I was a little disappointed this holiday season at the lack of celebration around my favorite holiday - Chrismika. I suppose if you really stop to contemplate the validity of such a holiday, and compare it with the rest of the world's favorite holiday (Festivus) you'll find that you've got some issues. Festivus, I dare say, is cool. Unfortunately, in the world of fake holidays, I think it's too cool. So again I am at a loss. For a world that's supposed to be all about me it really seems to keep letting me down.
In other news - I forgot to mention that my sister eats with her mouth open. I know, not the kind of thing that I should be announcing to the world. Still, I felt you should know. She doesn't believe it, of course. So I took some pictures. I can't post them, I'd rather not make her mad. Come to think of it, she was getting mad simply because I kept pointing out when she had her mouth open. Denial, it's a terrible thing.
At work today Jim, Kip, and I went out to lunch. We got into my truck and I noticed what I thought was a distinguishable odor coming from the passenger side of my truck. It wasn't so unusual, Jim's had issues in the past. I won't discuss it in any specific detail because, heck, we've all had our issues ;). Finally, as we were getting down closer to King Street Jim opened up the window a crack. I thought to myself, finally! I didn't want to say anything and embarrass the guy, but wow! I was glad he noticed too. The smell stayed away until we got back to the hospital. I have no idea what it was, but it wasn't Jim. Jim was convinced that I had something dead and rotting in my truck, I was convinced it was Jim. Fortunately, we were both wrong. In the end... we laughed about it. While walking quickly away from the suffocating smell, of course.
Only a few days left for those New Years Resolutions. Get those lists ready!
Ed.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Monday, December 26, 2005
We got by with a little help from our friends
I won my first game against the computer "minimardi" on the ICC tonight. That makes my record against it 1 win, 3 losses, 0 draws. It was a nice finish, though I'll admit to playing a lot of moves simply trying to draw. The computer wanted nothing to do with that! Finally I decided sac my Knight for what turned out to be a crushing attack.
So, Christmas is over and another year is just around the corner. The good news, it's going to be a good one! I've been working out my New Years Resolutions. I know, you're only supposed to have one. But hey, it's me! I may decide to post them on New Years Eve. I think I feel a song coming on for the new year too. Yep, I can definitely sense the words forming in my head...
I did want to say a quick thank you to my family and friends. Just because it's all about me 365 days a year doesn't mean that it isn't all about you too!
... and to all a good night!
Ed.
So, Christmas is over and another year is just around the corner. The good news, it's going to be a good one! I've been working out my New Years Resolutions. I know, you're only supposed to have one. But hey, it's me! I may decide to post them on New Years Eve. I think I feel a song coming on for the new year too. Yep, I can definitely sense the words forming in my head...
I did want to say a quick thank you to my family and friends. Just because it's all about me 365 days a year doesn't mean that it isn't all about you too!
... and to all a good night!
Ed.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
The good, the bad, and the crazy!
Bobby Fischer once said that with the White pieces he should be able to draw against the Almighty. We all know what happened to him. the great tragedy of chess. So it was with disbelief and dismay that I read the following article on "Wired":
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,69882,00.html?tw=rss.TOP
Where Vesselin Topalov says the following:
"I see computers make mistakes, even if they aren't big ones," he said. "If you don't make a mistake, no one can beat you, not even God. It would have to be a draw."
Granted, there is some truth to his logic. In chess, if you play perfectly how can you lose? Still, for some reason, the statement troubled me. Come to think of it, the game of chess has yet to be solved. How do we know that for sure? What if, with perfect play, it is always a win for the player that moves first? What if, by White playing the "Borowski-Fischer" Gambit in the Ruy Lopez which is known to be perfect, he is faced with the "Tobin-Topalov" Counter Gambit and is faced with a forced mate in 75?
What if maybe, just maybe, I'm a little crazy too?
It's ok, I'll get over it.
Ed.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,69882,00.html?tw=rss.TOP
Where Vesselin Topalov says the following:
"I see computers make mistakes, even if they aren't big ones," he said. "If you don't make a mistake, no one can beat you, not even God. It would have to be a draw."
Granted, there is some truth to his logic. In chess, if you play perfectly how can you lose? Still, for some reason, the statement troubled me. Come to think of it, the game of chess has yet to be solved. How do we know that for sure? What if, with perfect play, it is always a win for the player that moves first? What if, by White playing the "Borowski-Fischer" Gambit in the Ruy Lopez which is known to be perfect, he is faced with the "Tobin-Topalov" Counter Gambit and is faced with a forced mate in 75?
What if maybe, just maybe, I'm a little crazy too?
It's ok, I'll get over it.
Ed.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Back to School!
Wow, I almost forgot to mention. It looks like I'm going back to school! It turns out that I'm still an active student at Westfield State College, and I only need 4 classes to graduate with my Bachelor's Degree. Someone must be smiling down upon me today. One of the long lost goals of my life is finally in sight once again. I'll be heading down in about two weeks to try to sign up for classes. It's looking like the Senior Project and a possible second class for the spring. We'll see. But either way, at least I'm back on track.
As we like to say in the techno-geek-babbleese:
Hello World!
Ed.
As we like to say in the techno-geek-babbleese:
Hello World!
Ed.
It was a beginning
Actually, it was more like he really, really, really wants to come but I'll need to keep pushing him to make sure he does. And even then, he may still decide to pull a "Brushway". Am I up for the challenge? Most definitely.
If you're not sure what I'm talking about, I'm sure you're not alone!
Still, thanks for being there!
And in case you've forgotten:
The Wheel of Time turns and ages come and pass
Leaving memories that become legend
Legend fades to myth
And even Myth is long forgotten before the age that gave it birth comes again
... It wasn't the beginning, for there are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.
(Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time)
Ed.
If you're not sure what I'm talking about, I'm sure you're not alone!
Still, thanks for being there!
And in case you've forgotten:
The Wheel of Time turns and ages come and pass
Leaving memories that become legend
Legend fades to myth
And even Myth is long forgotten before the age that gave it birth comes again
... It wasn't the beginning, for there are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.
(Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time)
Ed.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Elise Plays Chess!
From the dangerous depths of my mind I have pulled together the game that Elise and I played today at the Christmas Party. I'm pretty sure it's accurate, though I can't guarantee that I didn't mess up a move order somewhere. Specifically, I wasn't certain if I had played c3 prior to moving my Bishop to b5.
Ed Borowski vs Elise Ames
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bf4 Nc6 {a bit too passive, making it difficult to activate the light squared bishop and limiting the early usefulness of the c7 pawn. More common is Nf6 or Bd6 keeping the options open.} ** see diagram below
4. e3 Nf6 5. c3 Bd6 6. Bg3 Bxg3 7. hxg3 O-O 8. Bb5 Ne4 9. Nbd2 a6 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12.Ne5 Bb7 {notice how black's position is getting difficult with weak pawns on the c and e-files, and the open h-file giving White attacking possibilities against the Black King. Of course, then there's the Knight controlling the center of the board. } ** see diagram below
13. Qg4 f5 14. Qh5 h6 15. O-O-O Qd5 16. c4 Qd8 17. g4 Qg5 18. Qxg5 hxg5 19. Rh5 fxg4 20. Rdh1 g6 {I missed a mate in 4 for White. Can you find it?} ** see diagram
21. Rxg5 (21. Rh6 Rfd8 22.Rh8+ Kg7 23. R1h7+ Kf6 24. Rf7#) 21... Rf6 22. Rh6 Kg7 23. Rhxg6+ Rxg6 24.Rxg6+ {And White went on to win.} 1-0
And there you have it. The game of the day!
I hope you enjoyed it.
Have a good night!
Ed.
Ed Borowski vs Elise Ames
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bf4 Nc6 {a bit too passive, making it difficult to activate the light squared bishop and limiting the early usefulness of the c7 pawn. More common is Nf6 or Bd6 keeping the options open.} ** see diagram below
4. e3 Nf6 5. c3 Bd6 6. Bg3 Bxg3 7. hxg3 O-O 8. Bb5 Ne4 9. Nbd2 a6 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12.Ne5 Bb7 {notice how black's position is getting difficult with weak pawns on the c and e-files, and the open h-file giving White attacking possibilities against the Black King. Of course, then there's the Knight controlling the center of the board. } ** see diagram below
13. Qg4 f5 14. Qh5 h6 15. O-O-O Qd5 16. c4 Qd8 17. g4 Qg5 18. Qxg5 hxg5 19. Rh5 fxg4 20. Rdh1 g6 {I missed a mate in 4 for White. Can you find it?} ** see diagram
21. Rxg5 (21. Rh6 Rfd8 22.Rh8+ Kg7 23. R1h7+ Kf6 24. Rf7#) 21... Rf6 22. Rh6 Kg7 23. Rhxg6+ Rxg6 24.Rxg6+ {And White went on to win.} 1-0
And there you have it. The game of the day!
I hope you enjoyed it.
Have a good night!
Ed.
The Twilight's Last Gleaming
I must say, I've really been enjoying some of Garth Brook's songs from his "Walmart" special albumn in his box set - the CD is entitled "The Lost Sessions". One of my favorites is called "American Dream". It's short and sweet clocking in at 1:54, with very little vocals. Tears anyone? My other favorites include "For A Minute There", "Allison Miranda", and "Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream".
Speaking of tears, and the pathetic little sissy-boy that I apparently am, I watched "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" this weekend. As if that wasn't bad enough... I cried. That little girl just stole the show. I won't get into details just in case you decide to watch it. I had thought about buying the movie when I came out a little while back but I just couldn't convince myself to walk out with it in my hands. It just felt... weird. How could I possibly like a movie called "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"? But after Gayle told me it was good and that I'd like it, I started to have second thoughts. My sister had it and told me she'd loan it to me. Apparently she forgot. So I watched it on Pay-Per-View.
And speaking of "Allison Miranda":
On a two lane north of casper
is where this song begins
heading back to Oklahoma
for a week to visit friends
She was walking along the highway
so I pulled off to the side
and asked her if she needed a ride
...
Ever notice that's how all the great stories start... by saying yes! But nooooooo, when somebody offers me a ride what do I say? No. I'm a freaking genius! I'd rather walk... who am I kidding? Granted the odds were 376,543,299:1 that she was just being nice, but that's ok. I think those are pretty good odds for me!
Now, we can't forget about chess! Lots of chess going on in the world. The FIDE World Cup is over, with our hero Gata Kamsky finishing 9th. Not bad considering he's been out of chess for the past 10 years. Today we managed to fit a few games into our Christmas Party. The first willing participant, Chris from the VNA, tried some scare tactics and stories of the many men that had fallen to his deadly opening mate-in-7. We played two games before he and John had to run back to the VNA. Unfortunately they couldn't stay for the whole party. How did Chris and his masterful mate-in-7 fare against such a meager opponent as myself? He fell, twice.
Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Nick decided to try his hand. He started out strong, playing a few reasonable opening moves, but he too fell. Then Mr. Morris, in a surprise move that will be talked about for years to come, sat down to play. I did bring a second board with me, so it was a little disappointing that noone grabbed it and tried to play each other. But instead everyone wanted to simply bring me down. As for Kipling I offered the ultimate sacrifice. While poised at the edge of eternal darkness, someone suggested that we flip the board around to see if I could survive. Honorable Knight that he is, Kip politely declined and faced certain death. He fell.
Not to dismiss any of the games played today, but the last was the most exciting. Sue told me that Elise used to play at the chess club years ago and that I should play her. Elise agreed. I could tell that she knew how to play the game. Although she did get the worst of the opening due to some exchanges that left her with doubled pawns and my knight in a strong central outpost, she defended well and could identify the problems with her position. In the end she wasn't able to overcome those weaknesses, but it was an exciting game.
All in all, a lot of fun.
Speaking of fun, I actually played a game at the chess club this Saturday! For your enjoyment:
[Event "PVCC Skittles Game"]
[Date "2005.12.17"]
[White "McDonald, Enrique"]
[Black "Borowski, Edwin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B34"]
[WhiteElo "1370"]
[BlackElo "1882"]
{The following game was played at the Pioneer Valley Chess Club on Saturday,December 17, 2005 without the use of a clock.} 1. e4 {Before the game I waslooking over the position that occurs after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 so I was alittle surprised to see Enrique play 1.e4. Then again, I don't watch hisgames too closely so he may be an e4 player.} c5 2. Nc3 {avoiding the linesthat I had been studying. Years ago I used to be an avid closed sicilian player, before I switched to the dark side. Still, my path is clear.} Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 d6 7. Qd2 {a little too early I think, though not necessarily a bad move.} Bd7 8. Bc4 Nf69. Bh6 $4 {a blunder. do you see it?} Bxh6 10. Qxh6 (10. Nxc6 Bxd2+) 10...Nxd4 11. Qg7 Rf8 (11... Rg8 12. Qxf7#) (11... Rg8 12. Bxf7#) 12. O-O-O Ne6 13.Bxe6 fxe6 14. e5 Ng4 15. Qxh7 Nxe5 16. Rhf1 Bc6 17. f4 Nc4 18. Qxg6+ Kd7 19.Rfe1 Rf6 20. Qd3 Nb6 21. Qg3 Nd5 22. Nxd5 Bxd5 23. Qh3 Qh8 24. Qe3 Qxh2 25. g3Qh5 26. Qa3 a6 27. Rd3 Rc8 28. Qb4 Qf5 29. Red1 Rc5 30. Rc3 Rxc3 31. Qxc3 Rf832. Qb4 Rc8 33. c3 Qe4 34. Rd4 Qe1+ 35. Rd1 Qxg3 36. f5 Qg5+ 37. Rd2 Qxf5 38.Rxd5 {forgetting that after Qxd5 the b7 square will be protected.} Qxd5 {white resigns} 0-1
As for "The Twilight's Last Gleaming" well, heck, isn't that what it's all about?
Until next time, Ed.
Speaking of tears, and the pathetic little sissy-boy that I apparently am, I watched "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" this weekend. As if that wasn't bad enough... I cried. That little girl just stole the show. I won't get into details just in case you decide to watch it. I had thought about buying the movie when I came out a little while back but I just couldn't convince myself to walk out with it in my hands. It just felt... weird. How could I possibly like a movie called "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"? But after Gayle told me it was good and that I'd like it, I started to have second thoughts. My sister had it and told me she'd loan it to me. Apparently she forgot. So I watched it on Pay-Per-View.
And speaking of "Allison Miranda":
On a two lane north of casper
is where this song begins
heading back to Oklahoma
for a week to visit friends
She was walking along the highway
so I pulled off to the side
and asked her if she needed a ride
...
Ever notice that's how all the great stories start... by saying yes! But nooooooo, when somebody offers me a ride what do I say? No. I'm a freaking genius! I'd rather walk... who am I kidding? Granted the odds were 376,543,299:1 that she was just being nice, but that's ok. I think those are pretty good odds for me!
