I've had a few days to familiarize myself with We Love Katamari, and just taken on it's own merits, it's a fantastic game. In comparison with the original Katamari Damacy, it falls somewhat short, just because it fails to surpass the original. The original is probably the best video game on the market today, and given it's replay value, a sequel was perhaps not really needed. But we got one, and we might as well enjoy it.

The fundamental game play is unchanged. Controlling the katamari, a ball, you roll up anything you can, starting with small things, then bigger things as you get bigger. So at first you're picking up postage stamps and erasers, and later you're picking up trees and bicycles and people. The controls are very simple, utilizing the two analog sticks like tank controllers. Your mission is to get your katamari as large as possible, as fast as possible. One change from the original is that, on the basic levels, you first try to get as large as possible within the time limit, and then on your second time you just try to get to a certain size as quickly as possible. After meeting both goals, on future tries you can choose either goal. Having two (similar) goals to choose from, and the fact that your starting point on each level changes each time (from a few set start points) increases the replay value.

The most obvious changes from the original game involve some of the less traditional levels introduced in this sequel. Like the original, there are several levels that involve rolling up as many of a particular type of item (i.e., flowers) as possible. I never enjoyed these as much as the basic levels in the original, and feel the same here. They're fun enough, but there are better levels (though the level where you are at a school, and have to roll up 100 children, is fun, though disturbing, if you start to think about it). So far, I haven't encountered a level where you have to roll up exactly one of an item (i.e., roll up one cow), and you have to avoid rolling up small cows until you can roll up a big cow (I hated those in the original game). Instead, We Love Katamari has many levels not really comparable to the original. On one level, instead of a katamari, you're pushing a sumo wrestler. You must get him enough food, so that he gets big enough to knock another sumo wrestler out of the ring (you get added honor if you can win the match by roll-up, rather than simply knocking the other sumo down). This one is a lot of fun, with the oval shape of the sumo wrestler changing the feel of the game, and creating new challenges. One game involves making a snowman, while another involves a race, where your katamari is constantly moving, and all you can do is direct it. Some, like the snowman level, fall flat, but other levels, like the racing level, are pretty fun. My first reaction on encountering some of the more bizarre levels (i.e., the sumo level) was that the game designers were just adding cheap gimmicks to a game that didn't need any improvement, but after giving these levels a chance, I have to say I approve.

So just based on gameplay, the sequal is pretty darn good. Unfortunately, when it comes to the more general tone and feel of the game, they just can't quite top the original. It feels like, with Katamari Damacy, there was no expectation of the game being successful, and so the makers figured they could just do whatever they wanted. Yet with We Love Katamari, you can feel the desparation to achieve the success of the original, and the charm of the game suffers for it. It was a clever idea to make the original game's success part of the storyline. And some of the stories the King tells during load times are cute (of course, the original didn't have any loading time in the middle of a level). But the cut scenes telling the story of the King of All Cosmos' childhood can't quite match the oddity of the astronaut's family story in the original. The music also is a tad disappointing. The opening theme is great, and most of the songs are good, but just not as crazy as the original's. The J-pop tune is quite enjoyable, but just feels a little too slick for this game.

But whatever I say, it doesn't change the fact that We Love Katamari is, when you get right down to it, a great game. Katamari Damacy is a great game, too, and probably a better game (and cheaper to boot). That said, I've found We Love Katamari as addictive as the original.

Someone has been fraudulently using my credit card. Fortunately, the bank was on the ball and only two charges of $1 each went through (presumably to verify the account info), and three larger charges in the $700-$800 range were blocked. Fortunately, I don't use the account in question, so getting a new account number is not a major inconvenience, and I'm not responsible for the charges. I do wonder how they got my account number, but assuming I don't have problems with the credit card company down the road, I don't seem any worse off for being the victim of this crime. I'll have to pick up a copy of my credit report in a month or so and see how things look, but I can do that for free.

I signed up today at Last.fm, a service which monitors what music you listen to, and keeps a log of all the music you play on your computer (or, using a program called audioPod goes iScrobbler, on your iPod), for all the world to see. It also enables you to listen on internet radio stations programmed based on the music people like yourself enjoy. It's free (for $3/mo., you can get a more personalized radio experience), and it nicely humors my more compulsive tendencies (surely monitoring subtle shifts in my music habit will complement my recently began project of ranking every episode of every television show I have on DVD...which I am considering expanding to every scripted--i.e., The Daily Show is exempt--television show I watch).

Anyway, what this means for the dedicated readership of this blog--both of you--is that you can now see my music profile, and learn what I was listening to, and when (though I can't figure out how to set my local time zone, so you might think I've started getting up at six in the morning). I've added a link to the profile near the top of the page. At the moment, Randy Newman, the Love Hall Tryst, and Pete Seeger are in the top three most-played artists, but just between us, I think Pete Seeger is on his way out. But only time will tell. Send in your long-distance dedications for Seeger now! (Which reminds me, we got our tickets for Arlo Guthrie in the mail a few weeks ago, and got box seats, which for two tall people is good news. Should be a fun show)

Sven's Revenge. I think I found this so funny because it fits the theme of the Perry Bible Fellowship comic, and yet the premise would almost not be out of place in a Ziggy strip. That poor Ziggy just can't win, you know?

The trailer for The Shining if it were released today (Quicktime file). Having just seen The Shining for the first time last weekend, I found this quite amusing.

I got an email the other day, about planning for my ten-year reunion. Argh. I doubt I will be going.

A Poker Players Alliance to lobby on behalf of poker players, online and off. Good idea, though the astroturf nature of the group (the seed money was provided by online poker rooms) may prove a hindrance. In any event, I hope this is the start of a trend. I am reluctant to think that the inexorable march of history will easily be changed, but I do think the time is ripe to break from the traditional boom/bust model, where gambling expands dramatically, and is swiftly reigned in by a moralistic backlash. It is time the government approached gambling regulation as predominately a consumer protection matter. Not that the government should not regulating gaming to keep the social costs contained, but players should receive a fair deal from a gaming establishment chosen in a competitive marketplace, just like any other market in this country. Lobbyists working for gamblers (even if pushing a fairly narrow agenda) should help advance this mindset. Though I will just say, while I do think this is a good time to strike, I'm not particularly optimistic. Sure, poker's popular, but how has pot's popularity affected the war on drugs? Of course, unlike marijuana, gambling has a bevy of legal companies in this country (MGM/Mirage, Harrah's, et. al.) eager to expand into the online market, and numerous tribal casinos, which should welcome federal regulation, sovereignty be damned, because one cheating scandal at a podunk Indian casino could kill their business). Anyway, only time will tell.

This seems a reasonable time to update you, dear reader, on my own online poker exploits. This was a bad week. Real bad. I do believe I cried at one point. Bad. I was in a bit of a funk earlier this week, and probably should have known I was not in a good mindset to play poker with discipline and patience. But instead I gave back what it took me a long time to win. Plus a few bucks. It's not a catastrophic loss that will force me to swear off gambling forever, but it's still frustrating that a few hours online can wipe out the benefits of a lot of hard work. I'll be taking a break for a few days, and sometime next week I'll start building back up my bankroll. And hopefully I'll be a little wiser, having learned not to chase losses, and not to play when depressed (though I already knew that, and fat lot of good it did).

Nipsey Russell, dead at 80.

Consumer alert: Target has a number of TV-on-DVD boxed sets on sale for $18.88, a remarkable value. I bought the second season of Gilmore Girls, and the second season of Everybody Loves Raymond (to give as a gift). I also picked up the first season of Smallville, after noticing a mail-in rebate which brought the price down to $8.88. The rebate offer (available in a PDF file from Amazon) is for between $10-$50 depending on the number of DVDs you buy (basically, you get $10 off every DVD you buy after the first one), and covers quite a few TV-on-DVD boxed sets. I'm going to buy Mission Hill on DVD before I send in the rebate, and I'm tempted to pick up season three of Gilmore Girls on DVD, too, though I'll probably just wait and see if season three goes on sale some day.

While at Target, I also picked up We Love Katamari. The clerk who assisted me was very enthusiastic in his praise of the game, saying it's better than the original (hard to imagine how that's possible). My review will be forthcoming.

"Don't be shy. Put your nose right up to the bunghole:" Some overlooked early works of famous authors, including Martin Amis' Invasion of the Space Invaders: An Addict's Guide to Battle Tactics, Big Scores and the Best Machines. Paul Collins discusses the article on NPR.

If you haven't been reading the comic strip Unshelved, you should be. They recently started running special Sunday comics, in color, based on particular books. I enjoyed this week's comic, and one a few weeks ago struck close to home.

Van Morrison's contractual obligation album is available on the web. Emusic has these cuts, as well, but I couldn't see wasting 20 or so downloads purchasing songs that are intentionally awful. But as a free internet download, some of them are pretty funny ("Ringworm," for instance).

I asked earlier today about the difficulty of recording satellite radio broadcasts. Turns out a portable receiver that would permit recording of satellite broadcasts is upsetting--surprise, surprise--the RIAA.

The real motivation behind Frist's stock trade.

