Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Unless American Beauty is a true story, I'm guessing there is a small spot for fiction on Tikay's radar.

No!

I saw it in a newspaper article, written by, I think, Caitlin Moran, (?), who was writing about the author IIRC. It just hit a chord.

If you read the unedited "Watergate Tapes" you think they are fiction, though, now that is a jaw-dropper.

[MANTIS01]

Amazing diet Tikay, well done. Good idea to pig out and eat what you want in Vegas thou. I mean who wants to go to Vegas and be a nun right? And smoking after a good meal is known to aid digestion so I agree stopping beforehand is senseless.

[celtic]

A big list of "well done's" awaits, don't let me forget, please.

Did we miss this big list?

[redsimon]

stop it Tikay.  11.5 stone is taking it too far. 

can't have you weighing less than me

Hope everything is OK and you have a great Vegas trip...and definitely quit smoking!

The smoking - it's a deffo. My head is almost in the right place, & that's the key, dieting, smoking, the head HAS to be in the right place, the rest is a piece of piss.

Are you now in rude health, after the op & everything?

got a few problems with legs/back but otherwise everything is fine

Just legs & back? Lucky nothing serious then.

In the context of last 5 years no

Just a bit of muscle weakness and sciatica...all very minor tbh...I guess I'm getting old!

[The Camel]

The reason I and (I would guess almost all of the old regs) joined blondepoker was my friendship and respect for Tony and DC.

We built a really strong and vibrant commnuity and I have got to know some really fascinating and good people.

I am really glad I have been a member.

However, in recent months the experience has changed, nothing stays the same forever I know that.

The tone of several threads has been nasty, what used to be banter has become abuse and several good posters have fallen by the wayside.

DC has long gone, but Tony, Tom and Kev seem to have disappeared too. For reasons I know not, but I know without them blondepoker is poorer.

But then this Blatch scandal surfaced.

Alot of the people who have suffered are lond standing members of Blondepoker who have been here since the start and tasted the community spirit when it was at it best.

The money lost was secondary to the betrayal of trust imo. The fact noone ever checked the account and took his updates at face value without question shows what a fantastic place blonde is.

And now with this trust so totally betrayed I felt it was the perfect opportunity for Tony to say a few words (especially when I saw him reading the thread), maybe remind people that 99% of blondepoker regulars are upstanding decent people and we are there to support each other in times of trouble such as this.

The thread now has deteriated into a farce, the blondepoker way would never be violence or threats and some of these new posters stagger me with the nonsense they spout.

I've wittered on too long.

I have the utmost repect for Tony Kendall, I wish he still posted here as much as he used to but blondepoker (and life) moves on, I just hope the people who have had their trust betrayed by Mr Blatchly get some closure.

I apopligise if I offended you Tony, my words really were thinking out loud.

I guess I was just wishing that blondepoker was the same forum that it once was. And it never will or can be that.

[The Camel]

Tikay,

I may be wrong but you may have mistook Keith's post,obviously he can answer for himself and will but here is my thoughts for what they're worth.I noticed that you where looking on the thread for a while the other day and was hoping you would post,that was down to the respect we have for you,well at least I do and thought your posting would somehow maybe make the situation better.But really there's nothing you or anyone can say to make this any better.It is a really bad situation and I don't have any clever quotes to pick from but all I would say is money will come and money will go but the things that truly matter you'll hopefully keep forever.

Loving the post above by the way.I hope I'm still going strong at it when I'm 40 odd

Well if I did, then, I apologise.

He Posted that he was disappointed I had not commented, & he wrote to me to say "I hope my Post did not offend you, but I think some comment by you would help" or words to that effect.

So I wrote to him at length, & replied at length on Thread.

One comment is already in - (no idea what it means) - but I sense getting dragged into it & it will be like a sponge, & absorb endless amounts of time.

I've made, to genuine prople, who I respect, & previous to today, offers of practical help to move the thing forward. I'm not into all this vitriolic nonsense, or setting up daft Facebook pages, I just suggested what I thought was the only way forward. And, FWIW, "dispute resolution" was my party trick for the best part of 25 y ears. I don't expect my view to be taken on board, & I'm not sure what else I can do, to be honest.

