Poker recap…

Last Thursday I had the only poker night of the weekend. I thought more would come which is why this post is so late.

We started with a tourney again. I caught well and went into the merge in second place to Gable. And so, as big stacks we cleaned it up a bit until there were three.

Allison was small enough that we ate her up nicely and at a quick pace, making it two.

But she got her money back, so I think she was happy.

Gable and I pushed ourselves a bit until we both had top pair with queens. I had a seven kicker and he had a five. He kept betting hard, and I kept calling until the end, where he spiked a five on the river.

Then a few hands later, I didn’t raise with A 2 thinking that if he didn’t raise preflop and an ace came up I would push hard. Sure enough an ace comes up and he reraises my 15 dollars with forty more. I take a while and go all in to find he did not raise preflop with an A J, and basically worked me for the 90 dollar win.

But I got second and ten profit.

Of course, while the final table of the tourney raged on, the cash game started. Depalma played like crazy and got lucky. He scared everyone until neal finally took him out with A high on a bold play. He then proceeded to tell me he was just going to sit tight and not be very aggressive. So when I got low pair with twos and an ace kicker, I went all in, thinking he would never call that. He instantly throws his money in the pot and shows me pocket kings. Damn! But then, the miraculous turn brought forth an A and I take the pot with two pair.

Neal leaves early with about 50 dolores.

Mike worked it at the end flying under the radar, and left the winner with 80.

And I did not fare so bad either, slowplaying a flush on John to clean him out. I walked out fifty dollars richer.

This is what Gager thought about his loss.

At the beginning of the evening, Depalma brought a friend that we both shared.

And John and i ended the night with pizza.

Oh, and I went back through the blog and found that my plus seventy count of last poker update was actually a minus 30. So now I am finally in the black, up twenty.

Down in Dumba…

Kerry and I went for a late breakfast (around 5pm) to the Metro Diner, one of my favorites.

A guy was pulling a typical NYC move, on our way there, and I secretly snapped him.

Can you tell what e is doing? He is waiting for his wife to come back with the car so they can park there. He’s physically saving the space. Gotta love this city…

Then I went down to Dumbo to the Brooklyn Media Lab’s Lets Do Launch Party. I was late. I was supposed to be there very early to help set up video presentations (you see, my job IS good for something, I now have the technical knowhow to be used as an assistant techie).

Digetelle, (in probably the worst picture of the night) led the set up troops in a this-is-too-much freaked out manner.

John put up some of his art.

There were other very cool visual artistes in the back as well. Damon Hamm

(middle) had these cool sculptures.

You can’t see it but the turkey is being held up by turkey carving prong forks.

In the other corner a cracked artist showed his mettle.

I liked his shit allot. But I didn’t get to meet him. Meanwhile, Vlad and Olga,

projectionist video artists set up this cool shit in the performance room. And speaking of, the performances started with some poetry slam. Malcom rocked it with some apropos social commentary.

Poetree (Peoples Organized Entertainment Teaching Education Everywhere) rocked the mic with a slamming set.

Charlotte then had a fashion show of her C Spot Design line.

Doesn’t John look striking?

Finally, CEO (chronic electronic orchestra) made it up on stage.

(I couldn’t take good pictures of them because…

Someone had to ride the levels!) Yes, my editing skills have also allowed me to be a soundboard operator.

And I ended the night like every night should end, sucking tittie.

All in all, a pretty fucking cool time at the Dumba Collective (not spelled wrong, that is the name of the space). I felt like I was needed, and that I could do all this technical shit, that I could troubleshoot with the best of them.

Now I am a bit sick and it sucks, but whatevs, it was worth it.

A party time…

The poker report of Thursday action shall arrive later. Last night, after the work fiasco that I had to take care of, kerry came in to the city. We went out to Saigon grill with una and jeff. Here are all the permutations of couples available from our quartet.

Then we headed through this belatedly lit street

To lin manuels birthday party.

Saw some old peeps that I had not seen for a bit, larisson and Suzanne and arcelie.

