I wish I could come up with something better to say for myself on Sunday, but congrats to my buddy Gary, who won the Sunday Mulligan on Full Tilt. He one-ups me in this tournament as my best finish was second, but we all know who won the MarioKart tournament at Memorial Junior High.
I went to watch the Browns utterly dismantle any hopes I had for our organization ever being good. After that, I probably shouldn't have touched a poker tournament, but despite a couple of mistakes, I generally didn't think I did too much wrong today. It was one of those Sundays where I went deep in a bunch of things, but seemed to finish just short of the money in every one. All told, I've had worse Sundays, but I probably did go about 0 for 12. If I had to be completely honest with myself, I really do think I need a break. I've played poker probably 97% of the days this year and after running through another Sunday of 9-10 hours of straight poker, I won't be prepared to play my A game in online tournaments unless I get a break of some sort. I'm looking forward to December when I head to Cleveland/Chicago and can actually have good reason to take days off, but until then, I will be either completely bored if I don't play or feel like I'm not doing my job. This is a weird feeling that I have recently felt for the first time. In college, poker was a secondary hobby/priority. I always put my studies, fraternity, friends, other clubs ahead of poker. Now, I feel like I need to always play. I totally don't think this ruins the excitement and competitiveness, but I would be selling my talents shorts if I didn't pay respect to what it can do to your mentality. I remember having this feeling at times near the end of a track season where after so many races and hundreds of miles of training, I just needed to take a few weeks and do absolutely nothing.
Hopefully, that something can come in my first book I'm attacking since going to the library. The book is The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. It's 700 pages of pure literary and intellectual muscle that I intend on defeating.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Random Blurb Blog
Disclaimer--I will be writing about as many topics as I can think of without dedicating more than 2 minutes of my thoughts towards each individual topic. You are certainly allowed to skip topics that don't interest you.
My Poker Career Lately
It's been a lot of close but no cigars lately. I wish I had more exciting things to report about, but it's been a lot of the 7th-25th place column. On another fun note, I looked up my Online Player of the Year Ranking on Cardplayer yesterday and I was at 212th. I'm at kind of a disadvantage in this area because I don't play the 100 rebuy every day, which almost always qualifies for points. Maybe I can make a run and crack the top 100. It might take a big score. I'm basically winding down for the year as all the major online events are over until the Ultimate Bet events in January. I'll be pushing for a PCA seat so I can go to the Bahamas in January.
World Series of Poker Final Table
That was fun to watch, wasn't it? I much prefer as a spectator to watch it without knowing who wins. It's almost impossible to avoid spoilers as I received only one when I clicked through to PokerXFactor and saw who got 4th. I think when you put a final table into 2 hours, it's really tough to do the game any justice, but I understand that not every poker fan wants to watch 25 hours of boring poker footage. It is tough to examine hands though without knowing many of the variables leading up to the hands. That being said, I don't take much stock in some of the plays that we were shown. There were, however, some incredibly bad mistakes made throughout the 2 hour broadcast. It's probably nerves, and I won't bash anyone too much because I can't even begin to imagine what it's like.
Peter Eastgate
I survived an all in against the champ. Peter Eastgate raised on day 3 to about 2.7 big blinds, and I gave him my 19 bb pile with A10. He called and showed the same hand, and we split the pot. I was pulling for this kid the whole time because he impressed me tremendously in the 5 hours I played with him on day 3. He is absolutely fearless. Every player at the table probably was paying extra attention to this guy. That's the kind of player I want to be.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The best team in the NBA is led by King James. 8 games in a row and a team that Lebron calls his best squad since he's been there. Might this be the year that the King finally takes his throne? I think it will be. I've never felt confident in a Cleveland team since James has been here, but this team really has championship potential. We play great defense, have a lot of depth, and good coaching. Give Mike Brown credit for what he has done with this team early on in the year.