Now, we can't forget about chess! Lots of chess going on in the world. The FIDE World Cup is over, with our hero Gata Kamsky finishing 9th. Not bad considering he's been out of chess for the past 10 years. Today we managed to fit a few games into our Christmas Party. The first willing participant, Chris from the VNA, tried some scare tactics and stories of the many men that had fallen to his deadly opening mate-in-7. We played two games before he and John had to run back to the VNA. Unfortunately they couldn't stay for the whole party. How did Chris and his masterful mate-in-7 fare against such a meager opponent as myself? He fell, twice.
Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Nick decided to try his hand. He started out strong, playing a few reasonable opening moves, but he too fell. Then Mr. Morris, in a surprise move that will be talked about for years to come, sat down to play. I did bring a second board with me, so it was a little disappointing that noone grabbed it and tried to play each other. But instead everyone wanted to simply bring me down. As for Kipling I offered the ultimate sacrifice. While poised at the edge of eternal darkness, someone suggested that we flip the board around to see if I could survive. Honorable Knight that he is, Kip politely declined and faced certain death. He fell.
Not to dismiss any of the games played today, but the last was the most exciting. Sue told me that Elise used to play at the chess club years ago and that I should play her. Elise agreed. I could tell that she knew how to play the game. Although she did get the worst of the opening due to some exchanges that left her with doubled pawns and my knight in a strong central outpost, she defended well and could identify the problems with her position. In the end she wasn't able to overcome those weaknesses, but it was an exciting game.
All in all, a lot of fun.
Speaking of fun, I actually played a game at the chess club this Saturday! For your enjoyment:
[Event "PVCC Skittles Game"]
[Date "2005.12.17"]
[White "McDonald, Enrique"]
[Black "Borowski, Edwin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B34"]
[WhiteElo "1370"]
[BlackElo "1882"]
{The following game was played at the Pioneer Valley Chess Club on Saturday,December 17, 2005 without the use of a clock.} 1. e4 {Before the game I waslooking over the position that occurs after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 so I was alittle surprised to see Enrique play 1.e4. Then again, I don't watch hisgames too closely so he may be an e4 player.} c5 2. Nc3 {avoiding the linesthat I had been studying. Years ago I used to be an avid closed sicilian player, before I switched to the dark side. Still, my path is clear.} Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 d6 7. Qd2 {a little too early I think, though not necessarily a bad move.} Bd7 8. Bc4 Nf69. Bh6 $4 {a blunder. do you see it?} Bxh6 10. Qxh6 (10. Nxc6 Bxd2+) 10...Nxd4 11. Qg7 Rf8 (11... Rg8 12. Qxf7#) (11... Rg8 12. Bxf7#) 12. O-O-O Ne6 13.Bxe6 fxe6 14. e5 Ng4 15. Qxh7 Nxe5 16. Rhf1 Bc6 17. f4 Nc4 18. Qxg6+ Kd7 19.Rfe1 Rf6 20. Qd3 Nb6 21. Qg3 Nd5 22. Nxd5 Bxd5 23. Qh3 Qh8 24. Qe3 Qxh2 25. g3Qh5 26. Qa3 a6 27. Rd3 Rc8 28. Qb4 Qf5 29. Red1 Rc5 30. Rc3 Rxc3 31. Qxc3 Rf832. Qb4 Rc8 33. c3 Qe4 34. Rd4 Qe1+ 35. Rd1 Qxg3 36. f5 Qg5+ 37. Rd2 Qxf5 38.Rxd5 {forgetting that after Qxd5 the b7 square will be protected.} Qxd5 {white resigns} 0-1
As for "The Twilight's Last Gleaming" well, heck, isn't that what it's all about?
Until next time, Ed.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
The not-so-handy man can!
I watched "Melinda and Melinda" tonight. It was the movie I was talking about yesterday that I was pretty excited about. How was it? I really don't know. I didn't really like it that much, but I don't want to admit it. That and I'm trying to avoid four letter words tonight.
So, earlier today when I got home I was thinking about making some dinner. I was strongly considering making some rice, or possibly some pasta. Not the complicated real stuff you might be familiar with, the kind that comes in boxes or other packages. My skills are limited. Boil water, add contents and stir. I can do that. Unfortunately, I was the recipient of a nasty smell. I just couldn't figure it out. I was convinced that it was coming from my sink, so I cleaned it. The smell just wouldn't go away. So I did what any self respecting not-so-handy man would do... I ignored it. Oh, and I ordered Domino's too. Who wants to cook in a smelly kitchen?
Later, as I was getting some water out of the fridge, I happened to step on something. I figured it was the wrapping from my DVD that must have missed the trash or something. Nope, a little bit of water. I looked a little closer and, as my luck would have it, that little bit of water was a huge puddle in my kitchen. Then the light when off. This has happened before. It's been sooooo long that I forgot all about it. If I don't periodically run my dishwasher then dirty, smelly, disgusting water slowly backs up in it until finally it starts leaking out all over my kitchen floor. It's a very slow process, I think it's been a year since the last great flood.
At least, once identified, it's a problem that's familiar to me, and one that I know how to fix. Running the dishwasher through a cycle and cleaning all the water off the floor. Magic!
Speaking of magic, I've got a few more spells to cast.
Enjoy you're night, I know I am!
Ed.
So, earlier today when I got home I was thinking about making some dinner. I was strongly considering making some rice, or possibly some pasta. Not the complicated real stuff you might be familiar with, the kind that comes in boxes or other packages. My skills are limited. Boil water, add contents and stir. I can do that. Unfortunately, I was the recipient of a nasty smell. I just couldn't figure it out. I was convinced that it was coming from my sink, so I cleaned it. The smell just wouldn't go away. So I did what any self respecting not-so-handy man would do... I ignored it. Oh, and I ordered Domino's too. Who wants to cook in a smelly kitchen?
Later, as I was getting some water out of the fridge, I happened to step on something. I figured it was the wrapping from my DVD that must have missed the trash or something. Nope, a little bit of water. I looked a little closer and, as my luck would have it, that little bit of water was a huge puddle in my kitchen. Then the light when off. This has happened before. It's been sooooo long that I forgot all about it. If I don't periodically run my dishwasher then dirty, smelly, disgusting water slowly backs up in it until finally it starts leaking out all over my kitchen floor. It's a very slow process, I think it's been a year since the last great flood.
At least, once identified, it's a problem that's familiar to me, and one that I know how to fix. Running the dishwasher through a cycle and cleaning all the water off the floor. Magic!
Speaking of magic, I've got a few more spells to cast.
Enjoy you're night, I know I am!
Ed.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
The Chess, The Girl, and The Island
Apparently I'm not all that I thought I was cracked up to be. Nope, not even close. I showed Bob my chess problem today (posted a few days ago) and asked him if he could find the mate in two. He looked at it, and said "If I put my queen here that's check.". Then he thought about it for a minute and said "no, I think that's checkmate.". So there you have it, Mate in 1 not 2 as I had suggested. I am a little surprised that my friends out in Oregon didn't have anything to say about that one... sleeping on the job again? As for me, well, I guess it's time to get back to my studies. I wonder if Bob's taking students?
For some reason I always forget when I park my truck in the closer lot at work. I was following this girl down to the lower lot tonight (6:30pm, it was cold and dark out), and as we got close to her vehicle (because it was the only one near where she was walking to - I was probably about 10 feet behind) I realized that mine wasn't around. Oops. I didn't want to seem like some weird crazy stalker or anything so I did the only think I could think of. I spoke. I know, usually a mistake. In this particular case, she offered me a ride back to my truck, which I politely turned down. What can I say, I'm an idiot.
I watched "The Island", courtesy of Kip, tonight when I got home from my guitar lesson and WalMart trip, so that was about 9pm. It was a longer movie at 2:15, but if you like sci-fi I actually enjoyed it. I also picked up a new movie while I was at WalMart. I haven't watched it yet so I can't talk about it. That and I can't remember what it was. I know, lame. What can I say? I'm a movie addict.
Ed.
For some reason I always forget when I park my truck in the closer lot at work. I was following this girl down to the lower lot tonight (6:30pm, it was cold and dark out), and as we got close to her vehicle (because it was the only one near where she was walking to - I was probably about 10 feet behind) I realized that mine wasn't around. Oops. I didn't want to seem like some weird crazy stalker or anything so I did the only think I could think of. I spoke. I know, usually a mistake. In this particular case, she offered me a ride back to my truck, which I politely turned down. What can I say, I'm an idiot.
I watched "The Island", courtesy of Kip, tonight when I got home from my guitar lesson and WalMart trip, so that was about 9pm. It was a longer movie at 2:15, but if you like sci-fi I actually enjoyed it. I also picked up a new movie while I was at WalMart. I haven't watched it yet so I can't talk about it. That and I can't remember what it was. I know, lame. What can I say? I'm a movie addict.
Ed.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
The Brushway
Today was a long but interesting day. I'm not really sure where to begin, so how about the beginning. This morning I watched "Knights of the South Bronx" on my TIVO. I had recorded it from earlier this week when it was on A&E. It was a made for TV movie starring Ted Danson based upon a true story. I hate to admit it, but yes, tears fell from my eyes. If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check it out.
I talked with Kip this morning. He's back from Foxwoods and taking some time to recover. I won't go into details, that's his story, so let's hope he decides to tell it.
I slept for a few hours this afternoon. It's probably because I couldn't get myself out of bed at 5am to go workout with Donna. I have to say that I've really been feeling much better again since I've been getting back to the wellness center. The toughest part is knowing that it's a long road ahead. The good news is, it gets easier every day.
Pam was expecting me at around 3:30 today. I'm pretty sure it was shortly after 4:30 when I finally showed up. We did some work on her laptop, ate some pizza that she had orderred from Joe's Cafe, and then I rushed out to the Chess Club to play in the tournament at 6pm. I made it with a minute to spare.
It was an unrated game in 30 event with Larry Williams at the Helm. We had 9 players to start with and there was a $5 entry fee to play. The pairings for Round 1 were pulled out of a hat, with Jesse Cross-Nickerson (and I may have totally hacked up his name because I don't really know it) getting a 1 point bye since we had an odd number of players. I pulled out Antonio Laudati and as we drew for colors he picked White. I won a piece early on in the game and soon blundered it away, followed by my winning of a pawn, almost losing it again, and finally winning on time. Though at that point I had a win on the board as well. At some point during the 1st Round Paul Sarrazine showed up, so we gave him a bye and put him in for Round 2.
Round 2 I was paired against JC (Jesse whose name I don't know how to spell). Without getting into too many details, I played a solid game and won. I think I've talked about this in the past, but I've never been able to fully comprehend the phenomenon of why so many players with lower ratings or no ratings at all are certain that they are better than me. Last time I checked, I really don't suck that bad. Anyway, after the game JC says to me, "Guess that's what happens when you stop playing for a month". Although I wasn't convinced that a month would have helped him so much, I decided to pull a "Brushway" and keep my mouth shut.
After round 2 I was tied with Larry Williams for 1st place with 2 points. Paul Sarrazine had 1.5, and there was a big group with 1 (yes, some with 0 too). In Round 3 Larry and I drew our game which left us tied for 1st place, waiting on the results of Paul Sarrazine and Tom Smith. Paul and Tom ended up drawing an exciting game, which left Larry and I alone at the top. The last round produced some exciting games, most notably Paul and Tom which had a 3-pawn vs knight and pawn ending, and Dave Hall vs Enrique McDonald with a kingside slugfest of tactics that finally brought Dave Hall a very nice win.
So a big thank you to Tom Smith for organizing a small but fun event, Larry Williams for directing, and JC for taking a month off so I could win. For your enjoyment, here's the game I played against JC:
[Event "PVCC G/30"]
[Site "Northampon Burger King"]
[Date "2005.12.10"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Borowski, Edwin"]
[Black "JC"]
[Result "1-0"]
1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 Nf6 4. e3 c5 5. c3 Nc66. Bd3 h6 7. Nbd2 cxd4 8. exd4 Bd6 9. Bxd6 Qxd6 10. Qe2 Bd7 11. Ne5 O-O 12. O-ORac8 13. f4 Ne7 14. g4 Nh7 15. Rae1 f5 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Qxe6+ Qxe6 18. Rxe6Rce8 19. Rfe1 fxg4 20. Rxe7 Rxe7 21. Rxe7 Rxf4 22. Bxh7+ Kxh7 23. Rxb7 h5 24.Rxa7 h4 25. Re7 g3 26. hxg3 hxg3 27. Re2 Kg6 28. Kg2 Rg4 29. Nf3 Kh5 30. Re5+Kg6 31. Rxd5 Kf6 32. Re5 g5 33. Kh3 Rh4+ 34. Nxh4 gxh4 35. a4 Kg6 36. a5 1-0
Until next time,
Ed.
I talked with Kip this morning. He's back from Foxwoods and taking some time to recover. I won't go into details, that's his story, so let's hope he decides to tell it.
I slept for a few hours this afternoon. It's probably because I couldn't get myself out of bed at 5am to go workout with Donna. I have to say that I've really been feeling much better again since I've been getting back to the wellness center. The toughest part is knowing that it's a long road ahead. The good news is, it gets easier every day.
Pam was expecting me at around 3:30 today. I'm pretty sure it was shortly after 4:30 when I finally showed up. We did some work on her laptop, ate some pizza that she had orderred from Joe's Cafe, and then I rushed out to the Chess Club to play in the tournament at 6pm. I made it with a minute to spare.
It was an unrated game in 30 event with Larry Williams at the Helm. We had 9 players to start with and there was a $5 entry fee to play. The pairings for Round 1 were pulled out of a hat, with Jesse Cross-Nickerson (and I may have totally hacked up his name because I don't really know it) getting a 1 point bye since we had an odd number of players. I pulled out Antonio Laudati and as we drew for colors he picked White. I won a piece early on in the game and soon blundered it away, followed by my winning of a pawn, almost losing it again, and finally winning on time. Though at that point I had a win on the board as well. At some point during the 1st Round Paul Sarrazine showed up, so we gave him a bye and put him in for Round 2.
Round 2 I was paired against JC (Jesse whose name I don't know how to spell). Without getting into too many details, I played a solid game and won. I think I've talked about this in the past, but I've never been able to fully comprehend the phenomenon of why so many players with lower ratings or no ratings at all are certain that they are better than me. Last time I checked, I really don't suck that bad. Anyway, after the game JC says to me, "Guess that's what happens when you stop playing for a month". Although I wasn't convinced that a month would have helped him so much, I decided to pull a "Brushway" and keep my mouth shut.