So, I'm starting to consider that perhaps satellite radio should be the next thing on which I waste my money. I had seriously considered the purchase in the past, and probably would have bought it by now, but I bought my iPod, and just fell in love with that, and now it's harder to see why I need satellite radio. But having someone else pick the songs has its advantages, and it is a way to expose yourself to new music. I'm tempted to just get an on-line subscription to one or the other, and stick to just the iPod in the car. But I'm not sure if it's worth the price. Both XM and Sirius offer three-day trials, so I will probably test-drive them both in the near future (wait for a live event I'm interested in to coincide with the trial). I did notice that Sirius is going to present Theater of the New Ear in November. This program (or at least Charlie Kaufman's portion--I don't recall the Coen Brothers being involved) was recently performed at UCLA to good notices, and I very nearly attended, but decided it wasn't worth the drive. So I will probably wait until November to try their trial offer. (I had intended to sign up for XM's trial offer some time ago, to hear a Randy Newman performance, but ended up forgetting about the whole thing until it was too late)

One question: Can you record satellite radio? I seem to recall there was some software that allowed this, and that one of the satellite radio companies freaked out and it nearly resulted in them ending the on-line portion of their service. I noticed that much of their exclusive content is only available at one prescribed time, just like normal radio, and a means to record it would be useful.

Anyway, I'm just thinking things over. Like I say, I love my iPod, and I don't really see satellite radio worth the investment. I have my iPod, as well as plenty of radio internet stations to listen to. Maybe by the time I need a new car, satellite radio will be a fairly standard add-on, and I'll take the plunge then. Or maybe I'll hit it big in Vegas and sign a five-year contract with one of the two (which one? XM seems to have better music offerings, somewhat more open-ended and let heavily programmed, while Sirius seems, on my examination of their current schedule, to have some better exclusive content...and they have local favorite Mojo Nixon). Or maybe I'll realize I need that $7/month subscription fee to pay off my gambling debts. No radio station is worth broken kneecaps, after all.

Judith Miller out of prison, in what seems to be a wacky misunderstanding. Either that, or she hoped that sitting in jail a few months would help her tarnished reputation. But by leaving jail a month early, she just ends up looking like an idiot.

As I've said before, it seems like some sort of journalist shield law is a good idea, but journalists need to use more common sense in invoking such a priviledge. It seems strange to me that just because one calls oneself a journalist, one need not participate in our judicial system like a normal citizen, but it doesn't seem any stranger than the fact that one can invoke priviledge just because he offers people the blood of Christ to drink if they tell him stories about awful things they did, or refuse to testify just because one is married to the defendant (the husband/wife gag rule always struck me as patently absurd, assuming it functions in real life as it does in reruns of Law and Order).

Bill Bennett is apparently tired of Pat Robertson stealing the spotlight on crazy religious leaders. I saw this clip at the end of The Daily Show, and just stared at the TV for awhile, my jaw dropped. Unbelievable. Of course, in context it becomes clear he is just paraphrasing an argument made in the book Freakanomics; the argument in the book, as I understand it (I haven't actually read the book), is that abortion leads to fewer unwanted children being born to unfit parents, and thus fewer disfunctional kids grow up to commit crimes. Bennett just made the simple substitution of "black people" for "unfit parent." Why should that be controversial? Sounds like the sort of bold thinking the Republican Party needs, to distract from the fact that half their leadership is facing jail time. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised to wake up in the morning and find that Bennett has been nominated to replace O'Connor on the Supreme Court. Or maybe to head FEMA.

Guy in philosophy class needs to shut the fuck up.

Tom Delay indicted.

Albert Brooks running into studio interference over his new film, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World.

Legally Blonde 3: Supreme Court to hear Anna Nicole Smith appeal. I've always been on her side on this one, and wish her luck.

Don Adams, dead at 82. The gadgets of my childhood go-go no more.

Jenny Kerr is a talented artist. I am just linking to her web site so I can find it later, at home. I discovered today that it is very difficult to find a song if all you can remember is that it is a country song with the word "truck" in the title. Turns out I was thinking of Kerr's "Big Red Truck," which fortunately came to mind after much reflection.

I previously mentioned that I attended a John Wesley Harding concert put on by Acoustic Music San Diego, and had a great time. So I decided to attend several upcoming shows there, incluidng Paula Frazer. I mainly know of Frazer by reputation, from her previous work with Tarnation, but heard some clips of her on the web, and decided that, for $12, I couldn't pass up a chance to hear her live. The date for the concert changed to October 12, so the proprietor of the venue alerted me to the change, and at the same time alerted me to the fact that I am the only person to purchase a ticket.

Again, I do not profess to be that familiar with her music, but Paula Frazer has a sterling reputation in the Americana arena, and also invokes comparisons to Nick Cave. Surely I'm not the only person in the county interested in seeing this show. You can hear her voice on her web site. And it's only $12, you probably lose more than that on one hand of poker every day (well, okay, maybe that's just me). So if you're free on October 12 and want to hear great music, give this a try. And if you don't like it, just remember, you read about it in the Reader.

The Adams Avenue Street Fair was this weekend. I went yesterday for a few hours, and had a good time. I saw two acts in their entirety, Big Sandy & his Fly Rite Boys and Cash'd Out, and enjoyed both. Big Sandy plays rockabilly, and Cash'd Out is a new Johnny Cash cover-band, also with a rockabilly sound, reminiscent of the Sun Records-era Cash. I don't know that the world needs Johnny Cash cover bands, but they were good, the singer looks and sounds like Cash, and I was entertained, so what's the harm? I would suggest they drop "Luther Played the Boogie" from their repetoire; the guitarist was fine, but I think a Luther Perkins impersonation is harder to pull off than a Johnny Cash impersonation. I caught bits of a few other acts, but nothing too noteworthy. Had some nice carnival food, got a free sample from the Haagen-Daaz booth (they tried to shock you as you leave by telling you the ice cream is low-fat, yet you could clearly see the packaging as they scooped the ice cream...though it was mighty tasty), and was on my way. Only stayed a few hours, but still had fun and can't wait for next year, or for next spring's roots festival.

Well, my post about last weekend's trip to the Sea Chantey Festival seems to have mysteriously disappeared. So I will briefly reiterate what I said in that post. Overall, a fun time, with some good music complementing a fun trip to the San Diego Maritime Museum, which I haven't been to in some time, and which has added several boats, including a Soviet submarine, since my last visit. Some of the bands stunk, but some were first-rate, and while I was disappointed that lyrical folk tunes about the sea outnumbered rollicking sea chanteys of the blow-the-man-down/what-do-you-do-with-a-drunken-sailor variety. But still, a good time, and I especially enjoyed Seaport Village mainstays the Jackstraws and the more folksy Gilman Carver. There was one act in particular I didn't care for, and another which drove Cecily from the boat, but I will spare them the public humiliation in this widely-revered forum, as apparently my previous scathing criticism drove them to hack the site and wipe out the disgraceful notice.

The uncomfortable legacy of The Neverending Story.

I stopped off at Ralph's on my way home, to buy some stuff for dinner. I wanted to get some white wine for cooking, and decided I would shell out a few more bucks to get something drinkable. But I remembered that the United Farm Workers is boycotting Gallo wines, and knew that Gallo owns many, many wine brands. So I was distressed by the difficulty of not buying Gallo. They sent me a list of brands to avoid, but since I rarely buy wine, I didn't pay attention. So I picked a wine that looked like it might not be tainted, and when I got home, I looked up information on the boycott on-line. Turns out the boycott's over. So now you can look for Gallo when you're looking for the union label.

We Love Katamari, the sequel to Katamari Damacy (possibly the greastest video game ever), was released in America this week. I haven't picked up my copy yet, but you can bet I will.

I became an uncle yesterday, with the arrival of Grace Katharine Albertson. My mother's name is Kathleen, Eric's is Karen, so they split the difference and named her after Katharine Hepburn. She was born at 8 lbs., 15 oz., if memory serves, and was having problems keeping milk down, but overall seems fine. And as far as I've heard, Michelle is recovering well.

While I'm on the topic, I should update you on my online gaming exploits. Had an amazing run of good luck, followed by two bad days that wiped out about all my profit (I'd cashed out my original investment, plus a few bucks, before my luck turned, so I'm still a tad ahead). I'm annoyed, because I knew I should take a break, because I was steaming from a few bad beats, and last night I was upset because of my car accident and not in the best mindset to play. But I kept chasing my losses and getting in deeper. So while I wouldn't say it's "like crack cocaine," I do see why one must be disciplined. A few bad nights can really eat into one's profits. Of course, it may be self-serving to say my wins are all skill and my losses a matter of poor willpower, but I think I've logged enough hours that my win rate, while not guaranteed, seems statistically significant. On the games I play most, it ranges from $5-$11 an hour. The games where I've logged the most hours tend to be on the low end of the spectrum, so I would say I can reasonably expect to win $5-$6 an hour online. Note, however, that this figure does not include cash bonuses and other promotions (should I win the Paradise Poker Million Dollar Freeroll, for which I have qualified, that would skew my hourly rate a tad), which might add about a quarter an hour, if I'm being generous. And I earned enough points over the years from Poker Stars to cash in for a nice set of casino-quality poker chips, which were quite nice (and look to be about a $90 value, looking at comperable sets online).

What it comes down to is, playing online is a fairly profitable hobby. Despite fantasies to the contrary, I doubt I'll quit my job and drop out of school to play poker online. It's not that profitable, the long-term legal future is hazy, and it would be a pretty pathetic way to live one's life. The trick is how to stay disciplined when the games are avaialble at a moment's notice, 24/7. But I'm learning some psychological tricks to keep myself mostly disciplined, and the occasional painful losses when I play when I shouldn't hopefully will serve as a negative reinforcement. After I've taken a few days off, hopefully I can start winning some money again.

