Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[Karabiner]

I had a bit of a soft spot for the old Meadow Lane ground too.

I can remember going to watch Bobby Robson's excellent Ipswich side there and being amazed at how close we were to the pitch. Eric Gates and Alan Brazil were happy to join in a bit of banter with the home fans in the terraces at throw-ins while administering a 5-0 drubbing.

[Jac]

I had a bit of a soft spot for the old Meadow Lane ground too.

I can remember going to watch Bobby Robson's excellent Ipswich side there and being amazed at how close we were to the pitch. Eric Gates and Alan Brazil were happy to join in a bit of banter with the home fans in the terraces at throw-ins while administering a 5-0 drubbing.

Loved reading your golf stories. Fascinating stuff.
You wouldn't remember me but I'm sure I shared a few tables with you at Gala Notts years ago.

[Machka]

Hi tikay, just watched this and though of you stood outside the fence at Heathrow photographing planes (most of them anyway) taking off and landing...

Thanks Aaron.

Whisper it quietly, but I spent some time @ McCarron Airport, Vegas, watching the 'planes come & go. Weird Airport that - it has FOUR runways (Gatwick has one), & is a hub for Southwest Airlines, who were the model for the wonderful & always popular Ryanair.  

Quite a comical thread about it on PPRuNe, which is largely populated by self-appointed "experts".


It would seem that Barcelona Airport has a reputation for these sorts of sloppy control procedures.

http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/543082-aerolineas-argentina-a340-runway-incursion-bcn-video.html


One resident PPRuNe comedian, responding to a Post suggesting the Pilot of the A340 was blameless, noted dryly.....


"....I stand to be corrected, but there appear to be some windows in the front of that A340, not sure what they might be there for though...."


Anyway, how are you, & what is Leon up to these days? Has he decided what he wants to do when he leaves school yet?

McCarron Airport has 4 runways?  I hope that run parallel to each other or ATC will really have their hands full there!

Make sure your mobile phone / ipad is charged before you fly back to the UK or you might need to leave it behind!  Airport security eh?  Next they'll be checking if passengers have a full bladder in case they explode on take off.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28185149

Everything is good in Southampton, contracting for a power company on their Smart Metering programme which is really interesting considering none of the utility companies wanted to do it, but government said it had to happen and they wouldn't make a rash decision, would they?

I bought a BMW 520d last summer, partly after reading your experience with BMW's.  Isn't there a BMW person on here - MPOWER?  The car wasn't brand new, 2010 plate and about 50k on the clock, but in mint condition.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I'm driving along and it started sounding like a hairdryer on speed - not good.  Mr AA comes out and confirms it's the turbo, car has to be lifted to the BMW dealer Southampton as it can't be towed.

I get a call Tuesday morning saying the turbo is blown and a new turbo + other parts it's looking like £1700 minimum to repair, but they'll call me back when they confirm the price.

I have no extended warranty with the local garage I bought the car from.  Not good.

Later that day I get a call from Emily at BMW confirming the cost of the repairs will be £1700.  However, she had been on the phone to BMW Claims (or some such department) and had talked them into paying for all the repair costs!

All I ended up paying for was an oil change.

BMW - now that's what I call customer service.

Leo (not Leon - you're so close every time) is doing great, just became a teenager and still doing well at school despite every other parent I know warning me of the changes as kids hit the teenage years, not my son.  :-)

Lately he's been competing for his school, Southampton, and Hampshire in various atheletics competitions around the South, despite just doing it for fun he's really excelling in hurdles and the high jump.

Who knows what he wants to be when he leaves school, college, university - did any of us really know at 13?

[tikay]

BOOM!

Go on, tell me you did not jump.

[tikay]

I don't understand folks sometimes.

I make Post after Post about really interesting stuff, trains, 'planes, concrete, bridges, & not a word in reply. Then I stick a football 'photo up & there are Posts galore.

Ridiculous.

[RED-DOG]

On my diary, I rise above pandering to the hoy polloi.

[tikay]

Vegas 2014, End Of Term Report (cont'd).

Sat next to another fascinating character, this was in the $3,000 WSOP PLO8.

We struck up a nice chatty relationship. He was obviously loaded, as he said if he busted,  he'd be playing the One Drop Satellite ($25,000 - for a SATELLITE) & he had just busted the $100,000 thing @ Bellagio.

He was a Texan, & beamed with pride as he endlessly discussed his 2 daughters. He never seemed to stop smiling, was friendly to all, & took his beats in his stride, like a proper grown up.

