I finished reading "Leviathan Wakes" and I would definitely recommend it if you are a science fiction fan. I am going to read the next book in the series - "Caliban's War". Between here and there though I am reading "Many Lives, Many Masters" and a biography of Julius Caesar.
It was a beautiful evening. I worked a full day at the office, then stopped at Santa Clara Billiards to shoot some practice games on the way home. I am recovering my mojo when it comes to pool. I am almost completely recovered from changing up my game - I would guess another five hours or so of practice will get me there. I am running at a pretty consist .62 in straight pool. My current goal is to drive that up to .75.
This week has been relatively pleasant. T.R. is off to Kure Island with her friends for a week or so. My parents are both home at the ranch and doing well enough, with my nephew Tom in the mix. Work has been busy but relatively sane. I lost some time this week trouble shooting a bug that a code change introduced in a vendor product, but they found the root cause today, so it is now just a matter of cleaning up the damage and moving forward.
I lost a spot of time on one of my projects, but I am making up for it later here in the week. The time spent trouble-shooting had to come out of somewhere and unfortunately, it came out of project time. That is an equation that upper management fails to grasp.
I am looking forward to the three day weekend. My plan is, on Saturday, I am going to the San Jose Museum of Art to see an Annie Leibowitz exhibit and then probably grab some lunch downtown. Part of my renewal of membership in the museum was a coupon that is worth 10.00 off at 17 different restaurants and cafes. I think that I will see if I can go to all of them this year. That might be a worthwhile little eating adventure.
Showing posts with label Pool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pool. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Saturday, June 8, 2013
The Map of the Day
Today was a good day here. I woke to the sound of a crow, outside my window, calling loudly into the pre-dawn. Knowing how smart crows are, I have not doubt that he flew by, saw me sleeping there, and thought he would amuse himself by startling me awake. He was quite successful!
I rolled out, made a cup of coffee and a bowl of Special K and settled down in front of the TV where I ended up watching "Hildalgo" on cable. That is a truly enjoyable movie. When the movie wrapped, I headed over to the Hickory Pit and met Tony for breakfast. From there, I ran a couple of errands and then reached out to my friend Don to see if he wanted to shoot some pool.
He did, and we headed up to the California Billiards Club - where it turned out they were having some sort of corporate event and the entire place was packed. So, we switched directions and headed over to Edgies. We played five games and Don won four of the five. The changed I have made in my game are starting to settle in. Though I lost four games, I never lost by more than a shot or two. The changes in style and the additional practice are paying off. I am starting to zero back in. I predict that, after another five or six hours of practice, I will be back to the level I was before and then I will begin to advance beyond that.
(While I was waiting at California Billiards, TR called to tell me a very amusing story that I won't repeat here, but I did want to bookmark in in my online journal here so I would remember it.)
After we shot pool, we went over to the Outback at the Great Mall and met Tony for lunch. It was a good lunch - I opted for the rib-eye steak and the loaded backed potato. After dinner we took a walk through the great mall, then I headed home for a quiet evening and nice little goodnight conversation with TR. Tonight, my plan is to read into the evening and alternate with watching episodes of Continuum, Warehouse 13, and perhaps Longmire.
I rolled out, made a cup of coffee and a bowl of Special K and settled down in front of the TV where I ended up watching "Hildalgo" on cable. That is a truly enjoyable movie. When the movie wrapped, I headed over to the Hickory Pit and met Tony for breakfast. From there, I ran a couple of errands and then reached out to my friend Don to see if he wanted to shoot some pool.
He did, and we headed up to the California Billiards Club - where it turned out they were having some sort of corporate event and the entire place was packed. So, we switched directions and headed over to Edgies. We played five games and Don won four of the five. The changed I have made in my game are starting to settle in. Though I lost four games, I never lost by more than a shot or two. The changes in style and the additional practice are paying off. I am starting to zero back in. I predict that, after another five or six hours of practice, I will be back to the level I was before and then I will begin to advance beyond that.
(While I was waiting at California Billiards, TR called to tell me a very amusing story that I won't repeat here, but I did want to bookmark in in my online journal here so I would remember it.)
After we shot pool, we went over to the Outback at the Great Mall and met Tony for lunch. It was a good lunch - I opted for the rib-eye steak and the loaded backed potato. After dinner we took a walk through the great mall, then I headed home for a quiet evening and nice little goodnight conversation with TR. Tonight, my plan is to read into the evening and alternate with watching episodes of Continuum, Warehouse 13, and perhaps Longmire.
