Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[ripple11]

Forget the birthday stuff. Have you ever been to Hampton Court Palace? Thinking of taking a trip down this week.

If you're driving it's worth parking for free in Bushy Park (across the road).....otherwise it's a few quid in Hampton Court car park. It's a pleasent 10 min walk to Hampton Court across the park as long as you don't annoy the deer.  (Also it has a great playground for kids if you have any)
Haven't been inside the Palace for years, but the grounds are great to walk around. Interestingly its free to walk around the main garden bit (with the real tennis and great vine) in "Winter time".... but they charge you in "Summer time".

[redsimon]

Grand Prix: The Killer Years was on BBC4 this week. I mentioned it on the "other fred". Did you get to see it?

[Tal]

As indicated on the Tips Fred, I turned on the proculvision* this evening to the channel you and his Royal Tightiness were presenting.

On the first such flick, TightEnd uses the word "ceded"

On the second, Tikay is discussing iambic pentameter. This makes me go slightly funny at the knees. Metre is so important in Shakespeare. I had a wonderful conversation with an old college friend about this the other day. Him from a position of incredible knowledge; me from a comparable level of enthusiasm and a fraction of the knowledge.

I could discuss this stuff for months without ever getting bored. An incredibly gifted writer but it is only when you really get into the detail that you appreciate just how good he was.

*television - the name is half Latin and half Greek; I chose the Latin

[tikay]

A belated "thank you" for the birthday wishes.

I sort of hid all day, but I was overwhelmed with messages on here, next door, PM's, texts etc.

I had planned to write a bit of a thing about where I now find myself, & how I see this & that, but maybe it is best avoided. Every day on blonde I read stuff which makes me gasp & gawk, but I cba with aggro, so I just read it in amazement & say nowt.

Anyway, no time to waste, Friday is pension day I believe, so I'd better go collect.


 

[tikay]

As indicated on the Tips Fred, I turned on the proculvision* this evening to the channel you and his Royal Tightiness were presenting.

On the first such flick, TightEnd uses the word "ceded"

On the second, Tikay is discussing iambic pentameter. This makes me go slightly funny at the knees. Metre is so important in Shakespeare. I had a wonderful conversation with an old college friend about this the other day. Him from a position of incredible knowledge; me from a comparable level of enthusiasm and a fraction of the knowledge.

I could discuss this stuff for months without ever getting bored. An incredibly gifted writer but it is only when you really get into the detail that you appreciate just how good he was.

*television - the name is half Latin and half Greek; I chose the Latin

I have really tried, but I just cannot "get" Shakespeare, it's all a bit above me. I don't doubt, though, that he was extremely gifted.

Yup, I mentioned iambic pentameter on last night's Show. A phrase not often heard on a Poker Show, but its good to mix it up.

I got Tighty to do all the "hand commentary" on the Show last night, & he instantly "got" message, which so few do. He was excellent. 

I was so pleased he was well-received in the DTD Live Stream, even though I winced at the abuse heaped on PZ. Not because PZ never deserved it, but because......well, it did not need the world & his wife to keep repeating it once two articulate & intelligent guys (Ed & Stu) had made the point, & made it well.

Soon, & inevitably, we were reduced to "PZ is a retard". Hardly a well thought out observation & critique. Quite amazing at how such trivialities as a commentary on a free to air live stream can so tilt some. It is really that important? Guess it is to some folk. Me? I can't abide listening to John Inverdale, so I just turn it off.

I am so disappointed in blonde sometimes, we can do better than that. Other times I'm incredibly proud of it, & on balance, the latter very much holds sway. I guess sugar & spice is fine.

I somehow ducked two recent invites to do commentary on DTD Live Streams, as I just cba with handling the abuse. I'd be fine with well-observed criticism, but what a twat does not appeal quite so much. So I guess the abuse works in the end, & the listeners are spared.

That all sounds a bit morbid, but it's not meant to be, & I'm as happy as Larry, but boy oh boy, we do see some weird stuff on here sometimes.

[Laxie]

I was annoyed with PZ's obviously biased commentating.  Whether it be due to his personal opinion of players prior to the hand or the cards being shown giving him extra information the players didn't have, either way it wasn't enjoyable and I did turn it off.  Pity, because I really did enjoy Tighty's efforts and tried for a goodly while to just tune PZ out. 