Anti-gambling amendment fails to be attached to Justice Department spending bill. Jon Kyl wants to stop internet gambling because it's "the crack cocaine of gambling," and therefore especially dangerous for children. So he wants to block credit cards and banks from accepting on-line gambling charges. Because lots of kids have credit cards and checking accounts.

The amendment further confuses me, because last I heard, credit cards reject gambling transactions from the United States. And most off-shore gambling sites use an intermediary to handle banking transactions. And I believe these intermediaries, such as Neteller, service other "vice" sites besides gambling (i.e. porn). So while I would speculate gambling is 95%+ of Neteller's business, I think there is enough plausible deniability regarding transactions with them, that I don't know you could cut off all bank ties with them. It's a distinction between vices which is reminiscent of Homer's line, when asked, after a car accident, what type of establishment this Moe's was from which he was coming home. If a bank ever denies your Neteller transaction, just remember Homer's response, and when asked why you were transferring $100 to a business identified as "Paradise," explain in as blase a voice as you can manage,"It's a pornography website! I was purchasing pornography." How can they argue with that.

In any event, I guess I should be glad it's unregulated. Once the government takes their cut, the rakes will no doubt go up.

I got in a car accident this afternoon. My fault, I ran a red light and got hit by someone turning left. Luckily they had been stopped at the light and weren't going very fast. Their car had minor fender damage, my rear driver's side door is dinged in pretty bad, just enough that I'll have to get it repaired. No huge deal, but it means I'll be taking a hit in the car insurance realm. But these things happen. I'm just glad it was a minor collision and no one was hurt. And in a way, it's nice to clearly be at fault, so there's no need to argue about that.

Westward Ho to close. No big loss.

Judge rules against gag order on librarians in Patriot Act case.

Nintendo has revealed the controller for the Revolution gaming system. The rumors I'd heard about the controllers didn't inspire confidence, but the final product looks pretty cool.

Google now has a blog search engine in beta testing. It seems like a useful way to search, say, for honest product testimonials, which Google is now useless for, thanks to the barrage of fly-by-night retailers that come up when you search for almost anything commercially available anywhere.

I saw Grizzly Man a week or so ago, and never got around to sharing my opinion. I would recommend the film. Timothy Treadwell is an interesting, crazy person, and the film seemed a fair assessment. It sounded like he was a troubled young man in his early years, and sobered up to spend 13 years with the bears he felt he was bonding with, and he was happy, and I don't believe his presence really harmed the bears by desensitizing them to humans or anything. But I agree with Herzog, that in all the footage he shows, while Treadwell believes he's connecting to the bears, I never see any suggestion of anything beyond bored indifference in the bear's reaction to him. He did seem to bond with some foxes, though (which provides some amazing footage). Treadwell's story is fascinating, and while much of Herzog's commentary is obvious and somewhat uninspired, he is uniquely suited to appreciate Treadwell the filmmaker, and he goes into some depth regarding this aspect, that would most likely have been overlooked by another filmmaker (I was especially amused by a long scene in which Treadwell rants against the park service, while Herzog's commentary obliquely leads one to link Treadwell the actor to Herzog's old nemesis Klaus Kinsky). All in all, the subject matter is riviting, Herzog expands the argument to fit nicely with the exploration of nature and art in his other films, and the cinematography (in particular Treadwell's own work) is beautiful. I'd recommend it.

"The Aristocrats" as Bob Newhart would perform it.

I had the opportunity to see Pink Martini in concert last weekend. Which until recently was not something for which I would have hoped. I discovered them on Napster back in its glory days, when you could download songs of your choice for free without worrying about spyware and the RIAA. If memory serves, I was looking for the version of "Que Sera Sera" from Heathers, but found their version instead, which led me to find "Bolero" soon after. I purchased Sympathique and was absolutely blown away. But as the album had been out a few years and their was no sign on a new album, I doubted I would see any new material, let alone a tour in my neck of the woods. But then the new album, Hang on Little Tomato, came like a shot from the dark, and if it wasn't as good as Sympathique, it was still damn good. And then, lo and behold, the entire ensemble (more or less) announced they were coming to San Diego. I actually was considering a trip to San Jose to see them there, when I found out I could see them at the Belly Up Tavern for $18. That was a no-brainer.

I had never been to the Belly Up, but it was about what I expected, like a pre-fab barn with limited seating but plenty of standing room. I arrived too early, after having dinner at Tony's Jacal, a decent Mexican restaurant with a nice, Old Town ambiance. The beans and rice were first-rate, the carne asada unimpressive. I had a coupon for a free appetizer, some sort of turkey tostada thing, which made it a pretty good value overall. The Mexican food heavy in my belly, I skipped the bar and took my place on the floor. I spoke to someone who had been to their show the previous night, at the Hollywood Bowl. He said that Pink Martini played less than an hour at that show, and he seemed generally disappointed with that show, so I was somewhat concerned waiting for the show to start. But we both agreed this was a great venue in which to see them, a band with a devoted core following, and with an enhanced exposure from the new album and various soundtrack/compilation album appearances. They had played for some 16,000 people the night before, and now the twelve musicians were going to take the stage for a sold-out crowd of about 600 (they left the Brazillian dancers at the Hollywood Bowl, apparently). Vocalist China Forbes commented on the different energies of the two evenings, and when she said, "We're definately coming back here," she seemed to mean the Belly Up. But I have my doubts, as they would have no trouble filling up a larger venue with higher ticket prices (and given the number of mouths in the band to feed, making a bit more off ticket sales seems a reasonable desire). So even given that I was in some degree of pain from standing for three hours or so, and given that some of the people at the bar apparently bought tickets far in advance to the sold-out show just to have a place to talk, I treasured the opportunity to see Pink Martini in this great, intimate venue.

Pink Martini is somewhat difficult to describe, though attempts to describe them tend to overreach a tad, making them sound like some musical mutant (the Belly Up's web site describes them as being "somewhere between a 1930s Cuban dance orchestra, a classical chamber music ensemble, a Brasilian marching street band and Japanese film noir"). I tend to describe their sound as jazzy French caberet with latin influences, which seems like a good start (but why bother describing them? You can stream both albums in their entierty on their web site, so hear it for yourself). Sunday night, the emphasis seemed to be those latin influences (though perhaps they just are more overpowering when you see them live). But they lived up to their reputation for eclecticism, covering a wide range of material from both albums, including some French and Japanese tunes, and some new material, giving some hope we won't have to wait seven years for another album. Most notable amongst the new material was a tune called "Goodbye Little Bumblebee." But "goodbye" was in Russian, and "little bumblebee" in Italian, so it was something like "Da Svidaniya poco bumblebinno" (the translation for bumblebee I got off the web didn't sound close to what she was singing; it was something like "bambino"). The song sounded like a song of that title should, and I'm sure this Russo-Italian march/love song will make their new album a must-have, whenever that comes along.

Despite the concerns raised by comments on the Hollywood Bowl concert, I enjoyed the performance very much. They played most of the new album, and several songs from the old album, in addition to new material. And they closed with "Brazil," one of my favorites. I doubt I will see them in a similar venue in the future, as it must be cost-prohibitive to bring an ensemble of twelve musicians and many instruments down to San Diego to perform for a relatively small crowd. Which in a way is fine; I wouldn't mind seeing them in a more formal environment, with a little less chatter, and where I'm only on my feet if I choose to be. But I had a great time, and urge you to see them if you have the opportunity, and hear the albums if you haven't already.

Robert Wise, dead at 91.

Las Vegas Casino Death Watch

Select Coinstar locations now offer the option of cashing your loose change in for a gift certificate for no charge. I refuse to give someone money in exchange for less money, but I don't mind tying up my money in an Amazon gift certificate for the convenience of not rolling pennies. I usually take my quarters and nickels to a local Indian casino to cash in, but they won't take pennies or dimes, and now I no longer will need to segregate my change.

I just got Things Change on DVD, and watched it this evening. Delightful film. While I was watching it, I got to wondering if Ricky Jay had a website. Of course he does.

A look at some vanished or retreating authors, including the deceased author of Papillon, who is still voting in Argentina.

The reason Bush was reluctant to cut his vacation short: He didn't want to appear weak in the War on Brush.

While the signal to noise ratio wasn't the best, I still enjoyed last night's telecast. It probably helped, of course, that I taped it (I went to the movies last night) and could fast forward Mariah Carey and such. I tuned in mainly for Randy Newman, and he opened the show, with "Louisiana 1927," and while I've heard the song many, many times (though not at too many concerts--the tune is virtually identical to "Sail Away," and he rarely plays both in concert, usually just playing "Sail Away"), the context gave it added poignancy, as Randy's anguish came through on the last couple recitations of the closing line, "They're trying to wash us away."

