Poker

Things have been running OK since I last updated...I was brain dead moron, and waited too long to sign up for the bloggers tourney, which was more than slightly annoying, but nobody to blame but myself. I have cleared the Party bonus and a couple crypto's as well. I did the re load at Stars too, but will probably wait until the double points kick in. I have been trying to concentrate more on each individual hand, and I can see the benefits already. Knowing that Bri will be looking at most all of the hands has definitely made a big difference, and I have been winning at a decent clip lately. The bottom line is, I have been winning a bit...I still can't get a seat at the ME, but I keep trying...I did finally have a decent cash for 150ish in a tourney at PStars.

The BJ bonuses are boring as paste, so I may try the slot bonus while I sleep next time around.

Books

I ordered and read Barry G's book---"Ace on the River", and I wish I had the money back. There is not one word in that book that is new or worthwhile. If you need to read his book to find out that sports betting, drugs, and drinking too much are unhealthy to the BR, you are probably beyond help anyway.

Food

I was in the mood for some Asian food, and decided to make my own homeade pot stickers. I even ground my own pork, but wow, what a pain in the ass! Over all flavors were fine, but I will buy the frozen items next time, or actually go out to a restaurant.

Poker
I am trying to get back with the poker program, and have been a bit more successful. I have had a couple small wins recently, but more importantly, I am starting to enjoy playing again. I also have been spurred on by my friend Brian J. who, while being a real pain in the ass at times has a great poker mind, and has offered (again) to review hands for me. He isn't shy about voicing an opinion, and I have no intention of sharing his comments to the general public at this time...NOT PRETTY! I have to admit, I look at some of the hand histories with him, and I have NO IDEA what I was thinking! I really want to work on my game, so I will be primarily playing 2 games at the most, but I may play a bit more with the recent Party bonus. I was adding up all my money at the various sites, and was more than a little bummed about the totals; the next day I remembered I had almost a grand at Doyles Room. Maybe a bit more attention to detail is in order?

Is everyone else a bit burnt-out on TV poker? It seems like there is at least one show on all the time, but I just can't seem to get interested at all. Either the shows are poorly produced, the annoncers suck, or maybe I'm just tired of it. I never watch TV to speak of, so maybe that's part of it too. Of course, Howard L. is a great "color" man and does a great job. Even the "Learn from the Pros" is a half way decent show, but putting up with Chris Rose for a nugget of poker info here and there seems hardly worthwhile.

I am running out of time to win a seat at the ME, but you never know! I read today that Pauly is going solo as a reporter this year, so his reports should be better than ever. Man, is he writing extra well these days... I was hoping to get there and buy him drinks, but oh well... I wish they had more satellites for the smaller events, as I think they would draw very well. It might even spread out the money a little, instead of having everything at the ME.

In other news----

I was heartbroken to see Barbaro break down awhile back...I hope he makes it. I couldn't help but think of the best race horse I ever saw in my life; if you like the ponies, and never saw Ruffian race, you missed a special treat. I guess I'm getting a little older, and have met a few racing fans who were unaware, but that filly NEVER lost a race until she broke down against Foolish Pleasure in a highly touted match race. She not only never lost, she was NEVER behind at ANY call!! It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about her.

In happier news, Al-Zarqawi was alive when they found him; one can only hope he was in immense pain as he lay dying...

Book review---

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Albom is an average writer, who excels in sentimental fluff...I appreciate any writer for what they do well, even if I don't read much of it. This book is no different except for having heaven in the title---which damn near guarantees a best-seller! The final analysis---every word was forgotten the minute I put the book back on the shelf.

Dinner---

Korean style short ribs tonight...looks like a great recipe!

Poker

I continue to be in a poker funk, and rarely am I in the mood to play. I may be coming out of it, as I tried some SH 1/2 and 2/4 limit for a little while today. I am very new to SH games, but the play seems quite weak, and at 2/4 LIMIT I think the bonuses could be snapped up relatively quickly. The SH games will be the next area I concentrate on, but I do need quite a bit of work in that area. On a regular basis, I attempt to win a WSOP seat in the cheapest way possible and have come close a few times, but have come up short. I haven't looked at all the hand histories, but I have been the favorite on almost every bust out hand. I had a horrible run at the SNG's...I really have no idea how many games one needs to have a long term view regarding ITM and ROI stats, but I have over 500 of them, and this recent run was the worst I have had by far---All 20's or 30's--- 9 handed at Stars---ONE first in 13 and the rest were a complete whiff. That will knock the old ROI #s down a tad!!

Casinos

I resisted this idea a few months ago, but I caved in and gave it a shot yesterday. I just started with the "free" bonus (absolutely no risk) and managed a free 50 bucks. It took 2 or 3 hours so the hourly rate wasn't too bad, although mind-numbingly boring. I was a decent card counter many years ago, so the basic strategy was like falling off a log. I will continue to take shots at these thing, and I must admit, even the slot bonuses look like they may be worth doing as well. Who would have figured?

News

I swear, I just read and shake my head.... "Bush urges federal marriage amendment" ---whew, that's a relief, because all them fags and lesbians have really been messin' up my life...Federal?? Not even up to the states anymore? Jesus...That guy really gets scarier by the day...

And you thought gay marriage spelled doom ---- Indian woman marries cobra in Hindu wedding LOL

Books

Many, many books have been read recently and once I figure out how to use the special areas here, I will post some book reviews.

Food

I have been having fun in the kitchen (as usual), but I still haven't had to do any serious shopping in ages, as the freezer was way more stocked than I realized. I try to add to the cookbook I am writing a couple times a week, but it never seems to work that way.

Time for a whiskey...