....and it begins.

[Content Disclosure: 64% Poker, 19% Life, 4% other]

The World Series of Poker is about a week away and for the following seven weeks my life will once again be all about poker. Fortunately for me, this summer I have several gigs that I am looking forward to and not a single boss or 'higher up' with an agenda.

Already I have two of my informational blogs written well into July. I don't want to have the quality of my year round jobs diminish while I am at the Rio everyday covering the Series. So I have spent most of the last six weeks getting about 85 posts written and post-dated for the summer.

There is also the matter of the "book" and some long awaited announcement, which at this point continues to be long awaited.

From the infirmity desk, I had an appointment with a specialist last week and will report on his findings as soon as those are relevant. Not trying to be mysterious nor alarmist nor casual; although something in a nice gabardine with cuffs and light darts would be nice.

Most of my early WSOP coverage this summer will be found on PokerBlog. For the non-poker initiated readers, who have actually read this far; here is what the summer holds for work and play.

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Poker Convention Gig

[Content Disclosure: Poker 44%, Poker Related Job 44%, Viable Income Stream 44%, Actual Use of Ph.D. 34%, Life Goes On 24%, Hillary Clinton -3%, Barack Obama -3%, John McCain -14%]

I got an offer recently to do a poker presentation at a business conference at the Four Seasons Hotel here in Las Vegas. The idea was for me to be the "entertainment" at the opening evening of the Collection and Recovery Solutions 2008 Conference.

It was an interesting and I believe successful foray into another area of both revenue and further combining my skills at public speaking and my knowledge of poker. The event was the open bar, open appetizer (the lobster corn dogs were great!) and multiple-booth evening session. This meant there were lots of people wandering among the fifty or so booths where various companies displayed their products. Down at the far end, near one of the many bars was a poker table and a really great set-up for me to do my "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Poker" routine. I had a full professional table with chips, cards etc. Great lighting and even an overhead camera to project the flop cards on the wall.

Basically, I dealt Texas Hold'em to an ever changing cast of players, while discussing the basics of Hold'em to the first table of novices; where to play in Las Vegas to the next table of players, some intermediate strategy when the onlookers wanted to know why I made the lady in seat one play her straight flush draw and near the end of the evening a group of fairly knowledgeable players got to play several hands I had set-up earlier with my spare decks.

All in all, it went very well and I am now circulating myself to the various convention bookers in Las Vegas for future performances. The Poker Shrink on All Things Poker in Las Vegas. Suggestions for a better title are solicited.

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Political Factoid

[Content Disclosure: Poker 0%, Gambling with Your Future 56%, Politics 32%, Dynasties 8%]

If Hillary can steal enough super delegates or a couple more of Barack's former pastors show up with non-mainstream rhetoric, the following statement could still come to pass:

"In November no voter under 51.5 years of age will have ever gone to the polls to vote for President of the United States without a Bush or a Clinton on the ballot."

2008 Hillary Clinton and Someone Else

2004 George W. Bush and Dick Cheney

2000 George W. Bush and Dick Cheney

1996 William Jefferson Clinton and Al Gore

1992 William Jefferson Clinton and Al Gore

1988 George Herbert Walker Bush and Oh Who Cares

1984 Ronald Reagan and G.H.W. Bush

1980 Ronald Reagan and G.H.W. Bush

Of course if Hillary doesn't pull off the biggest theft since the election of 2000, then all you fifty-somethings, forty-whatevers, thirtyishes and you new kids too will get a shot at an election without either of these weary political dynasties droning on. Unless, of course:

2008 John McCain and Jeb Bush

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Saturdays with Dr. Pauly

[Content Disclosure: 115% Poker]

I played some poker yesterday, recently I have mostly been writing or sleeping (Yes, I did see the doctor again, get off my back). But I remembered the Pot Limit Omaha event Pauly runs every Saturday, so I dropped in and got my money in with the best of it but in PLO that is usually not enough. Fellow poker bloggers should stop by next Saturday and have some fun with Pauly and the gang.

