Gmello, I thought this was a poker blog too... see the thing is, I haven't felt inspired to write anything poker related these days. So for those of you that check here for poker related content, sorry, but the outlook is bleak in terms of me posting actual solid poker stuff... but I believe that's true for pretty much all "poker blogs." I haven't see any solid strategy posted stuff anywhere... there are things that some may consider strategy but bad advice <> strategy.
Anyways...
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!
I love my company. They just informed me that I am getting 2 tickets to the Washington Wizards v Orlando Magic game in DC on 3/13 (Friday)!!!! Dude, it must be all the hyping of Superman I've been doing!!! Dwight Howard baby!!! I actually had a choice between that game and a game against the New Orleans Hornets. Why do I care about New Orleans? Well, Chris Paul is awesome so being able to see him live woulda been cool as shit too. But hey. Dwight Howard, let er RIP!!!!! I can't wait. The Wizards suck too so hopefully I can see some highlight material that night.
Steve, if you still read this blog, I'll give you first dibs... of course, it's March Madness time so I'm guessing you will probably just prefer to stay at home and watch the college games. But, if you're interested in box seats with free food and booze, you are welcome to come. If you don't read this blog, well, then tough shit. Just kidding. I'll email you when the time comes but if you know now that you wanna come, let me know.
What a great Monday!
Monday, February 16, 2009
More Superman!
In my previous post, I mentioned that the dunk contest is about more than just the dunks. I mean the chances are, by now, it's been done before. The dunk from the free throw line, the ball around under your legs jam, the no look Dee Brown jam, etc etc... I mean really, you'd have to do something different and new to really get the crowd going. And that's what Dwight Howard does. I mean it's sh*t like this, from the set up, the use of props, that comedic nature of it all that makes him so fun to watch in the dunk contest. It's kinda like the good days of Ocho Cinco when he did his thing... I know that now, his stock went into the sh*tter but in his prime, he was funny as hell to watch.
Case in point. This is impressive alone but I don't think people go as crazy if the initial build up is not there.
Of course, he will then unleash his sick athleticism with this dunk. I mean this was just sick.
Riggs mentioned in the comments to my previous post that Dwight ruined his chances for his consecutive win by allowing this:
But see, I disagree. Winning the slam dunk contest, once you've done it before, is really not an accomplishment. I mean it's just for fun. And I think that Dwight was willing to be a part of the prop by allowing himself to get dunked over. I actually like the fun loving nature of these dunk contests than the selfish, immature, cocky, I am holier than thou attitude that a lot of the NBAers seemed to have had the past few years. After the Olympic Gold and watching these, I can definitely get back into the NBA... which is saying a lot considering I stopped watching the NBA (aside from the playoffs) from like 1996...
Case in point. This is impressive alone but I don't think people go as crazy if the initial build up is not there.
Of course, he will then unleash his sick athleticism with this dunk. I mean this was just sick.
Riggs mentioned in the comments to my previous post that Dwight ruined his chances for his consecutive win by allowing this:
But see, I disagree. Winning the slam dunk contest, once you've done it before, is really not an accomplishment. I mean it's just for fun. And I think that Dwight was willing to be a part of the prop by allowing himself to get dunked over. I actually like the fun loving nature of these dunk contests than the selfish, immature, cocky, I am holier than thou attitude that a lot of the NBAers seemed to have had the past few years. After the Olympic Gold and watching these, I can definitely get back into the NBA... which is saying a lot considering I stopped watching the NBA (aside from the playoffs) from like 1996...
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Superman!!!
Dwight Howard is SICK!!!!
Seriously, is this guy human?
Last year, I watched the dunk contest for the first time in a while... and it's rare that I would get up and yell when there's a spectacular dunk because... well, that's what they do. But man, if you wanna see some pure, sick athleticism, Dwight Howard brings it.
Now, if there are any haters out there, I'd say this. Slam dunk contest is about the dunk, but also about the creativity that goes into it. You know, capture the crowd, get everyone going. Even before his "Superman Dunk" this was like shocking to see:
And of course, there was this:
Of course, I've heard people say "well, that's not a dunk, he threw that in there." Um, ok. Yeah, so that's even sicker. What sick elevation do you have to get to "throw" a ball DOWN into the hoop? This guy is unreal.
And now, we have this year. Unfortunately, no vid available as of yet but my god... The way he captures the crowd is awesome. There's the 12 foot hoop dunk... and then he did it. The sick off-the-side-of-the-backboard slam dunk. That was actually awesome. And yet, Nate Robinson topped it! It was all about the presentation. Nate Robinson's final dunk was the key and Dwight helped him by being a great sport about it. Dwight Howard stood in front of the basket so Nate can dunk over "Superman." Knowing the background, if that didn't get you going, then you need to go get checked out...
On a completely separate note, did Jordan steal this commercial from the NFL Nike commercial? If so, good for him, cuz I love this commercial.
But really, that was clearly a rip of this commercial right?
Seriously, is this guy human?
Last year, I watched the dunk contest for the first time in a while... and it's rare that I would get up and yell when there's a spectacular dunk because... well, that's what they do. But man, if you wanna see some pure, sick athleticism, Dwight Howard brings it.
Now, if there are any haters out there, I'd say this. Slam dunk contest is about the dunk, but also about the creativity that goes into it. You know, capture the crowd, get everyone going. Even before his "Superman Dunk" this was like shocking to see:
And of course, there was this:
Of course, I've heard people say "well, that's not a dunk, he threw that in there." Um, ok. Yeah, so that's even sicker. What sick elevation do you have to get to "throw" a ball DOWN into the hoop? This guy is unreal.
And now, we have this year. Unfortunately, no vid available as of yet but my god... The way he captures the crowd is awesome. There's the 12 foot hoop dunk... and then he did it. The sick off-the-side-of-the-backboard slam dunk. That was actually awesome. And yet, Nate Robinson topped it! It was all about the presentation. Nate Robinson's final dunk was the key and Dwight helped him by being a great sport about it. Dwight Howard stood in front of the basket so Nate can dunk over "Superman." Knowing the background, if that didn't get you going, then you need to go get checked out...
On a completely separate note, did Jordan steal this commercial from the NFL Nike commercial? If so, good for him, cuz I love this commercial.
But really, that was clearly a rip of this commercial right?
Monday, February 9, 2009
I <3 this guy
This guy basically spells out my thoughts on the economy and the current government activity perfectly. I can type out a post but what's the point. He did it for me here.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Missing the opportunity?
Maybe my mind is too business oriented. Even though I am involved in a few pro bono work through my company and doing the whole "giving back to the community" thing, I think I always made it clear that that's really not my thing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against it. But when I help these organizations and help give back to the community, I don't get that sense of satisfaction that a lot of people talk about. Maybe I'm the devil. Whatever is the case, I don't really get much out of helping the needy.
So, it was interesting to me when I heard that the BBT4 will consist of a few $10 buy-in tourneys (Mookie and Skillz or something?) and maybe another CHEAPER tournament... to me, this is shocking... Don't get me wrong. I am not saying anything bad about the BBT series because I think it's great that Al puts this together, giving bloggers an opportunity to play in the WSOP and other larger buy-in events. But if I were to put my business hat on, only including smaller buy-in tourneys seems like we're missing something here. Again, it might just be that Al is organizing for the bloggers so the idea behind it is that it would encourage more bloggers to play in a $10 tourney than say a $26 (really!? Twenty six fuckin dollars!?) or heaven forbid, a $50+ tourney. Wouldn't fulltilt be better off if these were slightly higher buy-ins, generating more rake AND more importantly, forcing people to redeposit money?
With the BBT, the stakes are much higher. The rewards are awesome and so it's shocking that the buy-in doesn't reflect that. It's also amazing how in an average blogger's poker fund, $26 seems so much more than $10 or whatever considering I'm pretty sure most of you waste $26 on nothing... well, if not, then maybe I'm extremely careless with my money. Let's see, so far today, what did I spend money on. Breakfast because I was too lazy to eat cereal at home (actually, I was in a hurry cuz I was late for bball) was $3.50ish. Lunch was $7.55 (our company cafeteria is NOT cheap). That's already a mookie buy-in! And I haven't gotten through the whole day! I just feel like this would be a great opportunity to get people to deposit more money into the poker client, hence injecting more money into poker. And the more money there is out there in the poker world, the better for us right?
