When Good Punkins Go Bad

Don't let your Halloween end up like this.



Been a pretty transformational fall over this way...will explain soon...

Little to Post, So Sentences Are Short

Poker? Total meh. I did learn a valuable lesson, though, in my last session. When you're already on mini-tilt because you're sorta not allowed to play the tournies you want (because of time constraints), you're far better off not playing at all. At all.

New rock project coming along....recording to start in a few weeks (as soon as our guitarist can finish up the three records he's engineering for other bands).

Baseball season ended the day the Rockies gave up a five run lead against the damned Dodgers and tanked to losing 13 of their last 14....at this point, I don't even care. As long as the Gints and Yankees fail.

Time to start focusing on writing a few CD reviews, once again.

Parties with friends equals reduction in weekend opportunities for pokery goodness.

And, oh yeah, it's now been 90 days since my last cigarette, yo.

Good luck on the felt, ya'll.

Fancy A Cuppa For the Road?

Aside from yesterday's donkarama, this weekend has been about things a hell of a lot more fun than poker often is. Yeah, British cars, British car shows, and mountain drives. Of course, not only does my very non-smart phone take crap photos, it doesn't help when I inadvertently delete a bunch of then while trying to e-mail to myself. Multi-point fuel injection? Fuck that shit. Multi-point epic fail, is what that was.

Anyway, yesterday was the grand tour of the Colorado Conclave, where just about every British car club in Colorado put their wheels on the road for a four hour cruise/rally through the mountains west of Arvada. We made our way through Clear Creek Canyon, back roads to Morrison and Evergreen, all over Jefferson County, out to Idaho Springs, over Lookout Mountain, and Squaw Pass. Beautiful times.

Of course, the Good Doctor Mondo and I do not own a British car. At least not yet. Our dear friends Mandy and Evan had invited us to join them on the sojourn, as a caravan of sorts. the Doc and I took turns driving Evan's lovely red 1972 MGB:



Mandy and Evan made the trip in an even cooler 1959 Jaguar XK150. This is one seriously badass coach:



V-12 power, deep throaty exhaust, and some pretty serious pickup for a fifty year old car. I mean, S.P.E.C.T.R.E. agents would drive these cars. The XK150 was actually the predecessor to the iconic Jaguar E-Type. Back in the day, Jaguar was known for making the fastest production cars over there, period. Wow. I could listen to that exhaust note all day long.

Anyway, the day started off great. Damn, chilly, and foggy. Perfect. I mean that! I mean, if you're driving British cars, driving these cars in British weather just adds to the experience. Everyone at Starbucks was looking at us weird, as we pulled up with the top down, but we didn't care, we loved the chill. We grabbed our coffees and scones, and rolled down through the mist, to Arvada, where the tour began...top down all the way. The entire cruise was just a thing of beauty...the aspen are changing color, and we got to see an awful lot of it.

Unfortunately, the day didn't quite end as well as it started. The XK150 had developed an arcing problem, and once we were back down into the Golden, CO area, the car kept cutting out, and eventually needed towing. So that certainly didn't make Evan and Mandy's day.

Our scare was a wee bit worse. The Good Doctor Mondo took two oxygen tanks with her, since we knew we'd be out for a long time...all well and good. Well, once back in Golden, we were going to enjoy lunch together before the drive back to Longmontucky. Seemed like a good point to switch her tanks out...oh crap. The backup tank had been left on, and was absolutely empty. Emergency, yeah. Her first tank had just a wee bit left. The Good Doctor Mondo didn't want to go to any kind of emergency center...but by sitting perfectly still, and not talking, she was able to keep her oxygen saturation around 80% (ours is normally 95% or so), while I drove the MGB like a bat out of hell for 40 miles. I really didn't know I could get one of those going so fast. Anyway, all was made okay in the end...

Sunday was much less dramatic, really. But it was really cool to go back to the car show proper, and lay eyes on everything from a dozen Sunbeam Tigers, to Jensens, to E-Types of many years (among many other Jags), Lotuses of every flavor, back to the early Elites, and even a Lotus 7, an Allard J2, some beautiful big Healeys and Sprites, more TR-4s and TR-6s than one could shake a stick at, and even an immaculate DB4. Very inspiring.

