Pleading the Fif'

Putting down the iPod long enough to ramble about my "holiday" weekend:

We really didn't do much in the way of celebrating, partly because I had so much work to do around the house/yard, partly because we're going away next weekend for a bit of a mini-vacation to San Diego, including...drumroll please...Legoland. But there was fun.

Friday night, I was able to attend the LA Blogger Home Game for the first time. Not sure how long that name is gonna last, with what seems like the entire group being employed by a certain online poker site that rhymes with Bull Kilt (Congrats again to Geek, Poker Expert).

The game was O8 and, Jesus H., what a bunch of LAGs. Much capping, many-handed to showdown. To give you a sense, I quartered a low with fhwrdh and still made a profit of 4 BBs on the hand. Not that I would ultimately profit or anything. HDouble runs a fine game (not only that, takes time to help out a fella with a poker problem) and managed to out-last his wife this time in the NL SnG, which followed the O8 game. His buddy Chris took him out heads-up. So yes, for those of you scoring at home, bloggers are 0-3 in those freeze-outs. Friends and wives: 3-0.

Saturday, I attacked the slope again. I had composed a narrative to share, a thematic man vs. nature epic. But I've been informed my dealings with shrubbery are not blog worthy. In fact, a certain globe-trotting blogger mentioned that my blog has "gone down in quality" the last couple months. I'd have punched him if he wasn't right.

I think I know why that is, and truthfully, I was keenly aware of it before he pointed it out. But if there's one thing worse than a quality drop-off, it's a close examination of said quality drop-off, so consider yourselves spared.

Poker? Stale, frustrating, blah. Managing to keep my bankroll from fluctuating too much with some SnG cashes, but the MTTs are kicking my ass. The Re-Buys were a money-suck this weekend. Frustration makes me play dumb. I won't re-count my Inner Donkey here on the grounds I may incriminate myself. Think I need to stick a couple M-80s into my game, blow it the fuck up and re-assemble it into something more like what it used to be.

Had a nice dinner/birthday haul on Sunday. Spent most of the evening (and Monday) diddling my iPod. The law of unintended consequences hit the dear and patient wife hard as my attention was laser-locked on the gift. "I didn't know you were going to play it around the house. I can't even talk to you," was her plaintive cry. Hey, you bought it for me. Only yourself to blame.

I've got it about half-filled, a goodly portion of it with Old School Metal downloaded from iTunes. I must say I'm presently surprised at the vast selections offered.

Random conversations with (almost) 4 year-olds:

AJ: Cows have four stomachs.
Me: How did you know that?
AJ: I'm very good at things.

Yes, I know cows don't technically have four stomachs, but why bust a child's bubble of wonderment?

It's Tuesday, which means...well...it probably means Pauly doesn't know it's Tuesday. Seriously, The Man has been doing a superb job under less than ideal conditions. I'd have started hallucinating a week ago. Pay your respects (to the Las Vegas Vegas Crew, as well) with some WSOP click-thrus:

Tao of Poker (Live WSOP Blog)
WSOP Photo Gallery (courtesy of Las Vegas Vegas and flipchipro)
2005 world Series of Poker News (brought to you by Las Vegas Vegas and The Poker Prof)
WSOP Tournament Results

And don't forget Otis!