After round 2 I was tied with Larry Williams for 1st place with 2 points. Paul Sarrazine had 1.5, and there was a big group with 1 (yes, some with 0 too). In Round 3 Larry and I drew our game which left us tied for 1st place, waiting on the results of Paul Sarrazine and Tom Smith. Paul and Tom ended up drawing an exciting game, which left Larry and I alone at the top. The last round produced some exciting games, most notably Paul and Tom which had a 3-pawn vs knight and pawn ending, and Dave Hall vs Enrique McDonald with a kingside slugfest of tactics that finally brought Dave Hall a very nice win.
So a big thank you to Tom Smith for organizing a small but fun event, Larry Williams for directing, and JC for taking a month off so I could win. For your enjoyment, here's the game I played against JC:
[Event "PVCC G/30"]
[Site "Northampon Burger King"]
[Date "2005.12.10"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Borowski, Edwin"]
[Black "JC"]
[Result "1-0"]
1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 Nf6 4. e3 c5 5. c3 Nc66. Bd3 h6 7. Nbd2 cxd4 8. exd4 Bd6 9. Bxd6 Qxd6 10. Qe2 Bd7 11. Ne5 O-O 12. O-ORac8 13. f4 Ne7 14. g4 Nh7 15. Rae1 f5 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Qxe6+ Qxe6 18. Rxe6Rce8 19. Rfe1 fxg4 20. Rxe7 Rxe7 21. Rxe7 Rxf4 22. Bxh7+ Kxh7 23. Rxb7 h5 24.Rxa7 h4 25. Re7 g3 26. hxg3 hxg3 27. Re2 Kg6 28. Kg2 Rg4 29. Nf3 Kh5 30. Re5+Kg6 31. Rxd5 Kf6 32. Re5 g5 33. Kh3 Rh4+ 34. Nxh4 gxh4 35. a4 Kg6 36. a5 1-0
Until next time,
Ed.
Friday, December 09, 2005
Drivers "Ed"
The traffic light had just turned red as I pull to a stop at the corner of Main and South. I wanted to take a right to head towards my mothers house and figured I'd take it easy given the weather. Since there were cars going through the Intersection and people waiting to cross the street I figured I'd wait until I had the green light. First it was the cars waiting on State Street to my left, then the people crossing Main Street as the cars on the other side took their left down South. Finally the light turned green for everyone going straight, and the people started crossing South as they had their walk sign. The light would be turning green any second.
As I prepared to inch forward, I was immediately cut off by this car coming from somewhere behind me. They pulled right in front of me and stopped, having to wait for the people to cross the street. I'm not exactly sure how this happened, other than they must of decided that I was an ass for waiting and decided to cut through the lane going straight to cut me off at the turn. I could tell you all the thoughts going through my mind at this point, but it's for the best if you simply use your imagination. Trust me, mine's better!
The light turns green and I immediately decide to pull a Brushway. I accelerate quickly and find myself very close to their car and I really, really, really want to push the gas and see how far I can make them fly. Instead I find myself contemplating the poor road conditions and decide that I'm just being stupid. Which, by the way, ruined the Brushway. So I back off and follow them at a safe distance. As I see them prepare to get into the mini-left lane to go down Old South Street, I proceed to drive as fast as possible past them. All the while thinking nasty, nasty thoughts. I don't think I'll ever understand why there are so many idiot drivers out there.
What can I say. Welcome to Winter!
Enjoy the ride.
Ed.
As I prepared to inch forward, I was immediately cut off by this car coming from somewhere behind me. They pulled right in front of me and stopped, having to wait for the people to cross the street. I'm not exactly sure how this happened, other than they must of decided that I was an ass for waiting and decided to cut through the lane going straight to cut me off at the turn. I could tell you all the thoughts going through my mind at this point, but it's for the best if you simply use your imagination. Trust me, mine's better!
The light turns green and I immediately decide to pull a Brushway. I accelerate quickly and find myself very close to their car and I really, really, really want to push the gas and see how far I can make them fly. Instead I find myself contemplating the poor road conditions and decide that I'm just being stupid. Which, by the way, ruined the Brushway. So I back off and follow them at a safe distance. As I see them prepare to get into the mini-left lane to go down Old South Street, I proceed to drive as fast as possible past them. All the while thinking nasty, nasty thoughts. I don't think I'll ever understand why there are so many idiot drivers out there.
What can I say. Welcome to Winter!
Enjoy the ride.
Ed.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Bad Day?
How many negatives does it take to constitute a bad day? None, really. It's a state of mind. Overall, I wouldn't consider today a bad day... but it had it's moments! Let me count the ways...
How was your day?
Ed.
- 11.5 hours at work
- Only had half a lunch (half a turkey sandwhich)
- Jim and Gayle wanted the other half, but I didn't have half to give
(Reserved for Donna) (Reserved for Donna too) - Happened to catch a guy shaving a guy on TV before giving him a babies foot tattoo
- Went to my guitar lesson to find a note saying that it was cancelled
- Got home to find a message on my machine saying it was cancelled
- Played poker... badly!
- The power of 3 turned to 4, and I realized that somehow my odds actually got worse. Oh, and hell froze over!
How was your day?
Ed.
Say it ain't so
Down to the final 16, Gata Kamsky lost his first game against Alexander Grischuk, now needing to win with White today or be eliminated. Jet Li announced that "Fearless" will be his last martial arts film. Oh, and by the way, Hell froze over.
Welcome to Wednesday!
Ed.
Welcome to Wednesday!
Ed.
Monday, December 05, 2005
The agony
Wow!!! Better yet, shit shit shit shit shit shit shit. I just played the game of my freaking life on the Internet Chess Club, to freaking blunder away into a stalemate with 23 seconds left on my clock. I was playing against one of the computers rated about 200 points higher than me, and I had an amazing position.
What can I say, it's not only the movies that make me cry! Looks like I'll be crying myself to sleep again tonight. shit shit shit shit shit shit shit. And to think, I was coming off of a good poker night where I came in 1st and 2nd out of 4 $10 sit-and-go's.
Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit.
So, enjoy my pain... mate in 2, but I blow it away in 1!!!
My boneheaded move... Qxb5?? stalemate. Can you find the mate in 2? Still, it was an amazing game and, until the last minute, I was thrilled with my play.
Enjoy your night... too late for me ;).
Ed.
What can I say, it's not only the movies that make me cry! Looks like I'll be crying myself to sleep again tonight. shit shit shit shit shit shit shit. And to think, I was coming off of a good poker night where I came in 1st and 2nd out of 4 $10 sit-and-go's.
Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit.
So, enjoy my pain... mate in 2, but I blow it away in 1!!!
My boneheaded move... Qxb5?? stalemate. Can you find the mate in 2? Still, it was an amazing game and, until the last minute, I was thrilled with my play.Enjoy your night... too late for me ;).
Ed.
Secondhand Lions
Taken from the pages of Amazon.com...
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
If you can get past its thick layer of syrup and molasses, Secondhand Lions reveals itself as a thoroughly decent family film that anyone can enjoy. It gets a little sappy sometimes, but there's something to be said for a movie in which Michael Caine and Robert Duvall play eccentric old brothers who take the easy approach to fishing: instead of a peaceful rod and reel, they use 12-gauge shotguns. When 14-year-old Walter (Haley Joel Osment, teetering on puberty) spends an eventful summer with his great-uncles on their vast Texas farmland (he's been dumped there by his delinquent mom, played by Kyra Sedgwick), he soon discovers they've lived lives full of adventure, excitement, passion, and mystery. Either that or they're old-time bank robbers with a long criminal record, and writer-director Tim McCanlies (who invested similar warmth into The Iron Giant) does a nice job of concealing the truth until the very end. Full of enriching lessons and homespun humor, Secondhand Lions has more substance than most family films. If you enjoyed Holes, you'll probably enjoy this movie, too. --Jeff Shannon
I watched it for a second time this past week. What can I say? It made me cry... again.
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
If you can get past its thick layer of syrup and molasses, Secondhand Lions reveals itself as a thoroughly decent family film that anyone can enjoy. It gets a little sappy sometimes, but there's something to be said for a movie in which Michael Caine and Robert Duvall play eccentric old brothers who take the easy approach to fishing: instead of a peaceful rod and reel, they use 12-gauge shotguns. When 14-year-old Walter (Haley Joel Osment, teetering on puberty) spends an eventful summer with his great-uncles on their vast Texas farmland (he's been dumped there by his delinquent mom, played by Kyra Sedgwick), he soon discovers they've lived lives full of adventure, excitement, passion, and mystery. Either that or they're old-time bank robbers with a long criminal record, and writer-director Tim McCanlies (who invested similar warmth into The Iron Giant) does a nice job of concealing the truth until the very end. Full of enriching lessons and homespun humor, Secondhand Lions has more substance than most family films. If you enjoyed Holes, you'll probably enjoy this movie, too. --Jeff Shannon
I watched it for a second time this past week. What can I say? It made me cry... again.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Bad Poker Morning
PRE-FLOP: [QQ]
I was in late position, 2 guys in front of me went all-in. Everyone had been playing crap cards, so I figured it was worth it. I pushed.
G1: [AJ] not suited
G2: [66]
FLOP: [5][6][9]
TURN: [Q]
RIVER: [6]
Suck!!!
Thanks for playing, I'll be here all day!
Ed.
I was in late position, 2 guys in front of me went all-in. Everyone had been playing crap cards, so I figured it was worth it. I pushed.
G1: [AJ] not suited
G2: [66]
FLOP: [5][6][9]
TURN: [Q]
RIVER: [6]
Suck!!!
Thanks for playing, I'll be here all day!
Ed.
Saturday, December 03, 2005
The Rampage
I stopped by the Chess Club tonight planning to only stay for a few minutes. I ended up spending about an hour and a half with Larry going over the following game between Karpov and Kavalek from 1974:
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1067854
It's interesting, since the ending in the book is slightly different then on the site. It was interesting to see a lot of the possible sidelines and commentary by Karpov (not available through the link above, they were in the book).
Next Saturday starting at 6pm we're going to be having a $5 G/30 unrated event at the club, with either 1 or 2 sections based upon the number of players. That should be fun. I guess I'll have to be sure to get out of bed that day.
As for the rampage, well, I guess that depends upon your view. Since the club is at the Northampton Burger King, I decided to pick up a couple of PLAIN bacon double cheeseburgers on my way home. When I got home I sat down to play a little poker and eat. It was shortly thereafter that I noticed this funny taste. That's right, apparently in some parts of the world PLAIN doesn't actually mean PLAIN, it means put everything on it anyway because who would actually want a PLAIN burger. Hello burger, meet trash. Suck!!!
The good news, I proceeded to take 1st place in a 2-table $10 tournament, winning $80.
I Rock!
I hope you enjoyed your Saturday.
Ed.
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1067854
It's interesting, since the ending in the book is slightly different then on the site. It was interesting to see a lot of the possible sidelines and commentary by Karpov (not available through the link above, they were in the book).
Next Saturday starting at 6pm we're going to be having a $5 G/30 unrated event at the club, with either 1 or 2 sections based upon the number of players. That should be fun. I guess I'll have to be sure to get out of bed that day.
As for the rampage, well, I guess that depends upon your view. Since the club is at the Northampton Burger King, I decided to pick up a couple of PLAIN bacon double cheeseburgers on my way home. When I got home I sat down to play a little poker and eat. It was shortly thereafter that I noticed this funny taste. That's right, apparently in some parts of the world PLAIN doesn't actually mean PLAIN, it means put everything on it anyway because who would actually want a PLAIN burger. Hello burger, meet trash. Suck!!!
The good news, I proceeded to take 1st place in a 2-table $10 tournament, winning $80.
I Rock!
I hope you enjoyed your Saturday.
Ed.
The Road Rage
From road rage to rampage, it has certainly been a memorable weekend. Friday night I couldn't help but wonder why we couldn't outlaw idiocy. Especially if you're behind the wheel of a car. Caught behind a train on Damon Road during rush hour, you'd be amazed at how many people think that honking and piling up into a 1 lane road might somehow help the situation. After stopping by the VNA to visit John I moved on down Market Street and happened across another traffic backup. The cars were all the way to market street from the lights by Dunkin Donuts. Not so unimaginable, since the street isn't so long there. But this one guy who was 2 cars back on Market Street waiting to turn left decided he shouldn't have to wait anymore. So while I was driving straight down the street, he figured he'd pull in front of me to "pile up" in the line on the next street. I can only imagine how pleased the car in front of him was as well. I also came across your typical idiots who think they can turn left when there's no left turn while cars are starting to pile up behind them because it's never going to happen, and the classic I can turn left with a red light because the cars that are going to start coming at me will wait because they wouldn't be stupid enough to hit me. Yep, in an amazingly short period of time I saw more stupidity than your average person can handle. It darn near brought me to the edge myself.
Drive Safely!
Ed.
Drive Safely!
Ed.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Whoa, and so much more.
I was ready for a pretty sad, pathetic, miserable end to an otherwise interesting day... but instead I chanced upon watching a few minutes of "Will & Grace" and hit upon the following nugget of an insipid exchange of verbal expressionism:
For reference, EB is not me, it's Ed Burns playing the "hunky greeting card writer". Granted, I am hunky and I could write greeting cards.
Grace: "What!? You're serious. You write greeting cards?"
EB: "I prefer to think of them as extremely short stories."
Grace: "OK, I'm going to try and be careful here about what I say next because I don't want to offend you, but your job is lame."
EB: "And ahhh, I'm guessing by the rows of fabric and the tassles that you work for UNICEF?"
Grace: "At least I don't perpetuate the myth that if you're not in love in the middle of February that there's something wrong with you."
EB: "And the real myth must be that February 14th is the only day that you're unpleasant and bitter."
Grace: "Whoa."
What can I say, it almost brought the tears to my eyes.
As my luck would have it, I also had the fortuitiveness of experiencing cupid's arrow today. It turns out that cupid... not as good a shot as one might expect. I can still feel it. Not to worry though, just because one is taken from the path does not mean that they have lost their way.
Ed.
For reference, EB is not me, it's Ed Burns playing the "hunky greeting card writer". Granted, I am hunky and I could write greeting cards.
Grace: "What!? You're serious. You write greeting cards?"
EB: "I prefer to think of them as extremely short stories."
Grace: "OK, I'm going to try and be careful here about what I say next because I don't want to offend you, but your job is lame."
EB: "And ahhh, I'm guessing by the rows of fabric and the tassles that you work for UNICEF?"
Grace: "At least I don't perpetuate the myth that if you're not in love in the middle of February that there's something wrong with you."
EB: "And the real myth must be that February 14th is the only day that you're unpleasant and bitter."
Grace: "Whoa."
What can I say, it almost brought the tears to my eyes.
As my luck would have it, I also had the fortuitiveness of experiencing cupid's arrow today. It turns out that cupid... not as good a shot as one might expect. I can still feel it. Not to worry though, just because one is taken from the path does not mean that they have lost their way.