All in all, a great weekend.

Just Because You Drive A Firebird...

...doesn't mean you can drive one like Burt Reynolds' stunt driver

Brendan S. Eden is the luckiest man on the planet right now.

The 19-year-old Mason, Ohio, man reportedly was speeding at more than 100 mph when he hit a guardrail, went airborne and slammed into an overpass. The car broke into three pieces and threw him from the wreckage. The dashboard-mounted camera in a police cruiser caught the spectacular crash that left Eden in critical condition and shut down an Ohio freeway for more than six hours this morning.

Read More http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/08/video-insane-100-mph-crash-caught-on-tape/#ixzz0xsBiwpnf

Wow.

Hope he lives through it, but I honestly wouldn't mind if he's never in a position to get behind a steering wheel again.

Goody Gumdrops

You got eight minutes or so? Snatch a dose of awesomeness. Pretty NSFW unless you got earplugs and can resist busting a gut.

And get us a cuppa tea, would you, Errol?

Raise Your Hand, It's MeMeMeMe

Um, meme time.

Obviously, this is in no way accurate, but I must say I like the results (taken from my last three pathetic blog entries):

I write like
James Joyce

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

I write like
Ernest Hemingway

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

I write like
David Foster Wallace

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

What, no patient of Dr. Gonzo? Well hell, since I can't have grapefruit these days anyway, what am I gonna do with all these syringes?

The silly irony is that all three of these posts were about my recent Omaha run. Which is now most definitively over. At least the run hot part of it. No doubt I'll continue to ride that horse way too long and lose my ass. Yeah. Ass.

Good luck on the felt, ya'll.

What's Next, Deliverance?

I have no idea what is more embarrassing for the hickish town of 90,000 in which I live...Longmontucky, the fact that Dog the Bounty Hunter nabbed some local coke dealin' drug dealer in town yesterday (who had basically been couch-surfing in town for the last several months), or the fact that Dog the Bounty Hunter's capture of some local coke dealin' drug dealer in town was the front page story of today's Longmont Times-Call.

Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do?

I've never seen Dog the Bounty Hunter, but my first impression is that BP's tried a junk shot on his hair and wardrobe.

A Sure Sign of Spring

Standing on my back patio this morning, I heard a series of blasts, which reminded me of, say, a blowtorch. Turns out it was this, just behind my house:



Of course, those who know me over at the Purple Row know this balloon was probably filled with San Francisco Gints fans. Or not, since it actually arrived upright.

Congrats to the winners of Main Event seats in the BBT5 Tournament of Champions last night, especially NYRambler and JJ, whose blogs I've read on occasion.

Here's to hoping you actually play the ME with your ultimate token, for the once-in-a-lifetime experience, instead of taking the cash. And let's hope your journey to the Main Event ends up more like this picture, and less like the landings over those over at McCovey Chronicles.

Unexpected Springtime Awesomeness

If you're of a certain age, and most of us poker bloggers are, you'll certainly remember this game.



You're never too old to play Whiffleball. Hell, I spent the better part of a couple summers inside the Coral Gables Rec Center playing this on a makeshift field taking up their basketball court. Good times. This video just made my day.

Brought to you by Lucy Lager, the only girl that gets to go out with the guys.

Don't Hold Out On Me

Or I will cut a Keefe.

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The least Keefe could have done down in the bayou is actually hire a couple of talented Republican wiretapping operatives...I mean, aren't the Watergate burglars, I mean, bunglers, out of jail by now?

Surreality - Part 1

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Click the photo for the punch line frame...

Slight Return

Back from Alaska, The Yukon and such and such. No, I could not see Russia from any part of Alaska, but I did see the Governor's Mansion. You know, the one Sarah Palin won't live in because it's in Juneau, not Wasilla. You know, the actual capital of Alaska.