Of course, it's been observed that perhaps other Randy songs are also appropriate for the current situation. He sings about New Orleans in several songs. But it was also pondered in the Randy Newman discussion list to which I subscribe, about what would happen had Randy Newman performed "God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)" on the telethon (the consensus being it wouldn't motivate people to run for the phones). But seeing the headline for The Onion this week hammered home the relevance of that song, at it's final verse: "I burn down your cities--how blind you must be/I take from you your children and you say 'how blessed are we....'" Or if you're Pat Robertson, you praise God for the hurricane making Roberts confirmation road easier. (Which seems to tie it all back back to "Louisiana 1927": New Orleans blew the levy in 1927 even though the knew the town was in no real danger, and now God has smote a city to get a judge approved who already was almost assured confirmation. Nothing like destroying lives and property to get a little political insurance)

And on the topic of Randy Newman, a member of the discussion list above-mentioned produced a Randy Newman parody which I found exceptionally well-done and rather amusing. I don't know how much it appeals to non-Newman fans, but I think it's worth a listen.

Another recent example of journalists telling it like it is.

I thought Mutts was cute today.

Roman Catholic Archdioses challenging sex abuse law. My eye was caught by the use of the phrase "economic Holocaust." You know, when I think of "Holocaust," I tend to think of innocent victims being slaughtered, not guilty parties made to answer for their sins. And I find the notion of an "economic Holocaust" to be in very poor taste (as does the American Heritage Dictionary, as noted in this usage guide. (It also notes that Holocaust, when capitalized, refers specifically to the mass murder perpetrated by the Nazis, though it would presumably be the paper, not the lawyer, responsible for the capitalization). But it just seems to me, when you're making the very compelling argument that you shouldn't be tried for a crime because you destroyed documents and now would have difficulty defending yourself, you should avoid invoking the Holocaust in your argument, as it's unlikely to get you very far.

I just settled in front of the TV to watch the U.S. Open, and after checking the odds, decided to put some money on Sharapova. I missed getting the bet in by just seconds, and so of course Sharapova breaks for the first point. So I was upset I didn't get my money in, though now it looks like Clijsters might break, too. It's going to be a close game, I was just surprised they were offering about +160 on Sharapova.

Regardless of whether I have money on it, though, I'm expecting a good game. I doubt it can top the Blake/Agassi match on Wednesday, but what can, really? Too bad Davenport's out, though. Update: Turns out being slow on the draw saved me $20. I don't think Pierce has a chance, so I'll probably put that money on Clijsters, assuming the odds aren't too bad.

I got someone to work for me on the 19th, so now I can attend the 13th Annual Sea Chantey Fest on the Star of India. I've never been, but it sounds like a lot of fun!

If you're anything like me, I doubt you took any notice of the release of Walt Disney's Timeless Tales Vol. 2. But I was reading a review, and learned that the title was selected to keep anyone from noticing that The Wind in the Willows is the cornerstone of the DVD release. And "Ferdinand The Bull" is included as well, along with some other less thrilling shorts. I think The Wind in the Willows was probably the second-most-watched movie of my childhood, behind Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (I'm pretty sure they both beat out Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, but it's close). As much as I hate giving Disney money (especially with the annoying trailers they tack on the front of their DVDs), I think my new niece (due in scant weeks) will find one under the Christmas tree, and I might pick up one for myself, too.

Update: Reading the user reviews at Amazon, I learn that Disney's odd titling of this release is apparently intended to obscure the fact that there's nothing new here. I was unaware that The Wind in the Willows was already available on DVD because it is called The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. I know I've seen Ichabod and was reasonably entertained as a child; I did not realize it was bundled with Mr. Toad as one feature. So Disney has re-released (the better) half of a film, tacked on a few shorts already available in DVD collections, and attempted to make more money. You don't get the "Ferdinand" short with the Ichabod/Toad release, but a review from a site I'm unfamiliar with claims the trailers can be skipped with one touch of the menu button on the older release, so that's probably the one I'll go with. Though the new DVD seems to get higher marks for audio/visual quality. Thank you, Disney, for being such douchebags that even when you put out something I want, you do everything you can to keep me from buying it.

I was watching Spike TV, and saw a commercial for Maxoderm, a topical lotion for "male enhancement," applied "directly to the source." I just couldn't help but think Steve Martin needs to sue someone, as he put forth the idea of Steve Martin's All-Natural Penis Beauty Cream on Saturday Night Live years ago. "You can't feel confident unless your manhood is smooth and soft." That sounds like the perfect tag-line for Maxoderm. That, or "some discoloration is normal."

I just wonder, does Maxoderm come in a plain brown wrapper with "Not Penis Cream" stamped on it?

Monday night, I qualified to compete in the Million Dollar Freeroll tournament at Paradise Poker. Entry in this tournament is free (hence the name), but you have to win a seat in a free sattelite tournament. I failed to win my way into the first tournament, but they are running a second tournament in December, and last night, I overcame about 1300 people to be one of of the last 20 players standing, and won a seat in the main event. So I now have about a 1 in 4200 chance of winning $1,000,000. Of course, the price money drops dramatically after first place, but I still have about a 1 in 9 chance of winning money. Those odds based on the enrollment in the first tournament, I don't know if the tourney I'm in will have more or less players. But I value the entry at about $260, not considering the trip to a "mystery tropical location" if I make it to the final table (which will be televised). So that's somewhat exciting. I don't pretend to be a very experienced multi-table tournament player, but it's about the closest I've ever been to winning a million dollars.

Bob Denver, dead at 70.

Wow, all these years, you think you know the world you live in, and then you learn that Shelly Winters and Jonathan Winters are not married. They appear to be no relation to each other. Man, that blows my mind.

Shakespeare was, like, the ultimate rapper.

Wow, we just had quite a little tremor here in San Diego. It was pretty scary, even though it didn't last very long at all, because it was just a little rumbling, than one very strong jerk. Didn't really feel like any earthquake I've been it.

I assume this is the culprit. 3.9 sounds about right, especially considering the relative proximity; usually, the epicenter is well out into the ocean or desert. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, as there have been quite a few earthquakes in Imperial County lately.

In answer to "engrish," the misuse of Chinese characters in Western culture (tatoos, primarily).

The response to the destruction of New Orleans bears some resemblance to the leathal Chicago heat wave of 1995. The article includes an interesting slam of Clear Channel, whose past track record includes a failure to alert their listeners to a leathal poison cloud descending on one community, and their lack of local news coverage. Incidentally, a book about the Chicago heat wave came out in 2002, and sounds fascinating.

I watched the flood concert on NBC tonight. Randy Newman wasn't there; Aaron Nevill sang "Louisiana 1927," quite movingly. Not as good as Randy, of course; the way he doesn't try to sell the lines, "The river rose all day/the river rose all night,/some people got lost in the flood/some people got away all right," is what gives the lines their power. He changed the word "crackers" to "people," which seemed appropriate, given that it's the poor blacks bearing the brunt of this flood. And Kanye West's outburst was a nice change of pace from the annoying celeb talking-head moments, that resembled hackneyed Academy Award celebrity presentations. And my poor name-sake Mr. Myers standing beside him, stunned. West's point was valid, but I'm afraid it just came across as comic relief. But I'll settle for that.

Fats Domino is okay. Nice to have some good news coming out of LA.

There's a very good article about torture in the June issue of The Atlantic. You need a subscription to read the article, but numerous blogs summarize the contents. Basically, it cites the example of Marine Major Sherwood F. Moran, who was one of the most successful interregators of Japanese prisoners of war during WWII, by being nice to his prisoners and treating them with respect. Rather than treating them as combatants, he recognized they were no longer a threat in their present condition, and instead befriended them, and encouraged them to tell their story. Military Professor James Corum summarizes the lesson to be learned from Moran's example as "know their language, know their culture, and treat the captured enemy as a human being." If only Moran's example of "enlightened hard-boiled-ness" was taught to the grunts currently manning our "enemy combatant detention centers."

Fats Domino missing in New Orleans.

I just saw one of the dumber public service announcements I've seen in awhile. An old woman sits alone at the kitchen table, looking sad. Then the voice-over says, "Just tell grandma you forgot your dinner plans because you were stoned. She'll understand." "Responsibility: The anti-drug" then appears on the screen. Don't do drugs, you might make your grandma sad. That is the sort of thing that will really inspire the young people. Not as dumb an ad as the one where the kids play with a loaded gun their parents left unlocked, with the message we are supposed to take away from this cautionary tale somehow being, "Don't do drugs." But stupid nonetheless. Our tax dollars at work.

It seems serendipitous to me that I finished reading a history of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 just in time to witness the recent hurricane damage on the news. I find myself somewhat lacking in sympathy given the horrendous behavior of the town fathers of New Orleans toward their neighbors during the prior flood, which I realize is horribly unfair of me, but what can I say? But still, it's interesting to witness similar sorts of destruction, if on a smaller scale. And my Randy Newman google news alert is keeping busy, as just about everyone has to mention "Louisiana 1927" at some point in their description of the destruction. Why no one on the Weather Channel chooses to express their sympathy by saying "Isn't it a shame what the [hurricane] has done to this poor cracker's land" is beyond me.

But however cold-hearted I may be tempted to be due to early 20th-century history, my sympathies to those who lost homes or loved ones. And my deep sympathy to the people of Biloxi, who have lost several casinos, a loss I can truly relate to.

Dinny of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is now the spokes-dinosaur of the creationist movement. And I'm not talking Intelligent Design creationists, I'm talking "Dinos marched two-by-two onto Noah's Ark" creationists.

Incidentally, isn't it odd that right-wing fundamentalists have embrased intelligent design so? I remember not that long ago (I still see the documentary airing on public access with that helmet-haired fellow defending the honor of Thomas Jefferson) that fundamentalists were aghast that one would dare to suggest that our founding fathers believed in anything other than the hands-on role of God in even the smallest matter, and now they argue that God merely put the forces of evolutionary development in place and let things play out? Sounds like a Deist view of the universe to me. How things change.