Ed.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
FIDE Knockout
In case you haven't been following the FIDE World Cub that is currently under way in Russia, well, it's under way! Two of my favorite American players are playing, Gata Kamsky and Hikaru Nakamura. I'm hoping that Gata does well. He's been out of the chess scene for a number of years, having once been one of the top players in the world. Hikaru, the young wonderkid from New York, was knocked out in the first round. Anyway, I won't go into details, if you're interested you can check it out at http://www.chessbase.com. They have regular updates on the status of the event.
No soup for you
What a disappointment. I went down to watch "The Office" at around 10 tonight, on my tivo, just to find that there was nothing. Nothing. So I searched through the handy on-screen channel guide to see what went wrong. Nothing. It wasn't on. The tivo was right, but it felt so wrong.
Luckily my night is almost over anyway, so it didn't mess up my whole day! Speaking of days, I've had worse. Not really so bad today. A few accomplishments too. Let's hear it for psychologically unstable, emotionally challenged, utterly hopeless me having a not so bad day. The wonders of the world never cease to amaze me.
Until next time, enjoy the miles!
Ed.
Luckily my night is almost over anyway, so it didn't mess up my whole day! Speaking of days, I've had worse. Not really so bad today. A few accomplishments too. Let's hear it for psychologically unstable, emotionally challenged, utterly hopeless me having a not so bad day. The wonders of the world never cease to amaze me.
Until next time, enjoy the miles!
Ed.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Happy Thanksgiving
I've always thought that there was something magical about the first snowfall of the year. Once you get past knowing that the next 4 months will be full of cold, wet, damp, dark, and dreary, it's all good. Speaking of good, I caught the last 30 minutes or so of Kenny Chesney on TV last night. I was having my guitar lesson and, when I was getting ready to go, Janice happened to be watching it on TV. After that Faith Hill was on. I'm not a big Faith Hill fan, but I do like her new song "Fireflies". I know, sappy. So I left after she sang it.
So here we are, Thanksgiving Day. I'm really hoping to spend some time today working with the scriptaculous autocomplete functionality. My main goal is to be able to do some customizations of the drop down that it creates for you. I know how to do the basics, change the background color and border, but when it adds items it creates "list items" instead of just "items". What I mean is that, if you're familiar with lists in Word, it creates a circle next to the item that you have in the list. I think it's because I'm using a local array to populate the list instead of an AJAX call to populate the list with dynamic data. I say that because I went through the source for the control, and it looks like when you call it with Autocomplete.local it uses the tags, but when you call it with a link to a page that contains your data it doesn't use those tags. We'll see.
So, what is scriptaculous? It's a javascript library that someone developed to simplify certain functionality for web development. It comes with certain effects, drag and drop functionality, autocomplete functionality, and more. I'm not sure where it will fit in for me in the long term, but I was interested in it's autocomplete functionality. And it does seem to be one of the more popular javascript frameworks out there.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Eat well, and be well!
Ed.
So here we are, Thanksgiving Day. I'm really hoping to spend some time today working with the scriptaculous autocomplete functionality. My main goal is to be able to do some customizations of the drop down that it creates for you. I know how to do the basics, change the background color and border, but when it adds items it creates "list items" instead of just "items". What I mean is that, if you're familiar with lists in Word, it creates a circle next to the item that you have in the list. I think it's because I'm using a local array to populate the list instead of an AJAX call to populate the list with dynamic data. I say that because I went through the source for the control, and it looks like when you call it with Autocomplete.local it uses the tags, but when you call it with a link to a page that contains your data it doesn't use those tags. We'll see.
So, what is scriptaculous? It's a javascript library that someone developed to simplify certain functionality for web development. It comes with certain effects, drag and drop functionality, autocomplete functionality, and more. I'm not sure where it will fit in for me in the long term, but I was interested in it's autocomplete functionality. And it does seem to be one of the more popular javascript frameworks out there.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Eat well, and be well!
Ed.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Freedom
Time has a way of passing us by. Where does it all go? So much to do, so little motivation. That's what I always say. Now I'm no Lemony Snicket, and for that I am truly thankful, but unfortunate events... that's my game!
Last Sunday I had the opportunity to direct my first chess tournament. The turnout was about half of what was hoped for, but it was a fun day with a lot of good chess. A special thank you to Tom Smith for organizing the event, Ed Kostreba for all of his help, and Larry Williams for his last minute appearance and giving Ed a ride home.
I picked up 2 games this weekend. One for the pc and one for the xbox. "The Movies" for the PC and "Path of Neo" for the XBOX. What do I think? Suck and Sweet. The bad news, I just don't get into games like I used to.
He looked a little lost walking out the door, but I think I knew what he was searching for...
and now, back to the rest of my life.
Ed.
Last Sunday I had the opportunity to direct my first chess tournament. The turnout was about half of what was hoped for, but it was a fun day with a lot of good chess. A special thank you to Tom Smith for organizing the event, Ed Kostreba for all of his help, and Larry Williams for his last minute appearance and giving Ed a ride home.
I picked up 2 games this weekend. One for the pc and one for the xbox. "The Movies" for the PC and "Path of Neo" for the XBOX. What do I think? Suck and Sweet. The bad news, I just don't get into games like I used to.
He looked a little lost walking out the door, but I think I knew what he was searching for...
and now, back to the rest of my life.
Ed.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
The more I learn
Sometimes I'm amazed at how much there is to know. It pains me to know that I'm one of the ones stuck in the in-between. How do you get out of it? Is it even possible? Welcome to my life.
As unexpected as it may have been after yesterday, I found this morning that it wasn't meant to be. The Matrix: Path of Neo doesn't work on my computer. My graphics card isn't powerful enough. I'd consider upgrading it, but knowing that my computer is passing 3 years old, I'm pretty sure I'll find that I have another problem shortly thereafter. I think I'll call it "suck". Maybe I'll consider picking it up for the PS2 or XBOX, we'll see.
I did a little more work today with AJAX and designing a test page for what may someday become my crowning achievement. Mostly, though, I slept.
For tonight I'll leave you with this:
How you ever gonna know, if you never chase the dream?
Thanks Garth.
Have a good one, Ed.
As unexpected as it may have been after yesterday, I found this morning that it wasn't meant to be. The Matrix: Path of Neo doesn't work on my computer. My graphics card isn't powerful enough. I'd consider upgrading it, but knowing that my computer is passing 3 years old, I'm pretty sure I'll find that I have another problem shortly thereafter. I think I'll call it "suck". Maybe I'll consider picking it up for the PS2 or XBOX, we'll see.
I did a little more work today with AJAX and designing a test page for what may someday become my crowning achievement. Mostly, though, I slept.
For tonight I'll leave you with this:
How you ever gonna know, if you never chase the dream?
Thanks Garth.
Have a good one, Ed.
Friday, November 11, 2005
I'll take that to go, please.
da da da do do dum dum
da da da do do dum dum
Who would have believed it? The good news is that it wasn't all bad. Nope, it just started out that way. I guess that's what we get playing this lifetime lottery. Yes, I stole some of that line. Come on now, I'm not that creative.
Today I was on holiday. Yep, Holiday. That's what I'm calling it! Plus, I'm pretty sure it was a holiday today, I just couldn't tell you what one. I'm just another part of the unfortunate degredation of our once proud society. But, even so, it was still a holiday!
My day started out with a trip to McDonalds. Originally I wanted some honey buns, what can I say, but I needed some money and the bank machine near the convenient store was a little "questionable". I won't go into details, but needless to say that a last minute change of plans took place. I went to another bank machine, and that brought me to McDonalds. My Sausage and Egg McMuffins stripped me of a little over 4 dollars. Since I had just come from the bank machine, with only twenties in my wallet, I was a little surprised to only receive a few cents back. hmm... this was going to be uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry, didn't I give you a twenty?"
"Nope, you gave me a five."
"I'm pretty sure it was a twenty."
"No, it was a five."
... trainer guy speaks up ...
"You gave him a five. If you want I'll check the tape."
"yeah."
... trainer guy leaves ...
"what did he say?"
... so I'm a little slow! I just said yes cause it seemed like the thing to say ...
"he's going to check the tape."
... trainer guy goes to check the tape
... which is going to say I gave a five
... since newbie cashier guy says I
... gave him a five ...
... trainer guy returns ...
"The tape says you gave him a five."
"I gave him a twenty."
"If you have a problem with it you'll have to talk to the manager at the next window."
... I drive up to the next window ...
"You the one that said you gave a twenty?"
"yes"
"I'm not trying to say that you're lying, but the tape says that you gave a five."
"I gave a twenty."
"The only way to prove that would be for me to cash out the drawer and see if it comes out over."
"ok."
"Do you want me to do that?"
"yes, please."
And to make a long story short, I left my name and number. I wanted to get home because Kip and I had a multiplayer game of Civ 4 planned. After we finally got the game set up, my phone rang. It was the manager from McDonalds:
... it's been a while, so I can't promise the words are exact ...
"Hello, I'm calling for Jack Black"
"This is Jack."
"Hello Jack, this is Jane Doe from McDonalds. We cashed out the register and found that it was $15 over. Since you are claiming that you gave us a twenty, I'll leave $15 in an envelope for you with your name on it. You can just come in and pick it up whenever you want."
"Thank you."
There you have it. In the end they still wouldn't admit that I was right! I was not impressed with their customer service on that one. More to come in a bit...
So, back to Civ 4. After about 15 minutes of playing Kip calls me. "This sucks". And that was that. Multiplayer Civ 4... sucks.
So, what was good about today? Well, I did more research on AJAX (Asychronous Javascript and XML) and some of the various frameworks out there to simplify implementing it. I bought 2 new movies, one of which I watched (The Perfect Man). And... I bought The Matrix: Path of Neo, which I installed but haven't tried playing yet. I'll save that for tomorrow. I'm concerned that I'll find my computer just a little too old for a graphics intensive game, and I'd rather avoid another disappointment today.
Aside from that, as usually, just another day in paradise!
I hope you're enjoying yours.
Ed.
da da da do do dum dum
Who would have believed it? The good news is that it wasn't all bad. Nope, it just started out that way. I guess that's what we get playing this lifetime lottery. Yes, I stole some of that line. Come on now, I'm not that creative.
Today I was on holiday. Yep, Holiday. That's what I'm calling it! Plus, I'm pretty sure it was a holiday today, I just couldn't tell you what one. I'm just another part of the unfortunate degredation of our once proud society. But, even so, it was still a holiday!
My day started out with a trip to McDonalds. Originally I wanted some honey buns, what can I say, but I needed some money and the bank machine near the convenient store was a little "questionable". I won't go into details, but needless to say that a last minute change of plans took place. I went to another bank machine, and that brought me to McDonalds. My Sausage and Egg McMuffins stripped me of a little over 4 dollars. Since I had just come from the bank machine, with only twenties in my wallet, I was a little surprised to only receive a few cents back. hmm... this was going to be uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry, didn't I give you a twenty?"
"Nope, you gave me a five."
"I'm pretty sure it was a twenty."
"No, it was a five."
... trainer guy speaks up ...
"You gave him a five. If you want I'll check the tape."
"yeah."
... trainer guy leaves ...
"what did he say?"
... so I'm a little slow! I just said yes cause it seemed like the thing to say ...
"he's going to check the tape."
... trainer guy goes to check the tape
... which is going to say I gave a five
... since newbie cashier guy says I
... gave him a five ...
... trainer guy returns ...
"The tape says you gave him a five."
"I gave him a twenty."
"If you have a problem with it you'll have to talk to the manager at the next window."
... I drive up to the next window ...
"You the one that said you gave a twenty?"
"yes"
"I'm not trying to say that you're lying, but the tape says that you gave a five."
"I gave a twenty."
"The only way to prove that would be for me to cash out the drawer and see if it comes out over."
"ok."
"Do you want me to do that?"
"yes, please."
And to make a long story short, I left my name and number. I wanted to get home because Kip and I had a multiplayer game of Civ 4 planned. After we finally got the game set up, my phone rang. It was the manager from McDonalds:
... it's been a while, so I can't promise the words are exact ...
"Hello, I'm calling for Jack Black"
"This is Jack."
"Hello Jack, this is Jane Doe from McDonalds. We cashed out the register and found that it was $15 over. Since you are claiming that you gave us a twenty, I'll leave $15 in an envelope for you with your name on it. You can just come in and pick it up whenever you want."
"Thank you."
There you have it. In the end they still wouldn't admit that I was right! I was not impressed with their customer service on that one. More to come in a bit...
So, back to Civ 4. After about 15 minutes of playing Kip calls me. "This sucks". And that was that. Multiplayer Civ 4... sucks.
So, what was good about today? Well, I did more research on AJAX (Asychronous Javascript and XML) and some of the various frameworks out there to simplify implementing it. I bought 2 new movies, one of which I watched (The Perfect Man). And... I bought The Matrix: Path of Neo, which I installed but haven't tried playing yet. I'll save that for tomorrow. I'm concerned that I'll find my computer just a little too old for a graphics intensive game, and I'd rather avoid another disappointment today.
Aside from that, as usually, just another day in paradise!
I hope you're enjoying yours.
Ed.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
The Road and the Radio
Kenny Chesney's new album is finally out! I think I need to listen to it about 25 more times before I have a good feel, but right off I can say that I really enjoy about half of it. Not a bad start! So far one of my favorites is "Like Me". There's an interesting article about it here:
http://www.gactv.com/artists/chesney_k.html
And on that note...!
Ed.
http://www.gactv.com/artists/chesney_k.html
And on that note...!
Ed.
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Some place that he'd rather be?
Civ... 4
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing!
I haven't forgotten you all. Nope, just been a busy week. I still want to get my games up from the tournament this past weekend, so hopefully I'll get to that this weekend... if not sooner. I did want to mention that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has been delayed. Now it's due out by the end of February. I'll get by. I still haven't purchased Civ IV yet. It pains me to no end. I think part of it is because I loved Civ II so much, and didn't get into Civ III as much as I had hoped, so I'm going back and forth on whether it's actually worth the purchase. These days it's like that with everything. Sad. Very Sad.
It wasn't that many years ago that I used to go to the store every friday and look for a new game to buy. What I do now with DVD's I used to do with computer games. It was one of those weekly trips that first got me into Diablo way back in the late 90's. It turned out to be one of my favorite all-time games.
No chess tournaments this weeked. Larry and I decided not to go to Bradley to play. Instead we're going to play in the 1-day the following weekend in Florence. That gives me a little time to practice some more. I need to tune up my game a little bit after this past weekend. Primarily I need to look over my loss in much more detail. It was one of those games where I was sure at several points that I was better, but in the end I made the final mistake. And so it goes...
Alright, I'm getting super tired. An early night to bed I fear. Another sign of my impending age crisis. I was hoping I'd get another 20 years before I hit this point, but hey, at least I got, umm, forget that.
Have a good night! I hope that my friends out in Bend are doing well and missing me this year. Soon! Spring? We'll see. But not forgotten, never that!
