Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Connecticutt trip
I have had quite a few funny looks and even some criticism when I tell folks that I spent my birthday on a solo trip to play poker while Elizabeth went to Mexico's Copper Canyon with Ann Marie. It is odd I suppose. Perhaps it helps to understand how Elizabeth and I celebrate birthdays. We celebrate all month. So the actual date holds less meaning. Elizabeth and I do like to think out of the box.
Actually, I had quite a party on my birthday. I was in Mohegan Sun at the wildest table of the trip, drinking 1800 Tequila with a 38 year old very gregarious black woman named Jen on one side and a quiet, but friendly, 50 year old woman on the other. We were loud and crazy and toasting my birthday and the older woman's 29th wedding anniversary with rounds of tequila. It was very funny, and a great party.
The date coincidences were really funny. I also played with an older fellow named Dewey at a table earlier the same day. Very odd. In the last hand he played before he went off to supper with his wife I beat his 3's full with my 6's full so perhaps he will not remember our meeting with joy.
And when the woman with the October 13th anniversary left, she was replaced by a fellow who was celebrating his 50th birthday that same day.
As the tequila took affect, I got plenty of hugs and cuddles from Jen who seemed to like me quite a bit. Jen is a drug counselor so there were plenty of jokes about her "counseling" me on 1800 Tequlla which is better than Cuervo because it's made from 100% Agave. (Cuervo is made from bleached sugar.)
The other woman talked to me about literature. She was Irish and liked to hear about William Kennedy and his writing about Albany. She remembered seeing Ironweed in the movies. Her sister lives in New Mexico so she was happy to hear of Tony Hillerman's mysteries (ps: Hillerman died 10-26-08)and even got some paper to write down the author's names. No one knew I had been a teacher either. I rarely mention that.
I told her too about the duck races
http://www.racingducks.com/
which I first heard about from my sister Gladys when when she lived in New Mexico. Being a great lover of all animals, Sis was so hopeful that one day she and daughter Beth might own a duck and get in in the races. Sadly, that small pleasure never happened. They lived a pretty tough life and now both are gone. So many changes.
Jen's boyfriend and the woman's husband hovered about trying to get them to go eat, but they were cool about all the attention I was getting and joking around with me. It was quite a party.
Then suddenly, like all poker parties, it was over. Jen actually went all-in (tough to do at limit) with second best straight and lost. The other woman went to have a late supper and never returned.
The rest of the night was one of my poorest. An old grump rejoined ourtable. He was one of those grumblers and whiners who always have a tough break, even when they win. I had had enough of him when he was there before and I guess the tequilla loosened my tongue a bit. I was not polite.
I had to wait for the tequila to wear off and over the next few hours out drained a good bit of money. It was another aggressive table with raises preflop, and I payed on my good hands without good flops to win the big pots.
Plenty of second best hands and a long, long draining of blinds with two aggressive players at the table who would have paid me well had I been lucky with hands. They were friendly enough. But it was not the same party mood. Finally, I folded my two pair on the flop hand and called it a night.
The dealers were very friendly everywhere. At Foxwoods they are all waiting to see who gets layed off. 700 layoffs planned.
There were plenty of pretty dealers to watch too in between playable hands. Poker gives you plenty of time to study the delightful faces of pretty girls. Turning 62, I was singing that sweet song for seniors, "Beautiful girls, walk a little slower when you pass by me" and laughing to myself.
I found the fellowship this trip was better than average for local casinos. It was more like Vegas. On my last day I played with Joe, Tom, Gary, and Dave and talked a blue streak with them about Laughlin and silver strikes and Vegas. Tom had a Colorado Belle hat which he had bought for just $2. he told me where to look at the Belle. They were all interested and I'll actually write Gary and send him discussion board links. Along with them was a young black woman who laughed and teased. She was very funny.
Tom also introduced me to Sambuca and coffee, with the alcohol served on the side so you can see that you actually get a shot of it. It is a great drink. It woke me up and made me cheerful.
I wish I could attribute my losses to alcohol, but in neither of my drinking sessions did I lose much money. My losses were ground out over time. I lost almost $500 in 34 hours of poker. I discuss the math here:
http://foxwoodspokertr.blogspot.com/2008/10/foxwoods-and-mohegan-sun.html#links
I went to see Mohegan Sun and play poker so I did not do too much sight seeing. I did make a visit to the ocean at sunset and eat lobster on a picnic table in view of a Marina. Abbot's in the Rough
http://www.abbotts-lobster.com/
was ending their season and I was there for the festivities along with dozens of other folks. I found the place on the Internet and used the GPS to get me there. It was really wonderful but very basic. The lobster was steamed to perfection and cracked to make it very easy to eat. The meat just lifted out. It was wonderful to be outside in just my shirtsleeves in October with the water all about and the boats coming by. It was a bit pricey ($24 with clam chowder, corn, cole slaw) but worth the fee.