Again, it's not so much I'm complaining about the buyins or anything. I guess I just don't understand and that's all there is to it. I'd still play the BBT if they are $1 because it's not about the actual prize pool in the tournament but rather, what's possible to win as add-ons. But beyond that, the reason I don't really play blogger tourneys anymore is because heaven forbid I get lucky enough to make it deep or win, it's not worth it for me to stay up till 1am or 2am winning $100 and change or whatever the top prize is these days for the Mookie. I gotta get up at 6am to go play ball in the mornings (I don't HAVE TO but I want to/I'd rather) so without the added prizes, there's really no incentive for me. I love you all and it is fun when I actually do end up playing in it but so is basketball...
So the bottom line is this. Why is the buy-in so low when the stakes are so high? Would there really be that much of a drop off in players if the buy-ins were increased?
So, it was interesting to me when I heard that the BBT4 will consist of a few $10 buy-in tourneys (Mookie and Skillz or something?) and maybe another CHEAPER tournament... to me, this is shocking... Don't get me wrong. I am not saying anything bad about the BBT series because I think it's great that Al puts this together, giving bloggers an opportunity to play in the WSOP and other larger buy-in events. But if I were to put my business hat on, only including smaller buy-in tourneys seems like we're missing something here. Again, it might just be that Al is organizing for the bloggers so the idea behind it is that it would encourage more bloggers to play in a $10 tourney than say a $26 (really!? Twenty six fuckin dollars!?) or heaven forbid, a $50+ tourney. Wouldn't fulltilt be better off if these were slightly higher buy-ins, generating more rake AND more importantly, forcing people to redeposit money?
With the BBT, the stakes are much higher. The rewards are awesome and so it's shocking that the buy-in doesn't reflect that. It's also amazing how in an average blogger's poker fund, $26 seems so much more than $10 or whatever considering I'm pretty sure most of you waste $26 on nothing... well, if not, then maybe I'm extremely careless with my money. Let's see, so far today, what did I spend money on. Breakfast because I was too lazy to eat cereal at home (actually, I was in a hurry cuz I was late for bball) was $3.50ish. Lunch was $7.55 (our company cafeteria is NOT cheap). That's already a mookie buy-in! And I haven't gotten through the whole day! I just feel like this would be a great opportunity to get people to deposit more money into the poker client, hence injecting more money into poker. And the more money there is out there in the poker world, the better for us right?
Again, it's not so much I'm complaining about the buyins or anything. I guess I just don't understand and that's all there is to it. I'd still play the BBT if they are $1 because it's not about the actual prize pool in the tournament but rather, what's possible to win as add-ons. But beyond that, the reason I don't really play blogger tourneys anymore is because heaven forbid I get lucky enough to make it deep or win, it's not worth it for me to stay up till 1am or 2am winning $100 and change or whatever the top prize is these days for the Mookie. I gotta get up at 6am to go play ball in the mornings (I don't HAVE TO but I want to/I'd rather) so without the added prizes, there's really no incentive for me. I love you all and it is fun when I actually do end up playing in it but so is basketball...
So the bottom line is this. Why is the buy-in so low when the stakes are so high? Would there really be that much of a drop off in players if the buy-ins were increased?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Why I hate Superbowl Parties
I'm not gonna do a brag post about the Steelers. What's the point? It just gives another opportunity to all the haters/naysayers out there about how the Steelers were "gifted" another Superbowl and quite frankly, I'm tired of it. As of last night, and maybe even this morning, I was giving props to the Cardinals. I liked them, I've mentioned this before, I liked many of the players on that team. As the day goes on and I hear more and more people whining about this call and that, I'm finding myself hating the Cardinals... now I hate myself for wishing a good, close game. I wish it was a blowout so that it would shut all these people up. But whatever. Wish what you want and talk about what coulda, shoulda, or woulda. It's totally NOT like telling a bad beat story.
On to my main post. Leading up to the Superbowl, I've had many people ask me what I was doing for the Superbowl or if I were going to a party or what not. Not growing up in this country, I was fortunate enough to not be subjected to the torture that is the Superbowl Party.
I fuckin hate those things. I think it's different if you can find a party where everyone loves football... and, if you're fortunate to have one of your teams be in the Superbowl, it would also be fine if you're surrounded by (and ONLY by) the people who are rooting for your team AND love football.
But in the past, I've been to Superbowl Parties where the following happened:
- someone has to constantly explain to another person why the players are switching, how many more tries they have to get to the yellow line, why they aren't going for it on 4th down with "only" 5 yds to go at their own 30 yard line, etc etc... that's the equivalent of sitting at a poker table, constantly listening to someone explain to the other what beats what, when they have to bet, etc etc. Sure, a clear sign of donkery but the amount of tilt it would cause for me is just not worth it.
- people tell you to keep quiet during the commercials even though they are yapping away during the game. I, for one, like to pay attention to the game. I get that the companies spend millions of dollars in coming up with funny, creative commercials for the Superbowl but you know what? They are fuckin commercials. If you wanna see them, go to Youtube (in fairness to some, Youtube didn't always exist).
- people are rooting against your team and you can't do anything about it because you don't really know them and you don't want to cause a scene. Like I said, it's one thing if it's just your close friends... but if you are at a Superbowl party, there are bound to be people you've never met before. And you never know who they are rooting for and believe it or not, I am not always looking to start something...
So, those are my top 3 reasons of why I don't like to go to Superbowl parties. Now don't get me wrong... I'm not saying that any of the above are bad. I just don't like it. So, I choose avoid situations like that... and the easiest way to do that is to stay at home and watch it by myself. I did that for for Superbowl XL, was extremely surprised at how much more I enjoyed the game that way and it's been that way ever since.
On to my main post. Leading up to the Superbowl, I've had many people ask me what I was doing for the Superbowl or if I were going to a party or what not. Not growing up in this country, I was fortunate enough to not be subjected to the torture that is the Superbowl Party.
I fuckin hate those things. I think it's different if you can find a party where everyone loves football... and, if you're fortunate to have one of your teams be in the Superbowl, it would also be fine if you're surrounded by (and ONLY by) the people who are rooting for your team AND love football.
But in the past, I've been to Superbowl Parties where the following happened:
- someone has to constantly explain to another person why the players are switching, how many more tries they have to get to the yellow line, why they aren't going for it on 4th down with "only" 5 yds to go at their own 30 yard line, etc etc... that's the equivalent of sitting at a poker table, constantly listening to someone explain to the other what beats what, when they have to bet, etc etc. Sure, a clear sign of donkery but the amount of tilt it would cause for me is just not worth it.
- people tell you to keep quiet during the commercials even though they are yapping away during the game. I, for one, like to pay attention to the game. I get that the companies spend millions of dollars in coming up with funny, creative commercials for the Superbowl but you know what? They are fuckin commercials. If you wanna see them, go to Youtube (in fairness to some, Youtube didn't always exist).
- people are rooting against your team and you can't do anything about it because you don't really know them and you don't want to cause a scene. Like I said, it's one thing if it's just your close friends... but if you are at a Superbowl party, there are bound to be people you've never met before. And you never know who they are rooting for and believe it or not, I am not always looking to start something...
So, those are my top 3 reasons of why I don't like to go to Superbowl parties. Now don't get me wrong... I'm not saying that any of the above are bad. I just don't like it. So, I choose avoid situations like that... and the easiest way to do that is to stay at home and watch it by myself. I did that for for Superbowl XL, was extremely surprised at how much more I enjoyed the game that way and it's been that way ever since.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Live blogging the Superbowl
I was just gonna twitter once in a while... and then I realized I'm commenting on every play (another reason people should be glad I'm not at anyone's Superbowl party) so I decided to just live blog it. I may keep it up, I may not... we'll just see where this takes us. So far in twitter this is what I had:
What else can be said? Go Steelers!!!!!
Amazing... NFC won like 10 coin tosses in the Superbowl in the past 10 years or some thing... oh, 12th consecutive year. Crazy!!
Kurt Warner story was overplayed back in St Louis... and once again, overplayed. I get it, I get it... he bagged groceries before. Yeesh.
Willie Parker giving a big FU to UNC by naming his high school instead.
1st play play action woulda been interesting
ok, 2nd play. either one is good.
hmmm.... what was that with the play clock? On TV, it read zero but no one called anything or said anything about it
BOOM!!! That's our QB!!!
Fuck it, I'm gonna live blog this instead of flooding twitterville
And that brings us to now...
6:43pm Nice challenge by Whiz... at least Tomlin didn't take his crazy chances like he's known to do and instead took the points.
6:46pm Edge is not gonna be able to run against the Steelers... they have a better chance with Hightower (UR represent!)
