Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

That's it, another day done & dusted.

Set off for work at 7.45 this morning, sneaked back to the Hotel at about 4.30 for a kip, then Online until just now.

Bombed out of the blonde-Sky League midway - Claire busted me, sigh, & finished an awesome 3rd of 5 in a Hi-Lo SNG, wp me, before getting a serious case of the binks & winning a monsta-field (10 runner....) Omaha affair. Too good. Not. 

Young James Williams - "cottonbud" here, & TSP-er "lJAMESl" nextdoor, just won the TSP Classic for the 2nd time on the bounce. He's such a luckbox. 220+ runners on each occasion, that takes some doing. I think it pays about £600 to the winner, so £1,200 for £22 ain't so bad......

I had to do a sort of explanation next door for all those blondes suddenly appearing in tonight's Omaha Sky-Blonde league thing,& having written a profile of runner-up Machka, from next door, here, I did a profile of Maureen next door, with s little story, & a photo.

Here's the photo, which I rather like, which was taken at a Charity Poker Tourney up in Halifax last year. I like it because it makes me happy, good friends doing good things. Odd thing to think & say, but that's how it is.

   

[tikay]

After I Posted Maureen's tale next door, one of the regs asked to make a donation to Reece's Fund. How good is that?

Wonderful.

[The_nun]

Thanks Tony,  I will go next door and take a look.

xx

[The_nun]

After I Posted Maureen's tale next door, one of the regs asked to make a donation to Reece's Fund. How good is that?

Wonderful.

Tell them thankyou very much from us please Tony. xx

[tikay]

Thanks Tony,  I will go next door and take a look.

xx

Link sent to you via PM Maureen.

[tikay]

So, all of a sudden, Wooly Jumper makes it known that he will entertain entering an Alliance, or even selling, all or part of Virgin's stake in Virgin Atlantic. Virgin Group own 51%, the rest he sold a few years back to Singapore Airlines.

He says money is needed to keep the airline at the "forefront" of the airline business. His primary motive for the proposed sale - sorry, possible Alliance - is because "I care about this Airline, & I want her still to be around in 50 years". Pinch of salt, anyone?

Meanwhile, on the SAME day, Virgin America, in which Virgin Group has a 25% stake, ordered 60 x A320's from Airbus, with a tag of £3.2 billion. Wonder where that cash will come from?

[tikay]

Yesterday, once again, Steve Jobs at Apple went on sick leave. Unlike last time, this time is was "indefinite". Everyone would wish him well, but especilly Apple shareholders, where the stock has quadrupled in 2 years.

Today, they announced stunning numbers for the 3 months to December 31st - profits of $6bn from a turnover of $27bn.

The shares fell a little today, 2.2% after being 7% off at one stage, a not unusual City reaction to good numbers. The results were already in the price, so the saying goes.

What would happen though, to Apple, & the stock price, if Steve never came back?

If he has not got succession, & despite him being in the top three of modern day e-entrepenaurs, he's failed in his job.

[tikay]

From Apple's Trading statement today.......

The company sold 4.13 million Macs during the quarter, a 23% rise year-on-year, and 16.24 million iPhones, a leap of 86%.

iPod sales fell 7% to 19.45 million units. Apple sold 7.33 million iPads

Good grief!

[RED-DOG]

Yesterday, once again, Steve Jobs at Apple went on sick leave. Unlike last time, this time is was "indefinite". Everyone would wish him well, but especilly Apple shareholders, where the stock has quadrupled in 2 years.

Today, they announced stunning numbers for the 3 months to December 31st - profits of $6bn from a turnover of $27bn.

The shares fell a little today, 2.2% after being 7% off at one stage, a not unusual City reaction to good numbers. The results were already in the price, so the saying goes.

What would happen though, to Apple, & the stock price, if Steve never came back?

If he has not got succession, & despite him being in the top three of modern day e-entrepenaurs, he's failed in his job.

There isn't a wee jobbie, so to speak?

