- The first post I made on this blog was over a year ago, in October 2007. Of course, you remember every word of it anyway, but here's the link to it. At that time, Side Bar (of Where's Luke superstardom, of course) predicted that Teaneck's Five-Star Cafe would go out of business quickly with a Dunkin Donuts across the street. Well, lo and behold, Five Star is fully operational. Infact, Sunday 11/30 I enjoyed a Hobo Con Queso to go. Of course, arriving home an hour and a half later, I had to pay the price on the toilet for a few minutes, but it was well worth it. Delicious breakfast and a laxative in one, can't beat it.
- Back in the 90s, a guy named Darcy Frey went into Coney Island (apparently, very ghetto there) and followed around three basketball players and chronicled their struggles to make it to success after high school basketball in a book called The Last Shot. (Joey may have gotten this as a gift for me.) Anyway, the story also touches on a cocky freshman who was on the team with this group of seniors named Stephon Marbury. After recalling his background, I'm not that shocked that "Starbury" self-destructed eventually when he was not having his ass kissed from all angles. Consider an excerpt from this review that touches on Steph:
The book does contain a fourth player, less involved in the central events of the book than the other three, a tiny freshman phenom of a point guard and basketball savant, with blazing speed, a yo-yo handle, otherworldly court vision, and a deadly shot. He is the most cocky and the most jaded of the four, always flapping his mouth and even deriding Tchaka's abilities to his face. He had not one, not two, but three older brothers show promise in high school but ultimately fail to make their 700 and end up in some sort of juco purgatory, and the experience has clearly impacted his family; his father approaches Frey directly and asks him how much he's going to be paid for Frey's book, having seen too often how young players are chewed up and spit out by those looking to profit off them and left with nothing. Unlike the other three, the freshman is shameless about hitting up Frey for meals at McDonald's and soda money, and is clear about his intentions to get his from college recruiters, admonishing the other three for not asking for any illegal gifts; he dreams of getting hooked up with a white Nissan Sentra, which are, in his own words, "milk." But he also benefits from his loss of innocence -- he vows that he won't turn out like his brothers, and puts in hours with tutors every day so that he can live up to that vow. He turns out to be the book's lone success story, propelled out of Coney Island by immense talent and confidence and a drive forged by the crushing failure that had preceded him. His name? Stephon Marbury.
- Man, I can't stop (re-)listening to Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere album. My current song du jour off of it is Necromancer. Just weird, quirky, and clever music. Has anybody heard that song Big Brother on Kanye West's Graduation album? Interesting description of his feelings about Jay-Z. Any thoughts on that?
- Just rented the Muppet Movie. It was ahead of its time and a lot of fun.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
More Videos and Links
1)
An oldie but a goodie.
2)
How To Shower: Men Vs Women - Watch more Entertainment
This is funny if you live with someone of the opposite sex.
3) If you've somehow never seen "Dick in a Box"... well, you must. Click here.
4) A somewhat contrived but yet thoughtful website about our political state here.
5) Finally, a classic if you've ever remotely loved the Howard Stern show: The Gary Tape. "I miss you, man."
An oldie but a goodie.
2)
How To Shower: Men Vs Women - Watch more Entertainment
This is funny if you live with someone of the opposite sex.
3) If you've somehow never seen "Dick in a Box"... well, you must. Click here.
4) A somewhat contrived but yet thoughtful website about our political state here.
5) Finally, a classic if you've ever remotely loved the Howard Stern show: The Gary Tape. "I miss you, man."
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Sleeptalking
This post is primarily for Daffy and my brother Evan.
This morning, Lisa (my wife) said, "You said the funniest thing last night in your sleep. I made a mental note of it so I can tell you this morning. You said, 'How are the vegetables growing today, Harold?' I asked you, 'The vegetables, honey?' You repeated it a couple of more times."
I laughed and laughed. Then, I explained where that came from, and how often Daffy, Evan and I listened to the Scary Stories tape, for whatever reason.
Click here for text or here for audio. Amazingly, a Google search for "scary stories vegetables Harold" turned up these two links.
This morning, Lisa (my wife) said, "You said the funniest thing last night in your sleep. I made a mental note of it so I can tell you this morning. You said, 'How are the vegetables growing today, Harold?' I asked you, 'The vegetables, honey?' You repeated it a couple of more times."
I laughed and laughed. Then, I explained where that came from, and how often Daffy, Evan and I listened to the Scary Stories tape, for whatever reason.
Click here for text or here for audio. Amazingly, a Google search for "scary stories vegetables Harold" turned up these two links.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Three Videos
Touching...
...hilarious.
And, not as funny as Bowser's Minions, but still chuckleworthy.
...hilarious.
And, not as funny as Bowser's Minions, but still chuckleworthy.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Recent Images
Some images that have grabbed my attnetion recently...
Sorry, Mets fans. Yes, I'm across the Phila. bandwagon these days. Even the Sixers.
Lisa and I saw Joan Osborne perform at the World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. You remember Joan Osborne, don't you? Well, her voice is sexy and incredible live. She's one of those rare performers who are actually better live than on album. I would highly recommend seeing her if she's ever performing near you. She mainly sings rock / blues type of music. She also sang the song my wife and I danced to at our wedding.
Recognize this country? It is ours! This is something called a cartogram, and it's very interesting. The sizes of things are not actual land sizes but instead are drawn proportionately to statistics about the things. You can read more here.
And finally, here's us not more than a couple hundred feet away from our President-Elect when he was campaigning in Philadelphia. Obama!
Sorry, Mets fans. Yes, I'm across the Phila. bandwagon these days. Even the Sixers.
Lisa and I saw Joan Osborne perform at the World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. You remember Joan Osborne, don't you? Well, her voice is sexy and incredible live. She's one of those rare performers who are actually better live than on album. I would highly recommend seeing her if she's ever performing near you. She mainly sings rock / blues type of music. She also sang the song my wife and I danced to at our wedding.
Recognize this country? It is ours! This is something called a cartogram, and it's very interesting. The sizes of things are not actual land sizes but instead are drawn proportionately to statistics about the things. You can read more here.
And finally, here's us not more than a couple hundred feet away from our President-Elect when he was campaigning in Philadelphia. Obama!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
November 4, 2008 - a series of moments
Glued to the TV from the couch with my wife, my best friend, by my side, both of us filled with nervous energy, ready to be uncorked like lightning before a storm.
The reflection of what this night truly was, for us: the months of waiting for the culmination for us of our hope, our donations, our trip to Philadelphia to call homes to get out and vote, both of us believing in Barack Obama's message, his vision which for once to me seemed more than a politician's rhetoric, the hope that this truly was, as I believed, the leader I've been waiting my whole life for.
Lisa and I watching the faces and listening to the voices that have been our guides for this election on MSNBC background for the past few months: Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, etc... (who have seemed admittedly biased in these past few months - but only because I think they're all intelligent and couldn't hold back their honest feelings anymore).
Our optimism tempered by MSNBC's early declarations that "so far, this is unfolding like 2000... Obama hasn't turned any red states yet...", not recognizing it for the building-the-suspense, stay-tuned ruse that it was.
The early eruptions, like twin claps of thunder, of Pennsylvania... followed later by Ohio... and a sense of the inevitable unfolding... the commentators admitting that the path for McCain winning was dwindling quickly.
The realization of what would happen at 11:00 Eastern, when the West Coast states' polls closed.
The return from commercial. The historic announcement at 11:00. The talking heads being quiet for several minutes and letting the images flood into our TV, the gravity of what has transpired just starting to pour onto on all of us, saturate us, fill us, watching ecstasy and jubilation in various places across our country, places chosen by MSNBC to illustrate the variety of places shown.
The overwhelming scene from Chicago. The unbelievably moving sight of Jesse Jackson unable to control his emotions throughout the evening. The culmination of the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and everybody in between who fought on the side of fairness, equality, and justice.
And finally, after an hour of this surreal feeling, Barack speaking and giving the most miraculous speech I've heard in my lifetime. Barack summarizing what has happened, and delivering the promise I've been waiting to hear, recognition of the task at hand with optimism that we truly will do it together. Barack saying things that I cannot hope to adequately capture with description, with adjectives, with any sense of eloquence.
Finally, for me, a sense of true *promise* and not just a promise... the sense of history being created in every sense of the word, the chance that everything about our country and our world may be different in a few short years.
I'll remember these snapshots, these moments of my life, forever. I feel baptized, renewed.
The reflection of what this night truly was, for us: the months of waiting for the culmination for us of our hope, our donations, our trip to Philadelphia to call homes to get out and vote, both of us believing in Barack Obama's message, his vision which for once to me seemed more than a politician's rhetoric, the hope that this truly was, as I believed, the leader I've been waiting my whole life for.
Lisa and I watching the faces and listening to the voices that have been our guides for this election on MSNBC background for the past few months: Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, etc... (who have seemed admittedly biased in these past few months - but only because I think they're all intelligent and couldn't hold back their honest feelings anymore).
Our optimism tempered by MSNBC's early declarations that "so far, this is unfolding like 2000... Obama hasn't turned any red states yet...", not recognizing it for the building-the-suspense, stay-tuned ruse that it was.
The early eruptions, like twin claps of thunder, of Pennsylvania... followed later by Ohio... and a sense of the inevitable unfolding... the commentators admitting that the path for McCain winning was dwindling quickly.
The realization of what would happen at 11:00 Eastern, when the West Coast states' polls closed.
The return from commercial. The historic announcement at 11:00. The talking heads being quiet for several minutes and letting the images flood into our TV, the gravity of what has transpired just starting to pour onto on all of us, saturate us, fill us, watching ecstasy and jubilation in various places across our country, places chosen by MSNBC to illustrate the variety of places shown.
The overwhelming scene from Chicago. The unbelievably moving sight of Jesse Jackson unable to control his emotions throughout the evening. The culmination of the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and everybody in between who fought on the side of fairness, equality, and justice.
And finally, after an hour of this surreal feeling, Barack speaking and giving the most miraculous speech I've heard in my lifetime. Barack summarizing what has happened, and delivering the promise I've been waiting to hear, recognition of the task at hand with optimism that we truly will do it together. Barack saying things that I cannot hope to adequately capture with description, with adjectives, with any sense of eloquence.
Finally, for me, a sense of true *promise* and not just a promise... the sense of history being created in every sense of the word, the chance that everything about our country and our world may be different in a few short years.
I'll remember these snapshots, these moments of my life, forever. I feel baptized, renewed.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
End?
So, I'm wondering if I should keep blogging. The only person that has been reading recently has been Pax who has been arguing with me politically. I appreciate his interest in what I'm saying and a link to his blog has been posted at left with the other blogs that friends have.
(A sidenote: I did to Pax what I've been accused of doing for a while now by friends and family - on Facebook, I started a debate with him and then backed out because I didn't feel like debating with him once he started - and just said, "Yeah, you're right, I know nothing" and acted sarcastic. I can't believe that I actually do this. I will read his blog and engage in more fair dialogue with him in the future.)
Anyway, we started commentary with each other here and here but Pax is the only guy that has commented in a long time.
I know I don't post that regularly, and I haven't been invited join any groups of bloggers like this one, or been successful in starting my own group. Maybe I'm not a great writer, and what I write is being read but is not compelling enough to comment on. Maybe what I write doesn't lend itself to commentary. Maybe it's because this blog isn't eponymous.
I joined Facebook and put a link to this blog but do not seem to have attracted any traffic.
So I ask, "Hello... is there anybody out there? Just nod if you can hear me..." Should I keep blogging here? Does what I write, albeit inconsistenly, interest you enough for me to keep writing? Or, should I just keep my own journal, like Doogie Howser M.D.?
Comment or email at spinningandwinning@gmail.com if you care to!
(A sidenote: I did to Pax what I've been accused of doing for a while now by friends and family - on Facebook, I started a debate with him and then backed out because I didn't feel like debating with him once he started - and just said, "Yeah, you're right, I know nothing" and acted sarcastic. I can't believe that I actually do this. I will read his blog and engage in more fair dialogue with him in the future.)
Anyway, we started commentary with each other here and here but Pax is the only guy that has commented in a long time.
I know I don't post that regularly, and I haven't been invited join any groups of bloggers like this one, or been successful in starting my own group. Maybe I'm not a great writer, and what I write is being read but is not compelling enough to comment on. Maybe what I write doesn't lend itself to commentary. Maybe it's because this blog isn't eponymous.
I joined Facebook and put a link to this blog but do not seem to have attracted any traffic.
So I ask, "Hello... is there anybody out there? Just nod if you can hear me..." Should I keep blogging here? Does what I write, albeit inconsistenly, interest you enough for me to keep writing? Or, should I just keep my own journal, like Doogie Howser M.D.?
Comment or email at spinningandwinning@gmail.com if you care to!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
No Limit Poker
If you are don't know anything about poker or are just not interested in it, skip this post.
The last time I played poker in A.C., after busting out of the tourney I was in, I sat down for some 1-3 NL (I was at Bally's, and they do 1-3 NL instead of 1-2 NL there). I usually buy in for the maximum $300, even though I probably do not plan to go all-in unless I have the absolute nuts. (I don't want the rest of the table to know this, of course.) I probably shouldn't be buying in for the maximum amount I've set on my bankroll - didn't I learn anything from Mike McDermott in Rounders?
