Dear Lord

I have hardly been watching the NBA playoffs at all being that the T-wolves didn't make it, but I had the pleasure of watching most of the 4th quarter and both overtimes of the Pistons/Cavs game. Lebron James scored the last 25 points for his team and they are now one game away from the finals. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.

While I am on the topic of sports, the Minnesota Twins seem to be in the midst of turning the season around a la 2006, and the Brewers seem to be seriously fading....a la 2006. I sincerely hope the Brewers take the NL central, but they aren't looking that good lately. I would sell my soul to see a Twins-Brewers world series, and would donate my left nut to get a ticket to that game. Could you imagine?

The Plan

Consider this a public proclamation regarding my intention to quit playing online poker for the foreseeable future. I am fairly convinced that the games have largely dried up on pokerstars and it is too difficult to move money around to bother looking for softer games at other sites. The plan is to withdraw my remaining balance on pokerstars once I hit enough FPPs to buy a ticket to the Sunday Million Donkstravaganza. This should take a weeks worth of time or less. I was going to hold out and wait until I got enough FPPs to buy a digital camera to replace the one I had stolen out of my car a few weeks ago (thank you very much anonymous prick who broke into my car in my garage, next time I will be waiting with a baseball bat and beat your fucking head in like a 15 year angst ridden teen smashes pumpkins). Playing the Sunday Million on stars has gone so well in the past that it seems fitting that it might be my last act of online poker unless Barney Frank has his way.

The money I cash out will be used fund an excursion to Las Vegas in mid-July. Me and a few buddies are heading out for a short trip sure to be full of poker and large quantities of alcohol, with some sports betting and probably some other casino games thrown in for shits and giggles. I've yet to take a turn at playing drunken (or sober) Pai Gow. I think I might try it. The money that I don't blow in Vegas will go towards some living expenses during the summer when I will be making a near poverty-level wage. I am also planning on checking out the action at the "new and improved" Potawatomi poker room. Stay tuned for a trip report.

Massive Nights

Here is your obligatory grainy cell phone picture of The Hold Steady performing last night at the Miramar in Milwaukee. I believe this was taken during the opening song "Stuck Between Stations," a personal favorite of mine. My GF and I were positioned stage right when the show began, the view was great but it sounded like shit and we moved after the first few songs. The concert was pretty awesome despite the fact that it got ridiculously hot towards the end and the staff at the Miramar did nothing (i.e. open the front doors) to cool it down. Before the show began, there were about 5 or 6 beers placed on the stage where each member of the band would be standing. To top it off there was a bottle of Jameson on an amp. Frontman Craig Finn took at least a few swigs during their set, and it seemed as though he had taken several before the band took the stage. It didn't seem like the band actually drank much of the beer and I guess it is probably kind of hard to drink a beer and play an instrument at the same time as they both require use of one's hands. I can excuse them for not being able to chug beers and rip away on a guitar at the same time, but I can't excuse the fact that the beer they were given (and presumably requested) was Budweiser. Right in front of our Miller-loving eyes. This is Milwaukee for f*** sake! Have a High Life or a Pabst. Shit, if you really wanted to show that you were down, you would polish off some Cream City Pale Ale or an Eastside Dark. Despite the poor choice of beer, The Hold Steady rocked ass. The band ripped through an impressive set that included most of the songs off of Boys and Girls in America, plus selected "classics" like Stevie Nix, Cattle and Creeping Things, Your Little Hoodrat Friend, Modesto is Not That Sweet, etc. Finn also managed to get booed for talking about the Minnesota Twins. It was pretty funny, and I love that a band that has received so much acclaim from the Indie (and mainstream) music press doesn't give a shit about being perceived as uncool for liking baseball. I think it was hard to grow up in Minnesota in the 80s and not develop a serious love for the Twins, I know I did and I relish it. I could give a shit about the Vikings or the Twolves, and don't even get me started about the North Stars (Norm Green, the offer to eat my shit still stands), but don't mess with my Twins. Whom, btw, are in Milwaukee this weekend. GO TWINS!

Long Slow Goodbye

Pokerstars has a big promo going for their upcoming 10 Billionth hand. I've been a multi-table playing douche bag lately to try and take advantage of it. Too bad I can't win a hand or make money in a sit and go to save my life. I think the end might be coming near. Online poker for me is about to go the way of Jerry Falwell. Farewell old friend. I'll see you when the sun meets the ground and I am in it. The same old games are getting boring to me and the number of fish seems to have dropped to a point where it is no longer as profitable as it had been. Plus I'll probably need some extra dough this summer and the poker bankroll seems the obvious choice to draw from.

The idea of being dead and having everything be over has been pervading my consciousness lately. Everything goes through one death; I know that. But does it not freak you the fuck out to realize that one day you will cease to exist and that everything that is YOU is gone??? Your memories, possessions, someday everyone you have ever met will be dead like you have been for awhile. I love life, but someday nothing will be left

Holy Shit....poker

First of all, let's applaud Congressman Barney Fag, I mean Barney Frank, for drafting legislation aimed at stopping this online poker ban nonsense. He stepped up when all these other stuffed suits in office are off playing with themselves. Of course, I don't really expect any of the bible thumping retards in the Republican Party to vote for it. Likewise, I doubt very many of the Democrats will get behind it either. Frank needs to sneak the bill in some unrelated piece of legislation that Republicans can't vote against. That would be sweet; like taking a big shit on Bill Frists' Howdy-Doody looking face.

I played in a honest to god real poker tournament last night and ended up winning the damn thing. It was a 7 card stud tourney with about 50 runners, so it wasn't that great of a pay day. It's been a good amount of time since I last won a tourney, so it was pretty sweet. Maybe this bodes well for a trip to Vegas that is going to take place in a few months. Plane ticket and room are already booked. It should be a 48 hour frenzy of poker and free booze. I wonder if my points on my Imperial Palace players card from 18 months ago are still valid. Pizza Palace here I come!