things are gonna be quiet tonight - I'm gonna get some stuff in here I've really wanted to get in here -

For one - a new Kate Rusby song - The Lark - it sounds hokier then hell to read, but if you heard it it'd kill you

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Out in the fields where the lark it flies
over the earth where my heart lies
oh how it sings when the west winds blow
out in the field where no one goes

Oh how the cold will you let me in
if you could me speak where would I begin
Time it is passed now and I roam free
Is it wrong to wish you still need me
Is it wrong to wish you still need me

Out in the field where the lark it sings
here I was waiting for all these things
there I stood and there I fell
out in the field that I know well

Oh how the cold will you let me in
if you could me speak where would I begin
Time it is passed now and I roam free
Is it wrong to wish you still need me
Is it wrong to wish you still need me

Out in the field where the lark resides
Here I'll remain where my heart can hide
Only the lark and the west winds know
Out in this field where no one goes

Oh how the cold will you let me in
if you could me speak where would I begin
Time it is passed now and I roam free
Is it wrong to wish you still need me
Is it wrong to wish you still need me

----------------------------------------------

I love that last line of the chorus - I think it expresses a common thought but one we never really express that much...

Is it wrong to wish you still need me..... - damn - know what that feels like.

More on the woman front to come - they're pains in the asses to be sure -

RB

There's a great discussion on 2+2 right now on tournaments - I need to read this -

I also need to read more of exitonly's posts - he's a major contributor to the MTT forum and was TLB leader last month on Pokerstars - so he knows what he's doing -

I like one quote of his so far - people are commenting on how it's easier to play a short stack then a medium stack because medium stacks feel awkward to play if you raise and get action and his comment was this. - (summarized)

"If it feels like an awkward call or a pot-committed call just push all in anyways - it'll never be an -EV move with the amount of times you get called." - Interesting -

This is a big deal to me cause I'm so weak-tight I shoot myself in the foot so much and leave myself short stacked because I don't play enough.

I'm gonna throw myself at the mercy of the MTT forums.

EDIT: - I put this post in there just now -

I came to a shocking realization.

I think I check/call more often in MTT's then bet because I'm scared of bluffs, sure, but mostly I think I want to know how much that card is gonna cost me before I bet it.

If I act first, and I bet and he raises, the price of seeing the next card has gone up - and what if I don't want to pay it after my money is in there? - so I check and let him bet - and if the price is acceptable - I call. That makes me feel better -

but betting is +EV - check/calling is -EV - I KNOW this - but I get security the other way - and of course, it doesn't matter as much in limit tourneys, but esp. in NL - I think it's my biggest leak -

RB

I've made no secret of the fact that I'm a supporter of Full Tilt - I wrote a review on them last year at one point and my finishing in their HORSE tourney is one of my poker highlights -

So I have sorta gained a type of affilate/sponsor status with them - a nice link on the blog once in a while is good anyways - keeps us humble

Where else can you watch Clonie Gowan shoot down complete douchebags who have no idea how to talk to a woman at an online poker table? LOL - (those Texas women can take care of themselves)

It's interesting - I suggested that FT start HORSE tourneys after they started Razz, and they did - I then talked about how I liked playing their tourneys cause I got sick of 2000 player fields on other sites - and now other sites are offering limited entry tourneys to compensate - LOL - pretty damn cool -

but mostly I like the vibe/interface - and I enjoy playing with Seidel and Lederer - so rock on -

-----------------------------------

Also, for what it's worth - this will probably be the last update for a few days - I'm flying to Reno to hang out with my mom and her Husband in Carson City for a couple days (we only get to see each other once a year) - so when I get back I'll have a review of the Carson Valley Inn amongst other places -

----------------------------------

I have swapped the plasma - I now have a 55 inch LCD Sony A20 TV - it's great and not so great.

pros - bigger - no screen burn-in (meaning I can use it for a computer monitor if I wish) - great for Xbox

cons - much harder to move - and nothing matches plasma clairity.

When I get older and richer, I must have two large screens - one plasma for HDTV, and one LCD for the computer stuff -

RB

Was in Des Moines for a friend's show last night - was gonna roll in, catch the show and roll out - but 5 hrs beforehand, while killing time on my way to locating the venue, I noticed a sign for $35 dollar hotel rooms and said hell with it.

Good time at the gig - also met a guy who was trying to make a hip/hop and bluegrass fusion and he gave me a four leaf clover which I hope is lucky.

I wasn't sleepy afterwards, and I had done a scouting report on Pokerpages for poker rooms and got nil - but I saw a sign for a casino near the hotel and when asking the bartender he informed me that yes, there was a live poker room there - so I went down and won back my travel expenses playing $1/2 NL for 3 hrs.