6:52pm Watching these commercials reminds me why I hate going to Superbowl parties... I'm gonna do a Superbowl rant post here. Man, I must've missed blogging.
6:55pm Dammit Ben!!!! TD if he didn't throw it short!
6:57pm BIG PLAY!!!! Look at Ben dodging and weaving and finding Heath Miller. Big 3rd down conversion!!!
6:58pm WTF was that!? Miami Dolphins offense going no where.
7:01pm End of 1st quarter. Not to jinx it but don't turn the ball over Ben! Let's get a touchdown!
7:02pm Sweet. New Fast and Furious movie? Sweet. I loved that series. Since I prob won't see it in the theater, I can't wait till it comes to TNT in about 2-3 years.
7:08pm BOO YAH!!!! This time it's a TD for real!
7:09pm Holy shit, that Pepsi commercial was painful just watching it...
Youtube is amazing... here's the commercial I was talking about...
7:18pm Rare miss tackle by Polamalu. Sweet cut by Edge but man, Troy just flew right by him...
7:21pm Holy shit... how the hell did Ben Patrick catch that!? Hell of a catch.
7:31pm FUCKIN SHIT!!! Somebody stop this Breaston kid!
7:33pm ABOUT TIME we get a sack!!!!
7:35pm "I can't flex the golden pipes?" LOL I love E*trade commercials.
7:38pm Holy cow, that was a hell of a punt coverage by the Cardinals. Alright, let's do this!
7:41pm SHIT!!! Deflection is deadly...
7:45pm Ike Taylor!? How do you not make that INT dude!!!!
7:46pm Fuckin screen play to Hightower and 3rd down conversion... So ghey.
7:49pm 30 ticks remaining... we need a stop here. Just hold them to a FG please.
7:52pm HOLY SHIT!! oh my god. Holy shit. Harrison INT return 100yds for a TD!!! but there's a flag... please god... give it to us. I don't know what the fuck the call is. Offensive facemask! Holy shit!!!! erhagiorsjfklsdjfageralf;kldfjg;ioergjiopgrehjiohgjaioerjgoriadjgopa'rdjo'pjgopjdfopajg'dj'lrkj!!!!!!!!!!
7:53pm Should be a TD. His knee never hits the ground, I think because his knee lands on Fitz.
7:55pm This is obv so big. Please, we need this TD. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! Play stands!!!!!! 17-7 at half time.
7:56pm That is DEVASTATING for the Cardinals. I believe Whiz should be able to calm this team down and this is prob where it helps to have a guy like Kurt Warner leading the offense so that it doesn't get out of hand for them. But huge momentum change there after the Roethlisberger INT to getting the ball back in the endzone and taking it to the other endzone.
8pm Am I supposed to have some 3D glasses? WTF was that commercial?
8:46pm Hines Ward disappears for most of the game after the 2nd play of the game, Al Michaels talks about him, and poof, here he comes with a 3rd down conversion.
8:47pm Bayne is gonna love this. Roethlisberger avoids the tackle all over the place, eventually gets rid of the ball, Dansby comes in to push him to the ground and they call a roughing the passer. Even as a Steelers fan, I hate that call. That's such a pussy call.
8:48pm Santonio Holmes is having a field day against Rodgers Cromartie... seems like whenever they are lined up 1 on 1, they are dumping a short pass to Holmes and he turns it into a decent gain.
8:50pm Willie finally shows off his speed with a nice run! 1st and goal on the 5. TD here would be huge with 4:40 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
8:53pm This is starting to get one-sided, much to my surprise. Jeff Reed makes the FG and the score is now 20-7. Oh shit!!!! Penalty on Adrian Wilson running over the holder. This gives the Steelers 1st down on the 1yd line!
It's not even the points here that's big. The fact that the Steelers can get 3 more tries and kill the clock even more (I know it's early but every minute counts). Of course, the ball gets batted and almost becomes an INT...
8:56pm Unfortunately, we couldn't make Adrian Wilson pay for his penalty. So, we're back to where we were 3 minutes ago... 20-7.
9:05pm End of 3rd quarter. 1 more quarter until the Steelers have the most Superbowl wins in history. Go Steelers!
9:16pm BOOM! Breaston doesn't call for a fair catch and gets hit immediately at the 13yd line. That was a nice punt. Even better coverage.
9:19pm With 11 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, Larry Fitzgerald only has one catch for like 11 or 12 yards. Basically the Steelers have taken him out of the game. Of course, he makes another catch but that's only like a 6 yard catch.
9:25pm 8 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, the Cardinals are getting in rhythm. Warner is like 9 for 9 (maybe more) this drive... and of course, Fitzgerald scores on a fade route. 8 plays for 87 yards. Man, Fitz is a beast... 20-14.
9:30pm Uh oh... Ben just got sacked. 6:30 remaining in the 4th quarter, it's like 3rd and 16... not good...
9:35pm Tempers flaring up. Bolding and Ike Taylor get into it. I actually think the offending party was Ike... and sure enough, that's what the call is. Way to cost us another 15 yards you dipshit.
9:36pm Trey, thanks for the comment. No, I didn't think we can contain Fitz the whole game...as a matter of fact, I'm surprised it took this long for Fitz to get his catches. That guy is def an unbelievable receiver.
9:37pm If the Steelers can hold on to win, Harrison has to be the MVP... aside from the INT return for a TD which alone should be enough, he's wreaking havoc and causing 30 yards in penalty (3 holding calls against Gandy who is supposed to protect Warner from him).
9:38pm Is it just me or what? I used to remember Brenda Warner being like a man or something in his St Louis days... now she's a hot blonde? Has she always been that way?
9:39pm Big defensive stop here. 4th and 20, 3:36 remaining. That was big. But huge punt coverage, the ball is downed at the 2 yard line... but there's a flag on the play... Oh FUCK. Harrison called for a penalty... apparently (fortunately) after the play... holy shit, based on the replay, that was dirty.... wtf is he doing? He should be thrown out. He can expect a fine from Goodell on that one. What an idiot.
9:42pm Wow, Parker barely gets out of the endzone. So close. This game is getting too close for comfort.
9:44pm BIG BIG BIG!!!!! Santonio Holmes with a big catch. OH SHIT!!!! big... Holmes catches a 3rd down conversion pass... but a holding call negates it and instead is called a safety giving the Cardinals 2 points... Huge momentum swing. This is crazy... Steelers D will not really be put to the test. 2:58 remaining in the 4th and the Steelers up 20-16...
9:47pm Please keep pressuring Warner. You're not gonna cover 3 good receivers. And as I type that Fitz breaks Jerry Rice record for the most TDs in the post season, and gives the Cardinals the lead. Man, he's fast... 23-20 Cardinals.
I told all of you that this game was gonna be tougher than everyone made it sound...
9:54pm 2 minutes remaining. Let's see if Ben can make it happen.
9:55pm I don't know how the hell Ben got rid of the ball. Come on... 1 minute remaining. Steelers with one timeout remaining after this one.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! BIG BIG pass and catch with Holmes!!! Holy cow. So it comes down to this. 49 seconds remaining, ball on the 5yd line of the Cardinals. I think our red zone offense is not that good but come on man... one time. I need this.
So close. Holmes almost had a TD catch... went right thru his hands... Fitz woulda caught that... I'm just saying...
OH my god!!!! Holmes!!!! Big playmaker!!!!! Please please please please be in. It looks good. I think. Come on. Please. Right foot looks in. Yes. yes. Come on... please... Holmes, I hate OSU but I love you man!!!! This is legit. It looks legit. Yes. It's definitely in. Come on!!! CONFIRM!!!
Holmes has been such a clutch guy for us this season. That is huge. He is our answer to Fitz. YES!!! And now, it's official. Oh my god, oh my god.
Defense and special team hold please. 35 seconds. Let's stop them. We need good kick coverage and contain that high octane offense.
They need 77 yds in 29 seconds. If anyone can do it, they can with 2 time outs. Please. #1 D in the league. Time to live up to the hype boys!
Another catch by Fitz. 22 seconds left. We still need to apply pressure to Warner I think... 55 yds to go...
They use one more time out... no time outs remaining, 15 seconds remaining... I think the ball is on the Steelers 40 something... Just keep them out of the endzone!!!
The Steelers D comes through!!!!!!! When we need them the most, they come through. Is it officially a fumble? No review? I actually think it might be incomplete pass. It looks like Warner is trying to get it out. I don't know at one point is considered a fumble and what point it's considered a fumble. Al Michaels think it's a fumble. There it is. #6 baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Phew.... such an emotionally exhausting game. In the end, all the stars came out to play. Fitz def did his part, Warner played tough, game was good, Ben stepped up, Holmes made his big play... I'm exhausted.