This afternoon I am off to Bellagio for a meeting and a stop by the WPT Championship, hopefully the meeting will lead to an announcement on a long delayed project.

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Mt. Shasta Part III

[Content Disclosure: Poker 8%; Cats 32%, Critters 25%, Vacation 12%, General Grumbling 6%, Lots of Pictures 98%]

That's Smokey reading a trashy paperback with me, note how Smokey is more interested in the actual novel then Midnight was. I think to wrap up this Mt. Shasta vacation/recovery, I will go with just the picture backlog. We have, in no particular order, me feeding some of the local fauna.

An even younger version from the troupe that visits daily.

Here is Gary, bonding with some of the "After Dark" crowd. We did make sure he had all of his shots.


Kevin Saul making another of his outrageous bets last Monday on the WPT Bellagio Cup broadcast, Smokey down below showing no interest in poker. BTW, this Monday night the second half of this final table will be shown on GSN and both Amy & I make a cameo at the very end of the show.




And finally, I can't forget the hummers. They are so used to us out on the deck that they will chirp in our face if you are blocking the way to the feeder. The Blevins have an amazing video taken last fall before the migration to Mexico; it shows at least 15 of the little buzzers clustered in the air around the feeder, waiting to fuel up before the big flight south.

Tomorrow the trek back to Las Vegas.

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Mt Shasta Part II

[Content Disclosure: Poker 0%, Cats 27%, Food 14%, Sloth 11%, Lingering Crud 6%, Assorted other beasts 3%]

Whilst I continue my slow recovery from the viral crud, I have divided my time between this laptop and the nest pictured above. A few warm quilts, a trashy paperback and the always appropriate admonition to "just throw another cat on." That is Midnight in this photo, although Smokey is usually the more likely candidate for reading partner and quilt buddy.

My hosts are both back at work today, so I will be taking over dinner duties, which will be a challenge as Gary has managed to do back-to-back-to-back deck grills with entree offerings of:

Steak in Hot Artichoke Marinade
Steelhead with Pear Chipotle Sauce
Scallops with Chili Mango Glaze

I am going to go with my standby: Strata.
This version with Andouille Sausage, capers, shallots with a Hazelnut bread base. Full half and half, of course, with an extra sharp cheddar.

Further introductions from Shasta include: OK (Outdoor Kitty) in both her barely outdoor and decidedly indoor poses. Missing image of Smokey and other slightly less tame animals next time.

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Mt. Shasta Part I

[Content Disclosure: Poker 0.0%, vacation 23%, olde friends 17%, cats 34%, dog 1%, raccoons, deer, skunks, hummingbirds 22%, nostalgia 7%]

I made the 12 hour drive from Las Vegas to Mt. Shasta last Monday. The long time friends, Gary and Cyndy Blevins, had headed out on their spring break vacation the day before, so I had five days to recover from my lingering illness and enjoy the peace and quiet of their place northwest of Mt. Shasta City. Technically, I am in Lake Shastina and non-technically this is Weed, California; but let's just stick with the major geographic phenomenon and cosmic convergence--Mt. Shasta.

Mount Shasta is located in the Cascade Range in northern California about 65 kilometers (40 miles) south of the Oregon-California border and about midway between the Pacific Coast and the Nevada border. The Cascades are the most volcanically active mountains in the continental United States, the range includes the well known Mt. St. Helens. All of the major peaks in the Cascade Range through Washington, Oregon and Northern California are considered active volcanoes. But enough geography.

The Blevins returned from their family visit to Oklahoma last night and we are now enjoying a Saturday of complete sloth. The week ahead should provide more of the same for me, though they will be returning to work on Monday. I do have a bundle of writing to do while I am here but I also have some wildlife to share with you, beginning with a couple of random shots of what the back deck looks like on any given evening.

The more domesticated fauna, next time.

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