We shared the Day One table for 4 or 5 hours, & had a great time.

Anyway, I returned for Day 2 (only just realised I made Day 2 of both WSOP PLO8 Events, & busted both within 3 hands, yikes), & the geezer came across to my table to wish me luck. A complete stranger until the previous day, now he looked me up to wish me well. Love live poker. 

I asked around, & discovered it was this man, who won a Lowball WSOP thing a few years ago, & made the same Final again this year....

http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=14502

Some googling took me to this typically well written piece by Nolan Dalla, a good pal of many years standing, more on him later.


http://www.wsop.com/news/2012/Nov/3862/LARRY-PLAYS-DEUCE-TO-SEVEN-THE-WRIGHT-WAY.html

I hope you take a minute or two to read that, it's a grand story.


 

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

His transport business was called, predictably enough, Rite-Way.

Pretty cool truck, huh?

Click to see full-size image.

[Claw75]

I don't understand folks sometimes.

I make Post after Post about really interesting stuff, trains, 'planes, concrete, bridges, & not a word in reply. Then I stick a football 'photo up & there are Posts galore.

Ridiculous.

I found myself in tikay heaven the other day - we visited a bird and deer sanctuary where a new visitors' centre is in the process of being constructed - feathered friends to the left, JCBs and piles of cementy-stuff to the right - no pics for you to drool over i'm afraid!

[tikay]

I don't understand folks sometimes.

I make Post after Post about really interesting stuff, trains, 'planes, concrete, bridges, & not a word in reply. Then I stick a football 'photo up & there are Posts galore.

Ridiculous.

I found myself in tikay heaven the other day - we visited a bird and deer sanctuary where a new visitors' centre is in the process of being constructed - feathered friends to the left, JCBs and piles of cementy-stuff to the right - no pics for you to drool over i'm afraid!

Where was that, Claire?

And what is "cementy stuff"? Do you mean cement, or concrete?

Oh, & how did the weddingy thing go?

[RED-DOG]

And what is "cementy stuff"? Do you mean cement, or concrete?

Tomato / Tomato.

[tikay]

And what is "cementy stuff"? Do you mean cement, or concrete?

Tomato / Tomato.

Yet again, you just don't get it.

Tomato & tomato, however pronounced, are the same thing.

Cement & concrete are different things entirely.

[Claw75]

I don't understand folks sometimes.

I make Post after Post about really interesting stuff, trains, 'planes, concrete, bridges, & not a word in reply. Then I stick a football 'photo up & there are Posts galore.

Ridiculous.

I found myself in tikay heaven the other day - we visited a bird and deer sanctuary where a new visitors' centre is in the process of being constructed - feathered friends to the left, JCBs and piles of cementy-stuff to the right - no pics for you to drool over i'm afraid!

Where was that, Claire?

And what is "cementy stuff"? Do you mean cement, or concrete?

Oh, & how did the weddingy thing go?

Google tells me it's just called "the bird & deer park" in Prinknash, Glos. Just next door, and accessible from the same car park is a monastery with a lovely garden full of wild flowers, beehives, butterflies and stuff that's currently being restored. Well worth popping in if you're ever down that way.

Erm, i'm gonna say the cementy-stuff was cement, but in honesty i'm a bit of a Philistine when it comes to appreciating such nuances.

Weddingy thing was fab thanks

[RED-DOG]

I don't understand folks sometimes.

I make Post after Post about really interesting stuff, trains, 'planes, concrete, bridges, & not a word in reply. Then I stick a football 'photo up & there are Posts galore.

Ridiculous.

I found myself in tikay heaven the other day - we visited a bird and deer sanctuary where a new visitors' centre is in the process of being constructed - feathered friends to the left, JCBs and piles of cementy-stuff to the right - no pics for you to drool over i'm afraid!

Where was that, Claire?

And what is "cementy stuff"? Do you mean cement, or concrete?

Oh, & how did the weddingy thing go?

Google tells me it's just called "the bird & deer park" in Prinknash, Glos. Just next door, and accessible from the same car park is a monastery with a lovely garden full of wild flowers, beehives, butterflies and stuff that's currently being restored. Well worth popping in if you're ever down that way.

Erm, i'm gonna say the cementy-stuff was cement, but in honesty i'm a bit of a Philistine when it comes to appreciating such nuances.

Weddingy thing was fab thanks

Does this mean we're no longer going steady?

[Claw75]

sorry Tom, wasn't sure how to break the news

[RED-DOG]

sorry Tom, wasn't sure how to break the news

That's it. I''m off women for the foreseeable afternoon.