So a few (well, 2...) people stressed either via PM or IM that I should probably get a haircut... I can't remember the last time I got one. 4 months ago? I generally am not a fan. Anyway, I decided to go to a nearby barbershop and finally got the hair lopped off.
What a treat! For those of you who have seen Rounders (if you haven't, watch it immediately, you aren't a poker player until you've watched it, seriously) it was basically the scene where Mike gets an old-time haircut. I've never done that before - wasn't just a haircut, also was a shave w/ the old time razor, etc. It felt really good and I will go back.
Since I'm midway (as of Tuesday!) through my 2 group coaching classes, I'm preemptively starting another 2 groups. Similar time zones (PST, GMT) and probably will get off the ground in 1 month. Comment if you're interested. I also plan on selling the package of camtasia and pamela recordings from the group already, perhaps sharing one so that people can see publicly how they function. More on this later though. (As in a future blog) *Note that I wouldn't mind extending the group size to 8, but no more than that. As of now a few people have expressed interest, but only 1 confirmed.
So, New Years. Mine was pretty fun. Here's the skinny: In general I view these events as overrated and not exactly profound. As a result I generally don't prepare, and leave myself searching for plans. My friend Skye invited me to a party, so that seemed like a good idea.
The party was full of Tufts alums, many of whom were ~3 or 4 years older than Skye. (We were on the younger side, 23/22-everyone else was ~25/26) Also, we weren't dressed for the occasion (I always have trouble spelling that). Not that it really mattered since there was TONS of alcohol, but most people had shirt/tie type deal. And slacks/dress shoes. Skye and I were pimping the dress shirt, but then jeans. The party was actually really close to my apartment, in between Harvard and Cambridge (really beautiful 5 bedroom apartment) but when we left, we took the T to Harvard and walked back. It was freezing/lots of snow/50mph gusts, but that made the walk more fun (like Siberia, which I bet is just joyous fun).
One thing that was fun was engaging in random conversations w/ unknowns, and I would say honest things (like "oh, I make money on sports betting") and people would think I was the most ridiculous person ever. I still don't get tired of this (one day I probably will) but it was also fun to learn about all these other people, many of whom are just finishing law school and the like.
Before (and after) we stopped at this hole in the wall Falafel place, which actually ended up being FAR better than we expected. It looked run down and so on (it's about 2 mins from my apartment) but again, not only was it quality when sober (pre party) but also perfect for a 130AM stop (post party).
There were 3 things of note about the party:
1. Since most people were ex XC/track people, they had managed to procure a giant raceclock that counted backwards. It was v cool actually and fit well.
2. Beer->Tequila (mixed w/ orange juice, then seltzer, then cranberry) -> Champagne (they bought 18+ bottles, I'm pretty sure I finished one on my own). The tequila mixed drinks were really horrible and I will try to avoid that in the future.
3. Around 1oclock (so CST New Years) the entire party was belting out Journey (Don't Stop Believing). Yay. I don't think there is a better song for parties/bars/social gatherings.
The walk home was fun, I ended up sprinting the final minute or so because it was so cold - Skye ended up crashing on the couch.
Yesterday wasn't great since I didn't sleep well (understandable!!!!!!!!) but took it easy, bought some kitchen stuff, and watched Casablanca. I thought it was a good movie but nothing outstanding. The ending is certainly unexpected and what *makes* the movie. You either really like it or you don't; if not, you wont like the movie.
Dubby left for Portugal today, I hope he has a great time. I'm not sure if I'm going to head home tomorrow (then up to Northampton) or what the deal is, but obv will keep the blog informed
Donna Reed was so hot. The reason I have that picture is I'm currently watching that w/ Skye, to celebrate Christmas spirit
I called Noelle last week. Well, a day or so after the last blog entry. I had visions of The Office when Michael is ready to give Tobey his exit interview. Hopefully that reference isn't lost on anyone - more succinctly, the "what gives you the right" speech. Call it closure or a release, I called to vent anger, and it didn't exactly work. The bottom line is whatever happened happened, she finished things off in a terrible manner, but c'est la vie. Actually, I did feel better after that.
I promised a basketball review 1/3rd of the way through the season, and this is the official 1/3rd point. (Christmas) It'll be up next blog, before the month ends.
I hired a girl named Dawn Summers to be the personal assistant; she will start ~next week. I'm hoping I can fill ~8ish hours a week. The first few weeks I should be able to, I need to start writing down all the errands and tasks that are supposed to be done. First and foremost is curtains/window stuff.
