fall -
It’s the kind that recognizes
The bigness found in being Small
as Pooh sings about Piglet in The Te of Piglet pg 51

Baseball "Lifer's"

I recently came across a list that intrigued me.

The list was of ALL current Major League Baseball Players that have been with the same team for ten years or more (thanks to ESPN).

Here are the only eleven players currently that fit that category.

Chipper Jones Atlanta Braves 16
Mariano Rivera New York Yankees15
Derek Jeter New York Yankees 15
Jorge Posada New York Yankees 15
Todd Helton Colorado Rockies 13
Jason Varitek Boston Red Sox 13
Eric Chavez Oakland Athletics 12
Vernon Wells Toronto Blue Jays 11
Jimmy Rollins Philadelphia Phillies 10
Mark Buehrle Chicago White Sox 10
Michael Young Texas Rangers 10

Not sure how that number compares to other years but it seemed rather small to me.
With my heart still being stuck in the era of the sixties and seventies I do wonder how this compares to other years ? Anyone out there able to calculate this for the year 1970 ?

Three quarters (Santo, Kessinger, Banks) of the Chicago Cub infield were "lifer's" (that is from a long time ago)! It is a shame no Chicago Cub made this list this year ! Who will be the next Cub to play for Chicago for ten years ?

While I understand that baseball has changed drastically over (in so many ways, both for the good and bad) the commitment and loyalty of the game (from the players and owners) is one thing I wish would change back to the days of yester-year.

The Twenty Dollar Bill

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by:

holding up a $20.00 bill.. In the room of 200, he asked,
' Who would like this $20 bill? '

Hands started going up.

He said, ' I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.
He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.

He then asked, ' Who still wants it? '

Still the hands were up in the air.

Well, he replied, ' What if I do this? '

And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

' Now, who still wants it? '

Still the hands went into the air.

My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson.

No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value.

It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless.
But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know,

but by WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE.
You are special
-
Don't EVER forget it

you may never know the lives it (this lesson) touches, the hurting hearts it speaks to, or the hope that it can bring.

Count your blessings, not your problems...

' And remember: amateurs built the ark .. professionals built the Titanic.