Last 5 Books I Saw People Reading on the Subway...
1. The Human Stain by Philip Roth
2. Party of One: A Loner's Manifesto by Anneli Rufus
3. Hometown Legend by Jerry B. Jenkins
4. Hemlock Bay by Catherine Coulter
5. The Holy Bible
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Time Loves a Hero
Man, it was a long weekend. Shrek 2 didn't make the money I hoped. I made a mistake. I never should have set the bar so high. I forgot my history, er... my movie box office history. So I lost to Boy Genius and now we're tied 1-1. I wonder what this week's bet will be?
Yes, it was still a long weekend. The more I think about it, ever since my Las Vegas trip in April, I have been constantly ON. That word ON has several different meaning, but for the most part, I've been pushing myself nonstop since early April, attempting to sharpen my poker skills and win seats at the World Poker Tour Championships and the 2004 World Series of Poker. I also have really threw myself into my other sites, like the Tao of Poker and Truckin'. I have been juggling personal life stuff; family troubles, relationships in flux, finding a new place to live (the word homeless sounds a lot worse than it is)... but more importantly, finding a comfortable place for me to write a novel at the end of this summer, keeping myself and my writer's voice fresh... all the while trying to keep myself out of trouble when I haven't been writing. Yeah, I've been like a juggler at a sideshow circus more than a writer. That's the way it goes. In sixteen days, Phish tour starts, and in that small period of time, I have to write an article for All In Magazine, work on the two year anniversary issue of Truckin', and find time to play as much poker as I can to get as much money as possible for the first leg of my summer misadventures.
I feel very weak physically, something that I have never encountered. I have the reputation of partying like a rock star and with Al Can't Hang coming this weekend, I expect that my down time will be seriously limited. Did I always want to be popular and the life of the party? I had no choice. Yep, Life is the Party. I crashed Life without an invite, so I might as well enjoy myself. Sometimes the light... it's shining on me.
The other day I walked down crowded Broadway with Haley and I wondered when I would look back at the last year, and the last two years and determine whether or not those were the most important years of my life. I had plenty of forks in the road the last two years. Did I choose the right path? I must have, because I am still here.
As everyday passes, I am left without any answers, but more questions come to mind. I write them down, in hopes that someday I might discover the answer, or at least, until they publish one of those books: Life for Dummies. Maybe I should write my own, and cash in on the desperate and meaningless lives of the millions of people that walk past me everyday.
Billie Holiday, she was a hip chick. It would have been nice to kick it with her, late night, at a bar anywhere. She had some stories to tell. And I'm sure she would have laughed at my obscene outlook on life. I've been listening to her a lot recently when I have been writing. She always inspires me.
I'm on the clock. I'm living on borrowed time. I can't waste any more energy on impossible tasks. I have made a list of those, too. And the next time I get frustrated, I'll whip it out and recall... that I promised myself to move forward, and not get pissed off at what's behind me. Life is about change. And it's sad that some people never change. My journey through life has taken me many places... and I might be coming to your neck of the woods sometime soon. I can't ever stop. I don't think I want to.
Man, it was a long weekend. Shrek 2 didn't make the money I hoped. I made a mistake. I never should have set the bar so high. I forgot my history, er... my movie box office history. So I lost to Boy Genius and now we're tied 1-1. I wonder what this week's bet will be?
Yes, it was still a long weekend. The more I think about it, ever since my Las Vegas trip in April, I have been constantly ON. That word ON has several different meaning, but for the most part, I've been pushing myself nonstop since early April, attempting to sharpen my poker skills and win seats at the World Poker Tour Championships and the 2004 World Series of Poker. I also have really threw myself into my other sites, like the Tao of Poker and Truckin'. I have been juggling personal life stuff; family troubles, relationships in flux, finding a new place to live (the word homeless sounds a lot worse than it is)... but more importantly, finding a comfortable place for me to write a novel at the end of this summer, keeping myself and my writer's voice fresh... all the while trying to keep myself out of trouble when I haven't been writing. Yeah, I've been like a juggler at a sideshow circus more than a writer. That's the way it goes. In sixteen days, Phish tour starts, and in that small period of time, I have to write an article for All In Magazine, work on the two year anniversary issue of Truckin', and find time to play as much poker as I can to get as much money as possible for the first leg of my summer misadventures.
I feel very weak physically, something that I have never encountered. I have the reputation of partying like a rock star and with Al Can't Hang coming this weekend, I expect that my down time will be seriously limited. Did I always want to be popular and the life of the party? I had no choice. Yep, Life is the Party. I crashed Life without an invite, so I might as well enjoy myself. Sometimes the light... it's shining on me.
The other day I walked down crowded Broadway with Haley and I wondered when I would look back at the last year, and the last two years and determine whether or not those were the most important years of my life. I had plenty of forks in the road the last two years. Did I choose the right path? I must have, because I am still here.
As everyday passes, I am left without any answers, but more questions come to mind. I write them down, in hopes that someday I might discover the answer, or at least, until they publish one of those books: Life for Dummies. Maybe I should write my own, and cash in on the desperate and meaningless lives of the millions of people that walk past me everyday.
Billie Holiday, she was a hip chick. It would have been nice to kick it with her, late night, at a bar anywhere. She had some stories to tell. And I'm sure she would have laughed at my obscene outlook on life. I've been listening to her a lot recently when I have been writing. She always inspires me.
