mrjackstraw Says...

Spontaneous Beach Ball Mayhem

2011-07-06T15:22:00.000-04:00

Super Ball IX

So I moved out west and Phish had their latest festival right near Toronto in Watkins Glen, NY. Perfect. See above ^^^^^. Thankfully they were kynd enough to stream the entire weekend live on the Intertubes and I was able to catch 4 of their 7 sets. I think they played over 100 different songs throughout it all and even busted out AC/DC's 'Big Balls' to begin their last set. Always with the sense of humour, eh?

Things have really been heating up here in LV. Literally. The A/C in our vehicle stopped working just in time for the constant bombardment of triple-digit days. That's days of +100F or over 40C if you're metrically inclined.

I've been working hard on my sites and I think I've found a niche of sorts in creating Digital Art based on concert setlists. I've been doing this for Phish over at the Phish Tour :: Setlist Art website since the beginning of the summer tour and have started doing archival shows on off days. June saw my best traffic month ever for the site and July is on pace to crush June. I gotta look into how one goes about selling advertising space...

The Hip Tour Blog is doing even better. The hype surrounding the recent Bobcaygeon show surely helped in that regard. I have been hard at work for the last 4 months creating Digital Lyric Art for each and every one of The Hip's songs. I still have 3 albums to complete and I may try to redo some of my early creations as my technique has definitely evolved for the better over time. Each page includes lyrics and songs notes usually having to do with live appearances. Along these lines I began creating Setlist Art a la the Phish thing, but a major problem arose. The Hip decided for the first time in their career to start playing the Exact Same Setlist EVERY Single Night! WTF??? So many quality songs and they go to Monkeyville and bust out a Greatest Hits show night after night. Beyond not giving me much to work with art-wise, how Boring is that? Never thought I'd use the word 'lame' to describe one of my favorite bands, but when all you can play is the same thing over and over that's Lame. How about the guy that bought tickets to the 4 Ontario shows? Bet he was pissed.

So I'm running multiple Twitter accounts these days. I have a personal one that rarely gets used. I have a Phish one called @SetlistArt for that site and it gets auto-updated whenever I update the blog. I do occasionally add to it w/o a blog update. @hiptour is the one I spend the most time on because it doesn't auto-update through the blog posts yet. Once I get the remaining 3 albums worth of lyrics posted I will change this. I just don't want to hammer people with massive Twitter hits when I do a batch upload. Currently both of these accounts have less than 40 followers. I expect the Phish one to take off more so than the Hip one and this is because American are much more involved in this Twitter thing on a micro level. I have actually been holding back a bit on the Phish page promotion until I get a bit more of a database going. Not sure if that's smart or dumb. My largest Twitter following is actually for @VegasOutsider. I say surprisingly because it's for a blog/photoblog that I really haven't had much time to cultivate as having both Phish & The Hip on tour at once and trying to get a certain amount of groundwork laid out has really monopolized my time at the computer.

I have been using Facebook as well with The Hip site and it's been going great. I created a page over a year ago and recently climbed above 200 fans which is pretty good considering the collective audience size. I have resisted starting one for the Phish Blog, but I think the time is right. It's really been more because of time management and having too many balls in the air. I'm trying to do a few things really well as opposed to many thing just OK. Luckily once I get a few more things done (50 hrs of work I'd guess) a lot of this stuff will start running itself. Maybe I can even start working on The Vegas Blog, eh? I actually have a bunch of material for it. It's just a matter of organizing and editing it for proper presentation.

We just had a storm here over the last few days so the yard and the car are dirty. I'm off to go clean both plus anything else the Love of My Life includes on the list :)

Until next time here's TUBE:

Phish - 7/2/2011 "Tube" from Phish on Vimeo.

Blossoms in the Desert

2011-06-04T14:51:00.000-04:00

We work on a garden here in Las Vegas that is unlike any garden I ever thought could exist here. The garden is owned by a couple in their 80's. The wife recently had a fall in the backyard and broke her leg. That's where we came into the picture.

It's a spice and vegetable garden and it's completely outdoors. No greenhouse. It is the type of garden one would expect to find in the mid-west or along one of the coasts or just about anywhere else than the desert. Planted in this garden are spices such as thyme, Italian parsley, rosemary, and dill to name a few. The vegetables include squash, tomatoes and onions. There's more. A lot more. There's a lemon tree. We've also been told by 2 members of the family that a particular Weed also thrives in this backyard setting.

Good to know. Good to know. If we all handled our own business we could smile as we gave the finger to the criminal element that runs the Dirty Black Market. But that's another topic for another day.

I'm the muscle of this operation (don't laugh) and my wife handles the details. I climb trees and saw off low hanging branches. I pull weeds. I blow the debris out of the yard. The wife handles the care for the specific plants. She has the knowledge base for this sort of thing. I plan to get there eventually.

So here we are in this garden in the desert that probably shouldn't be here. But it is. It's Thriving. And I'm enjoying this gardening therapy. It's physical. It's outdoors. It gives me time to think.

With proper care and attention lots of things can thrive in lots of places. That includes Me and Us. Here. It includes You and Yours. There. It includes Whoever. Wherever.

I know, pretty deep stuff. But sometimes simple stuff has to be thought, written or read to take effect. Or to energize, or to re-energize. Or maybe to refocus.

Taking care of what's around me in my garden with allow me to thrive. I think that's what I'm trying to spit out here.

What's the Word?

2011-06-02T16:35:00.001-04:00

Wow Darren! You must be SO busy down in Sunny LV to not have posted in 2 months. And even when you did post it was only some lame pictures of old Las Vegas that you manipulated so no one could see just how shitty of a photographer you really are. So what's been happening? What's the Word mrjackstraw?

First, I don't know who you think you are to be coming on MY website and asking and demanding that I answer your questions. On what authority are you even here? How did you gain access? You know what? I don't even care. I'll play along with your little game. Just keep it aboveboard, K?

What's been happening? What's the Word?

Well, as you astutely mentioned, nothing's been happening here @ mrjackstrawsays. Lot's has been happening elsewhere though. But can I remember it all? That was supposed to be the purpose of this space. Regular entries on my life and my mind. Now it's scattered and there's no way I can bring it ALL back. Fuck.

How about some of it? The highlights to start maybe.

Shit. That's easy. I got married. No big ceremony. That's to come later. A goal we're moving towards together. 'We' being my wife & I of course. This was more to get some paperwork moving along regarding my Green Card application. I want to pay my Taxes here. Hopefully the powers that be see it the same way. So that's the biggest thing. By far. And it's pretty fucking cool too. We've been together over 7 years now and it was time regardless of the circumstances. My ring is very cool too.

Good start. What else?

Family visits. My dad and his girlfriend (I'm married and my dad has a girlfriend. See that's weird to me.) drove out here to Las Vegas from Ontario. Pretty epic. They followed the old Route 66 as close as is possible these days on their way out here. We had a fun few days here in town. We BBQ'd. Went to old Vegas. Took them to the Bellagio. It was very windy so the fountain show wasn't running. I was also able to play a round of golf with my dad in Anthem. We got on for half price. I didn't wear sunblock and got a bad burn. My ankles actually swelled up a couple of days afterwards. It was gross. They headed across to LA and up the Pacific Coast Highway because you gotta if you come this far. Their route home took them across the Sierra Nevadas, the desolation of northern Nevada, Salt Lake City, the Rockies in Wyoming, Mt Rushmore, the prairies of South Dakota & Minnesota, the finally through the forests of Wisconsin & northern Michigan.

My sister came out a couple of weeks ago. She flew. Her visit coincided with virtual my sister-in-law's 30th birthday. She came down with her friends from San Francisco and they rented a mansion. It was amazing and was a great environment for my sister to meet a lot of my wife's family for the first time.

Wow. That's pretty cool. What about day-to-day stuff?

Well generating cash while not being able to work legally does present some challenges but it's not altogether impossible. It would be much easier if I was a better poker player or maybe if I had had the Balls to play in some bigger games when I first got here. I was trying to protect what I had instead of using what I had to make more. For now I'm out of the game. When I get back into a position to play I will do it differently. If I can't bring myself to have a 'no fear attitude' then I need walk away completely. Playing for food is hard. It's mentally crushing and in no way optimal. I can't walk that edge. It's all around in this city. Some people thrive on it or maybe they need it. Having everything hanging in the balance is too much for me though.

So what solution in the meantime?