Trey made a very good comment and no, I didn't think it was a jinx when you mentioned it. I think this shows that the Steelers did what no other NFC team could do in the playoffs... keep the Cardinals' score to less than 30 points. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What else can be said? Go Steelers!!!!!
Amazing... NFC won like 10 coin tosses in the Superbowl in the past 10 years or some thing... oh, 12th consecutive year. Crazy!!
Kurt Warner story was overplayed back in St Louis... and once again, overplayed. I get it, I get it... he bagged groceries before. Yeesh.
Willie Parker giving a big FU to UNC by naming his high school instead.
1st play play action woulda been interesting
ok, 2nd play. either one is good.
hmmm.... what was that with the play clock? On TV, it read zero but no one called anything or said anything about it
BOOM!!! That's our QB!!!
Fuck it, I'm gonna live blog this instead of flooding twitterville
And that brings us to now...
6:43pm Nice challenge by Whiz... at least Tomlin didn't take his crazy chances like he's known to do and instead took the points.
6:46pm Edge is not gonna be able to run against the Steelers... they have a better chance with Hightower (UR represent!)
6:52pm Watching these commercials reminds me why I hate going to Superbowl parties... I'm gonna do a Superbowl rant post here. Man, I must've missed blogging.
6:55pm Dammit Ben!!!! TD if he didn't throw it short!
6:57pm BIG PLAY!!!! Look at Ben dodging and weaving and finding Heath Miller. Big 3rd down conversion!!!
6:58pm WTF was that!? Miami Dolphins offense going no where.
7:01pm End of 1st quarter. Not to jinx it but don't turn the ball over Ben! Let's get a touchdown!
7:02pm Sweet. New Fast and Furious movie? Sweet. I loved that series. Since I prob won't see it in the theater, I can't wait till it comes to TNT in about 2-3 years.
7:08pm BOO YAH!!!! This time it's a TD for real!
7:09pm Holy shit, that Pepsi commercial was painful just watching it...
Youtube is amazing... here's the commercial I was talking about...
7:18pm Rare miss tackle by Polamalu. Sweet cut by Edge but man, Troy just flew right by him...
7:21pm Holy shit... how the hell did Ben Patrick catch that!? Hell of a catch.
7:31pm FUCKIN SHIT!!! Somebody stop this Breaston kid!
7:33pm ABOUT TIME we get a sack!!!!
7:35pm "I can't flex the golden pipes?" LOL I love E*trade commercials.
7:38pm Holy cow, that was a hell of a punt coverage by the Cardinals. Alright, let's do this!
7:41pm SHIT!!! Deflection is deadly...
7:45pm Ike Taylor!? How do you not make that INT dude!!!!
7:46pm Fuckin screen play to Hightower and 3rd down conversion... So ghey.
7:49pm 30 ticks remaining... we need a stop here. Just hold them to a FG please.
7:52pm HOLY SHIT!! oh my god. Holy shit. Harrison INT return 100yds for a TD!!! but there's a flag... please god... give it to us. I don't know what the fuck the call is. Offensive facemask! Holy shit!!!! erhagiorsjfklsdjfageralf;kldfjg;ioergjiopgrehjiohgjaioerjgoriadjgopa'rdjo'pjgopjdfopajg'dj'lrkj!!!!!!!!!!
7:53pm Should be a TD. His knee never hits the ground, I think because his knee lands on Fitz.
7:55pm This is obv so big. Please, we need this TD. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! Play stands!!!!!! 17-7 at half time.
7:56pm That is DEVASTATING for the Cardinals. I believe Whiz should be able to calm this team down and this is prob where it helps to have a guy like Kurt Warner leading the offense so that it doesn't get out of hand for them. But huge momentum change there after the Roethlisberger INT to getting the ball back in the endzone and taking it to the other endzone.
8pm Am I supposed to have some 3D glasses? WTF was that commercial?
8:46pm Hines Ward disappears for most of the game after the 2nd play of the game, Al Michaels talks about him, and poof, here he comes with a 3rd down conversion.
8:47pm Bayne is gonna love this. Roethlisberger avoids the tackle all over the place, eventually gets rid of the ball, Dansby comes in to push him to the ground and they call a roughing the passer. Even as a Steelers fan, I hate that call. That's such a pussy call.
8:48pm Santonio Holmes is having a field day against Rodgers Cromartie... seems like whenever they are lined up 1 on 1, they are dumping a short pass to Holmes and he turns it into a decent gain.
8:50pm Willie finally shows off his speed with a nice run! 1st and goal on the 5. TD here would be huge with 4:40 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
8:53pm This is starting to get one-sided, much to my surprise. Jeff Reed makes the FG and the score is now 20-7. Oh shit!!!! Penalty on Adrian Wilson running over the holder. This gives the Steelers 1st down on the 1yd line!
It's not even the points here that's big. The fact that the Steelers can get 3 more tries and kill the clock even more (I know it's early but every minute counts). Of course, the ball gets batted and almost becomes an INT...
8:56pm Unfortunately, we couldn't make Adrian Wilson pay for his penalty. So, we're back to where we were 3 minutes ago... 20-7.
9:05pm End of 3rd quarter. 1 more quarter until the Steelers have the most Superbowl wins in history. Go Steelers!
9:16pm BOOM! Breaston doesn't call for a fair catch and gets hit immediately at the 13yd line. That was a nice punt. Even better coverage.
9:19pm With 11 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, Larry Fitzgerald only has one catch for like 11 or 12 yards. Basically the Steelers have taken him out of the game. Of course, he makes another catch but that's only like a 6 yard catch.
9:25pm 8 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, the Cardinals are getting in rhythm. Warner is like 9 for 9 (maybe more) this drive... and of course, Fitzgerald scores on a fade route. 8 plays for 87 yards. Man, Fitz is a beast... 20-14.
9:30pm Uh oh... Ben just got sacked. 6:30 remaining in the 4th quarter, it's like 3rd and 16... not good...
9:35pm Tempers flaring up. Bolding and Ike Taylor get into it. I actually think the offending party was Ike... and sure enough, that's what the call is. Way to cost us another 15 yards you dipshit.
9:36pm Trey, thanks for the comment. No, I didn't think we can contain Fitz the whole game...as a matter of fact, I'm surprised it took this long for Fitz to get his catches. That guy is def an unbelievable receiver.
9:37pm If the Steelers can hold on to win, Harrison has to be the MVP... aside from the INT return for a TD which alone should be enough, he's wreaking havoc and causing 30 yards in penalty (3 holding calls against Gandy who is supposed to protect Warner from him).
9:38pm Is it just me or what? I used to remember Brenda Warner being like a man or something in his St Louis days... now she's a hot blonde? Has she always been that way?
9:39pm Big defensive stop here. 4th and 20, 3:36 remaining. That was big. But huge punt coverage, the ball is downed at the 2 yard line... but there's a flag on the play... Oh FUCK. Harrison called for a penalty... apparently (fortunately) after the play... holy shit, based on the replay, that was dirty.... wtf is he doing? He should be thrown out. He can expect a fine from Goodell on that one. What an idiot.
9:42pm Wow, Parker barely gets out of the endzone. So close. This game is getting too close for comfort.
9:44pm BIG BIG BIG!!!!! Santonio Holmes with a big catch. OH SHIT!!!! big... Holmes catches a 3rd down conversion pass... but a holding call negates it and instead is called a safety giving the Cardinals 2 points... Huge momentum swing. This is crazy... Steelers D will not really be put to the test. 2:58 remaining in the 4th and the Steelers up 20-16...
9:47pm Please keep pressuring Warner. You're not gonna cover 3 good receivers. And as I type that Fitz breaks Jerry Rice record for the most TDs in the post season, and gives the Cardinals the lead. Man, he's fast... 23-20 Cardinals.
I told all of you that this game was gonna be tougher than everyone made it sound...
9:54pm 2 minutes remaining. Let's see if Ben can make it happen.
9:55pm I don't know how the hell Ben got rid of the ball. Come on... 1 minute remaining. Steelers with one timeout remaining after this one.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! BIG BIG pass and catch with Holmes!!! Holy cow. So it comes down to this. 49 seconds remaining, ball on the 5yd line of the Cardinals. I think our red zone offense is not that good but come on man... one time. I need this.
So close. Holmes almost had a TD catch... went right thru his hands... Fitz woulda caught that... I'm just saying...