Last night I saw John Wesley Harding perform at an Acoustic Music San Diego concert, and had a great time. He was performing with the Love Hall Tryst, which consists of Kelly Hogan, Brian Lohmann, and Robert Lloyd (supplementing the line-up in the absence of the very pregnant Nora O'Connor). Kelly Hogan was the name that got me in the door (I love her voice, and think she deserves Neko Case's career), but I looked forward to hearing Harding, of whom I was only passingly familiar.

I also looked forward to checking out the venue. I was unfamiliar with Acoustic Music San Diego, but their line-up looked interesting. And they hold their concerts in an old church, which sounded like an appropriate environment for hearing old folk tunes. As I approached the church on Adams Avenue, I saw some sort of carnival ride rising up over the local businesses, and wondered if I had forgotten about the Adams Avenue Street Fair, but it turns out there was just some sort of carnival going on across the street from the church. But there still was plenty of parking available, and the carnival wasn't too noisy (the occasional screams that seeped into the church only seemed to compliment some of the more gruesome folk melodies). The church was nice, an about average-sized sanctuary with vaulted ceilings, and a typical lightly-adorned motif with stained glass windows and cross and whatnot. The acoustics were good, and the atmosphere suited the evening well.

For the first set, the various musicians performed a few of their own songs, before the second set, dominated by the material from the Songs of Misfortune Love Hall Tryst album. I was almost immediately taken by Harding's material, as well as his voice, which seemed a mix of Jon Langford and Elvis Costello. He performed "Miss Fortune," sort of a prelude to the second act, a song which seemed a bit heavy-handed when I encountered some of the lyrics in print, but which just comes across as direct and unassuming when performed. Brian Lohmann performed a few amusing songs in the novelty vein, which were somewhat underwhelming following Harding's material, but were fine as a palate-cleanser. Kelly Hogan's set was as enjoyable as I'd hoped, and I was surprised when she said the first song she performed was from the women's wrestling documentary, Lipstick & Dynamite, giving me another reason to see that film when I get the chance. She also sang a duet with Harding, the Conway Twitty/Loretta Lynn tune "It's Only Make Believe," which was a highlight of the evening for me.

The second set was predominantly devoted to performing the Songs of Misfortune album (they performed every tune save one), a collection of mostly a capella folk tunes referenced in Wesley Stace's (Harding's real name) historical novel Misfortune, some of the time period, some written in the style of the time. Some of the new songs, such as "The Sanguinary Butcher," I mistook for songs of the era, while others, such as Leonard Cohen's "Joan of Arc," possess a rather modern mindset without removing the listener from the conceit of the project. I loved the songs, and their presentation, and am certain the CD will be my next music purchase, and Stace's novel my next book purchase. Harding broke up the Love Hall Tryst material with mini-sets of his other material, including an amusing summary of Hamlet, which is available for download on his old website.

All-in-all, it was a very enjoyable evening. Kelly Hogan was great, I became a fan of John Wesley Harding, and I discovered a great venue to see acoustic music in San Diego (Dave Alvin will be there in a few months). And seeing the carnival across the street reminded me that the Adams Avenue Street Fair is just a few weeks away.

I've been watching the Season 6 boxed set of The Simpsons, and enjoying it very much, as well I should. Some great episodes in season six, including the classic "Bart of Darkness," with the Rear Window parody. But I was most excited to see that "A Star is Burns," the Simpsons/Critic crossover, was included. Matt Groening was unhappy with the concept, and took his name off the episode. I was looking forward to hearing about the details, and witnessing the fun that was portended on a previous season's audio commentary, when guest voice Jon Lovitz needled Groening about the situation (on "A Streetcar Named Marge," possibly my favorite Simpsons ever). But lo and behold, I listen to the audio commentary, and Matt Groening is nowhere to be found. James L. Brooks is present, as is Lovitz, and it's a funny commentary (Lovitz' comments about Phil Hartman stealing his Charlton Heston impression are outrageous). But despite Lovitz' constant digs, it seems like it's straining a bit much to be non-controversial. So that was disappointing. And even more inexplicably, that episode is missing the belch sound effect from two scenes. They even discuss Maurice LaMarche's belching talent, yet the actual sound is missing. Very confusing--did Eudora Welty's estate threaten to sue? But don't let that prevent you from picking up this volume (or any of the previous, should you be lacking--come on folks, it's only money).

I went to Sycuan today. I recently went up just to cash in a coupon for $15 they sent me, played a poker tournament, lost, and went home, a $3 winner. No point gambling there, since all they ever send me is small cash coupons and 2-for-1 buffet coupons. Fortunately, my brief visit didn't register on their computer, so I got a $50 coupon, one of those "we miss you" things. Interestingly, the letter assured me that they have improved their comp system, so that it is easier to get free meals while playing. I arrived having eaten, so I can't say how easy it is to get a meal these days. Back when they first opened their "high limit" room, I remember the cocktail waitress would keep coming by with random food for me. I graciously accepted a shrimp cocktail, but declined buffalo wings, considering I was handling cards (and hate buffalo wings). That didn't last long. The last time I was there, I lost a frightful amount of cash, and was informed I could get about $4 in food. So that was my last visit. The fact that they would send out $50 showed that maybe they've loosened up on comps a tad, and someone at my table was dealing with a host and doing okay. Me, I didn't ask for anything, just got my $50, played about 45 minutes, and left up a very tidy sum. I still don't really like Sycuan, it just has a bad vibe, and I've had problems there in the past, and know others who have, too. And their buffet is pretty bad (cafe is good, though). Hard to recommend over, say, Barona, but if their comps for table players have in fact loosened up, at least that's something.

I mentioned awhile back enjoying the Wonka brand candies I purchased at Target. I just felt I should add that I found myself at a 99 cent store today, and found they had a variable cornucopia of Wonka candies. The Target bundles are probably a better deal, if you enjoy all the candies within, but since the Wonka corporation (I belive Nestle ran poor Charlie Bucket out in some hostile takeover a few years back) has ruined "Everlasting" Gobstopers, you're probably better off consulting your local bargain retailer. You can't ruin Nerds, after all. The new Wonka donut is rather disturbing, however. Actually does have an almost-donut-like consistency, but too chocolatey and sickening sweet. But love them Nerds. Sadly, no Runts or Bottlecaps were to be seen.

I went to Valley View Casino last night for a blackjack tournament. Busted out in about five hands. Lost a mint on video poker, then hit a machine with my last few dollars, and ended up leaving ahead. Good buffet as always (love the berries and angel food cake, with fresh whipped cream), and I earned the gift of the month (wine glasses I'll probably never use). The tournament was okay, but the tables were just crammed into the back of the casino in what seemed to be a clear fire hazard to me, and like about everything they do, the execution could use some work, as I had to wait in about five lines to finally get my tournament registration, and the woman who signed me up was a bit testy. The tournament probably wasn't worth the long drive, but I combined the gambling junket with a trip to the Wild Animal Park, showed my mom their botanical gardens, and watched some road runners run around their cactus and native plant gardens. A pretty fun day overall, but it wore me out, and as I haven't been sleeping well lately, I was barely able to get myself out of bed to go to work, even though I didn't start until 10:30 today.

I saw The Aristocrats last week. Good fun. I was uncertain how a film about one joke could be amusing for 90 minutes, but it was. I figured it would be interesting, a look into the darker netherregions of the comic mind, but didn't know how entertaining it could be. Turns out it's damn entertaining, and while a few tellings of the joke really fall flat, most of the film had me in near-hysterics. All this without really having much of substance to say; I had a good time, but can't say I learned anything. Which is fine, as not every film must have the deep social commentary of Road House--which, I recently learned, has a sequel in development. But lots of funny, horribly offensive humor is on display, and maybe you leave the theatre with a bit more understanding of the mechanics of obscenity. And I was reminded that, lame sketches on Leno notwithstanding, Gilbert Gottfried can be very funny (his telling of the joke at the Friar's Club Roast of Hugh Hefner is the climax of the film, but his earlier explanation of just why their is blood involved in the routine of the joke's titular family act probably got the greatest belly-laugh out of me over the course of the film).

Going back to my Vegas trip, my decision to fly, and spend several hours sitting around airports, meant I finally finished Rising Tide. It took me awhile, it's a long book, epic in scope. Overall, I enjoyed it very much, but I found it interesting that the set-up to the flood was actually more interesting than the discussion of the flood itself. I guess that's because my thumbnail understanding of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was fairly accurate. Of the history of civil engineering and efforts to control the Mississippi River over the nation's history, I knew almost nothing. I also was aware of the racial tensions that erupted during the struggle to survive the flood, but I was unaware of the paradoxical pattern of the racial strive; the "refugee camp" (which, like most such camps during the flood, was actually a concentration camp to keep black sharecroppers, who would be needed to rebuild the post-diluvian South, from fleeing to the North) in Greenville, Mississippi, perhaps the most racially-harmonious community in the Mississippi delta, became a poster child for abuses in the system. Greenville's racial harmony emerged from necessity; making the delta region profitable required enormous manpower, and treating black sharecroppers fairly could prevent a labor shortage. Yet when the flood put pressure on this arrangement, things got ugly. Rising Tide covers the flood, and it's massive impact on American history, about as thoroughly as possible (I think a little bit about the role of the flood in propelling Huey Long to power). And as the overall impact of the flood is difficult to overstate, it is a very important story to tell.

