Suitedjustice's Ongoing Mid-life Crisis
I woke up in the middle of choking to death again; though to be accurate, it was towards the end of the process--woke up
And I enjoyed the review. 😀 I saw the movie about ten years ago and liked it too.
I'd probably be slightly annoyed by this as well. Maybe I was, at the time - even though I've never played a single hand of blackjack in a casino in my life.
Thanks, Sheep!
Also, Laurence Fishburne's crooked, violent private detective was way over the top. Casinos did have the [U]Griffin Detective Agency[/U] as a resource for catching counters back in the day, but after the mob left Las Vegas in the early 90s, counters were no longer beat up as a matter of policy; they were either 86ed or just asked not to play blackjack.
If you have no other ideas, I repeat my call, watch Babylon 5, yep it's the 90s (still the best decade of humanity though, prolly) and the first season, and maybe also some parts of the second season are a little bit dull on their own too, but you will appreciate them more if you have seen it all. Everyone I know who has seen it all wouldn't want to miss it. If you are skeptica
Babylon 5 is currently on my second tier list of shows, episodes of which I watch occasionally. I'm up to S1, E10.
Every B5 fan has told me about the overarching story that kicks in later on and makes the show great. I'm getting there. When the show gets better, I'll move it to the top tier.
In any case, I'll stick around just to see what happens with Garibaldi's hairline.
Spoiler
No spoilers, please!
It is insane to what extent Montreal (and its suburbs) has become a bicycle heaven in the past decade, as well as more pedestrian friendly, now that major axes in the city have been converted to one Ways with bike lanes or become pedestrian/bicycle streets all together 
End of derail 😉
Been to Montreal once for Cuban cigars, and again for a Rolling Stones concert. It's a lovely, cosmopolitan city.
Kevin Spacey would never REALLY groom a college-age student because their true count was...+21
Spoiler
Yesterday I picked up my Jeep and headed down to Norwich to see my friend Will. And the two of us went to see the band LCD Soundsystem in New Haven.
I'd heard of the band before, but for some reason I had them mixed up with Future Sound of London, so I was expecting to see two British guys come out and boot up their laptops and dance around awkwardly for 2 hours; but no, LCD Soundsystem is a full band, with eight members: on stage there were 3 keyboards and 2 drum sets, a guitar, a base, and one exotic and/or vintage electronic gizmo.
I expected a night of techno music, but instead we got some post-punk, some synth pop, some atonal experimental noise, and some art rock in the mode of Talking Heads and Roxy Music, and a small smattering of techno as an afterthought.
I enjoyed a number of the songs and more than a few of the far-out jams, but I didn't know any of the songs beforehand, and that makes it tough for me to really get into a band on the first go-round.
Most of the fans at the show were in their 30s and 40s, which got me wondering if Gen Z is getting out much these days, but after the show, on the way back to the parking lot I saw a lot of Gen Z youngsters lined up outside the New Haven nightclubs, so it appears that LCD Soundsystem's appeal is skewed towards Millennials.
love that band, this is the song i've listened to the most recently
iirc it's like NIN where it's one guy who does everything in studio and then he tours with other musicians
love that band, this is the song i've listened to the most recentlyiirc it's like NIN where it's one guy who does everything in studio and then he tours with other musicians
I did not know that the studio stuff was one guy. That's a pretty impressive range of songwriting. The band onstage seemed pretty cohesive. I did wonder—since they don't seem to have a lot of big hits—how they managed after splitting recording royalties 8 ways, but it turns out that one guy gets the lion's share, so that makes sense.
Rolling Stone's 464th Greatest Album of All Time: 3+3 by The Isley Brothers (1973)
The Isley Brothers started performing in churches back when they were young boys in the mid-1950s, now two of them, Ronald and Ernie, still perform today in 2025, as two marvels of career longevity.
By 1973's 3+3 album, the band's eleventh, several brothers were already veteran showmen. This version of the band featured five Isley brothers and one brother-in-law, the group having recently expanded from three members up to six, thus the album title.
3+3 kicks it off super funky with "That Lady Pts. 1 & 2", a reworking of their 1964 hit. I've heard the original more than a few times, but I'm glad to have found this version, with its kickass outer space guitar solos, not to mention the brief switch over to the Hammond organ sound, punctuated throughout with the fattest basslines. With this first song I was hooked into the album.
Following this are four cover songs that I found myself checking on; the Isley Brothers make the songs so much their own that it got me believing, wrongly, that they were the original writers and performers, and that the original acts had taken the songs from the Isleys.
In 3+3 the brothers cover "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" by James Taylor, "Listen To the Music" by the Doobie Brothers, "Sunshine (Go Away Today)" by Jonathan Edwards, and "Summer Breeze" by Seals and Crofts. And in each case they blew away the originals, in my books at least.
None of these covers turned into big hits for the Isley Brothers, but they released 3+3 not long after the original performer's releases, so I'd venture that it was simply a matter of timing that kept these covers from being hits.
After listening to the brothers' take on "Summer Breeze", the original version that I knew so well as a kid sounds about as funky as pan-fried mayonnaise, all apologies to Messrs. Seals and Crofts.