Anyway, I went through a big swing on two big hands that illustrate how great and awful no-limit cash table poker can be, and how, even when I feel like I played the hands described well, luck can either help or hurt you tremendously on any given hand of poker.
So I'm playing...
1) I'm in late position with A-10 of clubs. About three people limp in between the blinds and me. I raise $10 up to $13 total. The blinds call and two limpers call, including one who has just thrown his last $8 in. (Pot has about $60 now.) So now I'm in last position.
Flop comes 7-7-4 rainbow. Everybody checks to me. Fearful that somebody is slowplaying a 7, I make a continuation bet of $25 anyway. The small blind calls after much hesitation and everybody else folds. Now we're at about $110. I eye down the small blind and decide if he checks, I bet no matter what.
Turn is a blank. He checks, I bet $60, and he thinks for a while, then shows 8-8 and folds. Since somebody is all in, I have to show my bluff. It turns out the all-in guy had something random like Q-6 and I won the pot. I probably overplayed it but was proud of myself.
A couple of hands later...
2) I'm in middle position with Q-J diamonds. I just call $3. Everybody folds. The small blind, a tight player, raises to $13. The big blind and I call.
The flop is A hearts - K hearts- 6 diamonds. The small blind bets $10. Big blind folds. I have no business calling, but think maybe he has a middle pair or a flush draw now, and call.
The turn is 10 of diamonds. I now have the nuts and a flush draw. Small blind bets $25. (The pot was about $50). I hollywood for a little while, then raise to $75. He looks over at my stack and says "How much do you have left?" I have about $110 more. He has about $200. I tell him. He thinks for a while. In my head, I'm chanting "PUT ME ALL IN PUT ME ALL IN PUT ME ALL IN". Eventually he just calls.
River is K of clubs. Fuck. He value-bets $25. I know he's got a full house now, but I call anyway, hoping he has a hand like K-Q. Nope, he had A-K the whole time, and he takes down the large pot, more than erasing my winnings from earlier.
I Phil Hellmuth him for about 5 minutes - "do you know you only had 4 outs going into the river?, etc..." He smiles quietly. "What are you smiling about? How freakin lucky you are?" etc... He never responds. The big blind, who folded after the flop, informs me that he folded 10-10 after the flop and would've made the second best hand, and I would've lost to them both anyway if he had called the $10 flop, which he doesn't know why I did. I tell him to fuck off and we continue to play.
Moral of the story: No Limit can be brutal if you don't have a big bankroll!
The last time I played poker in A.C., after busting out of the tourney I was in, I sat down for some 1-3 NL (I was at Bally's, and they do 1-3 NL instead of 1-2 NL there). I usually buy in for the maximum $300, even though I probably do not plan to go all-in unless I have the absolute nuts. (I don't want the rest of the table to know this, of course.) I probably shouldn't be buying in for the maximum amount I've set on my bankroll - didn't I learn anything from Mike McDermott in Rounders?
Anyway, I went through a big swing on two big hands that illustrate how great and awful no-limit cash table poker can be, and how, even when I feel like I played the hands described well, luck can either help or hurt you tremendously on any given hand of poker.
So I'm playing...
1) I'm in late position with A-10 of clubs. About three people limp in between the blinds and me. I raise $10 up to $13 total. The blinds call and two limpers call, including one who has just thrown his last $8 in. (Pot has about $60 now.) So now I'm in last position.
Flop comes 7-7-4 rainbow. Everybody checks to me. Fearful that somebody is slowplaying a 7, I make a continuation bet of $25 anyway. The small blind calls after much hesitation and everybody else folds. Now we're at about $110. I eye down the small blind and decide if he checks, I bet no matter what.
Turn is a blank. He checks, I bet $60, and he thinks for a while, then shows 8-8 and folds. Since somebody is all in, I have to show my bluff. It turns out the all-in guy had something random like Q-6 and I won the pot. I probably overplayed it but was proud of myself.
A couple of hands later...
2) I'm in middle position with Q-J diamonds. I just call $3. Everybody folds. The small blind, a tight player, raises to $13. The big blind and I call.
The flop is A hearts - K hearts- 6 diamonds. The small blind bets $10. Big blind folds. I have no business calling, but think maybe he has a middle pair or a flush draw now, and call.
The turn is 10 of diamonds. I now have the nuts and a flush draw. Small blind bets $25. (The pot was about $50). I hollywood for a little while, then raise to $75. He looks over at my stack and says "How much do you have left?" I have about $110 more. He has about $200. I tell him. He thinks for a while. In my head, I'm chanting "PUT ME ALL IN PUT ME ALL IN PUT ME ALL IN". Eventually he just calls.
River is K of clubs. Fuck. He value-bets $25. I know he's got a full house now, but I call anyway, hoping he has a hand like K-Q. Nope, he had A-K the whole time, and he takes down the large pot, more than erasing my winnings from earlier.
I Phil Hellmuth him for about 5 minutes - "do you know you only had 4 outs going into the river?, etc..." He smiles quietly. "What are you smiling about? How freakin lucky you are?" etc... He never responds. The big blind, who folded after the flop, informs me that he folded 10-10 after the flop and would've made the second best hand, and I would've lost to them both anyway if he had called the $10 flop, which he doesn't know why I did. I tell him to fuck off and we continue to play.
Moral of the story: No Limit can be brutal if you don't have a big bankroll!
Obama Race Email
I first saw this on Facebook, posted by one of the Teaneck boys here. It speaks for itself.
This was emailed to me so i don't know who to properly attribute it to. I don't necessarily agree with all of it but think it is enlightening if we are to truly examine the pervasiveness of race in our thinking and our reactions. It is said that Branch Rickey felt he needed to find the perfect person to break the color barrier in baseball because he knew the consequences of failure. I don't know if Senator Obama is that "perfect person" but he has the bona fides to qualify and he seems to exude grace under pressure.
What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said "I do" to?
What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?
What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5?
What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?
This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.
You are The Boss... which team would you hire? With America facing historic debt, 2 wars, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc.
Educational Background:
Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.)
Magna Cum Laude
Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)
vs.
McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters -
B.A. in Journalism
Now, which team are you going to hire ?
The other thing that this email doesn't mention is "what if Obama's unmarried teenage daughter was pregnant out of wedlock?" Seriously, imagine if Barack had a 16 or 17 year old daughter who was pregnant. How would general public perception be different?
This was emailed to me so i don't know who to properly attribute it to. I don't necessarily agree with all of it but think it is enlightening if we are to truly examine the pervasiveness of race in our thinking and our reactions. It is said that Branch Rickey felt he needed to find the perfect person to break the color barrier in baseball because he knew the consequences of failure. I don't know if Senator Obama is that "perfect person" but he has the bona fides to qualify and he seems to exude grace under pressure.
What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said "I do" to?
What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?
What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5?
What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?
This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.
You are The Boss... which team would you hire? With America facing historic debt, 2 wars, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc.
Educational Background:
Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.)
Magna Cum Laude
Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)
vs.
McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters -
B.A. in Journalism
Now, which team are you going to hire ?
The other thing that this email doesn't mention is "what if Obama's unmarried teenage daughter was pregnant out of wedlock?" Seriously, imagine if Barack had a 16 or 17 year old daughter who was pregnant. How would general public perception be different?
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Is Colin Powell also a nappy headed ho?
I watched Colin Powell's assessment of the presidential race on Meet the Press the other day with my wife and her uncle in D.C. As soon as he was done, her uncle made similar comments to Side Bar. So that was good.
In the days after, conservatives like Joe Scarborough and I'm sure many others who I don't listen to like O'Reilly and Limbaugh have been saying things like, "Well, of course Colin Powell endorsed Obama. They're both black."
Umm... I'm guessing they either (a) didn't actually listen to Colin Powell speak (unlikely), or (b) listened and felt like Colin Powell was being disingenuous. Either way... where is the outrage directed towards "respected" talking heads not only suggesting this, but saying it outright?
Compare this with the Don Imus outrage. Don Imus, a comedian, was attempting to use a colloquialism to be goofy and came off as racially insensitive, which he was and should arguably be castigated for, which he more than was. He referred to the "nappy heads" of the Rutgers women and called them "hoes", which is obviously silly as he has no idea if infact they are hoes or not. The general tone of what he was saying was demeaning, as these women were not trying to be public figured, nor are they asking to be commented on for their appearance and sexuality, and Imus thrusted them into the spotlight unfairly.
Now, here we have people saying that Colin Powell cannot make an unbiased statement about Barack Obama because somehow, despite his remarkable government experience and intellect, despite everything he articulately just stated after being given an uninterrupted half-hour on network TV to do so because his opinion is respected that highly, he is somehow swayed by the fact that both he and Obama have dark skin and this renders him incapable of being objective. Or, worse, that black people aren't ever really honest and will blindly stick up for another black person despite any other possible factors? Either way, it states quite clearly that, by implication, if Colin Powell, a Republican and Bush-Cheney supporter, cannot be trusted to put his blackness aside and be objective about this, why can we trust any black people with any decisions where there might be other black people involved? They are all lemmings who have no intellect, apparently, and can't wait to collaborate with other black people to stick it to the white man or something.
I don't understand why people aren't outraged by this. Personally, I think I'd be more upset about being told I'm a moron because I'm black, and that I shouldn't be trusted with a vote, than if some goofy dumbass comedian called some basketball players "nappy headed hoes". Am I overreacting?
In the days after, conservatives like Joe Scarborough and I'm sure many others who I don't listen to like O'Reilly and Limbaugh have been saying things like, "Well, of course Colin Powell endorsed Obama. They're both black."
Umm... I'm guessing they either (a) didn't actually listen to Colin Powell speak (unlikely), or (b) listened and felt like Colin Powell was being disingenuous. Either way... where is the outrage directed towards "respected" talking heads not only suggesting this, but saying it outright?
Compare this with the Don Imus outrage. Don Imus, a comedian, was attempting to use a colloquialism to be goofy and came off as racially insensitive, which he was and should arguably be castigated for, which he more than was. He referred to the "nappy heads" of the Rutgers women and called them "hoes", which is obviously silly as he has no idea if infact they are hoes or not. The general tone of what he was saying was demeaning, as these women were not trying to be public figured, nor are they asking to be commented on for their appearance and sexuality, and Imus thrusted them into the spotlight unfairly.
Now, here we have people saying that Colin Powell cannot make an unbiased statement about Barack Obama because somehow, despite his remarkable government experience and intellect, despite everything he articulately just stated after being given an uninterrupted half-hour on network TV to do so because his opinion is respected that highly, he is somehow swayed by the fact that both he and Obama have dark skin and this renders him incapable of being objective. Or, worse, that black people aren't ever really honest and will blindly stick up for another black person despite any other possible factors? Either way, it states quite clearly that, by implication, if Colin Powell, a Republican and Bush-Cheney supporter, cannot be trusted to put his blackness aside and be objective about this, why can we trust any black people with any decisions where there might be other black people involved? They are all lemmings who have no intellect, apparently, and can't wait to collaborate with other black people to stick it to the white man or something.
I don't understand why people aren't outraged by this. Personally, I think I'd be more upset about being told I'm a moron because I'm black, and that I shouldn't be trusted with a vote, than if some goofy dumbass comedian called some basketball players "nappy headed hoes". Am I overreacting?
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Calculus Humor
At my previous school in central Jersey, I taught everything from low level Geometry to Pre-Calculus (but no Calculus). The Calculus courses were all given to two or three established teachers. I became buddies with one of them. Teachers are evaluated by "observations" from administrators where they come in a couple of times per year and watch you teach. (You could be jerking off in class the other 178 days that you don't get observed, in theory, and if nobody complained you'd be ok. I digress.)
Anyway, my buddy would often talk about the times he got observed in his Calculus class, even by our math department head, and would note that it was funny that his observers had no idea what he was talking about.
One day, he said the following to me: "[Our department head] is trying to observe me, when he can't even Chain Rule his ass to his elbow."
(The Chain Rule is one of the most fundamental rules to integrating and differentiating functions, and is used in Calc I and in every level of math beyond that.)
His offhand joke didn't even really make sense, but I found it hilarious and we laughed about it often for years after that.
Now, I've been teaching Calculus for a couple of years now, and gotten observed in Calculus two or three times, each time by former gym teachers turned administrators. Each of them said, essentially, "I had no idea what the hell you were talking about, but it seemed like a good lesson." I laughed about the idea that they, indeed, could also not Chain Rule their asses to their elbows.
Anyway, my buddy would often talk about the times he got observed in his Calculus class, even by our math department head, and would note that it was funny that his observers had no idea what he was talking about.
One day, he said the following to me: "[Our department head] is trying to observe me, when he can't even Chain Rule his ass to his elbow."
(The Chain Rule is one of the most fundamental rules to integrating and differentiating functions, and is used in Calc I and in every level of math beyond that.)
His offhand joke didn't even really make sense, but I found it hilarious and we laughed about it often for years after that.