Well, I've been chauffeuring a few regular clients around. It's good for a few bills a month and basically keeps gas in our vehicle so we can run around and do our other things. Those things include a hair product that we are trying to place in salons, a gardening business that is coming along, ebay sales of stuff we get at garage sales & the Goodwill and a couple of music websites that I have been nurturing for a little while now.

Tragically Hip Tour has been picking up steam lately. The site recently had it's 20,000th visitor and is starting to gain a sizable regular following. The upcoming summer tour followed by a new album and then hopefully a large scale North American Tour should really help those numbers. Currently I have been developing word art based on lyrics and have created some designs that I'm selling through Cafepress. Maybe at some point I can sell advertising by the month. We'll see. My Phish Tour site is a newer version of the Tragically Hip website. This site has the potential for a much larger following but it also faces much stiffer competition. I'm trying to do some things with what I call Setlist Art to try and set it apart from the rest. We'll see.

Well, we're glad to hear that you're still alive and kicking. Enjoy the heat that's coming your way.

Cheers. No worries. It's a dry heat ya know.

Foolin' with Vegas Photos

2011-03-01T17:33:00.001-05:00

Chrysler Detroit Commercial

2011-02-07T13:44:00.000-05:00

I finally got to watch the Super Bowl ads in America instead of having to deal with the Canadian content bull shit. I sat at the M Casino & Resort playing 5-cent Keno, sipping on Heinnies with my better half.

The commercial below was my favorite because, you know, I'm practically from Detroit...

A December Post

2010-12-30T15:43:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. Etc, etc.

Landed

2010-11-11T00:02:00.002-05:00

Well we finally made it to Las Vegas and are starting to get settled in. I should have been adding to this in many, many short bursts instead of spewing out one long blurb. I will end up missing a lot of the details this way which will be my own loss in the end.

The drive west was your standard cross-country while pulling everything you own in a U-Haul type of venture. There were ups and downs. The drive up to Sault Ste Marie was awesome. The fall colours were peaking. We stayed at Flash's that night in his trailer just outside of Sudbury. It was heated and everything! It might have been the most comfortable bed of the whole trip now that I think about it.

The border crossing at SSM was a pretty thorough examination. It was expected since we showed up with just about everything we own. They put the squeeze on us and then allowed us to proceed thankfully. It was my first time on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It's a beautiful and wild place with a bunch of friendly people. I mean, if you're going to lose an alternator this is the place to do it. Providing that it's not in the middle of nowhere. What you want is to lose all power as you're coasting into the parking lot of a 5 room motel just east of Rapid River, MI. Then you want to meet the owners who take cash only, give you their last room, call some friends who are handy with this sort of thing, drive you 20 miles into town to purchase the part before the store closes at 9pm and then have said friends install the item. The alternator that is.

So I got a new alternator.

Day 2 we crossed northern Wisconsin as it poured down rain. It was beautiful though. All forest. No interstate travel at all. I highly recommend this. Best way to see the country. Once we hit Minnesota we decided to dip down through St Paul-Minneapolis to check out their rush hour. Brilliant move that was. Like a junkie coming back for another hit. Two days in beautiful nature and open roads was just too much. How could we get bumper to bumper again? While pulling a trailer I might add. We did cross the Mississippi though. Fairly close to it's point of origin. And we did drive by the Mall of America and the airport too. The Blue Jays were in town that night but I was just looking to put in the miles. Fuck them anyway. I'm on board with the 51's now.

Big mistake. We ended up in this shithole in the middle of some cornfield town in Minnesota. Actually it was Redwood Falls, MN. For the record I didn't notice that monthly rates were available until I took the picture. You gotta believe me. I was quite happy to see the big water tower in the morning. Didn't know that was there either. I think it really adds something to the picture.

The next morning we hit up a grocery store that was in a barn. This was just outside of a town called Marshall, MN where we stopped in to grab a morning coffee. I had mapped our way across town and then on into South Dakota although I did not take into account the parade that was about to take place. I got rerouted and this threw everything off except that when I got spit out of town going the wrong way we turned into the above mentioned grocery store/barn parking lot to do the U-turn. So we went it and it was awesome. Cheap. Fresh. We got cheese and fresh buns and sandwich meats and fruit. Did I mention the Amish shop there? We got new directions which was easy since we didn't have many set destinations. We were just heading west. I drove and Azure put together the snacks.

Now we did hit the Interstate once we got to South Dakota. It was going to be long and straight and kinda boring for the first little while. Actually about the first 3/4 of the state. (FYI - I'm off metric). I will say that SD was definitely the highlight of our trip. The number of pictures will attest to that. This is where it started to feel West, and if you've been west you know what I mean. Open country, big space, frontierish, Freedom.

At our first stop for gas I walked in to pay. There was an old school diner with stools at the counter and people smoking. Time travel! What strange land is this? I wander the convenience store side of the operation and what do I see but a big can of Budweiser & Clamato....pre-mixed. I enjoy this drink, but have never seen the PreB&C. I bought 2. Some may frown while others may ask why a roadside gas station sells singles. I'm in the latte group. Besides, it's the same as stopping for one. Plus the road is wide open. The whole fucking state is wide open.

We made it all the way to Kadoka, SD which turned out to be just perfect for us. There was a junior rodeo going on but it had just wrapped up for the day. We found a great little motel and an even better restaurant/steakhouse right across the street. It was full of cowboys, cowgirls and cowkids from the rodeo. They were sold out of Prime Rib by the time we entered. No matter...we just took it all in as we drank some beer. I had a steak and ate a lot of olives from the salad bar. I've been on a real olive kick since June. They had a little casino room with about 6 slot machines in it. I gave Azure $5 and she made enough to cover out tip playing video blackjack. I think our 6 beers cost us $13.50 and that included a few from the top shelf.

The next morning we got up early. This was going to be one of our big tourist days and it was more about seeing some sights than laying down miles. Our first stop or rather drive-thru was Badlands National Park.

The Entrance

Inside Badlands

This part of the journey was a little rough on The Jimmy or Runaway Jim as I like to call our esteemed vehicle. This was to be the first of many uphill battles and when it started kicking in that maybe we had more packed into our U-Haul than our towing capacity. I'm not sure how you weigh it once it's loaded? Whatever. Obviously we made it or I wouldn't be writing this.

The Badlands National Park was unlike anything I have ever seen on this planet. And I like to think I've seen my fair share. Just completely unexpected being that it is surrounded by plains. I think they came up with a fitting name for the place. It was an incredible drive except that we were pulling too much.

The road through The Badlands deposited us in Wall, SD. We had been seeing signs for "Wall Drug" ever since we entered South Dakota and it was getting to the point where the signs were becoming annoying and kind of a blight on the landscape. We ended up stopping there so I guess they worked. Thankfully it wasn't tourist season because it was already too busy for my liking. It was a tourist trap. A bunch of overpriced shit. We bought postcards there. Never mailed them though. Sorry to those who didn't get any.

From there we headed to Mt Rushmore in the South Dakota Black Hills. I was really looking forward to this part of the drive. As we got closer to Mount Rushmore the road was getting steeper and steeper and the Jimmy was jumping gears more often. I think I did something to my 2-Low gear in the Badlands because I was getting almost no torque from it. We barely made it to the top and up to the entrance when the overheating light came on. Apparently a lot of folks overheat getting to the top as the ticket-taker told it. I was concerned and it really took away from my experience at Mt Rushmore which was too bad because it was a perfect day. These were basically the first hills we had encountered and I knew that we were going to be doing mountain travel from this point until Vegas. I wasn't really sure we could make it.


Rushmore

After spending some time with the Dead Presidents we added some water to Runaway Jim and headed for a gas station. Luckily it was downhill for the most part. I got some proper coolant and a gasoline additive to hopefully help with some extra horsepower. This helped a lot. As we headed for Wyoming on a windy 2 lane road we almost died when a semi heading the opposite way around a sharp bend decided to use most of our lane. That felt like the turning point though. Jim was running good and he was spry and agile too. We crossed into Wyoming and headed down a beautiful and very lonely road for about 200km. The sun was slowly setting and a drank a Labatt Blue. I think we may have passed 5 cars the whole way. Our destination was Interstate 25 where we would hoped to hole up in a town called Douglas, WY. Super 8 needs to look into the standards maintained under their brand at this particular location and fast food restaurants should stay open past 10pm even if it is a Sunday. Just sayin'...

