my trip to Iowa to see the rock and roller play and take money from stupid locals didn't pan out - couldn't muster the energy for an 8 hour drive.

Because I am now flying to CA in 6 hrs. - couple days with Mom and getting her pc fixed, and I suspect at least one or two nights in a local cardroom taking money from stupid locals - might even hit that casino again I hit in Nov. near Yosimite - but if not, I have another 3 hr layover in Vegas.

the last two trips I've taken, I've stopped in Vegas long enough to see the strip, get misty eyed, read a couple chapters in a book, and move on - wonder if I'm still big enough to make it to the Orleans gig - hmmmm...

This blog has gone way downhill in the last 18 months - I dunno - obviously I'm a failure without booze - :) - let's see what stories I have to tell when I get back from CA - always a stupid player in some small cardroom who watches too much TV poker -

rb

I recently heard Alberto Gonzales speak, (or lie thru his teeth, as the case may be) and when I heard his voice, it reminded me of someone -

someone I couldn't put my finger on for about two days till it hit me - (as I was near asleep, as I figured would happen)

he reminds me of Sam Kinison - esp. in his role as the professor in "Back to School"

the tone, the condescending tone, really sticks with me - but it's also the voice - that slight high pitched raspy voice - I was waiting for the AG to start screaming irrationally and spitting venom - but fortunately, all he did was fail to recall - about 75 times -

Sam would be a better AG then this guy - fruck - I almost miss Ashcroft now -

rb

there was a Gabe Kaplan production called Groucho in the early 80's - I think it was on HBO or something, where he just did a sort of imprompto bio of Groucho, including some of the old jokes, humor, and some cameos with Chico and Harpo.

At one point he says "Then we did the film A Day At the Races - and even though we all had read the script, and all knew how it was going to turn out, Harpo still bet on the wrong horse"

some days, I think that's about right - Knew the script, know the ending, but still bet on the wrong horse.

rb

so the kid that did the shootings at VA tech is all over TV/news/internet - he decided to leave a visual document of himself in between shootings -

I haven't seen it - I won't watch it - ever -

screw him - I am reminded of Clint Eastwood's "In the Line of Fire" where John Malkovich's character leaves a monologue on Clint's answering machine after the two have met and Clint snuffed his ass - they walk out leaving it playing -

the document is meant to serve as justification? as penance for killing 32 people? - to serve to make him a star and hero in the eyes of other kids who are feeling sorry for themselves? -

I was picked on and a loner too - even had access to weapons - but nothing excuses what he did, and like a terrorist, he feels that his acts are so hideous that his statements therefore will have merit. (in the same way, the PLA gained legitimacy after the Munich Olympic killings in 1972) -

but he gets none from me - and I certainly won't join the throngs seeking to get inside his mind - he had chances, they tried to help him - forget him - I don't even want to know his name - he is faceless - like a hand I mucked I no longer remember.

I think the news networks should have refrained from broadcasting his manifestos - I think they should have turned that over to the cops and let it die - erase him from our memory and find something else to talk about on the news - there is no healing from 24/7 news coverage, just milking survivors for ratings so they can sell commercial time at a higher revenue -

bastards

rb

fuck almighty -

got all in with AQ vs AJ for about 2/3rds of my stack in a Full Tilt 24+2 tourney -

flop comes AQ - I am now a 97.5 percent fav. to win the hand -

runner runner JJ -

that may be the worst beat I've ever taken -

rb

the bad news is I have caught the crud - that type of virus that wipes out your voice and turns you into a yellow mucus factory.

the good news is I'm too stupid to tell the difference between April 14th and April 21st, so apparently I don't have to worry right now about going to Iowa and making my friend sick cause the gig is a week away still and instead of leaving this morning, I would be leaving next week.

glad I checked the calendar a bit more closely - ay carumba.

rb

If I were a boxer, I'd say I'm ready for a real fight again

made 3 final tables this week - (1500, 400, and 180 players), finished another in 16th, couple good 2 table SNG finishes, and made about 500 TLB points

yes, I'm still slumming the LL games, trying to get my game and confidence back - and I gotta admit, getting 9th out of 1500 and 4th out of 500, even in a micro limit tourney, is a confidence booster - and I lost to a 2 outer on that one - goddamn 3

it was also my first PL 6 handed max tourney - so that was fun - a bit more gamble, but nothing I couldn't handle - I'm so tight that when I repop most guys lay down top pair instantly, and I repopped a few times with nothing and took it down -

just gotta watch my selective aggression - but my laydowns feel good again - I'm more ready to wait for a situation where I have a better read on the hand before commiting

now I just gotta get healthy and start playing the big games again - the $10 ones that pay $500 for 4th -

