Thursday, December 25, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
It's all Political
Before John McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his running mate, nearly every sound byte out of the McCain campaign was regarding Obama's lack of experience to lead the country. Now that he's effectively undercut his own argument by picking a governor with as little or less experience, we haven't heard a peep along this line of dialogue. Instead, the Republicans have continued where they left off four years ago, using the same smear tactics that cast doubt in Americans' eyes about the honor and valor of John Kerry. Kerry chose to ignore the ads instead and lost the election.
But Barack Obama is both well funded and fired up ready to stand up to the propaganda machine that is the Republican campaign. A day ago Obama said this: “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig,” clearly using a metaphor to refer to the fact that McCain's policies do not represent change as he says it does.
As expected, the Republicans feigned outrage at this statement saying Obama's remarks were sexist and directed specifically at Palin. Lipstick and pig images aside, a metaphor is a metaphor. McCain's campaign could have put out a statement highlighting exactly how McCain's policies are a departure from the failed policies of the past, shooting down the premise of Obama's metaphor, but instead they chose to take the statement literally (pretending not to understand its meaning) in an attempt to discount and discredit the only candidate who speaks reality to the American people.
Vote for Obama.
But Barack Obama is both well funded and fired up ready to stand up to the propaganda machine that is the Republican campaign. A day ago Obama said this: “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig,” clearly using a metaphor to refer to the fact that McCain's policies do not represent change as he says it does.
As expected, the Republicans feigned outrage at this statement saying Obama's remarks were sexist and directed specifically at Palin. Lipstick and pig images aside, a metaphor is a metaphor. McCain's campaign could have put out a statement highlighting exactly how McCain's policies are a departure from the failed policies of the past, shooting down the premise of Obama's metaphor, but instead they chose to take the statement literally (pretending not to understand its meaning) in an attempt to discount and discredit the only candidate who speaks reality to the American people.
Vote for Obama.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Time to take a break
For about a month now, my left knee's been bothering me. Even today, the worst it's been since it started hurting, there is no sharp or shooting pain, just a continuous soreness that I am always aware of. If it were a sharp pain, I would not be able to play golf, but since it's just soreness I've still been playing some, and playing pretty poorly.
Of course, my putter's been at least 50% of the problem. I played a round about two weeks ago where I started off by three putting holes 6 7 and 8, a pretty terrible performance with the flat stick. My stroke is not grooved, I'm unsure of the right grip, posture, alignment, pretty much every skill you need to putt well I have been lacking lately.
But also, my long game, usually the most consistent and best part of my game, has been lacking as well. Realizing my knee has been hurting but not ready to make important changes in my game, I've been using the same iron distances as I do when I am healthy, and have not been consistent. My inability to make a complete weight shift on the downswing without feeling some pain and soreness leads after hundreds of swings to learning to hold back a little. I will finish with let's say 60% of my weight on my left side when it should be 80-90%. The result is fewer solid strikes of the ball and more weakly hit shots that drift off to the right, short of the green.
The most apparent difference besides the irons is with the driver. I'm not the most powerful player, but when I'm healthy, an ideal drive will travel 265-280 yards. Lately though, my best drives have traveled no more then 260 on the absolute best ones, maybe even shorter. It all adds up to higher scores. Shorter drives, inconsistent and poorly struck irons, and bad putting leads me to shoot in the 80s about as frequently as I shoot in the 70s, which is not where I want to be with my game in mid August.
I did have a good round this past Friday though. Fresh with a new putter and a new plan, I putted a little better (of course a new putter doesn't solve the whole problem) and wound up with a 75, my best score in a while.
This time I decided not to hit a full shot all day. I played a craftier style, hooking and slicing my drives into the fairways and hitting 1 2 or 3 extra clubs on the approach shots. I would hit an easy PW from 105 when I would usually hit a SW. The longer the shot, the more club I took. The best example is on our 7th hole a 420 yard par 4. I hit a poor drive and had to chip out to 190 yards in. When healthy this is a 5 iron arguably a 4 iron depending on the wind. That day, the choice was a 3-wood. When healthy, the 3w should carry 230-240. The shot was struck nicely, about 20 feet left of the pin, made a serious gash in the green exactly pin high, and just trickled off the back. I made 5.
Overall, I need to rest my knee, ice it, etc., and if it doesn't get better soon, I'll be making an appointment with the doctor to see what is really up. I'm not making any promises, but I'm going to try my best to avoid golf for at least two weeks (I'm on day 2) to try to heal whatever it is that is wrong.
In other news, I am driving my wonderful girlfriend to New Orleans in a little over a week. I am excited for the road trip and I am thrilled for the opportunity to spend her 21st birthday with her. It will be a special day. :)
Of course, my putter's been at least 50% of the problem. I played a round about two weeks ago where I started off by three putting holes 6 7 and 8, a pretty terrible performance with the flat stick. My stroke is not grooved, I'm unsure of the right grip, posture, alignment, pretty much every skill you need to putt well I have been lacking lately.
But also, my long game, usually the most consistent and best part of my game, has been lacking as well. Realizing my knee has been hurting but not ready to make important changes in my game, I've been using the same iron distances as I do when I am healthy, and have not been consistent. My inability to make a complete weight shift on the downswing without feeling some pain and soreness leads after hundreds of swings to learning to hold back a little. I will finish with let's say 60% of my weight on my left side when it should be 80-90%. The result is fewer solid strikes of the ball and more weakly hit shots that drift off to the right, short of the green.
The most apparent difference besides the irons is with the driver. I'm not the most powerful player, but when I'm healthy, an ideal drive will travel 265-280 yards. Lately though, my best drives have traveled no more then 260 on the absolute best ones, maybe even shorter. It all adds up to higher scores. Shorter drives, inconsistent and poorly struck irons, and bad putting leads me to shoot in the 80s about as frequently as I shoot in the 70s, which is not where I want to be with my game in mid August.
I did have a good round this past Friday though. Fresh with a new putter and a new plan, I putted a little better (of course a new putter doesn't solve the whole problem) and wound up with a 75, my best score in a while.
This time I decided not to hit a full shot all day. I played a craftier style, hooking and slicing my drives into the fairways and hitting 1 2 or 3 extra clubs on the approach shots. I would hit an easy PW from 105 when I would usually hit a SW. The longer the shot, the more club I took. The best example is on our 7th hole a 420 yard par 4. I hit a poor drive and had to chip out to 190 yards in. When healthy this is a 5 iron arguably a 4 iron depending on the wind. That day, the choice was a 3-wood. When healthy, the 3w should carry 230-240. The shot was struck nicely, about 20 feet left of the pin, made a serious gash in the green exactly pin high, and just trickled off the back. I made 5.
Overall, I need to rest my knee, ice it, etc., and if it doesn't get better soon, I'll be making an appointment with the doctor to see what is really up. I'm not making any promises, but I'm going to try my best to avoid golf for at least two weeks (I'm on day 2) to try to heal whatever it is that is wrong.
In other news, I am driving my wonderful girlfriend to New Orleans in a little over a week. I am excited for the road trip and I am thrilled for the opportunity to spend her 21st birthday with her. It will be a special day. :)
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Maccabi Qualifier @ PGA National
Gave it my best shot, but wound up missing out on qualifying for the '09 Games. More details soon possibly.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Missed the Cut
This Monday was the Met Amateur qualifier at Bonnie Briar in Larchmont. I finished out tied for 24th (with 12 other guys) with a round of 74 (+3). 124 players turned in cards and the top 7 + ties qualified for the tournament.
9 players who shot par or better qualified. Medalist honors went to Joe Taylor of Garden City GC and Kevin Fitzpatrick of Westchester CC who both turned in solid rounds of 69 (-2).
