Quick life check in as I don’t have much to write. Below, in bullet format, are some highlights of my useless existence.
Last weekend I took 7th in a poker tournament with 56 players. 1st place was $1,900 and I was the overwhelming chip leader for a while. How did this happen you ask? Let’s just say people play very different against a person they believe to be drunk, which I was. I doubled up to start the tournament when my K10 ousted a Q10 with top pair on the board. Then my TT beat a pair of 66’s and AK with a ten spike on the river. I cruised to the final table with a huge stack when my QQ was beat by a KQ. I still had a decent stack when this final hand occurred. With 7 left, the blinds were 4,000/ 8,000 and I had about 75k in chips. Figuring everyone was going to be playing tight as a drum, I pushed QT from the hi-jack and got nipped by the small blind with AQ. GG.
For the first time in my life, my chess ranking was 1300. I can’t even explain how I went from 1150 to 1300 in one day but I’ve been playing the Grob opening as white, French against king pawn, and Indian game against queen pawn.
I had Kucher
I subscribed to Fantasy Labs for the British Open as I’m in a 40 person pool with a buy in of $75. I’ve yet to win any of the majors outright, but currently hold the total strokes lead by 20 (after The Open) which will net me over $700 if I can finish the PGA passing 5 guys. My DK lineups lost me $66 as Louis pretty much busted any chance after his opening round +8.
I won the regular season in Fantasy Baseball going 12-3 which is worth a few hundred and a much needed bye heading into the playoffs. I’m not going to act like I have the best team because teams I played just didn’t score. I consistently averaged 250 which I believe helped me as I didn’t have big swings during my weeks to either guarantee wins or losses. For what it’s worth, I do think my team is the best it’s been all season since I added Adrian Beltre, Zach Britton, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Starling Marte to the roster over the weeks.
I liked the GoT episode this week better than the 1st. I also started reading the Corrections. I haven’t been playing much golf and my bowling game should still be sharp.
The older you get, the more you have to the same task over and over. Here are a few that I’m frankly sick of:
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Cleaning the shower – Water leads to mold and there is no place that gets more water than the shower. I feel like I always just cleaned the shower and 2 months go by. In a place where I’m cleaning my body, it doesn’t make sense to have the shower be dirty.
Trimming my nose hairs – I swear to god they multiply. I’ll remove 5 or 6 in one pull and the next day there are 50 still there. I wouldn’t describe it as painful, but you know you hit a tough one when your eyes start to water.
Dust on the TV stand– I don’t exactly know where all the dust comes from but once it’s cleaned, it rejuvenates right back. Dust doesn’t bother me as much as grime, but still annoying.
Look familiar?
Bills – Knowing that bills will never stop for the rest of your life can be a bit depressing. It’s like you are indebted to water, gas, cable, phone, and electric for eternity. They should offer some sort of extremely expensive rate to never have to pay bills again. I would consider it.
Exercise – It doesn’t matter if you exercise for a year straight because you can nix it all away in a month of being stagnant. Exercising is a way of life and although eating right and not putting bad, well, anything in your body helps, you’ll still notice a difference.
How much do I know about the strength of America? Nothing.
What do know about the people from Chechnya, Russia? They are a bunch of bad asses.
If you watch Real Sports with Bryant Gumble last night, you’d know that the 30 minute segment about MMA in Chechnya inspired this post. I’ve heard positive remarks about Real Sports but never tune in because I don’t know when it’s on. I was watching Highly Questionable yesterday and they did their Si or Non and previewed this piece which is how I knew about it.
What is Chechnya?
Ramzan Kadyrov and Mike Tyson
First things first, Ramzan Kadyrov is the “head of the republic” of Chechnya. He is an underling of Putin and has built Chechnya up with this alliance (I’ve also read he uses public funds for personal benefit). He gained this leading role after his father was assassinated by Chechen Islamists in 2004. Forgive me for not knowing the exact facts of the situation, but Ramzan leads an Islam population that is at constant odds with other Islam groups. It’s a war torn country who has found some solace being under Russia’s wing. It’s a fascinating read to understand how this relationship developed over the last decade.
