Ridiculous Burger

Ridiculous Burger, originally uploaded by Joe_13.

Luke came over the other night and we decided to make some burgers.
So we bought 1.13 lbs of burger and split it in half to make two huge meatballs. A bit more poking and smashing and we had "Ridiculous Patties"...
A few moments on the grill, some seeded and toasted Kaiser buns, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, mustard and ketchup and voila: The Ridiculous Burger.

.56 lbs of pure deliciousness.

Skull and Roses

SkullsnRoses-1-sm, originally uploaded by Joe_13.

I had a tough time thinking of something to draw.
Skulls have been an ongoing theme, and I love drawing them, so I started there. I love drawing roses too. They're actually quite hard to draw. I'm not sure how well I've done them, but when skulls and roses are drawn together, it always looks dramatic.

I started using Faber-Castell PITT artist pens with a nice fine brush tip. ...much easier than using an actual brush and I think it gives the lines a bit more life.

Bad run

Oh my god am I running bad in sit&gos lately.
I was killing the $20 games easily last month, and suddenly I can't win one to save my life. I've not been hit any of my draws, lost every coin flip, and put my money in outkicked, or dominated, everytime. It is truly getting frustrating. It's been a while since I've seen such poor results.

The main changes to my game:
I moved up to the $30 s&gs. They seem to be tougher, tighter.
I'm probably playing less aggressively. Due to running bad.
I'm making dumber all-in moves, especially over playing top pair.

also, the dreaded cold deck as been hitting me:
Second nuts running into the nuts.
Less of my big draws are hitting.
Losing coin flips.
Bad Beat City!

I intend to keep up my normal game. I've seen bad beat city before, and I have been able to weather the storms of bad beats and sick coolers. Plugging the tangible leaks will be essential, and hopefully the intangible cold-deck will go away for a while.

Shotguns de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo:
Evan, Luke and I went out to shoot some clays at Coyote early in the morning. I hit my best score yet in skeet scoring 20, and then hit my worst round of trap ever on my last round of shells scoring something like 9 out of 25. Bad concentration, but I'll blame the wind.
After cleaning our guns, we picked up a few cervezas to begin our Cinco de Mayo celebration. Not that we are Mexican American in the least, but since we live in downtown San Jose, that pretty much makes us honorary Mexicans right? OK, perhaps not, but we decided to go get Margaritas and Mexican food anyway.
Two pitchers of 'ritas and a shot of Patron Silver later, we headed back to the pad to watch the DeLaHoya vs. Mayweather fight.

Let me say this. I WAS a huge boxing fan. WAS. I will officially NEVER purchase boxing on PPV ever again. First of all, this fight was nothing more than a glorified sparring match. 12 rounds of lollygagging, light jabbing and dancing around each other made for a seriously uneventful fight. After 12 rounds, not only were they not even breathing hard, they didn't have as much as a scratch. Typically after 3 rounds of freaking jumping-some-godamn-rope, they'd be breathing harder. This shit was a joke. Furthermore after losing the fight to a decision, DeLaHoya still took home $25 million. What kind of incentive does he have to win, if he still gets $25 million when he fucking LOSES?!
$55 down the freaking drain.

Bottom line: FUCK BOXING, FUCK DELAHOYA, and FUCK MAYWEATHER. They just lost a boxing fan.

Long Live MMA.

Shotguns

Went to the shotgun facilities this weekend with my cousin Evan, my brother and our old friend JoeC. After shooting a bunch of rounds of Wobble Trap, we moved over to the skeet range.
Skeet is FUN.
While Trap is more of a solitary discipline, skeet has much more group dynamic. You move through the stations as a group, so shooters can interact with each other a lot more easily. Also, the game itself is more exciting. The dual houses, and different stations give you a different look at each station.

I need a couple more shooters and we'll have a full squad to shoot with on a hopefully regular basis.

Beach house weekend

Took a day off last week to relax at the beach house last weekend. Despite bleak weather forecasts, the weather was quite bearable. Friday evening was only partly cloudy and nice enough for a excellent sunset accompanied by a nice bonfire on the beach. Plenty of beer kept our brains warm, and an action packed game of Jenga kept us entertained when the weather got too nipply.
Saturday was a lazy one. We power-lounged all day.
The rain started up and did not relent. No bonfire. But I did BBQ a nice tri-tip, with rice-pilaf and roasted veggies. Someone made a bet with JoeO to drink an entire bottle of Chianti while standing on a stool within 30 minutes. We all threw in a ten spot. So for $60 he drained the bottle in 15 minutes.
With beers and wine coursing through our veins, we took in a movie, but didn't last 15 minutes before crashing out.
I awoke groggily to a gorgeous morning. An utterly cloud-free day.

Someone suggested a game of poker. So of course, poker was on.
I took second-place in the first one. After being thick stacked and ultra-aggressive, we get down to two. Me and Chad. Heads-up, it went like this. I held QQ. He bet. I raise (big)... he calls. Flop comes an ugly Axx. He raises all-in. I go in the tank. I should be able to toss this in the muck. But it's Chad afterall. Rain Man. Luckbox, Calling Station. He'd make this move with any two cards. Of course in my gut, I knew he had me. Another look at my cards, two ugly queens begged me to call and end this misery. So I did. Turn and River do not help. I take second.
Game two: It lasted a bit longer. I made a couple choice semi-bluffs and got thick-stacked again. Eventually, JoeO and I went heads-up. 2 hands later I crown myself King of the World with my victory.

Then I get bamboozled to stay and help Chad paint the laundry room. But despite being worked like a slave, getting paint on my new hoodie, it was worth it just to behold this: before going back to reality.

Cards Dead

Cold decks have hit me hard in live games lately. Last night, nine players at Dylan's house. We started shortstacked with only 3,000 in chips, 12 minute blinds, and blinds starting at 25-25. In my opinion, not nearly enough chips for any real poker play. After the 4th level, I chased a flush draw which missed, leaving me in push & pray mode. I saw a chance and pushed with 77. A loose call behind me led to one of many lost races for the evening.
We played a couple more, and I lost all of them. Not necessarily due to bad play, but I couldn't hit a flop or win a race to save my life. I didn' t play great, but ultimately I was truly card dead.
A bad streak for sure. I've been doing so well online, but my live game has certainly suffered. So I'm going to need to step it up a notch and weather the storm. I know that the cards will turn for me eventually.
In tournament poker, winning coin-flips is crucial. It helps being big stacked where a lost coing flip doesn't mean going broke. But when you are playing shortstacked, usually a coin-flip is MUST WIN. I chose moments where I had the best chance of doubling up. Unless you are playing total donkeys (last night was not one of those games) the majority of those situations are at best 60-40, but usually 50-50. If you never win a single coin-flip, which I did not last night, you will not go deep in the tournament.

Poker at Sam's

Sam had a couple of us over to his place for some poker action this weekend. It was shorthanded, so we started a cash game. It was a ridiculously one-sided affair. Chad (aka Chizz aka Chestnut aka RAIN MAN) was catching cards like you wouldn't freaking believe. He caught pocket rockets literally five times during the evening. He won all five. He was also showing awesome hands regularly: flushes, straights, trips, fool houses... you name it, he had 'em. He was nice enough to show his cards despite my HUGE laydowns. Luckily I read him right most of the night, so I didn't pay him off THAT much. Near the end of our cash game session, I finally caught him on one big hand and managed to finish the session up a few bucks.
The tournament that followed demonstrated how horribly I am capable of playing. To my own defense, I was legitimately card dead. But I found myself chasing a flush with Sam betting into me. I caught it. Unfortunately.
I made a raise on the river, thinking it was a value bet. But really, Sam's hollywood-ass all-in re-raise was the actual value bet. I insta-call and he flips up the rivered Fool House. I go home coolered by the motherfucking ace on the river.
I know I didn't deserve to win by any stretch of the imagination, cause I just played so damn bad. But I'll have plenty of chances to redeem myself. And I can keep telling myself that losing a little is good in the long run, so that I may win big against my opponents later. Soon, I'll start believing it.

