Four too, two four, whatever ...

Following on from Kat, and Fuel, various fours for me. Partly to avoid an embarrassingly large overlap with the latter, I'll go the "low culture" route for the most part:

Four jobs I've held:

1. Lawn mowing
2. Undergrad research assistant
3. Maths lecturer
4. Computer science lecturer

(Sigh, not very exciting, I know.)

Four films I could watch over and over:

1. Brazil
2. A Knight's Tale
   
3. The Incredibles
   
4. O Brother, Where Art Thou

Four TV shows I watch:

1. Dr Who
   
2. Heroes
   
3. CSI X
   
4. Absolute Power (if it ever comes back)
   

Four places I've lived:

1. Penetanguishene Ont
   
2. Oxford UK
   
3. Pittsburgh PA
4. Dunedin NZ
   

Four favourite foods:

1. Coquilles St Jacques
   
2. Venison goulash
   
3. Almond croissant
   
4. Brötchen with butter and apricot jam
   

Four websites I visit daily: Too dull (not the topic, the answers.)

Four favourite colours: Mu

Four places I'd love to be right now:

1. Arran
   
2. Wanaka
   
3. Toronto
   
4. Actually, it's not too bad here
   

Four names I like but wouldn't name my children: that would be tempting fate in more ways than one.

Four favourite books:

1. The Big Sleep
   
2. The Moving Toyshop
   
3. A Hat Full of Sky
   
4. In the Skin of a Lion
   

Ok, so food and books stretched the definition of "low culture" a bit in places. Live with it.

Veeery scaaary stuff ...

23Skidoo of Compromising Anonymity left a comment on my "best pop songs ever" post, pointing me towards a performance of Radio Radio by Elvis Costello (and the Beastie Boys) on SNL.

Thanks to teh magik of teh interwebz it was only a matter of moments before I found it on YouTube:



And, the really scary thing is, it looks like Elvis is related to Mike Matusow.

Hmm ... just found



and now I get the joke at the beginning of the other one. Ah, wheels within wheels.

Sit 'n fold

There's certainly a lot of bridge reading to catch up on, or rather to review, as I've yet to acquire any new books. Regardless, it's left little time for poker. But, I had an hour or so to spare with a stew in the oven, as well as some radio listening to catch up on, so I fired up a turbo SNG.

It seems to me that more people are catching on to the "tight early" strategy, which is a bit worrisome. No one was eliminated from this one until the blinds were 50/100. There were a couple of fairly loose players, but they were sticking to small ball and handing chips around among themselves.

Stayed in my usual shell, including folding AQ suited on the button with a raise and reraise in front of me (the reraiser eventually took down the pot after the flop, so I don't know whether or not I was right). Then got AQ suited again UTG at 15/30. A raise to 100 brought two of the loose players and one other along. So, I felt I had to bet out (300) on the A63 rainbow flop. The two loosies dropped, but the other fellow called. Seemed AJ, AT (maybe), AQ (possible), and AK (unlikely) were his probable hands (or I was near dead to a set). I checked the 5 on the turn, and he bet a ridiculous 120 into a 1045 pot. I called (figuring I was ahead, but aiming to control the pot size just in case) and we both checked the 9 on the river, with my AQ just squeaking out his AJ.

Time for the turtle to pull his head in again. At 25/50 I was forced into a call preflop with T7 suited, a min raise and two callers in front. No joy on the flop, so that was that.

Down to 8 at 50/100 and I got 99 UTG+1. My raise (300) was called by the BB only (one of the loosies and down just under 1000). The 987 rainbow flop looked pretty good to me. He checked, I bet half pot, he pushed, I called, he showed A7. Sweet. Until the board straightened on the turn and river. Sigh.

Tried a steal with 87 suited on the button. Big blind called. I followed when he checked the A42 rainbow flop, and he folded. What an easy game. More folding ensued as we approached the bubble. AT suited in the BB, the SB completed, I raised, he folded.

On the bubble, I'm second in chips with 2300! We have a monster stack, and a 1900 and 1300. Still need to concentrate.

Again I try to steal (at 75/150) from the SB with 74 suited. The BB calls, and the flop is A73 rainbow. I check, intending to fold, but he checks. The turn brings another 7. I bet a suspicious looking "conserving my stack" 350 into the 900 pot. He pushes. I call -- he has 55. We're in the money!