Why Do We (the US) Care?
Kadyrov has devoted a portion of his time to the creation of Akhmat Fight Club. The Fight Club, named after his deceased father, trains Chechen males in MMA style fighting. Kadyrov says that they are the toughest fighters on the face of Earth because they have been bred by war and fighting in a cage with pads is a walk in the park. Loyalty is unconditional to Kadyrov and the ultimate fighters are those who are not only champions, but also serve in the army. These are bad men and are waiting to show the world, specifically the UFC, how bad they are.
Start them young. 5,000 youths are involved in the Fight Club.
The Real Sports piece was not only an informational segment, it interviewed Kadyrov directly which was an interview he hasn’t given a Westerner in years. Aside from the MMA, he was asked about the way his nation treats gays. Allegedly, the Chechen army goes around and collects gay people and tortures / kills them to rid them from this country. Of course Kadyrov denies this happens (he denies there are any gays in Chechnya), but journalists will report on these circumstances, only to find themselves 6 feet under once their report is released.
Kadyrov is not a fan of the West, specifically the US, and laughed / threatened when he was asked if he sees the West as a threat. I wish I could quote his exact words but it was something like, “we are the toughest people on the planet, they would stand no chance against our army as we’ve seen and done it all.” His personal philosophy (once again not a direct quote) is “to die in battle would be an honor”.
Today I wanted to get a better answer to this question, because as I sat there last night thinking about it, the breeding of an army that has been through war like the Chechnya army has to be an advantage. These are die-hard individuals who have nothing to lose based off of where they came from.
When I Googled Chechnya, I saw they have a population of 1.34 million people. Russia has 144 million. The USA is 300 million deep and I’m not sure it makes much of a difference how tough you are when you are outnumbered 2-1. I certainly would think that invading Chechnya would result in more casualties than I’d care to think, but this doesn’t seem like a war they would win.
What struck me as thought provoking was that I knew 0 about Chechnya prior to this piece. There is so much out in this world that I know 0 about. If I had to fight a Chechen warrior, I would bet on my running skills to cause a draw. If our army was made up of people like me, we’d lose. To know that I grew up with the privilege to be whoever I wanted to be without worrying about my life is what scared me a bit about what Chechnya has. These people are literally not scared of death. I’m worried about getting bitten by a snake. Even with 1.3 million people, it makes me wonder how tough the American army is. The current count is 1.4 million in our Army. If there are 1.3 million fighting Chechen’s, this would be tougher than you think. Even tougher when Russia gets involved.
Hopefully this puts the US’s position in this world with a bit more clarity. Our citizens think we are the strongest, toughest, nation in the world. These people laugh at how weak we are. They see the instability of Trump and the US isn’t even a threat. Very humbling to start to come to grips with the reality of the fragility of this world. I’m sure Floyd knew what he was doing.
Capital Cities released Swimming Pool Summer EP on July 7th, 2017. As an EP, there are only 4 songs, but I’m urging you to listen to all of them found below, and then add them to your playlist. What I like most about these songs is that I don’t feel like I’m listening to them. I know that’s an odd description, but the beats are flowing and the lyrics meld in. It’s great party music because it’s upbeat and has a modern sound. Make sure you listen to Girl Friday as I believe this will be the biggest hit of the group.
I noticed my last 3 months of post totals were 20, 20, and 17. This is coming off of 11 straight months of 20+ posts which would indicate a decline. This month I’m only at 8 (this is 9) and it’s already the 18th. There are a few reasons for this which I understand when I look back at posts from previous years.
Original Content – This is the main reason why my post numbers are down. Since I don’t post as much garbage, it takes me longer to produce posts. With the business that is running, my free time is not what it once was (I used to post a lot at work). When I can’t post at work and I don’t post on the weekends, I’m left with some hours that I’m awake that I’m not always blogging. If I felt comfortable posting in 30 minutes, I could poop out posts a plenty, but I’m hoping to keep the quality up.
