Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[JaffaCake]

I worked as a sports sub on the sunday times for a year or so, this stuff is pretty funny but unsurprising. Proper pressurised, scary place to work. I used to rewrite David Gower's stuff every week, guess he wasn't so precious. I got in there through my mate Tony, who was the editor of Football Monthly and gave me my first job....I think he's now the chief football sub on the times, but he worked in a few departments in the mean time, wonder if he was the tony that giles referred to in the first attack!

[tikay]

Have you read Vicky Coren's book yet?

I'm half-way through it and totally absorbed, I might finish it tonight.

Yes - what a great read it was, too. I doubt I've ever read a better-written book which focuses on poker. Her father was a superb writer, & so is Ms Coren, no ghosties needed there.

I have just finished Roy Brindley's tome, "Life's a gamble". It's a bit light, a skim-read, I read it in 2 days flat, but quite enjoyed parts of it.

Not one tenth as well written as Ms Coren's one - he also wrote it himself, no ghosties - but even so, he gets the story across very well. It's brutally honest, & he does what 90% of addicted poker players do - readily admits he has been, at times, a hopeless & out of control gambler.

Life is good now, with Mags, Sebastian, & Elise, & I'm delighted for him. He seems to invoke a lot of bile & hate from the younger players, presumably because he is old skool, & has outspoken views, but nobody can deny he has really worked hard to earn his money. He had a spell where he was out of control with alcohol - jeez, he was not pleasant to be around at the time - but he seems to have worked through that.

His other passion, of course, is Greyhounds, & I seem to recall he had a falling out with one time Gala Notts regular & fellow Sporting Life tipster/journo, Pete Meldrum.

How is Pete these days? I recall him being very ill at one time, but I think I bumped into him at DTD last year. Pete used to get "quite passionate".

I still speak to Peter every once in a while, we used to be very close friends.

I first met him at The Nottingham Bridge Club and he was my bridge partner for a while when we were both dead keen players around twenty years ago. I started going greyhound racing with him three or four times a week. He is acknowledged to be the best "judge" in the country and we won regularly.

One evening we were at Hall Green I think it was and I bumped into one of my old poker cronies from the spielers in London, Curly Mick who asked me where I was living these days. When I told him that I was in Nottingham he said "Nottingham ahhh you must be playing poker there then". I remember thinking that I wasn't but that I should be so I went to the then Stakis Casino to investigate.

That was roughly 1993 and I've hardly played a hand of bridge since.

Peter was keeping quite well the last time I saw him and had been on the wagon for at least a year.

As Pete was a close friend of yours, I hope this is not taken the wrong way, but I found Pete very likeable indeed when sober, & not quite so, when he had been imbibing alcohol. Tell you what, though, I've been punting on horses & dogs for well over 40 years before I quit for poker, & I've happily ignored every single "tip" I've ever been given, peeps who rush to the bookies to back "tips" need their heads read, & as a result, I'm still just about solvent. But Pete was an extraordinary judge of a greyhound, & his hot things rarely failed. I seem to recall he used to come up with some right steamers at gaffs like Hull.

I hope he remains "dry", & I wish him well.

[tikay]

LOL at tikay being a born-again doggymore fanboy 

I'm an easy sell, Ralph, I go all gooey when I see rehab tales.

I forgive too, though I never forget.*

I really struggle with that to be honest, and I know I'm old fashioned but any assault on a woman sits badly with me. No matter how much time has passed he still did it. Saying sorry and letting time pass doesn't make it any less of an assault at the time. It is still a crime that he made a conscious decision to commit. 

An assault on anyone, particularly a female, sits badly with anyone & everyone, I'd say.

But we don't know the circumstances, maybe he "snapped", I don't know, but such attacks are rarely pre-meditated, they are usually a sudden thing, impulsive. No less awful for that, but it sits differently to, say, a planned assault, grim, or whatever.

Whatever, he got sent a big bill for that, & I think he paid it.

Is there never a point when we can allow them to move on with their life? It's not like he has not shown remorse, or paid his bill, or that it was yesterday.

I think, speaking as an old peep who is mellowing with age, that sometimes, we need to draw a line with things in the past. Must we hate the Japanese, or the Germans, forever, because of two World Wars? Must we ostracise & hate an ex Prime Minister, say Lady Thatcher, who is now very old, & in their dotage, & not well?

Anyway, you & others make the same point, but I read an article, & it was like the Japanese bloke on his roof, it made me feel better about something I had previously felt only badness about, & I said as much.

And I have to say, if forgiveness is a bad thing, then I'm a serious bad-ass. I know it's subjective, & I don't forgive everyone everything, but time changes many things.

Really, in the case of some who have wronged badly, there but for the grace of God go I. Most of us have crossed the line at some stage in our life.

PS - Yup, I've gone soft.

[tikay]

LOL at tikay being a born-again doggymore fanboy 

I'm an easy sell, Ralph, I go all gooey when I see rehab tales.

I forgive too, though I never forget.*

I really struggle with that to be honest, and I know I'm old fashioned but any assault on a woman sits badly with me. No matter how much time has passed he still did it. Saying sorry and letting time pass doesn't make it any less of an assault at the time. It is still a crime that he made a conscious decision to commit. 

