Of Fire and Prime, and Other Matters of Little Consequence

Busy day, relatively speaking, for The Kid today. Actually a busy 48 hours, which is even more noteworthy given the fact that the normal pace of my life is so slow that the untrained eye perceives it as going backwards. But the rumors are true: I actually left the house two days running.  Huzzah!

Wednesday found me at the VJ's for an evening of poker and conviviality.  Always a lot of laughs.  Came in 2nd in one tournament and was maybe the bubble for the second one (Jo, do you remember?). Either way, I was down $5 for the night but as always it's a small price to pay for that kind of entertainment value.

I have to admit that heads-up, Josie kinda has my number.  Her style heads-up is almost unrelentingly aggressive and I like to play a more patient game one on one, and that's a bad combination. I like to see flops, and her style makes me pay for them.  You know, it strikes me that I shouldn't really be talking about her play; I don't think I'd like that if someone did that to me, so we'll skip the details and just say that she wins heads-up with me all the time - really, like 70-30; she just kills me.

And regarding luck, the only ugly-ish suckout went in my favor, against you-know-who in fact, when my decidedly-worse hand earned a tie on the river, via some two-pair ace high boogaloo.  She beat me fair and square.  I know! I'm as surprised as you are.

But my god, it's just so much fun.  Except for this:  Noodles brought over some Bazooka gum; he always has it for some reason.  None of us could read the comics! Not a one of us.  In the last 6-12 months, we have all lost our ability to read small print, despite that the age differential between us all is eight years! Only one of us had our reading glasses with us and we had to pass it around desperately like it was a pot pipe made out of a can of Tab. Yeah, that's right - Tab.  Kids, look it up.

Anyway, that was my Wednesday.  Today I ventured forth to see an old friend of mine, M. He lives in the middle of New Hampshire. Kind of a schlep from hither to yon, but it's always a good time when we can sit down and have a good conversation. He and I can sit down and discuss anything from politics to woodworking to quantum theory, and fill the hours with lively, funny, satisfying conversation.  It's a lot of fun.

M was diagnosed with a relapsing-remitting course of MS here about 12 years ago, and his life is a more or less constant struggle with his own body.  So his life circle is even smaller than mine is, which is why I'm always the one doing the driving. Which is fine; it's a Mitzvah. The driving bit, that is; the visit obviously is its own reward.

So: Mama Frisbee's baby boy Crafty is tired this evening.  Probably be an early one, meaning I'll prolly turn in around 3.  Tell you what:  if/when I re-integrate into society I'll miss being a nocturne.  It just suits me so damn well.

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Before I forget I wanted to mention something to everyone out there who owns a Kindle Fire or who is considering buying one:  Amazon has this thing called Amazon Prime.  I've been a member of it since before I had a Kindle.  If you buy a fair amount of books and stuff from them it's a pretty good deal: for $79 per year, everything you buy that is stocked in an Amazon warehouse gets shipped to you free 2nd-day air, with an option for overnight shipping for $4, which includes Saturday delivery if need be. For Tootsie and me, who did most of our on-line (non-clothing) shopping there, it was an easy decision.

BUT- with a Kindle Fire, it goes from easy decision to an absolute steal.  If your account has Amazon Prime, you get access to thousands upon thousands of videos, both movies and television shows.  And the depth and breadth of content is staggering: I search for something and it's almost always - like 80% of the time - available free because I am a member of Amazon Prime. Some actual stuff I've watched because it was free:

* Every episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus (actually I'm up to most of the way through season 3, episode "Dennis Moore")

* Great movies from my adolescence and youth: The Big Red One (one of the best World War II movies ever made and Lee Marvin's final major role); Caddyshack; Time Bandits.

* Delirously stupid comedies that are so close to my heart: Mars Attacks!; Dumb and Dumber; Ace Ventura, Pet Detective

* Comedy specials of Whitney Cummings, Louis C.K., Daniel Tosh, Zack Galifinaikis

Every bit of this free of charge. Next on my list is Good Night and Good Luck, the Edward R. Murrow story.  Seriously: if you have a Kindle Fire, go to amazon.com and check out the list of available content.  It'll make your head spin. And don't forget, you still get free 2nd day shipping on everything they send you!

Anyway, there you go.  Fair Warning: I feel a Beatles post coming up in the future.  Finally, I'll close with a joke: What's the difference between a boa constrictor and a Jewish mother?  Eventually the boa will let go.