Interrupting the Grind and finding I don't miss it a bit...aka Joy amidst the Wreckage...aka surreptitious movie reviews
Hope the holiday weekend is treating all of you well. I am also hoping this was the last Canada Day I spend away from Toronto, given I am moving next door soon. Does Benson & Hedges still host the Symphony of Fire? Could even something as iconic as that yearly spectacle have receded into the Toronto of my memories; withdrawn from its place in reality to settle for an honoured residence in the city of my remembrances? Why is it so easy to draw Milan Kundera to mind when thoughts like this come to mind?
Last night Cleveland experienced a literal thunderstorm that finely mirrored the metaphorical one I was waiting on for the last two weeks. The new backyard table I mentioned in the last post did not fare well for the challenge. I forgot to put the umbrella down before I went to sleep, and this morning found the mangled remains of a would-be missile strewn about the back wall of the garage. Salvageable it is not. But it does make for an interesting visual on a cloud-soaked Tuesday morning as I navigate the debris field clad in slippers and the inadequate shielding of terrycloth and Calvin Kleins.
Anyway, this storm has subsided, and the internal one tore free and clear Friday. Don has it right: freedom, however you define it, tastes good. For a creature of ingrained routine, it’s strange how quickly I have embraced the art of not doing what my clockwerk has been wound to do. At Hoff’s insightful suggestion, I created a daily schedule and a long list of goals of for the three months. It’s worked to get me up early, showered and hitting the day with that undeniable sense of urgency to really live these days. That way, when I’m up to tire high snow drifts and bathing in cancer-inducing radiation in the ElectroPhysiology (EP) lab this December, at least I’ll be doing it with a fully recharged battery.
And on the note of EP, I come to the slow child that is my poker game. It’s a sign of how much the game permeates the brain these days that I think of early position whenever someone at work mentioned the two letters used to describe the job we do. But just before I left work I was faced with the reality I can’t use job to excuse my poor play. Through a friend of a friend I became aware that in Cleveland, there is an EP fellow who plays at very high limits, 8 tabling to outrageous profits. This guy only picked up the game seriously 2 years ago. My friend who was on service with him saw him 4 table on his laptop at work to the tune of a few thousand dollars over the course of a morning!
Unreal. I have to fight every competitive instinct in my body that is screaming, “you need to crank it up dude”. Don’t know why I am wired that way, but there you have it. I can live with the 20 y/o phenoms taking the ball and running wild with it, but this guy is essentially me. He’s been going through exactly the same stuff I have been, in an even busier institution no less, and has learned to dominate the game. I don’t want or need to be that kind of player, but neither does he. He would really have to reach the upper tier for his day job to become a distraction. But just knowing he’s out there has created a dark ripple in the Force for me. Never met him, don’t even know his online handle. I just know he started with the same limitations I have. And he is so much better than me.
Ah, hubris... If the game is good for nothing else, it does provide a crisp reflection of my own considerable limitations and character flaws. As good a reason as any to keep playing.
One last, important bit of housecleaning before I leave to watch Superman Returns for the second time [it’s looooong but great nonetheless].
A recent discussion with people who I read regularly, and have grown to like in that way reading someone’s thoughts will sometimes allow, has forced my hand a bit. For the record, I want to state what I still think is pretty clear to anyone who takes time out of their day to see what I’m up to: the change I made in my banner is a commentary on the limited mentality of people who talk and think like that, not on a particular lifestyle. I considered the possibility it might offend some, but I was sure the small number of people who read this blog would know the origin of the joke and understand the intent. I was also pretty sure anyone who reads what I write would be able to get some sense of my nature; in fact that’s a big part of what I like about blogging. Now, I have gone back to original design – but I have to be honest; I am did so primarily because the the joke completed itself. I did hasten it a bit to show good fellowship with anyone out there who may have thought I was attacking them. I wasn’t. You’ll either take my word on that one or not. In any event, I am truly looking forward to meeting everyone in Vegas for what should be an excellent beginning to the Summer of George.
Hasta pronto.
Last night Cleveland experienced a literal thunderstorm that finely mirrored the metaphorical one I was waiting on for the last two weeks. The new backyard table I mentioned in the last post did not fare well for the challenge. I forgot to put the umbrella down before I went to sleep, and this morning found the mangled remains of a would-be missile strewn about the back wall of the garage. Salvageable it is not. But it does make for an interesting visual on a cloud-soaked Tuesday morning as I navigate the debris field clad in slippers and the inadequate shielding of terrycloth and Calvin Kleins.
Anyway, this storm has subsided, and the internal one tore free and clear Friday. Don has it right: freedom, however you define it, tastes good. For a creature of ingrained routine, it’s strange how quickly I have embraced the art of not doing what my clockwerk has been wound to do. At Hoff’s insightful suggestion, I created a daily schedule and a long list of goals of for the three months. It’s worked to get me up early, showered and hitting the day with that undeniable sense of urgency to really live these days. That way, when I’m up to tire high snow drifts and bathing in cancer-inducing radiation in the ElectroPhysiology (EP) lab this December, at least I’ll be doing it with a fully recharged battery.
