Have a Turkey Leg

I am of the generation that grew into adulthood without the internet or smartphones. But I adapted pretty well, I think, and am as comfortable as anyone with these life-affecting innovations.

I do realize occasionally, though, that I’m affected by some of the ornery-seeming resistance to change more typical those who older than I am. I’m referring to the way I’ll occasionally respond to certain technological advances with impatience or even outright opposition to having to learn how to use them.

Took me forever to get on board with DVR-ing (for example), as I stubbornly continued to keep the VCR hooked up and in use. Was still using the sucker recording WSOP episodes just a few summers ago. (Finally came around on that one.) I still like using my iPod for music, too, which recently elicted a comment from someone referring to it as “old school,” although it still feels kind of newfangled to me.

I’m handy with texting and tweeting, although don’t do either nearly as often as others. I’m also much less likely to incorporate emojis when I do deliver such messages, although sometimes will when it seems right to do so.

I’m not at all versed in emoji-speak, though, like many of those who have grown up having incorporated these little pictures into their text (itself sometimes abbreviated with acronyms and other shorthand).

Several months ago, I was in the middle of a multi-way chat where everyone was firing off these emojis at a high clip. As a joke, I clicked on the “turkey leg” emoji and sent it along -- a kind of non-signifying signifier saying “Hey, I’m here!”

Since then, Vera and I have gotten in the habit of sending turkey legs back and forth to each other. I’ve even used it with others in random places, realizing that in certain contexts it doesn’t matter what little picture you send. Or at least it doesn’t matter to me, as sometimes I’m sure those receiving them aren’t quite sure what they mean.

Imagine my delight today at being able to send turkey legs all around, and without any additional explanation needed!

Thanksgiving, DVR’d

The flights home were fine yesterday and I made it home safe and more or less sound.

Between the longish ride to the São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (about an hour-and-a-half), the flight to Miami where I had a couple of hours’ layover, the flight home, then the drive after that (nearly another hour), it took something close to 20 hours to get all the way back.

Everything went relatively smoothly, though, save one moment right at the start of the trip when checking in. “There’s a problem with your ticket,” said the agent, letting me brood on that for close to 10 minutes before it was finally determined that there was no problem at all. It was enough time to make me feel grateful afterwards for what has been a relatively lengthy period of run good (literally), all things considered, when it has come to all of my trips.

Was glad to reunite with Vera and all of our four-legged friends on the farm, then tonight she surprised me with a belated Thanksgiving dinner (pictured above). It was like she DVR’d the meal for me to enjoy once I got back. The only thing missing was football on the tube, although as I mentioned before that was the one part of the holiday I didn’t miss while in Brazil.

Will get back to poker stuff, tomorrow. For now I’m thankful for everyone in Brazil who made my trip a good one, thankful to be home, and thankful for the slice of pumpkin pie that awaits.

Thanks Again

Have the usual obligations today to feasting, football, and family, and so just wanted to drop a quick note here to express my thanks once again to all who find reasons to stop by.

Speaking of other obligations, it has become increasingly obvious to me that they’ve evolved to a point where I shouldn’t be able to post here at the same frequency (i.e., each weekday, at least) for much longer. I know I have said as much every few months for some time now. But there’s an impending poker-related project on the horizon I might have to devote myself to more earnestly very soon, at which point I know I’ll have to scale things back here once and for all.

As I’ve written about here before, the routine of regularly posting has become so deeply engrained for me it is hard to imagine not doing so. That said, I can easily picture the potential benefits, including perhaps an increase in quality as resulting from the decrease in quantity.

We’ll worry about that and everything else later, though, as today’s “obligations” are in truth all about setting the real obligations aside and relaxing. Hope it’s an enjoyable day and weekend for you and yours, too, and that you’re able today just to sit back and chill some as well. And thanks again for coming around.

Thx

Quick one today just to deliver thanks once more to everyone for stopping by.

It’s already shaping up into a fun day at Chez Shamus. Not even halfway through the first game of the NFL triple header, and Vera and I have already enjoyed a big meal of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and brussels sprouts.

Speaking of the NFL, I keep making my picks even though I’m essentially out of contention in the yearly NFL “pick’em” pool. Two weeks ago I was chirping here a little about having followed nine weeks of mediocre picking with a best-of-the-week showing after hitting a couple of upsets.

The next week I was back to so-so status, but last week I again tied for first by getting nine correct out of 13 (not counting the 14th game, the 26-26 tie between Minnesota and Green Bay). Enough to keep me wanting to submit picks, although being 11 games off the leading pace means all I can realistically hope for is perhaps to lead another week or two as the gap is much too much to narrow.

Doing what I can, actually, to take a little bit of a break from poker, as it has felt I haven’t really had one for most of the year, especially since the summer and the WSOP. Will be picking back up the poker thread next week as I’ll be heading out to Las Vegas to help cover the World Poker Tour Doyle Brunson Five Diamond Classic at the Bellagio that starts up at the end of next week.

For now, though, gonna focus on the football. Thanks again!

Thx

Looking at a day full of football and food here. Am already settled into my favorite spot on the couch, from which I don’t plan to move very much at all for the next several hours.

