Those Damned Fine Irish

Today being Saint Patrick's Day, I find myself thinking of those fine Irish souls in my life, both present and departed.  My father, Brian Charles, never leaves my mind.  His kind nature and robust personality touched everyone he met.  He would proudly introduce his friends to me and proclaim, "I taught him everything I know...and even a little I don't know."  So that's where I get it.  I often wish I could play another game of pool with him.

I am also missing my great aunt Peggy with whom I became reacquainted on my first trip back to Ireland in 2006.  She was so sweet yet so full of sorrow.  I wished I had not been absent from her life for so long and unable to remain with her in Ireland since.  Still, she welcomed me in like I had never been more than a few doors away.

Then there is Dennis.  The most Irish of my Jewish friends.  He was witty and kind to a fault.  I will never forget what a great friend he was.  Were it not for him, I may never have become a gear-head and rebuilt a big block.  Working on my car is not the same without him.

And, of course there are my Irish brothers who are thankfully still here.  Scott who I could not describe in brief.  We go back so far and the future wouldn't be much without him.  And Sean who might actually be my brother.  We are kindred souls, that's for sure.  And Mike, too.  He's not Irish but he might as well be.  If I can't meet up with Scott and Sean and Mike tonight, I will most definitely raise a pint to them.

Many others are crossing my mind now.  To all,

Slainte.

Ireland, bitches!

That's right. I'm in Ireland. And I decided to take a moment to make a quick note about it (first time on here in months).

I'm currently in Killkenny with SMC and Mike. Last night was the Champions League final and we couldn't have been in a better place for it. I wasn't too interested in it, though, and crashed a bit early. We are going to stay here an extra night because we like it so much. I've already had my first Guinness of the day and some steak & ale pie (YES!) Now its off for some more.

Slainte!
SEEYa

Its Not Just About Taste

I recently referenced Extras during a discussion with my sister to prove a point. She said I "don't like British humor and The Black Adder doesn't count" (Never mind that I have always been a huge fan of Monty Python, Faulty Towers, and Benny Hill.) I pointed out that she doesn't even know what Extras is. She did the womanly thing, twisting my argument so she could be mad at me for never telling her about Extras. She flipped out.

Anyway... The final episode of Extras was on tonight. My sister would have gone nuts if she were to have been introduced to the show with this one because it was more dramatic than comedic. That being said, it was brilliant. Somehow they managed to make a great show without using much of what made the entire series so good. Apart from the wit and sarcasm, each episode had a guest star who played hisself but with a wild alter-character like Orlando Bloom obsessed with every woman being obsessed with him or Patrick Stewart writing scripts where someone's clothes inevitabley fall off. In this one, Clive Owen's character wasn't very unusual, George Michael just played up his own lewd public acts, and Gordon Ramsey played Gordon Ramsey. But it was still a fine show and a perfect ending to the series.

Sean and I saw I am Legend tonight. We both came away from it thinking that it was good. However, I suspect neither of us would have given it even that good a review if we were not so jaded from bad movies in the last year or two. But at least we couldn't classify this one as bad. A few months ago, I allowed my friends to talk me into seeing Transformers even though I expected it to be absolutely terrible. I decided to see the train wreck with my own eyes so I would know for sure. I really should not doubt my instincts...it was a cg-turd. Then we were all looking forward to No County for Old Men. Sean and I agreed that the movie was missing something and disliked the ending. But Mike loved it and said he was definitely going to see it again. I tell ya, he must be a hopeless optimist.

Then there was The Departed. Everyone seems to have loved it and it won best picture and best director. I happen to not only think it was not worthy of the best picture Oscar (maybe it was, actually since I can't think of another right now) but its not even Scorsese's best. My favorite is Casino. But you don't have to agree with that. How about Raging Bull, The Color of Money, or Goodfellas just to name a few. Maybe everyone is jaded. There certainly aren't any great original scripts being produced.

Here are some examples of what I think are great movies. Its not a top best list, just some flicks for which current releases have made me nostalgic.

-- Rear Window -- From a time when movies told stories and the great ones had you interested in the characters and the outcome. There is no one like Hitchcock today because suspense has been completely replaced by horror. Without CG or gore, Hitchcock focused on Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly to show us fear and bravery in the face of it. Its interesting and exciting yet it could have actually happened.