Cleveland Browns
In light of the current week, we need less players from Michigan. We need more players from Ohio State. Phil Dawson deserves that game on Monday Night Football. That guy has sure been through a lot in Cleveland and to punch a 56 yarder in for the lead must have felt great. Brady Quinn is hands down the better option for the Cleveland Browns at QB. He came up with the plays that we needed that Anderson has failed to bring all year. He did it last week, and he did it this week. Now if we only had more Buckeyes on defense, we might be something.
OSU vs. MeatChicken
Joke provided courtesy of Mike Z.
"Hey did you hear that Michigan canceled their travel plans to Ohio State this week?"
"No. Why?"
"Because they couldn't get past Toledo"
Zinggggggggggggggggg
Go Bucks! This one won't even be close. My prediction. Ohio State 72-Michigan 3
Books
I applied for a library card a couple of days ago, but haven't gone to the library. I'm finishing up the book Freakonomics. Reading is probably a hobby that I should pick up again. I've been reading real estate books and all, but I want to read some actual good novels. It's been awhile since I've read anything fiction. Leave good suggestions in the comments section please.
Shout out to my Dad
Every time my Dad tells me he has a feel, I seem to knock down a big tournament. Last time he told me and really meant it, I got 2nd in the 50 rebuy, 2nd in the 300 and 3rd in the 163 in a week. While it may be hard to fathom what this feel entails, I have learned to respect and use the momentum of the feel to my advantage. A little superstition never hurt anyone. The over/under for the shout out to my mom is 3.5 years.
Best Movies I've Seen Lately
In no particular order...
1. Michael Clayton
2. The Dark Knight
3. Capote
4. Saving Private Ryan
THE HOUR OF BAUER
Jack "God" Bauer returns to Fox on Sunday. Look out for several airplanes blowing up, people dying, and Jack Bauer generally saving the day. That is to assume he didn't jump off the cliff like a wuss at the end of last season.
That's all I got for now.
My Poker Career Lately
It's been a lot of close but no cigars lately. I wish I had more exciting things to report about, but it's been a lot of the 7th-25th place column. On another fun note, I looked up my Online Player of the Year Ranking on Cardplayer yesterday and I was at 212th. I'm at kind of a disadvantage in this area because I don't play the 100 rebuy every day, which almost always qualifies for points. Maybe I can make a run and crack the top 100. It might take a big score. I'm basically winding down for the year as all the major online events are over until the Ultimate Bet events in January. I'll be pushing for a PCA seat so I can go to the Bahamas in January.
World Series of Poker Final Table
That was fun to watch, wasn't it? I much prefer as a spectator to watch it without knowing who wins. It's almost impossible to avoid spoilers as I received only one when I clicked through to PokerXFactor and saw who got 4th. I think when you put a final table into 2 hours, it's really tough to do the game any justice, but I understand that not every poker fan wants to watch 25 hours of boring poker footage. It is tough to examine hands though without knowing many of the variables leading up to the hands. That being said, I don't take much stock in some of the plays that we were shown. There were, however, some incredibly bad mistakes made throughout the 2 hour broadcast. It's probably nerves, and I won't bash anyone too much because I can't even begin to imagine what it's like.
Peter Eastgate
I survived an all in against the champ. Peter Eastgate raised on day 3 to about 2.7 big blinds, and I gave him my 19 bb pile with A10. He called and showed the same hand, and we split the pot. I was pulling for this kid the whole time because he impressed me tremendously in the 5 hours I played with him on day 3. He is absolutely fearless. Every player at the table probably was paying extra attention to this guy. That's the kind of player I want to be.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The best team in the NBA is led by King James. 8 games in a row and a team that Lebron calls his best squad since he's been there. Might this be the year that the King finally takes his throne? I think it will be. I've never felt confident in a Cleveland team since James has been here, but this team really has championship potential. We play great defense, have a lot of depth, and good coaching. Give Mike Brown credit for what he has done with this team early on in the year.
