Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Oaks Card Club


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.

Back in Town

Had a smooth flight back from NZ. Got to see three good movies:

- "The Illusionist"
- "Water"
- "The Last King of Scotland"

And got to sleep well enough so that I felt like a 2 hour ride up Tunnel Road and along the ridge in the sunny but cold Bay Area weather.

Got up my gumption to play my first poker game at the Oaks. Studied up to make sure I knew the rules and then sat down to my first $3/$6 game with a $40 buy-in. Lost that in less than half an hour with no won pots and found myself reaching for another $30 -- Grrrr. Kept getting uninteresting cards but stayed patient and then won the three biggest pots (and no others) over the next hour. Took a drubbing on flopping a straight where I held a suite A,2 and the common cards were 3,4,5. Didn't think anyone would have stayed in pre-flop with a 2,6....and even thought it was unlikely that someone would have stayed in with a 5,6 -- but sure enough, the latter situation did occur. Fortunately, I backed off my hand before getting too much money in the pot.

But then cleaned up on the next hand. I had pocket jacks and the flop came up with all single cards lower than my jacks. So I pushed the betting. A two on the board paired, which made me a little nervous as that meant someone could have a set...but it would be unlikely for anyone to have hung around with such a lame hand pre-flop. No straights or flushes were possible....and then the last card came up -- a third jack, giving me jack's over twos -- the nuts unless someone had stayed in with pocked twos and now had four of a king. Fortunately, someone else had pocket sevens and had made a full house himself (but lower than mine) and kept pushing the betting as well. Thus I clobbered him and won the biggest pot of the night. Right after that hand, I was dealt pocket tens, and looked at common cards of J, 9,8,7 giving me an inside straight. I was betting against someone who had pocket 9s and thus had made trips. He was non to happy when he asked at the show down if I had the 10 for the inside straight, and I replied -- "I've got two" and raked another good pot.

Final results was that I banked $305, less my original stake of $70 for a $235 profit over two hours of play.

Whew -- glad to get this first game behind me as I was a bit terrified of sitting down at a table with nine other regulars and screwing up the rules. Went fine though. Interesting to see other betting styles. I had the two loose player directly to my right -- one winning and the other losing. Dunno if that helped or hurt me....I think the former. They played some bluffs. I never did....but people didn't back off of me....probably because this wasn't no limit (bets of $3/$6 only....with three raises before post are capped).

I think other folks were playing more pots than myself, and were trying to bluff. I couldn't see the value in that as there were usually 4+ players in every pot....so my guess was that someone had to have something all the time. I almost always had to go the showdown to win my big hands -- with one exception.

I didn't make any big mistakes. However, one doesn't learn by winning..... Could be a lucky first night out.

Net result: $+235.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Whaka..........................................

The Maori have the longest names for places and things of any language in the world. Here, we get a lesson....

Rotorua Agrodome

Cow Milking Team at the Agrodome


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.

Greg w/a Kiwi Bloke Hat at the Agrodome


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.

Anneke Has a Chat w/the Sheep at the Agrodome


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.

320 Sheep Sheared in an 8 Hour Day


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
These guys can shear a sheep in about two minutes. They've got a mix of firmness and gentleness that puts the sheep into something of a trance.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Japanese & Korean Translators for the Agrodome


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
Over three-quarters of the audience at the Agrodome was from Asia (mostly Koreans). The facility was fully prepared with simultaneous translation of the performance given by the sheep shearers.

Oscar a Happy Chappy with Mom Pauline


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
At the Agrodome

Rotorua Lush Vegetation in Full Bloom


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.

Tasty Item #2


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
Lamb Nuggets & Fruit!

Lamingtons -- a Favorite Decadent Food in NZ


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.

The Westra Rotorua Household


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
Sort of a mini-barrel house itself.

Finally Well Enough to Ride Again


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
Weather is rain of course here in Rotorua, but warm rain -- making for slick trails and lots of mud.

Zorbing in Rotorua

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Jig Jog for the steps


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
The retaining wall juts out where the steps will climb up to the main level of the house. Forward planning!

Retaining Wall Par Excellence


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
Rob is overseeing the work with Jeff to get a retaining wall in all along the east side of the house and extension....so that one can walk around the structure all on one level. Good stuff!

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Team Risk Reporter


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
Erik and Dan (Mr. Front End and Mr. Back End) meet in person. Dan flew down from the U.S.....though his luggage took a detour to Fiji.

Oscar Joins the Family


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
9 proud months old -- Oscar is a happy chappy sitting here with his dad Erik.

The Cookie Time Plane


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
Always a must stop on the drive from Wellington to Rotorua

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Rehab on the Old House at 312 Oriental Parade


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
My old house at Oriental Bay is under rehab. Since my departure, a whole series of flash million dollar condos has been built up to the left of my victorian era place, complete with the mondo capble car. My place is looking a bit sad, but at least someone is having a go and putting all the bit together.

Pete Chows Down


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
He earned it doing a 5 hour prep ride on Karapoti today. I, now on antibiotics, settled for the B ride out to Red Rocks, with some walking after flatting the tubeless front tire.

Midnight Express Still in Business


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
Contemporaneous with the startup of KiwiCorp (forerunner to DMSCorp) was Midnight Express. One could get a latte at 3am by just dropping down in the lift. A great feature still available today. Arguable the best coffee hangout place in the city. And pinball too.

The Old Cuba Steet Digs


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
Where DMSCorp got its beginnings when we purchased Office Express in 1991 and moved it into the building at 178 Cuba Street. In theory, this whole building was going to be demolished because of its vulnerability to earthquakes. Fortunately, it has been spared through retrofit. One of the units just sold for $800K. We had leased the entire 4000+' second floor for $300 a week (for 5 years) way back when......

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Delhi Airport


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
Delhi airport was more than a little full of the military boys -- in their bright blue Turbans. This looked like an all Sikh brigade.

Delhi Departed


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
After a 5 hour delay, I finally and out from Delhi....hopefully my lungs will recover before too long. This trip really has knocked me back. Camped out in Singapore for a night as the flight from Delhi missed my connection here.....

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Monkeys Invade

These are the same pesky monkeys that gave me a hard time last week and on my former ride out here in 2004:


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1107970.stm

Monday, January 01, 2007

Prashast and Dali Borka


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Originally uploaded by Greg Kidd.
Having a scan through Sasha's new book