-- Glengarry Glen Ross -- From the days when the independent movie genre was really hot. Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, and Alec Baldwin, just to name a few. Its one of the greatest casts ever. And the beauty is in its simplicity. Entirely driven by dialogue and shot in three settings (an office, a bar, and a diner), director David Mamet seemingly only had to sit back and let the magic happen. Its a great movie that I know many people have seen but few ever praise. But its worthly of all acclaim.

-- The Color of Money -- While I prefer its predecessor, The Hustler, The Color of Money is a better made movie. Tom Cruise wasn't yet openly crazy, Paul Newman revived the colorful Fast Eddie Felson, and Scorsese made it all look, sound, and feel huge. Most people think the main character was Cruise's Vincent but, as in The Hustler, it was about Fast Eddie and "character" like Bert Gordon said.

-- Heat (1995) -- This one had a huge budget and all-star cast so could have easily fallen short...but it didn't. There is plenty of action amid just enough character development. I think it was the first time Pacino and De Niro acted on screen together. Whether it was or not, their first scene in a diner is one of my favorites. And its a cool heist movie.

-- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly -- Great westerns come along once in a long while and there will never again be one like this. Clint Eastwood was so damn cool. Eli Wallach played a great double-crossing partner to "Blondie." Lee Van Cleef was the perfect bad guy gun slinger. Always great back then. If this movie were made today, it would surely be spoiled by high-speed camera moves and ridiculous CG scenery. But it was perfect without all that back in 1967.

There are many movies I love. These are just a few. And with all my bitching and the crap that is out there, I'm still hopeful. So I'll continue to waste $10.50 trying the find the next great film.

Things That Only Matter To Me

I am going to get a Wii. Redeemed some AMEX rewards points for Sears gift cards. I have the cards in my possession so now I just have to keep checking the store and online until they get them in stock. Its got to be the hottest item on the planet right now and there is good reason. John brought his new Wii over the other day and it was a blast. All we played were the games that came with it, the cheesy-looking bubble characters that don't do anything too sophisticated. But they are all realistic enough and definitely fun enough to enjoy and get the heart beat up.

He kicked my ass at bowling and boxing. I figured out tennis and handed him his ass. Then we battled at golf, a game he doesn't even play in reality. He figured it out quick enough to give me a good challenge. In fact, he chipped in for a birdie on the last of 9 holes forcing me to do the same for a one stroke win. My chip burned the cup but didn't go in. Tie game.

I can't wait to get mine. Hopefully before this weekend (doubtful) so I can have friends over to play. Everyone used to come to my place for Halo 1 but not since Halo 2 came out. That darn online play killed the added fun of having everyone in the same room. It is more fun that way. At any rate, Tiger Woods '08 is supposed to be totally realistic. I'm dying to play that.

In other news...

My local Starbucks (the most local, that is) will be closing its doors for good tomorrow. I was in there today and they were already running out of stock. No more tall cups and getting low on eveything else. It will be very interesting to see how far into the day they make it before having nothing left to serve. I won't miss the store. It was a crappy location. I will, however, miss the people...All the kids who work there and the other regular customers. I know I'll run into them at other Starbucks, but no other store is run like this one. It might be one of those once-upon-a-time places.

And another thing...

I have been stressing over the region above my ears for quite some time. My hair is still long and mostly all there, but its not what it used to be and neither am I. Or at least I am trying to become a little different. I don't want to change my image as I am a long-hair and will always be at heart. The biggest issue for me is that I am vain. I give too much weight to appearances and what others may think. Its weird. I know I don't necessarily look as good as I could, but I worry about not looking as good as I do (In my own mind). My hair is healthy but grows slowly. That presents a problem. If that wasn't the case, I could cut it and just grow it back if I wanted. However, it would take at least two years to get back to an acceptable length. I fear the long, awkward in-between stage.

SMC says I should shave it all off. He is of the opinion that I would look good bald. (Note: SMC is mischievous and not to be trusted.) I think he really means it but on what is he basing this? There is a part of me that would enjoy the simplicity of a shaved head. But it just doesn't seem right for me. Arghhhh! This is the shit I think about! How sad.

On a more productive note...

I haven't been to a casino in weeks. I have, however, been playing a good amount of poker. I have finally found what I hope to be my niche online playing four tables at a time. I am treating it as an experiment for the time being as the stakes are small but significant enough to build my bankroll. I am playing at least 2 hours per day (8+ online hours) and have a goal to move up in limits when I get my bankroll to a certain point. That is all I will say about it until I feel more established. I don't want to go into detail about something that may not be what it seems...

