Psychoanalysis by DVD-R

Being a transient means that you can fall behind on technological advances that require one to have some form of geographic stability. Or, to put it more bluntly, you don't purchase big honking tech equipment when you live out of a car. I haven't owned a television or the up-to-date accoutrements of the visual/video medium for about five years. This doesn't mean that I don't watch the boob tube, I am not that evolved. However, when I indulge, I watch what is currently playing on any of the 200+ channels my current host's system might have available.

I know, my teenage nephew thinks I will walk into a Blockbuster and try to rent a VHS tape of Caddyshack II.

On my extended visitations over the last six months, I have noticed that nearly everyone, who is anyone, has gotten on the DVD-R bandwagon. No one but us Luddites remains a slave to the mundane scheduling of the network or cable advertising execs. At least one person in each DVD-R household as semi-mastered the intricacies of the new technology, so that now anyone can sit down day or night and view from their own pre-selected favorites list.

But beware of the technological backlash. On one of my stopovers I found weeks and weeks of The Biggest Loser and Bridezillas, not to mention enough Apprentice and American Idol to make you want to shove Donald Trump's hairpiece down Simon Cowell's throat. So here are my thoughts on committing your tv addictions to semi-public format.

First, I merely felt it might be embarrassing should your television viewing preferences become widely known, but that has been semi-true for years. Now, however, there is evidence to impeach your "only PBS and Discovery" channel lies. On deeper reflection I came up with even more potential uses for this tekkie evidence trail.

When someone comes into therapy, we need some basics about their life situation. Age, gender (if not obvious), martial status, educational level and, of course, the alleged presenting issues. I would also like some insight into a client's head, which I would like to get fast and dirty without their intervening avoidance behavior and obfuscation. And now I have it!

Bring me your DVD-R list. This will tell me more than fourteen sessions about your mother and why your spouse doesn't understand you. Your boss may be a jerk but you watch The Office. Your weight issues could have something to do with unending episodes of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. And you seem to be getting relationship advice from the Kardashians.

This new information could revolutionize the counseling and therapy industry but for now my advice to all of you DVD-R addicts out there: Learn to erase and do it now!

Sorry but your time is up. Please pay the hermaphrodite out front. See you next week.

Arctic Austin

I have now traveled three-quarters of the way around the country passing thru nearly half the states and yet it took coming to Texas to experience truly cold weather. The Arctic Blast that is keeping the Weather Channel in viewers this last week brought official temperatures into the high teens last night on our arrival here in Austin. My unofficial blog thermometer registered 12° this morning. No matter, typical January temps here in the heart of you know are 60°-40° or thereabouts, so the environs will be warming soon or so I am told.

Biloxi was a great stop. The five members of the Poker Boyz who made it had stories to tell and laughter to more than compensate for our dwindling card skills. Congrats to all who made final tables and to Randy for the one big win of the week. We also ran into a surprising number of old poker road friends and our favorite poker management team: Johnny Grooms and Ken Lambert. The Beau Rivage Hotel & Casino is now highly recommended by all.

As for the continuing trip, I expect to linger in Texas for a week or so and then begin the slow progression west. Further stopovers are still in the state of potentiality, I am considering a L.A. sidetrip to visit friends and gather some more fodder for the writing mill.

This next week, Amy and I will be heads down on the Matusow screenplay, with hopes of progress and insight into the vicissitudes of the Hollywood movie mindset. I am going to accompany her to the Austin screenplay group and perhaps to her home game as well. And there will some catch-up blog posts for the lost time in the bowels of the Biloxi poker rooms. Until then...

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Texas Wall Art by raganart.com

Desenhos para tatuagens, Luciano Hilario

Meu nome é Luciano Hilario, morador de Cabo Frio-RJ, amante do desenho e das tatuagens!

Envio mais alguns desenhos para vocês! Grande abraço à todos parabéns pelo blog!

Série 1

E-mails: luciano-hilario@hotmail.com / hilario.luciano@gmail.com
Blog: lucianohilario.blogspot.com

The Western Turn

After many months traveling to points north, than east and further east and recently to the south... our wanderings have now taken a final directional change, my head has turned back to the west. The return has begun but not without several more interesting stops along the way.

A quorum of the PokerBoyz have assembled at the Beau Rivage here in Biloxi, Mississippi for several days of camaraderie, story telling and yes, even some poker. Amy is in from Austin, Mike is down from Minneapolis; Randy and I made the drive from Satellite Beach yesterday. For absent members of the gang, we as a group want to wish you well and to announce that last evening we did share a meal and a far amount of ridicule with Zippy. Yes, he lives and breaths and was here in all his flesh. He has not been playing much of the game, but will be joining us for several evening events this week.

Apparently, despite the check-in line last night, occupancy at the Beau is down; so we have all been upgraded to the Gulf view rooms. A pleasant site this morning to watch a sunrise over the water. Temperatures will be a bit nippy while we are here, however, except to drive to another casino for a tournament, there was not a lot of outside activity planned for the week. On today's agenda -- poker. Those seeking meaningful insight into the universe should stop back next week.

Who ordered the fried cat fish?

