Cell Phone Ban and One Outers

Yesterday our provincial government finally got around to introducing legislation that will ban using cell phones and texting while driving. They had been talking about this for months This new law will take effect Jan 1,2010 and will carry a fine of 167.00 for violations. All I can say it is about time. I don't know how many times I have almost been hit as pedestrian by people yakking away or busy texting on their phones. I never understood the fascination with cell phones. You see I don't have one. I did get one once when one of my kids bought me one for Christmas. I literally hated the thing. Yea okay that may be weird to most people today but something about my phone ringing while I was walking down the street just annoyed the heck out of me. I really didn't like being that available. Anyways our politicians having wised up and realized that people driving having a hard enough time keeping their vehicles on the road and driving safely without being one hand short. They will still allow the hands free models though. Now if they could only come up with a law that bans brushing your teeth while driving (yes I really did see a lady doing that one day). I am not sure where she was spitting and probably don't want to know.

I have been watching Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho continue their run on The Amazing Race and they sure seem to be getting the one outers. First time they were last it was a non elimination leg and just a week ago when again they came in last the team that actually had finished first lost their passports so they were eliminated. All of us poker players know that you can't keep hitting those one outers though. It will be interesting to see if they can step up their game in the coming weeks.

Speaking of one outers I caught one the other night playing my usual Sunday night live game with about 40 players. I was dealt JJ UTG and being relatively short at our table decided to push with it. I always find Jacks hard to play and especially being first to act. Should I limp, Should I push or just put in a healthy raise. Well with the blind structure the way it was by just raising I was literally committing 2/3 of my chips anyways so I decided to push. A lady two over from me immediately pushed all in also and had exactly my chip stack. I thought oh oh I am in trouble. Then the BB decided to call both of us as he had huge stack. Big Trouble. Well the lady flipped over KK and the BB had AJ. I figured my night was over. Well the flop came QQ2, the turn was a 6 and the river brought the lovely case Jack. You gotta love it when it happens in your favour. I sheepishly muttered sorry to the lady with Kings but she took it well and I tripled up. Isn't poker fun when that happens??

Texting, Driving and Poker

I must be the only person in the Western world that doesn't have a cell phone. Really I don't own a cell phone. I had one once. Lasted for like 6 months and I threw it in a drawer never to be seen again. It's not that I can't afford a cell phone its just that I don't want to be that available. My oldest actually sells them for a living and does really well doing that so he thought a few years ago a great gift for good old dad would be a cell phone. Imagine my surprise when I opened up my gift at Christmas and there it was.

Okay so then he had to give me lesson on how to use it, he got it all set up for me to use and away I go. Then a couple days later I am driving in the car and the phone rings. I panicked how the heck am I supposed to answer this while driving. So I didn't. Then the kids started phoning me all the time. Where are you?? Umm I am the insert(gas station, grocery store, mall) here. They phoned me all the time. I always asked why they were calling. Oh we just wanted to know what you were doing. It was at this point I realized I didn't ever want a phone and it went into a dark place never to be seen again. I honestly cannot understand the fascination with talking on them. It's not that I am anti social or unfriendly but really at 7 AM in the morning while driving to work who the heck are you talking to?? Most people at 7 AM don't want to talk to anybody but are happy to chat away on their cell phone.

Why I brought all this up is it seems everyone at my live poker games has one. They are always ringing, vibrating or whatever they do. Then the texting starts. How the heck can they see the letters to text?? They text while betting, they text before the game, during the game and after the game. I wonder what they do when they are sleeping. Do they text in their dreams??

Here in B.C. it's still legal to drive and talk on your cellphone. Now that is scary. Most people have enough problems driving without having only one hand on the wheel. Oh and add texting to that. Well we have had our first confirmed fatality to someone who was texting while he was driving. He evidently was texting on his Blackberry while driving his truck, crossed the centre line and smashed into another vehicle. He didn't survive. He was 27 years old. Fortunately the other driver is okay. They evidently checked his cellphone records and this was confirmed by his mom who has come forward to let everyone know how dangerous it is.

I know on at least 3 occasions that I was nearly hit while I was out running by people talking on their phones. It's a good thing I am alert and run defensively. I always make sure drivers see me and I make eye contact even if I am in the crosswalk. I know there are hands free models that can be set up in your car. You would think people would care enough to get one of these if they really needed to talk while driving.

If anything can come out of this tragedy I hope our elected peeps get their crap together and follow the lead of a couple other provinces in Canada and a few states in the U.S. and ban them while driving. Nothing is that important that you have to chat while driving.

As for poker carry on using them. Hopefully you distracted enough that I can take your chips.

Last night was an utter disaster at my Tuesday night live game. 5 hands and I was out. Yep 5. That's it!! I won't go into any long detail but let's say I played horrible. Really bad!! Totally over played my hand and got caught..........

I have to be in Richmond next week for 3 nights so if time permits looking forward to playing again at the River Rock Casino. Try and catch a tournament and hopefully a few hours of 1-2.