I'm on the clock. I'm living on borrowed time. I can't waste any more energy on impossible tasks. I have made a list of those, too. And the next time I get frustrated, I'll whip it out and recall... that I promised myself to move forward, and not get pissed off at what's behind me. Life is about change. And it's sad that some people never change. My journey through life has taken me many places... and I might be coming to your neck of the woods sometime soon. I can't ever stop. I don't think I want to.
Winning Ways on Party Poker
I am back on track. Mentally, my game is solid. When you win, you feel more confident in your game, that's for sure. I've been approaching my losses and bad beats with a lot less hostility. I try to forget the horrific, ball crunching defeats as soon as they are over, which is no simple task. Bad beats and river two outers are, unfortunately, a part of the game... and I cannot control those aspects of poker. I must be able to asborb all the bad beats, while staying patient and cool, awaiting my moments to play aggressive. I have focused on the positives of my game, and tried my best efforts to avoid slipping into the deadly, dark abyss of tiltdom. I've spent many a session on Party Poker under that foggy haze of Tilt. And lucky for me, only once or twice this month did I find myself in that bad place, and logged off as soon as I was aware I was hurting my bankroll with poor decision making.
I played a lot less per session, and took hit and run wins when I could, walking away when that voice in my head told me to... and it's paid off! I settled on the $25 NL ring games as a nesting place to begin my surge. And most recently, I jumped back into the SNG games... this time with a better gameplan, and a new level... the $20 SNGs. In my first 11, I won 5 of them and finished in the money in 7.
I fared well at both Ferrari home games, which added to my bankroll rejuvination. However, I realized that overall, I could play much better too. That's what is pushing me to having a better month. I also know my time is limited, with travel plans, but I hope to keep up the rush until I hit the road in mid June.
I played in 3 Freerolls in the past week, placing 219, 799, and 145. All three had about 1400-1500 players. My brother came in 92nd place. He played great! Those multis are a grind, but with $1000 for first place, it was worth my time and effort.
OK, I wish I could write more... but I'm under the weather and have to go. I have a shitload to write this upcoming week and I need my strength for Al Can't Hang's upcoming visit to NYC. More reflections later.
"Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment."- Lao TzuThanks to Party Poker, I wiped out all of my Las Vegas loses, in addition to stopping a huge losing streak that took up most of the entire month of April. I am pumped for my recent success, but also mindful of the long term haul... this May's winning ways means nothing unless I can follow it up with a better June and July.
I am back on track. Mentally, my game is solid. When you win, you feel more confident in your game, that's for sure. I've been approaching my losses and bad beats with a lot less hostility. I try to forget the horrific, ball crunching defeats as soon as they are over, which is no simple task. Bad beats and river two outers are, unfortunately, a part of the game... and I cannot control those aspects of poker. I must be able to asborb all the bad beats, while staying patient and cool, awaiting my moments to play aggressive. I have focused on the positives of my game, and tried my best efforts to avoid slipping into the deadly, dark abyss of tiltdom. I've spent many a session on Party Poker under that foggy haze of Tilt. And lucky for me, only once or twice this month did I find myself in that bad place, and logged off as soon as I was aware I was hurting my bankroll with poor decision making.
I played a lot less per session, and took hit and run wins when I could, walking away when that voice in my head told me to... and it's paid off! I settled on the $25 NL ring games as a nesting place to begin my surge. And most recently, I jumped back into the SNG games... this time with a better gameplan, and a new level... the $20 SNGs. In my first 11, I won 5 of them and finished in the money in 7.
I fared well at both Ferrari home games, which added to my bankroll rejuvination. However, I realized that overall, I could play much better too. That's what is pushing me to having a better month. I also know my time is limited, with travel plans, but I hope to keep up the rush until I hit the road in mid June.
I played in 3 Freerolls in the past week, placing 219, 799, and 145. All three had about 1400-1500 players. My brother came in 92nd place. He played great! Those multis are a grind, but with $1000 for first place, it was worth my time and effort.
OK, I wish I could write more... but I'm under the weather and have to go. I have a shitload to write this upcoming week and I need my strength for Al Can't Hang's upcoming visit to NYC. More reflections later.
Ugarte the Comedian
Support a new and upcoming comic this week! Yep, Ugarte was a lawyer and quit his job to follow his dreams. I applaud him for that. Here's what Ugarte had on his site:
Support a new and upcoming comic this week! Yep, Ugarte was a lawyer and quit his job to follow his dreams. I applaud him for that. Here's what Ugarte had on his site:
I wrote earlier that I quit my job in order to try my hand at stand-up comedy. Consider this an invitation to join me as I take my first shaky newborn-foal steps into that career. I will be appearing twice next week and can use as much support as you can muster. For those who don't know how these things work, open mic nights are "bringer" shows, which means I need to bring a certain number of people to get the stage time. So when reserving, say that you are there to see Charles Star. If you don't say my name, I don't get credit for your presence.Yes, I'll try my best to make it one night, but make sure you go and see Ugarte!
On Tuesday, June 1, I will be at Gotham Comedy Club (34 W. 22d St.) to compete in the "Amateur Jewish Comic of the Year" contest. The show starts at ~6:20PM (so they can hustle us out of there in time for the seasoned pros at 9, I suspect), so you should get there early to be seated. Make reservations (highly recommended, if not a must) at 212-367-9000. The name, once again, is Charles Star.
On Wednesday, June 2, I will be at Stand-Up NY to compete in the "Funniest Lawyer in NY" contest. The show starts at 9, but you need to arrive by 8:30 to be seated. Again, reservations are highly recommended. Call 212-595-0850. Did I mention that you have to say my name? It appears above.
Both shows are $12 + 2 drinks. I hope you can make it and thanks for all of your support.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)