On Monday morning we had to make the 1st of 2 or 3 mountain passes as I judged it between there and Las Vegas. After the previous day's experience with the overheating, etc, I had decided to forgo some of the more scenic routes I had envisioned for the more direct, flatter and boring Interstates. It really killed me to do that, but sometimes practicality must prevail. The pass that we took went from Casper, WY down to Rawlins, WY through a place called Muddy Gap. This was the mountain pass. Never buy gas at Muddy Gap. It's about $1/Gal more expensive than anywhere else. Of course when you need gas, you need gas. The inside of the gas station has been signed by most if not all who've passed through. I'm back near the shitter. Hopefully they don't repaint.

We had finally made our way down to Interstate 80 and we would be on these four lane disasters the rest of the way. Interstate 80 is called the Loneliest Highway in America and with good reason. Large chunks of it run through a bunch of nothingness. No exits. No truck stops. No towns. No farms or even houses for that matter. When we missed a rather large service center because of the off-ramp being under construction it didn't seem like that big of deal at first. Even when we got down to a quarter of the tank it was easy to shrug off. It was when the "Low Fuel" light came on that things tensed up a bit.

There was an episode of Seinfeld where Kramer and a car salesman tested the limits of a car once it hit the Red Zone of the fuel meter. I know that seems 'gutsy' but consider that fact that they were surrounded by civilization with a gas station not too far away. We ended up playing this game in the middle of Red Desert Wyoming it what I believe is known as The Great Basin. We got deked out by a big sign that said GAS with what looked like a small town nearby. We exited only to find that the gas station was closed and the town was abandoned! Eerie is how I would describe it. There was a sign stating that no one was to proceed into the cluster of homes, their windows all smashed out black. I wondered if we were being watched. This was about 10 miles into our Low Fuel status. We got back on the Interstate. What else could we do? We came to a rest area that was in very bad shape. And no wonder! How does anyone make it out there to even maintain it? I asked a couple in an RV if they had any gas. Nope. They were very nice and tried to use their cellular GPS to figure out how far we had to go. Turns out cellular doesn't really work in these parts. They did however, offer to follow us until we either hit a gas station or ran out. We made it. I think we drove 40 miles with the Low Fuel light on, so that's good to know.

Monday night brought us to Park City, UT just outside of Salt Lake City. It's where they held the alpine events for the 2002 Winter Olympics. It's the most liberal part of Utah so it seemed like a good fit. Amazing scenery. The best part about the Internet is that you can find a hotel, log on to hotel websites in their parking lot and then go in and ask for that rate. They know you can just stand there in front of them and book it. They are more then happy to give it to you since it cuts out the middle man. We got pizza from Papa John's and brought it to our room. A hot breakfast buffet was included. I made a kick-ass waffle and had lots of bacon.

Tuesday morning we drove down into Salt Lake City and went to Temple Square. I have always had a theory that Utah as a state is pretty much a cult and everything I saw only helped to confirm this. This LDS stuff is big business. And they are always recruiting! Young ladies walked around in pairs and were very friendly and helpful. They always seem to be wanting to get folks to watch a LDS video with them. Maybe they work on commission. Anyway, they have invested the 10-15% of each member's salaries that they receive over the course of all of their lifetimes wisely it looks like. Who knows what they own in this world, but no expense was spared on the grounds.

The Temple

Visitor's Center

The families were all dressed very neat and proper. The whole thing kinda freaked me out. I guess my thing is, if you're a kid and born into this and have like 6 or 7 brothers and sisters, what happens if you want to bail? Are you still welcome in the community as a non-believer? What if you're born gay? I mean that can't be ideal under these circumstances. Maybe this isn't possible. If it's the only life you've ever know and are born into it can one even think beyond those boundaries? What if evolution starts making sense? Quantum Physics? The threat of the Next Life holds so many hostage during this one. I sometimes wonder if we would be better off not being conscious of our own deaths? I digress....

It poured rain pretty much the entire way through Utah. I mean poured. MY wipers don't work so hot on the really fast level. The driver's side one starts going a little too far to the left and then never fully recovers. I was actually scared it was going to go flying right off. I stopped to fix it and gas up. I also grabbed another one of those pre-mixed beer & Clamatos. I was a little disappointed that we had to take the Interstate (I-15) but it wasn't so bad missing the better scenery of the two-lane highways since it was raining so hard.

We decided to make a run for Vegas. When the storm cleared the sky was amazing. We had mountain scenery with the sun coming through different cloud formations and it was starting to set as well so multiple colours were involved. Our camera was dead at this point. Sorry.

There's a part of the I-15 that cuts through Arizona that is one of the most insane stretches of highway to drive. The Interstate winds down through sheer wall red rock canyons. It would have been better not driving it at dusk with a trailer and people flying by as I tried to hold my lane. The canyons create massive wind gusts which are mentioned quite frequently on all the warning signs. I remember driving this stretch of road in my Green Van and almost getting blown across two lanes into a truck.

There is always a glitter when you cross the state line into Nevada. They want you to know it's alright to throw down and slot machines and neon await. It was an awesome sight (not captured on camera) when we crested the hill coming into Las Vegas. It's just a huge sea of lights. And I'm not talking about The Strip. I could barely make out The Strip amongst it all. I think we were able to see the entire area at once from an elevated viewpoint and it was pretty awesome. I am going to make a point of going back up there some night to snap a few off.

We arrived at out house and emptied Runaway Jim. I was so zonked. We blew up the air mattress and crashed. Home sweet home!

Pictures from the trip...Dancin' Across the USA

Toronto > Las Vegas

2010-09-06T13:21:00.000-04:00

Things have been happening fast and furious lately. I feel like I've been so busy doing stuff that I haven't had time to do any stuff. Does that make sense? Maybe there's just so much stuff to do?

We are moving and it's a big one. Toronto to Las Vegas. This was something that was always in the works but recently got put on an accelerated schedule do to unforeseen circumstances. Maybe it was just the kick in the butt we needed though.

It's a leap of faith and one I am happy to take. I'm jumping from a place of certainty and security off into the unknown. It's scary and liberating at the same time. I don't know how this is all going to shake out, but I do know that the results are in my hands.

I am really looking forward to getting to know the other side of my family and getting to know them beyond the level you know someone from yearly visits. There are lots of kids which is something I don't have currently around my family here in Canada. So that will be different and pretty cool I think.

The logistics of this whole operation are immense from my point of view. Moving is when you are faced with the harsh reality of how much you have actually accumulated over time. When you have to pack and lift every piece. I like to think I at least partially fall into the Minimalist category, but now I wonder...it's crazy how much our society consumes and consumes and consumes.

I will miss my family. I will miss my friends. I will miss Toronto. I will miss Canada.

I have always left for new places and then left those place for other new places. I take comfort in this because to this day I can draw straight lines from those places past to where I am today. I have been fortunate enough to make many, many great connections and shared in many great experiences that have bonded me with others for life. And because of this I know that will hold true going forward. And that gives me strength.

Toronto > Las Vegas

There's going to be lots to miss here in The Big Smoke. My family & friends most. The city though is a pretty special place. The nieghbourhoods and cultures. The music and arts. The festivals. The markets. The food. The drink. Bike lanes. Caution Jam @ Grossman's. The safety. The streetcars. And the fuckin' CN Tower baby!

I wonder what I'll list when I leave Las Vegas? I guess that will all depend on the experience and the path I take. Looking at my list above it's quite apparent that most of those items are not a part of Vegas with the exception of Food & Drink. I generally love Food & Drink everywhere and am down with whatever the local experience is. I probably shouldn't have even put it on the list since I guess in my case it goes without saying. Or maybe I had to say it this one time so that it will just go without saying in the future. From this point on.

It's hard to really wrap your head around the Las Vegas experience. It really is something different to everyone. A fantasy land. Everyone is always so excited to go. My better half says that there is no happier vibe than on a flight to Las Vegas. And none worse than on the flight home. Ha!

But all that assumes you're going for a quickie. Not as a permanent move. To live. To shop. To do the daily grind. What will that be like in this Boom Town of boom towns? A city built so fast that its own culture could not be developed. In a city of 1.2 million people everyone knows it for The Strip. Maybe old downtown Vegas too, but that's it. Ponder...when someone mentions New York City, San Francisco, Boston or Toronto people who have experienced them are flooded with visions and memories of the many neighbourhoods within these cities. Like squares on a quilt it takes more than one to make a finished product.