I continue to battle in that Pigskin Pick’em league. Three interesting games today in the NFL, all winnable by either team, I’d say. Makes the picking more interesting, since not everyone will be going the same way on every game.

I have also now gotten an account over at Draft Day, the new fantasy sports site started by some CardRunners guys and others to fill the void left here in the U.S. following Black Friday. (And to step through that little carve out for fantasy sports crazily existing in the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.)

I entered a freeroll over there and so will be keeping my eye on how that goes this week, too. The site is expertly set up, by the way, with super simple depositing options if you happen to be into the fantasy thing.

Meanwhile, the eats will comprise the usual -- ham, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, and apple pie. Vera and I are taking this one in together, staying off the roads and saving the traveling and visits for December. A lot different from last year for me, when I spent the Thanksgiving holiday down in Marrakech, Morocco with the World Poker Tour.

We are already starting to hear some reflecting on the fact that 2011 has been one of the more interesting, tumultuous years poker has seen. Certainly is ending much differently than it began.

But a few things have remained the same for me since a year ago. I remain thankful for all of the opportunities I’ve had and continue to have in a wildly interesting field. And most importantly, I’m thankful for all of the great people I’ve gotten to know and build friendships with both through this blog and in other areas of the poker world.

Thanks again, all.

Thanks, Everybody

Lots for which to be thankful, as usual. Thanks first to Gadzooks for the idea to create a South Park Shamus. Check it out, dude.

And thanks, readers, for coming back time and again. This here blogging thing continues to be a source of great fun.

Earlier in the week, Pokerati Dan sent me an interesting article appearing in the November 2008 issue of The Atlantic Monthly by Andrew Sullivan called “Why I Blog.” In the piece, Sullivan opines about his own blogging experiences, and theorizes a bit about the genre and its significance.

Some of Sullivan’s ideas about blogging differ from mine, although I think every blogger has his or her own distinct notion of what a blog is, and only some of our ideas tend to overlap with one another. He does sound a couple of notes that resonate strongly with me, though.

Sullivan writes about the “exhilarating literary liberation” he felt when he first began to write his blog, contrasting the immediacy of the blog with his previous experiences writing for print publications, experiences marked by “endless delays, revisions, office politics, editorial fights, and last-minute cuts for space that dead-tree publishing entails.”

I have mentioned here before that I had had some modest experience writing for other outlets (newspapers, journals) prior to starting the blog. I, too, much enjoyed that sense of “liberation” at being able to write and publish instantly, and (even more importantly) receive feedback and become part of a larger conversation right away. Sullivan points out that this openness to others’ input (in the form of comments, emails, and responses on others’ blogs) ultimately means the “blogger can get away with less [than, say, the author of an op-ed piece in a newspaper can] and afford fewer pretensions of authority.”

That is, while I suppose we bloggers could, like Cartman, try to insist others “Respect Mah Authoritay,” such respect ultimately must be earned. Really earned. Thus does the sense of “liberation” also lead to other satisfied feelings when one happens to hit the mark once in a while with a given observation or narrative.

Sullivan also points out how the blog and its “atmosphere” (i.e., the way the blog connects to others’ via comments, links, etc.) “will inevitably be formed by the writer’s personality.” He says “Even the most careful and self-aware blogger will reveal more about himself than he wants to in a few unguarded sentences and publish them before he has the sense to hit Delete.”

He’s right, of course. Even those of us operating under pseudonyms tend to reveal all, in a way, a phenomenon which gives me a couple of more reasons to be thankful. For one, thanks to you, reader, for enduring my own self-indulgences here. And secondly, thanks to all of the bloggers whom I read regularly for sharing their own selves so candidly. Inspiring, that. Not to mention entertaining and edifying.

Lots else to be thankful for, of course. It’s been a whirlwind year, highlighted by a summer in Vegas helping cover the World Series of Poker for PokerNews. As I’ve written about here before, that was one of those life detours I wouldn’t have seen happening even a year ago, so muchas gracias to PokerNews for the opportunity. Also thanks to the many, many terrific colleagues with whom I worked (and continue to work) at PokerNews. Truly a fantastic, talented bunch that helped create what was probably one of the most rewarding work experiences I’ve ever had.

Thanks also to everyone who has given The Hard-Boiled Poker Radio Show a try, as well as to Tim Peters and the Poker Grump for their contributions to the first nine episodes. Have gotten some terrific feedback from several folks on particular episodes, which I do appreciate very much. Actually had a nice message just this morning from the folks over at OTRCat.com, a site that collects old time radio shows. If yr interested in such things, go check ’em out.

And I’m thankful still to be playing online poker. Let’s hope that remains a source of fun and pleasure for all who want to play.

Finally, I’m thankful for the big crowd of family coming over here later today. Vera Valmore is in the kitchen this morning cooking up the last few dishes. I think we have nine eating, and there will be 15 or so here ultimately before the day is over. We actually had to rent an extra table. Vera has fashioned some nifty place settings.

Okay, need to go help out in the kitchen. Everybody have a good one.