My DVD (www.expertholdem.com) that I filmed last year is finally expected to be released in a month. Here is the cover artwork:
I had my friend Teddy Bach (Tbach from 2p2, younger brother of GKA) stay w/ me the past few days. We were GOING to play bball/etc. but a little thing called "Christmas" and various gyms (Tufts, YMCA) being closed, kept us out. Instead we played a lot of Guitar Hero band mode (Teddy is surprisingly very good @vocals). Dave was supposed to be here too, but par the course he flaked out. In his defense he wanted to go up early to his GF's family's house in Cape Cod.
My friend Skye had to write a huge paper for a CS class of his (I think? not sure the details) but basically had been slaving over it for a week+. His first flight home (he is from Chicago) was canceled due to snow; his second flight home, well, he had worked so hard on it in a computer lab that he passed out and missed his flight. Most people went home, but since I'm still around w/ Teddy, he has been here for the past 2 days. I obv feel pretty bad for him that he wasn't able to be home for Xmas.
Skye is a pro @ GH, so in band mode I moved to the vocals (wooot) and Teddy the drums and we binked out a ton 2 days ago. (lotsa fun lol)
I know I'm bouncing / skipping around, but just trying to get all the thoughts out.. I went to Teddy's family Christmas in Cambridge. Well, he's Jewish, but his mothers side are not, so it was Teddy, Neil (tbach/dbach's dad), Joan (tbach/dbach's mom), then Loella (well, Lou for short, I think that's her full name? the aunt) Arthur (lou's ex-husband I think?) Phil (not sure the relation). We had a nice roast, watched the Celtics/Lakers game (ugh brutal ending stretch) and it was a good time.
I canceled the last US and EU group sessions (on Mon/Tues) for the holidays, but it looks like we'll be back on pace the 29th/30th. Also, Tbach's 21st bday is the 5th of Jan, so the plan I think will be to go back to Noho then (then they'll come to Boston to celebrate bigtime). Also, good news is Olson drove back from Vegas the past week (I think he's home now, it was unclear when he would arrive) so it'll be vv nice having him back around.
Actually have a bunch of updates! On Monday, the 15th, I went to the Jazz vs Celtics game. I wore my Deron jersey (was on TV briefly various points in the game) and had great seats. (Courtside baby) Took some pictures: (These are pulled from my post in 2p2)
AK to the line...
Tommy walking away (I had him lined up front side and the doufous in front of me ruined the picture)
Pruitt warming up to start the 2nd half:
Michael Phelps was introduced at a TV timeout (HUGE applause!)
The Jazz lost, mainly to Rondo going nuts, and I pushed my Jazz+9 (which was just brutal, as they were only down 7 w/ the ball, then Rondo stole the inbounds pass AHHH) and it looked like Deron was hurt. I went to the game with Adam ("AA_ismyfriend") who is a cool guy. He is good friends w/ Alex, and lives in New Haven. It would be nice to become better friends with him bc he is a very entertaining guy.
Before the game we grabbed burgers at Charley's in Newbury street. He wore his Ray Allen UConn jersey, which was close enough to the Jazz blue that it sorta looked like we were both Jazz fans. I was the ONLY person with a Jazz jersey in all of boston, it seemed. yet no one (outside of 1 attendant) ripped me at all.
The following day (the 16th) was my Mom's birthday. Happy Bday to her; I'm planning on going to Spain with her in February (as the gift) but I need to hash out details. Well, lots of details arent planned yet.
Other than that, a few bullet points:
-Had a date the other day with a girl named Morgan. It was really fun; we clicked intellectually, but I'm just not that into her. We had coffee and desert in the north end, it was worth going into Boston, but Cambridge > Boston imo.
-I'm in the process of hiring a personal assistant. A few people wanted me to post a TR about this, but, well, I'm not done yet. I had the first interview today with "Dawn," which went well; she's very qualified. I was supposed to have another today but the blizzard ruined that, so one is on tap for tomorrow and after that who knows. I'll make a decision by the end of the weekend.
-Teddy (tbach) and Dave (GKA) are supposed to come monday or tues; we're going to goto Sixers@Celtics. Well, Joel (xorbie) and Kidcolin are also coming, so it should be fun. will post about that when it happens
-I had an interview for Cardplayer w/ Craig Tapscott yesterday. Aaron did this not too long ago, and my interview is coming out late Jan. I think it went well, although I have no idea what the expectations or result are/going to be. Pretty giddy about it, actually.
-Guitar Hero is steadily picking up. I perfected a Bass (lol JV guitar) on hard, but still am having considerable trouble with Guitar. I'm moving slowly towards expert!