At 100/200 I get AQ in the SB with the button raising. My push sends him packing. I take a bigger hit than necessary with KJ offsuit on the button. My raise is called by the BB. Flop comes AKQ two diamonds. He checks, I bet, he calls. For some reason on the 9 of diamonds turn I feel the need to bet again -- he calls. The river is a truly ugly 6 of diamonds, and I have none of those. He pushes, I fold, leaving myself with about 1700 chips (against 9000 and 2800).

I squeak into second when the big stack pushes over a raise from the button, and is called. They race, TT against KQ and TT holds up.

So, we start heads up with me outchipped by about 8:1. I push J9 offsuit on the first hand, called by 72 offsuit (sorry, this wasn't a blogger game, so that just can't be right ...) Two nines on the flop, and I can hear destiny calling. We trade small pots for a while and then I win a race (22 vs KQ) so the chips are almost even.

Well anyhow, we bounced around for a while as one does, and then with stacks almost even agian at 200/400/25 I got 66 in the BB. He completed, I pushed and he called with K7 suited in spades. A race, but a pretty bad call in my opinion (I suspect a "let's get this over with" call). The flop had a 6 for me, but two spades for him. And the turn completed his flush.

Perhaps that wasn't destiny calling, but a siren. Oh, ye of little faith. The board duly paired on the river, and I mopped up his few remaining chips (less than 2BB) with A9 v 32 on the next hand.

I wonder what he meant by that?

So, my last post on pop music having been such a raging success (cough), let's try another variation on that theme:

Your favourite lyrics that sound really impressive, but which you've never been quite sure of the actual meaning of.

And, to kill any possible suspense, I'll start with three of my own.

Number 3: The Invisible Man (Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Punch The Clock)

Crowds surround loudspeakers hanging from the lampposts
Listening to the murder mystery
Meanwhile someone's hiding in the classroom
Forging the books of history

I always thought that last line was "Polishing the books of history", which both scans better and is less obvious. And I've just listened to the song three times, and I'm still not sure. Costello can be like that, creating some really interesting double entendres by fudging on pronunciation in places (the best one I can think of is in Red Shoes, where in "chasing after vengeance" the "v"-word could be any one of: vengeance, visions, virgins. The latter works particularly well in conjunction with "punctured" in the next line.)

Number 2: The Call of the Wild (David Byrne, Rei Momo)

Albert Einstein wrote equations
God told Noah "Build an Ark"
Johnny Mathis sings Cole Porter
To bring light into the dark.

Slightly fish in a barrel as you could pick just about any verse of any given David Byrne song and use it.

And at number 1, from my favourite obscure Canadian band

Number 1: Wrong Kind of Right (Doug and the Slugs, Wrap It)

Tie it all up (tie it up, tie it up!)
With a piece of hemp from a hang man's memory
We'll attempt to redefine geometry

This time the official site no less claims that it's "Add it all up" and "the hang man's". But, my ears do not lie (at least not yet -- despite advancing years, they at least still seem to be working adequately.)

Probably no accident that two of my choices deal with mathematics in some way. What are yours?

Update on "best pop/rock song ever"

It's not too late to vote or make suggestions! See the original post, if you don't know what I'm talking about. (Remember the basic criterion: must have received significant commercial air time without dropping into the "I never want to hear that again" category.)

Fuel55 weighed in with an enormous list. But, his first suggestion (Bowie's Young Americans) is certainly right up there. I'd want to include some other Bowie classics from that general era as well: Changes, Suffragette City, Space Oddity.

Mr Subliminal was more restrained, putting up Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven (sorry, for me at least, it's in the too long and too overplayed categories), and the Stones Sympathy for the Devil (excellent, and of course there are plenty of other Stones candidates as well.)

I'd like to put some songs from The Who or Queen on the list, except I'm afraid that overexposure through CSI "insert city name here", and relentless playing of We are the Champions at sporting events (when it wasn't really much good to begin with), as well as the excessive length of Bohemian Rhapsody probably disqualify them. Well, perhaps except for My Generation, which for some of us at least is starting to acquire a nice ironic ring. I'm acquiring a collection of My Generation covers on my iPod -- would appreciate pointers to any new ones (so far I have the original, Green Day, and Patti Smith.)