Without the GPS I would never have found it. The route wound down to the water with turns every mile, perhaps six in all. It ended with a ride down a dead end small street pat beautiful old fashioned sprawling ocean homes built in the late 19th century.
This was my first really long solo trip using the GPS to work against my geographic inabilities and it is just such a thrill to be able to go anywhere and do anything. I stayed at a motel for $50 that was 15 minutes from the casinos, again through winding streets, yet at midnight I could find my way back without difficulty.
The only time I was lost was when I tried to find my way to Foxwoods from Abbott's without using the GPS. I had not programmed Foxwoods into it and that casino did not show up in points of interest. Finally, I gave it up, used my player's card to call for their address and plugged it in. I was a couple miles away, but would not have known which way to go and was on country roads with no source of verbal directions. I had stopped earlier for directions and they had seemed easy enough. Just one turn the fellow said. However, the road had two V's where I had to choose a path.
Over the course of the trip I made a couple early turns, but Lorry always simple redirected me and I found my way without any anxiety.
I ate in buffets the rest of the time except for one birthday extravagance. I had a sample at the Oh Boy 50's diner. All kinds of deep fried things I am no longer eating: wings, fries, onion rings, poppers. And it was good too. I ate it at midnight on my birthday.
http://www.ohboydiner.com/aboutUs.html
This place was like a 50's diner with a space comic theme. Inside was a rocket ship painting and some framed posters of old space movies and play robots from the 50's.
So I was off my diet, but I did not overdo and came back with no weight gain. It was fine to taste deep fried, and meat, and have a cookie, but I'll be back in the groove today. I was amazed to drink so much and not gain. I have been staying away from alcohol too here at home.
Along with the GPS, coffee has also changed my life. I still enjoy tea more than coffee, but that black liquid sure works to keep me awake. I could not sleep much after 6 AM and played usually until midnight with no naps. My last day I played and had supper just before 9 and drove home in the dark without much difficulty.
I was uncomfortable driving out. I dropped Elizabeth and Ann Marie at the airport at 5AM and headed out from there, starting in the dark and I was a bit anxious. I needed lots of bathroom breaks and they were not easy to find along that route. Finally, the sun came up and the road burst into the colors of autumn. Then things got a bit better. I had a nice breakfast at Old Tymes
http://www.oldetymes.com/
when I hit Norwich. It was a fine, inexpensive meal or eggs, grits and blueberry muffin. The coffee woke me up. Their prices for lunch and supper (lots under $10) are also very reasonable. I will stop there again.
While the tables are less cosmopolitan in Connecticut. I met some interesting people on the trip. At the motel was a poker player who has made his living since he took his $3000 in college money to Vegas and turned it into $30,000 playing high stakes games. Since then I suspect he has not done so well. He did not have a car and lived in this cheap motel, paying by the week.
Joe was a young college fellow who studies and sings opera in Pottsdam.
Foxwoods was filled with locals who knew one another and played a good, predictable game.
My motel was basic, but nice with a kitchen that I only used for tea in the morning while showering and watching the news. It seemed odd for me to be squandering my money gambling while the economy goes to hell. I was cheered by the election news. I think Obama has it in the bag. And generally I have been more and more frightened by McCain and Palin. He seems grabbing at any straw to win. She is just nuts. And it was not nice to see how hateful some American voters can be and see racism still so alive and well here in the Land of the Free. That one town meeting turned so ugly that McCain had to take the mike and shut down the shouted abuse. Thankfully we don't seem to produce Hitler like demagogue's here who would represent some of these nasty crowds.
What Republicans will do for issues now is very hard to imagine. Already they have spent more than Democrats, so fiscal conservatism is out the window and now deregulation and faith in the free market is gone for many decades. So odd to see McCain having to call for regulation and government help for people. I guess the Republicans still have militarism and the conservative social agendas as well as representing the wealthy class. But I expect we will see a Democratic government at least until folks realize that there are no miracles coming and get disillusioned again.
Hillary and Bill finally actually got some energy to campaign for Obama when it was clear he was going to win and she could not plan ahead another four years but needed to get on board. Bill really disappointed me this past month. So many disappointments in folks I admired. Jesse Jackson just disgusted me.
Well, I don't usually discuss politics.
It was a fine trip except for the score. I listened to old radio shows on the way home. And here I am ready for one of Greg's games and the last Presidential debate.