The outfit of the night was white shirt with jeans.

I spilt this drink all over my fucking leg.

And I actually got on the dance floor.

Not a bad night.

You know when you get fucked by work, like hard core, suddenly, with no warning, balls deep, no lube? You know that feeling? I just had it. Tell you all about it later.

they coming in...

so the other lists are finally being mailed, enjoy...

Baumiel writes in from the left coast:
I, too, missed a bunch of shit

1. Nobody Knows
2. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...Spring
3. Sideways
4. Maria Full of Grace
5. Ray
6. Touching the Void (Was that even this year?)
7. The Incredibles
8. Spotless Sunshine

Excoworker Bill says:
Here I go, my number one is a bit off, but I was
born handsome, not popular.

1. I Heart Huckabees
2. Sideways
3. Bad Education
4. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
5. Garden State
6. Kill Bill Vol. 2
7. The Life Aquatic
8. Napoleon Dynamite
9. The Aviator
10.Supersize Me

Worst Movie Of The Year- Finding Neverland
Honorable Mention - End Of The Century, Farenheit
911, A Very Long Engagement

Coworker bryan says:
1. Sideways
2. Eternal Sunshine
3. Shawn of the Dead
4. Napolean Dynamite
5. Red Lights
6. Riding Giants
7. Metallica: Some kind of Monster
8. Very Long Engagement
9. House of Flying Daggers
10. Farenheit 9/11
Honorable mention to: Control Room, Hero, Huckabees.

Coworker Maury thinks:
Maury
1. Eternal Sunshine
2. Sideways
3. Hero
4. Farenheit 9/11
5. Kill Bill Vol.2
6. Incredilbles
7. Birth
8. THX 1138 (re release)
9. Incredibles
10.Mean Girls

i didn't see a lot of movies last year.

Office Asskicker Mitch thinks:
Eternal Sunshine
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Napoleon Dynamite
Collateral
Bad Education
Spiderman 2
Finding Neverland
National Treasure .....just kidding
Dodgeball
Carandiru
The Aviator

PS Lemony Snicket is pretty good too!....lets watch Foxx and Depp battle it
out...

And finally, at lavin of brandname gives us the real deal:
1. fat albert
2. national treasure
3. agent cody banks 2
4. soul plane
5. princess diaries 2
6. around the world in 80 days
7. garfield the movie
8. christmas with the kranks
9. scooby doo two
10. torque

ya'll have NO taste.

IT seems like Eternal and Sideways take the cake in the popularity contest.

The year in moving pictures…

Every December-January becomes list time. Robert Dan and I have been listing each other for a few years now.
2004 did not blow me away by any means. I searched the interweb high and low for top ten lists, and here are all the movies I had seen that I was willing to put on the list.

Collateral. Eternal Sunshine. Sideways. Maria Full off Grace. Spiderman Deuce. Farenheit 911. Bourne Supremacy. Hero. House of Flying Daggers. Team America. I Heart Huckabees. Mean Girls. Ocean’s Twelve. Napoleon Dynamite. Dodge ball. Kill Bill 2. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. The Aviator. Meet the Fockers.

So my rating goes as follows:

1. Eternal Sunshine and Sideways tie.
3. Hero.
4. Napoleon Dynamite.
5. Spiderman 2.
6. Kill Bill 2.
7. Collateral
8. Huckabees.
9. Ocean’s Twelve
10. Farenheit 9/11
11. Mean Girls Dodgeball tie.

This was a terrifically hard year to rate. I haven’t seen some of the late heavy hitters, either, like Kinsey, Life Aquatic, Neverland, Hotel Rwanda. Nor old talked up docs like Control Room and Supersize Me.

Eternal was a visual masterpiece, an imaginative tour de force. Well thought out and well carried out. Mark Ruffalo almost stealing the movie, Winslet delivering like usual. The genius David Cross cameo. Awesome.