Now, I've been teaching Calculus for a couple of years now, and gotten observed in Calculus two or three times, each time by former gym teachers turned administrators. Each of them said, essentially, "I had no idea what the hell you were talking about, but it seemed like a good lesson." I laughed about the idea that they, indeed, could also not Chain Rule their asses to their elbows.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Sarah Algar
I can't write much more about the Sarah Palin debacle than has already been said, both by friends and professionals alike. So I'll just add this insight:
Remember the scene in Wayne's World where Wayne leaves Garth alone on the show and he goes "I'm having a good time... not..." and Garth is staring petrified into the camera and the camera guy turns to the other guy and says, "Ever seen the scene from that movie Scanners where the dude's head explodes?"
Well... I couldn't find a clip of Garth doing that or an image on the web, but... for at least the first half hour of the debate, Sarah Palin's petrified stare into the camera reminded us of that.
Remember the scene in Wayne's World where Wayne leaves Garth alone on the show and he goes "I'm having a good time... not..." and Garth is staring petrified into the camera and the camera guy turns to the other guy and says, "Ever seen the scene from that movie Scanners where the dude's head explodes?"
Well... I couldn't find a clip of Garth doing that or an image on the web, but... for at least the first half hour of the debate, Sarah Palin's petrified stare into the camera reminded us of that.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sarah Palin - get your popcorn ready...
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.
- Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
The V.P. debates are coming up Thursday night - Sarah Palin vs. Joey Biden. The more Sarah Palin talks... well, it's like all of this stuff has just been thrusted upon here. To put it simply, she's just in way over her head. I predict (well, I hope) that she winds up like some kind of Johnny Fairplay, or Vanilla Ice - some reality star or some lucky sap who got thrust into the limelight and then winds up being the butt of our collective jokes for years to come. This gig just isn't for her. I'm sure she was fine in the remoteness of Alaskan politics. But when GOP talking heads are saying like that her best strategy is to not actually talk about the issues, or facts in general, and "just be Sarah"... well, that's not a good sign.
I almost feel bad for her. Almost.
- Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
The V.P. debates are coming up Thursday night - Sarah Palin vs. Joey Biden. The more Sarah Palin talks... well, it's like all of this stuff has just been thrusted upon here. To put it simply, she's just in way over her head. I predict (well, I hope) that she winds up like some kind of Johnny Fairplay, or Vanilla Ice - some reality star or some lucky sap who got thrust into the limelight and then winds up being the butt of our collective jokes for years to come. This gig just isn't for her. I'm sure she was fine in the remoteness of Alaskan politics. But when GOP talking heads are saying like that her best strategy is to not actually talk about the issues, or facts in general, and "just be Sarah"... well, that's not a good sign.
I almost feel bad for her. Almost.
Monday, September 29, 2008
My New Team
I've lived in South Jersey, in the Philadelphia area, for just over three years now. Growing up in Bergen County, my main sports allegiance was always for the New York Knickerbockers. I would "follow" the Yankees and Giants for stretches of time, but my heart wasn't into them and I wouldn't call myself a "fan" of either team. However, even after I moved down here, I've been purchasing the NBA League Pass package so that I could watch my beloved Knicks stink it up (along with following the guys on my Fantasy NBA team. I'm embarrased to admit that, but it's true.) The main drive, though, was to watch the Knicks games frequently and the Nets games from time to time.
However, as we face the dawn of the 2008-2009 NBA season, I sadly have to announce that I believe - and this remains to be seen - that my time with the NY Knicks is done. They have been too mismanaged for too long, and there aren't many likable characters around. They are a bloated, overhyped franchise which has been heading in the wrong direction for several years now. And so, finally at my wits end, I've realized that I don't really want to order the League Pass this year. It's not a money question - it's a "I really don't want to watch the Knicks anymore, so why do I need League Pass?" feeling that my heart is conveying that I have to acknowledge. And consequently, that means that my allegiance may wind up switching to...
... the Philadelphia 76ers. They are a fun team to watch. They have a bunch of good young guys who, unlike the Knicks' guys, have been given a chance to develop and the team is seeing the results. Then, during this offseason, they addressed one of their biggest needs, a post-up presence who can score, by signing Elton Brand who is a perennial All-Star when he's healthy. Philly is a good sports town, all their teams are successful... and hey, when in Rome...
Look, I'm not consciously doing this. This is very hard for me. This is a guy that used to tape most of their home games in the early 90s (while I was in h.s.) and rewatch many of them. However, unless something changes in N.Y., my time with the Knicks may be over. I'll have to see what my heart tells me when the season starts. This could be very bittersweet.
However, as we face the dawn of the 2008-2009 NBA season, I sadly have to announce that I believe - and this remains to be seen - that my time with the NY Knicks is done. They have been too mismanaged for too long, and there aren't many likable characters around. They are a bloated, overhyped franchise which has been heading in the wrong direction for several years now. And so, finally at my wits end, I've realized that I don't really want to order the League Pass this year. It's not a money question - it's a "I really don't want to watch the Knicks anymore, so why do I need League Pass?" feeling that my heart is conveying that I have to acknowledge. And consequently, that means that my allegiance may wind up switching to...
... the Philadelphia 76ers. They are a fun team to watch. They have a bunch of good young guys who, unlike the Knicks' guys, have been given a chance to develop and the team is seeing the results. Then, during this offseason, they addressed one of their biggest needs, a post-up presence who can score, by signing Elton Brand who is a perennial All-Star when he's healthy. Philly is a good sports town, all their teams are successful... and hey, when in Rome...
Look, I'm not consciously doing this. This is very hard for me. This is a guy that used to tape most of their home games in the early 90s (while I was in h.s.) and rewatch many of them. However, unless something changes in N.Y., my time with the Knicks may be over. I'll have to see what my heart tells me when the season starts. This could be very bittersweet.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
WHAT?
From a cnn.com article this morning about the debates...
Fifty-one percent of those polled thought Obama did the better job in Friday night's debate, while 38 percent said John McCain did better.
Men were nearly evenly split between the two candidates, with 46 percent giving the win to McCain and 43 percent to Obama. But women voters tended to give Obama higher marks, with 59 percent calling him the night's winner, while just 31 percent said McCain won.
Good. Even so... 38% said "John McCain did better" in the debates. Almost 2 out of 5 people watched the debate and left thinking "McCain outperformed Obama".
Umm... WHAT?!? What were their criteria??
Fifty-one percent of those polled thought Obama did the better job in Friday night's debate, while 38 percent said John McCain did better.
Men were nearly evenly split between the two candidates, with 46 percent giving the win to McCain and 43 percent to Obama. But women voters tended to give Obama higher marks, with 59 percent calling him the night's winner, while just 31 percent said McCain won.
Good. Even so... 38% said "John McCain did better" in the debates. Almost 2 out of 5 people watched the debate and left thinking "McCain outperformed Obama".
Umm... WHAT?!? What were their criteria??
Jury Scams
I'm pretty savvy when it comes to cons - I never send my address and bank account information to somebody in Nigeria because they are holding $200,000,000 US Dollars and are willing to share it with me - but I have to admit I could slip on this one, if the person sounded official on the phone. And, it appears real.
Read here or here.
Read here or here.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
My Summer Vacation
This summer, I followed in Open Bar's footsteps and went to Vegas. It was so fucking surreal. Of course, I didn't have the experience that he did, as he went as a single guy and I went with my wife. Nevertheless, it was something to behold.
I won't bore you with a bunch of pictures of the various sights. I'm sure you'll ask if you want to know more details. I will mention a couple of random things...
- The sex industry in Vegas is out of control. I've posted before about how silly it is that this kind of stuff is "illegal" in this country. Well, Vegas takes it to a new level. It is extremely unregulated. Here's a picture illustrating this. There are many billboards like this, guys handing out cards on every corner advertising "girls to your room", etc...
- This guy my mom is dating is real tight with the uncle / driver / manager of Phil Ivey, the poker player. I was supposed to meet Phil Ivey while I was out in Las Vegas, if Phil was around. It turns out... Phil was not around. However, his uncle managed to drop off some merchandise for me. It's for the best. What the hell am I going to do with Phil Ivey, or talk to him about? I was hoping Phil would say, "Hey, man, here's $5,000. Let's play a little together. I'll stake you." Somehow I don't think that was happening. So, here's me posing with my consolation prize (Phil is a part-owner of Full Tilt Poker.)
We also went to see Miranda Lambert perform in Atlantic City. Her opening act, John Eddie, was awesome. If you're looking for a change of pace in your music, they're both a lot of fun.
I also made my requisite trip to Cape Cod for a little while. Here's Walt Clyde with his brother and father on the deck overlooking the bay in North Truro.
I won't bore you with a bunch of pictures of the various sights. I'm sure you'll ask if you want to know more details. I will mention a couple of random things...
- The sex industry in Vegas is out of control. I've posted before about how silly it is that this kind of stuff is "illegal" in this country. Well, Vegas takes it to a new level. It is extremely unregulated. Here's a picture illustrating this. There are many billboards like this, guys handing out cards on every corner advertising "girls to your room", etc...
- This guy my mom is dating is real tight with the uncle / driver / manager of Phil Ivey, the poker player. I was supposed to meet Phil Ivey while I was out in Las Vegas, if Phil was around. It turns out... Phil was not around. However, his uncle managed to drop off some merchandise for me. It's for the best. What the hell am I going to do with Phil Ivey, or talk to him about? I was hoping Phil would say, "Hey, man, here's $5,000. Let's play a little together. I'll stake you." Somehow I don't think that was happening. So, here's me posing with my consolation prize (Phil is a part-owner of Full Tilt Poker.)
We also went to see Miranda Lambert perform in Atlantic City. Her opening act, John Eddie, was awesome. If you're looking for a change of pace in your music, they're both a lot of fun.
I also made my requisite trip to Cape Cod for a little while. Here's Walt Clyde with his brother and father on the deck overlooking the bay in North Truro.
News from my district
A former teacher *allegedly* was exaggerating the hours he worked out-of-building on documents (read the article here), was taken to court, and found not guilty.
However, when your district spokesperson isn't allowed to *officially* comment but says, "We have to agree with whatever decision the judge made," it doesn't sound like the district is happy that the person was acquitted.
It's people like this that give teachers a bad name.
However, when your district spokesperson isn't allowed to *officially* comment but says, "We have to agree with whatever decision the judge made," it doesn't sound like the district is happy that the person was acquitted.
It's people like this that give teachers a bad name.
Sarah Opens for Weezer!
A few days ago, I posted that my wife's cousin Sarah was in a contest to open for Weezer. Now, she is!
She's opening for them at the Tweeter Center in Camden this Saturday night. She's only a teenager! Congratulations to Sarah!
She's opening for them at the Tweeter Center in Camden this Saturday night. She's only a teenager! Congratulations to Sarah!
The Economy, Politics, Stupid Americans
The statistic came on Hardball last night that, in the past couple of days since the economy shit has hit the fan, Obama has taken a big bounce in the polls. Not coincidentally, "the economy" has become the most important issue to these people who were polled.
Umm... what was the most important issue for these people in their decision process before the media starting reporting that we could potentially be facing a huge recession / depression? If it was Iraq or something substantial... fine... but in many polls, some people were saying that they were leaning McCain because of things like he possesses "leadership qualities" or that he's more experienced, or his "character". These things don't seem to *mean* anything, do they?
Anyway, LJT outlined the situation better than I ever could, and cleared some things up for me. As the housing boom collapsed a couple of years ago, and leading up to where we were today, I couldn't shake the feeling that this problem was truly, at its heart, caused by individual people and companies overspeculating and overspending. LJT compared it to a big game of Jenga... is another analogy a house of cards that continues to be built on a flimsy foundation until one day it inevitably collapses? Anyway, regardless of how this shakes out, I hope (though am not optimistic) that Americans will learn their lesson as LJT mentioned. If companies and people only spent what they truly could afford, wouldn't there truly be little economic issue?
Umm... what was the most important issue for these people in their decision process before the media starting reporting that we could potentially be facing a huge recession / depression? If it was Iraq or something substantial... fine... but in many polls, some people were saying that they were leaning McCain because of things like he possesses "leadership qualities" or that he's more experienced, or his "character". These things don't seem to *mean* anything, do they?
Anyway, LJT outlined the situation better than I ever could, and cleared some things up for me. As the housing boom collapsed a couple of years ago, and leading up to where we were today, I couldn't shake the feeling that this problem was truly, at its heart, caused by individual people and companies overspeculating and overspending. LJT compared it to a big game of Jenga... is another analogy a house of cards that continues to be built on a flimsy foundation until one day it inevitably collapses? Anyway, regardless of how this shakes out, I hope (though am not optimistic) that Americans will learn their lesson as LJT mentioned. If companies and people only spent what they truly could afford, wouldn't there truly be little economic issue?
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Random Video Links 9.23.08
1) Ok, you know the big deal that's made out of censorship in our country from time to time (like, the Janet Jackson fiasco? The Imus fiasco?) I wonder if stuff like this Lil Kim video, edited (presumably) for airing on things like VH1 or MTV, actually ever made it there. To me, even though this is edited for content, this is less "airable" for kids than just somebody saying "fuck" or showing a nipple on the air. It's not like kids can't read between the muted words.