We started on the 10th hole par 3 about 185 yards. I struck my six iron poorly and wound up short and right of the front right greenside bunker. I got down in 3 from there and settled with a first hole bogey.
I settled down quickly though and started playing solid on the very tight (almost too tight) 6400 yard track. I sunk a curling 15 footer on the 14th hole for birdie, missed a 3 footer for birdie on 17, but got that one back with a birdie on 18, sinking a 20 footer that looked good the entire way.
I knew I was in contention with a 34 (-1) first nine, but knew that with only 7 + ties qualifying out of a field of 125+, only those with near perfect rounds would go through.
On the first hole, my 10th of the day, a 460 yard par 4 meandering around to the left and downhill after the drive, I hit a perfect 3 wood which left me about 210 yards for the approach. I took out the 4 iron and struck it perfectly. It didnt quite get to the back of the green and I was left with a slightly uphill 35 footer. I misjudged both the distance and direction on the first putt, leaving myself with a 6 footer which I missed.
Still at even par, I played a solid 2nd hole, and then got up and down on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th holes before a major mistake. The 6th hole is a dogleg left par 4 about 430 with an elevated teeing ground that allows you to hit your tee ball about 270 yards before the hole bends sharply to the left, and goes uphill. A 20 yard wide water hazard guards the entire left side of the fairway, and bunkers guard the right side keeping you from playing too aggressive of a tee shot on the left, and too safe of one on the right.
I pulled out the 1 iron, and made my first bad swing of the day. The contact was solid enough, but the ball started off left and drew a bit. It was in the water the entire way. Since the hole was recently redone, we were allowed to mark, lift, clean and place through the green. This was a slight break enabling me to drop and then find a perfect lie. In retrospect, I think I found too good of a lie and my 3rd shot 6 iron was struck too high on the face, and wound up short and right. I was unable to make another up and down, and was forced to take a semi-disastrous double bogey.
I regrouped though, and parred the 7th and 8th holes before reaching the 9th hole, a 485 yard par 5 dogleg right. On the teebox, I figured a birdie would secure my spot with a 72 (+1), so I had to play aggressive. Unfortunately, my tee shit sailed too far to the right and I was near some trees and had to punch out. I hit a fairly poor recovery shot, and was still in the damp right rough over 200 yards out for my 3rd shot. I hit a solid enough 4 iron, but the wet grass slowed my club down at impact and the ball came to rest 15 yards shot of the green. A lackluster uphill chipshot to the front-to-back sloping green left me with 25 feet. I blew my first putt by about 6 feet and made the come back putt for an upsetting bogey.
On the bright side, had I qualified, the tournament would have conflicted with the first weekend of the Metropolis Club Championship, which would have been a epic bummer to have to make that decision. While I'm disappointed with how I played the 15th hole and 18th hole, I know that my game stacks up well against the competition.
At my level, its very crowded. There are literally hundreds of scratch golfers in the Met Area, most of whom can shoot anywhere between even par and ten over on any given day. It takes more than anything, a rock solid mental game to rise above the rest and come out the victor. One mistake, just one, is unacceptable.
Sunday, my dad and I leave for West Palm Beach, Florida where I will be one of 19 trying to qualify for 6 spots in the big show in Israel, Summer 2009.
9 players who shot par or better qualified. Medalist honors went to Joe Taylor of Garden City GC and Kevin Fitzpatrick of Westchester CC who both turned in solid rounds of 69 (-2).
We started on the 10th hole par 3 about 185 yards. I struck my six iron poorly and wound up short and right of the front right greenside bunker. I got down in 3 from there and settled with a first hole bogey.
I settled down quickly though and started playing solid on the very tight (almost too tight) 6400 yard track. I sunk a curling 15 footer on the 14th hole for birdie, missed a 3 footer for birdie on 17, but got that one back with a birdie on 18, sinking a 20 footer that looked good the entire way.
I knew I was in contention with a 34 (-1) first nine, but knew that with only 7 + ties qualifying out of a field of 125+, only those with near perfect rounds would go through.
On the first hole, my 10th of the day, a 460 yard par 4 meandering around to the left and downhill after the drive, I hit a perfect 3 wood which left me about 210 yards for the approach. I took out the 4 iron and struck it perfectly. It didnt quite get to the back of the green and I was left with a slightly uphill 35 footer. I misjudged both the distance and direction on the first putt, leaving myself with a 6 footer which I missed.
Still at even par, I played a solid 2nd hole, and then got up and down on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th holes before a major mistake. The 6th hole is a dogleg left par 4 about 430 with an elevated teeing ground that allows you to hit your tee ball about 270 yards before the hole bends sharply to the left, and goes uphill. A 20 yard wide water hazard guards the entire left side of the fairway, and bunkers guard the right side keeping you from playing too aggressive of a tee shot on the left, and too safe of one on the right.
I pulled out the 1 iron, and made my first bad swing of the day. The contact was solid enough, but the ball started off left and drew a bit. It was in the water the entire way. Since the hole was recently redone, we were allowed to mark, lift, clean and place through the green. This was a slight break enabling me to drop and then find a perfect lie. In retrospect, I think I found too good of a lie and my 3rd shot 6 iron was struck too high on the face, and wound up short and right. I was unable to make another up and down, and was forced to take a semi-disastrous double bogey.
I regrouped though, and parred the 7th and 8th holes before reaching the 9th hole, a 485 yard par 5 dogleg right. On the teebox, I figured a birdie would secure my spot with a 72 (+1), so I had to play aggressive. Unfortunately, my tee shit sailed too far to the right and I was near some trees and had to punch out. I hit a fairly poor recovery shot, and was still in the damp right rough over 200 yards out for my 3rd shot. I hit a solid enough 4 iron, but the wet grass slowed my club down at impact and the ball came to rest 15 yards shot of the green. A lackluster uphill chipshot to the front-to-back sloping green left me with 25 feet. I blew my first putt by about 6 feet and made the come back putt for an upsetting bogey.
On the bright side, had I qualified, the tournament would have conflicted with the first weekend of the Metropolis Club Championship, which would have been a epic bummer to have to make that decision. While I'm disappointed with how I played the 15th hole and 18th hole, I know that my game stacks up well against the competition.
At my level, its very crowded. There are literally hundreds of scratch golfers in the Met Area, most of whom can shoot anywhere between even par and ten over on any given day. It takes more than anything, a rock solid mental game to rise above the rest and come out the victor. One mistake, just one, is unacceptable.
Sunday, my dad and I leave for West Palm Beach, Florida where I will be one of 19 trying to qualify for 6 spots in the big show in Israel, Summer 2009.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Golf
I've been playing lots of golf this summer, and besides enjoying every minute I spend out there whether with my dad, friends, or practicing alone, I'm actually getting somewhere with my game. My swing is producing solid strikes, and the flat stick has started to heat up.
A few weeks ago I took a lesson and realized a few important things about my game. At the top of my swing, my left wrist was bent backwards making it much too difficult to time my swing. Most swing fixes in golf involve hours of painstaking repetition, but this particular fix involved just not manipulating my wrist on the backswing. I was surprised how easy it was to feel the right and wrong positions on the takeaway, and how quickly the small fix produced the desired results: consistent golf shots.
The second half of the lesson was on the putting green, and we changed everything. My grip, alignment, posture, ball position, hand position, tempo, and stroke are all completely different than before, an Isao Aoki-esque stroke with the toe of the putter off the ground. It took about three or four rounds before I began to feel confident with the new way of putting, but things have finally started to click.