What am I excited about that will come with being a local? Family and new friends first and foremost, but quite a bit beyond that actually. Stuff that you "tourists" never seem to have time for. Yes, you degenerate gamblers, boozers, eaters and general over indulgers. I 'm talking to you. Show some restraint for Christ's sake. Take in some nature.

Some may not have noticed, but Las Vegas is surrounded by a shitload of natural beauty. I am looking forward to this. Red Rock Canyon. Hiking, biking and rock climbing. I don't currently rock climb, but maybe I will. Frolf. That's golf with a Frisbee. They have a few Frolf courses scattered throughout the city and some have weekly tournaments. If I'm going to find a fellow Deadhead this may be the place. At the very least I'll meet people who have an interest in throwing stuff which is as good a bit of common ground to start on as any.

Frolf makes one think of golf. There was a time when I could really play that game. It's not cheap, but perhaps there is motivation to be found there? Yes, I think there is.

I have a few business ideas. Actually we have a few. I , we and she. Quite a few. It's as good a time as any to throw down on those. When they come to be you will be the first with the info. It's important to have support, you know?

Poker, Vegas. Vegas, Poker. I really enjoy playing poker in Vegas. Is there an opportunity there. Yes. Is it reasonable that I should ever gaze on such a game as anything more than a hobby. Nope. I will play of course, but it won't be for anything more than my personal entertainment. I have no interest in playing cards for food. None at all. If however, over time, I am able to build my hobby into something more significant than so-be-it.

I gotta get back to the grind. More to pack. More to post on Craigslist. More to do.

Happy Birthday Jerry!!

2010-08-01T09:47:00.000-04:00

Yes, the Fat Man would have been 68 if my math serve me. So below we have a monster 1973 show from Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, NJ courtesy of Archive.org

Promised Land, Sugaree, The Race is On, You Ain't Woman Enough, Bird Song, Mexicali Blues, They Love Each Other, Jack Straw, Stella Blue, Big River, Casey Jones Around & Around, Mississippi Half Step, Me & My Uncle, Row Jimmy, Dark Star-> El Paso-> Eyes Of The World-> Morning Dew, Sugar Magnolia; E: Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad > One More Saturday Night

The Row Jimmy through Morning Dew is the generally acknowledged meat and potatoes of the show and Jerry is on fire. The Bird Song from the 1st set is a good example of why many jazz fans become drawn to The Dead.

After seeing his former band-mates in June, I like many others I'm sure, can't help but wonder what could have been if he never started chasing the dragon. Aah well, philosophy for another day I think. Today we'll just sit back and Smile, Smile, Smile...

RUSH Tonight @ the Amphitheatre

2010-07-13T06:39:00.004-04:00

I guess since it's a T-Dot show, there's only one song to show...

They are playing 2 sets including Moving Pictures in its entirety. Plus they have the greatest drummer in Neil Peart. Period.

I'm way behind on my concerts updates, but I'm sure there will be a story in this somewhere...

Blossom Phish

2010-06-14T22:51:00.002-04:00

Phun Ahead
Originally uploaded by mrjackstraw

Just got back from a weekend road trip down into America's Rust Belt chasing the fun that is Phish. It was a quick over and back this time for one show only. I was accompanied my my sister, a veteran of 8 shows now and 2 Phirst Timers. The boys did not disappoint.

We followed that up with a trip to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on Sunday. In between and on the way there was eating and drinking and laughing and smiling and so forth. I will have a more detailed write-up posted shortly.

I've posted a few pics HERE.

Sorry for the lack of any writing and "Death Theme" the last few posts have carried. This isn't an Obit column God Damn It!

RIP Dennis Hopper

2010-05-29T16:28:00.004-04:00

Always one of my favs. Apocalypse Now & Hoosiers being the standouts for me. Obviously Easy Rider will always be The One that many point to and for good reason. The scene below is from True Romance where Dennis and Christopher Walken go one-on-one. It's a thing of beauty and my favourite Dennis Hopper scene of all time.

Ernie Harwell

2010-05-05T19:57:00.000-04:00

His voice put me to sleep more nights than I can remember. My dad and I actually met him in a store just outside of Tiger Stadium in 1985, the year after they won the World Series. I have his autograph on a "Bless You Boys" pennant. Always classy and a true Legend.

NHL Playoffs - Bold Predictions

2010-04-14T08:43:00.002-04:00

A strategy to bet the opposite of everything I pick has an equal shot of doing just as well. That's a disclaimer for you all. Right up front too.

I'm on the clock here so maybe I'll try to summarize each series in one sentence. I'm also not going to try to predict how many games each series will go because that's one of the dumbest and most pointless predictions in sports.

EAST

#1 Washinton vs #8 Montreal
Washington had a goal differential of +85...Montreal was -6 on the season. If you're a Montreal fan watch as much as you can right now because this is it. Washington to advance.

#2 New Jersey vs #7 Philadelphia
I think Philly is better than the average #7 seed. They started so slow. They also still have no goal-tending. NJ is what you'd expect out of a #2 and they have Brodeur. I pick Jersey.

#3 Buffalo vs #6 Boston
Just like the old days in the Adams division. Boston did well to get in this year with all their injuries and lack of firepower. Buffalo is a young, solid, well-rounded team with and exceptional goalie. I take the Sabres in this one.

#4 Pittsburgh vs #5 Ottawa
Looking forward to this match-up. Ottawa is a little light on playoff experience, but they have Carrie Underwood now. Pittsburgh just seems a bit off. I may be carrying a slight grudge against Pittsburgh with this prediction. I pick Ottawa.

WEST

#1 San Jose vs #8 Colorado
Colorado is in a free fall. It was a great accomplishment that they got here this year. San Jose has something to prove in the playoffs. Beating Colorado won't prove anything, but it's the first necessary step to doing so. San Jose to move on.

#2 Chicago vs #7 Nashville
Another division playoff match-up. Nashville keeps getting a raw deal in the playoffs. 100 points again and they earn the right to play the mighty Blackhawks. This Chicago team is awesome as well as fun to watch. Nashville will have to steal this series with goal-tending which is the Blackhawk's area of weakness. Taking Chicago here.

#3 Vancouver vs #6 Los Angeles
This will be a good series. The Kings are going places in the years to come. H Sedin won the scoring title. You could have got some nice odds betting that before the season started. I'm going to take the team with the better goalie, the most experience, plays Phish during breaks in the action, and has the most annoying nation anthem singer. Vancouver.

#4 Phoenix vs #5 Detroit
Phoenix had 14 wins via the shootout. I could argue that their seeding is very inflated. Their goal differential, offence, defence is similar to Detroit's, but Detroit was decimated by injuries the first half of the year and their coach had a few other things on his mind. (Gold Medal). Detroit is on fire, has the experience and may fancy their position of underdog a little bit. The goaltending in Phoenix has been outstanding this year and it's really come along in Detroit with Howard in the second half. I don't see how anyone could pick Phoenix in this series. Detroit.

Sunrise 2000

2010-04-12T12:41:00.004-04:00

Sunrise 2000
Originally uploaded by mrjackstraw

This is only a test. Feel free to enjoy though.

The Photo Project

2010-04-12T11:55:00.000-04:00

Working where I do has a few perks albeit nothing huge like season tickets to sports teams or Christmas parties. (Yes, I'm serious about the Christmas parties). I guess there really are any perks except the ones we create for ourselves.

I began taking photos in the pre-digital age. That's just the way things were. I'm sure you can relate. I would guess that I have around 1000 photographs in various albums and/or just sitting in boxes in their original sleeves along with the negatives. (See pic below if you have no idea what a negative is)

I know that this sounds like a lot of photos and it does feel like it when I lift them all at once, but the one thing I remember thinking as I went through them is, "I can't believe I don't have more photos from my time there, or there, or there..." It's just so easy these days. Back when I was taking all these pictures I was spending money with every press of the button. And there was no preview screen. It was a hit-and-hope type of thing. Maybe that had something to do with my self perceived lack of pictures? My Cheapness?...Or Laziness? These days I can snap 13 pictures of the same and pick out the best one(s), do some cropping and then ditch the rest with the only cost being my time.

So I have begun the task of scanning all these photographs into digital form so I can burn them for safe keeping and have myself some fun organizing, cropping and posting them. I use our colour scanning machine to scan them in at 400-600dpi. This creates larger file sizes, but will allow me to enlarge any of them in the future without losing any quality that the original photo has. This won't, however, make a bad picture better. I have taken my fair share of bad pictures.