Sideways surprised me after a shitty preview. I saw it in a sneak pre release, before the hype, and then I helped create the hype. Subtly acted, written, shot. One of the best resolution closure scenes with the wallet and the streaking run. Paynes obsession with the America that America forgot, the people passed over, unremarkable, and yet storied, full of drama and feeling as well, the everyman in all of us… a milestone.

I liked Hero more than most. The color coordination, the curt Chinese dialogue “how swift his sword must be,” “you have underestimated someone.”

Napoleon surrounded you in the quirkiest most realistically unreal societal strata one has ever seen. Unique and charming, intelligent with great follow through.

Spiderman 2 gave you exactly what you paid for, a well rounded popcorn extravaganza. Comedic, pulling at heart strings at time, with enough “damn” moments to keep you in there, and a good set up to the sequal. Need more dunst wet t shirt contests, though.

Kill Bill kept up the pace, though a bit gratuotus in the end with the father figure seen. Filled with more of that crisp idiosyncratic tarantino dialogue of old, and cool original action scenes, it lived up. The complete switch of film aesthetic in the training scene to the 70s hong king martial arts films a stroke of genius. Good times.

Collateral had me piqued for the whole time. Smart, good jittery direction, switching to dv in bits. Foxx’s metamorphosis was believable, Cruises played himself well as that lethal fox, and the Javier Bardem cameo ruled. The mom scene, priceless, and the club scenes is some of the best action of the year.

Huckabees was meant for so few people, im glad im one of them. Kooky, but funny, and in its own way deep, it meandered through lovably laughable characters that entertained. Me.

Hey, shoot me, I love Ocean and his charming friends. It’s a rollercoaster, you don’t have to think too much, just get on for a ride. Eleven, and a good surprise, twelve as well.

People don’t like M. Moore’s down your throat style, nor his tricks of editing (bushes shaking hands with unnamed arabs), but the movie made me think and gave me some shots of the real iraq in war, and it was worth it just for seeing the congressman and senators react to having there children in the war.

It was a hard call between Dodgeball, Ghost, and Mean Girls, but I put the Girls up in the end for all around intelligence in a teen movie. We wad not seen that since clueless, and it was good to know that the genre had some hope to survive the terrible 90s. Dodgeball delivered consistent laughs, and I could watch ben stiller be the jack ass anyday. Vaughn with his mouth was good, (not as good as old school) but really Lumbergh and Bateman as commentators on the ocho stole the movie.

Team America gets props for best puppet sex and musical satires.

Maria i liked alot, but when ranking came, i kinda passed it over. It feels a little bit like a sleeper.

I have spoken. Now have Roberts picks.

Sideways
Eternal Sunshine
Oldboy
Spiderman 2
Mean Girls
The Incredibles
Kill Bill vol 2
Maria Full of Grace

After and before the loss…

Early morning Sunday Stickney took me out for my birthday (he owed it to me). So I went all out and got a steak for breakfast. It was great. Thanks stick!

Poker ended kind of early, so Al and I went to the movies. She had already seen Life Aquatic so we chanced upon The Aviator as movie we could both see over Motorcycle diaries. I now realize that we missed Kinsey, which I think I would have rather seen, though Aviator was passable.

So, what does this convey to you.

Not much I guess. It was supped to contain a perfect pictoric representation of our not being able to find our theatre (number 9) as it was tucked away when you first walk in next to the concessions stand. But it failed. When we arrived all the stubby machines were down, and the line was out the door. We took the Althea gambit (a last ditch effort when unmoving lines make you try to get passed the ticket ripping porcess with nothing but a credit card (that paid for actual bonafide tickets) and charm). Confident, we elegantly explained our cause to the ripper only to be waved through to customer service no questions asked. The gambit mofified easily and paid out huge when just the second we approach the guy, the computer comes back up and we get our tickets before the sixty peopl in front of us downstairs.

But our luck did not end there, he told us that the 6:30 had been sold out for hours and if there was no room he could put is in the 7:10. We went up, lost and found the theatre, and decided to go to the seven in perfect roomy no one infront of us seats rather thatn the second row.