Yesterday, a friend of mine from High School and I made a date to play 18 holes in the morning at GBCC on SI, NY followed by another 18 after lunch at NGC in WM, NY. My friend and I play match play, and I gave him 3 each side in the morning, and 4 a side in the afternoon, for $5 / hole, with $10 eagles and -$5 3 putts. I don't remember exactly how it turned out, but I only had one three putt in the 36 holes which for me at least is legendary.
I wound up shooting 72 in the morning on the 70.1 rated course, and 75 in the afternoon on the 74.1 rated course, and went around without a double bogey, making some solid par and bogey saves. The final nine, holes 28-36 I went around in -1 with three birdies.
The golf schedule for the rest of the summer looks like this:
1) Met Amateur Qualifying @ Bonnie Briar
2) Maccabi Qualifying for Israel '09 in WPB, Florida
3) Westchester Tournament of Club Champions @ Tamarack GC
4) Metropolis Country Club Club Championship @ MCC
A few weeks ago I took a lesson and realized a few important things about my game. At the top of my swing, my left wrist was bent backwards making it much too difficult to time my swing. Most swing fixes in golf involve hours of painstaking repetition, but this particular fix involved just not manipulating my wrist on the backswing. I was surprised how easy it was to feel the right and wrong positions on the takeaway, and how quickly the small fix produced the desired results: consistent golf shots.
The second half of the lesson was on the putting green, and we changed everything. My grip, alignment, posture, ball position, hand position, tempo, and stroke are all completely different than before, an Isao Aoki-esque stroke with the toe of the putter off the ground. It took about three or four rounds before I began to feel confident with the new way of putting, but things have finally started to click.
Yesterday, a friend of mine from High School and I made a date to play 18 holes in the morning at GBCC on SI, NY followed by another 18 after lunch at NGC in WM, NY. My friend and I play match play, and I gave him 3 each side in the morning, and 4 a side in the afternoon, for $5 / hole, with $10 eagles and -$5 3 putts. I don't remember exactly how it turned out, but I only had one three putt in the 36 holes which for me at least is legendary.
I wound up shooting 72 in the morning on the 70.1 rated course, and 75 in the afternoon on the 74.1 rated course, and went around without a double bogey, making some solid par and bogey saves. The final nine, holes 28-36 I went around in -1 with three birdies.
The golf schedule for the rest of the summer looks like this:
1) Met Amateur Qualifying @ Bonnie Briar
2) Maccabi Qualifying for Israel '09 in WPB, Florida
3) Westchester Tournament of Club Champions @ Tamarack GC
4) Metropolis Country Club Club Championship @ MCC
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Road Trip
Just a few more errands like transferring the cable account and giving my key to Aaron before I load the car and drive back home. As you can see, it's about 1,315 miles. I plan to make a stop for the night around Bristol, TN about 55% of the way there. I bought a few audiobooks for the ride: Grisham's The Partner and a story about the collapse of enron. Start to finish, it's about 18 hours of listening time. I've never had an audiobook experience so we'll see. If it starts putting me to sleep, it'll back back to classic rock and Howard Stern.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Graduation
Today, I completed Tulane's Freeman School of Busineses Master of Finance program by graduating along with fellow MFINS, MBAs, and MACCTs. The ceremonies, the Unified Ceremony in the Superdome and the Freeman Ceremony in Mcalister Auditorium were bittersweet. Today marked the end of the New Orleans chapter of my life. On Monday, I pack up the car and drive back to New York City for the summer and beyond. Tulane and New Orleans have taught me so much about life, and I plan to visit in the future to remember some of the great times.
Since I'll no longer be living in New Orleans, I'll obviously have to retitle the blog from "Tough Life in the Big Easy" to something that better describes what is up.
Since I'll no longer be living in New Orleans, I'll obviously have to retitle the blog from "Tough Life in the Big Easy" to something that better describes what is up.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
WSOP New Orleans
The World Series of Poker is in town this week, and so far I've played in four events. I've cashed in 2 of them, finishing fourth in the Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys tournament for 5k and change.
Live tournaments are tough because the most important plays you make in the tournament should you make it that far, occur after playing for nearly twelve hours. In the first event I made a huge error costing me all my chips, finishing just short of the final table with 1st place winning $50k.
Thanks for reading.
Live tournaments are tough because the most important plays you make in the tournament should you make it that far, occur after playing for nearly twelve hours. In the first event I made a huge error costing me all my chips, finishing just short of the final table with 1st place winning $50k.
Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Back in Town
Both of our flights were on time, kind of, and here we are back in New Orleans. Nothing too interesting to report besides that. Good night and thank you for your loyal visits and interest into what is going on in my life.
Have you noticed- I take a lot of vacations?
Next vacation looks to be Las Vegas in June but I'll probably eek in another post or two between now and then. Schweepy toime! (btw Sara just said not all trips are vacations)
Have you noticed- I take a lot of vacations?
Next vacation looks to be Las Vegas in June but I'll probably eek in another post or two between now and then. Schweepy toime! (btw Sara just said not all trips are vacations)
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Aruba Day 5
Tomorrow we leave. It was a great trip, the first where we've really been free to do what we want when we want. This was mostly because of the rental car. Anytime we wanted to go somewhere, we could just walk outside and go. Yes, I speak the obvious, but it's nice to be able to go to some of the less traveled places like Hooiberg and the natural bridge without literally keeping a taxi driver with us the entire time.
We woke up today, did the breakfast buffet and hung out on the beach for about 2 hours. Although Sara and I diligently (or at least it seemed) helped to sunblock each other, we both burnt to a crisp, Sara on her back and where her watch was before she took it off, and me on the tops of my feet, front of my legs, and my shoulders. I would post a pic, but you might be horrified.
After the beach, we went back to the room and changed for a hike. We had a quick lunch at Blossoms of miso soup, edamame, spicy tuna roll and spicy salmon roll. We also made a reservation at Aqua Grill. Sara copiloted us to Hooiberg, meaning haystack in Dutch, a majestic 500 foot tall "mound" in the middle of the island. We parked the car at the base of the hill and had a quick convo...hmm is it really worth it? Of course it was worth it and 542 steps later we were on top of the hill, with a 360° view of the island. The view was breathtaking even though we couldn't quite see Venezuela as promised.
We then headed towards downtown for a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee, a few postcards, and a picture in front of another ginormous cruise ship. We returned to the room, hung out for a while until dinner. Dinner rolled around and we drove down the row of high rise hotels passing the Riu, Hyatt, Radisson, and Hooters, Ruth & Chris steakhouse, and Benihanas.
We sat outside and had a nice dinner. Sara had a nice gazpacho followed by a boring tuna. I had a half dozen oysters of course with lemon, cocktail sauce, and horseradish. It's hard to know what I like more, horseradish or wasabi, but I am definitely going to try a wasabi glazed oyster in the near future. For main course I had a steak and some scallops. Sara forgot to remind me that you need to get SEAFOOD at a SEAFOOD restaurant. Note to self: if a restaurant only has one steak on the menu, probably best to order pasta or fish. The steak was a bit tough but the scallops were nice.
We declined dessert cuz we had our little hearts set on Ben and Jerry's. I had the strawberry cheesecake in a sugar cone and Sara had coffee in a sugar cone. We chatted with a really nice woman who worked at B&J. She said she's never left the island which was interesting but also that she speaks four languages (dutch english spanish papamiento) just like nearly everyone else on the island. She said it only took her about 8 months to become conversational in english. Some countries teach math and science, but in Aruba where 50% of the GNP comes from tourism, people learn different languages.