...And it apparently doesn't only matter to me. It will need its own post.

SEEYa

Da Tins I Du

Hey, there! Caught me on the toilet. I'll be with you in a minute....

That's better. Its a good thing we know eachother so well or that would have been embarassing. You must really be wondering about me to just barge in like that.

In short, not much. I didn't play any poker to speak of during the entire month of September. I guess I was content to rest on my success from August (or worried about taking a downward turn). Even this month, I haven't played much even though I had intended to do so.

The new plan has been to try a different scene at Hollywood Park Casino. Its a little shorter distance from home and I used to play there primarily. But that was more than 18 months ago. My first session back there was on a Friday night when Kid Crash joined me and I staked him in the same $200 buy-in NLH game that I was in. In the end, he lost and I won enough to still turn a small win. Perhaps more important was that I found the game to be extremely soft. That's what I was hoping for. Now if only it could be that way every day.

In the two weeks since, I have only been back to HPC a couple of times. Fortunately, the games were every bit as easy as the first. One of the sessions was even in a $400 buy-in NLH game. It was made up of the same players as the 200 game. They just move down when they are losing and back up when they get on a roll. Sadly, that means they either hit-n-run on the 200 tables or lose-and-flee from the 400 game. So chips don't tend to stay in play for long at the lower game and the fishier players don't continue dumping in the bigger game. Still, the games are nice and soft.

I'd like to order the Erica Pikari Dust Ruffles. (Oops. Sorry. I'm watching Fight Club so I may fade in and out. But SMC already knows this.)

The down side, other than not playing enough, is that I haven't had a winning session since the night I played with Kid Crash. But not to worry. The losses were very small. I also managed to enjoy myself. This was partly due to the Thursday $20+15 multi-rebuy tourney. I used to play alot of HPC's weekly evening events. In fact, that's how I got started in serious poker...sort of. Years ago, I used to play tight regardless of the tourney format. But now I know differently. I play pretty damn loose in rebuy events and have a blast doing it. And if I happen to chip-up before the end of the rebuy period, the fun continues. This last time, I was really rolling in the first hour and got the entire table playing ultra-loose. It was great. Too bad I went card dead after the rebuy period when I had to tighten up a bit. No cash for me there.

Marla, you big liar! You tourist! I need this! Now get out!

I just read Brando's mini-rant about the WSOP-ME-Final-Table-pray-fest and am inspired to give my take on it: Jesus f'ing christ! What is wrong with you people?! Poker may be legitimized now but its still a form of gambling and that just doesn't fit in with religion. I'm not religious at all. In fact, I don't believe in a god. But if I did and fealt that my prayers were heard, I would probably use that power sparingly. Doesn't it seem like a bit of a stretch to invoke Jesus every time someone is all-in? Come on. What if someone in your family gets sick in the following week? You genuflect and get ready to pray the shit out of this one only to find that you've exceeded your prepurchased prayer limit.

Of course, that would only litteraly happen with a cell phone. But doesn't it seem a bit greedy, self-serving, and selfish to call on the man upstairs for every little thing? I think it does. If I was on the other end of the prayer line, I would eventually feel the need to say "fuck thou! I'm on a break." But, of course, God is omnipotent and loving and all-forgiving. Even being omnipresent, he couldn't have time for a social life.

Mother fucker! You hit me in the ear! Why the ear?

What's worse is that Lee Watkinson's wife/fiancee (don't get me started on that) wasn't just praying when he was all-in, she was quoting scripture. I think is was something along the lines of "He who brings false weapons against me shall not prevail." It was definitely something like that. And considering the fact that he was all-in as a dog, it didn't even apply! Please, folks, let the numbers speak. If a hand has 4% chance to win, it is not a miracle that allows that percent dog to suck out. It is just simple probability kicking in. Whatever! I'm too tired and drunk to go any further into it.

Truth be told, I left before the previous paragraph and went bar hopping. So while I was watching Fight Club before, I am now watching Real Genius on Mojo. Right now, Val Kilmer is rolling coins over both sets of knuckles, something I used to be in awe of but now do to pass the time at any poker table. That's right. I have magic fingers.

'Rue the day'? Who talks like that?

I'll leave you with that. No! Wait...

I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates who said, "I drank what?"

SEEYa