The song "Drug Ballad" by Eminem (which I personally enjoy) is another example of a song without much profanity - or, let me rephrase, even with the actual curse words censored, it's a song which I would think most parents would not want their kids to listen to, even if the curse words were bleeped. On the other hand, Eminem says "faggot", it's taken out of context, and he is slammed for it.
Anyway, on to the next video...
2) For you Hadron Collider people (I'm looking at you, ChuckJerry)... Check out the name of this link, click there, then view this:
Who the hell took the time to record this? I got bored trying to watch it through.
3) The teachers' union supports... guess who... Barack for president. Here he is talking about it... (again, I didn't make it to the end...)
The song "Drug Ballad" by Eminem (which I personally enjoy) is another example of a song without much profanity - or, let me rephrase, even with the actual curse words censored, it's a song which I would think most parents would not want their kids to listen to, even if the curse words were bleeped. On the other hand, Eminem says "faggot", it's taken out of context, and he is slammed for it.
Anyway, on to the next video...
2) For you Hadron Collider people (I'm looking at you, ChuckJerry)... Check out the name of this link, click there, then view this:
Who the hell took the time to record this? I got bored trying to watch it through.
3) The teachers' union supports... guess who... Barack for president. Here he is talking about it... (again, I didn't make it to the end...)
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Great Ones!
ChuckJerry (of Where's Luke) has had a "Great Stories" site in the past which was enjoyed by many with great enthusiasm. Well, as it's been noted in a famous movie, "Everybody's got a story." So, ChuckJerry and I decided to start a new site, "Great Stories", at http://greatonesnj.blogspot.com. Jerry will be cutting / pasting his old stories, and I will add anecdotes that have happened to me that I have either told or not to the old gang. In any case, we've invited a number of old Teaneck people to be authors and they in turn are encouraged to invite more people. The site is devoted to the posting and sharing of the great anecdote, the great story, etc...
The address is http://greatonesnj.blogspot.com. If you want to be an author just let me know!
The address is http://greatonesnj.blogspot.com. If you want to be an author just let me know!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Vote for Sarah!
... not Palin. My wife's cousin is in high school and she's an awesome guitarist. She's in a contest where she can open for the band Weezer.
Please go here: http://www.radio1045.com/pages/weezer.html
Then, find Sarah and watch her play. Then, please vote for Sarah!
Please go here: http://www.radio1045.com/pages/weezer.html
Then, find Sarah and watch her play. Then, please vote for Sarah!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Random Notes 9.15.08
So, where was I? Ah yes, babbling about random shit.
- I took my first sick day of the year. I've been on this medication that's making me cough all night. I'm going to switch medications. I was too tired to function today, after being too tired to function all last week. Although, I suppose I'll have to get used to this should I have kids someday.
- I was posting yesterday about which web sites I find myself visiting with regularity. I started thinking about which TV shows I watch with regularity. If I'm home, I usually find myself watching Sportscenter in the morning and then reruns of the Simpsons and Seinfeld in the evening (most of which I've seen already). I also regularly watch poker on the Game Show Network on Monday nights and The Soup every Saturday morning. In stretches recently, I found myself getting into (and then losing interest in) Lost and this awful show. I'd never watched Law and Order and for some reason was morbidly curious to watch this (spinoff?) train wreck of a show. Needless to say, Ice-T and co. have acting skills that make Bob Saget look like Laurence Olivier. Why do I watch such CRAP? There's not much else on TV. Is it just the medium? Freaks and Geeks was a flash of brilliance in a dark, dark talentless world. Yet, everytime some old Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is on, I'll watch, zombie-like, until some cast member shamelessly sings to promote their singing careers, get disgusted with myself, and then watch it again the next time it's on. Am I just occasionally attracted to crap TV, or is most of programmed TV "crap TV"?
- I find myself missing Joe Grossberg's blog and find myself struggling to understand the Twitter concept that he's moved to. Maybe I'm like Side Bar as far as not being able to comfortably adjust to new technology or something. Anyway, Joey is always on the cutting edge, and made the suggestion (which I am grateful for, because I love Facebook so far) that I should invest my time in Facebook instead of Myspace because Myspace "is for kids and retards these days". Regarding his blogging and writing, how can you not feel nostalgic for his brand of wit, with lines like this that state that his buddy "spouted trivia like Peter North spouted ejaculate - profusely and widely"? I still don't understand what happened to your blog being hacked, but come back Joey, you are missed.
- A poker question: When could you ever fold pocket aces pre-flop in poker? ("Never" is my response.) Well, my brother pointed out that there is one scenario - like if you are in a tournament, it's early, and you have pocket aces and six or seven clowns or so go all-in with reasonable hands, you are probably an underdog to win the pot. Sure, you are favored vs. any one of them heads up, but you are an underdog "versus the field". And, why risk going all-in when you are not a favorite, when you should be able to outplay them later on? An interesting point. Here's a site that can figure out odds in hands, for up to five people.
- I took my first sick day of the year. I've been on this medication that's making me cough all night. I'm going to switch medications. I was too tired to function today, after being too tired to function all last week. Although, I suppose I'll have to get used to this should I have kids someday.
- I was posting yesterday about which web sites I find myself visiting with regularity. I started thinking about which TV shows I watch with regularity. If I'm home, I usually find myself watching Sportscenter in the morning and then reruns of the Simpsons and Seinfeld in the evening (most of which I've seen already). I also regularly watch poker on the Game Show Network on Monday nights and The Soup every Saturday morning. In stretches recently, I found myself getting into (and then losing interest in) Lost and this awful show. I'd never watched Law and Order and for some reason was morbidly curious to watch this (spinoff?) train wreck of a show. Needless to say, Ice-T and co. have acting skills that make Bob Saget look like Laurence Olivier. Why do I watch such CRAP? There's not much else on TV. Is it just the medium? Freaks and Geeks was a flash of brilliance in a dark, dark talentless world. Yet, everytime some old Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is on, I'll watch, zombie-like, until some cast member shamelessly sings to promote their singing careers, get disgusted with myself, and then watch it again the next time it's on. Am I just occasionally attracted to crap TV, or is most of programmed TV "crap TV"?
- I find myself missing Joe Grossberg's blog and find myself struggling to understand the Twitter concept that he's moved to. Maybe I'm like Side Bar as far as not being able to comfortably adjust to new technology or something. Anyway, Joey is always on the cutting edge, and made the suggestion (which I am grateful for, because I love Facebook so far) that I should invest my time in Facebook instead of Myspace because Myspace "is for kids and retards these days". Regarding his blogging and writing, how can you not feel nostalgic for his brand of wit, with lines like this that state that his buddy "spouted trivia like Peter North spouted ejaculate - profusely and widely"? I still don't understand what happened to your blog being hacked, but come back Joey, you are missed.
- A poker question: When could you ever fold pocket aces pre-flop in poker? ("Never" is my response.) Well, my brother pointed out that there is one scenario - like if you are in a tournament, it's early, and you have pocket aces and six or seven clowns or so go all-in with reasonable hands, you are probably an underdog to win the pot. Sure, you are favored vs. any one of them heads up, but you are an underdog "versus the field". And, why risk going all-in when you are not a favorite, when you should be able to outplay them later on? An interesting point. Here's a site that can figure out odds in hands, for up to five people.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Election 2008
I've been going back and forth between two feelings about this election.
On one hand, I try to analyze both sides, understand where people on the other (Republican) side sit on issues. It's hard to empathize with them so I try to seriously hear where they're coming from.
Then, I see polls on TV, or hear people saying things to me, and I get angry and think to myself things like, "How the FUCK could any reasonable human being want McCain, and then Palin, in this position of government? HOW? WHAT THE FUCK?!?" Then, I go through some psychological thing where I alternate between different stages of the process - acceptance, denial, anger, frustration, depression all occur to me. The whole "If x wins, I'm moving to Canada" thing has occurred to me. How could we live in a country where, as the saying goes, people would rather have a leader who is strong and wrong instead of "weak" and right (and notice I put weak in quotes)????????????
ARGHGHGHGHHGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! How could this thing even be close?!?!?!?
On one hand, I try to analyze both sides, understand where people on the other (Republican) side sit on issues. It's hard to empathize with them so I try to seriously hear where they're coming from.
Then, I see polls on TV, or hear people saying things to me, and I get angry and think to myself things like, "How the FUCK could any reasonable human being want McCain, and then Palin, in this position of government? HOW? WHAT THE FUCK?!?" Then, I go through some psychological thing where I alternate between different stages of the process - acceptance, denial, anger, frustration, depression all occur to me. The whole "If x wins, I'm moving to Canada" thing has occurred to me. How could we live in a country where, as the saying goes, people would rather have a leader who is strong and wrong instead of "weak" and right (and notice I put weak in quotes)????????????
ARGHGHGHGHHGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! How could this thing even be close?!?!?!?
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Why I Voted For McCain
These are actual quotes that people I know have said in the past couple weeks as in regard to (a) why they plan on voting for the McCain/Palin ticket in two months or (b) reasons why they don't want Barack Obama in office (essentially the same, no?) These are either exact or paraphrased as close as I can remember to the actual quote. Some make me scratch my head.
- "I just like him [McCain]... I just like his whole thing."
(Me) - "What do you mean, 'his whole thing'?"
- "You know... just what he's about. I always have."
- "I really don't like much at all about McCain... but the whole abortion thing just drives me nuts. So I'll probably vote for him."
- "You know, when he [Obama] gets into office, he's just going to help his own."
- (passing some African-American gentlemen pimped out in oversized Obama t-shirts in a casino, and pointing them out to me) "There's your boy, Walt. That's who you're supporting." (said derisively)
- "The fact that his [Obama's] middle name is Hussein makes a difference."
...and this really happened...
- "I'm afraid that when the Muslim parts of the world see a guy with the name 'Barack Obama' get elected, they're going to think that they have somebody in a high position in America, and they'll be more likely to try shit than if John McCain is in there."
(Me) - "Why would they?"
- "Come on... 'Barack Obama'? They'll think, 'We've got one!' That stuff matters."
- "I just like him [McCain]... I just like his whole thing."
(Me) - "What do you mean, 'his whole thing'?"
- "You know... just what he's about. I always have."
- "I really don't like much at all about McCain... but the whole abortion thing just drives me nuts. So I'll probably vote for him."
- "You know, when he [Obama] gets into office, he's just going to help his own."
- (passing some African-American gentlemen pimped out in oversized Obama t-shirts in a casino, and pointing them out to me) "There's your boy, Walt. That's who you're supporting." (said derisively)
- "The fact that his [Obama's] middle name is Hussein makes a difference."
...and this really happened...
- "I'm afraid that when the Muslim parts of the world see a guy with the name 'Barack Obama' get elected, they're going to think that they have somebody in a high position in America, and they'll be more likely to try shit than if John McCain is in there."
(Me) - "Why would they?"
- "Come on... 'Barack Obama'? They'll think, 'We've got one!' That stuff matters."
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Palin, etc...
As much as I wish this picture that I got on email was real, it's not.
The boys over at Where's Luke have been posting many political items recently, from awesome videos to general political questions like this for which I don't have an answer. As ChuckJerry posted in the last link, it's unfathomable how many people are duped by the Republican agenda which has been proven to not work in this country for the past 30 years. People who think that business should just run free and that anybody can just "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" the way their grandfathers did when they came to America is living in the past. However, I don't think the people who read this blog (if any of you are out there) would disagree with me. But, in answer to Jerry's non-rhetorical question, the book "What's the Matter With Kansas?" explains it well. Read the Wikipedia summary.
But anyway, some random thoughts:
- Joe Biden was awesome with Tom Brokaw this past Sunday on Meet the Press.
- Gloria Steinem weighs in.
- It's ironic, among many hundreds of phony-ass things, that the GOP has tried to paint Barack Obama as style over substance, yet if you actually go watch everything stated in the GOP convention, you hear all style ("Country First", "A True Maverick", "Let's Fight for America!") and no substance, whereas the converse seems to be true when I hear Obama and Biden speak.
- And fuck Sarah Palin for saying these words: "Just know that if I get elected, you mothers of special needs children will have a friend in the White House." Fuck you. How manipulative even above all the other manipulative, crafty insubstantial shit they spew. Is the implication that you won't have a friend there with those evil Democrats? And is there any substance to being a "friend" of these people?
This has turned into a rant. I'm going to stop now.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Republican Rally
Watching the Republican Rally, Giuliani speaking...
Two thoughts:
1) I feel like I'm watching a Nazi Rally.
2) From my brother: "These people are fucking crazy."
Two thoughts:
1) I feel like I'm watching a Nazi Rally.
2) From my brother: "These people are fucking crazy."
This blog
To all of the thousands of new readers I'm sure will flood in from my recent joining of Facebook... hello!
I'm sure you're dying to know how come I'm not publishing this blog under my real name. I explained this back in the historic month of October 2007 - historic because that's when I started Walt Clyde Frazier's Stream of Consciousness. You can read about it here.