And on the note of EP, I come to the slow child that is my poker game. It’s a sign of how much the game permeates the brain these days that I think of early position whenever someone at work mentioned the two letters used to describe the job we do. But just before I left work I was faced with the reality I can’t use job to excuse my poor play. Through a friend of a friend I became aware that in Cleveland, there is an EP fellow who plays at very high limits, 8 tabling to outrageous profits. This guy only picked up the game seriously 2 years ago. My friend who was on service with him saw him 4 table on his laptop at work to the tune of a few thousand dollars over the course of a morning!
Unreal. I have to fight every competitive instinct in my body that is screaming, “you need to crank it up dude”. Don’t know why I am wired that way, but there you have it. I can live with the 20 y/o phenoms taking the ball and running wild with it, but this guy is essentially me. He’s been going through exactly the same stuff I have been, in an even busier institution no less, and has learned to dominate the game. I don’t want or need to be that kind of player, but neither does he. He would really have to reach the upper tier for his day job to become a distraction. But just knowing he’s out there has created a dark ripple in the Force for me. Never met him, don’t even know his online handle. I just know he started with the same limitations I have. And he is so much better than me.
Ah, hubris... If the game is good for nothing else, it does provide a crisp reflection of my own considerable limitations and character flaws. As good a reason as any to keep playing.
One last, important bit of housecleaning before I leave to watch Superman Returns for the second time [it’s looooong but great nonetheless].
A recent discussion with people who I read regularly, and have grown to like in that way reading someone’s thoughts will sometimes allow, has forced my hand a bit. For the record, I want to state what I still think is pretty clear to anyone who takes time out of their day to see what I’m up to: the change I made in my banner is a commentary on the limited mentality of people who talk and think like that, not on a particular lifestyle. I considered the possibility it might offend some, but I was sure the small number of people who read this blog would know the origin of the joke and understand the intent. I was also pretty sure anyone who reads what I write would be able to get some sense of my nature; in fact that’s a big part of what I like about blogging. Now, I have gone back to original design – but I have to be honest; I am did so primarily because the the joke completed itself. I did hasten it a bit to show good fellowship with anyone out there who may have thought I was attacking them. I wasn’t. You’ll either take my word on that one or not. In any event, I am truly looking forward to meeting everyone in Vegas for what should be an excellent beginning to the Summer of George.
Hasta pronto.
posted by Iakaris aka I.A.K. at 12:10 PM
11 Comments:
post man, you shouldnt feel that the guy is better then you because truth of matter there is always people out there that do more, i understand its in ur competitive nature ( i get pissed when i hear kids my age pulling in 100k a month playing cards)but he probably just is able to put alot more money into poker then you can at this point in time. THe fact that u are a doctor and play low limits speaks to ur wanting to learn the game from the ground up instead of just jumping to a high level. Personally that takes more patience and determination then just playing at huge stakes right away.
Pure genius Iak.
The fact you are a doctor and want to learn the game from the ground up either means your a moron or you are broke from overwhealming debt from medical school.
See in you Vegas man!
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Yer a fag.
Get a job you slack ass piece. Jeezus.
I keed, I keed.
Not that there's anything wrong with being gay. At all. I have a cousin who's black, wait...gay, yeah gay, and he's AWESOME. Oh, and one of my friends is gay too.
You may need to take a page from Mr. Junkus Gigantus and just let it all hang out.
Hope the holiday is treating you well, Iak. Keep on keepin' on and all that.
I imagine I may see you on this yellow brick road that we're both travelling*.
Talk atchya.
*As you can see, I'm completely sympathetic to the gay cause as I made a reference to The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland, a gay icon.
Nice banner. ;-)
See you in Vegas!
Crank it up if you must, but I took a look at Wes's 8 table snap shot, and that just looked like high stress and pure torture. No fun all all.
I prefer the waffles style of play, play one table, and humiliate and degrade all the donkeys at your single table. Much more fun.
It comes down to what you want.
I hear you about cranking it up, but I realize one thing that has carried me: I'm not a phenom. I do not have a 98-mph fastball, I can't throw a football through a brick wall, and I can't name what everyone has at the table two seconds after walking in on a game that my professor was hosting.
I still do think about what I could be doing, maybe I should be playing more aggressively, blah blah blah, but I go back to that thing I do.
Therefore, I"m happy to win. I do win. But a good week for me is $100. I'm cool with that. 85 percent of all online players lose, so I"m told.
Winning is better.
Rav: yeah...I think somewhere in the back of my mind is the idea that ten years from now I will have played enough that I will be able to attack bigger games...
Fuel: glad ya liked it brotha. I never seem to learn the lesson without a punch to go with it - just bounced out of the Mookie raising UTG with KQo then calling a push only to be dominated and done in. sheesh!
Waffles: you have a man crush on me. admit it. it's okay. I love you too.
P: update MoFo, I want to know what's going on already!
Gracie: good to know we understand each other - cya in Vegas.
Eric & Peak: you both hit the nail on the head for me - I just can't get myself to that level based on what I want from poker right now and what I am willing to give the game. And that's okay, but having that guy out there - it just creates a wrinkle in my well thought justifications. Yes, I am an idiot, why do you ask?
Great job last night and thanks for the support. It helped for what it is worth.
Have a great time in Vegas. I am extremely jealous.
Great site lots of usefull infomation here.
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