Greg was a guest for the US Sesh #4, and I must say, he did an excellent job. he added stellar commentary and viewpoints I hadn't considered; i think the people in the group got alot out of it too. There are going to be a few other guests throughout the classes (we are 1/3rd done) such as the man, the myth, the legend,* but i'll keep them on the DL. I think people are really loving/liking/getting alot out of the classes since i'm constantly getting Ims from people in the class either showing brags or interesting spots - i love feedback!
*about the Man/Myth/Legend, I am going to be going next month to Indiana to visit Aaron for a weekend. Attend a Pacers and Butler game, and play some pickup. (Will be a thurs->sun type deal) Need to get tickets for this (rather, need to have my PA get tickets for me) I want to say this here as well, I am very appreciative of the other Leggo pros. Not only do I think they're great poker minds - and by extension very articulate/incredibly helpful coaches - but a bunch of them are friends as well. Suffice to say I'm truly looking forward to seeing Indiana.
I have a series on 6max cash coming out soon, i know Matt has been upset bc i keep forgetting to format it (lol camtasia-aments) but expect this soon for leggo - also pleased with the responses from my last video (just want more comments!)
That's the "official Hollywood draft". Cant get enough of these things; i think my teams in the NBA and NFL drafts are the best (seriously) but im not as confident in Hollywood stuff. It will be harder discerning relative value. Anyway I have the 5th overall pick, I'm realllllllllly hoping to start with Paul Newman. Click on that thread if you're interested what this all means. And yes, it's in sporting events. I think my sister is going to help me with it, as this should appeal to her. (A good bonding thing for sure)
That's it for now, I'm sure I forgot things, but that encapsulates the week. If I didn't remember it, probably wasn't important! *right now it's snowing heavily but it doesnt faze me! Also watched The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, v good movie. Next on tap is Hoop Dreams followed by Casablanca.
Owen left today; he had been here for nearly 10 days I suppose. It was fun, although one thing (no fault on his end, he was a guest, same with Travis) but I like my living space really clean. And although my apartment was hardly messy, when I wake up (it's 4am) I'm going to do a real thorough cleaning. Just makes me mentally happy.
I have been playing a TON of guitar hero. It's such an awesome game, makes you feel like you're actually playing the instrument. That said, people that can beat it on expert (Travis, Alex) I am pretty much in awe. I'll get there eventually!
A video of mine came out a few hours ago. I think it was great, perfect audio and incredibly good content. Really advise anyone to check it out.
I think I'm going to come out with the sportsbetting update in my next blog (1 week I'd say) - until then, all I really need to add is it's been tough meeting people. (Meaning, women) I was complaining to Matt Probability about this (and was on the verge of an emo blog post, lol) but I've reeled it in. The essence is encapsulated in this story:
Yesterday (well, Friday night) I was invited by my neighbor Stacey (who is really cute/quite friendly) to her house party (basically pre bar) so I went down there (she lives on the 1st floor) with Owen. A cousin of hers was there (who also was pretty cute) and a friend/friend of a friend from Suffolk. (They goto grad school there) Observation: Girls love Criminal Justice as a major and Speech Pathology. Literally every girl the past month I've met that is in grad school studies one of those 2 things. Also, what is it with girls and lapdogs? I just don't understand that.
Anyway, a huge % of their conversation revolved around things I truly cannot appreciate or empathize with: Their commute to school/work. Inwardly I sorta loled at it (actually, the cocktails were really strong and I ended up drinking more than I thought I did, so maybe I outwardly did some loling at waiting in traffic) And what occurred to me is although I wouldn't change my life for anyone's life - other than aejones' life ofc - there are odd pitfalls that come along with it.
That was the topic I really wanted to push across. Perhaps the next entry will have more substance (and relevant life details: You probably don't want to read about Owen and me watching basketball, playing guitar hero, and eating at S&S or Carberry's!) - also, I played a sesh of low limit PLO, and I still do not like the game. Absolutely owned - I think I played 60 vpip (everything is so damn pretty) and it's pretty apparent the fish REALLY don't get PLO, but I just don't think it's as much fun. Strangely with more cards you're actually more limited within your own actions. I could be wrong here obv, since I don't have nearly the platform of experience as other PLOers, but I just don't see myself ever logging alot of hands trying to master it.
As for group coaching, I'm not sure if we're taking a hiatus for Christmas or not. I think 1 group did, the other group did not, but I'll have to confirm that. Later!
