Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Was waiting in line somewhere yesterday & the chap behind me was wearing a laminated pass on a lanyard. In fact, loads of people here are wearing the same lanyard.

I peered closely, it was this, which was of no interest to me at all;


https://lasvegascalendars.com/event/comptia-partner-summit-2023-technology-innovation/


On closer inspection, it had his name & home town - Albuquerque.

The instant I saw "Albuquerque" I blurted out "ahh, Breaking Bad", which I guess he must be sick & tired of.

Not at all, off he went telling me about all the filming locations, & film crews, trucks & general film industry paraphernalia dashing about all over Albuquerque & New Mexico generally.

He also said there are 5 or 6 Tour Companies who do "breaking Bad" Tours, & even better, they do them on one of those now famous RV's.

Go on, google "Breaking Bad tours in Albuquerque", there are dozens of them.

It was at this point though that he pushed his luck too far. I've always been gullible, but even I mentally called this bluff.

I"n fact I live in the same street as Walter White's house, just 6 doors down".

I snap filed that in the "I was due to be at work in the World Trade Centre on 9/11 but I missed my train" bulging file.

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Click to see full-size image.

[Karabiner]

Did you not get a chance/dare to take a picture of the "young" lady?

Thoroughly enjoying your nattering Tony, it's just like old times..

Hi Ralph,

I wanted to, but I was too scared, in case she beat the shit out of me. I expect we'll cross paths later in the trip as they play all the 4 card split pot stuff & I'll be playing them too, so I'll be braver next time.

I can't deny, I  do miss the Diary & I enjoy waffling away when time permits, but the trouble is I never use 1 word when I can use 5. Generally, I'm kept busy Next Door, & as that's partly why they pay me, it has to take preference. But with the laptop probs & Geo-Blocking, I've had the perfect excuse the last few days to do a bit of writerage.  In effect, I'm on my hollibobs, so that eases my conscience.

Change of topic, but how is your wrist now? Able to golf OK yet? And will you be fit for your golf day on, IIRC, Monday week??

Invitation Day is on Sunday August 13th and I do have a decent slot booked for the shotgun start - the tenth tee which is a premium.

My golf is almost back to normal and I've been playing regularly 2/3 times per week - weather permitting - but the injury seems to have affected my feel for the short-game which is now a little more hit-and-miss than it used to be. My long game/ball striking has always come and gone but I used to be known as a good scrambler. I've had a couple of decent rounds but golf is very much an "on the day" sport so hoping for a good one later.

I'm playing today at 11.24 so must dash..

[animalpoker]

Loving the updates.   Keep em coming and good luck with the card playing. 

[redsimon]

if youre in uk sunday 27th august theres a plo8 freezeout at dtd as part of APAT festival.

[Doobs]

Strictly for the Sky Poker guys...

Our package winners get to play an MTT at Venetian, which has 2 x Day 1's (yesterday & today) with the final day tomorrow (Thursday).

Each of the opening days plays down until 12.5% of the entries remain, they are then guaranteed a cash & go through to Thursday's final day.

Yesterday, there were 69 entries, so 9 have made the money & will return tomorrow. Unforch, as I noted yesterday, I could not really interact with the players or take photos.

5 of our players elected to play Day 1a yesterday, being Alvez11, "Josh Manley Poker", bigfatfish, loololollo, & Nigel M (sorry, forgot alias).

Of those five, four fell by the wayside, with loololollo the lone survivor, so he's guaranteed at least a min cash. Decent shape too, just below average with 258,000. Blinds will resume at 6,000-12,000/12,000. (BB Ante), so I suppose that's in the region of 20 Bigs, though I'm not sure how to calculate it to allow for BB ante. Hopefully he'll wear a different hat tomorrow, a multi-coloured  bucket hat is not something I'd be seen dead in, and as is well-known, I am an arbiter of fine taste in the clothery department.

I should perhaps add that our players (& only our players) also have a $200 per head Last Longer, with, I think, 3 places paid.

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Any more updates I can post on the other place Tikay? 

[arbboy]

Without realising it, I’ve converted to “cashless” in the last few years, I now use plastic or Online for everything. I have had a solitary £20 note in my back pocket for months without ever using it. Even the window-cleaner is “cashless”.

Lifetime, since I started earning decent money in my twenties & thirties, I’ve always enjoyed the feel of carrying a nice wedge of folding in my back pocket, but that’s all gone now. Partly an ego thing I suppose, Billy Big Bollox, it gave me a good feeling, especially as in my earlier life I’d never had any money. Course, I’ve wasted & frittered most of it, but that’s another story altogether…

Anyway, for Vegas I took dollars – real dollars, proper folding, & I suddenly realised how much I miss using cash & carrying a wedge. I got it a few weeks ago, & amused myself almost nightly by sitting at home counting it like a little old miser. Weird but true. US Dollars have a lovely smell too, though I don’t generally sit there sniffing it.