Monday, May 27, 2013
A Paragraph to End the Day
The rest of the day was as simple as the morning. I met Don up at Edgies and shot about two hours worth of pool. I mostly lost. I decided two weeks ago that it was time to work on the technical aspects of my pool game, so one of the first things I did was change my grip - which of course through the rest of my game off, in a good way. The new grip allows me to shot truer shots, but since my mind had been trained to compensate for the fact that I tended to pull to the left, now, since I am shooting a straighter line, I am pulling about a degree or two to the right. Enough to make a visible difference. I figure I need about ten hours of practice to hone in the new grip. In the step beyond that I've started working on cue ball control, through spin and English, to set up the next shot. That part has been working pretty good. I think that once I hone my aim back in I'll make a measurable improvement in my over all game. After Edgies, we grabbed dinner at a seafood place, and then I came home, took a short nap, and watched an episode Longmire. From here, I plan on curling up in bed with Leviathan Wakes.
Into The Ordinary Day
I slept pretty well last night. I dreamed, but now, four hours after I woke up, I don't really recall what the dreams were about. I woke up, showed, shaved, and then headed over to Goodies II for breakfast. I have my usual, the Huevos Mexicanos, and sat near the window, watching the scenery on a gray and cool morning. I often find it interesting just to sit and watch people, wondering who they are and what they are all about.
From there, I stopped at Chevron at Saratoga and Prospect, filled the tank with gas and ran the car through the automated car wash. (There was a direct hit from a big bird at some point during the previous week.) From there, I came home and watched the Special Features from the Hobbit movie Blu Ray, since I'd watched the movie last night. Now, I am just sitting in the relative quiet of the living room listening to the birds on the patio chattering alone.
My main bird visitors for the last couple of weeks has been a small group of sparrows, numbering about a dozen or so, and they've been pretty amusing. I've enjoyed their company. I feel the need to spend a little time writing emails this morning, so I think that is going to be my next task. Beyond that, I am going to head out and shoot some pool with Don at Edgies. It seems like a perfect day for it.
Normally, when I have some extended time off, I like to spend my time watching movies - however, for reasons known only to the universe, this holiday there just haven't been any movies that I really wanted to see. There are a lot of loud and pretty movies out there, but I am not really in the mood for the pretty movies. I think I am craving something substantial, in more ways than one.
Ah well, let me fill the morning with some substantial email writing and maybe a substantial pool game or two, then ease into the evening. I am looking forward to the work week, largely because it is going to be a short work week. Friday is my 9/80 schedule day off, so that means I only have to work three days this week. That will be nice. With that note, let me head out into the ordinary day.
From there, I stopped at Chevron at Saratoga and Prospect, filled the tank with gas and ran the car through the automated car wash. (There was a direct hit from a big bird at some point during the previous week.) From there, I came home and watched the Special Features from the Hobbit movie Blu Ray, since I'd watched the movie last night. Now, I am just sitting in the relative quiet of the living room listening to the birds on the patio chattering alone.
My main bird visitors for the last couple of weeks has been a small group of sparrows, numbering about a dozen or so, and they've been pretty amusing. I've enjoyed their company. I feel the need to spend a little time writing emails this morning, so I think that is going to be my next task. Beyond that, I am going to head out and shoot some pool with Don at Edgies. It seems like a perfect day for it.
Normally, when I have some extended time off, I like to spend my time watching movies - however, for reasons known only to the universe, this holiday there just haven't been any movies that I really wanted to see. There are a lot of loud and pretty movies out there, but I am not really in the mood for the pretty movies. I think I am craving something substantial, in more ways than one.
Ah well, let me fill the morning with some substantial email writing and maybe a substantial pool game or two, then ease into the evening. I am looking forward to the work week, largely because it is going to be a short work week. Friday is my 9/80 schedule day off, so that means I only have to work three days this week. That will be nice. With that note, let me head out into the ordinary day.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Pool as a Metaphor for Life
I was out this afternoon shooting some pool in Milpitas, when I got to thinking about pool as a metaphor for life. I'm not really sure what turned my brain that way, other than the Ghosts of October and an earlier conversation with T.R.. I think those two things put me into that mode. So, as an exercise, let's consider pool as an extended metaphor.