Alot of updates to post! I'm not sure what the best order is, but:
I had my 2nd IM (intramural) bball game. We only had 6 people, so each person got to play nearly the entire game. Funny enough, we played about half the team I was on last year (so I played vs a few ~friends) and they were also lacking people. (They had 6, but one guy hurt his ankle early in the game) We won ~69-35 or so (their offense was fine, but they had a porous defense, to let up that many in a running 20 min half game is crazy, it was nearly a layup drill for us) So, we're 2-0 with a huge scoring margin. Also, I told their captain (or team owner/manager/whatever you want to call it) Alex (who I've played with quite alot) that if he needs an extra (well, he asked first) that I'd be happy to play on his team too. So I may have 2games/week, yay.
I went to the Pacers/Celtics the 3rd. I was supposed to go with my friend Owen (JShuttlesworth) who just got back from Vegas, but he missed his 1st plane, so instead went with Alex. The seats were awesome:
Again, the pictures from my phone are pretty brutal. But the game was a good blowout (competitive until the 3rd), started off cheering for the Pacers (my pet team) but the Pacers couldn't sustain it. The Celts are just so good.
That night I was supposed to attend a friend's birthday party (Evan Naismith, the guy who actually got me into 2p2 a long time ago!) but because I had to pickup Owen after the game, the timing just didn't work out so I missed out.
So Travis (Costanza_g) stayed at my place for a few days the first few days of the month, just as Owen is staying here too right now. It's been fun - Owen and I like to sing, so we've been wailing out great pieces of music (much to neighbor's chagrin I imagine) like "Desperado" by the Eagles. On that note, I played "Guitar Hero 4" at Alex's house the other day, and wow, best game ever. I am so woefully bad at guitar/bass, but man, I crushed the vocals part. SUCH AN AWESOME GAME! May replace halo as best console game ever. "may"
Actually, only thing of note* is yesterday Owen and I walked around central square early in the morning looking for a place to eat (7am?) found a place that had a chessboard, and I smashed him at chess. (While we both ate chili for breakfast, lol) good times.
I am brushing over details from the past week or so, but nothing else is terribly important. Group coaching is going well, I think/hope people are enjoying it too. With that said, time to finish the top 10 list!
My Favorite 10 Songs:
- Blind Mellon: No Rain
- Counting Crows: Mrs. Potter's Lullaby
- Dave Matthew's Band: #41
- Jack Johnson: Flake
- Matisyahu: King Without a Crown (Live @Stubbs)
- Oasis: Champagne Supernova
- Piano Man: Billy Joel
- Radiohead: Fake Plastic Trees
- The Animals: House of the Rising Sun
- Verve: Bittersweet Symphony
On the note of singing, there is no better song to end my list than my favorite song to sing (by a landslide). In fact, there is a pretty special moment/song that goes along with it...
My first trip ever to Turningstone was March 2003. I went with my friend Wes (who drove) and Dave (GKA). During March break, our plan was to go up to upstate NY (I went nuts and made an itinerary, we were all so pumped to PLAY POKER AT A CASINO!) and stay in Syracuse, NY. Why Syracuse? My sister went to school there (and was going there at the time) and I had a good friend there named Rollie Hermosa. (Speaking of Rollie, I haven't spoken with him in a while, def. owe him a phone call or so) It was Rollie's freshman year, I was still a high schooler along w/ Wes and Dave. Anyway, we were able to stay in Rollie's girlfriends room (her name is Amy; they're still together, incidentally!) because Amy just stayed with Rollie/Amy didn't have a roommate. So, we got free boarding for the 4ish days we were commuting to TS.
I can't even begin to explain the trip, since there were key moments (for those of you who know Wes and me, well, Wes is awesome. But, he tends to instigate ****ing stupid arguments, and I don't put up with them. Dave just lets them roll over, but I don't; and as a result, Wes and I argue all the time, mostly in a friendly manner, but...) - one such key moment was commuting to TS->Syracuse, you need to take the NY Thruway. I-90. I was giving directions (NEVER a good thing) and IIRC you could go east to Buffalo or west to Albany. Anyway, Syracuse is towards Buffalo (east atleast, from TS) *Keep in mind those details may be switched up. Anyway, east was a left, west was a right, and I kept saying "left" so Wes said "right?" and I said "right!" as in confirmation about which way to go. Well, it was more involved than that, but we went the wrong way... NY Thruway has exits every 10-12 miles, and no turning around obv, so we went to the next exit. Wes, standard fashion, to prove a point (that I was the wrong party) the next exit repeated the exact same mistake. So, we ended up driving 50 miles extra based on a miscommunication coupled with a 15 mins argument. In the words of GKA, it was very Big Lebowski-eqsue, with Wes=Walter, me=The Dude, and GKA=Donny. (Anytime he tried to interrupt our argument, we'd immediately say "SHUT THE **** UP")
Big digression. There were a bunch of other notable moments (including a 4AM IHOP trip were Dave almost got shot by a pimp because he glanced at his wad of cash, being pumped we were on an all girls floor/moving the couch into the room so that we'd have a 3rd bed, and poker-wise them not spreading any NL so we all played 1-3 limit... with the "big shot" being me playing 2-4 limit) but that's not the point of the story.
