At Last!

Just reading through my posts, and can't believe I've not even mentioned the World Cup once! All the hype and build up and at last the day has arrived.
I have told Cathy to expect no help or assistance around the house in any way at all whilst any game is on. And I don't care if it's only Paraguay v Costa Rica and I cannot name one single player on the pitch - IT'S THE WORLD CUP!!

OK, so first, England's chances? In a nutshell, they have a decent chance, though I think it is unlikely they will win it. We have a good goalkeeper, some world-class defenders and midfielders, but where England really misfire - is up front.

Gerrard, Lampard, Beckham, Ferdinand, Terry, Cole would walk into any national football team (even Scotland Acornman!), but in my opinion Michael Owen is one of the most over-rated strikers in the history of football. OK, he's not bad, but nowhere near world class. He couldn't even break into the Real Madrid team full of aging overweight strikers!! And don't get me started on Peter Crouch. I know he's not that bad, but is he the best we can do?
And why is Defoe so consistently overlooked - maybe there is something with him that we are not aware of, as he's not a regular starter at Tottenham either.

So overall, England, Italy, Spain (the perennial under-achievers in tournament football)and France will be there or there-abouts - but for me it is hard to look past Brazil or Argentina, and I am going for the latter as my prediction.

Spent yesterday out and about at an interview and to see a friend and I have to say - I love this weather. Is it just me or do the female population of this country look so much more attractive in the sunshine? Maybe it's the short skirts and revealing clothes they wear? Maybe I'm becoming a dirty old man? Either way, the beautiful ladies of this country were out in full force yesterday and it was a sight to behold.
A park in Liverpool saw a lot of topless secretaries catching some lunchtime sun yesterday - and this alone gets it my vote for City of Culture for this year and any other year you care to mention.

Spent a few hours on the poker tables as well, opening up a Titan Poker account as the bonus seems quite easy to reach, and at 150% of buy in, well worth it! Sat down for a few hours play and am about 1/5th of the way to the bonus, and running about 20$ up. Nothing particularly exciting, and I was playing at the 1$ and 2$ limit levels to get the hands up quickly. Needed to adapt my game slightly to the 'call with anything' strategy that many players adapt at this level. Had a particularly interesting session with 4 maniac/loose/idiot type players. Hard to play with one sometimes, I had 4, but fortunately, the idiot style was bearing out more than the maniac/loose, so I managed to head up to 50$ profit before being pegged back by some unlucky river cards.

Also hit the tables at Poker Room, and after 4 hours play, finished 7$ up. I felt pretty frustrated at this - and this morning, not quite sure if this is justified or not. Sure, it's better than finishing 7$ down, or any other amount down, but I can't help feeling a bit funny. I suppose I have to accept that I won't win every session I play (but why not?) and I played pretty well overall, with one or two exceptions, so I'll take it and also, I ran up a lot of player points which can be converted into $ so I guess the 7$ will actually be more.

So, this afternoon, it's off to Bargain Booze for a crate of cold bottled beer, empty the fridge of everything ('I don't care if Mia needs her veggies fresh - ask next door if we can use thiers' didn't go down too well!) and I'm set for the first few games of the World Cup and maybe laptop on knee for a bit of poker as well.

Enjoy the sunshine and don't even think of disturbing me!

PS

and I totally forgot to mention Jeff Buckley - doh!

His version of Cohen's Hallelujah is sublime and if I was given the wish of being able to sing like any person - I would choose Jeff Buckley. Lover, You Should Have Come Over is a close second.

For the record, my singing style is more a cross between Rebecca Loos and John Prescott.

OK Rosie, off you go.......

Sing-a-longa-time!

OK everyone, after me: if you're happy and you know it clap your hands...... etc etc. Come on, Mia can do it - why not you lot?

Heh heh, in the mood for a sing song today, thanks to Juice's post (link to the right). I loved that website and found loads of songs I'd not heard for a long time, as well as some terrible ones. So, as I did a favourite film post, it's time for a favourite song one.