All in all, a memorable trip. I checked, and though we have a confirmation number for our United flight tomorrow, we dont have confirmed seats, so I'd peg a 5% change that we spend another day in Aruba or at least invoke rule 240. If all goes to plan, we'll get into New Orleans a little after midnight tomorrow, and I probably will cease posting with daily regularity as life gets boring again. :(
We woke up today, did the breakfast buffet and hung out on the beach for about 2 hours. Although Sara and I diligently (or at least it seemed) helped to sunblock each other, we both burnt to a crisp, Sara on her back and where her watch was before she took it off, and me on the tops of my feet, front of my legs, and my shoulders. I would post a pic, but you might be horrified.
After the beach, we went back to the room and changed for a hike. We had a quick lunch at Blossoms of miso soup, edamame, spicy tuna roll and spicy salmon roll. We also made a reservation at Aqua Grill. Sara copiloted us to Hooiberg, meaning haystack in Dutch, a majestic 500 foot tall "mound" in the middle of the island. We parked the car at the base of the hill and had a quick convo...hmm is it really worth it? Of course it was worth it and 542 steps later we were on top of the hill, with a 360° view of the island. The view was breathtaking even though we couldn't quite see Venezuela as promised.
We then headed towards downtown for a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee, a few postcards, and a picture in front of another ginormous cruise ship. We returned to the room, hung out for a while until dinner. Dinner rolled around and we drove down the row of high rise hotels passing the Riu, Hyatt, Radisson, and Hooters, Ruth & Chris steakhouse, and Benihanas.
We sat outside and had a nice dinner. Sara had a nice gazpacho followed by a boring tuna. I had a half dozen oysters of course with lemon, cocktail sauce, and horseradish. It's hard to know what I like more, horseradish or wasabi, but I am definitely going to try a wasabi glazed oyster in the near future. For main course I had a steak and some scallops. Sara forgot to remind me that you need to get SEAFOOD at a SEAFOOD restaurant. Note to self: if a restaurant only has one steak on the menu, probably best to order pasta or fish. The steak was a bit tough but the scallops were nice.
We declined dessert cuz we had our little hearts set on Ben and Jerry's. I had the strawberry cheesecake in a sugar cone and Sara had coffee in a sugar cone. We chatted with a really nice woman who worked at B&J. She said she's never left the island which was interesting but also that she speaks four languages (dutch english spanish papamiento) just like nearly everyone else on the island. She said it only took her about 8 months to become conversational in english. Some countries teach math and science, but in Aruba where 50% of the GNP comes from tourism, people learn different languages.
All in all, a memorable trip. I checked, and though we have a confirmation number for our United flight tomorrow, we dont have confirmed seats, so I'd peg a 5% change that we spend another day in Aruba or at least invoke rule 240. If all goes to plan, we'll get into New Orleans a little after midnight tomorrow, and I probably will cease posting with daily regularity as life gets boring again. :(
Friday, March 21, 2008
Aruba Day 4
Lazy day 4 in Aruba. We woke up at 11 and went to the buffet. We finally made a profit on the well...expensive breakfast. We each had two glasses of OJ, an omelette, fruit, pastries, pancakes, oatmeal...etc. We had so much food that we went back upstairs, and napped and hung around the room for about 3 hours.
We decided it was time to go do stuff so we searched the internet and decided to check out a helicopter tour of Aruba. We went down to the concierge and had them call but the phone wasnt working...no matter we got the directions and set off. We also made a reservation at the Trattoria right next to the lighthouse. On the way to downtown we noticed Subway was closed, Quiznos was closed...not good signs. Oh yeah...Good Friday. Absolutely everything was closed even some of the downtown casinos, most restaurants, and the helicopter tour place...too bad. Maybe we'll try again tomorrow.
We realized that on Good Friday, everything is closed but the Jewish stuff. So we looked at the map for the synagogue and realized it was about 30 seconds away from the helipad. We drove by it and it seemed closed too so we took a few pics and were about to leave when a very nice woman opened the door and invited us in. The synagogue was very beautiful though stifling inside. The decor was simple, but nicely appointed. There are about 35 Jewish families on the island, but the woman said whenever a cruise comes in the congregation swells a bit. They currently lack a rabbi, but are looking for one. If you know anyone who is willing to relocate to Aruba to lead a Jewish congregation, please let me know.
After walking around downtown and taking a few pictures of iguanas sunning themselves we returned to the hotel and had a eensie weensie lunch of just grouper fingers (delicious) with fries. I also had a piña colada which was yumster. We went back upstairs for a little while and watched TV and napped...again until dinner time.
Finding the restaurant was much easier this time and we had another fantastic meal. I had the baby octopus in tomato sauce, garlic and olive oil (decent...a bit too swimming in the tomato sauce) and then my absolutely alltime favorite Italian disk...Linguini alla Vongole (linguini with clam sauce) which was quite good. Sara had the eggplant parm appetizer (kinda strange for an antipasti) and then the lasagna. The complementary bruschetta appetizer was probably the highlight of the night. And also the Coke was much much bubblier than the previous night. That made me happy.
On the way back we stopped at Ben and Jerry's. I had caramel ice cream in a sugar cone and Sara had cherry garcia / choc fudge brownie in a sugar cone...pretty standard but also splendicious. Totally and udderly (get it?) full, we returned to the hotel.
We looked at our watches and it was casino time so we opened up our room safe, took out our $100 chip plus the $35 profit from the other night, went back downstairs, and sat at the roulette table. Gambling didnt go so well tonight, as 17 stubbornly will not hit for us...We lost the $135 and another $100 before calling it quits for the night. We met a few nice people from Long Island, Queens, and Boston.
Can't win em all, but to be honest, I feel like a winner. :) Tomorrow's our last full day so we're gonna try to make it a busy one.
We decided it was time to go do stuff so we searched the internet and decided to check out a helicopter tour of Aruba. We went down to the concierge and had them call but the phone wasnt working...no matter we got the directions and set off. We also made a reservation at the Trattoria right next to the lighthouse. On the way to downtown we noticed Subway was closed, Quiznos was closed...not good signs. Oh yeah...Good Friday. Absolutely everything was closed even some of the downtown casinos, most restaurants, and the helicopter tour place...too bad. Maybe we'll try again tomorrow.
We realized that on Good Friday, everything is closed but the Jewish stuff. So we looked at the map for the synagogue and realized it was about 30 seconds away from the helipad. We drove by it and it seemed closed too so we took a few pics and were about to leave when a very nice woman opened the door and invited us in. The synagogue was very beautiful though stifling inside. The decor was simple, but nicely appointed. There are about 35 Jewish families on the island, but the woman said whenever a cruise comes in the congregation swells a bit. They currently lack a rabbi, but are looking for one. If you know anyone who is willing to relocate to Aruba to lead a Jewish congregation, please let me know.
After walking around downtown and taking a few pictures of iguanas sunning themselves we returned to the hotel and had a eensie weensie lunch of just grouper fingers (delicious) with fries. I also had a piña colada which was yumster. We went back upstairs for a little while and watched TV and napped...again until dinner time.
Finding the restaurant was much easier this time and we had another fantastic meal. I had the baby octopus in tomato sauce, garlic and olive oil (decent...a bit too swimming in the tomato sauce) and then my absolutely alltime favorite Italian disk...Linguini alla Vongole (linguini with clam sauce) which was quite good. Sara had the eggplant parm appetizer (kinda strange for an antipasti) and then the lasagna. The complementary bruschetta appetizer was probably the highlight of the night. And also the Coke was much much bubblier than the previous night. That made me happy.
On the way back we stopped at Ben and Jerry's. I had caramel ice cream in a sugar cone and Sara had cherry garcia / choc fudge brownie in a sugar cone...pretty standard but also splendicious. Totally and udderly (get it?) full, we returned to the hotel.