The point is on our way up (Wes drives even faster then me, which is hard to imagine) it was snowing. And we were listening to music. Of course what song came on? None other than Piano Man. We all started singing along, and well, ofc they stopped singing midway. I kept singing - loudly as usual - and carried the song in. Needless to say, Piano Man is a special song among a few of my friends.
I will be going to the Jazz-Celtics game the 15th, hopefully getting court side seats... Hope you all enjoyed the list, I wonder what I should do next (if anything) to replace that hole
Soooo between the 21st and now (week and a half) Thanksgiving took place! Normally this is a great holiday since it's nice to see family, this year was qutie a bit different. Before I launch into that story, I want to say my EU group lost someone, and so there is an open space - it is reduced price (since tomorrow will be the 2nd session) - 2k for the entire package (10 more sessions) and we meet Mondays @ 7:30 PM GMT. (230 EST)
That said...
I don't know how to say this, but since I "broke up with Noelle," I actually had gotten back together with her. She didn't like that I referenced her in a blog somewhat negatively (I was upset at her... with good reason) so the best plan was to simply not mention her. When I went to CA, obviously I was staying with her - just as she came to my Yom Kippur/stayed with me over that time.
Anyway, she was supposed to come to my Thanksgiving. I had gotten her plane tickets (air travel over the holidays is NOT cheap ) and essentially the day before, she decided not to come. Actually, the "argument" that ended it all was pretty hilarious, mainly just because it shows how bizarre and insane she is: She hadn't done her laundry, why who knows, and asked me if she could bring her laundry and do it here. I mean, why would you travel cross country and do laundry here? I don't have a laundry machine - my building does - but I said "sure, but you know, this is something you should have taken care of before leaving". Very reasonable - not a lecture - but pointing out this was foolish.
She flipped out, insert more nonsense, and when things boiled down, she wasn't coming. Fine, whatever, at this point, she's dead to me, and I sincerely mean it this time. A failing of my part was essentially giving her money to fix her car earlier this month, the tickets which went to waste, as well as last year a similar thing for her car. Basically, it's like a contract buyout loss, I suppose.
SO, with that in mind, (Noelle not coming to Thanksgiving) I left Boston Thursday morning. I could've left Wens night, and I should've done just that, but I didn't do it. (I tried putting a bunch of apostrophed comments there) Last year I did the same thing and the traffic was horrible. No idea why I thought it would be any better (I left a little after Noon, I was supposed to leave earlier, but I was up late watching Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. Queue SMG pic)
Changed my 2p2 avatar from LAF to SMG! (Long Asian Face -> Sarah Michelle Gellar)
~~
Along the way, the journey if you will - a trek that generally lasts 1.5 hrs, sometimes a bit more, rarely less (Cambridge MA to West Hartford CT) I got into more confrontations than anytime before. It was surreal. Let me recount the activities:
-Getting on the Mass Pike involves splitting into 2 lanes, 1 fast track (I really, really need that, I've been saying that for a year, why don't I have it) and 1 cash. Well, the lines were uber backed up and essentially it was 1 lane. What some people do is use the fast track lane, then try to cut into the cash lane - which of course in a most selfish act make it so EVERYONE gets lagged behind. *I want to mention, I think I'm an expert in analyzing traffic. Seriously, it's a skill game.
I made sure my car was in the middle of the lane, as to prevent this, because well, I was tired (not alot of sleep) I was upset (justice/vindication) and you know what? It was the day of giving Thanks, people shouldn't be so full of rage.
But they were, I had a guy drive essentially on the rail (razor close to my car) make the rudest gesture at me, that looked like this:
except the kid was an old man. needless to say I didn't want my car to get scratched so I succumbed and then let him through (and obviously he then cut into the cash lane) and that was a fail.
-There was a ton of traffic leaving Boston, then strangely it mellowed out until Worcester. At this point I thought I wasn't going to be late (yay!) until, well, the Mass Pike just stopped moving. ("shortly" thereafter the Pike breaks off to 84, which goes into CT) and people started driving on the right shoulder. I don't think this is a bad strategy - I remember vividly my mother has done this before (more than one occasion, I think) and so were police cars. There was no particular incident, just more of an upsetting feeling. Although, I stopped to get gas, and trying to come back from the rest spot, a guy wouldn't let me in. No idea why! But this was more of a "cold shoulder" fight, where no gestures or verbalization occurs.