Saw plenty of whales, but unfortunately, none on the cruise ship poker table. Wow, I knew cruise ship poker was a bit dodgy with their truly horrible tournament structures, but it didn't really hit me until I played. Played five NLHE tournies on board. Won one, bubbled another, and crashed the rest. These tables were single table, 10 player tournaments with 2000 in starting chips and blinds that double. Yeah, double. Every. Fifteen. Minutes. Starting level gave you 20 big blinds, and by the end of the first orbit, even if you havent' played a hand, you're down to roughly 8 BB. So of course I found myself where I'm shoving ATC from unopened cutoffs or buttons when I'm sitting on less than 4 BBs only 30 minutes into a tournament.

In truth, these tournaments are designed to be over within about 75 minutes from the start, and the last thing any of the casino staff is worried about is providing a good structure. The one basically unforgivable issue took place in the first tournament, where the dealer would not allow the BB to raise after a button SB call during heads up. Her understanding was that "the small blind had the option". I attempted to correct her of this, but she wasn't having it, and the first-time-in-a-casino donkfish who lasted to heads up actually didn't know any different, and didn't care, and his opponent (who seemed to know different) didn't seem to care.

Oh well, such is life, and I was cool with it. I did manage to take one down, which paid for the remainder of my tourney play. The one thing that bummed me about the play was that over the entire cruise, we managed only once to get a cash table going (3/6 LHE). Otherwise, played my first live casino craps (slight loss), Caribbean Stud (broke even, but what a terrible game), and donked around blackjack for a while.

And saw glaciers, humpback whales, sea lions, otters, a couple bears, and had a brilliant time. I highly recommend cruising the Inside Passage if you can.

Of course, given my virtual denial of net access, I was left in the dark during at the time, but found my blogger catch up reading most pleasant, indeed, thanks to the deep WSOP runs of a couple of our blogger queens. CK and LJ, I'm proud of you, and surely these are only the first of many deep runs and cashes for each of you in that lil' ol' WSOP thingy. Especially LJ in her first. ever. live. HORSE. tourney. Pretty stunning, actually.

Anyway, I'll put up a couple photos of the trip once the Good Doctor Mondo gets them from her vid camera to the laptop....

Taking Potpourri for $200, Alex

Today's the BBT4 finale, and the final finale of all BBTs. Obviously, I'm not taking part. Good luck all, but a huge thanks to Al for having worked so hard over the years getting such big prizes put together for these series. I only played three events myself, finishing in the points only once and ending up 160th of 333 on the roster of all who played. Time is not my friend, my friend. But good luck to all, and I hope the two who end up with Main Event packages actually use them to play, and not just take the cash.

There's very little in this world I'd like to see more than a blogger making the November Nine.

Oh, yeah, otherwise out in Vega$, this guy is headed to Day 3 of $2500 NLHE in solid shape...20 players left, over a half mil to the winner.

New Ben Franklins have been going gangbusters. Our recent show at the Bluebird Theater was an amazing experience, and at the same time, one of our best shows ever, musically. We're playing a show today at Denver's world semi-famous Larimer Lounge, and I'm greatly looking forward to it. It's our only gig for June, as various NBFers leave town this month.

Myself included. This week, the Good Doctor Mondo and I head to up the coast on an Alaskan cruise. Should be a blast, I'll try to get a couple cool pictures to post. Lots of whale-watching, and not just in the on boat casino.

You Are Entering A World Of Pain

And here's Part 2 of...drumroll...the Swede Lebowski. Enjoy in it's no-budget low-fi splendor:

Too Good Not To Share

Some friends of mine, awesome movie buffs all (or at least, major buffs of a majorly awesome film), have remade The Big Lebowski, in two parts.

I now present, The Swede Lebowski:



Part Deux to follow.

Never Thought I'd See the Day

Okay, so I'm watching the DVR of tonight's American Idol finale...so sue me. Wifey's leaving town for a few days tomorrow, so we're hanging out. Anyway, all the final 12 contestants are doing their customary duets with famous folk, and Adam Lambert's doing it with KISS. And...get this...KISS isn't even fucking playing. I mean, they're playing...in that sorta lip syncing style. At least the bass.