Everyday is a Good Day

I've recently found Japanese/Brazilian tattooist Jun Matsui's blog, Life Under Zen. It chronicles his tattooing and travelling exotic destinations that is his day to day life. From the first post, his blog maintains a sense of peace, tranquilty and perfection which is a pleasure to read. It's sort of a vacation unto itself.
His tattoo work, which combines japanese, somoan and maori styles of tattooing, is thoughtful and significant. The linework is immaculate.
Matsui's life seems to be filled with peace, party, art, travel and good food.
I envy his experiences, skill and lifestyle. We should all be so blessed.

Dogs in a jeep

Dogs in a jeep, originally uploaded by Joe_13.

Final table at the Mookie

77 players/bloggers played in the Mookie last night. I knocked out and crippled several players early, putting me fat stacked for much of the tournament. I played super duper tight for a long time seeing very little playable cards. I did manage to drop the hammer twice winning blinds, which is always a bonus.
At the final table, the action was swift until we got down to four players. Me, TFG, JoeSpeaker and BoneDaddy shuffled stacks for a while when JoeSpeaker finally falls to BoneDaddy when his A3 is outkicked. Soon thereafter, I push all-in with KTo, get called by TFG with QJo. Four clubs on the flop and one on the river give TFG a flush and gives me third place money.
Final two didn't take long. BoneDaddy gets taken out by TFG's nut flush five minutes into heads-up play.
And there we have it.

The joys of motherhood

The joys of motherhood, originally uploaded by Joe_13.

Any funny captions?

Best caption gets $5 in their Fulltilt poker account.

Shotgun Fun

Took the shotgun out Sunday and last night with my cousin Evan. He recently became the proud new owner of a Remington 870 12 gauge shotgun, and wanted to get some shooting time in.
Sunday we hit up Coyote Valley Sporting Clays and shot a few rounds of trap. I shot mediocre. But I did have quite a good time. Some sun, about a hundred rounds and a nice Romeo y Julietta to go along with the fresh scent of gunpowder.
A perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Last night I went out to County of Santa Clara Field Sports Park, aka "Metcalf" with Evan to get a few more rounds in. We ended up shooting Skeet for the first time. It was a blast, and now that we've learned how to play properly, I get a new game to try and master. It'll be great, because as fun as trap is, skeet is more fun with a group. Hopefully I can get a couple more buddies to get guns and come with me to blow some shit up.
Plus, not only is it fun, but we'll be better prepared for armageddon.

YEEEEEEEE HHHHUUUUUUUU !!!!

Poker at Eric's

Last week's poker action was at Eric's house. $40 buy-in, Me, EricN, Bootie, SamD, Hideki, ScottO, JoeO, Irwin, Chad and Greg played for several hours with the final three being Hideki, Sam and Me. In the end, Hideki held the big stack and took first place money, while Sam and I split 2nd and third place money.
With a faster structure for the second game, we flew through players pretty quick. I fought my way up to chip leader early on when I rivered a flush against Irwin. But, not long after, I totally blew my stack when I fully overplayed JJ into ScottO's flopped trip sevens. For some reason, I completely brain farted. I knew I had him beat pre-flop. But when he checked the flop, I checked behind him too quickly. And then inexplicably, I heard myself say "all-in" when the ace hit the turn. The minute I saw the ace, I knew I was beat. But it was too late. ScottO instantly called with pocket sevens. There was a seven on the flop. I was suddenly crippled. A couple hands later, I pushed with QQ, only to run into Bootie's KK, and I was done.

For the evening, I was still up $40, so the horrible play didn't get my mood down too much. It bites that I lost to ScottO when I know I should've been able to get away from JJ. The ace on the turn should've saved my ass, but instead I Matusow'd and blew the fuck up.

Online, I recouped the steep loss I took earlier in the week, and my Sharkscope graph is finally back to where it ought to be.

BTW, Eric's new nickname is: Titties.

ugh

Sheesh,
Been getting killed at the Sit-n-Gos. Lost like 5 in a row.
So much for the ROI, dammit.
Running bad and playing bad.
My Sharkscope graph is taking a major shit right now. But, that's to be expected while going up in limits. One loss moves the line twice as far.
I'll just have to dig in, and play good. A bit of luck would be nice too.

Well I just delivered a horrendous beat to some poor dude. I'll take it as a good omen.

Sharkscope

Sharkscope, originally uploaded by Joe_13.

My Sit-n-Go graph at Full Tilt via Sharkscope.

As you can see, my performance in my last 100 games has been decent. Maybe I was just running bad in the first 100 games, but now I have an average return on investment (in sit-n-goes) of +28%. Not too shabby.
Let's hope it stays this way.

Poker

When half of my players flaked on my home game last night, Sam, Dylan, Chad and I decided played a heads-up tourney.
Me vs. Dylan, Sam vs Chad. Winners battle for all the money.
Dylan had me on the ropes for most of the match. But I fought back a couple times and finally eliminated him. Chad lost to Sam, so I was to take on Sam D for the money.
It didn't take long.
I held KTo. There was a bet and a call.
Flop: KTJ
I bet, he raises, I go all-in, he insta-calls.
I show KT for two pair.
He shows KJ for a bigger two pair.
I say, "damn, I need a ten"
Turn: blank.
River: Ten.

I had him by one chip.

He promised to never tell this bad beat story EVER.
And since for me it was a GOOD BEAT story, I reserve the right to say it as many times as I want. This would be the 4th time since last night. :)

Cash game followed; Irwin and Christian show up for some no-limit $.25-$.50. I played wildly, calling with shit, raising with shit. Having fun. But Sam was having no fun. Dylan just rubs him the wrong way, so basically every word out of Dylan's mouth was followed by a disdainful comment or at least rolled eyes from Sam.
That sort of sucked, but I understand. Some people just can't play poker well with others. Especially after taking a bad beat like he had earlier, it just leaves bad tastes in the mouth.
Chad played his usual hyper-aggro, kill-Joe game. He came after me with a flush draw and pushed all-in when I held trip-sixes. We got it all in on the turn and sweated his nut-flush draw. My set held up, and he was felted.
"God, I was hoping to see the diamond and see you on tilt." He says.
Fucking bastard.

He deserved it a felting by me. It was about friggin' time.

Poker is fun for me lately. I've been doing well on Full-Tilt, my bankroll is slowly building. My game has improved. I'm confident I can beat the spread limit game at Garden City, and am ready to climb the poker ladder some more. I'm certain I can be a bigger winner in some of the larger games (relatively), but the roll needs to fatten to do that. So with some determination and a little luck, I know I can accomplish that.

Peace in the Middle East.

The Watchmen

The guy who directed 300 is going to be making The Watchmen.
The Watchmen is the godfather of adult graphic novels. Not "adult" in the XXX sense, but adult as-in: complex story, gritty flawed hero characters, brutal violence, compelling plot and dialog.
If you've never read The Watchmen, and have any interest in reading a genuine comic classic. Get it.

Lost buy-ins

First losing session at Garden City last night. Spread limit.
I dropped two buy-ins after several hours of play. Overall I think I played well. Maybe a bit too tight, but after being up for a while, I brain farted and raised a pot knowing I was beat. I played the hand so bad I almost want to just quit playing altogether. But we all know there's no way I will do that.
Lesson learned... Keep the pot small with small hands, Only be in a big pot with a big hand. ALWAYS.

Good vs. Bad fats

Good vs. Bad fats, originally uploaded by Joe_13.

Here's a cheezy illustration I made for an upcoming article on the differences between the "good" fats and "bad" fats and its effects on the heart.

The concept of the good fat fighting bad fats was courtesy of the ole' Chizz-diggler.

Mookie

Mookie tonight. Wish me luck. I'll need it.


** 9:40 pm pst**
I came in second out of 38 players.
Overall I played ok. I did suck out a couple times at crucial moments...
Getting second place was a miracle.