OH my god!!!! Holmes!!!! Big playmaker!!!!! Please please please please be in. It looks good. I think. Come on. Please. Right foot looks in. Yes. yes. Come on... please... Holmes, I hate OSU but I love you man!!!! This is legit. It looks legit. Yes. It's definitely in. Come on!!! CONFIRM!!!
Holmes has been such a clutch guy for us this season. That is huge. He is our answer to Fitz. YES!!! And now, it's official. Oh my god, oh my god.
Defense and special team hold please. 35 seconds. Let's stop them. We need good kick coverage and contain that high octane offense.
They need 77 yds in 29 seconds. If anyone can do it, they can with 2 time outs. Please. #1 D in the league. Time to live up to the hype boys!
Another catch by Fitz. 22 seconds left. We still need to apply pressure to Warner I think... 55 yds to go...
They use one more time out... no time outs remaining, 15 seconds remaining... I think the ball is on the Steelers 40 something... Just keep them out of the endzone!!!
The Steelers D comes through!!!!!!! When we need them the most, they come through. Is it officially a fumble? No review? I actually think it might be incomplete pass. It looks like Warner is trying to get it out. I don't know at one point is considered a fumble and what point it's considered a fumble. Al Michaels think it's a fumble. There it is. #6 baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Phew.... such an emotionally exhausting game. In the end, all the stars came out to play. Fitz def did his part, Warner played tough, game was good, Ben stepped up, Holmes made his big play... I'm exhausted.
Trey made a very good comment and no, I didn't think it was a jinx when you mentioned it. I think this shows that the Steelers did what no other NFC team could do in the playoffs... keep the Cardinals' score to less than 30 points. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Real quick thought before the Superbowl
As I sit at home by myself getting ready for the Superbowl, here are some quick thoughts.
No doubt, by now, you know I'm a Steelers fan. I actually looked up tickets to the Superbowl but decided that I just couldn't shell out $1800+ for a ticket... Having said that, as I watch the opening ceremony on NBC, I wish I was there...
I think this game is going to be a lot closer thatn most people think. The Cardinals are hot at the right time and really, that's all that matters. The funny thing is, even down the stretch in the final few weeks of the regular season, they couldn't beat anyone who was actually good. Sure, they beat St Louis and Seattle but who didn't? So, coming in to the playoffs, it didn't look like they had much of a chance... and then next thing you knew, they beat Atlanta, Carolina, and Philadelphia to get here. It's one thing to beat one of them... to be able to beat all of them together is some serious shit.
I also wonder if our lack of a solid running game (as compared to 3 years ago when we won the whole thing) would hurt us. You obv don't want to get into a shoot out with the Cardinals. And Cardinals D is getting no love despite them starting to play well...
I also question Tomlin's decision making sometimes and I wonder how much the coaching could come in to play. Whiz and Grimm are obviously going to want to prove to the Steelers that they are better than Tomlin by winning this game. Don't get me wrong, I love Tomlin... but there were numerous times during the season where I would say "WTF!!! Go for the points!!! What are you doing!?"
Ah, but what the hell. Kick off is coming up in a few minutes so I'm just gonna enjoy this game.
No doubt, by now, you know I'm a Steelers fan. I actually looked up tickets to the Superbowl but decided that I just couldn't shell out $1800+ for a ticket... Having said that, as I watch the opening ceremony on NBC, I wish I was there...
I think this game is going to be a lot closer thatn most people think. The Cardinals are hot at the right time and really, that's all that matters. The funny thing is, even down the stretch in the final few weeks of the regular season, they couldn't beat anyone who was actually good. Sure, they beat St Louis and Seattle but who didn't? So, coming in to the playoffs, it didn't look like they had much of a chance... and then next thing you knew, they beat Atlanta, Carolina, and Philadelphia to get here. It's one thing to beat one of them... to be able to beat all of them together is some serious shit.
I also wonder if our lack of a solid running game (as compared to 3 years ago when we won the whole thing) would hurt us. You obv don't want to get into a shoot out with the Cardinals. And Cardinals D is getting no love despite them starting to play well...
I also question Tomlin's decision making sometimes and I wonder how much the coaching could come in to play. Whiz and Grimm are obviously going to want to prove to the Steelers that they are better than Tomlin by winning this game. Don't get me wrong, I love Tomlin... but there were numerous times during the season where I would say "WTF!!! Go for the points!!! What are you doing!?"
Ah, but what the hell. Kick off is coming up in a few minutes so I'm just gonna enjoy this game.
MeCrushSTTs
I don't have a big score or anything but I just kept pwning these STTs in January.
You want advice? It's easy.
Run Good!
You want advice? It's easy.
Run Good!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
If I wait long enough, goals will be easy...
I've been meaning to do a look back at '08 and goals for '09 type of post but I just haven't had the time. Beginning the new year, I moved to a different department within the company as part of a pretty prestigious program for managers here that they rolled out. In short, it's a great opportunity for me and so I was determined to make the best of it. That meant that I would be working decent hours and with my basketball/work out routine being what it is, my time for poker was sure to dwindle. It did, especially on the weekdays, and I was ok with that. My outlook has changed significantly over the past year as the economic landscape shifted. I went from assuming that I would always have a job to "I could get laid off anytime" type of mentality... not in an unhealthy way. I'm a CPA with 10+ yrs of experience and I actually loved public accounting so I am still comfortable with the fact that if I'm not picky, I can find a job if I need to. But I guess what I mean by that is that even in this economic environment, I've actually been given a chance to succeed with a lot of opportunities thrown my way so I am definitely grateful and I want to make the most of it.
2008 has been an interesting year to say the least. As a matter of fact, 2008 sucked ass. Even though this happened in the tail end of 2007, I guess I will include it in the 2008 sucking ass category since that's literally when all the changes started happening. My wife left me in Dec of 2007, which I think most of you that read this blog knows. It's probably impossible to convince anyone that poker isn't the reason, you know, what with the fact that I'm writing this on a poker blog... but poker wasn't the reason. As a matter of fact, I still don't really know what the reason is. I can only assume that it's a multitude of reasons culminating in the fact that she no longer wanted to be with me but I can't help but feel that I got the bad beat end of this thing. When things got rocky, I suggested many things, including trying to take more time for each other, trying marriage counseling, etc but she said no to it all. I think she mentally checked out of our marriage long before she made the decision. All my friends were very supportive (though many suggested on numerous occasions if she was cheating on me - she may be or she may not be, I have no idea and at this point, I don't care) and for that, I was very appreciative. There was an awkward period where I continued to defend her from others because they all knew that she was married before as well and based on her personality, they just thought that maybe she wasn't the marriage-type. Not that your resume reflects commitment issues but I don't think she's held the same job for more than 2 years at a time. I think she may have had about 6 different jobs in the 8 years of her professional career when I met her. I could be wrong but I'm certainly not way off either. Either way, I made a mistake somewhere... and I hate that this is one mistake I can't undo. Sure, you can get a divorce and it's over but you're forever labeled as "divorced" and I personally hate that. That's a black spot on my life resume I never wanted.
2 years ago, if you asked me, I woulda said I would have a kid or two by now. Instead, I'm single and I have to go through the process I've always hated... DATING. Ugh. I fuckin hate dating more than anything. But I want a family... so for that, I gotta find my "the one" out there and in order to do that, you gotta sift through a lot of donkeys... it's like an MTT in a way I guess. You sift through the donkeys, trying to avoid the minefield, suffering the occasional setups and bad beats but you hopefully make a good play to get that ultimate score. Or should I equate it to KO tourneys where along the way you can collect bounties... Shit, and I'll be the first one to admit that I don't have much of a MTT game. Interpret that how you will but I'm pretty sure I beat these guys to the punch. :)
So anyways, there was that. Then, as you can see to the right (unless you are reading through bloglines or google reader or whatever feed thingy you're reading through), my cat died. Another devastating loss and my first experience of a pet dying. Seriously, could my life get any better?
Then I started to run like shit. I mean really shitty. There were a few months where I was afraid of poker cuz I ran so bad. But I played through it. And it wasn't easy. It was just some sick beats after sick beats and then after a while, you just don't even know if they were set up hands, bad beats or bad plays... they start running together and you're like in a fog. Phew, I really don't want to go through that again.
My vacation to Montreal was fun in the sense that I got to hang with my friends but wasn't ideal.
So, to say that the first half of my 2008 was shitty would be an understatement... however, there were a few bright spots in 2008 also.