Ed.
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing!
I haven't forgotten you all. Nope, just been a busy week. I still want to get my games up from the tournament this past weekend, so hopefully I'll get to that this weekend... if not sooner. I did want to mention that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has been delayed. Now it's due out by the end of February. I'll get by. I still haven't purchased Civ IV yet. It pains me to no end. I think part of it is because I loved Civ II so much, and didn't get into Civ III as much as I had hoped, so I'm going back and forth on whether it's actually worth the purchase. These days it's like that with everything. Sad. Very Sad.
It wasn't that many years ago that I used to go to the store every friday and look for a new game to buy. What I do now with DVD's I used to do with computer games. It was one of those weekly trips that first got me into Diablo way back in the late 90's. It turned out to be one of my favorite all-time games.
No chess tournaments this weeked. Larry and I decided not to go to Bradley to play. Instead we're going to play in the 1-day the following weekend in Florence. That gives me a little time to practice some more. I need to tune up my game a little bit after this past weekend. Primarily I need to look over my loss in much more detail. It was one of those games where I was sure at several points that I was better, but in the end I made the final mistake. And so it goes...
Alright, I'm getting super tired. An early night to bed I fear. Another sign of my impending age crisis. I was hoping I'd get another 20 years before I hit this point, but hey, at least I got, umm, forget that.
Have a good night! I hope that my friends out in Bend are doing well and missing me this year. Soon! Spring? We'll see. But not forgotten, never that!
Ed.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Green Mountain Open: Conclusion
It's over. Larry and I finished with 3.5/5 pts, so it was certainly a respectable score. I had 3 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw. Larry had 3 wins, 1 loss, and a bye. He wasn't feeling that well on Saturday night so he took a round to recuperate. We walked away with $40 each, which partially covered the entry fee for the tournament. Paul Budney was also there and did not fare so well. The complete results are available at http://www.chesstour.com/gmo05r.htm
I'll be going over some of my games this week, so stay tuned for some excitement. I still have to decide it I'm going to play next weekend. We'll see. The Matrix: Path of Neo is due out for the PC on November 15th, so it's definitely looking to be one of the most exciting months in years for computer games. At least for me. I can't remember the last time there were several games out that I wanted to play. I haven't really gotten into a game in probably a few years. We'll see what the knockout combination of Civilization IV and Path of Neo can do. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is also due out later in the month, so very exciting indeed. Though if my trend continues, after several hours I'll be tired of them.
Alright, I suppose it's time to face another day.
Until next time.
Ed.
I'll be going over some of my games this week, so stay tuned for some excitement. I still have to decide it I'm going to play next weekend. We'll see. The Matrix: Path of Neo is due out for the PC on November 15th, so it's definitely looking to be one of the most exciting months in years for computer games. At least for me. I can't remember the last time there were several games out that I wanted to play. I haven't really gotten into a game in probably a few years. We'll see what the knockout combination of Civilization IV and Path of Neo can do. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is also due out later in the month, so very exciting indeed. Though if my trend continues, after several hours I'll be tired of them.
Alright, I suppose it's time to face another day.
Until next time.
Ed.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Green Mountain Open
Today is the big day. Larry and I will be going to Mount Snow this weekend to play in the Green Mountain Open. I've been trying to play more over the past 2 weeks to get "back in shape" and I've got to say, I'm playing terribly. I've been continually trying to complicate positions only to find that my opponent found better moves than I.
Sid Meier's Civilization IV came out this week, so if I wasn't going to play chess I'd certainly be locked up in my house all weekend playing this game. I'll have to keep those plans on hold until another available weekend shows up. Next week might be another tournament, we'll see. If I play really badly this weekend I may need to go next week just to try to recover :).
There is a famous saying that goes: Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make men happy. To be politically correct, I think at some point that was changed from "men" to "people". I must say, I think chess has power to do a lot more than make someone happy. Happy certainly doesn't describe the feeling after you've been crushed by someone rated hundreds of points lower than you.
Alright, I need to be moving. I'll be leaving in less than an hour and still far too much to do.
Have a great weekend!
Ed.
Sid Meier's Civilization IV came out this week, so if I wasn't going to play chess I'd certainly be locked up in my house all weekend playing this game. I'll have to keep those plans on hold until another available weekend shows up. Next week might be another tournament, we'll see. If I play really badly this weekend I may need to go next week just to try to recover :).
There is a famous saying that goes: Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make men happy. To be politically correct, I think at some point that was changed from "men" to "people". I must say, I think chess has power to do a lot more than make someone happy. Happy certainly doesn't describe the feeling after you've been crushed by someone rated hundreds of points lower than you.
Alright, I need to be moving. I'll be leaving in less than an hour and still far too much to do.
Have a great weekend!
Ed.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
The Push Up
The magic number for today, 25. Not bad considering I was expecting to get to 5.
This ole boy stood up in the aisle
Said he'd been living a life of denial
And he cried, as he talked about wasted years
I couldn't believe what I heard
It was my life word for word
and all of a sudden, it was clear
(Taken from "Simple Things" by Kenny Chesney)
Have a good night.
Ed.
This ole boy stood up in the aisle
Said he'd been living a life of denial
And he cried, as he talked about wasted years
I couldn't believe what I heard
It was my life word for word
and all of a sudden, it was clear
(Taken from "Simple Things" by Kenny Chesney)
Have a good night.
Ed.
I'm not so sure that you're on the right track.
If Gary Kasparov had any advice to give to my opponent, I'm pretty sure it would go like... "I'm not so sure that you're on the right track.". Either that or... "Not like I would have played it.". If you've never played Kasparov's Gambit, then you probably don't get the joke. Kasparov's Gambit came out in 1993, and I can remember Sean and I cracking up at all the great comments Gary would have about your game. It was definitely a lot of fun.
Here is what I felt was the most exciting point in the game. My opponent was already lost out of the opening, but being lost and losing are two different things. It was a strange feeling, usually it's me that is lost out of the opening and has to fight to try to equalize before it's over.
Here I played 25.Nc6!. For your enjoyment, here is the game in its entirety (I was playing white).
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Bg5 c5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Nc3 O-O 6. e3 d5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8.Bxe7 Nxc3 9. Bxd8 Nxd1 10. Rxd1 Rxd8 11. dxc5 Rxd1+ 12. Kxd1 a5 13. Bb5 Bd714. Bc4 Na6 15. Bxa6 Rxa6 16. Kd2 f6 17. Rc1 e5 18. Ne1 Be6 19. a3 a4 20.Nd3 Kf7 21. Nb4 Ra8 22. c6 b5 23. Rc5 Bc4 24. c7 Rc8 25. Nc6 Ke6 26. Na7 Kd727. Nxc8 Kxc8 28. Kc3 h5 29. g3 Bf1 30. Kb4 Bd3 31. Ka5 Be2 32. Kb6 Bc4 33.Kc6 g5 34. h4 g4 35. Kd6 {Black resigns} 1-0
Here is what I felt was the most exciting point in the game. My opponent was already lost out of the opening, but being lost and losing are two different things. It was a strange feeling, usually it's me that is lost out of the opening and has to fight to try to equalize before it's over.
Here I played 25.Nc6!. For your enjoyment, here is the game in its entirety (I was playing white).
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Bg5 c5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Nc3 O-O 6. e3 d5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8.Bxe7 Nxc3 9. Bxd8 Nxd1 10. Rxd1 Rxd8 11. dxc5 Rxd1+ 12. Kxd1 a5 13. Bb5 Bd714. Bc4 Na6 15. Bxa6 Rxa6 16. Kd2 f6 17. Rc1 e5 18. Ne1 Be6 19. a3 a4 20.Nd3 Kf7 21. Nb4 Ra8 22. c6 b5 23. Rc5 Bc4 24. c7 Rc8 25. Nc6 Ke6 26. Na7 Kd727. Nxc8 Kxc8 28. Kc3 h5 29. g3 Bf1 30. Kb4 Bd3 31. Ka5 Be2 32. Kb6 Bc4 33.Kc6 g5 34. h4 g4 35. Kd6 {Black resigns} 1-0
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Over and Over again
Hmm, I wonder if when Klymaxx sang "Still Say Yes" they were thinking about chess? Probably not, and yet here I find myself singing that song in my head while thinking about chess. Then again, they named themselves Klymaxx, so I don't think it should really matter to me what they were thinking. In fact, I don't care. Let's not talk about it again. Thanks!
So, I played 2 quick games of chess tonight when I got home from my guitar lesson. When I say quick, I mean that they were both G/15. The first game is what I'm going to share because, well, I had a little problem in the 2nd game. It was a great game, against a similarly rated opponent which, if you're familiar with on-line chess, means absolutely nothing. I was starting to feel a little uncertain. Like I was getting beat. So I slapped myself in the face a few times (not really), told myself to get a grip, and looked at the position with an eye towards trying to identify the imbalances. I finally formulated what I felt was a solid plan with exciting possibilities. It was like a overcame a hurdle that had been blocking me for a long time. It was such a great feeling. In the past when faced with similar situations I'd simply play moves that looked OK without being able to fully formulate a reasonable plan based upon such factors. At that point, when I was about to make my move, I noticed that I had lost my connection to the ICC, and therefore lost the game by forfeit. When Garth said that "some of gods greatest gifts are unanswered prayeres" I'm guessing that he wasn't thinking about chess either.
The game I'm going to share is primarily for the tactics. Not that the game itself was a tactical slugfest, it wasn't. But due to the fact that my opponent missed some of my tactical possibilities, I was able to play them. I hope you enjoy! (I had some strange issue uploading images tonight, otherwise I was going to add a few diagrams to go along with the game)
[Event "ICC 15 0"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2005.10.19"]
[Round "-"]
[White "RASMALAI"]
[Black "EdBorowski"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ICCResult "White resigns"]
[WhiteElo "1708"]
[BlackElo "1946"]
[Opening "Sicilian: Grand Prix attack"]
[ECO "B21"]
[NIC "SI.48"]
[Time "21:23:50"]
[TimeControl "900+0"]
1. e4 c5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qd8 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Bc4 e6 7. O-O Nf6 8.d3 Bd6 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 Nc6 11. Re1 O-O 12. g4 Qc7 13. g5 Nd4 14. Qf2 Nh515. Rf1 a6 16. Ne4 Bxf4 17. Bxf4 Nxf4 18. Qxf4 Ne2+ 19. Kh1 Nxf4 20. Rae1 b521. Bb3 Nxh3 22. Rf3 Nf4 23. Ref1 e5 24. Ng3 a5 25. a3 a4 26. Ba2 b4 27.R1f2 Rab8 28. Rh2 Qc6 29. Ne4 bxa3 30. bxa3 Rb2 31. Bc4 Rb1+ {White resigns}0-1
So, I played 2 quick games of chess tonight when I got home from my guitar lesson. When I say quick, I mean that they were both G/15. The first game is what I'm going to share because, well, I had a little problem in the 2nd game. It was a great game, against a similarly rated opponent which, if you're familiar with on-line chess, means absolutely nothing. I was starting to feel a little uncertain. Like I was getting beat. So I slapped myself in the face a few times (not really), told myself to get a grip, and looked at the position with an eye towards trying to identify the imbalances. I finally formulated what I felt was a solid plan with exciting possibilities. It was like a overcame a hurdle that had been blocking me for a long time. It was such a great feeling. In the past when faced with similar situations I'd simply play moves that looked OK without being able to fully formulate a reasonable plan based upon such factors. At that point, when I was about to make my move, I noticed that I had lost my connection to the ICC, and therefore lost the game by forfeit. When Garth said that "some of gods greatest gifts are unanswered prayeres" I'm guessing that he wasn't thinking about chess either.
The game I'm going to share is primarily for the tactics. Not that the game itself was a tactical slugfest, it wasn't. But due to the fact that my opponent missed some of my tactical possibilities, I was able to play them. I hope you enjoy! (I had some strange issue uploading images tonight, otherwise I was going to add a few diagrams to go along with the game)
[Event "ICC 15 0"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2005.10.19"]
[Round "-"]
[White "RASMALAI"]
[Black "EdBorowski"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ICCResult "White resigns"]
[WhiteElo "1708"]
[BlackElo "1946"]
[Opening "Sicilian: Grand Prix attack"]
[ECO "B21"]
[NIC "SI.48"]
[Time "21:23:50"]
[TimeControl "900+0"]
1. e4 c5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qd8 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Bc4 e6 7. O-O Nf6 8.d3 Bd6 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 Nc6 11. Re1 O-O 12. g4 Qc7 13. g5 Nd4 14. Qf2 Nh515. Rf1 a6 16. Ne4 Bxf4 17. Bxf4 Nxf4 18. Qxf4 Ne2+ 19. Kh1 Nxf4 20. Rae1 b521. Bb3 Nxh3 22. Rf3 Nf4 23. Ref1 e5 24. Ng3 a5 25. a3 a4 26. Ba2 b4 27.R1f2 Rab8 28. Rh2 Qc6 29. Ne4 bxa3 30. bxa3 Rb2 31. Bc4 Rb1+ {White resigns}0-1
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
An Experiment Gone Bad
I spent a little time tonight working on an animated gif. Rather than give you the final, polished version I thought I'd share this one instead. Sometimes are failures are just as interesting as our successes.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
The Bagel
I think I ate a moldy bagel tonight. I think I might be sick. I didn't notice it right away, it really looked like a perfectly normal, healthy bagel. It wasn't that old either, so I didn't really consider the possibility ahead of time. When I was almost done with it, I noticed a spec of green. I immediately went to my other bagel, the one that I didn't eat, and carefully examined it. No green. So it's definitely possible that I'm mold free. But because I'm a believer in possibilities I have to throw it out there.
Just in case you're thinking of trying it at home, definitely not a recommended daily dietary supplement. I'd recommend against it. Unless, of course, you happen to be one of the legendary pokemon. As I was doing some quick research to find out what I could expect if the bagel was, in fact, moldy, I came across countless evidence that the pokemon can eat whatever they want. I am not a pokemon, nor do I wish to be.
Tomorrow I'm planning to go to Palmer to play in a chess tournament for the day. As usual, I may have just made my day more interesting. Let's hope for the best!
Ed.
Just in case you're thinking of trying it at home, definitely not a recommended daily dietary supplement. I'd recommend against it. Unless, of course, you happen to be one of the legendary pokemon. As I was doing some quick research to find out what I could expect if the bagel was, in fact, moldy, I came across countless evidence that the pokemon can eat whatever they want. I am not a pokemon, nor do I wish to be.
Tomorrow I'm planning to go to Palmer to play in a chess tournament for the day. As usual, I may have just made my day more interesting. Let's hope for the best!
Ed.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Turning Stone... and I'm back home!