More posts ≠ Better – Yes that’s right, I used an unequal sign for the first time ever. Back on track, I look back and I’d posts gifs and videos which are found everywhere nowadays. Barstool is making a mockery of itself by posting videos that are found on Reddit day after day. If you don’t read Reddit, you think how original they are, but websites need more than regurgitating what every other site has to differentiate. Not that this website will ever have quite the following, but it seems that consistent, original content is what people crave. Which technically goes against the title of this section but it’s too late to change it. More posts are better, but not necessarily trash posts.
What To Post – Easily the hardest part of blogging. Topical events are great but people read these everyday from analysts who are way smarter than me and have far better sources for material. No one cares what my thought is on some athlete who made the headlines for being dumb. So that makes me have to be me and come up with topics that no one writes about that relate specifically to my life. I’ve grown wise to the idea that Google is not going to send people to this blog to read about my life. However, if I find a topic that I create meaningful info on, then perhaps it will be read again after it falls into the website’s indexed abyss.
The GoT post is a good example of a post that no one else can write but me. Most people can give reviews of the first episode and what they believe will happen. I can take a position that no one can take because it’s my own personal viewpoint. I’m trying to do more of that with posts but it’s hard because they don’t always pop up on a daily basis. As these years go on, I like to think the blog evolves to a higher form but it is what it is.
I take you back to April 11th, 2011. HBO was catching fire with series like True Blood, Curb and Boardwalk Empire, while Showtime was living large with Dexter. Television was great and there was a new series getting practically no attention, Game of Thrones. I watched the first episode and remember being like, “who the fuck are these people.” I understood nothing and eventually went to the HBO webpage to learn more about each family and who I was watching. With a general interest growing, I went to Barnes and Noble and bought all of the books. In a span of a year, I had caught up to as far as George R.R Martin would take me. Since then, I’ve watched a series explode, and not in the good way.
There are a few types of Game of Thrones fans who I’ll describe as I see it:
The GoT Nerd – These are the fans who literally know everything about GoT. They’ve read the forums. They are up to date on the latest rumors. The get excited when they find their “Easter Eggs.” It’s impossible for a regular viewing fan to have a conversation because you’ll be lost. It would go like this: You know the part in the middle of episode 4, season 3 when Jon Snow shook Sir Alliser Thorne’s hand with his off hand? Well, Alliser has his pinkie hooked under the hand shake which foreshadowed he was going to double cross him.
Within 1 minute, you’ll know that you’re not qualified to hang with this person and you’re going to be using a lot of, “hmmmm…yeah…I think I remember.”
The Late Arriver – There are always going to be people late to the party. There’s nothing wrong these people I should add. Wasting hours of your life on a TV show that isn’t going to be good should always be guarded against. However these are the guys who binge watch 6 straight seasons and act like it’s current. It’s like “Bro, I’ve been watching since 2011, I can’t remember what the Hound said to Arya after he killed the fat kid.” I can barely remember where I lived in 2011 so my working knowledge is a bit off. These people can be noticed by their sheer excitement for GoT’s.
The Early Adopter – I fall into this category after reading the books and watching show, so this is only category I can speak properly about. I really liked GoT. I read 5,000 pages of books and was immersed in this fantasy world. I paid attention to the details of the books and was aware of how the books were different from the show. I was that shithead who would say, “yeah, I know what happens because the books were ahead of the show.” Now here is where it gets diluted for me. I read all of this material 5 years ago and honestly forget about 90% of what I read. I stayed current watching the show but each season takes places for a few months and then you get another 9 months off. When season 7 premiered last night, I couldn’t even pay attention. I have a working knowledge of what’s going on, but I simply don’t care because I flat out don’t now what’s happening. It’s over for me. My interest in a TV series can’t survive for 5 years straight. I’ll probably finish the series for finality, but I find myself looking at my phone more than I’m watching, which is a sure sign that it’s over for me. Also here’s an example of a detail from last night that was completely lost on me. Here is the clip from way back when about the people in the house.