First and foremost, my best friend got married. I flew to Tokyo for my briefest stay there just to be a part of it. I wouldn't change that for anything in the world. I was happy for him and very happy to have been able to be there.
Also, in the latter part of 2008 was when the announcement was made and I was made an offer to enter this program at this company. Job and career wise, that was a tremendous boost and this is a good move regardless of where I may end up. In other words, even if I were to get laid off or I decide to move on, being part of this program will round out my experience even more so it can only be a positive. A lot of work will come with it but this is clearly a positive.
So, heading into 2009, there are lots of good things going for me. Steelers making the Superbowl is a good first step.
In poker, I'm not gonna make any particular goals. I want to branch out further into other games but right now, poker is not at the top of my priority list. I love the game and it's still up there and I still play every day but it's definitely not my main focus. And for now, I am ok with that. So there aren't gonna be "I wanna get a big score in MTT" or "I wanna move up couple of levels" type of goals... at least not now, not at this moment. I have a lot of good things going for me, I have some baggage that I want to unload, and those are the things I'm gonna try to focus on.
For now, here are the things that I plan on doing/accomplishing this year:
- Run a half marathon. Mclarich just did one and I think I want to do one this year as well
- Trip to Europe (Sweden and Amsterdam are high on the list) with a buddy of mine from college. We both love blondes so we figured, why not?
- Play in a WSOP event. I know I'm not an MTTer. But you know what? I don't care. There are so many events so it'll be fun to be a part of it.
Let me point out one more thing. The reason why I don't want to come up with poker goals is because right now, I know I don't have the drive to try to accomplish it. Everyone out there is doing the goals thing and I think that's great. But you know what? If you want to improve or move up or whatever, you really have to spend time thinking about the game, breaking down your game, etc etc... I mean really doing it. Not just taking 15 minutes out of the day to look at a few key hands or whatever. I mean really taking the time to read, watch vids, think about your game, look through HH... in other words, there are times you will spend more time analyzing your game away from the table than you would playing. Look at the ones who are truly successful and I can guarantee you that they are doing that. Like who? Gnome and Brue/Brack duo are the first ones that come to mind when thinking about cash games.
So, to me, at this point, it would be silly and naive for me to come up with poker goals until I can shift my focus back to the game. And just because it's not my focus, it doesn't mean it doesn't pay my bills either. :)
2008 has been an interesting year to say the least. As a matter of fact, 2008 sucked ass. Even though this happened in the tail end of 2007, I guess I will include it in the 2008 sucking ass category since that's literally when all the changes started happening. My wife left me in Dec of 2007, which I think most of you that read this blog knows. It's probably impossible to convince anyone that poker isn't the reason, you know, what with the fact that I'm writing this on a poker blog... but poker wasn't the reason. As a matter of fact, I still don't really know what the reason is. I can only assume that it's a multitude of reasons culminating in the fact that she no longer wanted to be with me but I can't help but feel that I got the bad beat end of this thing. When things got rocky, I suggested many things, including trying to take more time for each other, trying marriage counseling, etc but she said no to it all. I think she mentally checked out of our marriage long before she made the decision. All my friends were very supportive (though many suggested on numerous occasions if she was cheating on me - she may be or she may not be, I have no idea and at this point, I don't care) and for that, I was very appreciative. There was an awkward period where I continued to defend her from others because they all knew that she was married before as well and based on her personality, they just thought that maybe she wasn't the marriage-type. Not that your resume reflects commitment issues but I don't think she's held the same job for more than 2 years at a time. I think she may have had about 6 different jobs in the 8 years of her professional career when I met her. I could be wrong but I'm certainly not way off either. Either way, I made a mistake somewhere... and I hate that this is one mistake I can't undo. Sure, you can get a divorce and it's over but you're forever labeled as "divorced" and I personally hate that. That's a black spot on my life resume I never wanted.
2 years ago, if you asked me, I woulda said I would have a kid or two by now. Instead, I'm single and I have to go through the process I've always hated... DATING. Ugh. I fuckin hate dating more than anything. But I want a family... so for that, I gotta find my "the one" out there and in order to do that, you gotta sift through a lot of donkeys... it's like an MTT in a way I guess. You sift through the donkeys, trying to avoid the minefield, suffering the occasional setups and bad beats but you hopefully make a good play to get that ultimate score. Or should I equate it to KO tourneys where along the way you can collect bounties... Shit, and I'll be the first one to admit that I don't have much of a MTT game. Interpret that how you will but I'm pretty sure I beat these guys to the punch. :)
So anyways, there was that. Then, as you can see to the right (unless you are reading through bloglines or google reader or whatever feed thingy you're reading through), my cat died. Another devastating loss and my first experience of a pet dying. Seriously, could my life get any better?
Then I started to run like shit. I mean really shitty. There were a few months where I was afraid of poker cuz I ran so bad. But I played through it. And it wasn't easy. It was just some sick beats after sick beats and then after a while, you just don't even know if they were set up hands, bad beats or bad plays... they start running together and you're like in a fog. Phew, I really don't want to go through that again.
My vacation to Montreal was fun in the sense that I got to hang with my friends but wasn't ideal.
So, to say that the first half of my 2008 was shitty would be an understatement... however, there were a few bright spots in 2008 also.
First and foremost, my best friend got married. I flew to Tokyo for my briefest stay there just to be a part of it. I wouldn't change that for anything in the world. I was happy for him and very happy to have been able to be there.
Also, in the latter part of 2008 was when the announcement was made and I was made an offer to enter this program at this company. Job and career wise, that was a tremendous boost and this is a good move regardless of where I may end up. In other words, even if I were to get laid off or I decide to move on, being part of this program will round out my experience even more so it can only be a positive. A lot of work will come with it but this is clearly a positive.
So, heading into 2009, there are lots of good things going for me. Steelers making the Superbowl is a good first step.
In poker, I'm not gonna make any particular goals. I want to branch out further into other games but right now, poker is not at the top of my priority list. I love the game and it's still up there and I still play every day but it's definitely not my main focus. And for now, I am ok with that. So there aren't gonna be "I wanna get a big score in MTT" or "I wanna move up couple of levels" type of goals... at least not now, not at this moment. I have a lot of good things going for me, I have some baggage that I want to unload, and those are the things I'm gonna try to focus on.
For now, here are the things that I plan on doing/accomplishing this year:
- Run a half marathon. Mclarich just did one and I think I want to do one this year as well
- Trip to Europe (Sweden and Amsterdam are high on the list) with a buddy of mine from college. We both love blondes so we figured, why not?
- Play in a WSOP event. I know I'm not an MTTer. But you know what? I don't care. There are so many events so it'll be fun to be a part of it.
Let me point out one more thing. The reason why I don't want to come up with poker goals is because right now, I know I don't have the drive to try to accomplish it. Everyone out there is doing the goals thing and I think that's great. But you know what? If you want to improve or move up or whatever, you really have to spend time thinking about the game, breaking down your game, etc etc... I mean really doing it. Not just taking 15 minutes out of the day to look at a few key hands or whatever. I mean really taking the time to read, watch vids, think about your game, look through HH... in other words, there are times you will spend more time analyzing your game away from the table than you would playing. Look at the ones who are truly successful and I can guarantee you that they are doing that. Like who? Gnome and Brue/Brack duo are the first ones that come to mind when thinking about cash games.
So, to me, at this point, it would be silly and naive for me to come up with poker goals until I can shift my focus back to the game. And just because it's not my focus, it doesn't mean it doesn't pay my bills either. :)
Monday, January 19, 2009
PWNED!
We are who we thought we are!!!!
Hard fought game, but in the end, we beat those hated Ravens three times this season and we now get to play against Whisenhunt's Cardinals... the same Whiz that we passed over by choosing Tomlin instead.
If you want to relive the memories of last night's game, click here.
And just like that, we are going to the Superbowl!!!!
Hard fought game, but in the end, we beat those hated Ravens three times this season and we now get to play against Whisenhunt's Cardinals... the same Whiz that we passed over by choosing Tomlin instead.
If you want to relive the memories of last night's game, click here.
And just like that, we are going to the Superbowl!!!!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Real post will come up soon. With my new position in the company, I have been extremely busy to try to get up to speed and learn so that I can "hit the ground running"... which is an attribute displayed by all the high performers here. I really like my new position too... funny because I really liked my old position. There are obv the good and the bad in both but the bad in both are very trivial compared to the good that I get out of it. I am learning a lot and a lot of the financial articles I used to read for my own benefit/pleasure is now part of my job so really, does it get any better???