Me and Zeem heads-up lasted two hands.
Full Tilt Poker Game #1991308447: The Mookie - O Canada (14783474), Table 4 - 400/800 Ante 100 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:38:54 ET - 2007/03/15

Seat 3: Zeem (43,939)
Seat 9: Joe_13 (13,061)
Zeem antes 100
Joe_13 antes 100
Zeem posts the small blind of 400
Joe_13 posts the big blind of 800
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Joe_13 [Td Kc]
Zeem raises to 1,600
mookie99 (Observer): sick beat earlier
Joe_13 calls 800
*** FLOP *** [Kh 2d Th]
Joe_13 checks
Zeem checks
csquard (Observer): gl zeem; hope you don't need it...
*** TURN *** [Kh 2d Th] [Ah]
Joe_13 checks
Zeem bets 3,000
Joe_13 raises to 11,361, and is all in
Zeem calls 8,361
Joe_13 shows [Td Kc]
Zeem shows [4h 3h]
*** RIVER *** [Kh 2d Th Ah] [3c]
Joe_13: nice
Joe_13 shows two pair, Kings and Tens
Zeem shows a flush, Ace high
Zeem wins the pot (26,122) with a flush, Ace high
Zeem: gg
Joe_13 stands up
mookie99 (Observer): gg guys...
Zeem stands up
sjpc yabi (Observer): gg!!!
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 26,122 | Rake 0
Board: [Kh 2d Th Ah 3c]
Seat 3: Zeem (small blind) showed [4h 3h] and won (26,122) with a flush, Ace high
Seat 9: Joe_13 (big blind) showed [Td Kc] and lost with two pair, Kings and Tens




I didn't even see the three flush. Blinded by the flopped two pair.

Weekend at the beach

Sunset, originally uploaded by Joe_13.

Chad hooked us up with a weekend on the beach this weekend. It also happened to be the most beautiful weekend of the year. Perfect temperatures, awesome sunsets and a shitpile of beers = big smiles.
In exchange, we helped Chad paint a couple rooms at the beach house.

We also played some drunken short handed poker that night. My goal was to play the worst hands possible. I managed to play a few "good" hands, but for the most part, I was calling or raising with absolute gargage hands like K4o. In all I ended up making about $10 at the end of the night, only to lose it the next day after getting knocked out first on a $10 turbo tourney.

Bubbled

I got knocked out 5th in the Mookie last night. Read the live updates at Mookie's blog.
The tournament paid to 4th place.
I got lucky a couple times. By now the bloggers must think I'm the biggest donkey. Which is just what I want them to think. (Insert villainous laughter)...

Next week.

Mookie

Mookie tonight.


I took 3rd place last week. Looking for a win tonight.

Spread 'em

I spent a couple hours at the $3-100 spread limit game at Garden City last night.
First notable hand I played against a thick african-american dude. He looked tired. He'd probably been there a few hours. He was continually rubbing his eyes, yawning etc.
I raised from late position with AdQh. He called. The flop came down 648 rainbow. I bet he calls. Turn comes blank. He looked to be drawing. Maybe he had a low pair. I figured I might be able to push him off his hand. I bet again, he thought a bit and called. River came an ace, pairing me. I bet 1/3 the pot. He goes into the tank for a minute and calls. I flip over the Aces, and he mucks.
Later, he limps from early position. Two more players limp to me in the cutoff. I raise with AdJc. He calls. The flop comes down with three diamonds. He thinks for a bit and sticks in the rest of his chips. I'm getting just better than two to one, and with the nut flush draw, I reluctantly call. The turn and river blank. I miss completely. I figure him for at least a pair and flash my ace. He nods. My ace good?? He mucks and leaves the table.
Later a weak-ish young player to my right limps. I raise with A9s. The flop comes down 10,7,6 with two spades. He bets out $30. I say raise, and push in $100 more. He thinks for a moment and mucks.
A bit later I pick up some big hands but am unable to get more than a couple blinds. At that point, a couple new players show up at my table, and I donk off a bunch of my stack leaving me almost even. After four hours of play, and after being up $250, I break even.

So all in all, I played ok. I should've been able to capitalize on my big hands more. I should've laid down an A7 to a shortstack pre-flop all-in... He had rockets. I could've gotten away from some resteals.
I have noticed that after a couple hours of play, the chips no longer feel like cash. They start to feel like chips. My nervousness is pretty much gone.
As long as I continue to play my top game, tight-aggressive, make good reads, apply pressure, and make good lay downs, this game has potential for me.

NO BAD BEATS NO BAD BEATS NO BAD BEATS

Blogger Pods DEUCE

Mac poker online

Garden City

Finally sat down at the spread limit game at Garden City. It's a $100 buy-in, $3-100 spread limit, with $1-3 blinds. I doubled up right quick when AA held up to the river against a sneaky player holding a straight draw. The next few rounds I played tight, stealing 2 hands to keep my stack even. Then, during my big blind, several players limp including the small blind. I check with 65o. Flop comes 554. SB bets I call. Everyone else folds. Turn 4. He pushes $100. I raise all-in (maybe another $85). River blainks. He flips over 94o I rake a shit pile of chips.
I hate to say that I hit and run, but I pretty much did. Chad showed up took one look at the list, which was 30-40 players long and said, "yeah, not gonna happen". So I played a couple more rounds, bought the dude I crippled a couple drinks, and cashed out soon after with 4x buy-in.

Initial impression: This game is definitely beatable. There are some horrendous players. Some think they're tricky, a couple really are. Most are very transparent.
I had the 10 seat. To my left, a mid thirties caucasion guy, a prop player badge. Played solid, aggressive style. Next to him, a young asian guy. Wild hair. He wore three layers of grimy polo shirts, an a funk'dified Tan sweater. He was sweating and grinding his teeth. He played very aggressive usually all-in on the flop. Re-bought twice. Then a dark skinned gentleman; mustache, Oakley sunglasses, and a stoic demeanor. Then a young college looking kid. That is, skinny, light curly hair, argyle sweater. Probably Stanford grad student. A young philipino or islander who was a spitting image of BJ Penn. He started with a big stack but got caught bluffing a couple hands and had about a buy-in left in chips. Then and older white guy. Very friendly nice fellow who played poorly. Then the sneaky player. White, late thirties, stocky, talky. He liked to play low suited connectors hoping to draw. Liked to call out his opponents hands. Then the young hyper-aggressive player to my right. Derrick I think he said. Nice enough guy. Boisterous. Talked it up. He was showing tons of preflop bluff raises. The prop player was itching for a piece.
These guys were decent players. I would try and stay away from the prop player. But for the most part I think I could do good in this game.

In order to win at this game: Play a smart tight-aggressive game, pick on the fish, and stay away from the good players. Pot control will be crucial. Since you're starting with so little chips relative to the blinds, Picking your moments is of the utmost. Remember, big pots with big hands, small pots with small hands.
Picking up on tells will be big. Look for shaking hands, pulsing neck, nervous lookaway, chipglance, weak leads, reaching for chips, reaching to fold.
Advertising will work against good players. Fake a chipglance, when bluffing, fake a chipreach. Watch to see if they are studying you. Fake a pre-muck and raise. DON'T BLUFF AT BAD PLAYERS. Beware a good player calling your raise. Bluff at good players on scary boards. Check-raise more when strong. Choose a time to leave... either +/- $ amount or a certain number of hours. Get up when steaming!

Good luck. (Except for Chad)

Fresh-Meat

My online poker pimp hand has been pretty strong lately. I've been dominating the sit-n-goes. That is: dominating the "chump-change" tables. Since much of my Neteller bankroll had been withdrawn to pay some bills (before the shutdown) and the rest is currently in limbo, I only had $100 or so in my FullTilt account to play with. In the last couple weeks, I more than quadrupled it. May not seem like much, but my roll languishing between $80 and $200 for the last 3-4 months. I'd been either playing badly or running bad, but I was not winning much (but not losing much either). Then the other day, I had a poker revelation. When I first started playing, I was unafraid to push my stack when I thought my opponent was weak. Overbetting the pot was a useful tool in no-limit, and I had all but eliminated it from my arsenal. The convention of making pot-sized bets cramped my style. I was also playing too passively with mediocre hands. I should be either raising or folding them. Instead I was making weak calls with weak draws and weak pairs. In other words, SUCKING (not sucking-out mind you).
So I have been check-raising more, calling less, and adding a couple select hands to my pre-flop strategy. And of course playing position better. The end result is a fattening roll which will continue to fatten hopefully.
I do need to keep up the vigilance, because I'm aiming to move up in limits. Previous efforts to move up had led my bankroll to be as small as it was.
I'm itching for some more live poker though. Bay 101 and Garden City are freaking madhouses in the afternoons, with wait lists exceeding an hour every day. I just don't have enough time to sit there waiting for a seat to open up. But as I can tell, the fish are LIVE! So it might just be worth it. I've heard 7am Sunday morning is a good time to get there to play against the sleep-deprived players. I might have to try that this weekend.