A Handy House Guest

Consider this an advertising resume for my next cross-country visitation trek. I am not what anyone would call a handyman. My solution to nearly all household repairs involves the use of the yellow pages. Recently, however, upon solving a niggling fix-it problem with some outside-of-the-box logic; I was humorously nominated as a superior hands-off household consultant. Which struck me as interesting because as a visiting house guest of some duration, I do become involved in what can only be described as a --- Travelin' Honey-Do List, including over the past several months:

-winterizing and wrapping a hot tub;

-rearranging a living room (and putting it all back);

-liquor and wine shopping for a holiday party of sixty;

-emptying a dozen or more litter boxes;

-assistant cat claw clipping;

-watering two vegetable patches;

-drip irrigation repair (failed attempt at)

-picking up or delivering assorted personages to train, bus & air transport hubs;

-clean-up after bladder control challenged dog;

-installation of tv satellite dish;

-leaf raking;

-chimney sweeping;

-recliner foot rest repair (consultation only)

-bird feeder relocation;

-big screen tv relocation, re-relocation, re-re-relocation;

-six bag Goodwill closet clearance (w/ psychiatric support at no additional charge);

-re-tracing route home from bank and finding lost $124;

-re-caning patio furniture (abject failure);

-re-covering escaped cat (twice);

-changing many light bulbs (it's a height thing);

-lots and lots of slicing, dicing and cooking;

-tree trimming (security & safety support only);

-toilet tank repair with coat hanger and Bic lighter;

-mattress flipping (no really);

-digital television system reset;

-saltwater fish tank servicing (kibbitz only)

-bi-annual throw rug laundry marathon (3 day event);

-trimming night blooming jasmine vines;

-finding lost objects based on vague description;

-finding lost objects based on reverse OCD affliction;

-relocation of oversized slate King Arthur round table;

-swimming pool servicing;

-neighbor servicing (oh wait, that's a different post)

-the infamous crawl in the attic, air-conditioning duct fiasco;

I are a good houseguest, invitations now being accepted for 2011.

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ID this photo Joe, I did change the tag

Where Did You Begin?

Being the first morning of a new calendar year and a 'full of promises' decade; I was pondering where I had geographically begun previous years and prior decades. How about you?

2010 begins in Satellite Beach, Florida

2009/2007 - Las Vegas, Nevada

2006/2001 - Ann Arbor, Michigan

2000 - Forestville, California

1999/1994 - San Francisco, California

1993 - Weed, California

1990 - Hollywood, California

1987 - Redondo Beach, California

1986 - Hermosa Beach, California

1984 - F.F.F.F.

1982 - airplane over Bolivia

1980 - Kona, Hawaii

1974 - Hell, Michigan

1972 - Boston, Massachusetts

1970 - Kalamazoo, Michigan

1965 - Dexter, Michigan

1949 - Detroit, Michigan

2011 - ? ? ?

2020 - ? ? ?

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a plug nickel if you can identify the map at the top

Blog Year in Review

Yes, it's that waning moment of the year again. Time to reflect back on what we have and have not accomplished. Also time for my first annual look back at my best posts of the year on this here blog. I haven't done this before because in previous years I had managed only a measly forty or fifty posts. But this will be the one hundred and sixtieth post in 2009, so I am mentally masturbating today looking a representative selection of my blogging over the last twelve months. I would point out to my poker readers that even with the twenty Matusow-Hellmuth-Negreanu articles at the World Series this summer, only 45 of the 160 total posts for the year were poker related and only one made it into this top ten list.

Let's start with that single pokerish post. My Exit Interview from the World of Poker (9/17). It took about a month to detach myself, leave my favorite poker forums and cancel all the Yahoo and Google alerts, but I am no longer powerless over pocket jacks. Despite working on the screenplay from the book, I am on to things with more than 52 objects of attention.

That being said, I do have to highlight at least one post about Check Raising the Devil. If you missed it, here is the original first chapter (5/3) that Amy and I wrote but which never made it past the editor. All of that work seems so long ago, but I have a royalty check in my wallet, so . . .

In the wider world beyond poker there was some noize about health care this year. I took a few passing swipes, as would any cynical, errr critical commentator but I also did one math based piece on the whole health care issue (8/2). In rereading, it would seem, as usual, that the majority of my rational points have no place in the political debate.

I wrote a lot more this year about music, particularly about lyrics and their origins. If you scroll down to the bottom of this post, you can click on the link for a musical, lyrical interlude (9/23).

Livelihood, careers, income and jobs were on and off my mind all year apparently for most of the twelve months. This post Work, Labor, Job, Calling comes from early in my fiscal pondering (2/4).

Old Friends were also on my mind often this year. The trip I am still on created the opportunity for me to visit with many of them. This post related one story (3/24) of a couple of old friends and although they are not cast in the best of light here, life is life. I realized when I was rereading this post that I missed a song appropriate to my many visits this year. If you care to listen in, here is Old Friends.

Along with health care, collective environmental angst kept up the greening of amerika. I wrote a post on the comparative cost of energy and the manipulation of public opinion. Sometimes quantitative numbers make the point when followed up with some well chosen prose. I titled this one: Fuzzy, Oily, Windy Math (9/6).

Books are always a source for blog inspiration, so are other bloggers. One such post came about from reading another of my favorite bloggers and wondering about books that were significant at the moment in my life when they came into my hands and into my head. Momentarily Memorable Books (8/6).

I like to grace my blog with pictures. One of my favorite pencil-sharpening tasks it to search the web for potential images for future blogs. Once in awhile the images themselves are so overwhelming that they take over the post. Here is my best visual interlude from 2009. You gotta click thru to see the best Pictures of Earth (10/1).

Finally, my recent visit to Washington DC left me with the resolve that we all need to stand up, once again, and let our elected representatives know that we do not approve of the conduct of war. What a phrase: "Conduct of War". Pause along with me at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial (12/15). Then write, call or email your feelings to someone in DC. Begin with Barack.