I'm very sorry for those who have suffered financially, & would like to help in some way. But because I have not gone all over Facebook & Twitter hooting & hollering about it, does not mean I do not care, or have not done anything.

But I think I take your point, & you may be right. It's fair to say that I have a slightly different perspective to it than most might. Old people often do, either because they see things clearer, or because they have alzheimers.

For now, fair to say, the story was a jaw-dropper, but I thought the reaction to the story was even more astonishing. I have an obserssion with "stories about stories", & the nature of human reaction to them. I'm sending the baying mob round to Tony Hawward after they've done with Blatch, so they can beat the shit out of him, too - the bounder spent Sunday - Fathers day - with his son. Shocking.
 
How is that Bankroll Challenge of yours going - still doing it? Making money?

I hope you & yours are well, & it'd be good to see you soon.

hi Tony,

Commenting on the Blatch situation wouldnt have made a blind bit of difference to the grand scheme of things becasuse nobody really knows the full extent of what has gone on. The reason people may have wanted you to post is you are still the daddy of the forum, it was your baby and when we need reassuring your word can go a long way

Take it as a huge compliment that people would have liked you to comment because thats what it is. i hope the dark areas you have around you are only minor things and can be solved soon mate.

xx

Phil said it better than me,

In alot fewer words.

[littlemissC]

stop it Tikay.  11.5 stone is taking it too far.  

can't have you weighing less than me

Hope everything is OK and you have a great Vegas trip...and definitely quit smoking!

The smoking - it's a deffo. My head is almost in the right place, & that's the key, dieting, smoking, the head HAS to be in the right place, the rest is a piece of piss.

Are you now in rude health, after the op & everything?

good luck with the smoking...i actually found it a lot easier to quit than i thought i would.i wish i had the will power to diet,excess baby weight is not fun :-(
i was shocked when i noticed you at dtd the other week i wasnt even sure it was you untill i checked the list of runners,lol you must have great will power to lose that much weight on your own so im sure smoking will not be as hard as you think
again good luck fingers crossed for you

[tikay]

The reason I and (I would guess almost all of the old regs) joined blondepoker was my friendship and respect for Tony and DC.

We built a really strong and vibrant commnuity and I have got to know some really fascinating and good people.

I am really glad I have been a member.

However, in recent months the experience has changed, nothing stays the same forever I know that.

The tone of several threads has been nasty, what used to be banter has become abuse and several good posters have fallen by the wayside.

DC has long gone, but Tony, Tom and Kev seem to have disappeared too. For reasons I know not, but I know without them blondepoker is poorer.

But then this Blatch scandal surfaced.

Alot of the people who have suffered are lond standing members of Blondepoker who have been here since the start and tasted the community spirit when it was at it best.

The money lost was secondary to the betrayal of trust imo. The fact noone ever checked the account and took his updates at face value without question shows what a fantastic place blonde is.

And now with this trust so totally betrayed I felt it was the perfect opportunity for Tony to say a few words (especially when I saw him reading the thread), maybe remind people that 99% of blondepoker regulars are upstanding decent people and we are there to support each other in times of trouble such as this.

The thread now has deteriated into a farce, the blondepoker way would never be violence or threats and some of these new posters stagger me with the nonsense they spout.

I've wittered on too long.

I have the utmost repect for Tony Kendall, I wish he still posted here as much as he used to but blondepoker (and life) moves on, I just hope the people who have had their trust betrayed by Mr Blatchly get some closure.

I apopligise if I offended you Tony, my words really were thinking out loud.

I guess I was just wishing that blondepoker was the same forum that it once was. And it never will or can be that.

Thanks Keith, & that's an amazing Post, which needs & deserves a proper reply, because it's slapped me round the chops a bit, sort of a reality check.

Thank you for the follow-up PM, too.

I'll try & respond to the points you made which I thought were very pertinent. Some of them quite surprised me, I must say.

To avoid a tediously long Post, I'll reply in bits.

[maldini32]

The reason I and (I would guess almost all of the old regs) joined blondepoker was my friendship and respect for Tony and DC.

We built a really strong and vibrant commnuity and I have got to know some really fascinating and good people.

I am really glad I have been a member.

However, in recent months the experience has changed, nothing stays the same forever I know that.

The tone of several threads has been nasty, what used to be banter has become abuse and several good posters have fallen by the wayside.

