tap my glass

If this isn’t a sign of age and responsibility what is. Waking up early (its 6:22am) on a saturday morning, tossed and turned, couldn’t get back to sleep. Mostly because i’m not all that hungover and i’m excited about laying the fresh cedar for my balcony today.

What do people do at 6:22am on a saturday? Is there anything to do? I think i’ll see what the grinders are up to…

I will indeed be posting pics later of the balcony, it should be pretty sweet.

One things for sure, i’m not all that interesting at 6:22am on a saturday.

I haven’t ranted about poker in a while, so now is a good time. I played a tournament tonite, a rather large tournament by my standards. It was a lot of fun, but in the end i’m out 80 bux. Let me break it down for you.

It was a 40$ buyin for 4000 in chips, a 15$ add on at the hour mark for an additional 2000 in chips, and an optional at any point in the first 2 hours rebuy for 25$, for 4000 in chips. I took all available options, you do the math.

My rebuy happenned shortly before the end of the first hour, me limping with 66, 2 other players. The big blind bets about 2x the pot with a 1000 bet on a flop of 345 all spades, i’m holding the 6 of spades. I thought about it, that player could be playing a5 with the ace of spades, or possibly 2 pair. I pushed the rest in, about 5 thousand, he thinks then calls, shows 35, boats on the river and i didn’t improve. Theres my rebuy. As it turns out, i was a 64% favorite on him, a 61% favorite if he had the a5.

After the first hour, i added on, and worked my stack up to about 9 G’s. I made one bad play by not raising on the river with a pot i coulda one, and was out about 2000 on that pot. That was the only “bad” play i made all night.

I went out when utg raised to 1200, 3x the big blind of 400. I had pocket kings. At this point i was down to about 6000. I pushed, he called, showed 99, first card on the flop, a 9, that was all she wrote. I had 100 left, and bu by.

Its frustrating cause i played pretty well, except for that one bad play. I’ll get em next time damn it, damn it, i’ll get em next time. Damn cards. It was fun though.

So i got back from the trip. Over a week ago now, but the time has flown. New york was an absolute blast. 7 and half hours to get there, not too shabby. We stayed in a relatively nice hotel in manhattan. As we showed up, parked our car next door, and started walking to the door there was an apparently miscellanous new yorker outside who asked “You have reservations?” and we said ya and told her the name - she’s like “nobody here by that name”… but of course, there was, just minor confusion. That was the rudest anyone was to us for the entire time we were in the city. Everyone there was super cool.

The first night we spent wandering around manhattan. Went through union square. Its this super cool hangout spot filled with young folk and all folks alike, folks playing drums and some kickass skaters. That was cool. We wandered a whole whack loads and eventually found our way into the Bleeker Street Bar (or something). It was fun, pints were had, good times. Then went off to the Peculiar Pub, it was a university crowd (apparently) but also quite cool. Not too drunk, we went back to the hotel, but not before i ate some street meat, some wikid beancurd rice things from this korean take out, and then finally a scicilian slice. Holy crap, awesome stuff.

The next day was straight up wandering. From our hotel (i think it was at 33nd and 2nd) southwest a bit to broadway, all the way up through times square to central park where we took a load off, and then trained down to the pierish area, checked the statue, saw wall street, and wandered back shopping, touring, seeing, and finally a quick snooze back at the pad. After which we went to meet some fellow canadians at a bar to watch game 6 of the oilers game (they won). They then took us to mcsorleys. Very cool spot. Apparently the longest continually running bar in ny, since 1854 or something (not sure about prohibition, but o well). They only serve 2 kinds of drinks. Light beer, and dark beer, a buck a piece (actually a little more, i think 24 beers was 28 bux or something). The place was dripping with charm.