The scanner creates a PDF file of the scanned images. I usually build 50 pictures or so into one PDF file and then do the first round of cropping. Once they are cropped I extract the photos as individual TIF files. These can be quite large and they will be what I use in the future for any enlargements, specialty projects, etc. I take the same PDF file and extract all the photos as individual JPG files. These are much small than the TIF files and it is these ones that I will use for any uploading to my Flickr Photostream or to a site like Facebook. They are small enough that they won't take up too much of my allotted space or too much time during the upload.

Beyond self-organization and memory preservation that I'm interested in for selfish reasons, I am hoping that those I have shared in all of these wonderful, adventurous and wonky experiences in the past will enjoy the memories too. And maybe in turn they will add to these collections with their own photos from the past.

If you know keep checking back in here or to my Flickr Photostream. If you don't know me you still have access to said Photostream, maybe just not to as many pictures.

Beyond this project, I have even more pictures from my youth that document my growing up, my sister growing up and our family through the years that I would like to get to eventually. It's a very labour intensive project that would probably cost me an arm and a leg to have someone else do the scanning. As such, now is the time.

That's it.
~ MJS

My Umbrella

2010-03-27T20:11:00.004-04:00

On Tuesday it was raining here in Toronto and as such I prudently grabbed my umbrella on my way out the door. I love my umbrella. I really do. It's actually a golf umbrella that I bought before my first round last year. I even talked them into a discount even thought it was threatening rain. I think you'd have the best chance of negotiating an umbrella discount on a sunny day, but I lucked out.

I never meant to start using it on the streets. It just ended up happening. It was so big and strong. Gusts of wind that would turn flip those other small, weak umbrellas inside out didn't even phase me. 3 people could smoke a cigarette under my umbrella. Spacious it was. People must have hated sharing the sidewalk with me and my big umbrella. I know I hated it when the shoe was on the other foot. Me with the dinky umbrella & others with the monsters. I didn't give a fuck though once I got a hold of the luxury model.

So, back to Tuesday. I got off the subway without my umbrella and didn't realize it until it was too late. There was nothing I could do. My name and number weren't on it so for whoever found it, it would be like finding a bill on the ground. No return address so you get to keep it.

The only thing I could think to do was to post an ad on Craigslist. I put my odds at less than one tenth of one percent which may have been too high. Either way it was better than my odds of doing nothing. This is what I posted...

I left my black golf size umbrella on the Bloor line Tuesday morning around 9:15am. It was leaning against an end door. It's a great umbrella. Holds up to a strong wind and keeps the drops off more than one person at a time. Although it seems like a small expense, times are tight for me right now and I could really use not having to rebuy this item. I know it's a long shot that anyone who found it would be reading this, but I gotta try.

If by any chance you do happen to read this and still decide not to contact me, I hope the next few months bring you nothing but bright sunny days.

Have a good one T.O.

For this to work out a lot of things had to fall into place. First, I needed the person who found and kept it to not be a bum with no Internet access. No Internet = no Craigslist. Second, I needed whoever found it to have a conscience and of course be a Craiglist user.

Wouldn't you know it. I got a response. I was SO excited to open the email and find out where I was to meet this nice person who had grabbed my umbrella, logged onto the Internet & then Craigslist to see if anything was posted in the Lost & Founds.

Hi
I just saw your account and it interested me enough.
You are very interest man and I like it.
I would like to pass my warmth, endearment with you.
I am unbiased, beautiful woman. Sometimes I am powerful, sometimes I am funny with the good sence of humour.
It looks like you are very romantic and authentic man.
I have a lot of space in my heart for kindness and love and
I am ready to give it to you. I do not care about the age.
I would like to get acquainted with you better and chat with you by the e-mail!
I will send you my photos and tell more about me.
That is my e-mail:skaelvira@yahoo.com
Best regards.

What a nice world where I can lose my umbrella and this woman is kind enough to offer herself to me. She took the time to not even mention my umbrella once but seems pretty enamored with me none the less.

"You are very interest man and I like it."
Hey, who wouldn't? There's a lot of adventure in searching for an umbrella or perhaps purchasing a new one.

"I am unbiased, beautiful woman. Sometimes I am powerful, sometimes I am funny with the good sence of humour."
I 'sence' I shouldn't believe you.

"I am ready to give it to you"
My umbrella?

"I do not care about the age."
I am balding. Of course you can't tell on Craigslist. Sucka!

"I would like to get acquainted with you better and chat with you by the e-mail!
I will send you my photos and tell more about me."
Wow! And I've been nurturing a relationship all these years where I could have just been posting about lost umbrellas.

As the weather warms we get closer to that first day of golf and I am dearly looking forward to that. I hope it's sunny. That way I will have some extra leverage when negotiating my next umbrella purchase.

Furthur & Furthur

2010-02-22T11:25:00.009-05:00

The bus came by and I got on....

Leading up to this trip I the inside joke was all about what a beautiful winter destination Utica, NY was going to be. Especially deep into February. We met up on Friday night at Sammy's place where we hunkered down, had a few brews, a delicious meal and watch the Olympics. Our goal was to be on the road by 8am and beat the rush out of the city. The 3 of us were showered, fed (toasted bacon, egg, cheese, onion & mayo sandwiches) and were on the road by 8:45am. Not bad. Not bad.

We had little to no traffic all the way to the border where we crossed without incident or delay at Lewiston, NY just north of Niagara Falls. We stopped at a Tim Horton's along the New York State Thruway (I-90). I had the chili. The portion sizes are way bigger in the US. The Timbits and donuts are twice the size and the coffee sizes are all one size up from in Canada. I ordered a large and got what would have been an extra large here.

We arrived in Utica at around 2pm. It would have been sooner but a NY State Trooper wanted to discuss our speed so we stopped and obliged. Less than 20 miles from our destination too. When we finally rolled into town we did a quick drive around to gather a lay of the land. Utica has a brewery district centered around Vanick Street that we thought would be a cool spot to start things off. The show was happening at the AUD and was right near our hotel, the Radisson.

There were 2 tour buses parked in front of our hotel and they were in fact the band's. As we were walking in from the parking garage to check in Bobby Weir walked out the front door a got onto one of the buses. He looked like he just woke up. A paparazzi would have got the shot. Since I think paparazzi should be spit on and maybe even water boarded I didn't even make a move for my Sony Cybershot.

We ended up at the Nail Creek Pub (pictured) where it wasn't too full when we walked in but was completely blocked by the time we left. They were playing Grateful Dead and serving up $2.50 pints. How could you go wrong? We snagged a nice corner seat and watched it all unfold. Along with the beers we had some cheese and artichoke dip. Our bill came to less than $30 for what we consumed. I think in Toronto we would have been pushing 3 figures. We were also able to score a nice bud for cheap which is huge for us border challenged folk.

We three amigo headed out of the pub at around 5pm and lit one up for the walk over to the Utica AUD and Shakedown Street. The lot was buzzing and hissing too. We grabbed some beers and some balloons and wandered around. I'm glad it wasn't a really cold Feb day because hanging around outside would have been unbearable. As it was we were out there for about 1 - 1.5 hrs and it wasn't too bad although the feet got a little numb by the end. We were able to grab some chocolates right before going in and they turned out to be game changers.

The Utica AUD is an amazing old hockey arena. Madison Square Garden (as it now exists) was influenced by this building. Also the scene from Slap Shot where the Hanson Brothers got into the crowd after a fan hits one with a set of keys was filmed here. I would say there were 4000 people or so and it was general admission. Beers inside were only $5 and the vibe was relaxed, happy and friendly.

We started the first set down on the floor near the front on the left. I emptied my coat of any valuables and stuck it in a guard rail near the front. I wasn't too concerned if I never saw it again, but I really wasn't worried. The chocolates kicked in fast (for me at least) and as the first set progressed I was glad I only ate 1/2 to start. I like to test the waters first :)

Set 1:
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl >
Promised Land
Cumberland Blues
Ramble On Rose
Foolish Heart >
Reuben & Cherise >
Dear Prudence
Satisfaction

So things started melting for me around the mid-way point of Promised Land. Bobby seemed to be singing a lot better than the last time I saw him with The Dead. Cumberland was fun as always, but Ramble on Rose was just perfect. A huge sing-a-long and smiles everywhere. I was feeling superb at this point. This was just an amazing 1st set. Jerry was all over it. Foolish Heart into Reuban & Cherise...yessir! That R&C is a must listen. We went out into the concourse as Dear Prudence started and this was a mistake for me at least. I was in no shape to be milling about. We hit the head where weird things were happening with one of the urinals. It sounded like it was a huge vacuum. So loud. I was confused and needed to bail immediately. I couldn't find the boys when I left the washroom although I would discover they saw me as they stood in line for beer. I had to get back out to the music. I walked up to the upper level and stood along the rail overlooking everything for the end of Dear Prudence and a great version of the Stone's Satisfaction.