To get back in the spirit, I’d have to re-watch the entire series of 6 seasons and I’m not going to do it. Too much time. Maybe in a few years when I’m overly bored and need a time killer, but right now, I’d rather spend it other ways.
Our company sells a product that requires a gas to operate. Most people are familiar with propane (the gas for your grill), but not Acetylene. Acetylene is a gas that burns hotter than propane and is a bit more combustible. I was doing research for a blog post and needed to test out the product with Acetylene gas which caused me to buy an Acetylene tank from the local welding supply. When I called the store, I asked if there were any issues with me picking up the gas in my sedan, he assured me it is fine.
Burnt out Car.
I drove down and paid for the tank. On the counter they have a picture of a car exploding and giving a warning not to store / travel with tanks in enclosed vehicles. RIGGGGHHHT…. So I get the tank and put it in my car and within 5 seconds of moving forward the tank shifts, the valve moves against the door, and acetylene starts coming out of the tank. I start flipping out thinking that the tank is going to explode and try to get my brain to simultaneously put the car in park and exiting the vehicle to move the tank outside. I eventually do so and get the worker to shut it off. No damage done, but I was pretty freaked out.
I drove back in total horror before reaching my destination safely. I share this story not to make mention of how much of an idiot I was, but to harp on how easy it is to be afraid of the unknown. In my mind, this acetylene tank could blow up if a ray of sunlight hit it. I have no experience with it and it’s easy to get caught up in a worst case scenario type thinking when you are uneducated. More likely than not, acetylene is way safer than I perceive if treated properly. This experience though taught me valuable lessons though that I won’t forget. 1) Secure gas in a vehicle 2) Don’t fuck around with your life 3) Understand what you are getting into before you actually get into it. In this scenario me taking the word of the employee was a bit too nonchalant for my liking.
When you don’t know something, it’s easy to be scared of the results. For me, I feel like I have a good feel of the unknown in the general sense. Not too much can upset me with the future but when I put my life at risk (in my mind), I had to be more cognizant.
I was watching Whitlock, Broussard, Kenny Florian, and another analyst discuss the McGregor-Mayweather fight and they landed on the major selling point of the fight being race. I’ve known about the fight for however many months now and that thought never even entered my mind. The idea that I would root for McGregor because he’s white, and I’m white, has no implication on who I would want to win. He’s not even American, he’s Irish. I’m not sure what difference that makes but I don’t have some unbridled passion for McGregor to come out victorious because my next life path is joining the KKK.
Now as it is, I would like to see McGregor knock Floyd the fuck out. Racist! His trash talk game is next level. Telling Floyd he has a little head is a first class insult. I’m sure he’s insinuating that Floyd can’t even read while also trashing the fact he has a small head. Does the problem occur to me that McGregor might not know how to box? That Floyd will be so evasive that McGregor has no chance of hitting him? That with padded gloves that are 6 oz heavier he won’t be able to do any damage to Floyd? All of these are concerns and my feeling is that he will lose this fight (as is Vegas with his +550 odds).
The reason I’m pro-McGregor and anti-Floyd is strictly how they hold themselves. Conor is a showman who at least knows he’s a showman. He’s very self aware. If you saw Floyd yesterday he reached into a backpack and showed his 100 million dollar check. Who does that? You can tell McGregor gets under his skin and that’s entertaining to watch lose.
Floyd Mayweather pulls out a cheque of a $100mil Conor McGregor replies 'That's for the taxman…' ?? pic.twitter.com/KvX01iTPzC
If you were on the golf course with me yesterday (which you weren’t unless your name is Jeff, Bud, or Frank), then you’d hear me chirping about the Chuck Klosterman book I’m reading which is titled X. It’s his 10th book and there isn’t much new material, but mostly a re-publishing of articles that may not have been found in his books, but in magazines like GQ and the New York Times. It’s light reading and I’m breezing through it, but the themes of his interviews and opinions are similar. He is very aware of the “truth” and how self perceptive the people he is writing about are.