Picking up on that point I remember saying a few words about Dwain Chambers ITT, he fell from grace and did his best to launch a clean comeback. As I recall Tikay didn't forgive Dwain so readily. But it is interesting because there are many offences you seem able to recover from including violence towards women but cheating in sport seems to be the big daddy of offences that people just can't forgive or forget. Personally I  think hitting a women is a more serious offence than rubbing on some cream. Very good footballer though.

I really don't have the time or energy to debate subjects for which there is no definitive right & wrong, but I think you chose a bad example there Mr Mantis, Sir.

Dwain took drugs which changed his body, made it better-suited for running fast. He got caught. He served his sentence. And returned to Athletics. But the advantage he gained from those illegal, body-enhancing substances, might well (does in my view) stll remain. He is bigger better faster because he cheated, so I don't think he should ever have been allowed to ply his trade as an athlete, ever again.

Also, the time-span has not been long enough to heal my loathing of him.

If, in 5 years time, long after he has stopped gaining illegal advantage in Athletics, he turns up at Talksport & sells a wonderful piece of spin to a reputable daily newspaper, I'm sure I'll think he's wonderful. Until then, I don't.

There's no rhyme or reason, I know, but that's how I see it.

[tikay]

I'm 100% addicted to Caffeine

fyp

Physically, I was done in when it finished, & the 100 yard walk to Days Inn Luton was a real struggle, I felt really old, barely able to manage the short walk.

have you thought about HGH therapy? this article came up with a quick google and is 3 years old but apparently it is absolutely bog standard these days for wealthy, old people to be on this stuff, number one topic of conversation at dinner parties etc etc. prices have come down since written i believe.

“I have about 250 patients currently on HGH,” says Dr Thierry Hertoghe, a GP with an interest in endocrinology. “I’ve been taking it myself for 13 years, and it has completely changed my life. I’m now 50, but I have no wrinkles. I need two hours less sleep than I did when I was younger, and I’ve got a much more efficient memory. My body fat is 13%. Basically, HGH stops the body cells from atrophying. I believe 70% of ageing is due to lack of growth hormone.”

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/beauty/article3663145.ece

I'm dying to reply to this, Justin, because it's such an amazing question, & it opens up so many areas which are impacting upon my life right now.

I'll need several Posts to do it justice, though.

I shall refer to it as the Byron question.

To begin, HGH stuff such as you suggest, & I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I think it is hocum-pocum witch doctor stuff.

If I wind the clock back almost 25 years, I was given an "Audio-Book" for my 40th Birthday. It was on 8 (!) Cassettes, & I think it was the first ever Audio Book that preceded the actual book. Which was because it arose from a Radio Show.

It was called "Lake Wobegon Days", & was written & narrated by Harrison Keiller. I still had the tapes until December 25th 2010, in fact, but sadly, they perished in the bloody flood, along with almost everything else.

It was, really, a series of short stories set in Mid-America in the 50's.

One of them was about something very similar to HGH. Almost identical, in fact.....

More.....

[tikay]

Lake Wobegon is a small town on the prairies in Minnesota, or would be if it existed. It even has it's own Wiki Page.

One day, a geezer, going from Big City to Big City via Wobegon, speeds through the main drive at way above the speed limit.

The two local bobbies are sitting at the edge of town when the car races past, leaving a plume of dust behind.

They race after the car, & stop it, the suited driver gets out & puts his hands up, "sorry guys, I'm bang to rights".

The Cops give him plenty of verbal grief, "you know the speed limit?" & all that usual coppers rhetorical & patronising guff.

Geezer says yup, no complaints, 100% guilty, sorry sorry sorry.

"WTF?" say the bobbies.

He explains.

"You see, I am at so & so University, & we've developed this potion which reverses the effects of ageing, it means people stay young forever".

"Oh really?"

"Yup, in fact, take a look. I have a case of it in my trunk, which I need to get to New York urgently".

He opens the trunk & get out a cardboard box, in it are 48 tinsy-winsy bottles of murky liquid.

"See this here stuff, it reverses ageing overnight. It costs $2,000 per bottle, but it works instantly".

And so it goes. The geezer gives the coppers a bottle each, he lets them off, & off goes the driver, scott-free.

A week or so later, the two coppers discuss whether this elixir of life really works. "Well I feel better, & even my piles are not so bad today".

They thought it worked, of course. Because they wanted to be believers. And so, in their minds, it did work.

It was, of course, plain river-water.

So thank you, but I'll swerve the HGH stuff, tyvm.

Did you know that in Boots the Chemist, they sell Nivea Revitalising Cream, for about £13 per tube? And they ALSO sell an equivalent, especially formulated for old people, to "resist ageing". At twice the price.

People buy it, too.

As you may have noticed, though, it did not work for me.

[Bongo]

You can also buy snail secretion at £30 a pot to fight the signs of ageing.

[tikay]

Next, in my War & Peace reply to Byron.....