I should note, the main reason I read Rising Tide is to gain a better appreciation of the Randy Newman song, "Louisiana 1927." And it served its purpose. "Louisiana 1927" has virtually the same tune as "Sail Away," another Newman tune, with slavery as its topic. The dichotomy between the beautiful orchestral score of "Sail Away" and it's subject matter has always been clear; the more I learned about the flood, the more the irony of "Louisiana 1927" came through. Now that I've finished Rising Tide, I have begun Randy Newman's American Dream, an unauthorized biography by Kevin Courrier. I'm not very far into it, and should withhold judgement, but I'm not yet hugely impressed. Newman declined to participate in the project, so the book seems to rely heavily on published material. Which is fine, but the more he references various articles and interviews and critiques, I find myself wishing he hadn't written a biography, but instead edited The Randy Newman Reader. Now that's something I'd like to read. I'll share my full opinion of his biography once I've finished reading it.

An interview with Andy Kindler on the state of the comedy industry.

My latest foray into on-line poker continues to grind on. I'm still playing primarily at Paradise Poker. You've probably seen their ads on T.V., for a million-dollar freeroll tournament they're hosting. While Paradise Poker has been lagging behind other sites (like Party Poker) by neglecting advertising, this new promotion is obviously bringing in a lot of new players. The most obvious sign of this is server problems. I'd never had an issue with maintaining a connection to the table at Paradise Poker, until the last week or two. Connectivity was an issue when I played at Empire Poker, and now it is becomming an issue at Paradise, too. It seems to have improved a bit in recent days, but it is still obvious the site is suffering from growing pains.

The new players also means the games are feeling more like games at Party Poker and Empire Poker (those two, incidentally, are essentially the same site, with different "skins" and promotions, but the same players and games). I should count my blessings, and not complain about softer, less experienced players coming into the fold, I've been having bad luck lately, with people sucking out on me playing hands I would never consider playing. Saturday night, I got creamed in about six tournaments in a row. Right before going to bed, I lost a tournament I was doing quite well in, when I raised substantially with AK and got called by the chip leader with 58, and the flop came K58. So that kicked me out of the tournament and off to bed. What made the situation more upsetting was, early in the tournament, I flopped a set three times in a row, and no one would call me then. But Sunday my luck turned, and while I never won a tournament, I placed in the money several times. And I ended up winning about $125 last week, so I shouldn't complain about a few bad beats.

I still consider Paradise the favorite site of the ones I've played at recently, but the connectivity problems are one strike against them. And the poker ecosystem of the site is coming to resemble Party Poker or Empire Poker, to a degree. Still, it's probably the best mix of strong and weak players I've played with. I enjoy playing sit-and-go tournaments (one table format), and both the level of players and the format make Paradise Poker a good site to frequent. Empire/Party Poker, both due to the prevelence of weak players and the higher blinds in relation to starting chips, are more dependent on luck, while the Poker Stars tournaments, with skilled players and low limits, require too much skill for me, even with nine players at a table (which means the prize money in a single-table tournament is only 90% of that at sites with 10-player tournaments). So for my current favorite game, I'd rather play Paradise. Their promotions aren't that great (the million dollar freeroll is fun enough, but the odds are really stacked against you). They don't offer many deposit bonuses, and you have to play a lot to earn the bonus (it works out to a 10% rebate of the rake--I've been playing there for about two months, and haven't cleared by $85 in bonuses yet). Empire Poker is better with offering bonuses, but again, clearing the bonuses is difficult (10% of the rake, and tournament fees paid don't count; only live play clears the bonus). Poker Stars bonuses are probably the easiest to clear, but they only offer deposit bonuses occasionally. Their bonuses are the easiest to clear with tournament play, but I don't like their tournaments. I stick to live play at Poker Stars, and have had good luck at Stud/8 there. At the moment, I'm still focusing my play at Paradise, but if I decide I need a little break, I might go play some at Poker Stars.

And finally, I should mention the issue of funding one's account. I use Neteller primarily (Paypal and most credit cards will decline any gambling transaction), with no problems. Neteller is free to use, but takes time (4-5 days for an electronic transfer); instant transfers are avaialable, but at a hefty 8.5% fee. Paradise Poker will pay the instant transfer fee for you, which is why I started playing there. The other sites I've mentioned will not, but Empire Poker will electronically transfer money directly from your checking account for free. Poker Stars does not offer any free, instant deposit option. So one must plan ahead to fund a Poker Stars account (I usually just cash out money from Paradise Poker into my Neteller account to fund Poker Stars). Where Poker Stars excels, for me at least, is in cashing-out. My cash out requests are processed in about five seconds. I believe it takes longer at first, but I've played at Party Poker a lot in the past, and have reached a level where my cash-outs are not delayed or reviewed, but the money is just instantly sent to my Neteller account. Paradise Poker isn't too bad, putting the money in my account the next business day. Empire Poker is the slowest of the three, taking about two business days (this was my first cash-out there, future cashouts might be faster).

My final verdict: Paradise Poker is my favorite site for sit-and-go tournaments, but I enjoyed playing live at Poker Stars. There are still a lot of poker sites out there, however, and I intend to try out more in the future (I didn't mention Planet Poker, where I have played in the past--this site is pitiful, and while being one of the originals, it has been creamed by the competition; no reason to play here). I think either Bodog or Poker Room will be the next new site I try; I'll keep you posted.

I chatted with my host at Valley View Casino about my football invitation. Turns out I'm not quite qualified to go to a Chargers game, so I have to settle for an Aztecs game, instead. Which is fine. I'm not a football fan, and I figured I might enjoy a college game more, since the players have more to prove and aren't spoiled, and don't have drug and gun problems. But why include Chargers games on my invitation, if you're not going to let me go? Apparently, I was pretty close to meeting the requirement, so they wanted to know who I was bringing with me. I was brining my mom, but I gave them a friend's name, who has been up there with me. The host said his play didn't help at all, and laughed. So I guess I should have said I was bringing my mom, as she gets pretty good offers in the mail from them, and must have run a decent amount of money through the nickel machines. So Valley View has somewhat annoyed me by pulling the invitation that was extended to me, but as I mainly just want to hang out in the skybox and enjoy the free food and booze, I'm perfectly happy with a college game. And they're still far more generous with comps than any other San Diego casino.

Bob Moog, dead at 71.

Valley View Casino sent me an invitation to see a football game in their skybox at Qualcomm Stadium. I hate football, but would like to see the skybox (which I was told is nicer than the one I was in at Petco Park). And my mom likes football and wants to go, so it will be a nice chance for her to see me get pampered by a casino, and wonder where she went wrong, raising such a degenerate gambler.

Fiona Apple's new album will be released in October. I downloaded the album when it was leaked on the internet. I don't really like her that much, but I did enjoy the album. I bought the new track, "Parting Gift," off of iTunes. It's not bad. I've listened to the new version of "O' Sailor" on her web site, and marginally prefer the original, though I don't find a great deal of difference between them. But I'm glad Fiona will have a chance to make a buck, finally.

Okay, so I've been back from Vegas for some time, and all I've posted here are some obituaries (I thought Barbara Bel Geddes was in Strangers on a Train as well as Vertigo, but apparently I was thinking of Pat Hitchcock--but if you're only going to be in one Hitchcock movie, Vertigo is the one to pick!) and a Japanese logic puzzle (which I've gotten bored with, as I thought I might). The main culprit in the delay is that most of the time I'm on the computer, I'm playing poker, and don't need the distraction of writing this. But my luck has been rather vile of late, so I'll take a break and end my silence.

The trip was a bit boring. I flew out Sunday night after work, in order to get an extra night in Vegas. But the flight was an hour late arriving in San Diego, and then we were kept waiting on the tarmac for almost 90 minutes, so I didn't arrive at the Las Vegas Hilton until close to midnight. Considering the time I spent waiting at the airport before my flight, it would have been faster to drive (though I don't relish the thought of driving through the desert in the dark, especially with thunderstorms raging). The flight was bumpy, but not really that bad; my dread is much worse anticipating flying than it is when I'm actually strapped into the plane. A taxi from the airport cost me $17 with tip, which isn't unreasonable.

I played a bit on Sunday night with little luck, and went to bed. The room at the Hilton was nice. This is the second time staying there, and I was not happy with my room the first time, but I didn't notice the thin walls and bizzare noises from the plumbing that bothered me last time. I had a view that included both part of the Strip and the mountains, which was nice (I hoped to watch some thunderstorms in the mountains, but never saw any). Bathroom is okay, but the vent over the shower was slightly creepy, in that it had wide slids in it, and looking in as one bathed, one couldn't help but think how easy a large camcorder could be concealed in it, when one wasn't wondering what that asbestos-looking compound was. There is no light switch in the bathroom; the switch is on the wall outside the bathroom, set back enough that it's not easy to reach around and hit, so I ended up peeing in the dark a lot. There was a large empty space in the room, suggesting that a couch is usually present. Apparently they knew of my penchant for throwing couches out of hotel room windows, and took precautions. I've certainly stayed in nicer rooms, but I don't really have any complaints about the room, either. Except maybe the $3 charge to use the room safe. Paying someone $3 a night not to steal from me irks me a bit. I just don't enjoy extortion.