DC has long gone, but Tony, Tom and Kev seem to have disappeared too. For reasons I know not, but I know without them blondepoker is poorer.

But then this Blatch scandal surfaced.

Alot of the people who have suffered are lond standing members of Blondepoker who have been here since the start and tasted the community spirit when it was at it best.

The money lost was secondary to the betrayal of trust imo. The fact noone ever checked the account and took his updates at face value without question shows what a fantastic place blonde is.

And now with this trust so totally betrayed I felt it was the perfect opportunity for Tony to say a few words (especially when I saw him reading the thread), maybe remind people that 99% of blondepoker regulars are upstanding decent people and we are there to support each other in times of trouble such as this.

The thread now has deteriated into a farce, the blondepoker way would never be violence or threats and some of these new posters stagger me with the nonsense they spout.

I've wittered on too long.

I have the utmost repect for Tony Kendall, I wish he still posted here as much as he used to but blondepoker (and life) moves on, I just hope the people who have had their trust betrayed by Mr Blatchly get some closure.

I apopligise if I offended you Tony, my words really were thinking out loud.

I guess I was just wishing that blondepoker was the same forum that it once was. And it never will or can be that.

Brilliantly put better than i ever could.

[Claw75]

Tikay,

I may be wrong but you may have mistook Keith's post,obviously he can answer for himself and will but here is my thoughts for what they're worth.I noticed that you where looking on the thread for a while the other day and was hoping you would post,that was down to the respect we have for you,well at least I do and thought your posting would somehow maybe make the situation better.But really there's nothing you or anyone can say to make this any better.It is a really bad situation and I don't have any clever quotes to pick from but all I would say is money will come and money will go but the things that truly matter you'll hopefully keep forever.

Loving the post above by the way.I hope I'm still going strong at it when I'm 40 odd

Well if I did, then, I apologise.

He Posted that he was disappointed I had not commented, & he wrote to me to say "I hope my Post did not offend you, but I think some comment by you would help" or words to that effect.

So I wrote to him at length, & replied at length on Thread.

One comment is already in - (no idea what it means) - but I sense getting dragged into it & it will be like a sponge, & absorb endless amounts of time.

I've made, to genuine prople, who I respect, & previous to today, offers of practical help to move the thing forward. I'm not into all this vitriolic nonsense, or setting up daft Facebook pages, I just suggested what I thought was the only way forward. And, FWIW, "dispute resolution" was my party trick for the best part of 25 y ears. I don't expect my view to be taken on board, & I'm not sure what else I can do, to be honest.

I'm very sorry for those who have suffered financially, & would like to help in some way. But because I have not gone all over Facebook & Twitter hooting & hollering about it, does not mean I do not care, or have not done anything.

But I think I take your point, & you may be right. It's fair to say that I have a slightly different perspective to it than most might. Old people often do, either because they see things clearer, or because they have alzheimers.

For now, fair to say, the story was a jaw-dropper, but I thought the reaction to the story was even more astonishing. I have an obserssion with "stories about stories", & the nature of human reaction to them. I'm sending the baying mob round to Tony Hawward after they've done with Blatch, so they can beat the shit out of him, too - the bounder spent Sunday - Fathers day - with his son. Shocking.
 
How is that Bankroll Challenge of yours going - still doing it? Making money?

I hope you & yours are well, & it'd be good to see you soon.

hi Tony,

Commenting on the Blatch situation wouldnt have made a blind bit of difference to the grand scheme of things becasuse nobody really knows the full extent of what has gone on. The reason people may have wanted you to post is you are still the daddy of the forum, it was your baby and when we need reassuring your word can go a long way

Take it as a huge compliment that people would have liked you to comment because thats what it is. i hope the dark areas you have around you are only minor things and can be solved soon mate.

xx

Phil said it better than me,

In alot fewer words.

The reason I and (I would guess almost all of the old regs) joined blondepoker was my friendship and respect for Tony and DC.

We built a really strong and vibrant commnuity and I have got to know some really fascinating and good people.

I am really glad I have been a member.

However, in recent months the experience has changed, nothing stays the same forever I know that.

The tone of several threads has been nasty, what used to be banter has become abuse and several good posters have fallen by the wayside.