Here you'll be well served to stick around for the guitar solo at the end.
Now, when it comes to "Listen to the Music", I always felt that the Doobie Brothers were plenty funky enough for their own song, but the Isley Brothers showed me that they could take it to another level.
Rolling Stone Says:
The Isley Brothers ballooned from a trio that impressed the Beatles to a six-piece band on 3 + 3, which helped establish them as a funk force in the 1970s. The hit “That Lady” is stuffed with laser-bright guitar solos, and the slow numbers (including a cover of James Taylor’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,” in which Ron Isley unfurled his heartbreaking falsetto and forceful midrange) hint toward the band’s bright future as pre-eminent balladeers in R&B’s Quiet Storm era.
R&B's Quiet Storm era? I'm not familiar with that term. I'll have to look into that.
It is insane to what extent Montreal (and its suburbs) has become a bicycle heaven in the past decade, as well as more pedestrian friendly, now that major axes in the city have been converted to one Ways with bike lanes or become pedestrian/bicycle streets all together End of derail 😉
Until a motorized "trottinette" (sorry, don't know the English word) at 30 km/h (19 mph) freaks out both pedestrians and cyclists before going through a red light.
LCD Soundsystem is a cool band. I wanted to go to that New Haven show but had too much life stuff going on. I used to work at that venue, College Street Music Hall. It's a cool place to see a concert IMO. There is always good people watching outside the clubs on the next block too.
I did not know that the studio stuff was one guy. That's a pretty impressive range of songwriting. The band onstage seemed pretty cohesive. I did wonder—since they don't seem to have a lot of big hits—how they managed after splitting recording royalties 8 ways, but it turns out that one guy gets the lion's share, so that makes sense.
The main guy from the band also produces the records and helps release them through the label he runs. I think he probably gets a uniquely high percentage of royalties from their records.
Thank you for being cool, golddog.
LCD Soundsystem is a cool band. I wanted to go to that New Haven show but had too much life stuff going on. I used to work at that venue, College Street Music Hall. It's a cool place to see a concert IMO. There is always good people watching outside the clubs on the next block too. The main guy from the band also produces the records and helps release them through the label he
Yeah, I liked the venue a lot. Decent sound, good views, sensible setup, and a cheerful vibe.
Back in the 90s, I worked at the (now defunct) Store 24 convenience store in New Haven, near the Yale campus, for a few weeks. It was a shitshow, as the outgoing manager had nursed a bad attitude, and had neglected paperwork and stocking and had somehow doubled the main weekly grocery order, which was mostly blocking all of the aisles when I arrived.
Also, one of the employees—probably the ex-manager—stole $100 out of the lottery, and that got pegged to my watch.
The customer base was either Yale students and professors or homeless people.
Yes! I very much enjoyed the album. On to the next.
Today, I'm doing one more day at the old office. Then I really, really, really have to get back to the casino.
prolly need a 10-speed
My Jeep is back. Better that I have its battered armor around me while sharing the road with my fellow M@ssholes.
i got a schwinn stingray sometime around 8 or 9 and slowly converted it over the years to bmx with parts purchased from wal-mart as allowance allowed. that frame was probably the only thing left when i was done.
Yeah, I liked the venue a lot. Decent sound, good views, sensible setup, and a cheerful vibe.Back in the 90s, I worked at the (now defunct) Store 24 convenience store in New Haven, near the Yale campus, for a few weeks. It was a shitshow, as the outgoing manager had nursed a bad attitude, and had neglected paperwork and stocking and had somehow doubled the main weekly grocery o
Ah interesting. I don't think I knew there was ever a Store 24 in New Haven. I'm sure that was a wild time. New Haven has changed a lot since then. Store 24 was around when I was at UConn (early 2010's). Now it is gone in favor of some chain stores though, not sure when it closed.
Ah interesting. I don't think I knew there was ever a Store 24 in New Haven. I'm sure that was a wild time. New Haven has changed a lot since then. Store 24 was around when I was at UConn (early 2010's). Now it is gone in favor of some chain stores though, not sure when it closed.
Store 24 was privately held, and sold themselves to another chain. I'm not sure exactly when. The owner was Bob Gordon, father of Mike Gordon from Phish. It's likely that Bob retired or passed away, and Mike was probably not interested in carrying on the family business.
The UCONN campus in Storrs was my home base, and some of the kids who worked there were Phish fans, so Bob had the band sign something that said "What's in store at the Store 24 in Storrs?"
my brother was on campus in new haven in the early 90s. wonder if you ever crossed paths.
It's quite possible, though I was only there for a few weeks. I moved on to another store in North Haven, to discover there that the outgoing manager had 3 ghost employees on the payroll for whom he'd been collecting checks, and cashing them for himself.
Tonight the MGM runs the football promo that I enjoy. I plan on showing up at the poker tables for the first time in too long.
Tonight the MGM runs the football promo that I enjoy. I plan on showing up at the poker tables for the first time in too long.
remember that one, tis a good one
They've nerfed the promo this year and it doesn't pay out as much. Only two people are paid now when a football team scores, instead of an entire table. Still, it works out to around $15-$20/hour per person, but the variance is high, and a moderately unlucky player could go the entire football season without getting paid.