I will be posting as often as possible, and what I say is always interesting! So, be sure to tune in often!
I'm sure you're dying to know how come I'm not publishing this blog under my real name. I explained this back in the historic month of October 2007 - historic because that's when I started Walt Clyde Frazier's Stream of Consciousness. You can read about it here.
I will be posting as often as possible, and what I say is always interesting! So, be sure to tune in often!
Wake Me Up When September Ends
"Seven years has gone so fast / Wake me up when September Ends"
- Wake Me Up When September Ends, Green Day
My guilty pleasure song du jour is Wake Me Up When September Ends. If you've never heard it before, here's a video I found on YouTube. This clip is shortened from the original, longer video.
I try to pride myself of being a fan of "good" music, and I don't know whether this Green Day song qualifies or not, but whatever, I find this song incredibly catchy. Despite what the video shows, the song is about the singer's father dying when he was a kid (as the always-reliable-Wikipedia entry will tell you), which is touching in and of itself.
Interestingly, the song seems to have taken on two other meanings for some people. Often, people hear the chorus of a song and (sometimes incorrectly) derive the meaning from the chorus or from selected lyrics (like the Beatles' "Revolution", or like Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A."). One meaning is that people connect this song with September 11. It has been seven long years since September 11, 2001 and some of the lyrics combined with the quote that I led this blog post with seem to touch on the innocence lost in our nation and in the world since then. Another meaning was the awful aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. My high school composed a montage of images from Katrina and played them everyday in homeroom for while set to this song. Just the images set to the words "wake me up when September ends" was interesting.
Since I haven't done much else other than teaching for a career, the month of September has consequently always been kind of a benchmark month, from childhood through now. For me personally, this is my 9th year as a high school teacher, and recently I have grown increasingly unsatisfied with my life as a teacher. So September and the start of autumn, in general, evokes a wide variety of feelings for me - some happy memories of being a kid, playing soccer in Teaneck, etc... to now starting each school year and having to leave the wonderful summer months behind, and remembering the innocence of childhood... some of the lyrics reach me on that level as well. Maybe I'm reading too much into the song.
- Wake Me Up When September Ends, Green Day
My guilty pleasure song du jour is Wake Me Up When September Ends. If you've never heard it before, here's a video I found on YouTube. This clip is shortened from the original, longer video.
I try to pride myself of being a fan of "good" music, and I don't know whether this Green Day song qualifies or not, but whatever, I find this song incredibly catchy. Despite what the video shows, the song is about the singer's father dying when he was a kid (as the always-reliable-Wikipedia entry will tell you), which is touching in and of itself.
Interestingly, the song seems to have taken on two other meanings for some people. Often, people hear the chorus of a song and (sometimes incorrectly) derive the meaning from the chorus or from selected lyrics (like the Beatles' "Revolution", or like Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A."). One meaning is that people connect this song with September 11. It has been seven long years since September 11, 2001 and some of the lyrics combined with the quote that I led this blog post with seem to touch on the innocence lost in our nation and in the world since then. Another meaning was the awful aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. My high school composed a montage of images from Katrina and played them everyday in homeroom for while set to this song. Just the images set to the words "wake me up when September ends" was interesting.
Since I haven't done much else other than teaching for a career, the month of September has consequently always been kind of a benchmark month, from childhood through now. For me personally, this is my 9th year as a high school teacher, and recently I have grown increasingly unsatisfied with my life as a teacher. So September and the start of autumn, in general, evokes a wide variety of feelings for me - some happy memories of being a kid, playing soccer in Teaneck, etc... to now starting each school year and having to leave the wonderful summer months behind, and remembering the innocence of childhood... some of the lyrics reach me on that level as well. Maybe I'm reading too much into the song.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Vaca!
Walt Clyde won't be posting much for a few days. I will tell you about it when I am around more consistently!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
"The Trails"
Random anecdote about childhood...
When I was back up in Teaneck working this past July, I stayed up there for a couple of weeks straight, crashing back at my mother's house (even though I'm 31!) It was a very enjoyable time. A lot of memories come rushing back to you, seemingly channeled through all five of your senses. I found myself walking in my mother's neighborhood near Teaneck High School. Here is an overhead map of the High School, incase you are not familiar with the area.
View Larger Map
We lived about a block and a half away from the high school. When I first moved to Teaneck, in the summer of 1985, I was eight years old. As an eight year old, my primary means of transportation was my bicycle. I met the kids in my neighborhood. I quickly found out that the local kids took their bikes to this place called "The Trails".
"The Trails" was actually just one trail. It was a dirt trail that ran parallel to Route 4 (West-East) on the embankment of Route 4, on the opposite side of the high school. Here is a view of where the trails start on Margaret Street. If you looked directly to the left from this position, you'd see the start of the trails.
And here is the aforementioned look to the left. This is the start of the trails. We have turned 90 degrees left from the previous picture.
As an aside, as you start walking down this trail, if you look to your right, towards Route 4, you see Route 4 in the background, with an area that had a bunch more garbage than this picture caught. I think high school kids hang out there at lunchtime and after school, and do whatever kids do.)
Anyway, if you started riding your bicycle from Margaret Street, you could pick up a lot of steam if you were heading east from Margaret towards the next block, which was Alicia Street. It is a relatively straight path, slightly downhill, with little bumps. Here's what it looks like.
Just after Alicia, the path took a turn to the right, and there was a huge hole which was perfectly shaped to ride your bike into and jump out of the other side. When we were kids it was about... (hopefully the lens of retrospection won't fail me here)... eight to ten feet deep, and fairly wide. Like a mini crater. I was excited to see the dip again. Alas, when I made my way to Alicia, it wasn't there at all. The area there where the quick descent started was there, but overgrown.
And while the ground still was lower there, it was inexplicably filled with a bunch of logs! Here's the picture.
As it did when we were kids, the trail still petered off slowly after the dip, eventually fading out on the block past Alicia, which was Stasia street.
I was kind of sad that the dip was not there, and I wonder if it was filled intentionally after my childhood to keep kids out of there. It is town property, I'd assume.
As I strolled down this path to take the photos for this blog post, a couple of old guys were hanging out in their backyard at the end of Alicia which abutted the start of the jump, and when I was lining up and snapping photos, they started eyeing me suspiciously. They asked who I worked for - town or county? I said, "Neither." They continued to stare, expecting an explanation, but I just smiled cryptically and walked away.
When I was back up in Teaneck working this past July, I stayed up there for a couple of weeks straight, crashing back at my mother's house (even though I'm 31!) It was a very enjoyable time. A lot of memories come rushing back to you, seemingly channeled through all five of your senses. I found myself walking in my mother's neighborhood near Teaneck High School. Here is an overhead map of the High School, incase you are not familiar with the area.
View Larger Map
We lived about a block and a half away from the high school. When I first moved to Teaneck, in the summer of 1985, I was eight years old. As an eight year old, my primary means of transportation was my bicycle. I met the kids in my neighborhood. I quickly found out that the local kids took their bikes to this place called "The Trails".
"The Trails" was actually just one trail. It was a dirt trail that ran parallel to Route 4 (West-East) on the embankment of Route 4, on the opposite side of the high school. Here is a view of where the trails start on Margaret Street. If you looked directly to the left from this position, you'd see the start of the trails.
And here is the aforementioned look to the left. This is the start of the trails. We have turned 90 degrees left from the previous picture.
As an aside, as you start walking down this trail, if you look to your right, towards Route 4, you see Route 4 in the background, with an area that had a bunch more garbage than this picture caught. I think high school kids hang out there at lunchtime and after school, and do whatever kids do.)
Anyway, if you started riding your bicycle from Margaret Street, you could pick up a lot of steam if you were heading east from Margaret towards the next block, which was Alicia Street. It is a relatively straight path, slightly downhill, with little bumps. Here's what it looks like.
Just after Alicia, the path took a turn to the right, and there was a huge hole which was perfectly shaped to ride your bike into and jump out of the other side. When we were kids it was about... (hopefully the lens of retrospection won't fail me here)... eight to ten feet deep, and fairly wide. Like a mini crater. I was excited to see the dip again. Alas, when I made my way to Alicia, it wasn't there at all. The area there where the quick descent started was there, but overgrown.
And while the ground still was lower there, it was inexplicably filled with a bunch of logs! Here's the picture.
As it did when we were kids, the trail still petered off slowly after the dip, eventually fading out on the block past Alicia, which was Stasia street.
I was kind of sad that the dip was not there, and I wonder if it was filled intentionally after my childhood to keep kids out of there. It is town property, I'd assume.
As I strolled down this path to take the photos for this blog post, a couple of old guys were hanging out in their backyard at the end of Alicia which abutted the start of the jump, and when I was lining up and snapping photos, they started eyeing me suspiciously. They asked who I worked for - town or county? I said, "Neither." They continued to stare, expecting an explanation, but I just smiled cryptically and walked away.
July Poker League - Games #9, #10 and Conclusion
I had completed my stint of working in Teaneck and moved back down to South Jersey. As a result, I missed the last two games of the July Poker League. Daffy, who hasn't blogged much since he was "back", has emailed me an Excel document that has the standings from the last two weeks of the League. So, without any further ado...
Recap of Game #9 (Monday, July 28):
It was a night for a first time winner, the continued hot play of the Donkey, some more Ziggy-esque luck for My Choice (he did call me to tell me about a couple of specific hands - and he did get it rough), and the consistency of .com.
Tonight's Standings:
Lady Luck - 1st
Donkey - 2nd
.com - 3rd
Chick - 4th
True - 5th
Karma - 6th
Daffy - 7th
Zeus - 8th
My Choice - 9th
Points (Total):
.com - 6 (49)
Daffy - 0 (39)
Chick - 3 (28)
True - 1 (24)
Donkey - 8 (22)
My Choice - 0 (20)
Pads - 0 (20)
Lady Luck - 10 (14)
Zeus - 0 (14)
Karma - 0 (12)
The Terminator - 0 (7)**
Recap of Game #10 (Thursday, July 31)
The absence of Pads, Zeus, and My Choice, who were enjoying a family evening, was filled by the void of two Rocks, relatives of Daffy's wife. Despite this, the night seemed to feature much of the same - Donkey and .com both keeping their games up, and another positive night for Lady Luck.
Standings:
Donkey - 1st
.com - 2nd
Daffy - 3rd
Lady Luck - 4th
Chick - 5th
Rock - 6th
Karma - 7th
Rock Jr. - 8th
True - 9th
Final Points (Total):
.com - 8 (57)
Daffy - 5 (44)
Donkey - 10 (32)
Chick - 1 (29)
True - 0 (24)
My Choice - 0 (20)
Pads - 0 (20)
Lady Luck - 3 (17)
Zeus - 0 (14)
Karma - 0 (12)
The Terminator - 0 (7)**
Congratulations to .com, who won the league using all of the grit, consistency, and random food items that we've come to expect of him.
Props to Daffy (2nd) and Donkey, defying early expectations with a furious late rally to finish 3rd. They both won money (though not as much as .com).
Daffy was more than the David Stern of our league. He kept the league going with tireless energy, phone calls, enthusiasm, and wacky spirit we've come to expect from the Daffster.
Thanks to all!
P.S. I'm practicing incorporating some new HTML tags! Oh, and I never posted player profiles for Lady Luck, True and Karma... without pictures, what's the point?
Recap of Game #9 (Monday, July 28):
It was a night for a first time winner, the continued hot play of the Donkey, some more Ziggy-esque luck for My Choice (he did call me to tell me about a couple of specific hands - and he did get it rough), and the consistency of .com.
Tonight's Standings:
Lady Luck - 1st
Donkey - 2nd
.com - 3rd
Chick - 4th
True - 5th
Karma - 6th
Daffy - 7th
Zeus - 8th
My Choice - 9th
Points (Total):
.com - 6 (49)
Daffy - 0 (39)
Chick - 3 (28)
True - 1 (24)
Donkey - 8 (22)
My Choice - 0 (20)
Pads - 0 (20)
Lady Luck - 10 (14)
Zeus - 0 (14)
Karma - 0 (12)
The Terminator - 0 (7)**
Recap of Game #10 (Thursday, July 31)
The absence of Pads, Zeus, and My Choice, who were enjoying a family evening, was filled by the void of two Rocks, relatives of Daffy's wife. Despite this, the night seemed to feature much of the same - Donkey and .com both keeping their games up, and another positive night for Lady Luck.
Standings:
Donkey - 1st
.com - 2nd
Daffy - 3rd
Lady Luck - 4th
Chick - 5th
Rock - 6th
Karma - 7th
Rock Jr. - 8th
True - 9th
Final Points (Total):
.com - 8 (57)
Daffy - 5 (44)
Donkey - 10 (32)
Chick - 1 (29)
True - 0 (24)
My Choice - 0 (20)
Pads - 0 (20)
Lady Luck - 3 (17)
Zeus - 0 (14)
Karma - 0 (12)
The Terminator - 0 (7)**
The overall winner is... .com!!!
Congratulations to .com, who won the league using all of the grit, consistency, and random food items that we've come to expect of him.
Props to Daffy (2nd) and Donkey, defying early expectations with a furious late rally to finish 3rd. They both won money (though not as much as .com).