Phew. The next day, hungover, we drove into brooklyn and checked diner quickly for some greesy spoonage. Not bad. Then through hasidic jew town all the way to coney island. “She’s my coney island baby…” ya i kept hearing that but it wasn’t playing. But the hot dogs were. And some of the ugliest people on the planet - very few attractive folks out of the 50 or so thousand people that were out on the beach, but i wasn’t complaining (much). Once full and hot and flustered, off to AC!

And in AC, well, I gambled and drank free but slow to be delivered beer. Mostly we only played 2/4 limit holdem, but i tried my hand at a tourny (only 22 folks) and some 1/2 NL. All was wicked fun although i lost a bunch of money - i was within budget, but still annoyed i lost. Thats me i guess. I didn’t know what to do when i was raised the rest of my stack (about a hundred bux) when i had top 2 pair!!! Damn mofo coulda had pocket tens too and still destroyed me, but no, he had to have QJ!!! Damn 25 dollar preflop raise didn’t help. I’ll learn for next time, and will probably call all over again. O well, it was a massive blast.

AC is basically a shit hole, i’ll probalby never go back unless i’m in the area. The gambling is relatively small scale, and thats about all thats there. The city is “scary”, and the only place that is safe is the boardwalk, which is actually kinda nice except for the occasional really scary crack-whorish looking people walking by. I hate to generalize, but damn, some nasty nasty faces were seen. And then there was the off key singer who would tap her foot and belt out american anthem style songs only to pause every song or so to spit a massive wad of phlegm over the side of the walkway. You bet i gave her 2 bits!!

On the way home we hit up some philly, got a cheese steak sandwhich, and toured the streets a bit. Very cool town. All low rise, lots of charm n class n love, very cool. And then we roared home slightly poorer but much richer for the cause. Good times had by all. All pics are viewable here.

There is more to tell - like that korean place in ny. The 2nd night my meal was this 5$ squid n cuke dish, so frickin spicy *I* couldn’t finish it!!! I can finish anything, especially whilst intoxicated!!! I ate it at a little corner near the hotel, like 3am or something. Good times. Ahh, so many good times.

The AC deally left my wanting more… more gambling, more degeneration, more lucridiviness. I’m going to vegas, sooner than later. There’s just no excuses anymore.

This is my friends new baby. Say hi to taco grande. He’s pretty cute. I’m not even a sucker for cute animals, but this one is pretty cute. Kinda useless and incredibly high maintanence, but cute.

In other news, the poker has not slowed down. Thanks to one of my friends being born 30 years ago yesterday, we convened at my house after the tavern for a gigantic ad hoc 19 person tournament. I of course, finished 2nd. It was lots of fun. Now the real question - do i toss the 30 or so empty touborg cans in the recycle bin for the folks that’ll come scrounge, or do i return em? I’m pretty lazy, and o so giving, i think i’ll leave em in the bin.

But wait!!! That was not the real question. The question i ask myself, is what kind of flour should i use for gnocchi tonite? I bought a flimsy potato ricer last weekend from domus. Fifteen bux compared to the stainless steel ma cuisine one. Which was, much nicer, but do i need to spend 50 bux on a stainless steel potato ricer that i might use 3 times a year?? I don’t very well think so. So the flour, yes, that is the question…

And let me just say, springtime comes and leaves are back on the trees again, i know not of the snappers, but they’re harder to see my friends, i will not hide from my close friends, i will live long on the weekends.

So i had little gathering at my house yesterday, a party if you will. It was, i think, a pretty good success. As i said, when i went to bed there were frying pans and my strainer buried underneath my sheets. I guess someones idea of a ‘prank’. I appreciated it.

The night started off pretty slowly, as expected. Folks started meandering there way in round 9 or so, and in real numbers round 11. At one point you couldn’t move at all on the main level, and for about 30 minutets straight i was filling pitchers of beer, emptying pitchers, and filling more. It was rare that a pitcher made it to the fridge.

All sorts of people showed up, quite a few that were an unexpected surprise. Early in the night i gave a friend of mine permission to identify where the beer was by writing on the wall. This eventually led to pretty much every wall in the downstairs getting written on. I welcomed it, and the place looks great. Of course, i am planning on dumping massive amounts of primer throughout the entire space. Otherwise, i might be a little ticked.

