Exxon sucks my ass

Hi,

So, ever since Exxon merged with Mobil, I have had a self-proposed ban on purchasing anything from them. The reason being that they were allowed to merge, while at the same time Microsoft was being publicly castigated for being a "predatory monopoly". Yet the top two gas companies merging, one of which has a monopoly over highway-side gas stations, was not seen as a threat?

Anyhow, I have risked running out of gas on more than one occasion, but refuse to do business with them. To be quite honest, I did cheat once, allowing Liz (I think it was Liz?) to pay and pump while I was in the driver's seat. But aside from that, I don't give them my business.

Some have argued with me that EM really isn't that much of a monopoly, Shell, Citgo, BP, Sunoco, are all fairly sizable companies. I've thought about this, but really I think my issue wasn't so much that I thought of them as a monopoly as I thought it was hypocritical of the government to allow the merger while at the same time flogging Microsoft with lash after lash.

Well, today I read something that burns in my ban. EM has decided, 19 years after the fact, that they are going to the Supreme Court to fight the punitive damages awarded to the victims of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The award, a little under 3B, represents three weeks of profit for EM.

A big F U to EM.

poker tourney of wackiness

So I wanted to share a couple crazy things that happened when I woke up this morning and felt like playing a quick tournament. Got onto Fulltilt and entered a $2 6-man turbo. I'd been having good luck lately, building my bankroll up from $1.70 to $17.80 in a few days.

Six hands into the tourney I got A7o from early position. Not typically a hand I call in that position, but it was early in the tourney, it was only 6 people so there really wasn't too much "early" about my position, and blinds were low, so I was about to call. But I have been trying to play consistently well so at the last minute the angel on my shoulder chimed in, and I folded. Here is what happened (note: on screen captures it shows my cards even if I folded them):

I laughed, of course, at the poker gods screwing me as usual, but I wasn't upset, it was an ok fold. Or maybe not - because as I continued analyzing in my head whether I should be playing A7o, here is what happened on hands 8 and 9:




Obviously, someone was rubbing salt in the wound, and mocking my A7 fold. So the very next hand I get A7. Now I know the following facts WILL happen:

1. I will limp in on my A7
2. I will likely get raised to an amount for which I should fold
3. Knowing the events of the last few hands, I will call anyway.
4. I will be pushed all-in after a mediocre flop
5. Knowing the events of the last few hands, I will call anyway,
   
6. I will lose by a mile to a monster hand
   

Steps 1-5 happened as foretold, but fortunately, step 6 did not, and I actually won the hand.

Pretty wild huh? Anyhow I am doing pretty well in the tourney after this, I had about 2500 chips for a while, but I made a bad move or two (including pushing all-in w/ AT and running into AA) and found myself with 58 chips. I built this up to 1100. Blinds were getting high right now, because this was a turbo, I think they were 80/160. I went all-in preflop w/ JTs and got called by ATo. Finding myself completely crushed, I was totally psyched to see a J come out on the flop - what luck! Now all I had to was avoid an Ace on 4th and 5th street, and I was golden, back in the game, my comeback complete.


Ah, poker...