-Finally, in CT, leaving the tolls of MA, I got into the other fight! There were 2 lanes for the far left toll, and the "normal" "reasonable" behavior is one car goes from one side, than another from the other, rinse repeat. This woman on my right was hugging the car ahead of her! At this point I had been in the car for 2 hours - already at least an hour late - so I automatically rolled my window down, and screamed at the woman, "ARE YOU ****ING INSANE?"
Her reply : "It's not fair that you used that lane! It went faster!" Keep in mind this lady was in her 50s, I think. And that was, verbatim, what she said.
My reply: "Well, you could've used this lane too, now let my car go, as appropriate"
The lady: "No! I'm not going to let you in!"
My Reply: "You need to act your age! Are you really acting this immaturely for a spot?"
Perhaps these words knocked some sense into her, as she let me go, (I was going to go anyway) but please let me assure you all this lady was the villain, not me. In essence, I had a verbal confrontation, a somatic confrontation, and a silent confrontation. Add in the fact there was so much traffic the drive took twice as long (3+ hours for the loss!) and this was a terrible driving experience. Only good part is I got to play a bunch of CDs, including Amnesiac (which I recently picked up) so that was fun.
Thanksgiving, well, they had pretty much eaten when I got there. I don't blame them - but it's frustrating to get there at ~330 or so (very late, of course) and eat on my own. Food was fantastic, but I forgot to take any leftovers. I stayed the night at my mom's house, picked up Always Sunny in Philadelphia seasons 1 & 2 (have never seen the show, highly recommended though) and have been back in my place. I think that encapsulates everything.
My Favorite 10 Songs:
- Blind Mellon: No Rain
- Counting Crows: Mrs. Potter's Lullaby
- Dave Matthew's Band: #41
- Jack Johnson: Flake
- Matisyahu: King Without a Crown (Live @Stubbs)
- Oasis: Champagne Supernova
- Radiohead: Fake Plastic Trees
- The Animals: House of the Rising Sun
- Verve: Bittersweet Symphony
Flake is just such a great song - studio, live, various acoustic versions, etc. I like Jack Johnson as well. The only story I suppose I truly have that connects all this is that the person who got me into Jack Johnson - and I say...
Alright, kinda a quick blog. I'll start from the top:
Yesterday I had my first intramural bball game. I don't go to Tufts (never did) but this is my 2nd year playing on a team. I have GKA's school ID (he hasn't gone to Tufts in years) and it's sufficient. At this point I know the guys that work there decently, so I think they'd just laugh if they really looked at the ID. Anyway, I'll get into the recap next, but when I went inside I didn't bring my wallet. I thought I left it in the car. When I came back, I couldn't really find it, but I didn't think much of it.
So I drove home, did a cursory check through my car (my car is very clean and I couldn't find it, which is a big "uh oh" message). Since it was freezing last night (literally) I didn't want to hang around looking for it. So I thought I'd find it today. Instead, a few hours ago (2hrs?) I got a call from a random 617 number, and a guy saying "hey, I'm in the lobby, I found your wallet". Unbelievable huh! I told him I'd be right down and hung up. Sprinting downstairs to the lobby, to my chagrin, the man was not to be found... I went to the back too, and no luck.
Frantically, I tried calling the number that called me, but that only resulted in weird beeping noises. I did a quick phone search ("reverse number find") which was quick, and as I did that, I got a call again from the man with my wallet. I asked where he was, and he said 165 beacon street - my old address! Why didn't that occur to me immediately? I told him I'd be there in 10 mins (it's a 5 min drive from my new place to old place, but with traffic around central and inman, things can get murky) and jutted out.
I made it to my old address and met the man with my wallet - an older Irish man named "Tom". I thanked him repeatedly, and tried giving him all the money in my wallet (like 200 or so) but he refused. He said "there are still good people in the world" and really I have never disagreed with that point! He had found it near the Tufts parking lot. So, a huge shoutout/big up respect ali-g stlye to Tom. Thanks.
~~~
The game itself was a crushfest. The people on my team are Gary Stevenson (who I play bball with all the time), then a bunch of people I'm only partially friendly with. They are mainly Tufts track/xc kids, so without a doubt i'm in the worst shape of the lot. Which isn't a dig to me, they're just all active. The other people include Tilton (really nice kid), Sam, J gord, J man (different Jman ), and I'm blanking on the other 3. Most live in Gary's apartment, (the ones I mentioned bc I know them) so we're all on the team.
