"It's for charity dammit."That's what I kept telling myself at work yesterday. You see the theme of the Department (post-) holiday party was the Big Easy. And all the proceeds were going to be made to Katrina Relief. But it still hurts when the result of my split Aces are another Ace, resulting in a 19, 17 and 19... to the dealer's fucking 20.

Yeah Casino Day at work was the bomb. A good cause and anytime there's an excuse for crab cakes, sweet potato fries and mini sliders I'm all in. Plus "gambling" on office time is top notch. My only regret is that my rumor of being able to drink, smoke and curse openly did not go so well. Frankly what's a blackjack table without?

Oh I think I've got that bird-flu that's been going on of late. I can't believe that I get sick the week back from vacation. But I think I've been able to coral things (knock on wood) with massive doses of OJ and homemade chicken soup, not to mention that someone's being sweet and taking care of me. And I just made the switch to the tissues with lotion. No one likes a chafed nose.

The road to Motown starts. Patriots win!