Oh, and I gotta link this. Seriously, this is one blog I now read religiously. And once again, I think his entry here is awesome. Now if Hoy would just stop posting about poker or writing stuff to antagonize people (which really actually humors me - and I have to believe that is his intent) and more about the economy/market, my financial readings would be complete.
Oh, and I gotta link this. Seriously, this is one blog I now read religiously. And once again, I think his entry here is awesome. Now if Hoy would just stop posting about poker or writing stuff to antagonize people (which really actually humors me - and I have to believe that is his intent) and more about the economy/market, my financial readings would be complete.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Defeated
I guess I'm no longer the official points tard.
I knew that I needed a huge lead going into the week because there was no way that I can play as much as Bayne does on the weekday. He lives on the west coast so naturally, I get to work before he does... sadly, I get home from work at the same time or later than he does... and I still find time to go to the gym and stuff... on a weekday, typically, I'm playing a lot if I can squeeze in 2 hours of poker time... so I'm not gonna lie... I'm glad that it's over so I don't have to worry about points anymore... just back to earning 200 a day.
New Years resolution/goals post coming up soon. Been very busy transitioning into my new role here at the company... And I freakin love my job!!!!
I knew that I needed a huge lead going into the week because there was no way that I can play as much as Bayne does on the weekday. He lives on the west coast so naturally, I get to work before he does... sadly, I get home from work at the same time or later than he does... and I still find time to go to the gym and stuff... on a weekday, typically, I'm playing a lot if I can squeeze in 2 hours of poker time... so I'm not gonna lie... I'm glad that it's over so I don't have to worry about points anymore... just back to earning 200 a day.
New Years resolution/goals post coming up soon. Been very busy transitioning into my new role here at the company... And I freakin love my job!!!!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Not again...
Official New Years post coming up soon... you know, the one where you go over last year's goals and then come up with some new ones. But I think that's gonna have to wait until I beat my nemesis in the points prop bet that we did... I never know why we do this... it's like I force myself into a degenerative state. With a new position in my company, I really won't have much time during the weekday to play... so I just have to hope that Bayne doesn't either... which is doubtful since those superturbos are all he seems to be playing these days.
On a more positive note, I did get this email. Woot for opening a Cardrunners account but never signing up for it!
I mean 4500 pts to get a free membership at CR for a month? I'll get that in a week, let alone in a month!
On a more positive note, I did get this email. Woot for opening a Cardrunners account but never signing up for it!
I mean 4500 pts to get a free membership at CR for a month? I'll get that in a week, let alone in a month!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
My life = open book
I caved in. It's official. I'm a fuckin dork. And to think I used to pick on them in school. Geeks and dorks were the ones that we picked on. I mean come on. It's the world's pecking order right? But now I'm entering into their realm. I opened a twitter account. If you want to follow my awesome daily life, my account name is dirtyvizzer.
You can see my past exciting posts at twitter.com/dirtyvizzer.
That completes my circle of dorkdom. Blog, facebook, and twitter. I think I'm gonna go read my calculus book for pleasure. oh wait, what am I talking about? How can I pick on a math major? I'm a fuckin CPA. I could just say I'll go make sure my debits and credits balance. God, I feel so dirty.
You can see my past exciting posts at twitter.com/dirtyvizzer.
That completes my circle of dorkdom. Blog, facebook, and twitter. I think I'm gonna go read my calculus book for pleasure. oh wait, what am I talking about? How can I pick on a math major? I'm a fuckin CPA. I could just say I'll go make sure my debits and credits balance. God, I feel so dirty.
Monday, December 29, 2008
So I'm a hypocrite... shoot me
If you follow my blog, you know where I stand. Well, maybe. I probably come across as a guy who would never lend a helping hand to someone who is down on their luck. At least some of my friends (not the blogger ones - the nonbloggers, might I say) think so. But they're super f*ckin liberal anyways so even though I would never consider myself a republican, I'm no loony lefty either, and their views are... well, they are what they are I guess.
Anyways, so I always talk about how people get themselves in bad situations and they should suck it up etc etc. But, if you really know me in the blogger world, you do know that I tend to "give" towards stuff I believe in. It wasn't much but I donated to JamyHawk's cause and then later to Evy/Alcanthang "Save the boob" event. I'm not trying to say I'm great or anything cuz I'm not. I just know that as part of a community, I like to help out to the extent that I can for the things that I want to/choose to.
So, when I read about this tragic event that happened the night before Christmas, I felt that I should do my part... of course, being the cat person that I am, his pet dying just adds to the misery.
So, please go to the link below and help if you want/can. I'm not gonna call out any Christmas spirit or some shit like that (like the typical "you should help because it's Christmas" garbage). You should help if you want to and only because you want to. Not because you are nicer than anyone else or because you feel you have to. If you sympathize, then here's an opportunity to do something about it. But you're no less of a person if you don't and I truly mean that. I'm not using my blog to twist anyone's arm or make anyone feel any less about themselves. I can relate to this story so I want to help. But that's it. I'm no better for it, nor am I any worse for it. So, if you want to help, please click on the link below. Or even just for a good read. If after that, you don't do anything about it, there's absolutely nothing wrong. After all, he's not the only one who is suffering. But this guy just happens to know someone in the community.
http://helpjeffout.blogspot.com/
Anyways, so I always talk about how people get themselves in bad situations and they should suck it up etc etc. But, if you really know me in the blogger world, you do know that I tend to "give" towards stuff I believe in. It wasn't much but I donated to JamyHawk's cause and then later to Evy/Alcanthang "Save the boob" event. I'm not trying to say I'm great or anything cuz I'm not. I just know that as part of a community, I like to help out to the extent that I can for the things that I want to/choose to.
So, when I read about this tragic event that happened the night before Christmas, I felt that I should do my part... of course, being the cat person that I am, his pet dying just adds to the misery.
So, please go to the link below and help if you want/can. I'm not gonna call out any Christmas spirit or some shit like that (like the typical "you should help because it's Christmas" garbage). You should help if you want to and only because you want to. Not because you are nicer than anyone else or because you feel you have to. If you sympathize, then here's an opportunity to do something about it. But you're no less of a person if you don't and I truly mean that. I'm not using my blog to twist anyone's arm or make anyone feel any less about themselves. I can relate to this story so I want to help. But that's it. I'm no better for it, nor am I any worse for it. So, if you want to help, please click on the link below. Or even just for a good read. If after that, you don't do anything about it, there's absolutely nothing wrong. After all, he's not the only one who is suffering. But this guy just happens to know someone in the community.
http://helpjeffout.blogspot.com/
Sunday, December 28, 2008
To twit or not to twit
I hope everyone is having a nice holiday break, regardless of what you celebrate. So while I was enjoying my brief time off from work, I noticed that Buddy is going to Canada. And he mentioned that he will update his status on twitter. I remember Pauly mentioning twitter and so now, I was kinda curious as to what this whole buzz is about. Between Facebook, blogs, emails, txts, and everything else, is there really a need for another status update thingy!?
So, I wanted to reach out to those of you who do use twitter and let me know what's so good about it... well, I was gonna... and then I found this video which pretty much answered my question...
Not bad. Not that any of you might care but if I end up opening a twitter account, I will let you know on my blog.
So, I wanted to reach out to those of you who do use twitter and let me know what's so good about it... well, I was gonna... and then I found this video which pretty much answered my question...
Not bad. Not that any of you might care but if I end up opening a twitter account, I will let you know on my blog.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Oops I did it again
For a while, I vowed not to read the housing bailout related news... mainly because it puts me on tilt. You know the story. Poor family can't afford the mortgage payment when their ARMs (that they chose to obtain) reprice and the interest rates are reset to levels they can't afford. Well, it was a slow afternoon and so, I caught this article on money.com.
My favorite part:
"After the monthly payment on his adjustable rate mortgage jumped to $2,400 from $1,300, he got a workout with the help of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, a community advocacy group that offers mortgage-prevention counseling.
That workout may have pushed his payment down to $2,000, but it still represented more than 50% of the gross income he and his wife earn."
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww... poor thing, Maybe you shoulda thought about that when you first got the mortgage! Have fun on the streets, Mr Bagley.
My favorite part:
"After the monthly payment on his adjustable rate mortgage jumped to $2,400 from $1,300, he got a workout with the help of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, a community advocacy group that offers mortgage-prevention counseling.
That workout may have pushed his payment down to $2,000, but it still represented more than 50% of the gross income he and his wife earn."