Of course, I didn't anticipate paying the $3. I figured if I played enough, my host could pick up most of my food, and I could use my players club points to pick up the rest of the charges, like the room safe. I also was looking forward to receiving $100 in promotional chips from the casino after playing for four hours. Which would come in handy, as my luck wasn't that great. I was up at some points, but mostly was down a small amount most of the trip, except when I was down a whole lot Tuesday night. Made a comeback, though, with no help from the promotional chips. I received them, bet one $25 chip, won the hand, was paid $25, and the dealer took the chip. When I'm given a promotional chip, I consider it mine to play with until I lose. It can't be redeemed for cash, but it can be played as many times as you can win with it. So that irked me, as it cuts the value of the chips in half ($100 in promo chips the way I understand them to work are worth $100, assuming you were going to gamble anyways...the way these chips worked, they're only worth about $50). Now, the strategy for these chips is to bet them at roulette on long odds, since the chips really only have value if you lose the bet. But I'm not sure if they would accept the chips at roulette--the offer, I later noticed, said, "Receive $100 in promotional chips worth up to $100," which makes me think they were only good for even money bets. As it is, I played them at blackjack, and I belive I won two hands, and lost two chips on one hand when I doubled down. That left a slightly sour taste in my mouth, however.

I mostly stayed at the Hilton, since I didn't have a car, but I did walk to the Wynn on Tuesday, where there was no double deck blackjack table with under a $100 minimum, so I just played some video poker, lost, and moved on to the Venetian, where I had the best luck of my trip, winning enough in three hours to rougly cut my losses for the trip in half. And the pit boss was perfectly willing to give me a comp for a late dinner, once I got his attention away from the table with the guy betting about $7,000 a hand. They gave me $30 to the Grand Lux Cafe. I knew the cafe was run by the Cheesecake Factory people, and that one should have an appetite. But I never have much of an appetite in Vegas. The booze is one factor, I'm sure, but even when I'm not drinking, I'm not often hungry in Vegas, even though I generally have only two meals a day, and maybe a dessert or two somewhere along the way. So I waited until after 11:00 to have dinner, and was beginning to get a little hungry. However, I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and when I went to dinner, I suddently found myself freezing. It was hot outside on Tuesday, though not outrageously so (the heat wave broke right before I got there, and it was in the 90s on Tuesday, and even lower on Wednesday--though still humid). But the casinos always keep it freezing during the summer. I ordered hot tea to warm myself with, and that eventually got my shivering under control. Per the pit boss' recommendation, I ordered the shrimp scampi, which was very good, with the shrimp having a gently cripsy texture that was interesting. I ordered banana cream pie for dessert, expecting a slice but getting an entire mini-pie. It was a generous portion, but as I prefer the filling to the crust, I would have preferred a slice. The bill with tax came to $30.49, so I paid $0.50 (and tip) for a lot of food. I ordered one of the more expensive entrees, beverage and dessert, and would say the price was reasonable; most entrees looked to be $10-12, with the basics available for a tad less. Desserts were slightly pricy, but reasonable given the portions. The Grand Lux concept somewhat escapes me; the restaurant is beautiful, but the menu doesn't look much different from the Cheesecake Factory's, at least as well as I can remember from my one visit to the local Cheesecake Factory. Apparently, the concept was cooked up to avoid a turf war with the Cheesecake Factory at Caesar's Palace, though it does serve some more complex dishes, especially on the high end of the menu.

If you're hungry, I'd recommend the Grand Lux Cafe at the Venetian, not as a bargain, but as a good value for the money. However, as I said, I was not very hungry, and the walk back to my hotel a bit after midnight was unpleasant, as the food didn't sit well. But I made it back in one piece (as I was at the Hilton, and never ventured south of the Venetian, I decided to save my money and skip the monorail, travelling on my feet instead). Besides that outing, I pretty much stayed at the Hilton until checking out. My luck at cards kept swinging wildly, but at least I got to play a lot of hours without dipping too deeply into my cash reserves. I did play a few slots, and hit one minor jackpot, but ended up pretty much break-even for the machines at the Hilton (down a fair amount when the Wynn video poker losses are included). I had several meals at the Hilton, none that blew me away, but few complaints, either. The coffee shop is fine, with prompt counter service, and all the basics. It's where you eat at the Hilton when you just don't care, which usually describes me perfectly. I light sandwich is just right for my Vegas-sapped appetite. I only had the buffet at the Hilton once, for lunch. A fine buffet at a fair price, but there are much better buffets in Vegas for not too much more. I filled up on bagels and lox, and was impressed by their desserts, especially a chocolate mousse cake. I had sushi at Teru Sushi, part of Benihana Village. It was very good, basic sushi, done right, and I was mostly impressed (the salmon was lackluster, the mackeral fantastic). But it was horribly overpriced. Miso soup and edamame are each $3.50, and the cheapest nigiri sushi items are $7.00. I really had no more than a snack, and the bill was over $30. I think it may be the best sushi I've had in Vegas, but that's not really saying a whole lot. I don't think I can recommend it for the price, unless you're on a comp.

I didn't mind running up such a tab, since I hoped my host might pick it up, and if not, I could still use my points to pay the bill. I hoped my host would pick up the coffee shop/buffet tabs, and I'd use points for the rest. I earned about $40 in comps this trip, maybe a tad less, and I had about $14 on my card left over from previous visits. I went to see a host in the morning, and there was no one in the office, as they had been moved somewhere during remodeling. I asked a pit boss to call me a host, but apparently someone called in sick, and none would be available until 11:00. A bit after 11:00, I called the host on duty myself, and got his receptionist, apparently, who glanced over my bill and assured me there was nothing she could do for me. So I got the brush-off from a host's secretary. Which angered me. I got $30 in comps at the Venetian for 3 hours' play (though to be fair, that comp may be based in part on previous play there), and the Hilton gives me about $40 in comps based on about 14 hours' play. To be fair, I did get a room, and those damn chips. I think the chips did me in, they probably credited them as a $100 comp, which I had to earn before they would give me additional food comps. I used my points on my card, but still owed about $5, but I found out that, in addition to my comps, I had $20 cash back from my slot play, so that covered all my room charges, including tips (which are never comped). So I can't say that the Hilton screwed me or anything, but they were less generous than the last time I stayed there, and I thought I was entitled for a bit more in comps than they offered (and I felt that the promotional chip offer that led me to stay there was misleading). And I was annoyed that I didn't even speak to the host, just the woman who answered his phone. But while she did brush me off, she wasn't rude or condescending, like my host at Green Valley Ranch (who now works at Luxor, I'm told).

After being rebuffed, I decided I didn't want to play at the Hilton anymore, and went to the Riviera. I bought lunch in the food court, signed up for a players club card and played the $10 free slot play they give you for signing up, lost that, and played blackjack, winning a bunch, giving half of that win back, and leaving Vegas a little less of a loser than I would have had I not gone to the Riviera. I'd never played at the Riviera. It's not bad; it reminds me a bit of the Stardust, but with fewer double-deck games (and no games that stay on soft 17). I overheard someone at another table saying he was there for a gin rummy tournament. I found the tournament's website, and apparently it is operated by a third party, hosted at the Riviera a few times a year. $200 entry fee. Sounds like fun. Though I'm sure that I, gin rummy wizard that I am, would still be thoroughly out-classed.

I headed to the airport with plenty of time to spare, got through security in a jiffy, and read in the airport until my plane departed, avoiding the airport slot machines. The flight back was fine, and I enjoyed looking at the huge thunderheads in the desert. I still hate flying, and don't think it's a good value or a convenience in going to Vegas, but it didn't work out too badly for this trip (though the flight over was a bit unpleasant). Mom's car was at the airport, as she had just caught a plane up to San Jose for my sister's baby shower, so I drove myself home. Tanner was very glad to see me (I'm told he had been depressed).

This trip to Vegas was a bit boring. I suppose the Hilton is a bit of a boring place. I would consider staying there again, but only if I didn't have a better offer. I'm hoping to get some free rooms from the Venetian. I would love to stay there at least once. My first few visits I felt uncomfortable there, but it's grown on me a bit. I've had problems with Green Valley Ranch; I'm pretty sure I've mentioned a mysterious minibar charge they billed me for, and how they promised to refund me the $7.47. They never did, and I've had to dispute the charge with my credit card company (I just this very moment checked my credit card statement online, and see the refund posted today). The experience makes me wonder if I wish to stay there again. So I need to find a new home casino. I think the most likely outcome will be that I no longer have a home casino. Why put all your eggs in one basket? I always have a few offers, though the Paris/Bally's offers dried up even before the merger with Harrah's. I always have free rooms downtown, but they're crappy. The Hilton will still send me free rooms, I'm sure, and I can always spread my action around more when I stay there in the future, generate room offers. I'm pretty sure the Venetian will send me something, and the Riviera, as well. Stardust sends me free rooms from time to time, but seems schizophrenic in their mailings, sometimes giving me the moon, sometimes charging me ridiculous rates. I'm sure a host will probably hook me up there, but I don't like the uncertainty of hosts. I should stay there once, though, before they tear it down. And who knows, maybe the Wynn will send me something. That'd be sweet. In any event, I don't think I'll be to Vegas again for a few months. So that will give the casino mail some time to build up, and I'm sure I'll find a sweet offer.