Equipment Matters: Anyone who has ever played more that a casual game of pool can tell you that your pool cue matters. It has to be the right weight, the right diameter, and the right length for you and for your body. All of that combines to put your into the right position for the pure mechanics of playing pool. Yes, you can play a good game of pool with less than optimal equipment - but good equipment matters. The same holds true in life - buy quality, quality matters.
Know the Table: Every pool table plays differently. They may be faster or slower, they may be more or less responsive, and the pocket can be tighter or looser. You have to adjust your game to the table, because the table is not going to adjust to you. The differences between tables can be drastic, or they can be very subtle. A table can add shots to your game or subtract shots from your game - they can make you think you are better then you are or worse then you are. So there are really two life lessons to be learned from the table - one, local conditions, the local environment, really matters, so pay attention to it, and second, those very same local conditions can throw your self perceptions off, so once again, be aware, be perceptive, pay attention.
The Break: Yes, there is skill involved in the break, but there is also a deal of luck. When it comes to the break in pool and the breaks in life, the best you can do is relax, breathe, and do the best you can. When the breaks fall your way be ready to take advantage of it. When the breaks don't fall your way be ready to take a deep breath, let it go, and focus on the game at hand.
The Game: Pool is essentially a very simple game. You win by sinking all of your shots. It is all about the basics, it is a game of percentages. So you focus on the simple things and build from the ground up. You have to make all the basic shots, you have to make them consistently, and you have to make them frequently. Life is a lot like that. It is all about the basics. Yes, you can sometimes make the fancier shots, the more complex shots, the more difficult shots - but if you miss the basic and simple shots, it won't matter. So in life, as in pool, focus relentlessly on the basics and make the simple shots.
Winning and Losing: When you play pool it is never about a single game - whether you are playing casually or tournaments, pool is very much about consistency over time. You will win some and you will lose some, but if you win more than your lose, you are ahead in the game. You'll have hot streaks and cold streaks and freaky streaks and every other imaginable streaks in between. They'll elate you and frustrate you. But it will all come back to consistency over time.
Well, that pretty much sums up my metaphor of life as pool or pool as life. Maybe there was a little insight in there, maybe not - either way, I have a good day shooting pool - and at the end fo a few hours of eight ball, it was 6 for me and 4 for my opponent - and consistency over time wins the day.
Equipment Matters: Anyone who has ever played more that a casual game of pool can tell you that your pool cue matters. It has to be the right weight, the right diameter, and the right length for you and for your body. All of that combines to put your into the right position for the pure mechanics of playing pool. Yes, you can play a good game of pool with less than optimal equipment - but good equipment matters. The same holds true in life - buy quality, quality matters.
Know the Table: Every pool table plays differently. They may be faster or slower, they may be more or less responsive, and the pocket can be tighter or looser. You have to adjust your game to the table, because the table is not going to adjust to you. The differences between tables can be drastic, or they can be very subtle. A table can add shots to your game or subtract shots from your game - they can make you think you are better then you are or worse then you are. So there are really two life lessons to be learned from the table - one, local conditions, the local environment, really matters, so pay attention to it, and second, those very same local conditions can throw your self perceptions off, so once again, be aware, be perceptive, pay attention.
The Break: Yes, there is skill involved in the break, but there is also a deal of luck. When it comes to the break in pool and the breaks in life, the best you can do is relax, breathe, and do the best you can. When the breaks fall your way be ready to take advantage of it. When the breaks don't fall your way be ready to take a deep breath, let it go, and focus on the game at hand.
The Game: Pool is essentially a very simple game. You win by sinking all of your shots. It is all about the basics, it is a game of percentages. So you focus on the simple things and build from the ground up. You have to make all the basic shots, you have to make them consistently, and you have to make them frequently. Life is a lot like that. It is all about the basics. Yes, you can sometimes make the fancier shots, the more complex shots, the more difficult shots - but if you miss the basic and simple shots, it won't matter. So in life, as in pool, focus relentlessly on the basics and make the simple shots.
Winning and Losing: When you play pool it is never about a single game - whether you are playing casually or tournaments, pool is very much about consistency over time. You will win some and you will lose some, but if you win more than your lose, you are ahead in the game. You'll have hot streaks and cold streaks and freaky streaks and every other imaginable streaks in between. They'll elate you and frustrate you. But it will all come back to consistency over time.
Well, that pretty much sums up my metaphor of life as pool or pool as life. Maybe there was a little insight in there, maybe not - either way, I have a good day shooting pool - and at the end fo a few hours of eight ball, it was 6 for me and 4 for my opponent - and consistency over time wins the day.
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