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww... poor thing, Maybe you shoulda thought about that when you first got the mortgage! Have fun on the streets, Mr Bagley.
Winter report - brief poker summary
Ok, so my trip report is essentially done. I'm not even sure if anyone cares about the poker portion of the trip but I feel that I owe it to the title of my blog to talk about it. After all, if I don't talk about poker... hell, I don't know where I was going with that sentence. Alright, so I'm just gonna recap the sessions, not to the detail that maybe Jordan would do in his 5 part post about a hand or two where he recognized the twitch in his opponent and pwned him because he read it correctly as a weakness... :) I love your blog Jordan, just giving you shit cuz I know you can take it.
I started writing out this huge post about each of the sessions but I got bored as I was typing it up. And I didn't take nearly as good a notes as I should have on winning sessions... Just dollar amounts. So, instead of going into each of them, I'll just post by dollar amounts. On second thought, I'm not even gonna do that. Overall, in poker, I ended up about +$700. I started off the trip -$300 but from Friday night on, I would go on a mini heater. But again, no crazy hands, nothing too interesting. I think it was more that the players were loose so they were calling me down with worse hands. However, I know I was able to extract a lot of value based on that because of one consistent theme that I enjoyed through this trip.
My hand reading was on point.
There were numerous times that I would literally call out someone's hand in my head and sure enough, that's what they flip over. Earlier in the trip, I was watching the other players when I wasn't in the hand and I would try to make a read on them. Now, I hardly ever play live poker. So, I may not recognize the nervous twitch, the mannerism, etc etc, but one thing that is the same online or live is a player's betting pattern. And based on that, I was able to really narrow down the hand range and like I said, for several instances, I was able to exactly pinpoint what they had. One example was when BaconMary (this was Sunday night poker) got it all in against two other players... I whispered over to the guy who wasn't in the hand that she had top set, the other dude next to me had to have a set and the donkey in the other seat must be chasing a flush. They get it all in, flip over the cards and sure enough, Mary has top set with her JJ, guy to my right who was fairly tight shows his bottom set (I think 4s) and the donkey who stacked off earlier chasing was on a flush draw that never got there. Mary scooped up a nice pot. And I was proud of myself for literally calling out the hand. Sure, it could have been that I was lucky. But that wasn't the first or the last time during this trip that I felt I had a good feel for what the players were holding. And when that happens, it really helps, especially in extracting value. There were numerous times that I made a fairly thin value bet to get an extra $30-40 out of a person and again, this was one of those trips where that worked out.
None of it mattered though because my whole poker profit was given back to the local economy via craps. Probably no surprise to the readers out there. But remember... I am due!!!!
I started writing out this huge post about each of the sessions but I got bored as I was typing it up. And I didn't take nearly as good a notes as I should have on winning sessions... Just dollar amounts. So, instead of going into each of them, I'll just post by dollar amounts. On second thought, I'm not even gonna do that. Overall, in poker, I ended up about +$700. I started off the trip -$300 but from Friday night on, I would go on a mini heater. But again, no crazy hands, nothing too interesting. I think it was more that the players were loose so they were calling me down with worse hands. However, I know I was able to extract a lot of value based on that because of one consistent theme that I enjoyed through this trip.
My hand reading was on point.
There were numerous times that I would literally call out someone's hand in my head and sure enough, that's what they flip over. Earlier in the trip, I was watching the other players when I wasn't in the hand and I would try to make a read on them. Now, I hardly ever play live poker. So, I may not recognize the nervous twitch, the mannerism, etc etc, but one thing that is the same online or live is a player's betting pattern. And based on that, I was able to really narrow down the hand range and like I said, for several instances, I was able to exactly pinpoint what they had. One example was when BaconMary (this was Sunday night poker) got it all in against two other players... I whispered over to the guy who wasn't in the hand that she had top set, the other dude next to me had to have a set and the donkey in the other seat must be chasing a flush. They get it all in, flip over the cards and sure enough, Mary has top set with her JJ, guy to my right who was fairly tight shows his bottom set (I think 4s) and the donkey who stacked off earlier chasing was on a flush draw that never got there. Mary scooped up a nice pot. And I was proud of myself for literally calling out the hand. Sure, it could have been that I was lucky. But that wasn't the first or the last time during this trip that I felt I had a good feel for what the players were holding. And when that happens, it really helps, especially in extracting value. There were numerous times that I made a fairly thin value bet to get an extra $30-40 out of a person and again, this was one of those trips where that worked out.
None of it mattered though because my whole poker profit was given back to the local economy via craps. Probably no surprise to the readers out there. But remember... I am due!!!!
Friday, December 19, 2008
If you dance with the devil, the devil don't change. The devil changes you.
If you can guess what movie the title of this post is from, you get bonus points.
This always happens to me. I forgot that it does. And I don't really know why. But whenever I go to Vegas, I come back a little different... I'm not quite the same person as before the trip. I care less about my daily routine. The things that mattered to me before the trip seem to matter less. I get this "ah, I don't give a shit" mentality which tends to last for a few days before I am back in the groove of the daily grind. I don't know why. I flirt with the line of degeneracy in Vegas and I guess it takes me a few days before I become "normal" again.
The past few days, I pretty much had no desire to go out. I had some offers to join people for happy hours, christmas parties, birthday dinners, etc and I turned them all down. I just wasn't feeling it. Sure, I had other plans but they could have been rearranged. Pre-Vegas, I would have rearranged my plans. But this week, I'm just not feeling it. It's like the world around me doesn't matter. I'm numb. Vegas offers such a sensory overload with all the glitz and glamour mixed in with the filth and desperation that I think I become immune to anything else, at least for a while.
Vegas has such a distinct smell. Well, maybe it's the casinos. But I equate that to Vegas. You walk into any casino and you can smell it. And hear it. It's the weird smell of cigar and nasty carpeting. There's always some "peaceful" sound of water trickling into a fountain mixed in with the chaotic noise from the hundreds of slot machines. There's the feeling of excitement in the air as the tourists hope it's their lucky day... and the despair from those that are ready to leave after they got cleaned out by the house. There are people walking around with racks of chip colors you've never seen before, making you wonder what all this "economic downturn" is all about. But then you also see the guy nursing his last $20 stack at a 1-2NL table, folding to a bet on the turn when there's already $60 in the pot...
I know I'll be back to normal again. I'll be back to wanting to do things that I thought was fun before the trip. I know it because I've been there before and after a few days, I snapped out of it. Until then though, I think I'm just gonna be holed up in my house, trying to kick Vegas out of my system. But I know I can never completely get it out of the system. Because I love Vegas. It's like a drug and I'm addicted. See, the devil's changing me already.
This always happens to me. I forgot that it does. And I don't really know why. But whenever I go to Vegas, I come back a little different... I'm not quite the same person as before the trip. I care less about my daily routine. The things that mattered to me before the trip seem to matter less. I get this "ah, I don't give a shit" mentality which tends to last for a few days before I am back in the groove of the daily grind. I don't know why. I flirt with the line of degeneracy in Vegas and I guess it takes me a few days before I become "normal" again.
The past few days, I pretty much had no desire to go out. I had some offers to join people for happy hours, christmas parties, birthday dinners, etc and I turned them all down. I just wasn't feeling it. Sure, I had other plans but they could have been rearranged. Pre-Vegas, I would have rearranged my plans. But this week, I'm just not feeling it. It's like the world around me doesn't matter. I'm numb. Vegas offers such a sensory overload with all the glitz and glamour mixed in with the filth and desperation that I think I become immune to anything else, at least for a while.
Vegas has such a distinct smell. Well, maybe it's the casinos. But I equate that to Vegas. You walk into any casino and you can smell it. And hear it. It's the weird smell of cigar and nasty carpeting. There's always some "peaceful" sound of water trickling into a fountain mixed in with the chaotic noise from the hundreds of slot machines. There's the feeling of excitement in the air as the tourists hope it's their lucky day... and the despair from those that are ready to leave after they got cleaned out by the house. There are people walking around with racks of chip colors you've never seen before, making you wonder what all this "economic downturn" is all about. But then you also see the guy nursing his last $20 stack at a 1-2NL table, folding to a bet on the turn when there's already $60 in the pot...
I know I'll be back to normal again. I'll be back to wanting to do things that I thought was fun before the trip. I know it because I've been there before and after a few days, I snapped out of it. Until then though, I think I'm just gonna be holed up in my house, trying to kick Vegas out of my system. But I know I can never completely get it out of the system. Because I love Vegas. It's like a drug and I'm addicted. See, the devil's changing me already.
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