Reading/Listening, Poker

Reading: A collection of poems by Wallace Stevens. I'm on page 124/251. I don't like some of the poems as much as I remember. I've already read most of this book for a class on poetry, but I never finished it. My favorite poem is still The Emperor of Ice Cream. It is great. I finished a book by Charles Bukowski called The Captain is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship. It is just a collection of his journals, but they are hilarious. I think I write vaguely like him, and we share the same disenchantment with the human race. Albeit Bukowski is a tad bit more bitter than I am, and he seems to have lost the hope for humanity that I still hold on to. Maybe he had some extra insight that I am missing because he was near to his own death when he wrote the book. Who knows. I think it was a good way to get into his writing because it really got me into his head.

Listening: Millionaire by Kelis featuring Andre 3000. The heavy electronic influence in this song makes my nipples tingle. The lyrics are a great blend of Kelis' smoky, sexy voice weaving itself in and out of the music and Andre 3000 stomping on the flow for an all-too-brief solo in the middle of the track. Even his staccato rhyme still manages to wrap itself in the great musical blanket. This is one of the best produced tracks that I've ever heard. There are thirty-eight different ways that the song could have been garbage, but whatever genius put this song together tiptoed through the minefield. Awesome song.

I'm trying to follow Jesus Ferguson's ride from $0 to $10,000. He laid out a bunch of bankroll management rules that he stuck to religiously (pun intended) on his way to a stack of high society. What this means for me is that with my $140ish bankroll, I have to play $.02/$.05 NLHE with $5 and cash out if I hit $15. I won big (relatively speaking) one night but have gotten beat the past couple, so I think I'm only up like $2 if anything over 3-4 sessions. Ferguson took $150 to $10,000 in 9 months. Granted, I'm not going to play as often as he did, but if I do it in a year I'll be happy. Fuck, if I do it at all I'll be happy. Wish me luck.