Actually, I had quite a party on my birthday. I was in Mohegan Sun at the wildest table of the trip, drinking 1800 Tequila with a 38 year old very gregarious black woman named Jen on one side and a quiet, but friendly, 50 year old woman on the other. We were loud and crazy and toasting my birthday and the older woman's 29th wedding anniversary with rounds of tequila. It was very funny, and a great party.
The date coincidences were really funny. I also played with an older fellow named Dewey at a table earlier the same day. Very odd. In the last hand he played before he went off to supper with his wife I beat his 3's full with my 6's full so perhaps he will not remember our meeting with joy.
And when the woman with the October 13th anniversary left, she was replaced by a fellow who was celebrating his 50th birthday that same day.
As the tequila took affect, I got plenty of hugs and cuddles from Jen who seemed to like me quite a bit. Jen is a drug counselor so there were plenty of jokes about her "counseling" me on 1800 Tequlla which is better than Cuervo because it's made from 100% Agave. (Cuervo is made from bleached sugar.)
The other woman talked to me about literature. She was Irish and liked to hear about William Kennedy and his writing about Albany. She remembered seeing Ironweed in the movies. Her sister lives in New Mexico so she was happy to hear of Tony Hillerman's mysteries (ps: Hillerman died 10-26-08)and even got some paper to write down the author's names. No one knew I had been a teacher either. I rarely mention that.
I told her too about the duck races
http://www.racingducks.com/
which I first heard about from my sister Gladys when when she lived in New Mexico. Being a great lover of all animals, Sis was so hopeful that one day she and daughter Beth might own a duck and get in in the races. Sadly, that small pleasure never happened. They lived a pretty tough life and now both are gone. So many changes.
Jen's boyfriend and the woman's husband hovered about trying to get them to go eat, but they were cool about all the attention I was getting and joking around with me. It was quite a party.
Then suddenly, like all poker parties, it was over. Jen actually went all-in (tough to do at limit) with second best straight and lost. The other woman went to have a late supper and never returned.
The rest of the night was one of my poorest. An old grump rejoined ourtable. He was one of those grumblers and whiners who always have a tough break, even when they win. I had had enough of him when he was there before and I guess the tequilla loosened my tongue a bit. I was not polite.
I had to wait for the tequila to wear off and over the next few hours out drained a good bit of money. It was another aggressive table with raises preflop, and I payed on my good hands without good flops to win the big pots.
Plenty of second best hands and a long, long draining of blinds with two aggressive players at the table who would have paid me well had I been lucky with hands. They were friendly enough. But it was not the same party mood. Finally, I folded my two pair on the flop hand and called it a night.
The dealers were very friendly everywhere. At Foxwoods they are all waiting to see who gets layed off. 700 layoffs planned.
There were plenty of pretty dealers to watch too in between playable hands. Poker gives you plenty of time to study the delightful faces of pretty girls. Turning 62, I was singing that sweet song for seniors, "Beautiful girls, walk a little slower when you pass by me" and laughing to myself.
I found the fellowship this trip was better than average for local casinos. It was more like Vegas. On my last day I played with Joe, Tom, Gary, and Dave and talked a blue streak with them about Laughlin and silver strikes and Vegas. Tom had a Colorado Belle hat which he had bought for just $2. he told me where to look at the Belle. They were all interested and I'll actually write Gary and send him discussion board links. Along with them was a young black woman who laughed and teased. She was very funny.
Tom also introduced me to Sambuca and coffee, with the alcohol served on the side so you can see that you actually get a shot of it. It is a great drink. It woke me up and made me cheerful.
I wish I could attribute my losses to alcohol, but in neither of my drinking sessions did I lose much money. My losses were ground out over time. I lost almost $500 in 34 hours of poker. I discuss the math here:
http://foxwoodspokertr.blogspot.com/2008/10/foxwoods-and-mohegan-sun.html#links
I went to see Mohegan Sun and play poker so I did not do too much sight seeing. I did make a visit to the ocean at sunset and eat lobster on a picnic table in view of a Marina. Abbot's in the Rough
http://www.abbotts-lobster.com/
was ending their season and I was there for the festivities along with dozens of other folks. I found the place on the Internet and used the GPS to get me there. It was really wonderful but very basic. The lobster was steamed to perfection and cracked to make it very easy to eat. The meat just lifted out. It was wonderful to be outside in just my shirtsleeves in October with the water all about and the boats coming by. It was a bit pricey ($24 with clam chowder, corn, cole slaw) but worth the fee.