I'll need a big BR to justify withdrawing my cash via check - and I don't know WHEN Neteller and senator Amato are gonna get our cash flowing the regular way again.

rb

it's kind of interesting how many comments I get (or used to get) in the blog from folks searching for bands/lyrics :) --

I study at the feet of giants -

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

Kathleen - Townes Van Zandt


It's plain to see, the sun won't shine today
but I ain't in the mood for sunshine anyway
maybe I'll go insane
I got to stop the pain
Or maybe I'll go down to see Kathleen.

A swallow comes and tells me of her dreams
She says she'd like to know just what they mean
I feel like I could die
as I watch her flying by
ride the north wind down to see Kathleen.

Stars hang high above, the oceans roar
the moon is come to lead me to her door
There's crystal across the sand
and the waves, they take my hand.
Soon I'm gonna see my sweet Kathleen.

Soon I'm gonna see my sweet Kathleen.

that's twice now I've gotten AK at a final table, usually with 10 times the BB, and busted in 9th - to AA or KK -

meh - what are ya gonna do

rb

sweeeeeettttt...

got 9th in a tourney with over 1500 people - it was a 3.30 micro, but still, 9th is nothing to bitch about. probably should have laid down AK with two all ins but thought it might be the premier and I needed chips - KK and JJ both divided up my cache - grrr..


I'm kinda happy - actually writing about poker again - time to reclaim my mantle as the most sick and twisted bastard in poker - jeez, so much competition - and me no longer drinking or using controlled substances - lucky for me I'm sick in the head :)

rb

there comes a point where I face adversity, usually on the poker table - usually, the first thing that comes to mind is Batman.

There was a series in the 80's called 10 nights of the Beast - and in it, Batman is going up against a Russian villian who has been augmented and trained much in the same way he was - (in fact, Batman ends up admitting the guy is better then him at some things)

There's a point where the Beast goes over the side of the building, and he catches a wire that Batman misses -

Batman is in freefall now 40 stories up, and he thinks to himself

"it's all right, I've been here before"

then he whips out the batarang and saves his skin.

and now, virtually everytime my back is against the wall - I get AK vs 88, I'm the smallest stack on the table but the blinds are manageable, or in almost last place in the bubble or whatever - the first thought in my head

"It's all right, I've been here before"

as I writing this post, I was playing a 3 table SNG where I was in the last third chipwise most of the tourney, at one point 9 out of 10 when we were 5 handed -

guess who took it down. Sometimes I think I treat 5.50 SNG's as ego massagers :)

rb

I only played out at Canterbury once last week - took down $180 in 45 minutes at 4/8, had my table bust up, got up to 300 and back and left up $220 after 3 hrs - that works :) - took a bad beat and just felt like taking off 200 bucks up and half my night still free.

I wish I could say it's my skill level at live poker that's making the Canterbury games so beatable, but it's not - it's the suckiness of the the Canterbury Poker player. Though I like to hope my concentration on the game helps a bit -

As many have said, Canterbury is the only place where the locals are worse then the tourists - 7 years, and you'd think we still wouldn't be having discussions about the juicest game in town, but there it is. anything up to 8/16 is like blowing fish away with dynamite -

but I tell you what - when that 3rd card of one suit hits the river, get ready to see an 84 suited flush drag the pot - I never even bet anymore when that 3rd card comes - someone was always drawing to it.

I have tried time and time again to get friend and acquaintence to come out and play just to get a feel for how bad it truly is - but alas - no takers yet - maybe as it gets away from winter - chickens.

I have a friend playing a gig in Cedar Rapids, IA - whenever I make a road trip to see him (last time was Des Moines - blogged about it a year ago) - I have a habit of hitting the local card room wherever I can find it - those little out of the way Indian Casinos have games that are only slightly less dangerous then Canterbury -

There is only really one room that's a decent distance between Mpls and Cedar Rapids - if I go almost all the way to Des Moines and cut across, it's about 60 miles west of my target destination

it's name is Meskwaki - sounds like a nice fishing hole actually

I've been in the house too long :) - time to go inflict some wealth redistribution -

rb