Things settled down for me during set break and I met up with the boys back at the original floor spot we had. The second set was approaching and we needed a plan.

Second Set..."Buy the ticket, take the ride." ~ HST

Man I love 2nd sets. We decided to get off the floor and to head up to the seats. We found a spot along the rail in the aisle where you can choose either to go down to seats or up to seats. The rail was quite useful and no one was in our line of sight. In addition, security was non-existent and smoking was not an issue. Below was our vantage point for the 2nd set. Great little venue, as I said.

Set 2:
China Cat Sunflower >
The Wheel >
I Know You Rider
Magnolia Mountain,
Unbroken Chain
Comes A Time >
Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad >
Touch Of Grey >
And We Bid You Goodnight

Encore:
One More Saturday Night

I haven't re-listened to the show yet, but I do know I had a grin from ear to ear for that China>Wheel>Rider. The place was lit and so was I. It was sometime during that madness that I decided to eat the other half of my psychedelic chocolate and off we went again. Magnolia Mountain was a bit of a buzz kill for me (literally). I don't know why they feel the need to cover Ryan Adams with the size of their own songbook. Plus he's an asshole. Whatever. Unbroken Chain was the highlight of the night for me. What a gonzo tune. I went back up the elevator during that one. Comes a Time was perfectly placed and played. You could close your eyes and feel the presence of Garcia. Beautiful, beautiful song.

Things got cranked up again with GDTRFB > Touch of Grey and I won breakfast when they played We Bid You Goodnight. Indeed! All of us wrote 5 songs down on a piece of paper and that was the only one to hit between us. We didn't check the previous night's set list so we had no idea what was coming song-wise which is just how I like it. The One More Saturday Night encore was so much a given that we actually excluded the song from out little game. Maybe we need to stop going on Saturdays, eh?

We sat for a bit after the lights came up and just tried to gather ourselves. Did a bit of people watching. I had to run up close to the stage to grab my coat. It was still there and unmolested. Sammy & I were separated from Andy but we had a pre-arranged meeting spot in the lot which was key. We grabbed some balloons & kept a lookout. Eventually the Triacta was reformed. I grabbed a cheese & salsa burrito and a t-shirt and we ambled around the lot a bit longer.

We left the lot and went to look for a bar called The Dog House. I think. We heard about it from a guy at the show. Joe? John? Either way...We ended up walking straight past it and back to the area where we originally began the day. Sammy was hungry but food was hard to come by. No bars served anything. No wings, fries, onion rings. Nothing. There was a pizzeria but they ran out of food just as we walked in. There was not a lot of 'Big Picture Thinking' going on in Utica. Maybe this is why the town is slowly dying. We also stumbled upon a strip bar that served no booze. This could be because of some local law or maybe it's a New York State thing. Whatever the reason for this non-booze issue, the place was completely empty and I can't help but think the lack of available libations was a contributing factor in this. I mean it was Saturday at midnight. You gotta figure that's a pretty busy time for a gentlemen's club. Now they could have been selling crack and blow jobs in the back, but we beat it on down the line as soon as the words "No drinks" were uttered.

We eventually found The Dog House. They wanted to charge us $5 cover. I have no idea why. I thought they should just be thankful we wanted to step inside and have a drink. I asked for leniency on the cover and the door man obliged. This was my only Blue Moon of the trip and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Alas, we were beat and headed back to the hotel after our pint where we hustled the vending machine out of about 8 mini bags of chips. This was literally the only food source in Utica at the time.

I don't remember falling asleep. Breakfast was at Denny's. I had the Country Fried Steak & white gravy with eggs over easy, grated hash browns (my favourite) and brown toast courtesy of those who lost the bet. I did leave the tip though. There was a woman sitting beside us (her back to us) who had an ass that stretched over a meter across when she sat. If you're going to have a world in which there is Country Fried Steak with the white gravy you are going to have mega-asses. And sometimes they will be staring you in the face. Sometimes you gotta take the good with the bad.

Utica Photos

Lazy Daze

2010-02-15T12:02:00.003-05:00

Wow. I didn't even write about Super Bowl. I did a lot better on my SB betting than I did in the previous couple of weeks. I met my girlfriend in New Orleans and I had had some very fun times in that city so I think it goes without saying that they were my sentimental choice. Throw in the trials and tribulations the city has faced over the last 5 years and I think you had a lot of people's sentimental choice. I had them at +5.5 for 3 Units and it turned out I didn't even need the points. Special Teams, eh?

I don't usually bet the props for SB but I did bet a few this year with good results. I had the anthem going over 1min40sec. I didn't do any research on this although I probably could have. My thoughts were that whoever was doing it would want a good amount of face time. It came in at about 1min55sec. I also bet New Orleans to win the toss. The NFC had won 12 in a row. Ride the wave. So the game hadn't started and I was already up a couple of props. I lost one when Manning threw an interception, but I broke even (less the juice) when Brees kept a clean sheet. 2/4 players I picked to score a TD did, so I was ahead on that even though I only picked 50% right. Odds. I picked a random long shot bet when I chose a particular player to score a TD in a certain quarter. I forget who now, but it didn't happen. I think I got around 14:1. It was an ill advised suckers bet. I really should have bet on a defensive TD. Vegas probably lost a lot when Manning threw the Pick-6.

So that's another season in the books. As a Lion's fan I'm coming into the most important time of the year - The NFL Draft. We have fucked so many of these up. Last year's was good though. We found 4 starters and 6 contributors. Matt Millen never did that sort of thing. Another couple of drafts like that and we'll be on our way. At this point if the Lions leave the draft with anyone other than McCoy or Suh in the 1st round I'll be very surprised. That is of course unless they trade down for an extra 2nd rounder and grab a left tackle in the 1st. They need to protect Stafford. They are really still so bad that they can't draft for need yet. They just need to take the best player on the board and go from there.

So the Olympics are here. It's amazing how many cynics they bring out. Maybe people just don't have enough to write about. It's reporter bitching about this and whining about that. Mainly the Op Ed mother fuckers. Now don't get me wrong. I am a firm believer that everyone should be able to write and express anything they want, but give it a rest already. For 2 weeks just shut the fuck up. You don't like how corporate that games have become. Fine. You don't like how much public money has been spent that will eventually go on to benefit private enterprise. OK. You don't like how you can't even get into your precious local coffee shop for your daily bullshit yuppie coffee. Whatever.

There is SO much shit going on in the world today and all of the pundits have had years leading up to and will have the rest of your lives to go on berating the decisions made involving our (Canada's) hosting. I don't care how much anything cost. I don't care that the Opening Ceremony didn't go off without a hitch. Maybe if we were all robots I would care, but since we humans have a natural Human Element, shit will always happen and lo and behold the sun came up the next day. Everyone's here. Everyone's watching. Enjoy it. Take from it what it's giving you for free. Inspiration. Sportsmanship. Honour. Friendship. Fuck everything else. I love that this is the first really true High Definition Olympics. These sports that we (most of us) never watch on any sort of a regular basis look absolutely amazing in this clarity.

Yesterday Canada won its first Gold on home soil. Alexandre Bilodeau in Freestyle Moguls. Both Canadian and American broadcasts did a really nice job relaying this story. I know a lot of people were disappointed this result didn't come a day earlier in Speed Skating, but the story that comes along with this kid is really fantastic. He has a brother with Cerebral Palsy that has been his inspiration throughout his life along with a real down-to-earth attitude that is probably a result of this relationship and experiences with his brother. Canadians should be very proud that Alexandre will carry this honourable distinction with him and for us going forward.

The unfortunate death of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the men's Luger from Georgia provided a lot of ammunition for Olympic haters. No matter how much good comes from these Olympics this incident will never be forgotten. It will be an unfortunate tag that will be forever attached to these games, but it shouldn't DEFINE them. Freak accidents happen all the time and there was absolutely no malice or intent here.