Special thanks to our league commissioner... Daffy.
Daffy was more than the David Stern of our league. He kept the league going with tireless energy, phone calls, enthusiasm, and wacky spirit we've come to expect from the Daffster.
Thanks to all!
P.S. I'm practicing incorporating some new HTML tags! Oh, and I never posted player profiles for Lady Luck, True and Karma... without pictures, what's the point?
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Classic Posts: The Central NJ Explorers
On my previous blog, I posted this anecdote. After driving back and forth many times between North and South Jersey, and getting continuously stuck in the Exit 7 area, it reminded me of times when it didn't happen very often - back in the glory days of the early 90s... Thanks to Goldman who helped me put the memories back together, back when I originally posted it.
It was 1995 and 1996, and Teaneck High School had spring break a week off from the week that most schools had off. I was still around town in Teaneck.
Also, around this time, I was getting closer with my brother, Evan. I wound up driving him places as was not yet 17, and through this I remember us getting much closer during this time than we had been before.
So one of Evan's friends mentioned to him that Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ had opened for the season, even though it was early in the spring. A trip which now at age 31 would seem relatively small to take to get to a big theme park like Six Flags seemed like an adventure at the time, especially for teenagers with little to no driving experience or with no experience taking trips like these without their parents.
So I forget if we had off of school on a weekday, or if it was a Saturday, but off we went, not thinking to call the park ahead of time (looking up their website was probably not a viable option back then). I had last been there for our 8th grade trip, where myself and somebody else (I forget who) rode the then-unbelievable and new Great American Scream Machine over and over until we almost missed the bus back.
This day, it was myself (I was 18 or 19) and my brother (15 or 16), and several of his friends: Goldman, Jay Koeppel, and Seth Kriegel (all 15 or 16).
Sure enough, after making our way all the way down the turnpike, it was too early in the season, and the park hadn't opened yet for the spring/summer.
Rather than be discouraged, we made the best of the situation. I felt like we were in the middle of a new world. It seemed very rural down there to us suburbanites. We decided to wander around and see what we came across. We drove around and soon came across a paintball place. The place was abandonded. We ran around there and stole some random shit (like beat up bowling pins). We marveled at the fact that paintball ranges existed, and that it was seemingly a bunch of random shit spread around some field somewhere. We stopped and grabbed food somewhere. We eventually came across a place called "Horse Park of New Jersey". We again marveled at the fact that we were apparently "in the country" and checked out the festivities, and chatted with some "locals". All the time we had a good time. Eventually we made our way home.
Dan Goldman has remembered and added on to the story:
The funniest part of the trip, as I recall, was a) when we started doing the rhyming couplets about each other's Moms (we were in the middle of a sonnets lesson in English at the time and I told Korean Shawn I would write a sonnet about his Mom) and b) when we got off the Turnpike and stopped at a McDonald's and people just looked at us like we were from another planet.
Even in a state as small as NJ, there are vast cultural differences between north and south, east and west, urban, suburban and rural and I guess, with our sunglasses and baggy shorts, we didn't fit the Jackson, NJ resident profile.
Right away, someone in a McDonald's uniform came up to ask us what we were doing there and when we told them we were going to Great Adventure, they laughed and told us the park was closed.
The reason we goofed was because Teaneck's spring break was a different week than the rest of NJ and Great Adventure had been open the week before when the rest of the civilized world took a week off from school. That was the root of our mistake.
Also, the best part of the horse park was not the smell, which was awful, but when Skip or Jay or someone asked some random girl whether they could get a ride...on the horse!
And don't forget the detour into Trenton when we asked some random guy on the street what there was to do in Trenton and he couldn't come up with any ideas, except "DRINK!"
Now, in retrospect, we were certainly not out in the middle of the country. In the 12 and a half years since then, I have lived all over New Jersey and taken trips to many of the corners of my state. Infact, once in my early 20s I interviewed for a teaching position at Jackson High School, where Great Adventure was. (They didn't offer enough money.) And certainly, I have been down rural roads much more rural than central New Jersey. I have taken road trips of a lot longer than an hour and a half. In short, this little excursion is in perspective now. But what is not lost on me was the feeling of exploration of that day. The feeling of being somewhere entirely new, unknown, and out of your element is one that is prominent in childhood, and can become lost as you become an adult. What seems like a silly anecdote remains in my mind as one of many fond memories of that time of my life.
It was 1995 and 1996, and Teaneck High School had spring break a week off from the week that most schools had off. I was still around town in Teaneck.
Also, around this time, I was getting closer with my brother, Evan. I wound up driving him places as was not yet 17, and through this I remember us getting much closer during this time than we had been before.
So one of Evan's friends mentioned to him that Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ had opened for the season, even though it was early in the spring. A trip which now at age 31 would seem relatively small to take to get to a big theme park like Six Flags seemed like an adventure at the time, especially for teenagers with little to no driving experience or with no experience taking trips like these without their parents.
So I forget if we had off of school on a weekday, or if it was a Saturday, but off we went, not thinking to call the park ahead of time (looking up their website was probably not a viable option back then). I had last been there for our 8th grade trip, where myself and somebody else (I forget who) rode the then-unbelievable and new Great American Scream Machine over and over until we almost missed the bus back.
This day, it was myself (I was 18 or 19) and my brother (15 or 16), and several of his friends: Goldman, Jay Koeppel, and Seth Kriegel (all 15 or 16).
Sure enough, after making our way all the way down the turnpike, it was too early in the season, and the park hadn't opened yet for the spring/summer.
Rather than be discouraged, we made the best of the situation. I felt like we were in the middle of a new world. It seemed very rural down there to us suburbanites. We decided to wander around and see what we came across. We drove around and soon came across a paintball place. The place was abandonded. We ran around there and stole some random shit (like beat up bowling pins). We marveled at the fact that paintball ranges existed, and that it was seemingly a bunch of random shit spread around some field somewhere. We stopped and grabbed food somewhere. We eventually came across a place called "Horse Park of New Jersey". We again marveled at the fact that we were apparently "in the country" and checked out the festivities, and chatted with some "locals". All the time we had a good time. Eventually we made our way home.
Dan Goldman has remembered and added on to the story:
The funniest part of the trip, as I recall, was a) when we started doing the rhyming couplets about each other's Moms (we were in the middle of a sonnets lesson in English at the time and I told Korean Shawn I would write a sonnet about his Mom) and b) when we got off the Turnpike and stopped at a McDonald's and people just looked at us like we were from another planet.
Even in a state as small as NJ, there are vast cultural differences between north and south, east and west, urban, suburban and rural and I guess, with our sunglasses and baggy shorts, we didn't fit the Jackson, NJ resident profile.
Right away, someone in a McDonald's uniform came up to ask us what we were doing there and when we told them we were going to Great Adventure, they laughed and told us the park was closed.
The reason we goofed was because Teaneck's spring break was a different week than the rest of NJ and Great Adventure had been open the week before when the rest of the civilized world took a week off from school. That was the root of our mistake.
Also, the best part of the horse park was not the smell, which was awful, but when Skip or Jay or someone asked some random girl whether they could get a ride...on the horse!
And don't forget the detour into Trenton when we asked some random guy on the street what there was to do in Trenton and he couldn't come up with any ideas, except "DRINK!"
Now, in retrospect, we were certainly not out in the middle of the country. In the 12 and a half years since then, I have lived all over New Jersey and taken trips to many of the corners of my state. Infact, once in my early 20s I interviewed for a teaching position at Jackson High School, where Great Adventure was. (They didn't offer enough money.) And certainly, I have been down rural roads much more rural than central New Jersey. I have taken road trips of a lot longer than an hour and a half. In short, this little excursion is in perspective now. But what is not lost on me was the feeling of exploration of that day. The feeling of being somewhere entirely new, unknown, and out of your element is one that is prominent in childhood, and can become lost as you become an adult. What seems like a silly anecdote remains in my mind as one of many fond memories of that time of my life.
Jackson Whites
(Background articles can be found here and here. Probably also in Weird NJ somewhere.)
The Jackson Whites is the informal name for the Ramapough Mountain People. They are a group of people who have remained largely unassimilated since the 1800s, and are mixed white, black, and Native American descent - more noteworthy in the 1800s than it is today. They have lived, and continue to live, in less developed areas in northern Passaic county and southern New York State, in the Ramapo Mountains. Read the articles if you want a real history on them. The first article contains a number of pictures of them, but they are probably most noteworthy for a strange orangey color to their skin.
Back in the 1980s, they tried to get a gaming license but their status as "Native American" was challenged by a group of people, led by Donald Trump (for obvious reasons - many people go to A.C. from the NYC area and give Mr. Trump a lot of money!) and were ultimately denied. If it hadn't been, many people wouldn't have so far to drive to gamble! When I was up in North Jersey in July, out of curiousity we took a ride up to Ringwood to a less developed area where they live, and indeed many of the Jackson White people were there, staring at us (for being gawking intruders, presumably).
Many people who grew up in Bergen County have heard of the Jackson Whites. I hadn't heard of them until recently. There are occasional news stories involving members of the tribe. I was just surprised that I hadn't heard of them before. I felt compelled to blog post to see if any of my loyal readers has ever heard of them before.
The Jackson Whites is the informal name for the Ramapough Mountain People. They are a group of people who have remained largely unassimilated since the 1800s, and are mixed white, black, and Native American descent - more noteworthy in the 1800s than it is today. They have lived, and continue to live, in less developed areas in northern Passaic county and southern New York State, in the Ramapo Mountains. Read the articles if you want a real history on them. The first article contains a number of pictures of them, but they are probably most noteworthy for a strange orangey color to their skin.
Back in the 1980s, they tried to get a gaming license but their status as "Native American" was challenged by a group of people, led by Donald Trump (for obvious reasons - many people go to A.C. from the NYC area and give Mr. Trump a lot of money!) and were ultimately denied. If it hadn't been, many people wouldn't have so far to drive to gamble! When I was up in North Jersey in July, out of curiousity we took a ride up to Ringwood to a less developed area where they live, and indeed many of the Jackson White people were there, staring at us (for being gawking intruders, presumably).
Many people who grew up in Bergen County have heard of the Jackson Whites. I hadn't heard of them until recently. There are occasional news stories involving members of the tribe. I was just surprised that I hadn't heard of them before. I felt compelled to blog post to see if any of my loyal readers has ever heard of them before.
On Cash
- With the way our currency has inflated over the history of our country, I got to thinking that it must not be worth it anymore to make pennies - i.e. it must cost more than a penny to actually produce a penny. These people think so. Will we actually get to the point where we phase out the penny? Seems like we're already there. There have been "Leave a Penny Take a Penny" bins at convenience stores for years, but now I've noticed that more recently, sometimes when I buy something, from local stores or chains, some clerks will just round up or down to the nearest 5 cent increment when giving you your change. The pennies are so freakin irrelevant.
- The way in which change is given physically has started to fucking irritate me. Let's say I buy a coffee, newspaper, and bagel from the local Wawa. Let's say it costs 3 dollars and change, and I pay with a ten. I'll take my wallet out of my pocket, produce the ten dollar bill, and the clerk will sequentially put the five, a one, and the coins in a pile in my outstrecthed hand. I then have to put the change down on the counter, put the bills in my wallet, then put my wallet away, pick the change up off the counter and put in my pocket. I would much prefer that the clerk places the change on the counter and hands me the bills while my wallet is out. Therefore, I would not have to put the change back on the counter. Nitpicky? Absolutely. It's just so inefficient. Maybe some people just like to stuff all the money, coins and bills, in their pocket? I don't know.
- How much money do people carry on them? In today's world, just about everything can be paid for using debit / credit cards. I've broken down and charged stuff like $1.00 at the post office, whereas I used to think that was gay ("Just use a dollar bill, jackass!" I'd think when I'd see somebody do this.) However, I realize that I usually feel comfortable with close to $100 in my wallet, if it's possible - even if I'm not planning on spending cash on anything. If I don't know with certainity that there isn't a spontaneous A.C. poker trip in my near future, I will find myself trying to have even more cash on me - say, near $300. But, I've rarely spent all of the cash I have on me, when I have near $100, without a reasonable chance to pass an ATM and get some more. I've talked to people, who aren't rich, that feel comfortable carrying several hundred dollars cash all the time ("Just incase"), and others who feel uncomfortable with cash of any decent amount. Cash is very handy if you are paying for something that you want to remain untraceable.
(Side note on this point: Some time ago, my brother and I were driving with our friend who was borrowing his stepfather's car. This friend's stepfather has a lot of money, and the borrowed car was a loaded Lexus, if memory serves. We go to McDonalds and the friend opens the glove compartment to reveal cash. A lot of cash. Stacks of hundreds. We estimated that there had to be several thousand dollars in there. My brother and I went nuts asking the friend about the money. "I don't know, guys, he just likes to have a lot of cash on him." I have no idea why, but it certainly seems shady for a guy to have several thousand dollars in cash on him, doesn't it? If there's anything legal that one would be buying for that much cash, wouldn't one be able to charge it?)