My home game has been fun, but it needs a serious infusion of new blood. We've pretty much been breaking even every week after many hours of play. With no clear winner, (except Chad "RainMan" ) who catches gutshots like Odog catches tennis balls) the game just doesn't get the blood going like it used to. Plus, we are all a bit sick of RainMan's suck-outs.

Let me know if any of y'all are interested in playing. We could use some fresh-meat,... er,... new players.

The Mookie

I''ve made the final table of "The Mookie : Storm the Peak" blogger tournament on Full Tilt.
I've been getting lucky. Once when my JJ made a flush against KK. and another time when my A6 call on a shortstacked KK flopped big for me.

Just sucked out on another one: AJ vs AK. Sorry fella. Again.


* - Got cold decked in the final 3. Pushed all-in with K4. Maudie held 66. Her pair held up.

INK

I've been obsessed lately with tattoos. Being an artist, naturally having some on my body seems normal. I'm not sure if it was fear of pain or of having a shitty piece on me, but I never got around to getting one. At one point, I guess I was proud to not have a barbwire or tribal armband, or a huge indian head on my shoulder. I'm certainly glad to not have any stupid mistakes permanently on my body (other than the scars from a clumsy youth.)
For the past year or so, I have been positive that I want one.
I've done a shitpile of research. I've perused thousands of images of tattoos, read every article I can find, every blog, every tattoo related forum and even watched some tattoo reality programs.
All this has fueled the fire. Seeing the work of undeniably talented artists has reinvigorated my artistic inspiration as well. The work of Guy Aitchison, Adrian Lee, Grime, Paul Booth is awe inspiring.
Ultimately, I will get a tattoo. This year will be one of big change for me and having myselfe inked for the first time will mark the occasion. So far I've visited many artists locally, and making the decision on who will be the artist is tough. The San Francisco bay area is a mecca for tattoo art and is the home to many world-class artists. Really, I am incredibly lucky to have my choice of artists.

So far I've met several artists about my concepts and have thus placed myself on the wait list for two artists. Jason Grace at Idle Hand SF and Adrian Lee at NewSkool. So far I've not received word from Adrian Lee, even though I should've been called by now. I expect to be contacted about a consult with Jason Grace within a month or two. Either way, I'm sure the work will be sick. Hopefully soon.

Here are some of the links I check out frequently:
Needled
Ink Trails
Allen Tattoo
Life Under Zen
Tattoo Blog
Inked Nation

War Books

I've been on a reading tear. Which is unusual for me. For some reason, while it may take me months to finish a fictional novel, war related non-fiction has my undivided attention. I read four very entertaining books lately all related to the topic of war. If war is at all interesting to you. Check these out.



License to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror by Robert Young Pelton
Robert Young Pelton is a badass. A civilian badass. But a badass nonetheless. He's travelled the world looking for danger, from Africa to Afghanistan, Pelton seeks out killers, mercenaries, and warlords to tell the story of people paid for their killing skills. License to Kill explores the secret society of security contractors. Where do they come from, why are they needed, what is their purpose? Do they help us, or are they a liability in the war on terror. Pelton travels with these hired guns in the world's most dangerous places to illustrate their lives and why they are necessary in modern war.


Hunting the Jackal: A Special Forces and CIA Soldier's Fifty Years on the Frontlines of the war Against Terrorism by Billy Waugh and some other dude.
Billy Waugh lives for war. From the jungles of Vietnam to the search for Bin Laden in the mountains of Afghanistan, Billy Waugh's life has been one adventure after another. His superior killing expertise, has made him the go-to guy when it comes to difficult, death defying missions. This book is brutal, captivating and would be unbelievable if it weren't completely true.


Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission by Hampton Sides
Ghost Soldiers chronicles the rescue of some of the survivors of the infamous Bataan Death March. Nearing the end of the war against the Japanese, the allied POWs in the Phillipines experienced some of the most atrocious of atrocities. A team led by some of America's bravest, moved through enemy lines to save these ill-treated prisoners. Hampton Sides writes of the terror of being a POW in the hands of the brutal japanese. He holds no punches when describing some of the horrible living conditions these men endured. Ultimately, the brave actions of a few Amercians and Filipinos, led to the rescue of 500 horribly deprived men.
This book tells about heroic men doing something beyond themselves in order to save the lives of others. Well written and completely engrossing.


The Last True Story I'll Every Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq by John Crawford
is the story of one man's war in Iraq. It's a candid story. A year-in-the-life. And a gritty, compelling read. This book illustrates the mundane days of soldiers, which are punctuated by moments of blood soaked violence. While it shows the comradarie of brothers in arms, It also tells the sad story of how war effects them.

Entertainment

A couple shows have kept me very entertained lately.
HBO's Rome is excellent. The first season started slow. It took me a couple episodes, but by episode three of season one, I was hooked. The characters are well developed, the story is taut and gripping. The action fast and brutal. The plot, thick, rich and delicious.

Game Show Network's High Stakes Poker Season 3 has just started, and it is better than season 2 in a couple ways. First, no prop bets. Or at least no talking about prop bets. The constant jabbering of the mysterious prop bets last season eliminated all the poker talk. Plus, announcer Gabe Kaplan's been muzzled. At least a little bit.
The play is as good as ever, and Daniel Negreanu's short appearance in the broadcaster's booth was very good. If he ever goes broke playing poker, he'll always have a career in broadcasting. This show is by far the best poker on TV.


Movies I've seen lately:

The Devil Wears Prada. Decently acted. But ultimately, not for me. This movie galmourizes the glamour world which I hate. The protagonist is a cheating, superficial wannabe, who sucks up and idolizes a complete byatch who is deeply flawed and a truly horrible person. Furthermore it perpetuates the fallacy that beautiful women are always skeleton thin. I hated this movie, and feel that audiences are genuinely worse off for having seen it.

Beerfest.
The exact polar opposite of the previously mentioned movie. This is a frat guy's movie. It features all the fun exciting games I played in as a child. From Beer Pong to Thumper to Quarters, this movie illustrates the fun of drinking beer and playing games. Two great things that go great together. Dudes will love this movie, and women will hate it. In the end, everyone will have laugh.

We're engaged

We're engaged, originally uploaded by Joe_13.

New Year's Eve, on a brisk pier at Tahoe's North Shore, I proposed to my angel. She said yes.

Before we got together my criteria was simple.
I wanted someone who was smart, funny, good looking and down with what I was into. She's a perfect match for me and we are the best couple I know.

If we ever break up, I'm going on a killing rampage.

Happy friggin Holidays

Happy Holidays.
I've got the entire week off. Nice. I caught a cold. Not so nice.
We had prime rib Christmas Eve dinner, and Eggs Benedict breakfast at the GF's parent's house. It would've been nice to have a holiday meal with my dad, but alas, he's in China... forever. At least we had some Hot Pot City with my brother and his wife. So the holiday meals were excellent. Then the GF's birthday was this week. I bought her a car stereo, her's died weeks ago. I know real fucking romantic. I'm an idiot. We made a "no-gift-pact" but I decided to buy her a gift anyway. It was a total surprise, she wasn't expecting it at all.
The cold I caught sucks real bad. It starts out with a tickly feeling in the chest. Followed by a sore throat. Then a general feeling of malaise: lethargy, drowsiness, etc. The coughing, the congestion, headaches. Then the nose stuffs, the left side, then the right, turn, left, turn, right... nasal drip. Oh it's a fun one.
Chestnut bought us a crock pot for Christmas. Perfect for some chicken soup.
To the Mi Pueblo market:
Various chicken pieces about 2 lbs.
4-5 small white potatoes.
3-4 small carrots
(by the way, these measurements are approximate, I never really keep track when I cook)
Plenty of salt and pepper.
3-4 sprigs rosemary
1 tsp curry
dried thyme
1tsp cayenne
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup of parsley
1 medium onion
3-4 sticks of celery.
2 cans of chicken broth
1 can of water

Chop all vegetation, mix.
Place everything in the crock pot and cook that shit for 10 hours.