We have 9 people, so we did a 5 on, then 4 out/4 on/1 stays every 5 min rotation. The IM games are 20 min running halves - last year there was a ref who kept score/stopped time last 2 mins/called fouls, but yesterday it literally was "ok, 20 mins, gogo! i will be back to say when it's halftime!" so no ref. Hopefully the other games are more similar to last year. I ended up playing 25 mins (people either played 25 or 20, obviously) and had a very Bill-Russell like stat line. Jumping ahead, we won 39-21, and it wasn't really ever competitive - Gary led the way with 11 points (he was 3-3 on 3s, too). It was fun though, and I love winning, so 'yay'. My 3 range is finally starting to kick in.
I went shopping day before last for furniture - my apartment desperately needs a couch. I drove to Jordan's furniture in Reading, and well, the place is massive. It has a fuddruckers/imax/trapeze inside the showrooms. Literally just sprawling rooms filled with furniture. Cool experience to shop. I ended up getting a couch, a coffee table, a large mirror, and a dresser. Hopefully my apartment is ~fully furnished It arrives Tuesday, so I'm quite giddy. I should've taken more pictures, but here's the couch:
It's a traditional leather couch, last year I had a more contemporary couch with recliners, so I think this is a good contrast. plus, this one is brown leather, last year it was black. Regardless, the couch (sectional) is epically comfortable, 1 or 2 people can sleep on it if anyone decides to visit.
Before getting to the list, I filmed a 3 part series with Isura. We finished this a few days. I have no idea what the hold up is (grrr) but it should be out tomorrow. I'm pretty stoked for it, especially as I hadn't produced a video in 2 months or so. After these, expect a 1 tabling 6max (no DRM) and a 2 part power point theme.
My Favorite 10 Songs:
- Blind Mellon: No Rain
- Counting Crows: Mrs. Potter's Lullaby
- Dave Matthew's Band: #41
- Matisyahu: King Without a Crown (live @Stubbs)
- Oasis: Champagne Supernova
- Radiohead: Fake Plastic Trees
- The Animals: House of the Rising Sun
- Verve: Bittersweet Symphony
Only 2 to go!
Basically, I love Oasis. When I've lumped Oasis in with Radiohead, a few music-oriented people sorta quaffed at me, since I suppose they feel Radiohead is the FAR superior band (less poppy, songs actually mean more, versatile) but on the surface, they're both British bands that started in the 90s that produced great music.
As far as Champagne Supernova, well, it's an epic song. It's long/it's similar to a ballad/it builds/it's has good live and acoustic sounds/etc. I wanted to put a few other Oasis songs above 'nova, (Digsy's Diner; Married With Children; She's Electric; Wonderwall; Don't Look Back in Anger) but after listening to my CDs w/ those songs, and then comparing them to 'nova, frankly if I put those ahead I would just be guilty of being a contrarian, doing it to be different. THIS is Oasis' best song and my favorite. (But check out those other songs as well!)
No particular story, so just enjoy. That's it!
As I said in a previous blog entry, I will do a full out and out report on sports betting either a quarter or halfway point in the season. But, I reached a milestone yesterday, so I wanted to share it. I crossed the +1k line! What's funny is the stakes I'm dealing with aren't much compared to poker, but it's a new revenue stream and fun, so it's a good challenge/fun to cross this threshold. As the season continues to pickup, both my unit size and games wagered will increase, so (hopefully!) I'll be able to make money at a faster clip (I lost the chance to wager several days when I was w/o internet, but I'd say it's about ~+1k in 2wks) - technically this paces me for +12k or so which would make me fall way short of the goal (+35k) but again, for all the reasons mentioned above, this is a real positive sign. So, just pleased that milestone has come.
I had the first meeting with the EU group! I'm going to meet with the US group later tonight (technically 5 hours) but I'm pretty exhausted (in a wakeup super early schedule) but regardless that's the plan. I think it went well, the 1st was just very cursory but we ended up discussing quite a lot.
I'm linking that article since I think it's a very good read. I like Michael Lewis - Moneyball was fantastic - and well, what he says just makes a ton of sense. Don't want to say too much more, except "read it" and I'm open to discussing it in the comments. (Very open to discussing, in fact, I'm encouraging discussion!)