Good time - I also bought Kate Rusby's new CD "The Girl Who Couldn't Fly" (a sly reference to Kate's fear of airplanes) - you know what that means....yep - Russ spends another three weeks in lovesick mode and you have to read new lyrics later - LOL

pax
RB

wrote a post on a $1000 bet that's going on on 2+2

someone wants to bet $1000 that Delay isn't convicted of the charges he's been given, and someone wants to take it - but here's why I tried to talk him out of it.

--------------------------

you shouldn't take this bet, stealyourface. Here's why.

let's say you are going to play at a private poker game. And when you get there you realize that there are several colluders/cheaters in the game working against you.

Your mentality right now seems to be is "well, let's play - I know they're lying and cheating bastards - let's see if my skill can take off the edge, because I AM better then them, after all, and I know what they're up to"

Your mentality should be "go to hell" and leave - when dealing with goddamn liars and cheats, the best thing one can do is tell them to go fuck themselves - not try to beat them at their rules.

The Republican party has been caught with it's dick in the horse's ass - and they'll be doing everything they can to make this disappear - if they can rig the 2000 elections, they can get Delay off one way or the other - as well as all the important figures in all this stuff (this is a terrible time to be middle-level staff at the Whitehouse - they're picking scapegoats by lottery to take the fall for the big honchos)

If they were real people, then maybe they'd be convicted, but this is the rich elitist part of society - they don't do time like the rest of us - whoever said money can't by happiness wasn't a Republican, or at least he didn't have a good lawyer. He certainly didn't have the cronies that millions of dollars can buy you to get off the hook. However, Delay does.

you're thinking that Justice will prevail and you'll win the bet - but the goddamn liars and cheats in the white house won't allow that to happen. Plain and simple

I'd just say fuck it, walk away, and rejoice at the 2006 midterms coming up - half these scandals will still be going on by then - LOL - it'll help out our party immensely.

One should never try to beat the liars and cheats at their own game - one should find a better game - plain and simple -

RB

I am forced to accept the fact that I'm in love with a married woman. - One I've never met, BTW -

Kate Rusby's new album is coming out - I've heard a couple tracks - they seem to be a bit quieter - more sparse then the last couple recordings - that's my initial estimate -

It's not easy to hide when your heart's on full view

I like that verse. Apparently she wrote the song for a BBC cartoon about Jack Frost (a boy in the woods that freezes everything he touches)

I have things I wanna say, but we're busy - if we get a quiet streak I'll get something done in the next 12 hrs - otherwise afterwards...

Long story short- I have to bail on my Blogger Tourney entry - well, don't have to, but it's a choice between a friend and a poker tournament - the friend wins.

RB

ok - some thoughts...let's blog a bit....

-----------

the Plasma TV isn't burning images in, it's just retaining them, so I'm gonna keep it - gotta buy a couple calibration CD's next week - get the colors and shit right.

I got my HDTV receiver today (rather the cable box - the TV is HDTV ready) - and it also has a DVR - I went thru and clicked on 4 programs that were recorded this morning or when I was sleeping earlier - I've waited for years to see Jefferson in Paris - and I was able to find it and record it - the quality wasn't too bad either for SD -

-----------

I'm currently watching Elvis Presley's Memphis - a Discovery HD presentation on Memphis and Elvis..and it's in HD except for the old parts which are plburry as hell - LOL -

Ok - here's the thing - I'm obsessed with this stuff - have been for years - wrote a song "Fall Into Memphis" about my obsession. It's about a girl who becomes obsessed with the music and Memphis and leaves me - but to be honest, it was about me leaving - I wanted to go and sit in the bars and listen to the blues every night. Later in life the dream would have me sitting on stage and sipping whiskey, but at first it was all about sucking in the legacy. Getting autographs from artists for their local tapes - knowing I'd probably never meet an authentic bluesman ever again.

It's the heart of the blues - it's the heart of rock and roll and it's incredible and historical - you expect to see a 50's greaser anywhere - - it's a world I would have liked to have lived in - I'd have like to have hung out with Johnny Cash and Elvis before they knew what big shit they were - just spinning records and sipping beer -

Everytime I hear a song with Memphis in it, I think back to my roadtrip - probably about 5 years ago now - Memphis TN -

If I could make a living online playing poker, I'd probably relocate there.

----------

While we're on the subject - I've always liked Discovery Channel - but Discovery HDTV - oh yah - that just friggen rocks....I'll watch a special on the Tasmanian Tiger if I can watch it in HDTV -- bummer to see it became extinct as a direct result of extermination - ay carumba.