One takeaway is that the people who are successful are themselves and not trying to be someone else. The odd part about this to consider is “what if you aren’t that talented?” What if being yourself just sucks? He’s interviewing Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Taylor Swift, and Tom Brady. These people can be themselves because they are so talented. For instance, Taylor Swift told how her record label tried to convince her to stick with country instead of going with a pop album. She trusted her instincts and did it the way she wanted and the rest is history. Do you know how many people have horrible instincts?
Here’s another a 2017 example of a person who is “being themselves” and it’s going to go horribly. Mckayla Maroney making music.
KARIMMMM ur the homie. so happy u liked it !!
i cnt wait 4 my music, i feel like ppl will finally understand me (also, come 2 La soon pls??)
You were an Olympic gymnast, not a singer. I’d give her chance of success about .1% of going in a positive directiion. I’ll give her a lot of credit for trying, and I’ve never heard her sing before, but my inclination is that if she didn’t know she was a singer early on in her life, she didn’t just become one. She’s being true to herself, at least she thinks she is, but she’s heading in a wrong direction. Then again, whose to say it’s wrong? Rnningfool?
I’m sure I’ll be posting a lot more about what I’ve been reading because I’m always fascinated by Klosterman. I like him because he is an expert in sports and music which I tend to think I enjoy. He’s also way smarter than I’ll ever be and interviews the cream of the crop. If I could name a person I’d like to hang out with at a bar, he’d be one. I imagine it would end poorly as he’d realize I’m about a 2 on the intellectual scale and I get the feeling he’d be saying, “do you understand” a lot.
Today I completed a track workout for my 4th day of running in a row. The Temple track is about a 10 minute run away from my house and I discovered that they allow public access which has me pretty pumped. I haven’t ran on a track since the Roxbourogh high school days.
I started with a two mile workout with quarters at 1:15 and then a rest lap at 1:45. I started off in an 80, 100, before hitting 70 on the 3 fast ones and a range of 1:35-1:50 on the other three. I accidentally reset the watch to destroy the exact times which kind of blew my mind. I then took a breather and ran a 2:34 800 which was about all I could muster up.
The reason I write that I’m happy to run 4 days in a row is because I’ve been sidelined with a blister, tweaked ankle, and messed up knee for the month prior. While I was unable to run while the blister healed, the other parts got better too. I’m finally pain free again until I overwork myself and start complaining.
My mind and body are right finally and when this occurs it makes it much easier to blog. Even though I’m writing about nothing, I still feel the creative urge to want to put words on this blog instead of the alternative. I’m going to keep trying to pump out entries as I see fit.
Last weekend I took 7th in a poker tournament with 56 players. 1st place was $1,900 and I was the overwhelming chip leader for a while. How did this happen you ask? Let’s just say people play very different against a person they believe to be drunk, which I was. I doubled up to start the tournament when my K10 ousted a Q10 with top pair on the board. Then my TT beat a pair of 66’s and AK with a ten spike on the river. I cruised to the final table with a huge stack when my QQ was beat by a KQ. I still had a decent stack when this final hand occurred. With 7 left, the blinds were 4,000/ 8,000 and I had about 75k in chips. Figuring everyone was going to be playing tight as a drum, I pushed QT from the hi-jack and got nipped by the small blind with AQ. GG.
For the first time in my life, my chess ranking was 1300. I can’t even explain how I went from 1150 to 1300 in one day but I’ve been playing the Grob opening as white, French against king pawn, and Indian game against queen pawn.
I won the regular season in Fantasy Baseball going 12-3 which is worth a few hundred and a much needed bye heading into the playoffs. I’m not going to act like I have the best team because teams I played just didn’t score. I consistently averaged 250 which I believe helped me as I didn’t have big swings during my weeks to either guarantee wins or losses. For what it’s worth, I do think my team is the best it’s been all season since I added Adrian Beltre, Zach Britton, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Starling Marte to the roster over the weeks.