I'm definitely happy to be back home. It was fun, and different, but home is home. The worst part was the ride back. Don't get me wrong, it was a much better ride than Friday night. But before I get ahead of myself, I suppose I should start at the beginning.
After checking out of the hotel this morning I went to drop my bags in the car. It was drizzling out but at least it wasn't raining. I couldn't remember where I parked my car, so I started walking around a little. I was finally convinced that I was walking in the wrong direction, was about to turn around, when I saw it out of the corner of my eye. That almost sucked! When I got to my car I considered leaving right then to avoid the rain which I thought was coming, but I decided against it. I had gone to play in at least the 2 11am tournaments, so I figured that I really had to stay for it. It was probably around 8:45 when I got to the poker room and put my name down for a $1/$3 limit table. Kip was already down there playing so I talked to him for a little bit while waiting for a seat or another table to open. After about 30 minutes they called my name. After going to the table I found that it was the wrong limits. The desk apologized. False alarm. Figures!
I waiting around a little while longer and finally started considering playing in the $100/no-limit game that had seats available. I've only played no-limit on the Internet, so I was a little nervous about it. Since you can theoretically lose your entire stack in a single hand. Still, I consider no-limit my game, so I thought it was worth a try. Within an hour I was out, lost $100. Since I wanted to limit myself to losing no more than $100 a day at the tables, I decided not to buy back in. I will say that I felt good in that I didn't feel like I was out of my league. I had a few good hands that got beat. That's all it takes.
At this point I was a bit frustrated so I decided to take a walk. Kip was still sitting in at the $1/$3 limit table which, if you know Kip, is where he'd spend 16 hours a day if he could. Stupid me, while I was walking I decided to try the slot machines. After losing $50 in about 15 minutes I decided it was time to try the nickel slots. After losing about $10 in another 15 minutes, I decided I was done. It was almost 11 anyway, so I found Kip getting up from his table and we went to wait for the tournament to start.
The buy-in for today's tournament was a little more than yesterday. I think it was about $120. There ended up being around 85 or so participants and only the top 10, the final table, paid. Early on in the tournament Kip got up to check on me. I think he was surprised to see I had such a big stack. I was getting all the cards, it was great! It seemed like every hand I got into I won. Kip got knocked out at some point before the 1st break, and by the time the 1st break came around my stack had fallen back down to reality. My reality that is. Which unfortunately means that I was one of the shorter stacks at the table now.
The 1st break was at around 12:45 for 30 minutes. I went down and talked with Kip in the sandwich shop. He was eating lunch. I decided not to eat because I didn't want to risk having to get up from the table in the middle of the tournament. For some reason I forgot to take Advil with me, so I knew that I was going to be in some trouble later in the afternoon. Before I left to go back Kip wished me luck, and I told him I'd probably be knocked out in a few minutes. It was a few minutes late, but at around 1:25 the tournament continued.
About 90 minutes later I gave Kip another call. We were on another break while they got the final table set up. That's right, I made it to the final table!!! It was pretty crazy, seeing how nervous everyone got while playing. I was surprised at how calm I felt. The only time that I would start to lose it is if I looked at someone in the eyes. The way poker players tend to stare at their opponents to catch some glimpse of what they're hiding. I can't do it. It cracks me up! I tried it a few times, but I just started laughing so I decided it was better that I just focus on nothing.
It was a little disappointing to come so far and not win it, but I came in 3rd place. I think it was around $886 that I won. Enough to cover my expenses, and a little bit extra. I wonder if they take taxes out of it? If so, I take back the bit extra. It was definitely an amazing experience. Maybe just beginners luck, but I'll take it just the same. I left shortly after, with Kip back at the tables. He decided to move up to the $3/$6 limit tables, so I hope he's finding it both fun and profitable. He was also playing in the 7pm Satellite tonight for a seat in next weekends big tournament. I wish him well!
As for me, I stopped on the highway in New York to buy some overpriced Advil so I managed to avoid the worst of it. Now, I'm happy to be home again.
I'm a little wiped, so I'm off to get some sleep and enjoy tomorrow off. One of the things that chess tournaments and poker tournaments have in common, they both take a lot out of you.
I hope you've enjoyed my trip, I know I did.
Ed.
After checking out of the hotel this morning I went to drop my bags in the car. It was drizzling out but at least it wasn't raining. I couldn't remember where I parked my car, so I started walking around a little. I was finally convinced that I was walking in the wrong direction, was about to turn around, when I saw it out of the corner of my eye. That almost sucked! When I got to my car I considered leaving right then to avoid the rain which I thought was coming, but I decided against it. I had gone to play in at least the 2 11am tournaments, so I figured that I really had to stay for it. It was probably around 8:45 when I got to the poker room and put my name down for a $1/$3 limit table. Kip was already down there playing so I talked to him for a little bit while waiting for a seat or another table to open. After about 30 minutes they called my name. After going to the table I found that it was the wrong limits. The desk apologized. False alarm. Figures!
I waiting around a little while longer and finally started considering playing in the $100/no-limit game that had seats available. I've only played no-limit on the Internet, so I was a little nervous about it. Since you can theoretically lose your entire stack in a single hand. Still, I consider no-limit my game, so I thought it was worth a try. Within an hour I was out, lost $100. Since I wanted to limit myself to losing no more than $100 a day at the tables, I decided not to buy back in. I will say that I felt good in that I didn't feel like I was out of my league. I had a few good hands that got beat. That's all it takes.
At this point I was a bit frustrated so I decided to take a walk. Kip was still sitting in at the $1/$3 limit table which, if you know Kip, is where he'd spend 16 hours a day if he could. Stupid me, while I was walking I decided to try the slot machines. After losing $50 in about 15 minutes I decided it was time to try the nickel slots. After losing about $10 in another 15 minutes, I decided I was done. It was almost 11 anyway, so I found Kip getting up from his table and we went to wait for the tournament to start.
The buy-in for today's tournament was a little more than yesterday. I think it was about $120. There ended up being around 85 or so participants and only the top 10, the final table, paid. Early on in the tournament Kip got up to check on me. I think he was surprised to see I had such a big stack. I was getting all the cards, it was great! It seemed like every hand I got into I won. Kip got knocked out at some point before the 1st break, and by the time the 1st break came around my stack had fallen back down to reality. My reality that is. Which unfortunately means that I was one of the shorter stacks at the table now.
The 1st break was at around 12:45 for 30 minutes. I went down and talked with Kip in the sandwich shop. He was eating lunch. I decided not to eat because I didn't want to risk having to get up from the table in the middle of the tournament. For some reason I forgot to take Advil with me, so I knew that I was going to be in some trouble later in the afternoon. Before I left to go back Kip wished me luck, and I told him I'd probably be knocked out in a few minutes. It was a few minutes late, but at around 1:25 the tournament continued.
About 90 minutes later I gave Kip another call. We were on another break while they got the final table set up. That's right, I made it to the final table!!! It was pretty crazy, seeing how nervous everyone got while playing. I was surprised at how calm I felt. The only time that I would start to lose it is if I looked at someone in the eyes. The way poker players tend to stare at their opponents to catch some glimpse of what they're hiding. I can't do it. It cracks me up! I tried it a few times, but I just started laughing so I decided it was better that I just focus on nothing.
It was a little disappointing to come so far and not win it, but I came in 3rd place. I think it was around $886 that I won. Enough to cover my expenses, and a little bit extra. I wonder if they take taxes out of it? If so, I take back the bit extra. It was definitely an amazing experience. Maybe just beginners luck, but I'll take it just the same. I left shortly after, with Kip back at the tables. He decided to move up to the $3/$6 limit tables, so I hope he's finding it both fun and profitable. He was also playing in the 7pm Satellite tonight for a seat in next weekends big tournament. I wish him well!
As for me, I stopped on the highway in New York to buy some overpriced Advil so I managed to avoid the worst of it. Now, I'm happy to be home again.
I'm a little wiped, so I'm off to get some sleep and enjoy tomorrow off. One of the things that chess tournaments and poker tournaments have in common, they both take a lot out of you.
I hope you've enjoyed my trip, I know I did.
Ed.
This is it
I'm about to head off for my final day here at the casino. No big plans, maybe sit at the table for an hour or two before the 11am tournament. Then play, and probably come home. I'm hoping to take Donna's advice for the way home at least... drive before it gets dark out! Especially since it's supposed to rain again, and I'd rather not have a repeat, or worse, of my trip up here. So, until later tonight when I hope to have my final update, enjoy your Sunday!
Ed.
Ed.
Once upon a midnight dreary
With great power, comes great responsibility. I don't have that kind of power, and I'm certainly not Spiderman. What kind of power do I have? The power to open your mind. But I can only show you the door, it is you that must walk through it.
Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back to the Milky Way
And tell me, did Venus blow your mind
Was it everything you wanted to find
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there
- taken from "Drops of Jupiter" by Train
I went back down to the poker room (almost called it a pool hall) at around 7pm. I put my name on the list and had to wait about 30 minutes for a table. I went to the cashier to get $100 in chips and sat down to play. If you're curious, playing $1/$3 limit all you need are $1 chips (which happen to be white). When I first sat down there was an older guy sitting to my left. He was 85 years old and seemed nice enough. I felt bad for wishing he'd leave the table. He gave me such a headache.
He couldn't see very well, so every time he was in a hand the dealer at to call out what the cards were. Then he didn't hear correctly most of the time so several people next to him, myself included, had to repeat. This happened on the flop, the turn, and the river. All the cards, all the time. In addition, he had to be told how much was being raised, who was raising, and needed constant reminding to put in his blinds. I'm not sure how much was for show, because he played well and did pretty good. He told me about how he is the most decorated WWII soldier in the state of New York. Told me all about his medals, about the articles that had been written about him. And he kept telling the table how he was diagnosed with cancer in May and was told he had three months to live, but that he showed them. Then he started talking about the millions he has in the bank, and the thousands that he won at poker the last time he played. After an hour or so of this, you'd have a headache too!
Kip came to see me twice while I was playing. Once he was on break from the satellite tournament he was in. The one I told you about the other day that I tried to register for ahead of time with little success. The next time, he was knocked out. At that point it was around 10pm, so we took off to get some takeout and call it a night. I didn't do quite as well this last session, being down about $40 after a couple hours of play. But still not terrible.
Once we split up going back to our rooms I went to the elevator going up the tower. When I got to the elevator there was a woman and a man talking, holding the door open. He was on the outside, she was in the inside. I asked her if she was going up, she said yes and off we went. Without the guy. On the way up she told me that they were breaking up. It was difficult with Kids involved (2 kids, if you were wondering) and he had a bad temper.
When I got back to the room I decided that it was time for a quick game of chess. I happened to get paired up against a guy that I've played many times over the past year on the Internet Chess Club. Given our history I would put us pretty even, but tonight wasn't to be his night. It was a good game until the end, where he dropped a bishop. One of the western mass chess players happened to be watching the game and afterwards sent me a message - "Lucky he dropped that bishop". It was certainly fortuitous for me, happy happenstance one might say. I'm just not convinced that luck was in the cards. Heck, we weren't playing cards, it was chess!
Now I'm getting dreary... midnight dreary one might say.
Once upon a midnight dreary...
Have a good night.
Ed.
Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back to the Milky Way
And tell me, did Venus blow your mind
Was it everything you wanted to find
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there
- taken from "Drops of Jupiter" by Train
I went back down to the poker room (almost called it a pool hall) at around 7pm. I put my name on the list and had to wait about 30 minutes for a table. I went to the cashier to get $100 in chips and sat down to play. If you're curious, playing $1/$3 limit all you need are $1 chips (which happen to be white). When I first sat down there was an older guy sitting to my left. He was 85 years old and seemed nice enough. I felt bad for wishing he'd leave the table. He gave me such a headache.
He couldn't see very well, so every time he was in a hand the dealer at to call out what the cards were. Then he didn't hear correctly most of the time so several people next to him, myself included, had to repeat. This happened on the flop, the turn, and the river. All the cards, all the time. In addition, he had to be told how much was being raised, who was raising, and needed constant reminding to put in his blinds. I'm not sure how much was for show, because he played well and did pretty good. He told me about how he is the most decorated WWII soldier in the state of New York. Told me all about his medals, about the articles that had been written about him. And he kept telling the table how he was diagnosed with cancer in May and was told he had three months to live, but that he showed them. Then he started talking about the millions he has in the bank, and the thousands that he won at poker the last time he played. After an hour or so of this, you'd have a headache too!
Kip came to see me twice while I was playing. Once he was on break from the satellite tournament he was in. The one I told you about the other day that I tried to register for ahead of time with little success. The next time, he was knocked out. At that point it was around 10pm, so we took off to get some takeout and call it a night. I didn't do quite as well this last session, being down about $40 after a couple hours of play. But still not terrible.
Once we split up going back to our rooms I went to the elevator going up the tower. When I got to the elevator there was a woman and a man talking, holding the door open. He was on the outside, she was in the inside. I asked her if she was going up, she said yes and off we went. Without the guy. On the way up she told me that they were breaking up. It was difficult with Kids involved (2 kids, if you were wondering) and he had a bad temper.
When I got back to the room I decided that it was time for a quick game of chess. I happened to get paired up against a guy that I've played many times over the past year on the Internet Chess Club. Given our history I would put us pretty even, but tonight wasn't to be his night. It was a good game until the end, where he dropped a bishop. One of the western mass chess players happened to be watching the game and afterwards sent me a message - "Lucky he dropped that bishop". It was certainly fortuitous for me, happy happenstance one might say. I'm just not convinced that luck was in the cards. Heck, we weren't playing cards, it was chess!
Now I'm getting dreary... midnight dreary one might say.
Once upon a midnight dreary...
Have a good night.
Ed.
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Take it to the limit!
Kip and I met up around 8:30 this morning and we were at the poker tables by 8:45. Kip was working on 1 hour of sleep, but as usual he was ready to go. I was a little nervous, like Kip predicted, for about 15 minutes. So it was actually nice that we were able to play some limit before the 11am tournament. It gave me a chance to ease my concerns about how to play at a real table.
The table had an interesting array of characters. There were even some rumors that The Joker himself had been seen playing at the n0-limit tables. He wasn't playing at our table, but he certainly would have fit right in. Probably in between Kip and his buddy Earl. I know, his name wasn't actually Early, but Earl sounds like the perfect name for a yapper that hasn't quite figured out how to integrate with the society around him. It wouldn't have been so bad, because he was a nice enough guy, but he kept not paying attention to the table.
So, after about 2 hours or so of play I finished down $8 and Kip finished down about $20. Kip's assessment: Successful. He played in maybe 3 hands the whole time, just wasn't getting the cards. As for me, I won my share of hands. The other interesting note, you are supposed to tip the dealer after every pot you win. My tips were more than $8 overall... so I can't complain. I also didn't realize that they change dealers so frequently. It was about every 20 minutes.