Heard of sudoku puzzles? Looks like a crossword puzzle with numbers, but it's actually a logic puzzle, where you have to fill in the numbers 1-9, so that each row and column, as well as each 3x3 box, contains each number exactly once. I managed to waste most of a workday on these sudoku puzzles, when I could have posted about my exciting Vegas vacation. They're kind of fun, but I have a feeling they'll get old fast. I finished the two easy ones, but made some mistakes on the medium level puzzle. Just carelessness, really, putting the same number on the same line twice. I'll have to try playing the software version when I get home (I've just been doing it on paper). Of course, that would waste valuable poker time (got to win back that cash I lost in Vegas somehow).

Matthew McGrory, dead at 32.

Barbara Bel Geddes, dead at 82.

Ibrahim Ferrer, dead at 78.

Andy Kindler on the state of comedy. I met Andy Kindler once, and I think offended him, when I told him how much I loved Dr. Katz, which had at that time been off the air probably close to a decade. I heard him muttering to his guests as he walked away, sounding slightly disgruntled, but was polite enough to my face. I don't think I'd ever seen Everybody Loves Raymond at the time, so how was I to know if he was still working?

I'm Vegas-bound tomorrow, late tomorrow. Flying out after work, flying back Wednesday afternoon. First post-9/11 flight, and I'm nervous, not because of terrorism, but the myriad other ways the huge steel box I'm in can fall out of the sky. It will be interesting to see first-hand how security works these days. But I really should have just rescheduled my trip, rather than flying to squeeze a trip in on the couple days I had free. But I'm sure I'll have fun once I get there. Had some bad luck on-line this week, mostly because I get mad after loosing a tournament by some bozo getting a lucky card on the river, and then going off and playing some game I have no right playing and expecting to win, and blowing more than I should. But long-term, I'm still doing okay with poker, and hopefully I can work more on being a disciplined player, once I get back from my vacation. And hopefully I'll have a much more substantial bankroll to attack the poker rooms with when I get back from Vegas.

I do feel bad leaving Tanner with his condition, but he seems to be taking to his new medication pretty well. He doesn't seem particularly lethargic, but he definately shows an increased appetite. He's always underfoot if you go anywhere near the kitchen. But other than sleeping in later in the morning, he doesn't seem too sedate or drugged out from the pheno. In fact, he attacked my cousin the moment she came in the front door, and nearly bit her. Good for him, I say.

I enjoyed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I also enjoyed the experience of the Drive-In, more or less. Their employees were a motley crew, and the snack bar wasn't very inviting. But it's nice to be able to bring lots of food and not have to worry about cell phones and such. And the SUVs in the front row didn't really block my view, though the open hatchbacks got close. And $6 for a first-run double-feature isn't a bad deal. I really don't understand the business model: Do they get some sweetheart deal from the studios to prop up their struggling industry, a tribute to a buygone era? Do the studios just figure that the drive-in is out in the sticks and no one out there will pay for a full-price ticket, so they might as well get something out of them? Does the theatre lose money on ticket sales in order to make it up on concessions (the popcorn was cold and unpleasant, and while it falls into the range I think theatres should charge, it was not exactly a bargain--$2.25 for a small, if memory serves)? Or is it a massive front for something? I best be careful, I would hate to get the Drive-In cartel on my ass.

Anyway, I'll have to go back sometime, if they have a double-bill I'm interested in. As I said, Charlie was pretty good; as far as the portion of the film which occurs outside the factory, it's probably better than the original. The first act of the original really drags. Inside the factory, it's tougher to say, but I give it to the original. They don't improve much (the squirrels are fun), and it just feels a bit rushed and disjointed. I liked the Oompa-Loompa songs, but it's hard to understand them, and as they are supposed to beat you over the head with uplifting moral lessons, the lyrics are important. And the original oompa-loompa songs are classic (the lyrics in the new movie come from the book, apparently--it's been probably close to 15 years since I read the book, but that's what the credits claim). I've never liked Tim Burton as much as I felt like I should, but I liked this film, and consider it second to Pee Wee's Big Adventure in his ouvre (sorry, Beetlejuice, but while your the sentimental favorite, the newcomer edges you out).

The Island, you may be shocked to learn, is an unmitigated piece of shit. For christ sake, you have Scarlett Johansson in your movie, and you don't let her do anything! In fact, all the film is is a long commercial, with the most blatant product placements I've ever seen. I thought maybe they were trying to work some jab at consumerism, using the placements ironically, but no, around the time characters start talking about "MSN Searching" someone, it became pretty apparent it was all about money. Though it definately saved them some cash; characters take a hover-train to L.A., where they ride hover-bikes, yet cars are still exactly the same as they've always been, and happen to be cars currently commercially available. But why compain about the ads when characters fall 80 stories and live, Big Brother can monitor who you talk to and how closely you stand, yet cannot detect that a clone is running around a restricted hospital with impunity, discovering all their secrets, and, again, Scarlett Johansson just stands there looking concerned? I hope the makesrs of Parts: The Clonus Horror sue Michael Bay right out of Hollywood. But really, what was I hoping for? I guess I just resent the fact that the film thinks it is intelligent. Why is their a Picasso painting on the wall of the "Relaxation Room" where the clones are made docile? Picasso is supposed to sooth the soul and render one submissive? And, speaking of that room, why does McGregor's character wonder why the doctor was looking at Johansson's file, and deduce the terrible truth partly from that fact, when almost the sole subject of their conversation is Johansson? Maybe that's why he was looking at the file, Sherlock! Oh, well, next year we appaerently can see Johansson in The Black Daliah, that should be something. One of the most powerful books I've ever read, just made me feel dirty for being alive. Gnarly stuff, and it's taken a long time to get filmed, I'm curious to see if they can pull it off. If only Michael Bay was attached to that project, I could sleep better at night.

Novak suspended from CNN. Can't wait to see The Daily Show tonight.

I see William Hung has covered Randy Newman's "I Love L.A." Very disturbing. (I think the quotes in the artice I linked to are ficticious, but it's hard to tell, Randy's quote seems plausible)

Aibos dancing to Daft Punk. I enjoyed Tara on the DDR.

I had dinner at Il Fornaio last night. I've eaten there several times in Vegas, and enjoy their food very much. And again, was quite impressed, this time eating in Coronado. The food was great (I had seafood lasagna), the desserts were fantastic (a creme brulee with a chocolate mousse topping), and even the wine was good, and I'm not a big wine guy. But what really blew me away was the atmosphere and the view. We didn't have a window table, but still had no problem enjoying the view of the downtown skyline, able to see how much it's changed in just the last few years, and also watch the ship activity down at the port. Patio dining was in high demand, but it looked to me like they cram a lot of people out there; inside, you still get the view, and a bit more breathing room. Not to mention that it was a bit chilly outside (a nice change). And the best part is, Il Fornaio is a chain, and the prices here were typical of the chain; standard to cheap for up-scale Italian. No premium for the primo location. Dinner for two, with dessert and (a somewhat pricy) wine for me, only came to $54 after tax/tip. Compare that to a place like Anthony's, where you'd pay about 50% more, at least, for a view that doesn't compare with this. I was highly impressed.

I ate there with my mom last night, because we had tickets to see Pump Boys and Dinettes at the Lamb's Players Theatre. This show was not part of the schedule when we bought our season tickets, but was added later. As I haven't really enjoyed their previous performances (though Metamorposes wasn't bad), and as it sounded suspiciosly like such god-awful plays as Triple Espresso and American Rythms (if I'm remembering correctly the title of one of the worst things I've ever sat through), I didn't have high hopes. So the fact that it wasn't terrible made it pretty enjoyable to sit through. Not much to it, but the musicianship of the actors was good all-around, there were a few catchy tunes, and it was short. Not bad. I'm looking forward to The Winslow Boy, coming up in a few months. I doubt I will get season tickets again, though.

I tried to go see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this afternoon, but got lost trying to go to the AMC Palm Promenade. Got off the wrong freeway exit, apparently. The good news is, when I got home to find a new showtime to go to, I noticed it's playing at the Santee Drive-In. I've been meaning for years to go down there, I haven't been since I was a little kid. So tonight I'm going. I've sent out some e-mails, hopefully someone will join be, but if not, I see that they permit dogs. Tanner hasn't seen a movie in a theatre in some time, and I'm sure he misses the experience, being so ingrained into his early subconscious. And his new drugs might keep him mellow. But I doubt I'll bring him, as I'd like to scope the place out, first. Never know about those East County folk; they might let packs of pit bulls wander the grounds or something.

Tanner had another seizure over the weekend. That makes two in the month of July. So I decided it was time Tanner became a pill-popper, and took the vet's advice to start him on Phenobarbital. He just took his first pill this morning, so it will take awhile to see if he suffers any adverse reactions, but so far, he seems okay. Had several coughing jags today, as he is prone to do, but I don't think that's because of the pills. The vet did send out some more blood work, so I'll know by the end of the week if that turned up anything. The emergency hospital did most of the blood work already, but my vet wanted to do one more test, for kidney problems. But given his age and breed, it's most likely epilepsy (epilepsy, unfortunately, can't be directly tested for, but is just assumed when no other cause can be found). The vet did say, if he goes a long time, like over a year, without a seizure, we might be able to ween him off the drugs, which made me happy. I'm sad for Tanner, and don't relish the thought of giving him pills twice a day for perpetuity, but I'm not too worried about his long-term health. As it is, the seizures seem more upsetting to me than to him.