Some people will get abuse regardless of how well they do the job.  I have no axe to grind with PZ, I don't know him and know very little of the troubles he's had recently.  I wanted him to be good at what he was doing purely so I could enjoy a live stream.  In my opinion, he wasn't doing the job well and it wasn't enjoyable to watch.  I didn't post because I knew it would fall on deaf ears and not sure why I'm posting now.  Suppose just to point out, many people may have felt the same but didn't join the 'mob' on the day.

[tikay]

Forget the birthday stuff. Have you ever been to Hampton Court Palace? Thinking of taking a trip down this week.

You absolutely MUST go.

If possible, take the train to the wonderful little railway styation, which is full of character.






Then stroll across Hampton Court Bridge, with the boats plying along the Thames underneath, & Hampton Court Palace, in all it's magnificence, is on your right, hoving into view.






That sense of anticipation as you slowly approach the Palace is all part of the experience. It's a bit like sexual foreplay I suppose. Makes all the difference, I'm told.



   

[Young_gun]

Surely if u got any abuse it would be on the similar level as when you present on SP?

Not meaning its right but it should be manageable and you will get other people at the other end of the spectrum saying gow awesome you are.

You should give it a go IMO, im sure you will be greatly received :-) as they say haters gonna hate..

Anyway belated happy birthday, hope to see u at the next SPT, also apologise if this is hard to read from my phone.

Regards
John

[tikay]

Grand Prix: The Killer Years was on BBC4 this week. I mentioned it on the "other fred". Did you get to see it?

No, I missed it, bugger. Is it on again, or on i-Player?

I'm pretty sure someone Posted an i-Player link to it previously, but I can't find it now.

PS - I watched a film on TV this week. It was shite, obv. I know it was shite, because I recorded it, & I've watched it twice more since.

The bloke who starred in "Snatch" was in it. He's very good. 

[redsimon]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00z8v18/Grand_Prix_The_Killer_Years/

[TightEnd]

It's probably the Snatch film blokes finest role, imo

Glad you didn't like it , so watched it three times 

[tikay]

Surely if u got any abuse it would be on the similar level as when you present on SP?

Not meaning its right but it should be manageable and you will get other people at the other end of the spectrum saying gow awesome you are.

You should give it a go IMO, im sure you will be greatly received :-) as they say haters gonna hate..

Anyway belated happy birthday, hope to see u at the next SPT, also apologise if this is hard to read from my phone.

Regards
John

I don't get much abuse on 861 - I get a bit, obviously - but that Show is very specifically aimed at a particular target audience, I understand that audience extremely well, & they receive it, generally, quite well. I get plenty of social-media abuse of course, but most everyone even does these days, I just ignore that.

blonde is different, of course, generally a MUCH more advanced level of players. To be fair, I would not expect to be able to commentate to a level they want & appreciate. I think I can live without commentating to them, & they'll get by just fine without that.

After each Show, I spend 2 or 3 hours replying to e-Mails which are, generally, very kind, & supportive. We are introducing new people to poker, and they don't need or want Level 5, Level 4, Level 3, A-B-C, or even A-B poker - they just need "A". Position, aggression, good hand selection, patience, that sort of thing. Very very basic.

Once they learn the basics, they move onwards & upwards, & I can't help much then, it's all above my station.

PS - Sometimes I think or write out loud. Generally a bad idea, I fancy.   

[tikay]

It's probably the Snatch film blokes finest role, imo

Glad you didn't like it , so watched it three times 

Utter shite.

I'll watch it again tonight, just to make sure.

[tikay]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00z8v18/Grand_Prix_The_Killer_Years/

Thanks Simon.

You off to Vegas again anytime soon?

[tikay]

Happy Birthday tikay. 

I'm not able to get to SPT's at the moment so don't get a chance to take suitably embarrassing photos of the presentation that happens each year. 

So here are 2 from previous years.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Thanks Aaron.

This year they presented me with some framed photographs of myself - caricatures more correctly.

Jeez, everyone would have a field day if I Uploaded those. To be fair, I look a lot younger in them.

A real shame you could not be there, & I hope you will be  back at the SPT's soon. We announced the SPT '13 Tour last night on the Show. Sort of. 

How is the lad - Lionel, is it? Sorry, I'm bad with names.