This is much harder, as at different stages of my life, I've loved different types of music/songs. In my early childhood, I was a big Shakin Stevens fan (can't believe I'm telling you this!!) and knew all the wobbly leg dances. Then, in a big shift, my teenage years saw my tastes develop to Miles Davies, Bobby Womack and other soul/jazz from the early 80's, late 70's period. Then I discovered Counting Crows and Radiohead have been a big fan of both since.

So a top five would probably change a lot, but for now, I'll agree on the following in no particular order:

Marvin Gaye - When Did You Stop Loving Me
Anyone who has loved and lost will relate to this, amazing lyrics and a fanstastic song. The album cover is a piece of art in itself, showing the breakdown of his marraige to Anna.

George Benson - Being With You
This has a personal meaning to me, a beautiful instrumental and if I ever get married to Cathy, this will be the song we dance to.

Ben Folds - Landed
A very new addition, so not sure if this will stand the test of time - but for me one of the best new songs I heard last year

Radiohead - Street Spirit
Hard to pick the best of theirs as I have so many. Creep was always a favourite, but I think the video to the above track sealed it.

Counting Crows - Baby I'm a Big Star Now
Again, hard to pick a favoruite song as they have so many I like. The above has great rarity value, but there are many more.

Finally, I have to mention The Blue Nile, a little known Scottish band from (Acorn Man's stomping ground. 20 years after buying their first album, I still listen to them with the same tingles as when I first heard them. 'Downtown Lights' is the most amazing song I have ever heard, and to still feel the same way 20 years on must make it my favourite.

Anyway, enough about me, how's the poker? Had a very good night at Poker Room. Started off by winning a 10$ SNG thanks to some appalling play by my opponents. Then played in a 40 seater 4$ SNG at Pacific and came in 2nd despite having only 200 chips left when down to the last 10. Again, have to credit poor play by my opponents rather than my great play. Hell no, I was fantastic!!

Hit the cash tables at Poker Room, 25c and 50c Pot Limit tables - which are very fruitful for me. Maybe worth a little discussion on, as most blog's I read talk about NL or Limit and this bit gets missed out.

Who plays Pot Limit? I think it is used as a stepping stone for players who play Limit and want to progress to NL, so play a bit of PL to ease them in. The standard at Poker Room is pretty poor. Generally your opponents will call with suited cards of any number, and call any size bet.
This can be very fruitful, but obviously they will occasionally hit and that can be frustrating. Keep good notes and watch your opponents closely and their playing patterns will become quite apparent and you can play them accordingly. They also rarely fold any Ace or pocket pairs, and I've had my two pair cracked by a set on the river, despite him/her having an under-pair to the board.

So far this week, I have limited my play to Poker Room and Pacific - Poker Room is showing a 240$ profit, mostly from the PL tables. Pacific is about even, but this place is so slow, and also my programme doesn't seem to run properly if I have Poker Room open at the same time. Not sure if this is a system problem at my end - or they deliberately do this?

Finally, as a Hand History of bad beats are always published - how about this for a dream hand:

I'm on the big blind, dealt 10 8 suited - one of my favourites! One raise before me to double the BB, so I call, 4 more call so 5 of us in the hand.

Flop is 7 9 J rainbow. Yippeeee!!

I bet 2$, played 2 folds, player 3 raises to 5$ and player 4 goes all in with his 15$. Last player folds, I call and next player calls. Turn is a 2 (fantastic again) so I move all in and remaining player calls.
I turn over my str8, player 3 turns over pocket 9's and player 4 AJ. River is a 4 and my str8 stands up for a 86$ pot :)

Sing alonga time again: If you're happy and you know it stamp your feet...........

It's a Wonderful Life

I'd been drinking all day Saturday and need to rest.
It was a family day out and I sent them home early and stayed out till the wee hours.
I needed some help.

So, what's the only thing to do when you are feeling low and want to rejuvenate the mind (I'm too old and weary to worry about the body anymore).

We tucked Mia up in bed, crashed on the sofa and watched It's A Wonderful Life with a box of choccies. How good is that film? Every time I watch it, it amazes me. I see so many things in that film that modern day filmakers rarely get close to. How good does it make you feel when you hear those bells tingling at the end with George Bailey stood next to the Xmas tree with children in arms, adoring wife at his side and all his friends coming to his rescue. From his depths of despair to a feeling of such warmth, this film captures the real character of human beings in such an original manner. Imagine being the type of person that would make your friends react to you that way. 'No man is a failure if he has friends' - it always sends a tingly feeling down my spine, and is probably my favourite film.