We looked at our watches and it was casino time so we opened up our room safe, took out our $100 chip plus the $35 profit from the other night, went back downstairs, and sat at the roulette table. Gambling didnt go so well tonight, as 17 stubbornly will not hit for us...We lost the $135 and another $100 before calling it quits for the night. We met a few nice people from Long Island, Queens, and Boston.
Can't win em all, but to be honest, I feel like a winner. :) Tomorrow's our last full day so we're gonna try to make it a busy one.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Aruba Day 3
Today we woke up and had breakfast buffet again. I saw a girl at the buffet who went to HM and was in my sister's grade who we drove to school in 2002, and havent seen since. She is still with the same guy as back then.
We went back to the room and sunblocked, forgetting to block my feet and sternum area...oops. We went down to the ocean and laid by the beach for a few hours before getting rather warm and getting our feet wet in the ocean and then dipping in the pool. We then had a very quick lunch by the beach- grouper fingers, conch chowder, and caesar salad. I rushed the second half of our lunch because the wind was kicking up really strong and I (and the waitress) thought it was going to pour soon, and really didnt want to get to get stuck in a check requesting frenzy of rained on Westin guests.
We went upstairs, showered, and decided to set off to the Arikok National Park. With Sara as the co-pilot we headed towards the national park, up and down windy narrow roads. The park covers 20% of the island, and well we didnt enter the right part. We entered the park and road turned to rocks and dirt and we drove by a gate that was down...Soon there no cars or anyone anywhere and our 2 wheel Hyundai was getting a little upset at the terrain we were forcing it to pass. We saw a family of wild goats, and then decided that without a spare tire or working cell phone, it would be best to turn around and head back.
We went towards downtown and had a nice iced coffee at Dunkin Donuts. Then we went into the shopping mall and looked in Polo, Louis Vuitton, Lacoste, etc. We didn't buy anything, but it was a very nice experience. We saw two absolutely enormous cruise ships docked but about to leave.
We returned to the hotel and rested until dinner. Dinner was at Marandi, one of the nicest but also hardest to find restaurants on the island. It's right by the airport, and yes there are many signs, but they are all tiny and impossible to see at night. We drove in about six circles before finding the restaurant, and having a fantastic dinner of tuna tataki, goat cheese salad, vegetable lasagna, and ribeye steak.
We're back in the room now watching Nancy Grace shake her head in disgust about a psychopath who microwaved his daughter (by accident)...
Tomorrow, Ben and Jerry's, ATVs, minigolf...sun, fun, beach, hoooah!
We went back to the room and sunblocked, forgetting to block my feet and sternum area...oops. We went down to the ocean and laid by the beach for a few hours before getting rather warm and getting our feet wet in the ocean and then dipping in the pool. We then had a very quick lunch by the beach- grouper fingers, conch chowder, and caesar salad. I rushed the second half of our lunch because the wind was kicking up really strong and I (and the waitress) thought it was going to pour soon, and really didnt want to get to get stuck in a check requesting frenzy of rained on Westin guests.
We went upstairs, showered, and decided to set off to the Arikok National Park. With Sara as the co-pilot we headed towards the national park, up and down windy narrow roads. The park covers 20% of the island, and well we didnt enter the right part. We entered the park and road turned to rocks and dirt and we drove by a gate that was down...Soon there no cars or anyone anywhere and our 2 wheel Hyundai was getting a little upset at the terrain we were forcing it to pass. We saw a family of wild goats, and then decided that without a spare tire or working cell phone, it would be best to turn around and head back.
We went towards downtown and had a nice iced coffee at Dunkin Donuts. Then we went into the shopping mall and looked in Polo, Louis Vuitton, Lacoste, etc. We didn't buy anything, but it was a very nice experience. We saw two absolutely enormous cruise ships docked but about to leave.
We returned to the hotel and rested until dinner. Dinner was at Marandi, one of the nicest but also hardest to find restaurants on the island. It's right by the airport, and yes there are many signs, but they are all tiny and impossible to see at night. We drove in about six circles before finding the restaurant, and having a fantastic dinner of tuna tataki, goat cheese salad, vegetable lasagna, and ribeye steak.
We're back in the room now watching Nancy Grace shake her head in disgust about a psychopath who microwaved his daughter (by accident)...
Tomorrow, Ben and Jerry's, ATVs, minigolf...sun, fun, beach, hoooah!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Aruba Day 2
Today was wonderful. We woke up at around 11 and had a nice breakfast buffet. The orange juice and fresh fruit were spectacular. From there we went to the beach and relaxed on some chairs and walked around the beach for a little. Then we relocated poolside and watched some guy in hot pants lead a water aerobics class.
We went back to the room, showered, napped, and planned on exploring the island on our lovely Hyundai XG300 rental. We set off towards the northwest tip of the island and California Lighthouse. The lighthouse was pretty nice and the scenery was beautiful but the lighthouse was locked tight so no fantastic vista from the top.
We continued going around the north side of the island towards the natural bridge. Along the way we noticed there are no street signs except for occasional sign saying Oranjestad (capital city) this way ----> We stopped for a few minutes at a local supermarket to get a snack or two (doritos, chips ahoy, pepsi, water). Then we continued around the narrow windy roads.
On the way to the natural bridge we found Aruba's ostrich farm. Unfortunately, their last tour was at 4 and it was about 4:30 so all we could do was buy a few t-shirts. We tried to get a closer look at the big birds but got yelled at. Then, about 200 yards down the road we found the Goldmine Ranch. At the ranch were dogs, cats, ducks, goats, chicks, and horses. We shook hands with the rancher and he said feel free to take as many pictures as we want.
Then we went towards the natural bridge and wow the scenery was unbelievable. There were all sorts of jagged rocks and the 30 mph winds were making huge waves and enormous splashes. I drove really carefully down the rocky dirt road because we had no spare tire (that i know of) and no working cell phone for outgoing calls.
We drove back towards Oranjestad to find a place to eat, but couldnt find anything that sounded great. The area around the parliament was packed and there were news trucks doing a live feed... no word on what was going on, but we had to turn around a few times to get around the roadblocks.
We decided to eat at Blossoms, the Japanese hibachi restaurant in the hotel. We sat next to a party of 13 from Caracas and a family from northern Virginia. The food was superbly delicious and we left feeling completely satisfied and full. After dinner, we decided to check out the casino, provided it wasnt too smoky which it wasnt. We started playing craps but well I dont know the game all that well and Sara had no idea how to play although she sort of knows the jist now. We ended up losing $17 in craps...crap. Then we tried our hand at roulette and made $52. Sara picked red/black correctly 9 times in a row! YEYAHHAYAYAH! We also played the inside (betting individual numbers) and hit the right number once.
Now we're in the room watching Fox 5 news and deciding what to do tomorrow. Probably more touring and laying on the beach. Pics below:
We went back to the room, showered, napped, and planned on exploring the island on our lovely Hyundai XG300 rental. We set off towards the northwest tip of the island and California Lighthouse. The lighthouse was pretty nice and the scenery was beautiful but the lighthouse was locked tight so no fantastic vista from the top.
We continued going around the north side of the island towards the natural bridge. Along the way we noticed there are no street signs except for occasional sign saying Oranjestad (capital city) this way ----> We stopped for a few minutes at a local supermarket to get a snack or two (doritos, chips ahoy, pepsi, water). Then we continued around the narrow windy roads.