The men's hockey starts tonight and I know the Olympics are much, much more than this event. Unfortunately this is going to over-shadow a lot of other events and athletes. It's the tie that binds us all together from coast-to-coast-to-coast and it is important. Very important and yes when we get close (if) the country will stop and it will watch. Everyone. Young and old. Male and female. Fans and casuals. It really shouldn't define us. Canadians have so much to offer. But ask anyone if Silver is OK in this event. It just isn't. Right or wrong. When our women play the Americans in the Gold Medal Game a loss will be much easier to handle. I could argue that a loss would be inconsequential. The US Women's team is fantastic and the match-up goes back and for all the time. But for the men it's different. And the weird part is that we have all of these expectations after only having won one gold medal since 1952 (Salt Lake 2002). Who do we think we are with these expectations? Well, we're Canada. And we play hockey. From the time we can walk. Inside. Outside. On the road. On ponds. Is it fair? No. But it is what it is. Maybe some of the other athletes can use their lack of media spotlight to their advantage. Regardless it's going to be fun to watch.

NFL - Divisional Playoff Picks

2010-01-14T08:01:00.006-05:00

So I wanted to get these out early enough in case you wanted to jump on board for the potential fiery crash that can be my football picks. This also gives you good lead time to ponder the exact opposite of everything I'm saying here. That's the disclaimer. Read beyond at your own risk.

First, an update of the mrjackstrawSays ESPN Gridiron Challenge standings after week 1 of the playoffs...

1 Sparty Rules - 133
1 PEI Phantoms - 133
3 mrjackstraw - 121
4 Ken Brown727 - 120
4 tr3k3l - 120
6 The Hook and Ladder - 116
7 Peter North Starts - 113
8 Victorious Secret - 99

The competition will really be Heating as we go forward. The winner receives a non-Blu-Ray DVD of Heat starring Pacino & De Niro.

I can't remember a time when it seems so little faith has been had in the Bye Teams. I know they are all favored, and I think Vegas is pretty much obligated to do so but we have a week where some of the bye teams didn't finish off the season too well going against underdogs who can play on the road and really seem to be firing on all cylinders. Of all the 8 teams I don't see one team that can't go out and win its game outright. Now a statement like that is a good indication that I will be accepting points this weekend. Let's break it down...

Arizona +7 over NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans has done nothing of consequence since beating New England. In fact they've looked pretty regular. And they also haven't played what you would call a "must win" game all year. Sure they have a lot of weapons, but in their last 2 games in which their starters played they couldn't even put up 20 points. If Arizona can establish a ground attack, things will really open up for Warner & the aerial attack. The Cards D needs to play better than last week for sure, but I think GB's offense is a different animal than NO's right now. The crowd will be pumped in the Superdome and the libations will have been flowing all day so the atmosphere should be great. I have to admit I have a soft spot for New Orleans. I've had some great times there and I met my girl there 1 year to the day before that bitch Katrina showed up. New Orleans fans deserve a pay-off and hey maybe they'll win, but I'm taking the points for 4 6 Units. I'm also putting 1U on the under because 57.5 is a knee jerk reaction to last week. If it does go over then it will probably be a hell of a game and whatever.

Baltimore +6.5 over INDIANAPOLIS
For a lot of the same reasons as mentioned above. Manning and the Colts have never excelled after a late season rest + a bye. There is something to be said about maintaining game edge and you can't tell me they have it. The Baltimore D is nasty even as it ages. They held the Colts to just 17 in Baltimore earlier this year. Ray Rice is going to pound it too. And pound it. And pound it. Then they will give it to Willis McG. And he too will pound the rock. They will try to dominate time of possession and keep Peyton off the field. Flacco just needs to play steady and protect the ball. The Colts D is not scary at all. GIMMIE DA POINTS PLEASE!!! 4 Units.

MINNESOTA -2.5 over Dallas
This was a hard one for me. Dallas is playing great and they have so many weapons on both sides of the ball. Romo has cleared a few mental hurdles in the last few games and he's got to be thinking it's all gravy from here. I expect him to be fairly relaxed. On the other side we have the Vikings who have not been great down the stretch, but they did play out the season to earn the #2 seed. Maybe the time off healed a few nagging injuries? This game will come down to turnovers. A couple of stupid throws by either guy and one side will be trying to come back against the other's above average D. Favre is the most likely to "chuck & hope" but he's also the most likely to lead either team on a late 4th quarter drive when it's all on the line. Which AP will we see? The 1st half AP or the 2nd half AP? This is one of the few home field advantages left in the NFL according to Bill Simmons. He picks worse than me. 2 Units on Minny.

New York Jets +7.5 over SAN DIEGO
I booked this bet for 2 Units as soon as the line came out. It's dropped to 7 points and it wouldn't surprise me if it fell another half point. It was probably a knee jerk reaction by me after the Jets hosed me last week, but I'm glad I got in when I did since the spread was only ever going to move in one direction. If the SD defense has any sort of success stopping the Jets running game we'll see what the rookie QB can do in another road playoff game. If he starts turning it over SD is going to make the Jets pay. As good as the Jets D is will they be able to stop Rivers and his giant WRs + Gates? What if LT reemerges? If SD can control time of possession I think they win the game. I don't think this is necessarily so for the Jets. I'm really not convinced in my hasty pick here, but I don't hate it either.

I'm not condoning it, but if you must place a wager to get any enjoyment out of your sports fetish I place all my bets at SPORTS INTERACTION.

Recap:
Arizona +7 for 6 Units
Baltimore +6.5 for 4 Units
Minnesota -2.5 for 2 Units
New York +7.5 for 2 Units

Good luck people!

I'm Up - That's All That Matters

2010-01-11T20:15:00.002-05:00

I broke even in my NFL betting this weekend. Dead even. I hope no one takes my gambling advice too seriously. I could probably give better advice on how to tread water. Literally. With Green Bay's ouster I did end up hitting on a pre-season bet I made.

I did manage to take down a poker tournament on Sunday morning. I kicked the shit out of 48 unsuspecting deers in the proverbial headlights. Turned $3 into $52.50 before noon. That's an ROI of 1491%. Go ahead, do the math. I quit & smoked a bowl.

I am running a test on something so this will be short. Since no one reads this anyways I guess I didn't really have to write that. Ha ha. Oh yeah, we watched Taking Woodstock last night. Fun angle to that whole event. If it makes you feel any better, it was all about the money back then too.

2010 NFL Playoffs - Wildcard Weekend

2010-01-09T13:49:00.006-05:00

OK, the 2010 NFL Playoffs kick off today and like most degenerates I too have bets in place. Last week I listed the games and the lines as they were first posted:

Saturday Jan 9th, 2010

New York Jets @ Cincinnati Bengals(-3)
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys (-4)

Sunday Jan 10th, 2010

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots (-3.5)
Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals (-2.5)

Here's how they look now:

Saturday Jan 9th, 2010

New York Jets @ Cincinnati Bengals(-3)
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys (-3.5)

Sunday Jan 10th, 2010

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots (-3.5)
Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals (+1.5)

New York Jets @ Cincinnati Bengals(-3)
I have the Bengals -3 for 4 Units. Last week was last week & the Bengals weren't playing for much. Cincy showed them nothing on defense and as such Sanchez did not have to convert many 3rd & longs. Cincy will have two starters back on the D-line that were rested/injured last week and they have two shut down corners as well. I don't see the Jets being able to move the ball very well, if at all. Plus there's the rookie QB on the road thing. This line should be closer to -6 or -7, but last week's game really seemed to captivate the public. Plus the NY casual gambler has come out to play this weekend.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys (-3.5)
I got Philly here at +4 for 1 Unit. The Eagles seem to play their best when The City of Brotherly Love is spewing venom on them. I don't think the Dallas stadium intimidates them and I also don't think they showed the Cowboys much last week. I think this will be a close one, but it could go either way. This will be a tough loss to take for whoever that is and as a neutral fan it will be interesting.

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots (-3.5)
The Ravens @ +3.5 for 3 Units. I like Baltimore to come out of this game straight up so of course I will take the points. Gillette Stadium isn't the Fortress it used to be. Flacco just needs his receivers to stop dropping very catch-able passes. Welker is out as well. I know you never say never when Brady is involved, but I just really like Baltimore here despite the coast to coast travel (Oakland).

Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals (+1.5)
I have the Cardinals here on 2 bets. 1 Unit to win straight up and 1.5 Units @ +1.5. Green Bay is playing great right now and they came into Arizona last week and killed. That being said, do you think Arizona showed them anything? Anything at all like what they will showcase tomorrow? Nope. Once Minny won early, the Cards shut it down and went vanilla. Way different story this week. The public has moved this line 4 points to where Arizona is now a home dog. This is a combo of a few things...last week's game, some notable injuries to a couple of Arizona players (Boldin & Rodgers-Cromartie), the general public loving to bet GB. I am happy to take advantage of this by countering with a non-100% Charles Woodson along with Al Harris being out, the head-coaching advantage (football IQ) of Whisenhunt over McCarthy and the fact that the Cardinals are a very solid team on all sides of the ball.

Now I would not be surprised if Green Bay wins this game. There is no doubt they have the talent to do it and that would set up a mouth watering Favre 3.0 for next weekend. I mention this because of another bet I made as a hedge. Before the season started I made a bet with an avid Packers fan for $25 that they would not make it to the Super Bowl. I gave him 4:1 odds. He could have got better odds pretty much anywhere else. Whatever. I have put $11 on the Pack to win the NFC Championship. It pays out at $121. I was able to use his money to basically buy insurance and thus guarantee a profit no matter which way things shake out.

OK. That's it for now. As a tribute to the playoffs and the many different scenarios that can play out check out the Grateful Dead's So Many Roads for 1994 in Las Vegas no less. I have been on such a kick with this song lately especially after have heard the Furthur version from NYE. Wow, So Many Roads to ease my soul for sure!

Good luck this week & be good to each other.
-mrjackstraw

NFL Playoff Time - Gridiron Challenge

2010-01-04T11:21:00.006-05:00

For anyone interested I am running an NFL playoff challenge of sorts.

This is a no cost to you contest. Up for grabs is the movie Heat starring Al Pacino & Bobby De Niro. You may have already seen it, but I got it cheap. Arguably the greatest shootout scene ever. It's on you to read the rules and get your shit figured out. Good luck!

To sign up go to:

http://games.espn.go.com/nflpc/en/frontpage

You will need to search the group name and then use a password to get in. One team per person although you can run as many as you like outside of this group if you wish.

Group Name: mrjackstrawSays
PW: letmein

You know I put my Sunday Selections up late so you don't get sucked into my thought process. Logical as it is, I just don't seem to be an up-and-coming handicapper. That being said, I ain't going anywhere. I will continue to make my plays and hopefully it will all start to click on a regular basis.

So yesterday I brought 16 of my precious units up to the window and I recovered 14. The bookies made a profit off me albeit a small one. Let's go through what happened on my selections from yesterday since I didn't have time then. This may be an exercise to convince myself I'm not retarded. OK, Chicago -3.5 over Detroit. If they can win in Minny they can surly win in Detroit. This should have been a multi-unit bet but that's always hard for me vs. the Lions. I may have to ignore all Lion's games in the future especially if they ever get good.

My next bet was JAX +1.5. A couple of reasons for this. First, and this was the big one, it seemed impossible to me to lay any points taking the Browns. Vegas must have cleaned up on this game. Second, how hard would the Brown's players play for Mangini after learning Mike Holmgren was coming in. Weren't they all supposed to hate Mangini? Would they bust it if his job was on the line? This victory may not have saved Mangini's job, but the Cleveland effort really surprised me.

NE +7. I pushed this one. It looked like I was going to sweep my NE bets when my Moneyline pick was coming through too. Then Houston came back and won A Big Game. Houston never wins big games where there's anything important on the line. I ended up getting really screwed here. I also had the Giants +9 @ Minny. I though the Giants would want to show their fans something after last week's debacle and I thought Minny was falling apart. Nope and nope. OK then. Next....

ARI/GB: Under 44. I hit this one. The points weren't allocated quite the way I thought they'd be, but that doesn't matter. My thinking here was that there would be nothing but back-ups in and no one would want to show too much going into next week's rematch. Staying out west, I took both OAK & KC as double digit underdogs and both came through. I played OAK for one unit vs BAL. The Raiders really aren't that bad when they get average QB play. Plus they've played teams tough at home. With the KC/DEN game you have that rivalry component along with the Bronco's free-fall and no Brandon Marshall. I'm wondering where Jamaal Charles will be selected in Fantasy Football next year? That was a 2 unit play. I guess we all should have played the Moneyline too.

PHI +3. I shouldn't have bet this game. Retarded move by a retard. That's just fair warning for the weeks ahead :~) The last play I made was for 1U and I was getting nearly 4:1. It was CIN +9.5 parlayed with Under 34. I waited to make this afer the NE/HOU game to make sure CIN had something to play for. As it turns out they did. The #3 seed which is important should both them and NE get to the AFC Championship game. Plus Ochocinco was shooting his mouth off about Revis before the game. That was my Cincinnati motivation angle. Oops.. I took the under because of reported gale force winds. You know, a 10-6 or 13-7 game. Nope.

So the Wildcard Weekend schedule is out as are the spreads.

Saturday Jan 9th, 2010

New York Jets @ Cincinnati Bengals(-3)
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys (-4)

Sunday Jan 10th, 2010

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots (-3.5)
Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals (-2.5)

The line on the Patriots/Ravens game has already moved a half point. It opened with NE (-4), but I think the public has been jumping on the points with the Wes Welker injury. It may even come down to -3 before all is said and done but remember the Ravens didn't really stomp the Raiders in a must win game and they are flying back from the west coast. NE is a much different team at home vs. on the road.

Don't forget about the NFL Playoff Gridiron Challenge presented by mrjackstraw where you could win the movie Heat.

A Famous Victory for Leeds!

2010-01-03T12:26:00.002-05:00

Wow! What a great way to start a frigid Sunday in early January. I woke up early to to stream the Leeds United/Manchester United 3rd round FA Cup match and Leeds ended up pulling off the incredible upset. This is what the FA Cup is all about. Teams from lower leagues can rise up and slay giants. I threw 1 unit on both the tie and an outright Leeds victory which hit me at 11-1. It's so sweet because it was a bit of a passion bet, but I also figured Leeds could win at a rate of better than 1 for every 11 played vs MU. Plus I covered myself a bit by taking all ties too.

As for this weekends North American sports betting, I laid out a plan as I was watching the ~~soccer~~ football match. I have 16.5 units in play and I am looking at a possible return of 55 units although 20 of those potential units are hinging on a half-unit parlay play I made. More on that later.

Here's where the money is laid:

CHI -3.5 (1U)
JAX +1.5 (2U)
NE +7 (3U)
NYG +9 (2U)
ARI/GB Under 44 (1U)
TEN -6 (1U)
OAK +10.5 (1U)
KC +10 (2U)
PHI +3 (1U)
CIN +9.5 & Under 34 (1U)
NE Moneyline (1U)

I don't really have time before kickoff to go into my thought processes. Week 17 is always tough though considering that individual teams are playing (or not playing) for different reasons. That being said, I think this info can be used to some advantage and I certainly feel better about my reads this week than I do every Week 1.

The half unit teaser/parlay I played was this:
JAX, NE, NYG, KC & CIN all getting points with SD -3 over WAS. Pays at 43.29:1 over at Sports Interaction.

The Lions wrap up their regular season today and by the end of it all we will know the draft order at the top. Then the speculation can begin. Obviously the Lions are a pretty crappy team. I believe there is a big difference between a crappy team on their way down (think Seattle) and a crappy team on their way up. 5 of last year's draft picks have made a regular contribution to the starting line-up when healthy and that is something that is absolutely huge for this team. A team's ability to plug its own holes is how it can move up the food chain. The Lions have a top 3 pick guaranteed and they ~~will~~ should get a great player with the pick. It is the Lions though. We can totally fuck this up.

I'm off to watch football and play a little poker. Happy New Year everyone!

2009 > 2010

2009-12-31T07:34:00.003-05:00

2010 really feels like the future. The date even looks more futuristic, you know?

Here's a video from Phish's NYE Miami show 6 years ago. It gives an inside look as to what it was like on the floor when the balloons dropped. My sister & I were on that very floor. That scene will be recreated tonight in the same arena and I am jealous of everyone who will be there to experience it. The future however is forward so as we move in that direction one more blast from the past....for old time's sake.

You can follow more Phishy stuff over at Phish Tour.

A Happy & Safe New Year to everyone!!!