I'm a pretty lucky guy overall. (I don't mean I'm pretty and lucky - I mean pretty lucky.) I have a gorgeous lady who's stayed with me for 17 years, a lovely house we have built into a home, a strong family around us both, and then Mia came along and made it complete. I often sit back and wonder how things would have been had I not done certain things in my life. It fascinates me to think of how fragile everything really is, when a alternative decision or turning another corner could have made things so different. Or, maybe it wouldn't. Maybe this would have happened whatever paths I chose in life. Maybe our destiny is just this, whatever path we took to get here.

Anyway, for the record, my next set of favourite films:

Cinema Paradiso. What a film. Nearly as moving as the above. Where this film is better is the music.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - classic Jack Nicholson. Not really a big fan of him, but love this film.
Alien. Big difference, but I do love a good Sci-Fi film, and this is a good one.
Wings Of Desire. A film that still has me thinking about it, 12 years after I first saw it.
Jean de Florrette / Manon Des Source. Was a big Gerard fan when younger, and these two are visually superb as well as a wonderful story perfectly acted.

I could add many more to the list - but these get watched and watched and watched and are kept on a shelf well out of Mia's reach!

On a more poker realted subject, hit the tables for an hour this morning and made back my 30$ loss from yesteday, plus another 20$ so am off to invest this in a few SNG's - may even try Little Acorn Man's idea and see if I can win a 50$ SNG ticket at Poker Room. Then I'll need to polish off my presentation for my interview tomorrow.

Maybe I'll need a bit of George Bailey's charm, maybe it is already decided upon, who knows?

It Never Leaves You.....

Just feeling the ability to move and talk again after a full day yesterday on the dirty beer. Think I need to review my drinking pace when I start on these early ones. We went round to my friends house about 1.30pm for his son's 2nd birthday. I'd been round Friday night as he was borrowing my 10m marquee just in case of bad weather, so we'd sank a few the night before.

As it happened, it was needed for shelter from the sun, rather than the rain, boy was it a hot one! Played all the usual children's games (I get to do these as I'm still a 2 year old myself, so seem to attract the kids!) and have the lobster red face to show for my efforts.

Never seemed to be without a beer in my hand, and after the baby games finished, started playing football with the older kids and before I knew it, 6pm came around. Cathy took Mia home and I stayed on drinking with a few friends until the wee small hours, turning up home in a very drunken state. Apparantly, we bulit a little fire in his garden, after one of the girls had said it was getting cold. Not the most sensible things to do when everyone has been drinking, but fortunately no harm done to anything apart from his grass. Lots of funny stories, and the only 2 single people disappearing together, presumably for a night of hot sex - lucky buggers :-)

Hit the tables for half an hour, but can't seem to concentrate, and was 30$ down before I knew it, so left and began this blog. I am just about to be banished to the loft to clean up all the mess. Cathy won't go up there due to her chronic spider phobia (at last a place of safe refuge for me then!), and won't listen to me when I tell her there will be hardly any up there. Will probably come down looking like a chimney sweep, but at least I will run up a few brownie points.....

Spent this afternoon with Mia in the back garden, as Cathy headed off to Sainsburys for the monthly big shop. Mia was running around picking up sticks and stones (we have a lot of trees around our back garden) and building what looks like a bonfire. This could worry our neighbours, so may have to dismantle it when she's gone to bed. Where the little lass gets her energy from I have no idea. Won't play with dolls or prams like any normal 2 year old girl, and continually strives to run around the garden faster than she did the last time. Maybe she'll be a sprinter when she's older? Singing, dancing and playing for 2 hours was great, and next door's kids joined in to give me a break.

Have a big interview on Tuesday, so have to put together a presentation tonight / tommorow. My interview went very well last week, I had an email from them telling me they were very impressed, and will be deciding by the end of next week. Hopefully, I should have something sorted soon and can enjoy some gardening leave.

Although, gardening leave with Mia sounds more tiring than working! Happy poker-ing all.

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