Unless you've been living in Bountiful, B.C. or some other repressed, third world society, you've noted the huge popularity of Texas Hold 'Em poker. I am definitely among the brainwashed gambling hoard,

Ed's Note: In fact, he's playing online hold 'em as he writes this.

and know that many of you may be wondering what it's all about.

Rather than try to rehash all the poker information that is out there, I will shortly post links to my favourite Hold 'Em strategy and information sites, and talk a bit about how to get started playing online poker.

While poker is inherently a social game, it's often hard to get enough people together to get a real-life home game going. For this reason, online poker has exploded in popularity, not only as a way to practice your skills for free, but as a lucrative hobby.

But wait! Before you go sign up for some online poker room, I will give you some tips that will not only earn you money, but also give you the opportunity to earn "rewards" for playing, like free poker chips, poker tables, Best Buy gift certificates, or even an iPod!

Ed's Note: He craps you not. There is a brand new poker table and poker chip set in his dining room right now. All free. That's how competitive the online poker industry is right now.

So if the hold 'em phenomenon interests you, check back soon and I'll tell you all the stuff I wish I'd known before I started playing online!

Got back from my Cuban all-inclusive on Sunday morning. This wouldn't be so interesting, but we escaped literally hours after hurricane Dennis tried to wipe most of Cuba into the Atlantic ocean. You can read more about my trip here.

Two funny Spanish language stories to tell:
1) A friend of a friend saw the words "los hombres" on the doors of many of the bathrooms he used. Then one night he was out somewhere (a bar or restaurant), and wanted to find the bathroom. He asked one of the staff, "¿dónde están los hombres?" That is, "Where are the men?"

2) A friend with us at the wedding wanted to tell a waitress how tasty the french fries were. French fries in Spanish are "papases fritas," which quickly became one of our favourite sounds. This friend had heard the phrase "mucho gusto" used often in the restaurant, and understandably thought it meant "much flavour" or something similar. What he actually heard was the sound of waitstaff meeting the new clients at the resort, which happens daily. "Mucho gusto" means "much pleasure," or more casually, "it is a pleasure to meet you." So our friend had turned to the waitress and said, "Nice to meet you, French fries!"