The Vince Files

Perhaps I blogged too soon about receiving an offer on our place.  But I can now say that the buyers have removed their subjects.  The deal is now firm and the place is now sold!

After 5 months on the market and a really slow summer, we have our first offer. 

Offer comes in for 97.7% of our asking price, we countered up to 98.4%, they counter-countered back down to 97.9%.  We accepted their offer.  We really don’t want to let this one go.

It looks like the buyers are in a similar situation we were in a few years back; two parents with child in an apartment condo.  They need to upgrade to more room.

So now, we’re busy talking with our mortgage broker, the bank, and our realtor to help us find a new place.  Things are gonna happen real quick, real soon.

OK, so it wasn’t the biggest tourney in terms of prize pool ($0.10 buy-in), but a $8.50 win against 359 other players is still a win.  Everything was clicking together on this one: luck, good starting hands, and of course, skill.

I had a pretty good read on my wild opponent.  He’d been chip leader for a while and bullying people off the pot with his all-in bets until I decided I wasn’t going to take it anymore.

The list of Olympic Experience Packages(PDF) has now been published.  We’re particularly interested in the “Local” packages that are all in Vancouver (e.g. Hockey, Figure Skating, etc).  

I just noticed the Legend in the document referring to both Women and Ladies.  Seriously, WTF?

So if you’re female and you’re in Curling, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, or Ice Hockey, then you’re a “Woman”.  If you’re in Speed Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Alpine Skiing, or Figure Skating, then you’re a “Lady”.  Interesting concept.

So Anna and I were driving to work when I heard the contest on QM FM.  Read the rest of this entry »

A: When it is a Zamboni® ice resurfacing machine.

After one of Claire’s skating lessons, the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine came onto the ice to start its work.  Claire asked me what it was called and I promptly, though incorrectly replied, “That’s a Zamboni!”.  She gave me a funny look and asked, “A Zamboni?”.

I started to think about my comment and remembered way back when everyone called their portable cassette players “Walkmans” or their tissues, “Kleenex”.  These days, everyone’s “Photoshopping” pictures and listening to music on their “iPods”.

Of course, you can’t blame Zamboni for protecting their trademark.  If you don’t protect your trademark, you’re bound to lose it and your trademark becomes just another generic term.

The rumour mill is going like crazy but it’s still all speculation.  Everyone’s thinking it could be the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

Canon just released a teaser on their site:

http://www.canon.com/moon/en/index.html

Here’s my previous post on the subject.  Now I’m not sure whether to save for this full-frame camera (and not be able to use our 17-85mm EF-S lens) or get the appealing EOS 50D (which can handle EF-S lenses) and have money to spare.

[UPDATE: Canon's 5D Mark II has just been announced.  DPReview has the scoop]

Anna, Claire, and I made a last-minute decision to go see the Abbotsford International AirShow today.  Read the rest of this entry »

Anna was right beside me when this happened.  I don’t think she realizes the odds of getting a royal flush are an astronomical 649,739:1.

I limped in to the pot in late position.  The small blind folds and the big blind checks; we’re heads up.  The flop gives me the nut flush draw.  Buddy checks and I check behind.  The turn gives me the straight and Buddy checks so I check behind again.  The river gives me my dream card.  The pot now only has $0.60.

So I’m at the river with the nuts and buddy bets $0.50 into a $0.60 pot.  I need to raise to extract as much money as I can from the guy.  I decide, for whatever reason, that Buddy is willing to call a raise to $2.50.  I was right.

So NCIX was having another one of their sales again.  This time the deals were pretty good. Read the rest of this entry »