Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[RED-DOG]

That said, I'm loving the book reviews. Please keep them coming. (No spoilers though please, I don't think venue read the foreword until I've finished the book incase it gives something away).

I currently reading 'Serious' by John Mcenroe. It's a great insight into a very complex mind.

I loved that book, & admired John very much more as a result. Off-court, he was a big softie & a very proud Dad.

I might just re-visit it.

I've just finished reading' Serious' and I'm afraid I have to disagree.

It was a great read, but John revealed himself to be an arrogant, mardy, bad tempered bully who blamed everything that went even slightly wrong in his uber privileged life on someone else.

My least favourite type of person is the one who is all smiles until the tiniest blob of shit hits their gleaming, well oiled fan, because when it does they invariably react by getting angry and belittling someone.

He richly deserved the title of Superbrat

[sonour]

The talk of friendly football matches reminded me of this story that Norman Deeley told me.

Norman was a winger for Wolves in the 50's. His debut for England was against Brazil and Nrman would be up against the Brazil fullback Santos.

Before the game Santos introduced himself to Norman and said

' I understand this is your debut Norman. When you get the ball for the first time I will back off, take the ball to the by line and get your cross in because after that you will not touch the ball again. '

Sure enough the first time the ball came to Norman, Santos did back off and Norman was able to get his cross in. In fact England nearly scored from that cross.

And yes, you've guessed it, he didn't touch the ball again for the rest of the match.

What a lovely story. How did you come to know Norman?

As a youngster, Wolves were "my team", & they were the first to play under floodlights on TV, & often entertained the great teams of the time, Dynamo Moscow & the like.

I could probably still name their entire team, which included my then hero Billy Wright.

The Manager, Stan Cullis, played for Wolves for 13 years & then managed them for another 16, which would never happen in today's short-sighted times.

Broadbent & Norman Deeley were my other two Wolves favourites, & Norman scored twice in the first televised Cup Final I recall seeing. Pretty sure the commentator was Kenneth Wolstenholme. Football was only televised once or twice a year then, tops.

I used to play snooker with Norman. Normans best mate was a pal of my Dads and the four of us used to play snooker together. I was 11 or 12 at the time and wasn't allowed to go for any pots unless the ball was literally over the pocket. I was only allowed to ' play safe '.
I wasn't happy with this remit at the time, as a youngster all you want to do is pot, but I've come to appreciate the value of knowing how to keep the white safe.
After playing numerous shots from tight under the baulk cushion Bandit went and got an armchair out of the club lounge and continue to play sitting down for the next few shots. Since then it has been known as the armchair shot.

[tikay]

Did you ever see 2 cars more cool & oozing class than these 2 Bugatti's?

Think I'd have the first one.

[tikay]

That said, I'm loving the book reviews. Please keep them coming. (No spoilers though please, I don't think venue read the foreword until I've finished the book incase it gives something away).

I currently reading 'Serious' by John Mcenroe. It's a great insight into a very complex mind.

I loved that book, & admired John very much more as a result. Off-court, he was a big softie & a very proud Dad.

I might just re-visit it.

I've just finished reading' Serious' and I'm afraid I have to disagree.

It was a great read, but John revealed himself to be an arrogant, mardy, bad tempered bully who blamed everything that went even slightly wrong in his uber privileged life on someone else.

My least favourite type of person is the one who is all smiles until the tiniest blob of shit hits their gleaming, well oiled fan, because when it does they invariably react by getting angry and belittling someone.

He richly deserved the title of Superbrat

Damn you, now I have to re-visit that book.

My abiding memory was off the oh-so proud & doting Dad.

Latterly, with his superb & concise comments & commentary from Wimbers, I've grown to very much like him, even though, in his playing days, I loathed his resistance to authority.

[tikay]

The talk of friendly football matches reminded me of this story that Norman Deeley told me.

Norman was a winger for Wolves in the 50's. His debut for England was against Brazil and Nrman would be up against the Brazil fullback Santos.

Before the game Santos introduced himself to Norman and said

' I understand this is your debut Norman. When you get the ball for the first time I will back off, take the ball to the by line and get your cross in because after that you will not touch the ball again. '

Sure enough the first time the ball came to Norman, Santos did back off and Norman was able to get his cross in. In fact England nearly scored from that cross.

