Odds and ends

Above: It's slightly farther than 1200 miles from Memphis to Connecticut.

My retirement has been pushed back to early May. The lady hired to take my position starts May 2. Meantime, it's business as usual.

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In May, I'm taking a road trip (see map). In Connecticut, I'll visit some friends and play in a bridge tournament with Kate in Hamden.

On the return, I'm going to stop in Cooperstown NY. You might have heard of this small town because it's home to the Baseball Hall of Fame. I haven't seen it before, but I imagine that it's pretty special for a baseball fan.

Next stop on the way home is Gettysburg, a must whether you're a history buff or not.

Finally, I'm hoping to see a baseball game or two. When I lived in Wilmington DE, I used to go to ballgames all the time in Philly at the old Veteran's Stadium. I'd love to see a game in the new park. I haven't checked to see if the Phillies are home or on the road, so that's still tentative. After Gettysburg, I might head to Pittsburgh and see the Pirates. Also on the way home is Cincinnati -- so many choices! All this is still in the planning stages, so stay tuned.

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I don't claim to be good, but I do claim to enjoy taking photos. Anybody could go to an orchid show and take great photos -- it's a slam dunk. Sometimes, however, it's not so easy and you have to be creative. I just read this quote on Digital Photography School:

"The fact I couldn’t draw annoyed the hell out of me so photography was the next best thing."

That's it! Anybody who knows me knows I can't draw and my handwriting is atrocious. But with a camera, it's different -- my chance to "draw," without being able to.

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I finished reading Harrington's latest book on online cash games (see here). His two previous books on cash games were useless, but this one focused on online play and was great. Even though it has Harrington's name on it, I'm guessing it was written by co-author Bill Robertie, or somebody else who actually plays online.

The author(s) assume you already know how to play, and focus on what a heads-up-display is -- in other words how to interpret it, how to play given what you know about the villain and his or her tendencies, etc. There are also pratical tips such as how to take notes on players that you can read at a glance, yet are meaningful. The stuff in the book won't be news to players such as Poker Meister or Matt at Hold 'em Notebook, but was relevant for me. The book's main thrust is six-max tables. Strategies for both micro-stakes and small stakes are explored.

For a more complete review by Andrew Brokos, click here.

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Congratz to Very Josie for winning Survivor Donkey Island.

Image at top created by Google maps. Donkey island logo swiped from Josie's site.