Just to be contrary, I don’t use ANY plastic or Online cash in Vegas, just dollar bills. And I love it, peeling off a few hundo like a dude every chance I get. Once a year, it can do no harm.

I am happy to admit i love counting readies and always have a chunk on me at home and outside.  I was told right at the start of my online punting career by a dinosaur 'if you going to do it online have a chunk of cash next to your desk so you can sit and look at it when you hit the raise or bet button' ive always done that and never got out of the habit of it as weird as it sounds.  I still buy most things in cash wherever possible.   

[Supernova]

Morning.

I promised to do a few updates, Fat Vinni, Miserable Trev & a few others asked, but to be honest, very little of note has gone off.

Having said that, I’m a huge fan of Diaries (in the book form) especially the ones that are filled with fine detail & minutiae & some of my favourite books lifetime have been that sort of thing.

The Alan Clark Diaries were perhaps the best. Political Diaries really, detailing his time as an MP & various ministerial roles. His detail was incredible, right down to his daily bowel movements & texture. (I’ll not go quite that far…). Don’t get me wrong, he was a horrible man – a racist & Nazi sympathiser & a full on womaniser despite having the most wonderful wife. He was so posh he lived in a castle in Kent (Saltwood), & when he was short of a few bob he’d sell family heirlooms for a few milly apiece. His wealth, of course, was inherited from his father, Lord Clark the historian. Karma got him in the end though, & he died an agonisingly slow & humiliating death, (cancer of the brain or somesuch) when this once proud & independent man was forced to rely on his wife for literally every basic need. Absolutely the worst sort of politician, completely self-serving. Fascinating man though, in a sort of Trump-ian way. The end of Alan Clark's final diary was written by his wife & it was tremendously emosh for all that he was a bastard.

At the very opposite end of the spectrum were the Tony Benn Diaries, again full of the minutiae of daily life. At the time my politics could not have been further removed from his, but he was one of the last great politicians, in that he was there to serve others, not to self-promote for gain. A wonderful man & a great read.

The Alan Bennett Diaries were fabulous too, though in a very different way.

I took 4 books to Vegas with me, including the Alan Rickman Diaries. TBH, I’d never heard of him and had no idea who he is or what he does, but a sample speed-read of a few weeks in his life looks very promising.  (PS - Actually, he no longer does anything, as I now gather he passed away in 2016....)

Anyway, all that is my way of an excuse for the waffle that follows, as nothing interesting has happened. It was interesting to me though, as I'm in that sort of reflective phase of life.  

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Alan Rickman is/was my favourite actor.

I was emotional when he passed, he was so unique and his voice......never forgotten.

On RHPOT he adlibbed beautifully and rumors were that Kevin Costner said he would never be in the same film as him ever again. He based his Sherriff of Nottingham outfit - totally ott studded leather on Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy.

Candles were lit and a shrine made by youngsters at platform number 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station made famous by Harry Potter when they heard about his passing.

Ahh so many things I read, looked up about him I could ramble on but I could post spoilers so enough!

His Wiki is good read too

xXx

[StuartHopkin]

Lifted this from another forum, but I don't think the guy will mind.

He had the manager take if off the bill on the basis that it cannot possibly be okay to charge $10 for an orange juice.

Hope you have a great time out there as you always do! I've only been back 6 weeks since the last visit and I am longing to go back already!

[RED-DOG]

By contrast, I give you the menu from the Wimpy where Mrs Red and I used to dine, circa 1974.

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[booder]

Used to love a wimpy. wimpy grill with the bendy sausage followed by a brown derby,washed down with a coke float.

Burgers were good too, proper toasted buns.

[RED-DOG]

And all for under 50p.

[booder]

Salad was bloody expensive though.

[typhoon13]

Worth it just to use the ketchup sauce dispenser...proper plastic tomato

[celtic]

Used to love a wimpy. wimpy grill with the bendy sausage followed by a brown derby,washed down with a coke float.

Burgers were good too, proper toasted buns.

Always try and have a wimpy when I’m visiting the Sicilian. Even cheaper than the old menu because he pays 😃

[Karabiner]

By contrast, I give you the menu from the Wimpy where Mrs Red and I used to dine, circa 1974.

Click to see full-size image.

I was a regular at The Mint Casino on Kilburn High Rd during the early 1970's which was located above a Wimpey Bar.