Finally, this is more about the economy than about cash per se, but the declining dollar has led some players to sign in Europe when they have the option to play in the NBA because it makes better economic sense! Wow.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
So close
"Close only counts in horseshoes and slow dancing."
Earlier in the summer, during the free few days I had between when school let out and when I started my work in Teaneck, I cashed at two tournaments in Bally's in Atlantic City. Now that I had another free week after my Teaneck work was done, I went back this week.
Monday I played in the $50 tournament at 1 pm. There were 47 people, top 5 spots paid. I came in 7th.
Tuesday I played in the $50 tournament at 6 pm. There were 84 people, top 9 spots paid. We were down to 11 people, two tables. This guy on the other table and I went out simultaneously in 11th and 10th place.
Both times I was there for four hours with nothing to show for it. I'm simultaneously happy about how I played and annoyed that I didn't win anything.
I think I need to take a break from A.C. and/or poker for a little while. :)
Earlier in the summer, during the free few days I had between when school let out and when I started my work in Teaneck, I cashed at two tournaments in Bally's in Atlantic City. Now that I had another free week after my Teaneck work was done, I went back this week.
Monday I played in the $50 tournament at 1 pm. There were 47 people, top 5 spots paid. I came in 7th.
Tuesday I played in the $50 tournament at 6 pm. There were 84 people, top 9 spots paid. We were down to 11 people, two tables. This guy on the other table and I went out simultaneously in 11th and 10th place.
Both times I was there for four hours with nothing to show for it. I'm simultaneously happy about how I played and annoyed that I didn't win anything.
I think I need to take a break from A.C. and/or poker for a little while. :)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
July Poker League - Player Profiles
Now, I know all of you readers have been asking yourselves, "Ok, so who are all these wacky characters competing in the MSM Poker League?"
Ok, first of all, MSM stands for Margaret St. Mafia Poker League, and this has been the official name of our league. However, MSM is also an abbreviation that the New Jersey State Health Department has regarding STDs for "Men Having Sex with Men". Be assured, no men are having sex with men in our poker league, at least not that I'm aware of.
Now that THAT is out of the way, here are some of the players and a brief profile on each, in no particular order:
DONKEY: Donkey is a friend of True and Karma's and has quickly become a friend to all of us. Despite strongly resembling Big Pussy from the Sopranos in this picture, he actually is a regular looking guy who, as far as we know, does not rat out his friends. Actually, I don't think he's even of Italian descent. Donkey is a nice guy with lots of poker experience who can be reckless with his chips, leading to wild swings. By the end of the league, he may finally shed the Donkey label once and for all.
ZEUS: (with Dakota and Jake) Zeus doesn't physically resemble a Greek God. He was so dubbed due to his seemingly divine ability to throw down the proverbial lightning bolt in key hands to take huge pots. One of the early favorites in the poker league, and father to Pads and My Choice, Zeus had a few surprisingly bad games putting him out of contention for the league title. However, he has shown a return to form in recent weeks and at least now seems more prepared for a couple of August runs to Atlantic City - you know, if this whole July Poker League doesn't work out for him.
CHICK: Sister of league commissioner Daffy, Chick (so named due to the fact that she's the token female player and her online name on Party Poker is Chip Chick) is a solid all-around player. I wish there was something else funny I could write here.
MY CHOICE: My Choice, brother of Pads and son of Zeus, has been the star-crossed player of the season. He claims that he is among the best players but gets crappy luck. So far, he has had plenty of examples this season to support his claim. In retrospect, given that his father is Zeus, we might have named him Hephaestus - a cursed son of Zeus who seems to be crippled by forces out of his control. My Choice comes from the famous 9th birthday video, which I swear I will get on YouTube someday. Infact, I've had it converted it to DVD format from the original VHS already. Anyway...
.COM: .com has proven to be one of the most solid players in our group and the current points leader. An intelligent, unpredictable, and quirky player, .com is known for stopping for various food items on his way in to play, for wearing funny T-shirts, for his affinity for the post-game diner or bar stops with Pads, and for his appreciation of great stories. You can find him here.
THE TERMINATOR: The Terminator only showed up for one game (#7) and finished in 2nd place, earning herself the name because she terminated many of the players in her run to 2nd place. She played solid tight poker - with regular attendance, who knows where the Terminator would have finished up?
PADS a.k.a. TEEN WOLF: Pads is a mercurial player who is generally relaxed at the table but has been known to fall into bouts of Hellmuthisms and throw his cards in disgust occassionally which always seem to hit .com somehow. His success this season has been spotty. He, however, is a great guy. Trust me, I know him well.
DAFFY: Our resident jester, league commissioner, and overall facilitator of the poker league, Daffy's success has wildly swung. He has a high poker IQ, but is also extremely aggressive and unpredictable. He is currently in 2nd place. Wow, look at that necklace and shirt combo.
Profiles to come: True, Karma, and Lady Luck.
Ok, first of all, MSM stands for Margaret St. Mafia Poker League, and this has been the official name of our league. However, MSM is also an abbreviation that the New Jersey State Health Department has regarding STDs for "Men Having Sex with Men". Be assured, no men are having sex with men in our poker league, at least not that I'm aware of.
Now that THAT is out of the way, here are some of the players and a brief profile on each, in no particular order:
DONKEY: Donkey is a friend of True and Karma's and has quickly become a friend to all of us. Despite strongly resembling Big Pussy from the Sopranos in this picture, he actually is a regular looking guy who, as far as we know, does not rat out his friends. Actually, I don't think he's even of Italian descent. Donkey is a nice guy with lots of poker experience who can be reckless with his chips, leading to wild swings. By the end of the league, he may finally shed the Donkey label once and for all.
ZEUS: (with Dakota and Jake) Zeus doesn't physically resemble a Greek God. He was so dubbed due to his seemingly divine ability to throw down the proverbial lightning bolt in key hands to take huge pots. One of the early favorites in the poker league, and father to Pads and My Choice, Zeus had a few surprisingly bad games putting him out of contention for the league title. However, he has shown a return to form in recent weeks and at least now seems more prepared for a couple of August runs to Atlantic City - you know, if this whole July Poker League doesn't work out for him.
CHICK: Sister of league commissioner Daffy, Chick (so named due to the fact that she's the token female player and her online name on Party Poker is Chip Chick) is a solid all-around player. I wish there was something else funny I could write here. 
MY CHOICE: My Choice, brother of Pads and son of Zeus, has been the star-crossed player of the season. He claims that he is among the best players but gets crappy luck. So far, he has had plenty of examples this season to support his claim. In retrospect, given that his father is Zeus, we might have named him Hephaestus - a cursed son of Zeus who seems to be crippled by forces out of his control. My Choice comes from the famous 9th birthday video, which I swear I will get on YouTube someday. Infact, I've had it converted it to DVD format from the original VHS already. Anyway...
.COM: .com has proven to be one of the most solid players in our group and the current points leader. An intelligent, unpredictable, and quirky player, .com is known for stopping for various food items on his way in to play, for wearing funny T-shirts, for his affinity for the post-game diner or bar stops with Pads, and for his appreciation of great stories. You can find him here.
THE TERMINATOR: The Terminator only showed up for one game (#7) and finished in 2nd place, earning herself the name because she terminated many of the players in her run to 2nd place. She played solid tight poker - with regular attendance, who knows where the Terminator would have finished up?
PADS a.k.a. TEEN WOLF: Pads is a mercurial player who is generally relaxed at the table but has been known to fall into bouts of Hellmuthisms and throw his cards in disgust occassionally which always seem to hit .com somehow. His success this season has been spotty. He, however, is a great guy. Trust me, I know him well.
DAFFY: Our resident jester, league commissioner, and overall facilitator of the poker league, Daffy's success has wildly swung. He has a high poker IQ, but is also extremely aggressive and unpredictable. He is currently in 2nd place. Wow, look at that necklace and shirt combo.Profiles to come: True, Karma, and Lady Luck.
July Poker League - Game #8
To the handful of you that read these updates: I was knocked out first in Game 8 on a tough luck hand and then I left early. I also have returned to South Jersey and will not be attending games #9 and #10. So, the updates will have to come courtesy of those in attendance. The following comments are courtesy of Daffy.
Recap of Game 8 (Thursday, July 24):
Two of the more memorable hands:
1. Karma knocked out by Zeus.
It was down to three players, Zeus, Karma, and .com. .com folded, Zeus called the small blind and Karma checked her option. Flop comes up 4,7,8 rainbow. Karma goes all in and after deliberating for a minute, Zeus makes the call holding 4-5 in the hole. Karma shows 5-6 for the flopped nuts. The turn yields a 5 and the river a 4 - giving Zeus the full house. The strange thing about it was that after Karma showed her hand, everyone at the table conceded that Zeus had lost. It took several seconds before we realized he rivered the full house, thus knocking out Karma and taking the chip lead going into heads-up play.
2. .com knocked out by Zeus.
After enjoying a huge chip lead throughout most of the evening, .com was the underdog as heads-up match began. As .com's stack dwindled he took one last stand with an "all-in" and was called instantly by Zeus. .com showed his 4-5 offsuit and Zeus flipped over pocket kings. As Zeus slowly flipped over the flop one card at a time, a roller coaster of emotions swept through the room. .com needing lots of help to crack the pocket kings saw the flop unfold........4 (small murmur in the crowd)..........then a 5 (large uproar).........then a king (even larger uproar). 4th and 5th streets were no help to .com as a 3 and 6 came up.
Tonight:
Zeus - 1st
.com - 2nd
Karma - 3rd
True - 4th
Donkey - 5th
Lady Luck - 6th
Daffy - 7th
My Choice - 8th
Chick - 9th
Pads - 10th
Points (Total):
.com - 8 (43)
Daffy - 0 (39)
Chick - 0 (25)
True - 3 (23)
My Choice - 0 (20)
Pads - 0 (20)
Zeus - 10 (14)
Donkey - 2 (14)
Karma - 5 (12)
The Terminator - 0 (7)**
Lady Luck - 0 (4)
Recap of Game 8 (Thursday, July 24):
Two of the more memorable hands:
1. Karma knocked out by Zeus.
It was down to three players, Zeus, Karma, and .com. .com folded, Zeus called the small blind and Karma checked her option. Flop comes up 4,7,8 rainbow. Karma goes all in and after deliberating for a minute, Zeus makes the call holding 4-5 in the hole. Karma shows 5-6 for the flopped nuts. The turn yields a 5 and the river a 4 - giving Zeus the full house. The strange thing about it was that after Karma showed her hand, everyone at the table conceded that Zeus had lost. It took several seconds before we realized he rivered the full house, thus knocking out Karma and taking the chip lead going into heads-up play.
2. .com knocked out by Zeus.
After enjoying a huge chip lead throughout most of the evening, .com was the underdog as heads-up match began. As .com's stack dwindled he took one last stand with an "all-in" and was called instantly by Zeus. .com showed his 4-5 offsuit and Zeus flipped over pocket kings. As Zeus slowly flipped over the flop one card at a time, a roller coaster of emotions swept through the room. .com needing lots of help to crack the pocket kings saw the flop unfold........4 (small murmur in the crowd)..........then a 5 (large uproar).........then a king (even larger uproar). 4th and 5th streets were no help to .com as a 3 and 6 came up.
Tonight:
Zeus - 1st
.com - 2nd
Karma - 3rd
True - 4th
Donkey - 5th
Lady Luck - 6th
Daffy - 7th
My Choice - 8th
Chick - 9th
Pads - 10th
Points (Total):
.com - 8 (43)
Daffy - 0 (39)
Chick - 0 (25)
True - 3 (23)
My Choice - 0 (20)
Pads - 0 (20)
Zeus - 10 (14)
Donkey - 2 (14)
Karma - 5 (12)
The Terminator - 0 (7)**
Lady Luck - 0 (4)
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
WNBA Brawl
I'm usually of the opinion that, in most cases, any publicity is good publicity in the worlds of sports and entertainment. In this light, I don't know if this brawl that occurred in the WNBA last night was necessarily a bad thing for the league. ESPN was talking about it. That can't be all bad, right? I mean, when your goal is to get people to watch your game?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
July Poker League - Games #6 and #7
Recap of Game #6 (Thurs, July 17)
Fuckin' Daffy. That seemed to be the mantra of Pads (yours truly).
Eight players were in attendance at the Daffy residence. My Choice and his father Zeus could not attend, and were annoyed at missing the opportunity to gain points in the standings. Prior to playing, a brief discussion ensued as to whether players should be allowed to drop their lowest week's total, and only have your best 9 weeks of points count. Commissioner Daffy felt that since everybody would have at least one week where they had zero points, letting everybody drop a week wouldn't affect the standings. This ruling stood and play began. Play was a little bit different in that the entire Daffy clan had returned from vacation, and there were wives and kids around the house.
Donkey set out to determine that he was not, in fact, a donkey, and started doing well in this regard. He bet aggressively and took a large number of chips from True in a big hand. Shortstacked, True did not last much longer and went out first in 8th place rather quickly. Chick was soon to follow, finishing in 7th place.
True's fiancee Karma lasted a few more minutes but then went out in 6th place. Karma and True left early.