Tangentially, does anyone remember The (remants of the) Who doing Won't get Fooled Again at one of the post 9/11 benefits (Madison Square Garden I think). Talk about irony.

How to win at Sit and Gos

This morning, having an hour to kill before the kick off of the event of which we will never speak again (la, la, la, la, ..., I can't heeeeaaaaarrrrrr you!), and not being willing to watch the pregame show without some diversion, I fired up a turbo Sit and Go on Stars. Which I won. And as a result of which, I can now share the three word secret to winning at Sit and Gos:

Be a luckbox.

I had no hands in the early levels, and we were well into the 75/150 level before the first elimination at the table occurred. Down to 1200 chips I then picked up KK in the cutoff. All folded to me, and with a small stack in the SB I decided to try a minimum raise for tactical reasons (and, because anyone who had just seen me fold a zillion hands in a row would be unlikely to call anything else). The SB came along (he had less than a full call), and then the BB doubled my bet. I raised all in of course and was delighted to be facing KT in the SB and TT in the BB. No disasters on the board and I was up to 2,500 chips.

At 100/200 I got AA on the button. One limper in front, but he and the blinds folded to my raise to 600. So far, a fairly normal SnG. But, the card deadness returned.

I drifted down below 1500 again when I felt I needed to take a small stab at a paired flop in a blind v blind limpfest. Unfortunately, my co-blind had a flush draw and an ace and wasn't going anywhere.

On the bubble now, but truly on life support, with only 600 remaining after posting the SB, I pushed with A7 after two folds and collected the blinds and antes. And then the luckbox factor kicked in. On the next hand, from the button (200/400/25), I pushed with K4 suited. The small blind, A6 suited called. The flop came 578. The turn paired his ace. And the river two paired him, hitting my gutshot.

Pushed TT from UTG on the next hand, and collected blinds and antes. Suddenly, I was actually second in chips (but a long way back of first). Next hand, the bubble popped. UTG was all in for less than a full blind with KQ against my mighty 96. I paired, he didn't. Next, my A5 lost to the remaining small stack's A9 making me the small stack, but I returned the favour with A8 beating his A6, making a gratuitous full house. Split pot with my AK against the other big stack's A5 (double paired board, sigh.)

The small stack made his exit when his K2 suited couldn't beat the other player's T6 offsuit (Broadway straight on the river), and we settled down to heads up. With the blinds already at 300/600 it was basically a pushfest. After a few exchanges in his favour I was outchipped almost 3:1. But JT was good enough against A6 for a double up. Then, after drifting off a bit again, I essentially ended it with T9 against A7 despite a J73 flop. The T on the turn was nice, and the other one on the river, unnecessary, but even nicer.

It was then of course a formality that my 87 would win the next hand against T4 (all in for less than the BB preflop) despite a T64 flop. The 9 on the turn was surely inevitable. So, there we have it. Not actually as lucky as I remembered it, but I certainly won more than my share of 35-40% hands.

There was no joy in Mudville (RWC VI)

France 20, New Zealand 18

As I'm going to have to suffer through the post mortems to the All Blacks quarter final loss to France until the next World Cup in 2011, I thought I'd get mine in early and then go invest in a large pair of noise canceling headphones.

There is no doubt that the better team lost. But, they weren't beaten so much as they failed to win. One of the persistent failings of the All Blacks is a certain arrogance in their play. When it's clear that they are winning the close physical battles, the war of attrition, they persist in trying to land the knock out punch. Of course, to stretch the analogy to breaking point, that opens up their defenses, and gives the dominated opponent the chance to retaliate.

It's an unfortunate Kiwi tendency to blame the referee for every loss, and one that I try very hard to resist. But, in this case, there's no doubt that he played a huge part. Rugby, more than any other competitive sport, is a game where the referee is very influential, partly because the rules, particularly those governing the ruck (that bit where everyone is on the ground scrambling for the ball) are hugely technical. And the refereeing in this game was, to put it kindly, inept. In the first half, he persistently penalized the All Blacks in the breakdown, taking away their dominance there. Then, in the second half he gave a 10 minute penalty to Luke McAlister because a French player ran into him and then did an Oscar-worthy dive. Short handed, the All Blacks were threatening the French line, and the French were persistently offside on the blind side, not called. And finally of course, the pass that set up the winning French try was blatantly forward. And that's not all.