A poker game started up round 2 or 3, i joined in round 5 or 6 or so. It was a good game. While i was still mingling around i heard rumour there was a bully at the table that was pissing people off. That changed as soon as i sat down, i didn’t let anybody fuck around… i’m kindof a nazi at the table sometimes, and last nite was no different. I think the game ended round 8 or so, but its a little blurry. I know the sun was way up though, thats for sure.

A good mix of folks were there. An old friend from high school whom i hadn’t seen in 5 or 6 years was there. Some strippers. Bartenders that work at a strip club. Artists. Degenerates. Next door neighbours. One guy from the band accross the street. Friend from work. Friends from various bars. And no police. Which was good. The one large and 2 small kegs were polished, didn’t crack the 3rd small, but did crack my reserve 24… that was around 6 or so. I’m glad i bought it, otherwise the final keg probably woulda gotten cracked, and most of it would of been wasted.

I made some appetizers that were well recieved. Some cream cheese rolls, some sugary almonds, some red pepper dip, and some guacamole… the almonds were well recieved, all of them went except the ones that were spilled on the floor. Where there are quit a few of… i should probably clean those up soon. Nobody really knew what was in the red pepper dip, but most people said it was ok. Needed more definition i was told, good constructive critism for sure. The guac was ok, but needed more salt. I finished the rest off today… but i’m still hungry. I didn’t make some meatballs, bacon water chestnut wraps nor the pastry thingy. Mabye i should make something now… sooo tired though. I wish my tv was still upstairs, it could use some watching.

So ya, super time. I am, of course, quite ruff today, but this is to be expected. I smoked a ton of cigarettes too, all throughout the place. I lost count round 5, so i’m gonna go with 12. Thats the greatest/worst single day performance i’ve had since i “quit a little”. O well, my throat’s paying for it today. Not as much as i would have thought tho… hmmm.

So now, i have a week off work. I’m gonna paint, and do some reno’s and generally take it easy. In my seratonin depleted state i’m debating tearing up the shite floor in the kitchen downstairs… its probably a LOT more work than i’m prepared for, but i might anyways. But definitely paint, thats for sure. O ya.

Now… what to do. I’m kinda bored, not tired enuf to sleep (got up round 5), hungry but lazy, and the tv’s downstairs. I’m done my blogging and my photo uploading. Hmm… i don’t feel like reading. Mabye take a walk? Go for a beer? Ugg… no. A walk isn’t a bad idea. Then i’d have to put some more clothes on though. Why do things have to be so difficult!!!

Had a great day. Up early, thanks to not going out last nite. Went out with a friend for parliment hill runner for a cause scouting, saw some cats, ate some food, watched a bridge move for a boat, wandered, bought some veggies, took some photos, all around super. Had a wicked awsome skate session at some school off percy near laurier, new pavement, great curb, kick ass. Played poker, got my ass kicked hard… final hand, my ak against a9, on the river, 9, doink!! This table does not treat me well, but it was fun. Skated home, also quite cool. Not sure what else to say, it was a splendid super day.

Check this site out:
http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/02011502_e.html
I had no idea all these pics were online… see below. Searching for streets is the best, i did another search that yeilded a bank at bank and gladstone (i guess perhaps it’s name origin) with a whole bunch of pics. Ottawa had a lot of grass back then.

This is bank and mclaren, 1892. Wow. Think the people living there ever would’ve thought some dude like me would drink excessively on that soil a few times a week over a hundred years later??

Ok, so the ingredient of the week has to be: peanuts and/or peanut butter.

I only had an hour or so to chill, decided salad was the best bet. Wanted to try a new dressing, couldn’t find any decent peanut based dressings, and had a peanut craving (since the recent peanut butter soop). So i remembered an old recipe for a pasta with peanut butter sauce, but of course no quantities… i could’ve looked it up, but what fun is that??