Without the GPS I would never have found it. The route wound down to the water with turns every mile, perhaps six in all. It ended with a ride down a dead end small street pat beautiful old fashioned sprawling ocean homes built in the late 19th century.
This was my first really long solo trip using the GPS to work against my geographic inabilities and it is just such a thrill to be able to go anywhere and do anything. I stayed at a motel for $50 that was 15 minutes from the casinos, again through winding streets, yet at midnight I could find my way back without difficulty.
The only time I was lost was when I tried to find my way to Foxwoods from Abbott's without using the GPS. I had not programmed Foxwoods into it and that casino did not show up in points of interest. Finally, I gave it up, used my player's card to call for their address and plugged it in. I was a couple miles away, but would not have known which way to go and was on country roads with no source of verbal directions. I had stopped earlier for directions and they had seemed easy enough. Just one turn the fellow said. However, the road had two V's where I had to choose a path.
Over the course of the trip I made a couple early turns, but Lorry always simple redirected me and I found my way without any anxiety.
I ate in buffets the rest of the time except for one birthday extravagance. I had a sample at the Oh Boy 50's diner. All kinds of deep fried things I am no longer eating: wings, fries, onion rings, poppers. And it was good too. I ate it at midnight on my birthday.
http://www.ohboydiner.com/aboutUs.html
This place was like a 50's diner with a space comic theme. Inside was a rocket ship painting and some framed posters of old space movies and play robots from the 50's.
So I was off my diet, but I did not overdo and came back with no weight gain. It was fine to taste deep fried, and meat, and have a cookie, but I'll be back in the groove today. I was amazed to drink so much and not gain. I have been staying away from alcohol too here at home.
Along with the GPS, coffee has also changed my life. I still enjoy tea more than coffee, but that black liquid sure works to keep me awake. I could not sleep much after 6 AM and played usually until midnight with no naps. My last day I played and had supper just before 9 and drove home in the dark without much difficulty.
I was uncomfortable driving out. I dropped Elizabeth and Ann Marie at the airport at 5AM and headed out from there, starting in the dark and I was a bit anxious. I needed lots of bathroom breaks and they were not easy to find along that route. Finally, the sun came up and the road burst into the colors of autumn. Then things got a bit better. I had a nice breakfast at Old Tymes
http://www.oldetymes.com/
when I hit Norwich. It was a fine, inexpensive meal or eggs, grits and blueberry muffin. The coffee woke me up. Their prices for lunch and supper (lots under $10) are also very reasonable. I will stop there again.
While the tables are less cosmopolitan in Connecticut. I met some interesting people on the trip. At the motel was a poker player who has made his living since he took his $3000 in college money to Vegas and turned it into $30,000 playing high stakes games. Since then I suspect he has not done so well. He did not have a car and lived in this cheap motel, paying by the week.
Joe was a young college fellow who studies and sings opera in Pottsdam.
Foxwoods was filled with locals who knew one another and played a good, predictable game.
My motel was basic, but nice with a kitchen that I only used for tea in the morning while showering and watching the news. It seemed odd for me to be squandering my money gambling while the economy goes to hell. I was cheered by the election news. I think Obama has it in the bag. And generally I have been more and more frightened by McCain and Palin. He seems grabbing at any straw to win. She is just nuts. And it was not nice to see how hateful some American voters can be and see racism still so alive and well here in the Land of the Free. That one town meeting turned so ugly that McCain had to take the mike and shut down the shouted abuse. Thankfully we don't seem to produce Hitler like demagogue's here who would represent some of these nasty crowds.
What Republicans will do for issues now is very hard to imagine. Already they have spent more than Democrats, so fiscal conservatism is out the window and now deregulation and faith in the free market is gone for many decades. So odd to see McCain having to call for regulation and government help for people. I guess the Republicans still have militarism and the conservative social agendas as well as representing the wealthy class. But I expect we will see a Democratic government at least until folks realize that there are no miracles coming and get disillusioned again.
Hillary and Bill finally actually got some energy to campaign for Obama when it was clear he was going to win and she could not plan ahead another four years but needed to get on board. Bill really disappointed me this past month. So many disappointments in folks I admired. Jesse Jackson just disgusted me.
Well, I don't usually discuss politics.
It was a fine trip except for the score. I listened to old radio shows on the way home. And here I am ready for one of Greg's games and the last Presidential debate.
2 comments:
I also am celebrating (30) for a whole month - usually we just do the week before and the week after - but this is a big year for everyone in my family, actually, so we've been celebrating all year! I'm off to Vegas in a week! Staying at Paris & Bellagio - I'm splurged on Bellagio...
That lobster place sounds great... my parents would love that on their trips to the CT casinos...