DC has long gone, but Tony, Tom and Kev seem to have disappeared too. For reasons I know not, but I know without them blondepoker is poorer.

But then this Blatch scandal surfaced.

Alot of the people who have suffered are lond standing members of Blondepoker who have been here since the start and tasted the community spirit when it was at it best.

The money lost was secondary to the betrayal of trust imo. The fact noone ever checked the account and took his updates at face value without question shows what a fantastic place blonde is.

And now with this trust so totally betrayed I felt it was the perfect opportunity for Tony to say a few words (especially when I saw him reading the thread), maybe remind people that 99% of blondepoker regulars are upstanding decent people and we are there to support each other in times of trouble such as this.

The thread now has deteriated into a farce, the blondepoker way would never be violence or threats and some of these new posters stagger me with the nonsense they spout.

I've wittered on too long.

I have the utmost repect for Tony Kendall, I wish he still posted here as much as he used to but blondepoker (and life) moves on, I just hope the people who have had their trust betrayed by Mr Blatchly get some closure.

I apopligise if I offended you Tony, my words really were thinking out loud.

I guess I was just wishing that blondepoker was the same forum that it once was. And it never will or can be that.

Brilliantly put better than i ever could.

+1. Excellent post that a lot of people can identify with, I'm sure

[tikay]

Camel said.....

".....The reason I and (I would guess almost all of the old regs) joined blondepoker was my friendship and respect for Tony and DC.

We built a really strong and vibrant commnuity and I have got to know some really fascinating and good people.

I am really glad I have been a member....".

And, overall, it's been a wonderful thing for me, too. But not without pain, or cost, monetary & otherwise. I'm still paying the rent here, financially, & that's a bunch of money. But look at Tighty, & look at the work he's doing, for three bob a week? How can I not do my bit?

It's just that, right now, blonde is causing me distress in so many ways. Nothing life-threatening, but it disturbs the calm I'm trying to find in my life. I had a bad week last week in personal terms. No big deal, just stressy stuff. I eventually worked my way through it, & on Saturday managed a very good (in my view) performance on the 4 hour Live Show. I was elated - because I'd yet again proved to myself that when I have a bit of aggro in life, I can beat it by working hard & enthusiastically, doing my job well, & keeping myself to myself. I don't ask, seek or want help from anyone I just have a few close friends in whom I confide things. I'll solve my own problems thank you very much.

So I exited the Studio absolutely buzzing, for the first time in a week. And awaiting me, on my phone (obv, no phones in the Studio) was a quite dreadful, blonde-related, text. The text was so brutally clumsy, so offensive to me, that I could not sleep all night - I was absolutely raging. Partly because it came from someone about whom I care deeply, & to whom I thought I'd been a good friend. Making friends is lovely, but the pain when I lose them is something I struggle to deal with, because to me, friends are for life, & friends don't cause me aggro. I owe this guy a lot, too, I can never thank him enough. See the dilemmas? And I'm not awfully well-equipped to handle that sort of stuff. To me, friends are for life, & I ache when I lose them. Especially when I lose them because of blonde. I can't tell you how many are on that list!

A week earlier, my calm had been shattered by a different blonde-related thing, over which I have no control. But it's serious - VERY serious, to me, as it threatens something which I've spent a lifetime protecting. And I cannot do a a single thing to prevent that one. I'm not in control of it. But it affects me, & will shatter irrevocably (it cannot EVER be put right, it'll be a permanent stain on my Life CV) something I took a whole lifetime to build & achieve.

It's that sort of thing that makes blonde awkward for me. I don't need that shit, I don't want that shit, & I don't deserve that shit. I just want peace. It's kinda hard to explain, but I love blonde, but when it gives me grief like that, it sort of sours it for me. Bitter-sweet.

It's a bit of a shock to me when you say you only joined because of the respect you hold/held for Dave & myself. I need to think on that, it had never occurred to me. That would be a fairly isolated view though, I would imagine.

I also have a bit of a struggle to reconcile the different people, & mindsets, between the two Forums. They are VERY different. One is much more innnocent, & in a totally different place. The thought, over there, of ever borrowing money (or being staked, or whatever) to play poker, & all the things that leads to, would be greeted with shock & disbelief. Borrow money to play poker? Don't be silly! But that's part of my job over there, to be visible on the Community. It's like having two families, two homes, two sets of friends, & almost never the twain must they be allowed to meet, or cross, because they are inherently different. I'm never quite sure how to deal with the difference between them, but the "mindset" is so different, & its hard to swap back & forth.