I freestyled this recipe, but it turned out pretty decent.


Have a great New Years! I'll be in Tahoe.

More nerd than meets the eye.

On the nerd tip.
Transformers, live action trailer is online. And looking pretty friggin' cool. More than meets the eye, byatch!

I've discovered my optimal strategy to be a good poker player.
You have to employ a loose tight-passive aggressive game.
In other words, you have to be able to play every way.
At some moments playing loose and fast is crucial. While it is also to play tight and passive at times.
The key is knowing when to and initiating a plan of action at the right time. Based on your read of an opponent, the pace of the game and your position, you should create a strategy. Then more importantly, when the time arises, you should be able to "change gears" or in other words change strategies to maximize profits while minimizing losses. Which is the essence of being a overall winning player.
This all seems pretty elementary, but often I see players keep with their style. Often tight players stay tight. They only play good cards regardless of position, or opponents. Or worse, loose players stay loose despite having shit cards, and staying loose when they miss their flops completely.
With all this being said, it is usually the least experienced players who make these mistakes most often. They have no concept of pot odds, so pot sized bets rarely push them out of drawing hands. They also make ridiculous overbets which pretty much effectively push me out of hands when I should be staying in.
Obviously this could mean that they are just more saavy players than I think.
But more likely it's as Sammy Farha said at the 2004 WSOP when he took 2nd place to Chris Moneymaker.
"I can outplay a good player. But with a bad player, I have to have a hand."
And last night. I just couldn't pick up a decent hand.

Art at Flickr

Skulls-1, originally uploaded by Joe_13.

I've been posting art at my flickr.com site lately.
Check out some of it and please give me some criticism if at all possible.
It would be much appreciated.

TV, TV, and more TV

There's been much talk about TV around the "cooler". This topic gets me excited because I've been pretty hooked on a couple programs. If you have HBO, with On Demand, you're in luck, because they have been putting on some quality television. Being a Netflix member is awesome too, because being able to rent an entire season is a wonderful thing. Nothing beats a Saturday or Sunday afternoon TV series marathon. Especially when they are as good as some of the shows here.


All these shows are pretty much "must see."

The Wire
This could be the final season of this excellent crime series on HBO. Each episode is complex, intelligent and thought provoking. It is essential that you start the season from episode one. The characters are nuanced and plots are quite intertwined from episode to episode. Your best bet is to rent Season one and start from the beginning.

Heroes
A new series on channel 3 Monday nights. The premise is not original. What if regular people suddenly got super powers. Despite being on primetime, the show is dark, gritty, violent. Each episode has a cliffhanger ending. Definitely addictive.

Nip/Tuck
FX's ultra campy, highly entertaining, darkly funny series about two plastic surgeons dealing with their dysfunctional intertwined lives.

Battlestar Galactica
A remake of the 1970's TV series. This updated series stars Edward James Olmos at his most pock marked and the lady (Stands with a Fist) from Dances With Wolves. Make sure you watch the mini-series which lays out the history for the following 3 or 4 seasons. Great space fight scenes and timely story lines make this show visually and intellectually stimulating.

Brotherhood
This is Showtime's copycat of HBO's successful series' The Wire and THe Soprano's mixed into one. The show follows two brothers from an Irish neighborhood. One goes legit (sort of) and is a rising star in state politics, while the other fortifies his standing within the criminal underworld.

Build your own Pinhole Camera

Download, print and build your own pinhole camera.
Go here

Brian, New Year... 2003

Brian, New Year... 2003, originally uploaded by Joe_13.

I love this pic.

On a different note: I updated my website.
Check it out and let me know what you think.

pigtails

pigtails, originally uploaded by Joe_13.

Ever since !Habitforming started encouraging me start drawing again, I've been sketching like crazy. Sites like WoosterCollective, Fecal Face, Concept Art, Illustration Fridays, Streetsy, Bobby Chiu's Imaginism Studios, Illustration Mundo have also fueled my creative fires.

See more of my images here.

Poker Saturday

I killed it at poker day this weekend.
We started off with a spread limit ($.25-$3) cash game. JoeO, SamD, JohnN, Chestnut and I battled it out for several hours. At the end I finished up around $40.
We then decided to play a couple $20 sit-n-goes. Amy joined us and then for the second one, RobG showed up to play one.. I won both games with SamD and RobG coming in second respectively!
We also dusted off three eighteen packs and a twelver of beers while we played. Between 5 guys... that's quite a bit of brew.
The next day I played a 532 player $10-buy-in multi-table on Full Contact Poker. After fighting though the fish for several hours, I was finally knocked out in 10th place. My $66 win was just so damn unsatisfactory. Considering it's the first multi-table online tournament cash in months, I should be happy. But playing 4 hours for a measly $50 profit sucks balls. But at least my confidence is back and hopefully some positive EV.
My only concern is that after having won all the games that afternoon, my players may not be so stoked to come over for poker night again... I guess that's the tradeoff for kicking so much ass.

Habitforming!

Human, originally uploaded by !HabitForming.

Rob posted this pic I drew of him on his Flickr site. Seems like it got some pretty good feedback.
Not to mention it's a freakin' hilarious likeness.

Devious Concoctions Haunt

Devious Concoctions Haunt, originally uploaded by Joe_13.

My buddy Brent Ross puts up the most insane animatronic Halloween Haunt at his parent's front yard. You MUST check it out if you are in the Mountain View area this weekend through Halloween.
Located at View Street and El Camino.
View street will be blocked off Halloween to accomodate the crowds.


Check out his website

Happy 31 to me

Taking The Shot, originally uploaded by !HabitForming.

Friday was my birthday.
Entitled with that distinction, I took the day off work. I spent the day working on my web site and vegging out on the couch. Better than sitting at the office I must say.

The GF and I had dinner at Royal Teppan Steak house in Cupertino. Initially I wanted Benihana, but we would've had to wait until 9:30pm to have dinner. that just wouldn't do. The other teppanyaki option was Royal Teppan. While the food there is not quite as good as Benihanna, but the chefs are more eager to please. Quite honestly, the food wasn't that much worse. Still, a good option for a birthday dinner.
Saturday, the itinerary was tailored for me. Shotguns, poker and Karaoke.
We started the day shooting the sporting clays course at Coyote Valley Clays where Sam, Raus , Rob and I blasted the shit out of a bunch of clays. One of my favorite pastimes.
Later we got a cash spread limit poker game going at my house. While it was only a $5 buy-in, it was still pretty competitive. I'm pretty sure I ended up the big winner, having cashed out $25 big ones.
Then we headed over to Seven Bamboo lounge in Japantown where they have a really fun karaoke night. We got there before the usual crowd arrived, so we could establish our seats and get on the singing list. I signed up to sing "Big Poppa" by Notorious B.I.G.... Luckily for me the place was nearly empty as I proceeded to demolish his lyrical masterpiece. I know the words, they just didn't form quickly enough in my mouth. The next song was "Mother" by Danzig, then "Easy" by the Commodores, then a duet of "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" and finally a quartet with Sam and His fiance of "All Night Long" by Lionel.
So obviously I made damn fool of myself. But it was well worth it. I had a blast.
Sunday we made a trip out the Half Moon Bay for Seafood at Barbara's Fish Trap.
Unfortunately for me, my gut was in a bad way from the previous night, so I wasn't able to finish my crab sandwich. But it was damn good regardless. The rest of Sunday was finished off most relaxingly with a nap and dinner at the Claimjumper in Fremont.
The birthday weekend concept is awesome and I suggest everyone makes their birthday a three-day affair.

Full Coverage

If you have any interest in tattoo art, you must see these.
FULL COVERAGE

8 Tattooers, 2 years, 33 backpieces


Read more about the tattoo world at Needled.com.
Also check out Prick Magazine
The guys who organized Full Coverage, New Skool Tattoo

300

I just saw thepreview for the film adaptation of Frank Miller's 300.
The graphic novel, though well drawn in the disctinctive Frank Miller style, is less about the plot and more about mood. Everyone knows the story of the Spartans battling the Persian empire. This film illustrates the legend with overdramatic comic book-y flavor.
Watch the preview. It looks like it could be good.