[tikay]

Yesterday, once again, Steve Jobs at Apple went on sick leave. Unlike last time, this time is was "indefinite". Everyone would wish him well, but especilly Apple shareholders, where the stock has quadrupled in 2 years.

Today, they announced stunning numbers for the 3 months to December 31st - profits of $6bn from a turnover of $27bn.

The shares fell a little today, 2.2% after being 7% off at one stage, a not unusual City reaction to good numbers. The results were already in the price, so the saying goes.

What would happen though, to Apple, & the stock price, if Steve never came back?

If he has not got succession, & despite him being in the top three of modern day e-entrepenaurs, he's failed in his job.

There isn't a wee jobbie, so to speak?

Lol, no, not that I'm aware. He's one of a kind - a quite astoundingly sharp guy. Does not look it, but he is.

[tikay]

you've always suggested that you wanted blonde and sky to remain separate entities.  how are you adjusting to the semi-merger that's come around as a result of the sky sponsorship?  are you worried that it will make the wearing of your separate hats more difficult to compartmentalise and manage, or does it make it easier to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak?

Sorry I never responded today, as promised, Claire, ditto to the Cos question.

I'll do it later today.

It's been brutally painful at times, to be quite honest, but it's been very good in some ways, too.

Another of those curates agges really. Modern usage.

[tikay]

Today was the first time in my life I've failed to get to work, or, more correctly as was the case today, never got to the office. Luckily, I had no person to person meets, just Telecons & online stuff, & so I worked from the Hotel. The trouble was, my big comfy bed kept grinning at me, & I gave best late afternoon for a kip. I'm not sure I'd ever have the discipline to work fom home.

Failure to get to the office was because the A4 (Great West Road) was closed by a horrific accident at Gillette Corner, effectively making Sky's campus, which sort of are Gillette Corner (plus 70 acres or so), inaccessible.

I sat on the A4 for nearly 3 hours, getting a bit tetchy. Then I rung the office, & they told me the accident involved three Sky personnel, 2 of whom had beeen catapulted through the windscreen of their car after they ran a red light & collided with an artic. Ugh.

By peculiar coincidence, I almost had the same problem yesterday, when the A30 was closed at it's intersection with the Great West Road, & I sat in the resultant jam for 2 hours. Three car passengers lost their lives in that accident.

Tragedy seems to pass most of us by, but it's always there, lurking.

I drive like an old peep these days - never ever run red lights, keep the speed sensible, never use ther 'phone hands free. Even if a friend calls when I'm driving, I refuse to answer unless I have the hands free kit on.

But then again, if a 40 foot artic is gonna t-bone me, it will, & that's that.

[Chompy]

According to Charlie or Ruffy or someone else off Road Wars, using the phone hands free while driving is not much better, if any, than holding a mobile to your ear. You're still focussed on the conversation either way. I spend most of my life on the phone and always pull into a layby if someone calls while I'm driving.

[tikay]

According to Charlie or Ruffy or someone else off Road Wars, using the phone hands free while driving is not much better, if any, than holding a mobile to your ear. You're still focussed on the conversation either way. I spend most of my life on the phone and always pull into a layby if someone calls while I'm driving.

I'm starting to get a bit like that. I have a weekly business call which lasts 2 hours, & if driving, I have to pull up, I just can't concentrate enough on both.

Proper old fuddy-duddy me, these days.

I've had a 6 month speeding ban, & been fined for improper mobile phone use whilst driving. Both times it hurt, & the lesson has been taken on board. I wish the traffic laws were more strictly enforced, once you've been "done" you realise how stupid it is to flout the death of yourself, &, more importantly, others.

For me, every driving ban has a positive effect. I hated my driving ban, my legs, & my freedom & independence had been taken away, as well as my ability to work properly, (it was 6 or 7 years back), & I felt it was undeserved. But it did the trick.

[The Camel]

Simple.

Turn your phone off when driving.

Did you see my thread on Billy Walters Tony?