Someone came around to the tables in the poker room while we were playing to ask if anyone was playing in the 11am tournament, and signed us up right there. So that was nice. Near the end of the 1st session before the break this guy was moved to my table. I don't know his name, but he was your typical joker wannabe! Whenever he would raise, he would start saying "Please don't call, please don't call, please don't call..." while covering his eyes with his hands. Then he'd look through his hands right at you and say "I'm peeking", and just go on and on. It was really annoying. Kip and I both made it to the first break. Kip had a strong run near the end of the 1st session to go on break with about 10,000 chips. I was down to about 3200.
On the break we just went and grabbed some hot dogs. There wasn't enough time to eat real food. Then it was back for the 2nd session. I wish I had a lot to say about the 2nd session, but I was out in about 10 minutes. I was running out of chips with the blinds at 400/800, so as soon as I had a decent hand I had to push and pray. I was in late position with QJo, and noone had raised the pot. I was the low stack, followed by the guy in the big blind. He called me, and everyone else folded. He had KK, and the rest is history. As I was leaving I gave Kip the "you're all alone now, it's up to you to save the world" look, then proceeded to head back to the hotel.
On my way back I happened to notice the box office. If you're not familiar with the box office story, here it is. To sign up early for the poker tournament being held tonight (it's a satellite, where the prizes are seats to play in a bigger event next weekend), you had to call the box office. Thursday night I called the box office to sign up, and the guy (Josh) who answered the phone told me not to bother. He said that most people wait until the last minute and just buy their seats at the door. So I called Kip back and he convinced me not to wait. He said the lines get really long and you could be waiting for hours. And if you're near the end of the line, there's no guarantee you'll get in. When I called back Josh answered again. I told him that I had given it some thought and I wanted to sign up ahead of time anyway. He said Ok, do you have a Diamond Card. I said No. He then proceeded to tell me that without a Diamond Card I couldn't sign up for the tournament. So I needed to wait until I got here to sign up. Since the box office phones close at 8, and I didn't get here until 10:30, that wasn't going to happen last night. Today I went to the box office and I told the woman that I wanted to sign up. She said Ok, asked me to wait a minute, then said that they couldn't take the entries anymore. I had to go to the poker room to sign up. So I head over to the poker room where they tell me that I need to go to the box office. I told them that the box office just sent me here. After a brief discussion, I was told that once the box office stops selling you can only sign up at the door. So I should come back at 6pm. Doesn't sound so great to me. The good news is, I was considering not playing in it anyway. Spending $100 to play in a tournament where the best case (winning) means that you have to pay (for travel, hotel, ...) to come back the next weekend to play in a bigger event. It's not exactly motivating for me. I may just try to play some limit tonight while Kip plays in the event.
That's where things are at now. Keep your fingers crossed, and we'll see how Kip does a little later.
Ed.
The table had an interesting array of characters. There were even some rumors that The Joker himself had been seen playing at the n0-limit tables. He wasn't playing at our table, but he certainly would have fit right in. Probably in between Kip and his buddy Earl. I know, his name wasn't actually Early, but Earl sounds like the perfect name for a yapper that hasn't quite figured out how to integrate with the society around him. It wouldn't have been so bad, because he was a nice enough guy, but he kept not paying attention to the table.
So, after about 2 hours or so of play I finished down $8 and Kip finished down about $20. Kip's assessment: Successful. He played in maybe 3 hands the whole time, just wasn't getting the cards. As for me, I won my share of hands. The other interesting note, you are supposed to tip the dealer after every pot you win. My tips were more than $8 overall... so I can't complain. I also didn't realize that they change dealers so frequently. It was about every 20 minutes.
Someone came around to the tables in the poker room while we were playing to ask if anyone was playing in the 11am tournament, and signed us up right there. So that was nice. Near the end of the 1st session before the break this guy was moved to my table. I don't know his name, but he was your typical joker wannabe! Whenever he would raise, he would start saying "Please don't call, please don't call, please don't call..." while covering his eyes with his hands. Then he'd look through his hands right at you and say "I'm peeking", and just go on and on. It was really annoying. Kip and I both made it to the first break. Kip had a strong run near the end of the 1st session to go on break with about 10,000 chips. I was down to about 3200.
On the break we just went and grabbed some hot dogs. There wasn't enough time to eat real food. Then it was back for the 2nd session. I wish I had a lot to say about the 2nd session, but I was out in about 10 minutes. I was running out of chips with the blinds at 400/800, so as soon as I had a decent hand I had to push and pray. I was in late position with QJo, and noone had raised the pot. I was the low stack, followed by the guy in the big blind. He called me, and everyone else folded. He had KK, and the rest is history. As I was leaving I gave Kip the "you're all alone now, it's up to you to save the world" look, then proceeded to head back to the hotel.
On my way back I happened to notice the box office. If you're not familiar with the box office story, here it is. To sign up early for the poker tournament being held tonight (it's a satellite, where the prizes are seats to play in a bigger event next weekend), you had to call the box office. Thursday night I called the box office to sign up, and the guy (Josh) who answered the phone told me not to bother. He said that most people wait until the last minute and just buy their seats at the door. So I called Kip back and he convinced me not to wait. He said the lines get really long and you could be waiting for hours. And if you're near the end of the line, there's no guarantee you'll get in. When I called back Josh answered again. I told him that I had given it some thought and I wanted to sign up ahead of time anyway. He said Ok, do you have a Diamond Card. I said No. He then proceeded to tell me that without a Diamond Card I couldn't sign up for the tournament. So I needed to wait until I got here to sign up. Since the box office phones close at 8, and I didn't get here until 10:30, that wasn't going to happen last night. Today I went to the box office and I told the woman that I wanted to sign up. She said Ok, asked me to wait a minute, then said that they couldn't take the entries anymore. I had to go to the poker room to sign up. So I head over to the poker room where they tell me that I need to go to the box office. I told them that the box office just sent me here. After a brief discussion, I was told that once the box office stops selling you can only sign up at the door. So I should come back at 6pm. Doesn't sound so great to me. The good news is, I was considering not playing in it anyway. Spending $100 to play in a tournament where the best case (winning) means that you have to pay (for travel, hotel, ...) to come back the next weekend to play in a bigger event. It's not exactly motivating for me. I may just try to play some limit tonight while Kip plays in the event.
That's where things are at now. Keep your fingers crossed, and we'll see how Kip does a little later.
Ed.
It was a beginning
I dream of electric sheep.
I dream of a world where anything is possible.
I dream of so many things.
Make it stop!
I haven't heard from Kip yet, but I'm sure he'll be calling soon. It's almost time to see what this real life stuff is all about. I'm definitely a little nervous, but I'm told that I'll get over it. I remember that I used to get nervous before going to a chess tournament too. But I've been playing in those for over 10 years now, so I don't really even think about it anymore.
Time to get moving.
Ed.
I dream of a world where anything is possible.
I dream of so many things.
Make it stop!
I haven't heard from Kip yet, but I'm sure he'll be calling soon. It's almost time to see what this real life stuff is all about. I'm definitely a little nervous, but I'm told that I'll get over it. I remember that I used to get nervous before going to a chess tournament too. But I've been playing in those for over 10 years now, so I don't really even think about it anymore.
Time to get moving.
Ed.
Getting there is half the fun?
Whoever said that getting there is half the fun, I’ve got a thing or two I’d like to say to them. If hell is anything like my road trip, I’ll be good. I promise! The best visualization I can give… I can already feel the tears forming. Imagine driving down the Interstate at 70 mph with nothing but the white lines to guide you. It’s dark, it’s raining, and a couple of 18-wheelers think it would be a fun game to surround you. When you’re not in the middle of that exciting game of cat and mouse, imagine seeing everything double. Because that’s what you get with a lot of rain on the roads, and all the shiny reflective ornaments posted along the road to help you see, aren’t really helping.
Let’s flash back to earlier today. Donna convinced me to leave work early so that I could get to the casino before it got too dark out. My original plan was to leave work near my normal time, and get on the road by around 6pm. Instead I left work early and got on the road around 7pm. Welcome to my world, enjoy the ride!
When I got to the hotel I parked in the visitor parking and walked. It didn’t look like it would be too far, and the rain wasn’t too heavy. When I finally decided to ask someone where the hotel was, I was happy that I didn’t pass it by too much. When I got to the lobby and checked in the guy who was helping me told me that I had to get to the poker room and have a pit boss sign off that I was here to play poker for two nights in order to get the poker rate. He then told me what a great deal it was. The room that I’m in is usually $195 a night, and the poker rate is $80. The only catch, if I didn’t have the paper back by midnight I had to pay full price. It was 10:30, so I still had plenty of time. I went to my room to drop my stuff off before trying to find the poker room.
When I found the poker room I stopped at the desk to ask about what I needed to do for the hotel. I was a little concerned that someone at the desk would decide to break both of my legs, but in the end I walked away with my piece of paper. Legs still intact. Sometimes it amazes me how I get through the day. The pit boss did recommend to get there extra early in the morning. At least 2 hours before the start of the tournament. Otherwise she said that I might not get in. They are expecting a potential crowd this weekend. Who would have imagined?
After turning the sheet back in at the hotel desk, I went to my room and ordered some room service. $20 for a roast beef sandwich, but it was good! Now I feel sick, my head hurts, and I know Kip will be calling me to get moving earlier than I’ll want to think about getting up. My original plan didn’t have me staying up until almost 1am. Then again, when do my plans ever work out exactly as expected.
Did I mention that the room is amazing! And Internet access is great too!
It might not be “Quesnel”, but it sure has “Borowski” written all over it!
… and to all a good night!
Ed.
Let’s flash back to earlier today. Donna convinced me to leave work early so that I could get to the casino before it got too dark out. My original plan was to leave work near my normal time, and get on the road by around 6pm. Instead I left work early and got on the road around 7pm. Welcome to my world, enjoy the ride!
When I got to the hotel I parked in the visitor parking and walked. It didn’t look like it would be too far, and the rain wasn’t too heavy. When I finally decided to ask someone where the hotel was, I was happy that I didn’t pass it by too much. When I got to the lobby and checked in the guy who was helping me told me that I had to get to the poker room and have a pit boss sign off that I was here to play poker for two nights in order to get the poker rate. He then told me what a great deal it was. The room that I’m in is usually $195 a night, and the poker rate is $80. The only catch, if I didn’t have the paper back by midnight I had to pay full price. It was 10:30, so I still had plenty of time. I went to my room to drop my stuff off before trying to find the poker room.
When I found the poker room I stopped at the desk to ask about what I needed to do for the hotel. I was a little concerned that someone at the desk would decide to break both of my legs, but in the end I walked away with my piece of paper. Legs still intact. Sometimes it amazes me how I get through the day. The pit boss did recommend to get there extra early in the morning. At least 2 hours before the start of the tournament. Otherwise she said that I might not get in. They are expecting a potential crowd this weekend. Who would have imagined?
After turning the sheet back in at the hotel desk, I went to my room and ordered some room service. $20 for a roast beef sandwich, but it was good! Now I feel sick, my head hurts, and I know Kip will be calling me to get moving earlier than I’ll want to think about getting up. My original plan didn’t have me staying up until almost 1am. Then again, when do my plans ever work out exactly as expected.
Did I mention that the room is amazing! And Internet access is great too!
It might not be “Quesnel”, but it sure has “Borowski” written all over it!
… and to all a good night!
Ed.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Coming soon...
I'm about to head out the door on my way to Turning Stone Casino (http://www.turningstone.com). If I have Internet access from the hotel then you can count on an update or two over the weekend, otherwise Monday will have to do. Wish me luck - and a good sense of direction. Both of which I tend to lack!
Ed.
Ed.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Inspirational with a "K"?
I'm not a big fan of Alan Jackson. I don't know why, I just never really liked his music that much. The music, and the lyrics. It's just not there for me. For me it's Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Don Henley - Inspirational. Heck, I'll even give a slight nod to Faith Hill for her new song Fireflies. I'd go into details, but better that I preserve what little dignity I've got left.
Then we have my chess heroes. What would chess be without the likes of Gary Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov, and Bobby Fischer, or the classics of Paul Morphy and Jose Raul Capablanca. Martial Arts? Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Bill "Superfoot" Wallace. Those inspirational figures that cause us to want to push further, that show us what is truly possible.
I'll admit some surprise today when I saw that my good old friend, Sean, started his own blog. It's still in its infancy, but I think it has a lot of potential. Especially if chess is something that you at least enjoy. I like the layout he's got going. Who knows, maybe it'll motivate me enough to make some improvements out here in my little corner of the world. Maybe. The blog is called "central oregon chess journal". So I'm guessing that it will be focused on chess. If you have interest in the great game, be sure to check it out:
http://cocjournal.blogspot.com
There's not really any chess content out there yet, but I'm sure it'll be coming soon. For those of us lucky enough to know Sean, he is most definitely a loyal servant of the great goddess of chess, Caissa. And in case you are wondering, I really don't think that Caissa should be spelled with a "K". Though at one point I certainly considered it. But that's a story for another time.
I keep promising Sean that I'll put up some of my older games, but I keep not getting around to it. It's coming soon... probably. This weekend is my exciting casino getaway, so hopefully that'll be a focus of some news early next week.
Until then, or sooner if I get the urge, play well, be well, and smile because it makes the world a little brighter!
Ed.
Then we have my chess heroes. What would chess be without the likes of Gary Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov, and Bobby Fischer, or the classics of Paul Morphy and Jose Raul Capablanca. Martial Arts? Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Bill "Superfoot" Wallace. Those inspirational figures that cause us to want to push further, that show us what is truly possible.
I'll admit some surprise today when I saw that my good old friend, Sean, started his own blog. It's still in its infancy, but I think it has a lot of potential. Especially if chess is something that you at least enjoy. I like the layout he's got going. Who knows, maybe it'll motivate me enough to make some improvements out here in my little corner of the world. Maybe. The blog is called "central oregon chess journal". So I'm guessing that it will be focused on chess. If you have interest in the great game, be sure to check it out:
http://cocjournal.blogspot.com
There's not really any chess content out there yet, but I'm sure it'll be coming soon. For those of us lucky enough to know Sean, he is most definitely a loyal servant of the great goddess of chess, Caissa. And in case you are wondering, I really don't think that Caissa should be spelled with a "K". Though at one point I certainly considered it. But that's a story for another time.
I keep promising Sean that I'll put up some of my older games, but I keep not getting around to it. It's coming soon... probably. This weekend is my exciting casino getaway, so hopefully that'll be a focus of some news early next week.
Until then, or sooner if I get the urge, play well, be well, and smile because it makes the world a little brighter!
Ed.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Black to play and win
I'm tired tonight so it's going to be a quick one. In the diagram below there is a win for Black, can you find it? Message me for the answer, otherwise I'll try to remember to post it in a few days :). I'm sure Sean will have it in... 2 seconds?