Heroes

I have to give it up for the new series Heroes on NBC, Monday nights.
I was skeptical. But the first episode got me hooked. The darkness of the characters and the brutality was unexpected, and appreciated.
Episode two, while it spent too much time recapping the previous episode, further reinforced my impression. It was intense and immensely entertaining.

You have to check out the first two episodes of Heroes.

Congress bans online poker

Those fucking assholes in Washington just passed a bill which bans online poker.
Read about the bullshit: Here


We're all gonna die.

Stoneth's photos

beavis, originally uploaded by stoneth.

I just stumbled onto this phorographer's flickr site.
It features hard hitting images of homeless.

Barrhill Way

On our way home from Folsom last weekend, we decided to make a stop in Fair Oaks California to see my old house on Barhill Way. This suburb of Sacramento is about 15-20 miles east of downtown Sac.
At one 'for-sale' home on Barhill Way, we stopped to grab a real estate flyer. I said to her, "We shouldn't even bother. It's probably $1.2 million."
To my surprise, this 4BR 3.5BA 2,500 square-foot home with pool, patio, marble bathroom, newly remodeled, new appliances, new AC was a measly $625,000.
Compared to what we could buy in the bay area, this home was a steal.
Not that we could afford this house, but we could afford something close. One look at the price, and the neighborhood, Amy fell in love.

So now we are seriously considering moving out here. Maybe not right away. But at some point we will definitely consider a move, and Fair Oaks might be just the spot.

Cole Wedding

I shot my second wedding last weekend in Folsom.
My GF's former co-worker was married at her in-laws beautiful home.
It was a very casual affair. The guests were dressed relatively casually. I think only one person was wearing a tie (not the groom).

The wedding got started a bit late, so the light was fading fast by the time the ceremony was finished. I struggled to get decent shots in the fading light. Definitely no "magic hour" shots unfortunately. I managed to get most of the posed family shots in and some of the couple.
Otherwise I was in the right place at the right time to get all the important moments. The ceremony, walking down the aisle, the vows, the ring exchange, kiss, cake, table settings, food, the speeches, the cake cutting and the dances.

So I think overall, I was successful and captured the true story of their wedding.
And for the price they paid for my services, I think they're getting quite a great bargain.

9/11 bullshit

AFTERMATH: Wreckage from Flight 77 on the Pentagon’s lawn--proof that a passenger plane, not a missile, hit the building. PHOTOGRAPH BY AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS


My good pal Brian just called to tell me that he is starting to believe the bullshit 9/11 conspiracy theories. He cited some documentary (I forget the one) that says it was a missile or bomb that blew up the Pentagon. "Where's the debris" "There were no bodies" "The hole was too small...." blah blah blah. Since everyone in the world knows that Popular Mechanics magazine is the most reputable publication in the world (maybe not, I don't know.) This link should dismiss the ridiculousness:

Popular Mechanics debunks the bullshit

Cars in the shop, Pop moves outta the country

The last few weeks have been a royal pain in the ass.
Amy's car got hit on the street outside our house. Luckily for us, the guy who hit us was cool enough to let us know. He gave up his personal information and requested we give him the opportunity to pay it before we go to insurance. So a day or two later, we took the car to the body shop. The guy (our neighbor's friend) took his credit card down there and paid the estimate on the spot. That was nice, but that left us without a car. Fortunately we had outs,... Amy's pop has an extra vehicle which he let us use.
A week later, my car blows a radiator hose and delivers my car to the shop via tow truck. So now BOTH our vehicles are in the shop. I lose a day and half of work. Again, luckily for us we have outs. My dad is moving out of the country and doesn't need HIS car. So he lets us borrow it. In exchange, I help him move. That sucks balls, but I get to walk away with a bunch of shit he was going to give away or sell. He hooks us up with a bunch of paintings, some home furnishings, a new Imac flat screen, some asian style decorations, a ladder, tools, a couple firearms, and a bunch of other shit not worth mentioning. Then he volunteers $500 to help pay for our car's ailments. He totally saved our broke asses.
Finally things are finally getting a little bit better. Her student loans finally came in, so we can pay the rent and bills. But now we are broke as jokes once again.
I am shooting a wedding this weekend. My second wedding ever. So that'll put a couple more bucks on the table.
With the money as tight as ever, I will be stoked to get a couple more freelance gigs to supplement my unsubstantial annual salary. At least until my woman finishes nursing school and gets a full-time job, we'll be suffering a little.

Nurse Angel

Nurse Angel, originally uploaded by Joe_13.

This sketch was created for my GF who is graduating from nursing school this spring.You can buy t-shirts, mugs etc with this logo at my Zazzle.com site.

Fire Angel

Fire Angel
Originally uploaded by Joe_13.

I made this sketch the other day. It's also a conceptual sketch inspired by tattoo art.

Rob at Burning Man

IMG_2487
Originally uploaded by !HabitForming.

My buddy Rob just got back from Burning Man and took a shitload of photos.
He rolled over last night and unleashed a verbal barrage dedicated to his experience. His photos are pretty neat, and has definitely inspired me to seriously consider making a trip out there next year.

SKULL

SKULL
Originally uploaded by Joe_13.

I sketched this a couple days ago. It is inspired by all the tattoo art I have been perusing lately. It is intended to be a shoulder piece, and maybe someone somewhere will want it on their body for life.
Actually my good buddy Karl has already expressed some interest in having it inked on his body, sight unseen. Who knows. he might like it.

Dead-fuckin-wood

As good as the fucking season of Deadwood has been, I do reckon that the season finale was quite the fuckin' letdown. With all the cocksuckers talking about the potential escalation of war in Deadwood, my expectations for violence were fuckin' higher than usual for this particular series' ending. I was indeed disappointed when the cocksucker Hearst left town to pursue other likely amoral ventures, leaving Swearingen and Bullock to do whatever it is that they fuckin' do when their ain't no cocksucker like Hearst to cause any fuckin' trouble.
At any fuckin' rate, I am looking forward to next season, and hopefully they'll tie up the loose fuckin' ends left by this season.

Oprah to the rescue

My GF loves Oprah. Then again, what woman doesn't love Oprah. She's had every disadvantage one could have: poor, molested, overweight and black. She's one woman who has bitch slapped every challenge ever thrown at her.

As the richest most powerful woman in the world, one would expect her to waste her fortune on stupid things like billion dollar beach homes, private jets, and charitable donations to poor people. But Oprah has better things to blow her wad on: Like vigilante-ism.
She's offered $100,000 to anyone who gives information leading to the capture of these child predators. How awesome is that?
So far she's helped get at least 5 despicable human beings off the streets.

Weeds

We just finished watching the first season of Showtime's Weeds from Netflix.
At first, I wasn't engrossed. But by the beginning of the third episode I was addicted. Mary Louise Parker plays, Nancy, a widow who begins schlanging dope in order to feed the family. Slowly her small time operation selling schwag weed to the local stoners grows to a real business and by the final episode of the first season, she is on the verge of going big time.
Kevin Nealon of SnL pseudo-fame, steals the show as Doug, her slacker, stoner, corrupt CPA friend.
Weeds is slightly far-fetched, but pleasant, interesting and very funny. Worth 11 hours of your time. Definitely.

Meeting Jeff

I spoke to Jeff at Graven Image Tattoo in Mountain View yesterday regarding my bamboo tattoo concept. He seemed into it. What I like is the fact that his portfolio is full of very organic, colorful pieces. His specialty looks to be plant, flowers and animals and bio-mechanical designs. My concept of the flowing bamboo should be right up his alley. I've decided that instead of a true reproduction of my grandfather's painting, I could trust a skilled artist to make their interpretation of that art. As long as it maintains the spirit of my grandfather's piece.
When I presented him the art, his first comment was, "It'll have to be big."
I told him my intention to go big, either my whole back, of half my back.
We talked a bit more about the concept, the price and procedure. $50 deposit, $130 an hour. Appointments are made for sessions 4-6 weeks out.

Jeff seems to be a genuinely nice guy, looking to make good art and happy clientele. His portfolio proves he's more than competent. Possibly genius. So my enthusiasm to get this tattoo has only increased.

I'll sweat this out a bit more and let myself absorb this idea for a while before I commit. At this point I think Jeff might be the dude.