I'm opposed to any & all medicines unless I happen to be very ill. I'm not, & I never have been.

Same with green veg, & salad.

Same with GP's.

It's mostly nonsense, & we can live well without them. Buy we like to think we need them, & we like to think they make us feel better. But in most cases, we are not ill anyway, we have just self-abused.

In my case, I am seriously contemplating breaking my "rule" & taking an aspirin or two daily, because I've sort of fallen for recent Aspirin spin.

But the thing is, my problem is not medical at all. It's lack of sleep, lack of rest, too much stress, never being able to relax, never being able to sit & do nothing. I don't think any magic potion can solve that. Only I can solve that, & we must not fall into the modern trap of blaming others for our ails.

My problem is self-induced, & no medicine on earth will solve it.

More to follow. Assuming anyone is still awake......

[tikay]

You can also buy snail secretion at £30 a pot to fight the signs of ageing.

Yup, that'll work, too.

[tikay]

Before continuing with the Byron thing, which reaches an awkward spot shortly......

Huge excitement at work today. We are very much part of the SB&G family, & today, this week in fact, is a huge week for Bet.

Cheltenham is one of the biggest weeks of the year for the Gaming Industry. (Note, "gaming" not gambling").

All the boxes have been greened out for months now, in Bet, Vegas, Bingo, Poker, & Odds-Checker, & the numbers are now such that SB&G even got a mention in the BSKYB Interim Report, in January. Down on Page 6, maybe, but some very impressive graphs. I don't benefit from Staff Bonus, as I am not staff as such, & although negotiations to become a staffer continue, I don't think I'll accept, as I reach official retirement age next year. But the graphs have continued ever steeper, & so this week could be crucial.

The thing about bookmaking is that, to a degree, profits can only be controlled to an extent, the rest is down to results, book-management, & luck.

They send out a little review to all of us before each & every race today, who we need to lose, who we need to win, with a rough estimate of liabilities. It helps give us ownership.

Tonight, they will send out the day's overall numbers, & we'll see what the damage, or profit, was.

Judging by the race by race summaries after each race today, I think it's probably 1-1 so far.

Tomorrow, we go to war again.

First, though, we need Peterborough to have a bad night tonioght.....

PS - We have big plasma-screen tellies in the office, perma-tuned into Sports. Every time a Chelters fav came home, we all booed, when the rags trotted up, we were all cheering like mad. All very daft, in a way.

Bit like being a policeman, or a Traffic Warden, or a Millwall supporter.

[ripple11]

First, though, we need Peterborough to have a bad night tonioght.....

.Skybet are now 20/1 from40/1 on 5 goals +

Going to be an fun evening

[Eck]

SB&G even got a mention in the BSKYB Interim Report, in January. Down on Page 6,

A completely fictitious graph btw.

Not exactly believing in better today....

[ripple11]

First, though, we need Peterborough to have a bad night tonioght.....

.Skybet are now 20/1 from40/1 on 5 goals +

Going to be an fun evening

half time 3 goals..........

[tikay]

First, though, we need Peterborough to have a bad night tonioght.....

.Skybet are now 20/1 from40/1 on 5 goals +

Going to be an fun evening

half time 3 goals..........

No sweat. We have a floodlight failure lined up.

[Dingdell]

Lake Wobegon is a small town on the prairies in Minnesota, or would be if it existed. It even has it's own Wiki Page.

One day, a geezer, going from Big City to Big City via Wobegon, speeds through the main drive at way above the speed limit.

The two local bobbies are sitting at the edge of town when the car races past, leaving a plume of dust behind.

They race after the car, & stop it, the suited driver gets out & puts his hands up, "sorry guys, I'm bang to rights".

The Cops give him plenty of verbal grief, "you know the speed limit?" & all that usual coppers rhetorical & patronising guff.

Geezer says yup, no complaints, 100% guilty, sorry sorry sorry.

"WTF?" say the bobbies.

He explains.

"You see, I am at so & so University, & we've developed this potion which reverses the effects of ageing, it means people stay young forever".

"Oh really?"

"Yup, in fact, take a look. I have a case of it in my trunk, which I need to get to New York urgently".

He opens the trunk & get out a cardboard box, in it are 48 tinsy-winsy bottles of murky liquid.

"See this here stuff, it reverses ageing overnight. It costs $2,000 per bottle, but it works instantly".

And so it goes. The geezer gives the coppers a bottle each, he lets them off, & off goes the driver, scott-free.

A week or so later, the two coppers discuss whether this elixir of life really works. "Well I feel better, & even my piles are not so bad today".

They thought it worked, of course. Because they wanted to be believers. And so, in their minds, it did work.

It was, of course, plain river-water.

So thank you, but I'll swerve the HGH stuff, tyvm.o affect.

Did you know that in Boots the Chemist, they sell Nivea Revitalising Cream, for about £13 per tube? And they ALSO sell an equivalent, especially formulated for old people, to "resist ageing". At twice the price.

People buy it, too.

As you may have noticed, though, it did not work for me.

So your point is being made using a made up town and story? Just so I'm clear here.....having said that I agree with the placebo affect