I lost $75 playing poker over 4 hours and scored no football promo wins, plus while I was playing I had to watch another slot grinder check all the X machines near the poker room, just before the football game ended. I'd been hoping to have those machines to myself after the game, but it was not to be.
Rolling Stone's 463rd Greatest Album of All Time: Eli & the Thirteenth Confession by Laura Nyro (1968)
When I saw this album come up on the list, I figured that I'd never heard of Laura Nyro (pronounced NEER-oh) nor of any of her songs, with the exception of "Eli's Comin'," which I'd always assumed was an oft-sung folk song from an earlier century, but as soon as I heard Nyro's voice, she sounded familiar, and I opened a new tab to look up a song called "Wedding Bell Blues" by the 5th Dimension, because their song was associated in my head with Laura Nyro's sound.
It turns out that Nyro wrote "Wedding Bell Blues" in 1966, when she was 18 years old, and the 5th Dimension covered it in 1969; it was a big hit for them.
But back to Eli & the Thirteenth Confession. The first three tracks on it feature what I think of as old school nightclub music; swinging standards from acts like Barry Manilow, Perry Como, and Mel Torme.
A little light jazz, a little swinging R&B, a hint of folk, more than a little brass, all punctuated by Nyro's pitch perfect, three-octave pipes.
I've never loved the majority of this genre, and the first three songs on Eli & the Thirteenth Confession come across to me like a trio of old-timey car commercials.
Then I hit the fourth track, "Poverty Train," and something special dropped in. The song is bluesy, it's odd and it's all over the place; it's mournful, it's trippy, it lets off squeaky early Floyd flute flourishes in places, and it's a good showcase for Nyro's vocal talents.
The remaining songs follow the same pattern as "Poverty Train," by following no definite pattern. All the eclectic changes in mood and tempo and key switches kept me on my toes. And even if I didn't love every song, I was never bored, never checking the time signature for a song's ending, and I loved listening to Nyro's singing, particularly on "Eli's Comin'," a song that is not as I thought from the 19th century, but one that she wrote in junior high school; another of hers that became a big hit when a more famous band covered it, in this case Three Dog Night in 1969.
You can also find covers of Nyro's songs from Blood Sweat & Tears, Peter Paul & Mary, and Barbra Streisand.
Laura Nyro died relatively young of ovarian cancer at age 49. Given her singing and songwriting talents, she ought to have been more famous than she was, especially since David Geffen was her producer for several years. But Nyro turned down a number of TV appearances that could have made her a household name. The Tonight Show, the Late Show with David Letterman, and Saturday Night Live all wanted her to play, but none of them got her. A production deal with Geffen in 1969 made her several million dollars, so it may be that she'd felt she had enough fame and money. In any case, I'm glad to have run across her music.
[b}Rolling Stone Says:[/b]
Part confessional singer-songwriter and part would-be soul diva, Nyro was never an easy one to categorize. Her dazzling second album came the closest to blending both of her musical selves. Her pop instincts shine in the best-known songs here, like “Eli’s Comin’” and “Stoned Soul Picnic.” But the rest of the album finds her less restrained lyrically and musically, making for sensuous and often sexually ambiguous music that paved the way for many genre-busting female troubadours.
Solid take by the RS writer. I can hear a little of Laura Nyro in Joni Mitchell and Tori Amos and others like them.
I played poker again last night for 4 hours around the Monday Night Football Promo, which pays out every time a team scores. The game featured plenty of scoring, running up to 38-30, but no promo hits for me.
I lost $280 at the tables, and made back $80 at the slots. In the big picture, that's less than a buyin—a small loss—but I can't afford many losses.
Here's a hand that I played.
UTG opens to $10, I flat in UTG+1 with A2s. I don't like a 3-bet with Axs if the opener is in EP. I don't mind a multiway pot here, given the chance of overflushing someone for a big pot, or hitting a sneaky straight or low trips.
Everyone else folds and it's heads up.
(Pot $23) - 2 players
Flop: 3♦5♣8♠
UTG bets $10 and I call with an over card and a gutshot.
(Pot $43) - 2 players
Turn: 6♥
UTG bets $10 and I call. Villain made the same bet. Doesn't seem like he loves his hand. I might be able to take it away on the river.
(Pot $63) - 2 players
River: 7♣
UTG bets $40.
(Pot $103) - 2 players, hero left to act.
How did this river help his hand? How many 9s does he have opening from UTG? A9s, 99, maybe T9s, or 98s if he's loose, though I think he would have bet 98s for more on the turn with his pair and draw.
Countering that, I think he has a fair amount of cautiously-played overpairs, and given his small sizing on the flop and turn, I think he has at least some AK and AQ in there that were hoping to catch, and now he wants me to go away.
I lose to AK and AQ. He can fold those to a raise; can he fold an overpair on a four-straight board?
I raise to $140.
(Pot $243) - 2 players, villain left to act.
Spoiler
He snaps me off fairly quickly.
Spoiler
How many 9s does he have opening from UTG?
Spoiler
