Friday, January 28, 2005

Some Random Thoughts

Because I'm too tired to write anything coherent. Played well on the court last night, my hitting is still off, but I did everything else very well. Made some dazzlingly athletic plays, impressed even myself. What I'd really like to get is that rotator cuff surgery that's all the rage these days, because I'm pretty sure both of mine could use a tune-up. Years of tennis and racquetball and volleyball have taken their toll, though I know I hurt my right one especially bad playing RB one day about 12 years ago. I reached up for a shot, swung...and felt my shoulder move OUT instead of just forward. And I didn't pick up a racquet of any sort for about a year. But I guess I can just gobble Advil and continue apace.

No poker bloggers were nominated for the Fifth Annual Weblog Awards (aka Bloggies. Which is of course a travesty, but one gets used to travesties after awhile. I really need to broaden my blogreading horizons, and I got to thinking about a recent post from Pauly, who said that, with the sudden explosion of poker blogs out there, he can't force himself anymore to read those blogs whose writing or content isn't of the highest quality. There aren't enough hours in the day, enough days in a lifetime to read every word our corner of the blogosphere cranks out every day. Pauly clarified his position today, and I hope no one out there (especially anyone new to blogging) takes it as a personal slam against them, as I'm sure that wasn't his intention.

Nor is it my intention to short anyone by not immediately listing them on my blogroll or mentioning them in these spaces. There are poker blogs out there I've never read, ones I've read once and never returned to, and some I check out once a week or so. There's a lot of competition out there, and each of us has other interests as well (well, we should, anyway). For anyone new to blogging who doesn't see a lot of feedback coming your way, I strongly advise you to stick with it if you enjoy the work. If you provide something worth your readers' time you'll earn an audience, believe me.

Actually, one blog I have enjoyed reading (and one I should add to my roll right now) is the interestingly named DonkeyPuncher. Why the image of someone punching a donkey should amuse me is a mystery, unless its the image of the donkey then stomping the crap out of his assailant. I love animal-on-man violence.

Anyway, I like this blog for more than just its name. First of all, he went to see one of the premiere shows of "Spamalot", the new musical based on the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", and as I'm a Python fanatic and lust to see the show I appreciated hearing about how great it was. He also posted topless pictures of Kirsten Dunst and...need I say more about why I appreciated that?

Topless pictures of Kirsten Dunst. Well, looks like I'll be getting some new blog traffic. It is odd how people find their way to websites, is it not? If you have a blog, you really should load SiteMeter into your HTML code so you can track your visitors and see how they found your site. It has a feature that allows you to see what URL they clicked to get to you, and a lot of times it comes from typing weird stuff into Google and coming up with you. Quite a few bloggers have listed the weird searches that landed people in their laps, and while mine aren't as surreal as some I do have some weird ones.

I understand looking up "Kirsten Dunst naked", but what was one of my visitors doing looking up "Glenn Close naked?". How about "Was Jean-Paul Sartre left-handed?". I don't know the answer myself, and I don't know how my blog got hit from that. "Jeff head shaved shorned shorn" sounds more like Dadaist poetry than a websearch. "What does sex mean?" is a question that either requires a dictionary or a philosopher, and I provide neither service here. "Drunken party aftermath?". Go visit Al's page for info on that, pal.

I get a lot of hits for "Mike Matusow" because of the thing I wrote about him. I get a lot of hits for "Phil Hellmuth" and "Hellmuth toothbrush" and "Hellmuth asshole" because of the thing I wrote about him. Oddly, I've gotten a lot of hits for "Hoyt Corkins asshole", which is odd because I never said Hoyt was an asshole, not even close. I think those are Hellmuth fans looking for dirt on his oppressor. I'm happy to see that I'm now getting hits for "Isabelle Mercier", meaning both that poker fans are eager to learn more about this talented up-and-coming player and that there's an odd chance she might Google herself and find out about this WONDERFUL guy in Pittsburgh who thinks she's the miou de chat. Pardon my French. Please.

OK, back to work. I think a quiet night tonight, no volleyball, get in sweats, stay warm, watch some Britcom on DVD and play some poker. A delicious Friday night awaits.

posted by Gene @ 1:57 PM   |