Monday, October 22, 2012

Well enough alone


I'm still quite capable of running errands or taking drives into the country.  The above was taken behind our vet's clinic. I thought to add my flags to the scene but a tad bit of self-consciousness snuck in as another vehicle pulled into the lot.  Out in the sticks, it's not an issue.


Thursday, October 18, 2012

OK, I'm back.

Kind of... Enough, anyway, to try to redeem myself with another, more readable essay. Be sure to check out the links at the bottom, especially the first one. It gives a good picture of the environment in which the photos were taken.

I haven't gone public with the following yet, but you guys are special. I have been ordered by the medical folks to curtail my travels to the city, except, of course to keep my appointments with them. Seems I was beating a nearly-dead horse, largely fueled by coffee and Pepto.

Yeah, I know. How rough is it to work from home with a road trip twice a week to look at art?

My one editor, the one that pays a living wage, took it pretty well. The other one I'll wait to tell as he owes me money. The former has suggested I work on my memoirs and do some broader cultural commentary pieces for him at my leisure, at least until I get to feeling like my old self.

And when, exactly, will that be? I was told a year. I'm hoping it's considerably less, for it's not just the city stuff that she wants me to forgo: Trips of any kind, certainly that wood pile, and anything else that causes stress or exertion. (Judging from the way my gut and Thumper reacted last night, this includes poker.)

Well, it's going to have to wait a bit. I have one more obligation up north and need to go help my Mom in a couple weeks. In the meantime I will do as I'm told as best as I can by confining my activities to the studio. Upon my return I need to organize the thousands of photos I have (mostly trashing) and ready myself for a March exhibit.

I do need to turn this ship around in case we get a buyer for this place next spring.

I think it's also time I write a piece about an eccentric relative...

And hey, thanks for being there.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Metaphor for my week

The low tide is twelve to eighteen hour of sleep each day. See you when I get back on my feet.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Oddities

Grass field burns yesterday and day before. The latest I've seen, but given the air quality from the forest fires, understandable. That and today it's raining for the first time since early July.

Found a stupidly bingo-ish PLO full table. Apparently they're regulars to this game nightly. Variance is massive but I'm still making fake money by the worthless hand fulls.

And speaking of "nothing," I have another essay published. If you've thought others esoteric, just wait until you read this one.

And I've gone ahead and started putting away the firewood. The pile is tarped right now, but I kinda amazed myself yesterday by enduring several hours of hauling and stacking. And my back hurts just a little.


Sunday, October 7, 2012

Bad calls

"Why would you go all in?" She turned to look at me.

"Why would you go all in?" I tried to get a read. She gave me nothing. What did she have?

Home game last night. I was dealing. Three players limped, as did I with 86d.  The flop was 34Jd.

A woman in MP bet $6. Gloria in the CO called, as did I.  The turn was an 8c. The first woman checked.

Gloria pushed in her stack. "I'm all in."

I was doing pretty good for a change. The home games haven't been too good for me lately. Not that I've been attending on a regular basis, what with work calling me away on many a Friday evening. But when I've gone, the cards haven't cooperated. I started hitting hands as soon as I sat down last night, and it therefore crossed my mind that things were changing for the better.

"What could you have that would make you go all in?

You may remember me writing about Gloria in my previous incarnation. She is Randy's wife, then new girlfriend back when Randy had a twice-monthly game. At the time I worried that our game would disappear, especially after she moved in with him. As it turns out, Gloria quite likes the game.

And the thing is, I have a pretty good handle on her game.

She flats on the flop, jams on the turn. The 8 helps nobody unless they have a set. But there's a flush on the board. I flatted the flop with the flush. Did my flat suggest I was on a one card draw? Was she protecting a set of fours or threes, or even Jacks? I've seen her limp preflop with Kings more than once.

Kick me.

The river was the 2d, giving her the steel wheel.

The hand haunted me for an hour.

Yeah, hindsight. Add to it that you weren't in the hand, which makes it easier, especially for you guys who play a better game than I. And, if I hadn't been in the hand, I would have known exactly what she had. Like I said, I know her game.

Gloria is a sweetheart. She plays because of the social component, and because of that, she's not there to ruin anyone's night. And so she telegraphs her nut hands by overbetting.

Kick me.

I had her covered but not by enough to keep playing effectively without reloading, so I dropped another fifty in the kitty. By the end of the night I was up $21.50, so I'm happy.

Randy, on the other hand, not so much.

As the night progressed, the host's son and daughter-in-law showed up, giving us 12 players, so we split up into two6-handed tables. I said goodbye to my money as Gloria was moved, but I now had randy to my right. King nit, master of getting sucked out on, pouter supreme.

The host's kids were at our table. They love watching the WSOP on TV. They both by in short. The daughter-in-law begins to amass a few chips, mostly from her hubby, but also with a tad bit of aggression.

Wayne limps from early position, as does the DIL and hubby. In the BB, Randy pops it up to match the pot. Wayne three bets and both DIL and hubby call. Just so we're clear, there's now $44.50 in the pot. Randy tanks and then bets $30. Wayne folds, DIL calls, and hubby tosses in his last $17. The flop comes with two clubs, Randy jams, DIL calls and flips over KJc. Yep, crubs. Say no more.

To Randy's credit, or perhaps because he had her covered and still has chips, he doesn't storm off, choosing instead to lecture her about making such a preflop call with bad cards.

"But those were good cards."

I smelled blood.

Hubby helped her stack her winnings, counted out a few stacks and said, "This is what we bought in for. Do not play with these chips."

I know a fake yawn when I hear one.

To her credit, she bet me off of top pair, so-so kicker. And, of course, when the time came, her Aces held up quite nicely.