And yes, you've guessed it, he didn't touch the ball again for the rest of the match.

What a lovely story. How did you come to know Norman?

As a youngster, Wolves were "my team", & they were the first to play under floodlights on TV, & often entertained the great teams of the time, Dynamo Moscow & the like.

I could probably still name their entire team, which included my then hero Billy Wright.

The Manager, Stan Cullis, played for Wolves for 13 years & then managed them for another 16, which would never happen in today's short-sighted times.

Broadbent & Norman Deeley were my other two Wolves favourites, & Norman scored twice in the first televised Cup Final I recall seeing. Pretty sure the commentator was Kenneth Wolstenholme. Football was only televised once or twice a year then, tops.

I used to play snooker with Norman. Normans best mate was a pal of my Dads and the four of us used to play snooker together. I was 11 or 12 at the time and wasn't allowed to go for any pots unless the ball was literally over the pocket. I was only allowed to ' play safe '.
I wasn't happy with this remit at the time, as a youngster all you want to do is pot, but I've come to appreciate the value of knowing how to keep the white safe.
After playing numerous shots from tight under the baulk cushion Bandit went and got an armchair out of the club lounge and continue to play sitting down for the next few shots. Since then it has been known as the armchair shot.

Wonderful!

You tell some lovely snooker stories, keep them coming please.

I can just imagine Pete, playing snooker. He is one of the funniest & laconic blokes I've ever met.

At the poker table, he does the Gosney-style "straight face" whilst gently taking the piss out of half the table, & it swooshes almost everyone, as his subtlety is a touch too much for most.  Not many folks enjoy poker as much as Pete, & he's the best table company imaginable. 

Think he'd be on my "Dream Poker Table", as would Gosney. Fun times would be had.

[RED-DOG]

That said, I'm loving the book reviews. Please keep them coming. (No spoilers though please, I don't think venue read the foreword until I've finished the book incase it gives something away).

I currently reading 'Serious' by John Mcenroe. It's a great insight into a very complex mind.

I loved that book, & admired John very much more as a result. Off-court, he was a big softie & a very proud Dad.

I might just re-visit it.

I've just finished reading' Serious' and I'm afraid I have to disagree.

It was a great read, but John revealed himself to be an arrogant, mardy, bad tempered bully who blamed everything that went even slightly wrong in his uber privileged life on someone else.

My least favourite type of person is the one who is all smiles until the tiniest blob of shit hits their gleaming, well oiled fan, because when it does they invariably react by getting angry and belittling someone.

He richly deserved the title of Superbrat

Damn you, now I have to re-visit that book.

My abiding memory was off the oh-so proud & doting Dad.

Latterly, with his superb & concise comments & commentary from Wimbers, I've grown to very much like him, even though, in his playing days, I loathed his resistance to authority.

Same here. It was my admiration for his commentary that prompted me to read his book, but I'm afraid it backfired badly.

[Tal]

Is there a book you really regretted reading?

Do you ever stop reading part way through or do you always see it out to the bitter end?

I've only read one Terry Pratchett book and I absolutely loathed it. Could not find a single thing to like about it. Must be the best part of eighteen years ago now and thinking about it still makes me seethe. Didn't like the story, the style, the language, the characters, the beginning, the middle or the end.

It was a school thing where we had to read as many books as we could in a week and, to prove we had done, we had to write a short report (a couple of sides or so) on what it was about and what we thought of it; a literary review of sorts. I managed six, including that ghastly rot. I don't think I would have gone through it all if I didn't have to write a review.

[tikay]

Is there a book you really regretted reading?

Do you ever stop reading part way through or do you always see it out to the bitter end?
I've only read one Terry Pratchett book and I absolutely loathed it. Could not find a single thing to like about it. Must be the best part of eighteen years ago now and thinking about it still makes me seethe. Didn't like the story, the style, the language, the characters, the beginning, the middle or the end.

It was a school thing where we had to read as many books as we could in a week and, to prove we had done, we had to write a short report (a couple of sides or so) on what it was about and what we thought of it; a literary review of sorts. I managed six, including that ghastly rot. I don't think I would have gone through it all if I didn't have to write a review.

I always finish every book I start reading, with no exceptions. God knows why, but I do.

A book I regretted reading? Not many, but my current read wins that award, & it's not even close.