We had some time kill, so I decided we should try and stage the lostness for the blog. But we failed. But it was fun anyway. And a better story in the end.

Poker times…

Thursday, tourney at Upper West Poker Palace. Saturday, cash game. Sunday, a surprising cash game at Althea’s.

Twelve person tournament. I get there late and they almost didn’t let me in. Finally, after some verbal finagaling, they let me stay but I could only buy in for whatever the lowest stack had, sixteen instead of twenty (eight real dollars instead of 10).

I proceed to muck someone’s hand by mistake, they get a bit pissed, and then later I took him out. Needless to say. I made an enemy without meaning to. But I went into the merge with the lead. I fluctuate allot, but stay in commad until its down to four and then I lose most. I live past fourth, and then there were three, Bomba, Neil, Me.

I grind like a motherfucker. The blinds are getting higher and higher and I got to push all in a bunch to be able to stay. I keep up that pace until I actually have enough of a stack to hurt Bombus when he calls an all in when I have an ace. Later he suckers me in brilliantly with aces in the poclet against my top pair, only to be broken by my trip eights. Then there were two.

Neil and I play kinda tight, folding almost everytime the other guy bets. Then he raises pre flop and I go all in with K 10 suited, he has A 7 unsuited. No one catches anything and he wins it. But I got 17 dollars (to his hundred) for a total profit of 9 dollars. Not much monetarily, but a great boost to my ego just by making it as far as I did against such bad odds.

(neil has never smiled like that in his life).

Saturday, cash game action. Kinda small, only six. I go down twenty early. Then I fluctuate, but keeping cool and not calling as aggressively as I usually do I get a good second place to john. I get big slick when he pre flop raises a nice amount, and go all in. He takes a while but calls and I double up. I take twenty more dollars soon after that. Cassens cashes with fifty, leaving for some early preparty.

John takes out his little brother and their friend for 40, I go out the big winner with a hundred profit.

Sunday, novice acting matt returns for the other group cash game. I start the first hand with pocket aces. Matt breaks them with two pair after I slowplay, karma from my Bomba ace breaker closing the circle. The night would continue in this manner. Matt ended biggest winner with 40 profit

John and orson split up about thity profit each.

I cash out 5 for a thirty five loss.

I think I will start logging my poker spendings from now on to keep a tab on how I do. I think I’m pretty even in my past but I have not way to be accurate, so I start fresh today. Since this weekend, I am plus 73.

Who’s who who’s on…

Check it. This is the report I get everyweek.

It all seems normal. The majority fall in the nyc area. Then a few in the California time zone, some in the Midwest mexico city time (probably my kid sister at home). Then we got some Europe time. My guess is one rehanna c. is to blame for those. But look close at the Australia east asia time. Who the hell is that? If you have any information, I would love to put a name to the zone.

And then I could also get domain percentage.

This is not as interesting except for the navy.mil that still intrigues me. Again, 411 on this would be a boon.

So now you see what I can see…

A night to remember xtina…

Xtina is leaving us, back to Idaho, where no one will tell you that you da ho. Because it’s not over done. It never is.

Since I survived a bad rollercoaster at work, I decided I needed a change. I went from canny intellectual

To young boy on the verge of a nervous fixup (breakdown? Get it? Okay, not that funny).

So the party. Mickey’s Blue Room, very xtina. Everyone was there.

Greg can’t keep his hands off me.

Charlotte has a cool ass shemale purse.

Lauren has vanilla cigarettes in a classy pack.

Who knows what is special about this picture?

We went to see Woody fu spin at some sweat spa dance basement, this is one good cab shot,

and we found the zaki pat surprise.

Really, look at that picture. Pat, me, xtina, Barlow, how much ego can a camera withstand? Most people shudder at that sight.

X, you shall be missed. To paraphrase myself: “A big white ball of hopes and dreams that like everything else meandered away from my life.”