WSOP Final Table

The final table of the Main Event of the World Series of Poker is approaching. Someone is going to win $12 MILLION for their efforts. This lucky bastard will have survived an onslaught of 8,000+ money hungry, lying, cheating degenerate gamblers to make it to this point. They'll also join the ranks of the greatest players in the world. As a matter of fact everyone who made it to the final table is officially a millionaire if they weren't one already.
My pick is for the lone poker pro left, Allen Cunningham, to win it. He's got a reputation as a gentle fellow, with ridiculous skillz to pay the billz. On the other hand it might be cool to see some schmuck with a student loan and overdue credit card bills to pay off win it.
As long as the winner doesn't FLUKE himself into the win, or bad beat his way to a championship. The winner of $12 mil. should deserve it.

Wow, $12 million. Twelve MILLION. M-I-L-L-I-O-N....
What would I do with $12 million?
First I'd have to go buy myself some new underwear.

(sigh)

Dare to dream.

Read Dr. Pauly's updates

Tattoo artist hunt

Choosing a tattoo artist has proven to be a more difficult task than I thought. Since I have the artwork already, I need someone who will be able to execute it well, able to capture the subtle differences in the values of leaves of the bamboo, and the motion of the swaying branches.
So far I've met with Martin at Lucky Stars, Kahlil at Tatto City, Doug at Staircase, Jill and Horitaka at State of Grace, Nate at True Art and Jeff at Graven.
Horiataka and Jill at State of Grace declined to do it, because it's a difficult tattoo and I think they are more interested in doing custom jobs rather than reproductions. Totally understandable.
In the future I'll definitely consider either of those two to ink one of my limbs. Something custom, something that they'd like to do... hopefully something they'd like to put in their portfolio.
So far quotes have ranged from $130 an hour to $150. The time to do my design has been estimated at 4-5 hours. So the entire thing will run $700 at the most, hopefully.
At any rate I've yet to decide on an artist. I think I'm leaning toward Kahlil or Doug. Both of them seem to handle subtle tonality changes very well. So in the coming months we'll see what happens with my decision making.

Dolt

Get your very own DOLT T-shirt here

Tattoo

This past week has been the hottest ever. I think there were 5 consecutive 100+ degree days. Of course my house is AC-less. So sweating it out was mandatory.
To top it off, we celebrated Chizzl's birthday at his house,... where? In Livermore, Where it was a solid 118 degrees. That's right 118 degrees.
He did have one window AC unit which helped a bit, but we were still sweltering.
It was necessary for us to employ the ghetto method of staying cool. Ice Packs.
Ice packs on the neck, on the head, on the arms, and on the balls. It all helped.
Sunday, we went to the GF's dad's house where they finished installing a new pool this year. At 86 degrees, we literally remained submerged for 4 hours. I wondered why we did anything BUT stay in the pool. It was a life saver.
Finally, today it's only 90-ish. Which after last week feels positively cool.

I've also been considering getting the tattoo I've always wanted. It's really quite a commitment, so, in deciding what I want for a tattoo, the most important criteria is that it is top-notch. The design, the application thereof needs to be flawless. Which means I'll need to hire someone who is a master of their art. I've also decided against designing the tattoo myself. These guys are masters of their crafts and their tools. It takes specific skills to apply tattoo ink just right. So that it doesn't fade prematurely, be too dark, illegible or otherwise be jacked up.

So far I know I want my last name in chinese. That's given. I'm seriously entertaining the idea of having a complete shoulder piece done. Maybe a dragon, though dragons are pretty played out, but still very cool looking. Maybe chinese painting in the style of my grandfather. That'd be super cool, only I don't know how well it'd translate to tattoo.
Regardless, I'm pretty sure I want to wait, save up the proper amount of money, and have a real piece of art done on me.

Zidane animated

Civ 3

For the life of me I can't remember what I did this weekend. It was that spectacular.
One thing I did was was I went out to buy a video game. I was thinking a Sim City-type game would be a great way to fill my solo-time. The online poker is still going, but my enthusiasm has started slipping. Mostly because the small bucks poker I've been playing is just so,... boring. Grinding out 3 hours just to make $10 isn't exactly great motivation to keep playing in the big tourneys.
So anyhow, I ended up buying Civilization III since I couldn't find SimC. I know that Civilization 4 is out, but this version came with all the expansions and only cost a grand total of $20. Not too bad considering I've already invested about 20 hours into it, and I just bought it Sunday. I'm telling you, this game is addictive. Once I'm on, I can't stop playing it. I had to drag myself away from it last night, when I could barely keep my eyes open. So I care not that there's a new version out. this game is fun enough. If Civilization 4 is any better than III, They should rename it CRACK, The Video Game.
I couldn't even imagine getting hooked on a Massive multi-player game like WarCraft. I'd not only be officially be a "DORK" but would soon be officially "BROKE" "SINGLE" and "FRIENDLESS."
Then again who needs a girlfriend, money and friends when you have dominated an entire continent, eliminated two nations, built a massive army and a growing Navy?

Obesity in children

Obesity in children
Originally uploaded by Joe_13.

I created this illustration for a story the newspaper is running on childhood obesity.

Joe_13 on films

I'm pretty much a movie junkie.
I've compiled a list of movies I've seen lately. The vast majority of them are recent Netflixed movies. Since I'm too lazy to write up a full review, I'll give you the abridged version of a review.

X-Men 3 - I went into this one with the lowest of expectations and came out entertained. Not quite as good as it should've been. But not horrible. Rent it.
The Proposition - Very slow, dusty and dirty. Can a movie be dusty and dirty? This one is. It's a slow portrait of Australia in Western times. Did I mention slow? It's also VERY brutal. Not for everyone. You'll like it if you like slow movies with flashes of sudden realistic violence.
Winter Soldier - Black and white interviews with soldiers who've experienced real brutality during the Vietnam war. Interesting first person accounts.
Munich - Previously reviewed. Recently re-watched. Excellent film.
End of the Spear - Religious propaganda I think. I was indifferent to this movie.
Underworld: Evolution - Action garbaaage. Skip this shit unless you love mindless action.
Green Street Hooligans - Slightly better than mediocre movie about how Frodo ruins his brother-in-law's hooligan family. Rentable.
16 Blocks - Mos Def with an unbearable retard lisp, and Bruce Willis as a drunken, dirty cop with a conscious. More obnoxious than entertaining. Wait for TV.
The Three Burials of Melquiadas Estrada - Tommy Lee Jones' personal project about the border issue. Average. Wait for it one TV.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Robert Downey Jr. pretending to be a young man. Mildly entertaining, but pretty far-fetched. rentable.
Final FantasyVII: Advent Children - Great animation. But mind-numbingly BOOOORING. Put in on in the background when you have a house party.
The Squid and the Whale - Wes Anderson's caracature of a Wes Anderson movie. Anoying, but funny at times. Rent.
Duma - Overhyped boy and his cheetah film. Beautifully shot but average at best. Watch it with a kid.
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance- Slow moving, violent portrait of a rich man's revenge and a deaf guy's mistake. Certain artsy fartsy film goers will enjoy this. Bruckheimer fans will hate it.
Sky High- Fun movie. Very cartoon-like. It would be a 10-year-old's dream. Watch it with a kid.
The Ringer - Horrible. Coudn't even finish watching it. Note to Knoxville: Keep the acting to actors.
Masters of Poker: Vol. 2: Phil Hellmuth's Million Dollar Secrets to Bluffing and Tells - This is the worst video ever made. Hands Down. Watching this will make you a WORSE poker player. Skip this.
The New World - Slow moving. Beautiful photography. Interesting setting. A bit too much Obsession-cologne-esque internal monologue/art scenery. Fascinating portrait of early America. Rentable
Capote - Brilliant performance, obviously. Great story. Definitely see this at some point.
Match Point - Twisted love story gone wrong. Scarlett Johanssen goes from incredibly desireable to downright annoying. Interesting movie though. Watchable. Not the usual Woody flick.