On the way to the natural bridge we found Aruba's ostrich farm. Unfortunately, their last tour was at 4 and it was about 4:30 so all we could do was buy a few t-shirts. We tried to get a closer look at the big birds but got yelled at. Then, about 200 yards down the road we found the Goldmine Ranch. At the ranch were dogs, cats, ducks, goats, chicks, and horses. We shook hands with the rancher and he said feel free to take as many pictures as we want.
Then we went towards the natural bridge and wow the scenery was unbelievable. There were all sorts of jagged rocks and the 30 mph winds were making huge waves and enormous splashes. I drove really carefully down the rocky dirt road because we had no spare tire (that i know of) and no working cell phone for outgoing calls.
We drove back towards Oranjestad to find a place to eat, but couldnt find anything that sounded great. The area around the parliament was packed and there were news trucks doing a live feed... no word on what was going on, but we had to turn around a few times to get around the roadblocks.
We decided to eat at Blossoms, the Japanese hibachi restaurant in the hotel. We sat next to a party of 13 from Caracas and a family from northern Virginia. The food was superbly delicious and we left feeling completely satisfied and full. After dinner, we decided to check out the casino, provided it wasnt too smoky which it wasnt. We started playing craps but well I dont know the game all that well and Sara had no idea how to play although she sort of knows the jist now. We ended up losing $17 in craps...crap. Then we tried our hand at roulette and made $52. Sara picked red/black correctly 9 times in a row! YEYAHHAYAYAH! We also played the inside (betting individual numbers) and hit the right number once.
Now we're in the room watching Fox 5 news and deciding what to do tomorrow. Probably more touring and laying on the beach. Pics below:
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Aruba Day 1
This blog has turned into my diary of all days not normal. Somehow I think if i blogged every day saying today I went to class, went home, studied, ate some food, went to sleep, and expect to do the same tomorrow, this blog would be pretty durn boring. So, when I go somewhere or do something exciting, it finds its way here.
Speaking of which, here Sara and I are at the Westin Aruba. Our Jet Blue flight was on time and the descent into Aruba was super interesting. We were at about 7,500 feet directly above the airport on the island. Then we turned left away from the airport and continued to descend over the island, then over the water, and finally kept turning left until we were lined up with the runway.
We left the plane and went towards immigration. AA, Delta, United, and Continental flights all had recently arrived and the passport control room was packed to the brim. So much so that people were congregating directly in front of the escalator as more and more people were entering the room. I had to say KEEP MOVING FORWARD PLEASE beacuse you can imagine what it would be like if you were at the bottom of an escalator with nowhere to go and scores more people coming at you...
I had a confirmed rental with Budget rentacar, but after giving my license to the rental agent, he told me you had to be 24...not what I heard from Budget on the phone...but luckily there was someone from a different rental company who was waiting for someone just like me to come by. Ten minutes later we were leaving the airport with a newish Hyundai sedan.
We drove to the hotel past the Aruban Parliament building, past Subway, Quizno's, Wendy's, MCD, Pizza Hut, past Ferregamo, and the cruise dock. I was looking for the Outback Steakhouse but couldnt find it... We found the hotel, parked the car and checked in. It was linner/dunch time so Sara and I unpacked real quick and headed down to poolside for some fish sticks (yumster) and tandoori chicken wrap (delish) oh yeah and a margarita and strawberry daq.
Unfortuately, the spray sunblock that Sara got for us was not functioning at all, so we had to run down to the hotel gift shop to get some more sunblock. We looked at all the different kinds and finally bought the $10 kids tear free banana boat SPF 50...after saying uh uh to the $27 (no joke) block. We hung out on the beach for a little bit until the sun was almost gone. Now we're in the room trying to figure out what to do for the night. It's Flag Day here in Aruba so nothing's open. More excitement to come tomorrow...enjoy the pictures
Miscellanous Hilarious Video:
Speaking of which, here Sara and I are at the Westin Aruba. Our Jet Blue flight was on time and the descent into Aruba was super interesting. We were at about 7,500 feet directly above the airport on the island. Then we turned left away from the airport and continued to descend over the island, then over the water, and finally kept turning left until we were lined up with the runway.
We left the plane and went towards immigration. AA, Delta, United, and Continental flights all had recently arrived and the passport control room was packed to the brim. So much so that people were congregating directly in front of the escalator as more and more people were entering the room. I had to say KEEP MOVING FORWARD PLEASE beacuse you can imagine what it would be like if you were at the bottom of an escalator with nowhere to go and scores more people coming at you...
I had a confirmed rental with Budget rentacar, but after giving my license to the rental agent, he told me you had to be 24...not what I heard from Budget on the phone...but luckily there was someone from a different rental company who was waiting for someone just like me to come by. Ten minutes later we were leaving the airport with a newish Hyundai sedan.
We drove to the hotel past the Aruban Parliament building, past Subway, Quizno's, Wendy's, MCD, Pizza Hut, past Ferregamo, and the cruise dock. I was looking for the Outback Steakhouse but couldnt find it... We found the hotel, parked the car and checked in. It was linner/dunch time so Sara and I unpacked real quick and headed down to poolside for some fish sticks (yumster) and tandoori chicken wrap (delish) oh yeah and a margarita and strawberry daq.
Unfortuately, the spray sunblock that Sara got for us was not functioning at all, so we had to run down to the hotel gift shop to get some more sunblock. We looked at all the different kinds and finally bought the $10 kids tear free banana boat SPF 50...after saying uh uh to the $27 (no joke) block. We hung out on the beach for a little bit until the sun was almost gone. Now we're in the room trying to figure out what to do for the night. It's Flag Day here in Aruba so nothing's open. More excitement to come tomorrow...enjoy the pictures
Miscellanous Hilarious Video:
Monday, March 17, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Big Day in Poker
Yesterday I had my biggest win in online poker. I entered the 664 entrant $163 buyin tournament on Full Tilt at 7pm. By 1:30 AM I had won the tournament, and $24,402. It was the perfect combination of tight aggressive play and luck.
Having gone through the entire hand history of just over 500 hands, I can tell you that only once did I "suck out" or win when I should have lost. However, it was for my tournament life with 4 players left. The blinds were 8k/16k (initial stacks were 3k) with a 2000 chip ante and I only had 144,600 behind. Having less than 10x the big blind of 16k means I'm a short stack and need to make a move fast. With 32k in the pot preflop, winning a hand by making the others fold preflop would increase my stack by more than 20%. I ended up going all in with Qc5c and was called by AhJs. In this situation I am about 40% to win. The flop came [3d 9h 3h] , and I was down to 20% to win. The turn came 8d and I was now 14% to win. As Normal Chad would have said, "Lon, he's sleepin with angels" River came 5s and I won the pot. That brought me up to 310k. Ten hands later I got KK and doubled up to 788,400, eliminating a player. Five hands later I knocked out another player with A9 against 77.
The final hand I held AK and raised to 76,000 with 12k/24k blind levels. My opponent from Switzerland went all in for 700k+ and I called. He showed A3. The flop Was KA3, my hand held, and I took down the tournament. I think I'll take a little break from poker for a few days.
August, 2010 Edit:
almost 30 months ago, still remember this night vividly. i learned an important lesson then.
Having gone through the entire hand history of just over 500 hands, I can tell you that only once did I "suck out" or win when I should have lost. However, it was for my tournament life with 4 players left. The blinds were 8k/16k (initial stacks were 3k) with a 2000 chip ante and I only had 144,600 behind. Having less than 10x the big blind of 16k means I'm a short stack and need to make a move fast. With 32k in the pot preflop, winning a hand by making the others fold preflop would increase my stack by more than 20%. I ended up going all in with Qc5c and was called by AhJs. In this situation I am about 40% to win. The flop came [3d 9h 3h] , and I was down to 20% to win. The turn came 8d and I was now 14% to win. As Normal Chad would have said, "Lon, he's sleepin with angels" River came 5s and I won the pot. That brought me up to 310k. Ten hands later I got KK and doubled up to 788,400, eliminating a player. Five hands later I knocked out another player with A9 against 77.