But, enough about the referee. The All Blacks seemed to have a pretty good game plan in the first half, aiming at playing for territory and using their (surprising) superiority in the lineout. But the kicks weren't reaching touch, so for the most part it came to naught. With a decent advantage, that knock out punch mentality took over. Silly passes, silly kicks, and the French got a heartening penalty to finish the half.

Enough of all that, time to go wash the ashes out of my mouth.

Didn't see that one coming (RWC V)

Quarter finals: England 12, Australia 10.

Only such a parochial and jingoistic organization as the BBC could call a 12-10 victory "thrilling", but certainly "surprising", "stunning", and "what is the world coming to" could all be applied.

It's presently 0640 on Sunday here, and I'm up waiting for the kickoff of the All Blacks - France match at 0800. More on that later ...

Just so the pipes don't freeze.

Nominations for "the greatest pop/rock song ever" please. Main criterion is that it must have received significant commercial air time, but that when it comes up on your iPod your reaction isn't "I never want to hear that again sober" (e.g. Hotel California), but rather "maybe I'll hit skip/back when it's finished so that I can hear it again".

For me, there can't be any doubt, it's Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits. Various songs by Elvis Costello (Radio Radio and Chelsea to name two), and Talking Heads (Psycho Killer, Once in a Lifetime, Life During Wartime) come close; but there's just something about that upbeat drum/guitar intro that hooks me every time.

So, what say you?

And I might even take a day off work to do it

Gotta love freerolls, and of course PokerStars is "my" site.

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

This Online Poker Tournament is a No Limit Texas Holdem event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 2137979

Back from Hamilton

I just returned from a week at the 22nd national NZ Bridge congress, and am predictably tired. Trying to get to sleep day after day after three hours of intense concentration finishing about 11:30 pm is no easy task, so I usually didn't drop off until 2:00 am or so, and was often up by about 7:00 am (stupid body clock.)

My results weren't great, partly because I was playing in unfamiliar partnerships, having left my decision to play until the last minute. The other reason of course is that I haven't been taking bridge seriously for a number of years now, and am more than a little rusty. I did get a few articles published in the bulletin (see links at the site above) including a couple of rather dodgy poems. And they were kind enough to give me a couple of bottles of decent wine for my contributions. So, that was nice.

But what was even nicer was rediscovering the sheer joy that bridge can provide. A large part of that comes in the endless post mortems with your friends and peers, analyzing hands from the bidding through the play of each card and trying to learn and profit from that learning (profit of course, purely in the abstract sense -- we're not talking about real money here.) This is something that doesn't really happen much in poker, for a couple of reasons. The glaringly obvious one is that you don't play the same hands as others (though I see that an attempt has been made to introduce duplicate poker) so they can't offer fully informed comment on your play, nor do you necessarily want to share your thought processes and techniques.

And then there are purely sublime moments that occur at bridge, which I at least have never experienced the like of in poker. The closest I can come to it in poker is the feeling that comes after you've carefully misrepresented a monster and dragged someone into an all in pot, massively behind. Times when you profit not from the mistakes of your opponents (which is also in bridge where the large part of your profit must come from) but from your own skillful play. And in bridge it can be a matter of pure skill -- of spotting an opportunity because of the combination of the 26 cards you can see and the 26 that you can't and exploiting it. Or, of using the ideas and features of your own bidding system to arrive at a good contract that won't be found elsewhere.

On Saturday morning there were three such hands in a 26 board session. I'm still not entirely down from the high that they produced. That may be a juvenile and inappropriate reaction but it's taught me something: I'm a bridge player, not a poker player.

I'll probably keep playing a bit of poker. If nothing else it's a method of relaxing and enjoying ones self for an hour, with the possibility of a bit of profit on the side. When I do, I'll probably blog a bit about it here, but updates will be even more irregular than they have been until now.

I might start a bridge blog too ... or maybe not ...