Colt .45

My dad has planned to sell his house here in San Jose to move to Shanghai full time. They're already spending 6 months out of the year there, so why no dump the $4000 a month of commitments they have here to live there at a fraction of the cost? It does suck to think that we'll officially have no "home base," at least until I buy a home somewhere (who knows when that'll be?)... and that the folks won't be here to take any future children off our hands if we want to go to the movies or something.
But on a lighter note, since he's going to be showing his home for sale, and eventually will need to liquidate all his property prior to his moving, he gave me one thing of his I really want: His Colt 45.

looks just like this

So now, I've acquired his lightly used, slightly scratched matte black Colt M1991A1 Series 80, .45 ACP semi-automatic, bad-ass-muthafuckin pistol.
It's pretty awesome. I took it out yesterday afternoon and put a box of shells through it. The boy has some kick to him. This gun ain't for no sissies, that's for sure. It shot well. I'm not totally happy with the fixed sights on it, but overall, the gun is accurate, and reliable. And it looks damn good. Except for a big nasty scratch my pops put on it.

But to all you burglars and home invaders,... watch yo' ass. And stay the fuck away from my house... lest you get a cap in yo' dumb-ass.

no WSOP for me

So while the World Series of Poker starts up this week, I've opted to stay around town and work at my job rather than wreak havoc amongst the top players in the world. I know they will all be appreciating my absence, since that automatically kicks everyone up a notch on the winner's board. They all must've sighed a collective sigh of relief when the news that I wasn't attending hit Vegas.
I've also decided that next year, I'll make a concerted effort to play in at least one event at the WSOP. That means dedicating a chuck of my bankroll to playing satellites. Initially I planned on doing it this year, but since my multi-table skillz are at an all time low, (I haven't cashed in any big tourneys in a long-long time, (actually haven't played in many either)), I'm a bit rusty at keeping my motivation, discipline, focus for any period of time.
My sit-n-go skillz are still good though. I've been taking a lot of bad beats lately, which is a good sign. It means I'm playing well and getting my money in with the best of it.
That's all I can do. Hopefully that bitch named "Luck" will be on my side again soon.

Earth hottest it's been in 2,000 years

We're all gonna die.

I remember having some political argument with a conservative republican a couple years back. Somehow we got onto the topic of global warming. I actually thought that the theory of global warming was pretty much fact. I had no idea that conservatives considered it bullshit theory. I understand WHY they'd want to believe that; because big energy NEEDS there to be low restrictions on air pollution so they can further gouge the regular people who depend on their overpriced product, and since the GOP is making sweet lovies with energy companies, it only makes sense to give energy companies a break. After all they barely squeak profits every year (that's sarcasm).
Well now there's proof, sort of, of global warming.

Now EVERYTHING you think has officially been proven wrong,... is it time to rethink the direction of the future of our once beautiful country?

PittRounder

Most small time gamblers dream of playing the highest stakes and winning huge bucks. The truth is, big time gamblers go through massive swings in their bankrolls that would make normal people shit themselves. It's well known that often times pro poker players go broke, after having won millions of dollars. In Theo Tran's blog, Pittrounder, though he posts rarely, he goes from a millionaire poker player to being nearly broke. I can't wait to see if he makes it out of his funk.

poker

I've finished 1st place in my last 4 out of 5 sit and go tournaments lately. In my home game last week I took a 2nd and a 1st. I took 1st two 6-handed online sit and go's and won a 9-handed sit and go. BUT, I lost in two consecutive heads-up matches against ScottO.
The heads-up losses were a real blow to my ego. I consider ScottO no-competition. Bottom line, though he has placed in the money in many of our recent tournaments, I feel I play a tougher game than he does. His play is very straight forward. His big hands are obvious. It's obvious when he is drawing. He tilts easily.
But one aspect of his game seems to get me every time. Once he starts having fun, that is, once he starts raising and calling without looking at his cards, he catches cards. So here I am with a relatively big hand heads-up, let's say K10. He raises in the dark. I call. I catch top pair on the flop, with two rags. He bets in the dark. I raise. He calls in the dark. Turn comes, he checks in the dark. I bet. He calls in the dark. River, blank. He checks in the dark. I bet. He looks at his cards and calls. I show top pair. He shows 7-5 off suit and makes two pair.
FUCKING BULLSHIT.
I can't tell you how many times that has happened.

The shitty thing is, he has beat me in the past, but when he has, he has drawn out on me with three outs or less. No joke. The only way he can beat me, is by sucking out.
All in all, I dominate his ass. I just wish the poker gods didn't favor his loud mouth and terrible attitude.
Payback is a bitch.

Tao of Pauly

Dr. Pauly is probably the most psuedo-famous of all the poker bloggers. Not famous like Wil Wheaton or Jen Tilly. His blog is consitently witty, articulate and fearlessly candid. Over the past week or so, he's honored us with an autobiographical blog posting in five parts which has had me glued to my screen each morning. It's a fascinating look into his interesting life and journeys.
I an envious of his ability to put thoughts into words and words into gracefully told narratives.

Check it out

Ferd-Jane and poker in Tahoe

Ferd's wedding in Tahoe was a much needed end-of-the-week treat. The Thursday event effectively stretched our weekend to 4 days. I totally left my coworkers behind and didn't feel one bit bad about it.
The drive up was gorgeous. The mountain tops above 7000 still had snow on it, but it was obvious that camping is definitely possible anywhere below that.
Let the backpacking season begin.
We arrived at the Cal Va Rado Motel, a dive motel recommended by the marrying couple. They said it's cheap, clean, accepts dogs and is conveniently located across the street from all the casinos. It meets my criteria. The motel is cheap, yes ... Clean? Not so much. But adequate.
The wedding went off without a hitch. With the gorgeous Lake for a backdrop, the happy couple exchanged vows surrounded by friends, family and co-workers. Local news personalities were in attendance including Raj Mathai, Lisa Kim and Diane Dwyer from KNTV11.
The reception was fun. The buffet style set up was sort of refreshing. It gave us a chance to eat as much as we wanted. And the food was damn good. It also made the event less stuffy and formal. The guests sort of let their hair down. The TV people were quite rowdy, hootin' and-a hollarin'. They made us frat boys look like choir boys. People didn't seem to be in the dancing mood though and after the obligatory couples dancing, the party seemed to slip away.
The after party was held at the former Caesar's Tahoe, now called Mont Bleu. We stuck around for a few hours playing some Blackjack and a bit of roulette. But my heart was set on playing some live poker. The only casino with any action was Harvey's. So I ditched the wedding party to go fishing at the poker room.
They were spreading $3-6 limit and $2-3 no-limit.
I opted for the safer $3-6 limit. Bought in for $80. Then proceeded to fold for about 45 minutes. Dude to my right: and overly aggressive young Filipino dude. He was raising live-blind every hour or so, bluffing at too many pots against really crappy players and probably a tough opponent when not getting cold-decked. To my left, a non-existant player slowly bleeding his stack. Next an older gentleman playing tight solid. Then the fish: a group on a bachelor party weekend. First the most experienced of them, playing tight, talking shit about how bad the other two were. Next, a dude who has never played poker before. He was slowing the game down every round, "What's the bet?" "Can I raise?" "What's the raise?" "Who raised?" This guys was as clueless as anyone I've ever played against. The guy after him, also had never played. But every decision he made took a lifetime. He'd mad dog every raiser and muck. Or he'd call to the river with King high. Bottom line, These guys were the fish. There's a famous saying,"If you don't know who the sucker at the table is, It's you." Well I knew I wasn't the sucker at this table. And despite my fatigue, I was determined to stay at this table until they left. These guys were +EV in a big way. Following the fish was another middle aged dude, playing weak-loose, very fishy. Then a young guy wearing sunglasses and playing tight. I probably needed to have a hand against him, but he'd be bluffable when out of position.
I figured as long as I played tight and only against the weak opponents I'd be guaranteed to win. My patience paid off. I got away from all the shit hands, and got action on all my huge hands. After about 3.5 hours of play, the fish got up to leave. I immediately called it a night as soon before my blind, up $103.
I wandered back to the motel and crashed for about 3 hours before the dehydration woke me up. We were back in San Jose at 4 p.m.

Gene Bieker RIP

Gene Bieker RIP
Originally uploaded by Joe_13.

Gene Bieker RIP

I just got a call from Janice informing me of the death of an old friend. Gene Bieker, a classmate at SJSU died of an apparent cardiac arrest while on a Europe vacation.
I pulled this pic of him off a myspace site of a band he was once part of.

He was a true artist.