The final hand I held AK and raised to 76,000 with 12k/24k blind levels. My opponent from Switzerland went all in for 700k+ and I called. He showed A3. The flop Was KA3, my hand held, and I took down the tournament. I think I'll take a little break from poker for a few days.
August, 2010 Edit:
almost 30 months ago, still remember this night vividly. i learned an important lesson then.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Tulane welcomes Barack H. Obama
Democratic frontrunner (or underdog as he would like to be portrayed) Barack Obama graced Tulane University with his presence this morning speaking at Fogelman Arena. He seems to know what both students and New Orleanians want to hear and delivers it admirably. No talk about healthcare besides talking about building a new hospital downtown, no talk about the war besides a thank you for our troops. The speech was about the future, about hope, about change. It was about righting the wrongs of a broken government...Obama stuff. I captured the half of the speech. Enjoy the speech from a 5 o'clock perspective.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Sara's Greek Pasta
Yesterday there were no classes for MLK day. In the late afternoon I went over to make some dinner. The previous day we went to Whole Foods on Magazine to pick up some mushrooms, tomatoes, feta, olives, basil and samples, but couldn't make dinner that night due to power issues.
Ingredients for Greek Pasta Recipe
ingredients:
1 lb. unicolor fusilli, preferably tan
1 bag vine ripe tomatoes, diced
1 sun dried tomatoes, halved
1 portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 pitted olives, diced (nicoise, kalamata)
1 bunch basil, chopped
1 large cube sheep feta, crumbled
olive oil, salt, pepper to taste
salt, put a few drops oil, water. add fusilli upon boil and cook 12-14 minutes upon reboil. in large pot dice tomatoes, mushrooms. heat up in saucepan until tomatoes get happy. drain juice. drain pasta when ready, turn heat on low. put pasta back in large pot. liberal use of good olive oil. add tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, basil, crumbled feta, and parmesan cheese. Mix slowly, and serve immediately. Serves 4-6, w/ leftovers.
In other news, we had a party last Saturday night, and this is what the scene looked like a few hours before people showed up:
Ingredients for Greek Pasta Recipe
ingredients:
1 lb. unicolor fusilli, preferably tan
1 bag vine ripe tomatoes, diced
1 sun dried tomatoes, halved
1 portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 pitted olives, diced (nicoise, kalamata)
1 bunch basil, chopped
1 large cube sheep feta, crumbled
olive oil, salt, pepper to taste
salt, put a few drops oil, water. add fusilli upon boil and cook 12-14 minutes upon reboil. in large pot dice tomatoes, mushrooms. heat up in saucepan until tomatoes get happy. drain juice. drain pasta when ready, turn heat on low. put pasta back in large pot. liberal use of good olive oil. add tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, basil, crumbled feta, and parmesan cheese. Mix slowly, and serve immediately. Serves 4-6, w/ leftovers.
In other news, we had a party last Saturday night, and this is what the scene looked like a few hours before people showed up:
Thursday, January 17, 2008
YouTube Customized Player
To change the video, scroll over the left side of the screen and click the arrow. The selected videos are some of my favorites from around YouTube.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Mid Week Update
Classes have begun, and its back to the daily grind. The first week is always tedious as there's no material being taught, just syllabi, background info, and whatever the professor wants to fill the rest of the time with. I only need 10 credits to graduate, so I'll be pruning my schedule a little.
Earlier today, went to for a delicious King duck po-boy at Crabby Jack's with some friends. Other items we ordered were the blackened gulf fish and stuffed mirleton. All tasty and swimming in sauce.
A new season of American Idol begins tonight, so that'll probably become a staple of my Tuesday nights for a while. I always enjoy the talent search part of the show more than the produced studio performances. I do hate the music they sing 97% of the time, so what makes the show watchable? Well the writers' strike for one, but also something about Simon Cowell's opinion...you just want to hear what he's going to say.
As for what I am going to say, its anyone's guess.
Earlier today, went to for a delicious King duck po-boy at Crabby Jack's with some friends. Other items we ordered were the blackened gulf fish and stuffed mirleton. All tasty and swimming in sauce.
A new season of American Idol begins tonight, so that'll probably become a staple of my Tuesday nights for a while. I always enjoy the talent search part of the show more than the produced studio performances. I do hate the music they sing 97% of the time, so what makes the show watchable? Well the writers' strike for one, but also something about Simon Cowell's opinion...you just want to hear what he's going to say.
As for what I am going to say, its anyone's guess.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Classes Start Tomorrow
Pumped that the Giants are still alive, they just might be able to win one more game...Classes start tomorrow and this is what my schedule looks like:
AM - Econometrics
PM Ethics / Darwin Fenner Student Managed Fund / Energy Fundamentals and Trading
I'll be pretty busy- I already have an assignment for tomorrow to read a paper called "Does the Stock Market Overreact?" by De Bondt and Thaler.
Player some poker today and was +3500 after some good hands held up. In hands where I risked most, I was an overwhelming favorite, except once on the last hand of the session where I made a bad call with AA to give back some. I withdrew a bit and probably won't play till next weekend.
AM - Econometrics
PM Ethics / Darwin Fenner Student Managed Fund / Energy Fundamentals and Trading
I'll be pretty busy- I already have an assignment for tomorrow to read a paper called "Does the Stock Market Overreact?" by De Bondt and Thaler.
Player some poker today and was +3500 after some good hands held up. In hands where I risked most, I was an overwhelming favorite, except once on the last hand of the session where I made a bad call with AA to give back some. I withdrew a bit and probably won't play till next weekend.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Montage
Enjoy:
Also, check out this for an interesting CNBC Video about Tulane's trading classes. Classes start on Monday, and I'll be updating with some exciting snippets about what my classes and graduate business school at Tulane are like. If you still have some time, check out one of my favorite websites: Tulane MBA Blog for interesting posts from the official blog.
Also, check out this for an interesting CNBC Video about Tulane's trading classes. Classes start on Monday, and I'll be updating with some exciting snippets about what my classes and graduate business school at Tulane are like. If you still have some time, check out one of my favorite websites: Tulane MBA Blog for interesting posts from the official blog.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Arrived in New Orleans
It's good to be back. Sara arrives later today and I'm thrilled we're finally going to be in the same city for a while and can be together whenever we want. Our two year anniversary is right around the corner in April, but before that are the birthdays of Jeffrey, Katie, Grandpa, and me. Grandpa's is his 85th, so there's a good chance I'll find myself in New York to soak up some wisdom and celebrate with the family.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Last Night in NYC
Quite a memorable and blurry fast winter break it's been. I was in New York for a few days spending time with family and NY friends, WPB Florida for pre Maccabi Games golf, Argentina for 12 days, and back in NY for a few days.
I can honestly say this 26 day stretch was just about the most memorable monthish of my life and I really should thank everyone individually for the great time, but this group thanky will have to be- Billy, Raffi, Mark x2, Dan, Mike, Aidan, Dave x2, Josh, Eric, and Todd (oh yeah and the juniors Steve, Adam, Noah and everyone else) especially and I'm leaving plenty of people out- I took something positive from every one of you, and while we'll stay in touch, please come to New York or New Orleans so we can play some golf, have a few drinks, and reminisce about Buenos Aires 2007.