Guess who was White in this game? :)
Good day, good chess, and to all a good night!
Guess who was White in this game? :)
Good day, good chess, and to all a good night!
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
We are the champions!!!
PVCC Team A - Winners of the 1st WMCA Intra-Club Match
(L to R: Chris McDaniel, David Hall, Larry Williams, Tom Smith, Ed Borowski)
What's the difference?
Sean and I have been playing chess together now for at least 12 years. It seems like only yesterday we were having our all night blitz sessions in his parents basement. We used to play 40 blitz games a night and want to keep coming back for more. It's probably a good thing that we never got into drinking and partying! Then again, there are worse things than guitars and tiki bars.
When Sean and I first started playing chess I was the stronger one. We used to play on occasion with Dave Hall. Dave was a real life chess player. He knew openings, played in chess tournaments, and even beat a master once in a blitz game. But that's another story! That first summer we started playing with Dave he would beat us constantly, while playing us both at the same time. Finally, near the end of that first summer I had my first win against Dave. It wasn't long after that for Sean either, and we never looked back.
The interesting thing is, for as long as Sean and I have been playing, it seems like people want to beat Sean, but think they can beat me. For some reason I was giving this some thought this evening. The only answer I can come up with is that Sean is a very active player. He blows the position open, keeps it as complicated as possible, and crushes you with his great tactical mind. I've had many winning, or superior, positions against Sean over the years that have slowly faded away because I just couldn't keep up with the complications he would keep throwing on the board. When you get blown away like that, it's easy to be amazed. When I win a game against someone, it's usually a slower, more methodical win. Small advantages that slowly make way to a winning endgame. Those are the games where it's much easier to feel like you should have been able to win somehow.
Anyway, just some brain dumping for the night. It came to my mind after I had played a game against a weaker opponent on the ICC. It wasn't a great game by any means, but it was a sound beating. If you are a beginning chess player yourself, I strongly recommend that you study tactics. Lots and lots of tactics! I've seen so many games in U1400 sections of tournaments where I wanted to cry. So much is missed. Tactics, definitely the heart of chess.
Though it pains me, here is the game I played tonight that inspired me to write this entry. Enjoy!
Internet Chess Club G/15
White: Ed Borowski
Black: Wondermonk
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. e3 e6 7. Bb5+ Nbd7 8. h3 Bh5 9. g4 Bg6 10. Ne5 Be7 11. g5 {Black resigns} 1-0
And with that, I wish you all a good night!
Ed.
When Sean and I first started playing chess I was the stronger one. We used to play on occasion with Dave Hall. Dave was a real life chess player. He knew openings, played in chess tournaments, and even beat a master once in a blitz game. But that's another story! That first summer we started playing with Dave he would beat us constantly, while playing us both at the same time. Finally, near the end of that first summer I had my first win against Dave. It wasn't long after that for Sean either, and we never looked back.
The interesting thing is, for as long as Sean and I have been playing, it seems like people want to beat Sean, but think they can beat me. For some reason I was giving this some thought this evening. The only answer I can come up with is that Sean is a very active player. He blows the position open, keeps it as complicated as possible, and crushes you with his great tactical mind. I've had many winning, or superior, positions against Sean over the years that have slowly faded away because I just couldn't keep up with the complications he would keep throwing on the board. When you get blown away like that, it's easy to be amazed. When I win a game against someone, it's usually a slower, more methodical win. Small advantages that slowly make way to a winning endgame. Those are the games where it's much easier to feel like you should have been able to win somehow.
Anyway, just some brain dumping for the night. It came to my mind after I had played a game against a weaker opponent on the ICC. It wasn't a great game by any means, but it was a sound beating. If you are a beginning chess player yourself, I strongly recommend that you study tactics. Lots and lots of tactics! I've seen so many games in U1400 sections of tournaments where I wanted to cry. So much is missed. Tactics, definitely the heart of chess.
Though it pains me, here is the game I played tonight that inspired me to write this entry. Enjoy!
Internet Chess Club G/15
White: Ed Borowski
Black: Wondermonk
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. e3 e6 7. Bb5+ Nbd7 8. h3 Bh5 9. g4 Bg6 10. Ne5 Be7 11. g5 {Black resigns} 1-0
And with that, I wish you all a good night!
Ed.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
The Pioneer Valley Chess Journal
The Pioneer Valley Chess Club was once one of the most active clubs in the area for tournaments. Every week something would be going on. Some weeks it would be a last minute blitz event, other's it would be a quad or two of quick chess. With Sean Tobin around there was always one thing you could count on. Lots of chess! Yes, those were the good old days.
I was doing some cleaning today and I happened to come across some old papers. I know, if you were actually to come look inside my house you probably wouldn't believe a word of what I'm saying. Cleaning, bah! But I happened to come across the one, and unfortunately only, issue of the Pioneer Valley Chess Journal. As I glance over it I can't help but think that it had a lot of potential. I was acting as the Publisher and Editor, with Sean acting as the Associate Editor. We had contributors that included the likes of Stan Targonski, Charles Hertan, and other members of the PVCC.
It also brought back memories of all the great things Sean did to help promote chess in the area. Always trying to get people involved and make things happen. Even though it usually led to my doing something that, if left to my own devices, would never happen, still it was a good time. I think that so much of who you are is based upon your life experiences and the people that you are lucky (or unlucky) enough to meet. I've been lucky enough to meet a lot of great people over the course of my life, and I hope to meet many more in the future.
Now I'm going to share a game with you all from that special issue of The Pioneer Valley Chess Journal. It was playing at "The Tobin Memorial Game/25" on April 21st of 1996. At the time Sean was already an A-Player rated 1851, and I was still a Class C player struggling at 1490. Truth be told, I just like to think that my rating took 10 years to catch up with me. I'm pretty sure I'll want to close my eyes as we go through this game, but don't let that take away from your enjoyment of it.
[White: Tobin, Sean]
[Black: Borowski, Ed]
[The Tobin Memorial G/25]
[April 21, 1996]
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 d6 4.d4 Be7 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 exd5 8.exd5 Bg4 9.Bd3 Re8 10.O-O Nbd7 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 Bf8 13.g4 Kh8 14.g5 Ng8 15.Qh5 g6 16.Qg4 f5 17.Qg3 Bg7 18.h4 Qe7 19.Bd2 Qf7 20.Nb5 Qe7 21.Rae1 Qf8 22.Nc7 Rxe1 23.Rxe1 Bd4+ 24.Kg2 Rc8 25.Ne6 Qf7 26.b3 Re8 27.Bc2 Nf8 28.Bc3 Nxe6 29.dxe6 Rxe6 30.Bxd4+ cxd4 31.Rxe6 Qxe6 32.Qd3 Qe3 33.Qxe3 dxe3 34.Kf3 Ne7 35.Kxe3 Nc6 36.a3 a5 37.Bd1 Kg7 38.Bf3 Kf8 39.Bxc6 bxc6 40.Kd4 Ke7 41.b4 axb4 42.axb4 Kd7 43.b5 Kc7 44.Kc3 draw agreed
I was right, better with the eyes closed. Even now I feel lucky to have drawn that game. In addition to The Pioneer Valley Chess Journal, I also found my copy of the greatest chess tournament ever played! That's right, Linares 1994. Karpov's greatest victory. It was a special issue of Inside Chess magazine that included all 91 games from the tournament. Now that's another magazine that I miss! I never did manage to play through all the games even though I remember planning to so many years ago. Maybe it's time for another shot!
On that note...
Thanks for the memories!
Ed.
I was doing some cleaning today and I happened to come across some old papers. I know, if you were actually to come look inside my house you probably wouldn't believe a word of what I'm saying. Cleaning, bah! But I happened to come across the one, and unfortunately only, issue of the Pioneer Valley Chess Journal. As I glance over it I can't help but think that it had a lot of potential. I was acting as the Publisher and Editor, with Sean acting as the Associate Editor. We had contributors that included the likes of Stan Targonski, Charles Hertan, and other members of the PVCC.
It also brought back memories of all the great things Sean did to help promote chess in the area. Always trying to get people involved and make things happen. Even though it usually led to my doing something that, if left to my own devices, would never happen, still it was a good time. I think that so much of who you are is based upon your life experiences and the people that you are lucky (or unlucky) enough to meet. I've been lucky enough to meet a lot of great people over the course of my life, and I hope to meet many more in the future.
Now I'm going to share a game with you all from that special issue of The Pioneer Valley Chess Journal. It was playing at "The Tobin Memorial Game/25" on April 21st of 1996. At the time Sean was already an A-Player rated 1851, and I was still a Class C player struggling at 1490. Truth be told, I just like to think that my rating took 10 years to catch up with me. I'm pretty sure I'll want to close my eyes as we go through this game, but don't let that take away from your enjoyment of it.
[White: Tobin, Sean]
[Black: Borowski, Ed]
[The Tobin Memorial G/25]
[April 21, 1996]
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 d6 4.d4 Be7 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 exd5 8.exd5 Bg4 9.Bd3 Re8 10.O-O Nbd7 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 Bf8 13.g4 Kh8 14.g5 Ng8 15.Qh5 g6 16.Qg4 f5 17.Qg3 Bg7 18.h4 Qe7 19.Bd2 Qf7 20.Nb5 Qe7 21.Rae1 Qf8 22.Nc7 Rxe1 23.Rxe1 Bd4+ 24.Kg2 Rc8 25.Ne6 Qf7 26.b3 Re8 27.Bc2 Nf8 28.Bc3 Nxe6 29.dxe6 Rxe6 30.Bxd4+ cxd4 31.Rxe6 Qxe6 32.Qd3 Qe3 33.Qxe3 dxe3 34.Kf3 Ne7 35.Kxe3 Nc6 36.a3 a5 37.Bd1 Kg7 38.Bf3 Kf8 39.Bxc6 bxc6 40.Kd4 Ke7 41.b4 axb4 42.axb4 Kd7 43.b5 Kc7 44.Kc3 draw agreed
I was right, better with the eyes closed. Even now I feel lucky to have drawn that game. In addition to The Pioneer Valley Chess Journal, I also found my copy of the greatest chess tournament ever played! That's right, Linares 1994. Karpov's greatest victory. It was a special issue of Inside Chess magazine that included all 91 games from the tournament. Now that's another magazine that I miss! I never did manage to play through all the games even though I remember planning to so many years ago. Maybe it's time for another shot!
On that note...
Thanks for the memories!
Ed.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Not the way I would have played it!
Wow, amazing how fast time flies by. I can't believe that it's been so long since my last post. As usual, it's just about time to start yet another journey into the great unknown. Another attempt to attain that ever elusive state of enlightenment. An enlightened man once said, "to get squares, you've got to give squares". I'm sure that in his mind he was talking about chess, but for this man chess was his life. But it does make one pause to consider... what was the position on the board when Renee Zellweger resigned. Well, technically, she didn't resign. She claimed that the game was a fraud, that it never happened. Hmmm, I wonder. Did Kenny not respect his Queen? I have heard rumors that he prefers the other pieces. One can only speculate.
Kenny does have a new album due out in November called "The Road and the Radio". The first single, titled "Who You'd be Today" is ok. Be sure to check it out:
http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/chesney_kenny/artist.jhtml
Alright, time to go to bed. I have to play some freaking chess tomorrow! Larry is going to be late since he has to work until 10:30, so I get to play 1st board round 1. Gotta bring my "A" game, though it's been hiding really, really good lately. We'll see. I did manage to pull out a win on the ICC tonight against one of the computers, but it wasn't a great win. Or, maybe it was a great win but I'm just not good enough to realize it. Either way, it was a win. Here it is:
[Event "ICC 15 0"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2005.09.24"]
[Round "-"]
[White "KickMe"]
[Black "EdBorowski"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ICCResult "White checkmated"]
[WhiteElo "1991"]
[BlackElo "1955"]
[Opening "QGD Slav: Slav gambit"]
[ECO "D15"]
[NIC "SL.03"]
[Time "23:37:22"]
[TimeControl "900+0"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. e4 Bg4 6. Bxc4 e6 7. O-O Bb4 8.
Qb3 Bxc3 9. Qxb7 Nbd7 10. bxc3 Bxf3 11. gxf3 O-O 12. Qxc6 Nb6 13. Ba6 Qe7
14. Bf4 Nh5 15. Qc7 Qf6 16. Bd6 Qxf3 17. Rfc1 Rfd8 18. Bb7 Rab8 19. c4 Na8
20. Qxb8 Rxb8 21. Bxb8 Nb6 22. Bxa7 Nd7 23. Bc6 Ndf6 24. Re1 Ng4 25. d5 Nf4
26. d6 Qg2# {White checkmated} 0-1
and now, to all, a good night!
Kenny does have a new album due out in November called "The Road and the Radio". The first single, titled "Who You'd be Today" is ok. Be sure to check it out:
http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/chesney_kenny/artist.jhtml
Alright, time to go to bed. I have to play some freaking chess tomorrow! Larry is going to be late since he has to work until 10:30, so I get to play 1st board round 1. Gotta bring my "A" game, though it's been hiding really, really good lately. We'll see. I did manage to pull out a win on the ICC tonight against one of the computers, but it wasn't a great win. Or, maybe it was a great win but I'm just not good enough to realize it. Either way, it was a win. Here it is:
[Event "ICC 15 0"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2005.09.24"]
[Round "-"]
[White "KickMe"]
[Black "EdBorowski"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ICCResult "White checkmated"]
[WhiteElo "1991"]
[BlackElo "1955"]
[Opening "QGD Slav: Slav gambit"]
[ECO "D15"]
[NIC "SL.03"]
[Time "23:37:22"]
[TimeControl "900+0"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. e4 Bg4 6. Bxc4 e6 7. O-O Bb4 8.
Qb3 Bxc3 9. Qxb7 Nbd7 10. bxc3 Bxf3 11. gxf3 O-O 12. Qxc6 Nb6 13. Ba6 Qe7
14. Bf4 Nh5 15. Qc7 Qf6 16. Bd6 Qxf3 17. Rfc1 Rfd8 18. Bb7 Rab8 19. c4 Na8
20. Qxb8 Rxb8 21. Bxb8 Nb6 22. Bxa7 Nd7 23. Bc6 Ndf6 24. Re1 Ng4 25. d5 Nf4
26. d6 Qg2# {White checkmated} 0-1
and now, to all, a good night!
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Something Amazing
Have you ever wanted to do something amazing? To do something that other people will be able to experience and say simply "Wow!". I hope that some day it happens for me. But until the great muse of the morning descends upon me and awakens me to that world of inspiration and wonderment, until that time that I can ascend the great barrier of doubt and uncertainty to create such a thing that will produce such awe inspiring wonderment, until that time I transcend my literary accomplishments and learn to use words that create so much more than inspiration and wonderment, I give to you... my world.
It's a new year - let's get it right this time!
It's a new year - let's get it right this time!
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