It's called "Straight Flush" & is penned by Ben Mezrich. His previous book was poor & dumbed down, but it was not in this class of banality & endless, meaningless "fill". Think he must have been contracted to write X pages, but cba to research it properly, or had exceeded his deadline & so rush-wrote it in a few days.   

It is utterly, wholly, & comprehensively dreadful.

The subject is Absolute Poker, how they began, grew, & eventually crashed & burned. 

They started roughly the same time as 'Stars & Party, some time after Paradise had paved the way.

How they developed the software, acquisition tools, making poker work on an immature internet (much tougher than you'd imagine with different internet speeds across the globe & the need for all actions to be seen at the same speed), how they grew the business, & of course the "Absolute" scandals, viewed from the inside, from the Companies perspective, should have been a tremendous read.

Instead, we got tales of the founders drinking, womanising, drug habits, & car crashes galore. All embellished with "the melting snow glinted on the distant mountain tops" bollox.

Honestly, I've probably read thousands of books, (I read on average 2 per week), & nothing in life has given me more pleasure, but this one is awful in every way, shape & form.

[Tal]

Honestly, I've probably read thousands of books, (I read on average 2 per week)



How old did you say Mike Sexton was?

Do you have a room with them all in? Genuine question.

[RED-DOG]

I never ever finish reading books that I don't like. There are so many great books out there. I'll never have time to read them all. Why should I waste a second ploughing through crap.

That's one of the great benefits of Kindle. Try a few chapters for free before you buy.

[tikay]

Honestly, I've probably read thousands of books, (I read on average 2 per week)



How old did you say Mike Sexton was?

Do you have a room with them all in? Genuine question.

I phrased that rather badly, I read about 2 per week these days, but I went a goodly period, whilst I was working, golfing, or girleyising, maybe 20 years, when I gave up reading books. 

I'd say the average would be 2 per week over around 30 years I suppose.

Initally, for the first 15 years, they were all Library books.

When I eventually left home & set up on my own, around 35 years ago, I began buying books, & I've still got every one, bar a few hundred which got destroyed when my home got flooded a few years ago. Probably got 1,000, 1,500, something like that.

I have one floor to ceiling wall to wall bookcase which is rammed full to overflowing.

Then I have 4 smaller bookcases, sort of regular size, all of which are full. One contains all my Timeform Annuals, Wisdens, those sort of things. Another is just for autobiographies & the like. One is just for my antiquarian books, which are mostly bloodstock-based.

The rest of them are in piles, all over the place. Bedside Tables, worktops, study, they are everywhere.

My Bucket List includes "sort & catalogue all my Books". If I end up retiring, & so be able to escape from the internet, that'll be a great job to do. Whether it'll happen is another matter. 

[tikay]

I never ever finish reading books that I don't like. There are so many great books out there. I'll never have time to read them all. Why should I waste a second ploughing through crap.

That's one of the great benefits of Kindle. Try a few chapters for free before you buy.

But you don't get that lovely aroma that new books emit, or being able to use a proper bookmark. Bookmarks are awesome.

[doubleup]

The "word" is that the author of the absolute poker book was paid to write it by the subjects (and gloss over their outrageous cheating of customers).

[Jon MW]

...

My Bucket List includes "sort & catalogue all my Books". If I end up retiring, & so be able to escape from the internet, that'll be a great job to do. Whether it'll happen is another matter. 

In my dreams the British Library gets blown about by a freak tornado and they have to hire me to catalogue and organise it again (or is it wrong to have fantasies about being an uber-librarian?  )

I'm very jealous of your library so far Tikay, although you obviously have had a lot longer to assemble it then I have mine.

I had a question in an online thing asking, "What books do you want to read?", to which my answer was, "all of them" - which gives an indication that I also always finish every book I start. Some of them are more of a drag than others, but even 'bad' books have some merit; I tend to try and avoid the problem by taking care about which books I start reading.

[AlunB]

I never ever finish reading books that I don't like. There are so many great books out there. I'll never have time to read them all. Why should I waste a second ploughing through crap.

That's one of the great benefits of Kindle. Try a few chapters for free before you buy.

100% this. People are far too precious with books. It's not an achievement to finish a book. It should be a pleasure. I'm the same with films and TV shows. I turned off American Hustle after an hour as it was just a waste of my time.