----------

no luck in the three tourneys today - ah well - maybe I'll get one or two more in, or maybe I'll just play xbox -

RB

this is a problem -

I could be paranoid, but I believe my Plasma is beginning to retain some images from Xbox - I removed some gauges to give it a rest, but I think the phosphers may have gotten burned -

so now I have to try and take that back, meanwhile waiting for the elevator to get fixed - and I'll probably get the 15% restocking fee to grab something else -

I had the most god awful urge for a drink when I realized that - when I think about my whole life again I'm suddenly getting the urge to get fucked -

guess I'll just chill.

EDIT: - seems to have subsided with extra stuff on there - and the stuff does retain images for minutes -

I'll try not to be so paranoid - I've got 2 or 3 weeks still before I HAVE to make a decision.

Right now I'm playing 3 $5 tourneys on Party - it seems to be my lot to slum in LL tourneys till I get a big win - haven't really had one this year, which is heartbreaking.

On the other technological front, I am very very happy with the Dell 2001FP - as you can see it looks great.

Goddamn technology.

RB

death in the SNG of my dreams....ah well. - Reno in two weeks.

I've added a new link - Saddlepoint - All Cure Lyrics, All The Time -

In addition to being the writer of the EuroRounders parody I posted about last week, he's alos got some real cool stuff on there -

read away - another week or two and I'll probably add a few more.

RB

I'm about to start a Steps 3 tournament on Party Poker -

basically, they are an escalating series of Sit-N-Go's that if you get thru all 5, you have won at least 1800 off of an 11 buck investment.


Never gotten this high before - but the first 3 seats go up, the next couple repeat, and one or two go back - so as long as I don't get too stupid I'm fine.

RB

couple quickies -

0 for 2 in the Canterbury Tourneys - and 0 for 2 in the Satellites - Canterbury was a wash - so was my 1/2 limit playing yesterday.

My Party Poker STEPS challenge - took 2nd twice in a row - I'm up to the $215 level - innerestin...scary - that'll be the highest cost SNG I play when I play it - and I should have a goot shot at making the next level as things get a bit more relaxed -

and I'm becoming a marijuana crusader - since I'm not drinking I should change my name to stonerville, perhaps - I dunno - LOL

RB

State of the Poker Union address -

well, we're fucked - down $3800 and counting - mostly tournaments - LOL - and mostly live tourneys at that....not a good serious tourney final table this year - totally unlike last year.

I took several weeks off and came back for two days at Canterbury - good luck at the ring games this month out there, but the $450 I put into tourneys and $110 into satellites I'll never get back. - ah well.

interesting - these are my last 10 date entries for Limit Poker..

07/19/05
07/23/05
08/23/05
09/06/05
09/13/05
09/29/05
10/03/05
10/10/05
10/12/05
10/12/05

After my Atlantic City debacle (playing 10/20 and getting my clock cleaned) - I took a long break from Limit poker - This summer I've put in less then 50 hours apiece each at limits 1/2 all the way up to 6/12 - and every category is down a couple hundred.

Ah well - guess I'll write this year off as a loss.

RB

Alix Powers was at Canterbury, playing 8/16 and I think some tournaments - I tried to steer clear as he seemed to aggravate everyone who spoke to him.

Marcel is coming tomorrow - allegedly, the World Poker Store is bringing him out to Canterbury - but I think it's the only Omaha H/L tourney left in the country, what with everyone going to NL holdem, that'll bring him out tomorrow.

Ah yes, dealing with crazy strung out homeless folks - another Canterbury day in Minnesota.

I felt bad for the man who had no bong, till I met the man who had one but no water to fill it with - :)

RB

well, as y'all recall, I mentioned the 55" Sony

I bought the 42" Samsung plasma instead...

Why? - lots of reasons - same price, better picture, smaller but crisper - but in the end - I bought it cause it's been a month since the booze - that triggered me into today's impulse buy (yesterday's, actually.)

so now one would think having gotten it I would be flipping thru channels, trying out DVD's, and enjoying it, right? Relishing the beauty of HDTV on Cable -

Nope - not gonna watch anymore today - I'm on the road - $200 tourney at Canterbury today and tomorrow - I'm gonna go sign up -

It's time to play some cards.

RB

haven't done a big post in a while....

well, some longtime readers may remember WT saying if he went without booze for a month, he'd buy his HDTV - well, I did, and I'm going to - probably the 55 inch Sony A20 LCD rear projection...woo hoo?