Cleveland Browns
In light of the current week, we need less players from Michigan. We need more players from Ohio State. Phil Dawson deserves that game on Monday Night Football. That guy has sure been through a lot in Cleveland and to punch a 56 yarder in for the lead must have felt great. Brady Quinn is hands down the better option for the Cleveland Browns at QB. He came up with the plays that we needed that Anderson has failed to bring all year. He did it last week, and he did it this week. Now if we only had more Buckeyes on defense, we might be something.
OSU vs. MeatChicken
Joke provided courtesy of Mike Z.
"Hey did you hear that Michigan canceled their travel plans to Ohio State this week?"
"No. Why?"
"Because they couldn't get past Toledo"
Zinggggggggggggggggg
Go Bucks! This one won't even be close. My prediction. Ohio State 72-Michigan 3
Books
I applied for a library card a couple of days ago, but haven't gone to the library. I'm finishing up the book Freakonomics. Reading is probably a hobby that I should pick up again. I've been reading real estate books and all, but I want to read some actual good novels. It's been awhile since I've read anything fiction. Leave good suggestions in the comments section please.
Shout out to my Dad
Every time my Dad tells me he has a feel, I seem to knock down a big tournament. Last time he told me and really meant it, I got 2nd in the 50 rebuy, 2nd in the 300 and 3rd in the 163 in a week. While it may be hard to fathom what this feel entails, I have learned to respect and use the momentum of the feel to my advantage. A little superstition never hurt anyone. The over/under for the shout out to my mom is 3.5 years.
Best Movies I've Seen Lately
In no particular order...
1. Michael Clayton
2. The Dark Knight
3. Capote
4. Saving Private Ryan
THE HOUR OF BAUER
Jack "God" Bauer returns to Fox on Sunday. Look out for several airplanes blowing up, people dying, and Jack Bauer generally saving the day. That is to assume he didn't jump off the cliff like a wuss at the end of last season.
That's all I got for now.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Barack Obama is President-Elect Blog ......
and of course what I liked about election night.
Like the majority of the USA, I'm excited about Barack Obama being elected President. It's obviously huge progress for America when a man that wouldn't have been allowed to vote fifty years ago. On top of that, the Republicans have finally been held accountable for their failures in the last 8 years. On a personal note, online poker regulation in the US will never go anywhere with a Republican as President, so I'm also happy about that.
I really enjoyed thinking about this election for many different reasons. I basically realized that I am not too strongly in support of either party. I'm probably more moderate than I even care to believe. Whenever I argued with people about issues, I was able to take a deeper look into things and really think about them. Above all, I think I've accepted that personal freedom in the United States is the most important individual quality that should apply to government. I also think that a large government is inherently inefficient and bad (neither party appealed on this issue). Of course, we need some things done by government (national defense, roads, schools, social services, etc.) I firmly believe that when the government infringes upon individual freedoms, democracy loses. The goals of this Obama administration should be to restore individual freedoms and be fiscally responsible. I believe that if the Democrats do these two things in every way they can, the Republican party won't win in the United States for a long time.
On a sad election day note, I am upset in seeing several measures pass putting a ban on gay marriage. I firmly believe that our government was set forth to allow personal freedoms and personal choices be just that, personal. If a personal choice is made that does not harm society as a whole, it should be allowed. In terms of gay marriage, those individuals are seeking their right to pursue happiness. It's a basic tenant on which our country was founded upon. It's the civil rights issue of the next fifty years. When we look back at that point, it will be clear that we all made a mistake. I'm not surprised that these bans passed. Most people fear what they don't know and what they aren't. Most people are heterosexual. Our country is always supposed to protect the minorities. In this case, I feel that we are failing as a country.
Republicans booing John McCain's comments at his concession speech was really the highlight of my night. It summed up this party over the last 8 years as a divisive, intolerant, selfish entity of American government. You didn't see people booing at Kerry's concession speech despite severe displeasure with the administration. Democrats have impressed me in being able to be tolerant of both viewpoints when it matters. I hope they do the same when they are in control because that is what the US needs.