My place is still not complete, but I wanted to post the new developments: (My room is somewhat of a mess as I've moved my clothes in there and still require a bureau)
My Favorite 10 Songs:
- #41 (Dave Matthew's Band)
- Bittersweet Symphony (Verve)
- House of the Rising Sun (The Animals)
- No Rain (Blind Melon)
- Fake Plastic Trees (Radiohead)
- King Without a Crown (Matisyahu)
- Mrs. Potter's Lullaby (Counting Crows)
I suppose I have an affinity for British bands. This song was great in Cruel Intentions. No real story, but I feel bad I wont have any Beatles songs on my list - I like the Beatles alot, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym0x3vTw6yc
that's my favorite song of theirs because of the harpsichord solo. (In fact, when I first heard that song, made me want to play the harpsichord... for a day or two) But overall just don't like any individual song more than the songs already in my top 10. Even though their body of work was very impressive and enjoyable.
So, back to the Verve, they sorta flamed out. "Lucky man" was a good song too. I think this song brings me back to Sophomore year in high school when my roommate was Oliver Style - he was from San Francisco/London, (yeah, talk about truly bi-coastal) and a pretty good guy. He liked the Verve alot. I haven't spoken with him in a while, so perhaps I owe him a facebook message or something.
Sophomore year was fun because I played a ton of cs (counterstrike) after study hall. Well, it was fun for a ton of other reasons, but I'll leave that for another day!
It's nearly been a week since my last blog, so clearly I felt one was required. The past few days have been spent getting my TV mounted on my wall; getting cable/internet; not only getting my bed, but getting a new bed frame since they initially gave me the wrong one; fixing outlets/minor problems; etc. Yesterday I finally got internet, so I don't need to go to Gary Stevenson's solely for internet. (Obv it's fun to go over there, but atleast if I want to check my email I dont need to use my blackberry or drive 10 mins or pirate a connection that only lasts a few mins!)
I need to buy a new couch. I had a nice one last year, but Dave got it + money (I got a bookcase I'm currently using and the TV in the trade) but it's a good thing anyway since I don't think that couch would fit. (It was an incredibly soft leather sectional that was pretty big) My "goal" tomorrow is to look at them and hopefully get one. Once that's done, it's all about getting a bureau (wow it took me a long time to spell that word, tough one!) and then hanging up curtains/a mirror and then the place is just about finished. (Well, not "finished," but comfortable) Pictures will follow, but it simply isn't ready YET!
I had emailed both groups (both groups have officially 6 people, so there will be 12 sessions at the initial price which is great for the people that registered!) and the idea was to have a meeting this week, but it seemed few could do it Sat/Sun, and the one day people could do it (Thursday technically yesterday although it's 445 AM and I haven't gone to bed yet, obv, so it's still Thurs to me) my internet was being installed. (I missed them earlier so they had to come back - thrilled they did that) I am going to email them and just try to schedule the 1st Monday, how hard is it to get everyone on the same page?
I missed a few days of sportsbetting since I wasn't able to attack the lines, but in between I'm on a minor upswing. The units are still small, so it's akin to the fluctuations of a ~100NL player, but it still feels good! (I suppose I'll give quarterly updates to the tune of amount wagered, rake paid, etc - but that will have to come ~20 games in, not yet!) While still on this subject, as noted in the comments from the last blog (quite a discussion there about Iverson!) I made 2 new bets. 1500$ on Det wins straight up vs Cle wins. And 1500$ on who goes further in the playoffs. Both are with "victor," who I have yet to win a bet against. (last year he got the best of me - luckily for him - in Cle wins vs Tor and Was)
My Favorite 10 Songs:
- #41 (Dave Matthew's Band)
- House of the Rising Sun (The Animals)
- No Rain (Blind Melon)
- Fake Plastic Trees (Radiohead)
- King Without a Crown (Matisyahu)
- Mrs. Potter's Lullaby (Counting Crows)
I've loved this song pretty much since the first time I heard it. I don't have a true story that goes with this song, other than I'm not sure (I don't think so) The Animals wrote this song - I had heard that it was an old, old song that they covered. It's been covered by other people, such as Joan Baez, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, etc. but the Animals do it the best. So that's why I listed them!
Further, I didn't want to make it seem as though my entire music life is 90s and later. I like old stuff too! Anyway, enjoy, I especially like this line:
Quote:
My father was a gamblin' man
Down in New Orleans
Now the only thing a gambler needs
Is a suitcase and trunk
And the only time he's satisfied
Is when he's on a drunk
any references to "gamblers" in epic songs or so forth make me like them, largely. (in fact, "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers is high up on my list, but not in my top 10) The Organ solo follows that too, so it's hard NOT to like it. I'll keep this one short - later ya'll!
- there are odd pitfalls that come along with it. 