I'll see what my day looks like - the big thing today is surprisingly - staying awake - I've got a movie I REALLY HAVE to see tonight (Townes Van Zandt documentary) - and we start recording Sunday 9am, so I'll be up late and sleeping late or something - something's gonna be messed up, in any case...

I put $100 into Party of all places and I'm gonna probably take advantage of a deposit bonus and put some more in....maybe I can tolerate it a bit better - seems like there's donks everywhere....and I have $270 cash - I may use some of it to play in the Canterbury tournaments, but I think I'll sit this year's fall classic out -

90 minutes till I get to go home - good fun...

I heard the legends, but I didn't believe -

but I can't deny it - Taradise is a train wreck.

Imagine who that executive is...he's a manager in a fast food resturaunt now. I'm talking about the guy who thought we'd enjoy a b-actress get drunk in exotic locales. She's already flashed her tits at us, so it's not like she can do anything else for me - LOL.

What strange worlds these party girls live in. -

ane now Katie Holmes has fired her publicist of 9 years and is now represented by Tom Cruise's sister.

I cannot deny it anymore....actresses are dumb. Especially actresses in Hollywood. Everyone in Hollywood, actually - they're retarded.

RB

If you have seen the movie Rounders and have any opinion on it at all....

I just found this post on 2+2

it's what would have happened if Rounders had happened in Europe - I have laughed my ass off for an hour - I won't laugh this much again till my Complete Calvin and Hobbes collection comes in next week.

some blogfather needs to print this in his blog - I don't like the way it formats in mine.

RB

ah yes...

as per Chris Halverson - I too must admit that I have registered for the online poker challenge -

I have registered to play in the
Online Poker Blogger Championship!

This event is powered by PokerStars.

Registration code: 7159416

RB

Oh lord - it begins....weeks of my life gone - LOL

starting next Sunday, 9:30AM, my band will start recording their first full length album - it'll take everything I've got to not let this suck - I am the recording engineer, per se... (also the guy who owns the gear) - everything I know about the task is mostly self taught - some ep tunes are on the website - same gear - I'll try a bit harder to nail the groove.

that's the worst thing in the world - taking something you really love and throwing it out there for everyone to approve or disapprove - and it's gonna be so much work that by the time we're done, I'll be so sick of the songs we won't want to do them anymore - LOL

that's recording an album for ya.

RB

well, after all that, a friend and I went out to Canterbury and played some lowly 3/6 and he got rivered and I survived and made a nice $71 -

My next poker run is probably going to be a run to Reno - hang out with Mom and chilling - October is the goal... - my goal is to take my $271 and try to build it back up with the live games up to about $1000 before I go - get some more tourneys and NL in when I go -

Finally - some successful poker content - LOL

RB

you wanna know why I don't blog about poker anymore? - Because a poker blog of fucking bad beats is as entertaining as a blog of me whining about quitting drinking - LOL.

SNG today - raise to 200 with KK and some asshole comes over the top all in - I call and he's got measly QT off suit - flops one card that can make a st8 and he goes runner runner on the other two -

who wants to read a blog of that shit all day or me taking AK vs JJ and hitting a A4J flop? - that's not fucking entertainment.... - that's a fucking joke.

--------------------------

Just got back from a double feature featuring two Barbara Kopple feature documentaries on unions - Harlan County, USA and American Dream. The first was about Kentucky Coal Miners who were on strike in '76 - that strike ended and the company returned to the table when a scab killed some young guy with a shotgun blast to the face.

The 2nd one was about the Hormel strike of '86 in Austin, MN just south of me - that one didn't end so well - (a friend of mine from there said it essentially destroyed the town.) - but in between, you had Ronald Reagan kicking the balls of the Air Traffic Controllers and gutting the power of the unions....

Very troubling - esp. the 2nd one. The first one had guys with guns, but that 2nd one was a bit more civil. But it came down to a local union wanting one thing and the National Parent wanting something else - and in the end, a lot of good folks got shot in the foot.

I totally understand Solidarity. I totally understand the outrage - they get you to stay in town, raise families, buy houses, and then once you're in they say "whoops, we need to be competitive, even with $29 million in profits, so we're gonna stick it to you up the ass and cut your wages by 20% -

But at the same time, solidarity aside, if my union leaders are walking off a cliff, am I honor bound to walk off it too? - I have no easy answers to that one - I feel like doing some reading -

but definately, unions are great for the Blue Collar workers of America - too bad they've been gutted.

RB

wow -

just checked Expedia - could go to Vegas for two nights and three days for about $350 if I wanted to -

Or stay at the Wynn for $540 - THAT's a good deal -

must be the dead time of year in Vegas....

RB