Alaska. Seriously?!? Come on!!! You reelected a Senator that was just charged with corruption in the form of 7 counts related to lying about gifts received. This guy deceived America and used his office for personal gain. His actions have no place in American democracy, but somehow, Alaska puts him back in office. Way to go Alaska! You seriously fail as a state and are embarrassing to the this country.
John McCain
I thank this man for his service and graceful, humble concession. If we had more of this real McCain in the election, it might have been closer. Republicans have always made him the sacrificial lamb when it's convenient. I hope he gets back to work in the Senate the way he has before. He's completely wrong about the war in basically every regard, but bless his heart.
Barack's Speech
I was almost brought to tears listening to his acceptance speech last night. It was what America is all about. I take him at his word as well as he enters an extremely tough time in American history.
Anyone else notice how attractive the four women (Palin, Biden, McCain, Obama) are? So much for having an ugly wife and running for President.
Like the majority of the USA, I'm excited about Barack Obama being elected President. It's obviously huge progress for America when a man that wouldn't have been allowed to vote fifty years ago. On top of that, the Republicans have finally been held accountable for their failures in the last 8 years. On a personal note, online poker regulation in the US will never go anywhere with a Republican as President, so I'm also happy about that.
I really enjoyed thinking about this election for many different reasons. I basically realized that I am not too strongly in support of either party. I'm probably more moderate than I even care to believe. Whenever I argued with people about issues, I was able to take a deeper look into things and really think about them. Above all, I think I've accepted that personal freedom in the United States is the most important individual quality that should apply to government. I also think that a large government is inherently inefficient and bad (neither party appealed on this issue). Of course, we need some things done by government (national defense, roads, schools, social services, etc.) I firmly believe that when the government infringes upon individual freedoms, democracy loses. The goals of this Obama administration should be to restore individual freedoms and be fiscally responsible. I believe that if the Democrats do these two things in every way they can, the Republican party won't win in the United States for a long time.
On a sad election day note, I am upset in seeing several measures pass putting a ban on gay marriage. I firmly believe that our government was set forth to allow personal freedoms and personal choices be just that, personal. If a personal choice is made that does not harm society as a whole, it should be allowed. In terms of gay marriage, those individuals are seeking their right to pursue happiness. It's a basic tenant on which our country was founded upon. It's the civil rights issue of the next fifty years. When we look back at that point, it will be clear that we all made a mistake. I'm not surprised that these bans passed. Most people fear what they don't know and what they aren't. Most people are heterosexual. Our country is always supposed to protect the minorities. In this case, I feel that we are failing as a country.
Republicans booing John McCain's comments at his concession speech was really the highlight of my night. It summed up this party over the last 8 years as a divisive, intolerant, selfish entity of American government. You didn't see people booing at Kerry's concession speech despite severe displeasure with the administration. Democrats have impressed me in being able to be tolerant of both viewpoints when it matters. I hope they do the same when they are in control because that is what the US needs.
Alaska. Seriously?!? Come on!!! You reelected a Senator that was just charged with corruption in the form of 7 counts related to lying about gifts received. This guy deceived America and used his office for personal gain. His actions have no place in American democracy, but somehow, Alaska puts him back in office. Way to go Alaska! You seriously fail as a state and are embarrassing to the this country.
John McCain
I thank this man for his service and graceful, humble concession. If we had more of this real McCain in the election, it might have been closer. Republicans have always made him the sacrificial lamb when it's convenient. I hope he gets back to work in the Senate the way he has before. He's completely wrong about the war in basically every regard, but bless his heart.
Barack's Speech
I was almost brought to tears listening to his acceptance speech last night. It was what America is all about. I take him at his word as well as he enters an extremely tough time in American history.
Anyone else notice how attractive the four women (Palin, Biden, McCain, Obama) are? So much for having an ugly wife and running for President.
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