I put about 1/4 cup of smooth pb, some soy sauce, some honey, some red wine vinegar, some sesame oil, a bit of water, and a pinch of cayenne (not enuf to make a dif, perhaps more next time). I also added some garlic and ginger powder, again, not enuf to make a diff. Dang, it was good dressing (i’m gonna cut up some apples and carrots and finish it off as a dip tomorrow)… bought some spinach and sprouts at boushys on the way home… then i added “what i had lying around” (ha! i love reading that in recipes, you can learn so much about people by what they have ‘lying around’… observe:) - a carrot, a shallot, some mushrooms, walnuts, pumpkin seeds (too salty but o well), almond slabs, a tomato, and some pepper. It was a damn good salad, and dang, i can eat a lot of salad. And i did.

Other than that i played poker tonite and lost a whole bunch of money but had a good time with my friends. Some times i wonder why i bother, other times i know its cause its fun. This is only half of one of those times.

Today was a great sunday. A recently new friend of mine suggested “early” morning coffee. At the unheard of sunday hour of 9:50 or so, i left the house showered, and prepped with backpack. The coffee was a super time, i haven’t been for “a coffee” with someone in ages.

After that i planned to be market bound, with a swing by city hall to see if any pride events were on. It was still a little early.

I hit up the market and picked up some veggies for dinner. The basil was plentiful, pesto it was to be. I had a few pine nuts at home, and picked up some walnuts from hartmans on the tour home. I then tourned by the middle eastern grocery on gladstone near my house, of course they had bulk walnuts… but it gave me an excuse to hit up some lemon pistachios and fresh greek feta.

Whoa i got sidetracked. On the way back into centertown, the parade was in full swing. Heres a sneak peek:

Ok, finally at home, friends arrived, poker tables were fixed, pesto was made, and poker was played. In the break between the 1st and 2nd game, this was eaten by me:

The pesto was pretty good, but not spectacular. More garlic, less basil for sure. The rigatoni was a second choice for noodle - last weekend i made a whack of fettucine noodles, and froze half of em. They were not my best noodles, too eggy, sticky going into the freezer, and stickier coming out. Compression does not suit fresh noodles well, they clumped even more upon their warm freedom, and had to be disposed of. There was also some leeks n zucchini n chicken in there, it was pretty decent. I got the pesto recipe here.

Ok, then i got to play guitar whilst the final game ended, sitting on the stoop, hearing the stones in the background… now i’m writing this. And then i go to bed, capping off a fabulous day. Tomorrow i see of montreal at barrymores, it should be a good time.

So i order this okkervil river cd a whiles back. It came in the mail today. I’m listening to it right now. I’m not sure its any good, the guy certainly doesn’t have a super kick ass voice, but he sure is passionate. Not sure if he’s got the fire of jeff magnum (ok, he doesn’t), but he’s got something, i’ll check it for some time.

In other news i played a poker tourny with an ex-colleague of mine, a current colleague of mine, and a few other folks out in the k dot. 20 dollar buy in, use of a blind ‘computer’, a nice table, a nice house, and 2 tall cans of stella. Its always fun when you meet people for the first time during a poker game. You learn a ton about a person whilst trying to read them during a poker game, moreso than you would talking about current events and the weather superficially at a party. Especially because you might see them at a party, gander there’s no compatability, and not talk to them. In a game, you’ve little choice who you sit with. Anywho, i destructored the competition, but once it was heads up, it was dragging and another game was eager to go. So i agreed to split with the one lovely lady in the game for a neat 80$ profit

I also sk8ed down to the oak after that for a pint and possible darts. Seriously *young* girls scurried everywhere in the midst of the 90’s night overflow. It was rather hectic in the oak, few dart folk, i myself scurried after 1 short beer.

And now i need to sleep. I am having more difficulty than i thought figuring out wordpress. Whatever, give me time.