Tomorrow, I fly to New Orleans in the late evening. Upon landing, I'll pick up my car at airport long term parking, head towards the city, cross my fingers, and hope that my house/room were not broken into. In New Orleans, (edit: almost) nothing surprises me anymore.
I can honestly say this 26 day stretch was just about the most memorable monthish of my life and I really should thank everyone individually for the great time, but this group thanky will have to be- Billy, Raffi, Mark x2, Dan, Mike, Aidan, Dave x2, Josh, Eric, and Todd (oh yeah and the juniors Steve, Adam, Noah and everyone else) especially and I'm leaving plenty of people out- I took something positive from every one of you, and while we'll stay in touch, please come to New York or New Orleans so we can play some golf, have a few drinks, and reminisce about Buenos Aires 2007.
Tomorrow, I fly to New Orleans in the late evening. Upon landing, I'll pick up my car at airport long term parking, head towards the city, cross my fingers, and hope that my house/room were not broken into. In New Orleans, (edit: almost) nothing surprises me anymore.
Friday, January 4, 2008
More Videos to Come
Now that I have some time, I'll be posting more videos and probably some more pics. I took a look at the official Maccabi blog- I guess having an unofficial blog gives you way more freeway and leedom (hmm) to say exactly what it is that I want with many more details and personal experiences about dinners, competitions, touring etc...with class of course (rancor or not). Keep checking the site for picture and video updates, as I find the time to post them. Thanks for your comments so far, and your loyalty to the official unofficial blog of the 2007 PanAm Maccabi Games.
DS
DS
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Your turn: Feedback
Setting: Miami Airport Gate E11
Weather: 51 and sunny
Mood: tired, pissed at futility of TSA, sad to leave Argentina, excited to get home
Purpose: comments. leave comments. tell me what you like, what you didnt like, if you like or hate my writing style, if you laughed, rolled your eyes, or was into it, your favorite picture/video, and what you'd like to see out of the future of this blog.
Thanks in advance to everyone who takes a minute to give a bit of feedback. If you'd like to leave one, click on comments just below, and leave one. And also- if you are an habitual visitor to this site (and I know who you are...) I'm looking at YOU for comments. Thanks. Oh, and also most thanks and appreciation to Sara who kept a blog from Prague, CZ during the second half of 2007, and who has taught me so much- including the art of the blog. Without you, I would be so much less of a person. I love you.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Closing Ceremony + Trip Wrapup
It is with mixed feelings that I write the final blog of this trip, clearly not my final blog, but the last one in Argentina, and the last one around this great group of people that I've come to know over the last ten days.
After one of the most low key New Years celebrations ever, I passed out at 1 and slept for twelve hours, and it felt fantastic. My first interaction of 2008 was to make amends with my friend that I had an issue or two with a few days earlier, and it felt alright to put the past behind and move forward.
The only plans of the day were to head to Hacoaj for dinner, followed by the closing ceremonies at Parque de la Costa (amusement park in Tigre). The dinner was kind of gnarly with some sort of country fried steak/veal/goat possible, spaghetti, different salads, and fruit.
Then we took the bus a few km down the road to the park and hung out for a while with team members, and chatted with some Argentines and their children. By far the most memorable part of the trip was the countless conversations I had with spanish speaking Maccabi players, residents, taxi drivers, waiters, my caddy Alejandro etc. I always knew I could speak, but to listen and comprehend really is pretty exciting. I realize that to be able to make a foreign speaker laugh using your words means that you have made a real connection, and well, means you are functional in the language.
The closing ceremony was another very special experience. There was a speech or two and several very impressive performances- I'll try to post video in the near future. Just like in the opening ceremonies I got the unique feeling of a combination of joy, togetherness, and community that is just a fantastic feeling that I hope to get again many times in the future. Thousands of athletes from 19 different countries, American, European, and African, bound together by a common culture, representing 0.2% of the total world population, are all part of very special communiity- a example of this in a minute.
The bus drivers went on strike after the ceremony ended, so we waited another 90 minutes on the bus before we could leave. We got back to the hotel at around 1:30, and Dave, Mark, Mike and I headed to El Establo (from the first night) to see if we could get a meal. The huge bags of trash outside and tables, well yeah it was closed. We walked back, lost half the group, and it was just Mark and I who asked the concierge for a 24 hour restaurant. We found it and ordered a pizza and two steaks and enjoyed the meh food and some good conversation. Mark and I agreed that we both love love love golf, specifically the quest for betterment, and that one day we may move to warm climates where we can practice our passion even in January and February. We also had a laugh that a huge drop of water from the air conditioner on the ceiling hit right in the middle of Mark's piece of pizza.
Sitting at a table next to us was a family from Peru whose son was still wearing his silver medal from soccer. I chatted them in Spanish for a second, but then English to include Mark. We chatted about golf for a minute or two and before they left said if we ever visit Peru to look them up- Kirschbaum, plastic surgeon, the only one in Peru. So indicative of our community and this trip as a whole. About 20 other memories just like this pop into my mind, and I'd like to post them all, but they'd get a bit repetitive. I get chills when I think of how lucky I am to have had this experience, and to have met all of these people. Chazak Amenu! Israel 2009!
After one of the most low key New Years celebrations ever, I passed out at 1 and slept for twelve hours, and it felt fantastic. My first interaction of 2008 was to make amends with my friend that I had an issue or two with a few days earlier, and it felt alright to put the past behind and move forward.
The only plans of the day were to head to Hacoaj for dinner, followed by the closing ceremonies at Parque de la Costa (amusement park in Tigre). The dinner was kind of gnarly with some sort of country fried steak/veal/goat possible, spaghetti, different salads, and fruit.
Then we took the bus a few km down the road to the park and hung out for a while with team members, and chatted with some Argentines and their children. By far the most memorable part of the trip was the countless conversations I had with spanish speaking Maccabi players, residents, taxi drivers, waiters, my caddy Alejandro etc. I always knew I could speak, but to listen and comprehend really is pretty exciting. I realize that to be able to make a foreign speaker laugh using your words means that you have made a real connection, and well, means you are functional in the language.
The closing ceremony was another very special experience. There was a speech or two and several very impressive performances- I'll try to post video in the near future. Just like in the opening ceremonies I got the unique feeling of a combination of joy, togetherness, and community that is just a fantastic feeling that I hope to get again many times in the future. Thousands of athletes from 19 different countries, American, European, and African, bound together by a common culture, representing 0.2% of the total world population, are all part of very special communiity- a example of this in a minute.
The bus drivers went on strike after the ceremony ended, so we waited another 90 minutes on the bus before we could leave. We got back to the hotel at around 1:30, and Dave, Mark, Mike and I headed to El Establo (from the first night) to see if we could get a meal. The huge bags of trash outside and tables, well yeah it was closed. We walked back, lost half the group, and it was just Mark and I who asked the concierge for a 24 hour restaurant. We found it and ordered a pizza and two steaks and enjoyed the meh food and some good conversation. Mark and I agreed that we both love love love golf, specifically the quest for betterment, and that one day we may move to warm climates where we can practice our passion even in January and February. We also had a laugh that a huge drop of water from the air conditioner on the ceiling hit right in the middle of Mark's piece of pizza.
Sitting at a table next to us was a family from Peru whose son was still wearing his silver medal from soccer. I chatted them in Spanish for a second, but then English to include Mark. We chatted about golf for a minute or two and before they left said if we ever visit Peru to look them up- Kirschbaum, plastic surgeon, the only one in Peru. So indicative of our community and this trip as a whole. About 20 other memories just like this pop into my mind, and I'd like to post them all, but they'd get a bit repetitive. I get chills when I think of how lucky I am to have had this experience, and to have met all of these people. Chazak Amenu! Israel 2009!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
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