The bass notes being played were NOT coming from Gene "We won't play it, but we'll license it for a Fistful of Shekels" Simmons. He wasn't playing the same strings and frets the notes were coming from, and it seems obvious that the bass part that you and I heard was coming from Rickey Minor, who's not only the musical director of the American Idol in house band, but also a hell of a bass player in his own right.

Wow. Not that KISS has ever been anything but a cheeseball sorta sometimes hard-ish running joke rock band, but tonight, they were more of a Rock Band, Playstation 3 version. I don't think I'll ever be able to listen to them again. Real bands don't faux-play their instruments on a show when lesser lights are actually performing. Seriously, I don't doubt Ashlee Simpson will put in a cameo on their next album.

And So It Goes

Yeah...all that non-poker stuff.

Well, the Good Doctor Mondo and I are breathing sighs of relief today. Our lil' all star doggie, Yorvie, ended up having a mass of some type, that a biopsy was not able to draw any conclusions from. So a few days ago, the docs shaved his shoulder, cut him open, and yanked it out. He looks a real mess right now with a big incision, but we found out in the last hour that the tumor was benign. He's already got his spunk back, but now we can breathe a lot easier.

New Ben Franklins just keeps on keepin' on. We had our first "get shafted by a club" experience, when we lost the gig we had tomorrow night because the club double booked the venue. 'Tis a real shame, because we were really looking forward to getting to play with bluebelle, one of our favorite bands (any of you Billy Childish fans out there would LOVE bluebelle). And we always dig doin' it with Dario Rosa. And our frontman made such a cool simple poster for the show, too, such a shame to waste it.



Frankly, I can't say I'm surprised, given the debacle that was our last show at that venue. I mean, we were negatively affected, but the bar threw two more bands on the bill at the last minute, and one of the bands that was booked with us didn't get to play. So I'm not shocked that we'd get the short end of it, and we didn't deal directly with the venue on this gig. Oh well. But it's hard to get overly worked up about it when...drumroll...we're booked to play the Bluebird Theater! WOOHOO!

That means absolutely fuckall to a poker blogger, but it's a real bloody venue, capacity about 400 or so, balcony, the works. Heck, in the last year, bands like Daughtry and Vampire Weekend have graced that stage. It won't be the biggest room I've played, but it will certainly be the nicest to date. Here's a few pics of the joint:



What?!?!? I have TWO monitor wedges, just for lil' ol' me?



Nice view from the balcony.



Just a few of our fans. Yeah, right. But one can hope. Maybe someday. But the Bluebird looks pretty cool when it's packed to the gills, no?

Oh yeah, and we've started recording, too....

Patient Zero

Thanks to Jeev for sharing this photo. Now we know the true source of swine flu. Parents...keep your dirty lil' tots away from the farm, 'aight?



I bet the lil' bugger's probably somewhere in Oklahoma, making kids and bovine sick everywhere. Patient Zero, that is, not Jeev.

How to Miss A Week of Poker

...and not care more than one or two whits about it? Here's how:



Okay, his name isn't "how", it's Yorvie. So here's Yorvie.

The Good Doctor Mondo and I adopted him from a local shelter this past Tuesday, and he's been pretty much 95% angel with a welcome 5% devil thrown in. Quite bright, too. However, I haven't yet managed to teach him how to sling chips like the dogs in classic velvet paintings. Now has he figured out the difference in outs between an OESD with two overs, versus a naked nut flush draw. But he's only two, so there's plenty of time.

I have to admit, I'm now itching to play some. It's going to be tough making time for 4-5 hour (or more) MTTs with this little fella, but I'd like to think I can start getting back to some turbo 180s. We'll see.

A Heaping Helping Of Hope

Check out this video -- it was submitted as part of an AARP contest called U@50, and was ultimately the second place video. It's really quite clever, and less than two minutes long:



Do I think it will really come to pass? At the individual level, I surely hope so. At the macro level? Unlikely, but it's nice to see the positivity.