Lady Luck, who had been playing solid poker all evening, took a tough beat the end to go out in 5th place. The top four, .com, Pads, Daffy and Donkey, all were playing well.
Daffy had earlier taken a number of chips off of Pads, calling a big raise with two low unsuited cards and catching a straight on the river. Pads staved off elimination, and with aggressive play made his way back into 2nd place to Daffy's chip lead. In the small blind, Pads went all-in with pocket sevens, and was called instantly by Daffy's A-J suited. Daffy his a J to put Pads out in 4th place and to obtain a tremendous chip lead.
.com, now shortstacked, followed in 3rd place. After a short battle, Daffy took out Donkey who had an impressive 2nd place showing.
Points (Total):
Daffy - 11 (39)
.com - 5 (34)
Pads - 3 (20)
True - 0 (20)
My Choice - 0 (17)
Chick - 0 (13)
Donkey - 7 (7)
Karma - 0 (7)
Lady Luck - 1 (4)
Zeus - 0 (4)
---------------------------------------------
Recap of Game 7 (Mon, July 21)
The venue for Game 7 was a bit unexpected. The game took place at Daffy's erstwhile residence on Howard Street in Teaneck, which is the current residence for Daffy's parents. Daffy's father has been known to disapprove of Daffy's choice of friends over the years, and so some awkwardness was to be expected.
The game had eight players. True, Karma, and Lady Luck were not in attendance. However, a new player entered the fray, The Terminator. The Terminator did not disappoint in her first night of action.
Pads started off the game rough, not catching any hands for the first 45 minutes of play. Finally, shortstacked with about 135 chips and the blinds at 10-20, Pads went all-in in middle position with 7-2, for the first major victory of the prop bet. Everybody folded to The Terminator, who after much deliberation, called with K-Q. Pads hit a 2, but The Terminator caught a Queen on the river to knock Pads off first in 8th place and in doing so, saving the table $! each.
Daffy's aggressive play of late did not work for him this evening, as he went out next in 7th place. Zeus did not see many cards that worked for him either and he slipped out in 6th place. .com shortstacked went out in 5th place. The two ladies at the table, Chick and The Terminator, did much of the damage, and the new Terminator built a big chip lead with Chick close behind.
My Choice had quietly played solid poker (although later he would say he was not happy with his play), and he eventually went out in 4th place. Donkey, Chick and The Terminator were left. Donkey got a little bit antsy and blinds started increasing, pushing big piles of chips around between the three remaining players. Chick gradually pulled the chip lead away from The Terminator. Donkey went out in third place. In a ladies showdown, The Terminator finally finished 2nd, leaving Chick as tonight's winner, and vaulting her to third in the overall standings.
Donkey's improved play led to him being called "Don" for short. However, it is too early to tell if he has earned a permanent change of nickname.
The Terminator's seven points are invalid for the overall standings, but will be summarized below anyway.
Points (Total):
Daffy - 0 (39)
.com - 1 (35)
Chick - 12 (25)
My Choice - 3 (20)
Pads - 0 (20)
True - 0 (20)
Donkey - 5 (12)
The Terminator - 7 (7)**
Karma - 0 (7)
Lady Luck - 0 (4)
Zeus - 0 (4)
Fuckin' Daffy. That seemed to be the mantra of Pads (yours truly).
Eight players were in attendance at the Daffy residence. My Choice and his father Zeus could not attend, and were annoyed at missing the opportunity to gain points in the standings. Prior to playing, a brief discussion ensued as to whether players should be allowed to drop their lowest week's total, and only have your best 9 weeks of points count. Commissioner Daffy felt that since everybody would have at least one week where they had zero points, letting everybody drop a week wouldn't affect the standings. This ruling stood and play began. Play was a little bit different in that the entire Daffy clan had returned from vacation, and there were wives and kids around the house.
Donkey set out to determine that he was not, in fact, a donkey, and started doing well in this regard. He bet aggressively and took a large number of chips from True in a big hand. Shortstacked, True did not last much longer and went out first in 8th place rather quickly. Chick was soon to follow, finishing in 7th place.
True's fiancee Karma lasted a few more minutes but then went out in 6th place. Karma and True left early.
Lady Luck, who had been playing solid poker all evening, took a tough beat the end to go out in 5th place. The top four, .com, Pads, Daffy and Donkey, all were playing well.
Daffy had earlier taken a number of chips off of Pads, calling a big raise with two low unsuited cards and catching a straight on the river. Pads staved off elimination, and with aggressive play made his way back into 2nd place to Daffy's chip lead. In the small blind, Pads went all-in with pocket sevens, and was called instantly by Daffy's A-J suited. Daffy his a J to put Pads out in 4th place and to obtain a tremendous chip lead.
.com, now shortstacked, followed in 3rd place. After a short battle, Daffy took out Donkey who had an impressive 2nd place showing.
Points (Total):
Daffy - 11 (39)
.com - 5 (34)
Pads - 3 (20)
True - 0 (20)
My Choice - 0 (17)
Chick - 0 (13)
Donkey - 7 (7)
Karma - 0 (7)
Lady Luck - 1 (4)
Zeus - 0 (4)
---------------------------------------------
Recap of Game 7 (Mon, July 21)
The venue for Game 7 was a bit unexpected. The game took place at Daffy's erstwhile residence on Howard Street in Teaneck, which is the current residence for Daffy's parents. Daffy's father has been known to disapprove of Daffy's choice of friends over the years, and so some awkwardness was to be expected.
The game had eight players. True, Karma, and Lady Luck were not in attendance. However, a new player entered the fray, The Terminator. The Terminator did not disappoint in her first night of action.
Pads started off the game rough, not catching any hands for the first 45 minutes of play. Finally, shortstacked with about 135 chips and the blinds at 10-20, Pads went all-in in middle position with 7-2, for the first major victory of the prop bet. Everybody folded to The Terminator, who after much deliberation, called with K-Q. Pads hit a 2, but The Terminator caught a Queen on the river to knock Pads off first in 8th place and in doing so, saving the table $! each.
Daffy's aggressive play of late did not work for him this evening, as he went out next in 7th place. Zeus did not see many cards that worked for him either and he slipped out in 6th place. .com shortstacked went out in 5th place. The two ladies at the table, Chick and The Terminator, did much of the damage, and the new Terminator built a big chip lead with Chick close behind.
My Choice had quietly played solid poker (although later he would say he was not happy with his play), and he eventually went out in 4th place. Donkey, Chick and The Terminator were left. Donkey got a little bit antsy and blinds started increasing, pushing big piles of chips around between the three remaining players. Chick gradually pulled the chip lead away from The Terminator. Donkey went out in third place. In a ladies showdown, The Terminator finally finished 2nd, leaving Chick as tonight's winner, and vaulting her to third in the overall standings.
Donkey's improved play led to him being called "Don" for short. However, it is too early to tell if he has earned a permanent change of nickname.
The Terminator's seven points are invalid for the overall standings, but will be summarized below anyway.
Points (Total):
Daffy - 0 (39)
.com - 1 (35)
Chick - 12 (25)
My Choice - 3 (20)
Pads - 0 (20)
True - 0 (20)
Donkey - 5 (12)
The Terminator - 7 (7)**
Karma - 0 (7)
Lady Luck - 0 (4)
Zeus - 0 (4)
Thursday, July 17, 2008
July Poker League - Games #4 and #5
So I was losing the impetus to blog about these games, thinking nobody read them, but after meeting up with MMG and Side Bar and realizing that I might have more readers than one could count on one hand, I realized that I need to catch up on the recaps of Games 4 and 5! It's been a few days since both events have occurred, so my recaps might not be as verbose as they've been in the past.
Recap of Game 4 (Thurs, July 10)
Shit, to be honest, I don't remember any details of this game. It's been too long since it's happened. All I remember is: it's the first game we've played without Donkey (we only had 9 people) and we played at Daffy's house since his wife and kids were still out of town. .com had a huge chip lead and wound up beating My Choice heads up to win it all.
9th place - Karma
8th place - Zeus (another subpar showing!)
7th place - Chick
6th place - Lady Luck
5th place - Daffy
4th place - True
3rd place - Pads
2nd place - My Choice
1st place - .com (plus, 2 bonus points for knocking off True, last week's winner and current leader)
Points (Total)
.com - 12 (22)
True - 17 (20)
Pads - 5 (17)
Daffy - 1 (16)
My Choice - 7 (12)
Chick - 0 (10)
Karma - 0 (7)
Lady Luck - 0 (3)
Zeus - 0 (3)
Donkey - 0 (0)
----------------------------------------------------------
Recap of Game 5 (Mon, July 14)
Zeus hosted game 5 at his house in Teaneck. The same 9 players from Game 4 were in attendance for tonight's contest.
The night belonged to Daffy from start to finish - combining good play with timely cards to have a bunch of chips the whole evening.
Lady Luck did not live up to his name and went out early in 9th place, taking a relatively tough beat to go out. Karma had her third tough game in a row, finishing in 8th place.
Play sped up quickly, and True and Pads went out in 7th place and 6th place respectively. Pads bitched about his poor cards briefly. True and Karma left quietly, as Pads happily watched Josh Hamilton catch fire in the home run contest (sour grapes...?)
Zeus played better tonight, but finished into 5th place - earning him one point. Chick played quietly and patiently and went out in 4th place. My Choice, who has gotten warm recently, finished in third place. .com and Daffy battled heads up. Daffy ultimately prevailed, not only finishing first but earning 2 bonus points for knocking off .com at the end.
Points (Total):
.com - 7 (29)
Daffy - 12 (28)
True - 0 (20)
My Choice - 5 (17)
Pads - 0 (17)
Chick - 3 (13)
Karma - 0 (7)
Zeus - 1 (4)
Lady Luck - 0 (3)
Donkey - 0 (0)
Once the tournament was over, .com and Pads were torn between playing cash games and watching The Big Lebowski (the 300th time for .com). I am Pads. I haven't seen Lebowski that many times, and now I realize what I've been missing all these years by not watching Lebowski over and over like many other people. Aside from being hilarious and unique, it might be the most quotable movie ever. Almost every line is quotable in the movie. I didn't realize that Open Bar's erstwhile "Calmer Than You Are" blog was a reference to a line of this classic of American cinema.
Let me tell you something, pendejo - You pull any of that crazy shit with me, you flash your piece on the lane, I'll take it from you, shove it up your ass, and pull the trigger until it goes click!
Recap of Game 4 (Thurs, July 10)
Shit, to be honest, I don't remember any details of this game. It's been too long since it's happened. All I remember is: it's the first game we've played without Donkey (we only had 9 people) and we played at Daffy's house since his wife and kids were still out of town. .com had a huge chip lead and wound up beating My Choice heads up to win it all.
9th place - Karma
8th place - Zeus (another subpar showing!)
7th place - Chick
6th place - Lady Luck
5th place - Daffy
4th place - True
3rd place - Pads
2nd place - My Choice
1st place - .com (plus, 2 bonus points for knocking off True, last week's winner and current leader)
Points (Total)
.com - 12 (22)
True - 17 (20)
Pads - 5 (17)
Daffy - 1 (16)
My Choice - 7 (12)
Chick - 0 (10)
Karma - 0 (7)
Lady Luck - 0 (3)
Zeus - 0 (3)
Donkey - 0 (0)
----------------------------------------------------------
Recap of Game 5 (Mon, July 14)
Zeus hosted game 5 at his house in Teaneck. The same 9 players from Game 4 were in attendance for tonight's contest.
The night belonged to Daffy from start to finish - combining good play with timely cards to have a bunch of chips the whole evening.
Lady Luck did not live up to his name and went out early in 9th place, taking a relatively tough beat to go out. Karma had her third tough game in a row, finishing in 8th place.
Play sped up quickly, and True and Pads went out in 7th place and 6th place respectively. Pads bitched about his poor cards briefly. True and Karma left quietly, as Pads happily watched Josh Hamilton catch fire in the home run contest (sour grapes...?)
Zeus played better tonight, but finished into 5th place - earning him one point. Chick played quietly and patiently and went out in 4th place. My Choice, who has gotten warm recently, finished in third place. .com and Daffy battled heads up. Daffy ultimately prevailed, not only finishing first but earning 2 bonus points for knocking off .com at the end.
Points (Total):
.com - 7 (29)
Daffy - 12 (28)
True - 0 (20)
My Choice - 5 (17)
Pads - 0 (17)
Chick - 3 (13)
Karma - 0 (7)
Zeus - 1 (4)
Lady Luck - 0 (3)
Donkey - 0 (0)
Once the tournament was over, .com and Pads were torn between playing cash games and watching The Big Lebowski (the 300th time for .com). I am Pads. I haven't seen Lebowski that many times, and now I realize what I've been missing all these years by not watching Lebowski over and over like many other people. Aside from being hilarious and unique, it might be the most quotable movie ever. Almost every line is quotable in the movie. I didn't realize that Open Bar's erstwhile "Calmer Than You Are" blog was a reference to a line of this classic of American cinema.
Let me tell you something, pendejo - You pull any of that crazy shit with me, you flash your piece on the lane, I'll take it from you, shove it up your ass, and pull the trigger until it goes click!
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