I debuted a new little Tourney last night, "Take-on-tikay2", which was £2.20. Yup, £2.20. And we got 188 runners, which was terrific. And instead of railing the guys all night, which I should have done, I spent all evening on blonde, which, in turn, produced about 15 PM's, all of which I now need time to deal with.

So here I am, getting all excited about developing, organising, & starting a new Tourney, & spamming it, "working it", all of which I achieved successfully. (That's part of my role over there). The guys LOVED "my" Tourney, lots of play, good atmo, da de da. And the winner got £100. Lovely. Parallel with that, I'm virtual railing my blonde friends & partners who are winning Bracelets & 6 figure sums in the WSOP. That's a very odd mix, & it's quite hard to fit them together, & do justice to both. And SP pay me. A LOT.  So this morning I'm conscience-stricken, because I took my eye off the ball last night.

I think I'm explaining all this pretty bad. Hopfully someone will understand it, condense it, & say it better.

More (of the reply to Camel) in a bit....

[MANTIS01]

Blondepoker would be a poorer place if people felt obligated to post, I know that. Forums are like pubs, they have a certain atmosphere. If you're passing by and look through the window to see a brawl kicking off you probably wont step in for a pint. And who could blame you. If you were forced inside by a sense of duty you wouldn't enjoy your drink, and you wouldn't be very good company imo.

[tikay]

Blondepoker would be a poorer place if people felt obligated to post, I know that. Forums are like pubs, they have a certain atmosphere. If you're passing by and look through the window to see a brawl kicking off you probably wont step in for a pint. And who could blame you. If you were forced inside by a sense of duty you wouldn't enjoy your drink, and you wouldn't be very good company imo.

There you go, MANTIS nails it in a three-liner!

Now, back to repling to Camel in my awkward & long-winded.way.

[tikay]

Camel said....

".....However, in recent months the experience has changed, nothing stays the same forever I know that.

The tone of several threads has been nasty, what used to be banter has become abuse and several good posters have fallen by the wayside.

DC has long gone, but Tony, Tom and Kev seem to have disappeared too. For reasons I know not, but I know without them blondepoker is poorer....."

And there's the crux of it.

"My" place had changed. It had become sneery, snipey, sarcy, & the Forum was becoming overwhelmingly toxic. I wanted, & like (I can almost hear the muffled laughter) a nice place. "Nice" is, of course, anti-cool now.

As MANTIS said, it sort of felt I was so out of step with the toxicity. I don't do hate, I don't do aggro, it's anethma to me. But that became the trademark here - aggro & sneery stuff. I just wanted - wait for it - a happy place, poker with a smile. And we lost our way.

Kev? He'll be back, I think. He's in a bad place right now, but he's rebuilding his life & it's getting better, & I'm pretty sure he'll be back soon.

I'm not going to reply for Tom, but he's as happy as he's ever been, & in some ways, his blonde-love is affected exactly as mine is. He's very busy, & very happy, & very content. He might come back more often if the mood & tone continues to heal itself, I don't know. I won't press him though. His Diary was THE greatest thing on here, we all adored it. If he restored that, it would be a magnet in itself. We speak once or twice a week, sometimes for an hour or more. He's the greatest, brightest, best, & most loyal & decent man I have ever met, & I love him to death. His life has changed, & improved, massively recently, & he's in a lovely place now. Why would he need to spoil his mood & have his contentment shattered by Posting in a toxic & sneery place? And yes, of COURSE blonde is poorer without him.

But an odd thing has started to happen in the last few weeks, maybe 3 or 4 weeks.

Everywhere I go, peeps are coming up to me & saying "the blonde atmo is much better now, the sneery stuff has started to die, & it's so much nicer now". See that word, "nicer", again? I almost feel like I have to apologise for saying it!

Interesting, though. The silent majority move in mysterious ways.

More Camel reply soon. I think I'm making a right pigs ear of explaining myself, but I need to start somewhere. Then MANTIS can condense it into a one-liner.

[Longy]

Good to see you back posting Tikay, blonde isn't the same without you.