Weekend update: First Friday + Random Sports failures

I braved another trip to First Friday this week. It was the first time in about 2 years that I hit that monthly downtown art show. It reminded me of how terrible downtown Phoenix is. Lesson of the week: Phoenix has no cultural identity. There is no sense of an artistic community. Instead there are about 20 different showings of wildly different styles (ranging from overexaggerated, bright, cartoony still life, to what I can only describe as dark, formless and as depressing as ASU's football team in the Dirk Koetter era). There was really nothing even worth writing about. I'm always a bit dissapointed when the best work at a show was photography. Photography is fine. It just doesn't capture the sense of spirit I look for in art.

Not to say that I didn't enjoy going. It's always fun to go out. Maybe I just have my expectations too high, or didn't hit the right spots. I was dreadfully tired anyway, which has a bad effect on my mood.

But don't even get me started on the music. 8 years ago, we atleast had a music scene. The Gin Blossoms, Jimmy Eat World, and a variety of other bands I wouldn't be caught listening to once grew up playing on Mill Avenue. I hate that kind of music, but atleast artists had a chance to develop a sound and grow. Now all you hear are amateurs. Shitty bands that are tight musically are alot better than shitty garage bands.

This weekend was a complete disaster in the sports realm. I was sitting pretty in the work NCAA pool. Apparently the sports gods felt the need to punish me for the chalk final four picks. I was up a healthy margin, needing either UCLA + UNC to advance to the finals, or UNC to win it all to pick up a nice spot of cash. Instead both teams get blown out, and I'll sit a few points out of the money. Looking back I should have picked Memphis over UCLA, but I still defend my UNC pick.

The gambling gods have also been spiting me after I cowered away from making a super bowl bet that would have payed off about as much money as I make in a year. On top, in the previous 6 months I built my online poker bankroll from $100 to $500, only to donk it all away. Don't play when you're tired, on tilt, or emotionally unstable kids. Played a SnG today and bubbled (as is customary with my gambling). I play conservative when I should be pushing things, and then I go ultra aggressive when people start sucking out and winning big pots. I did alright in the cash games, but had my strong hands cracked by ridiculous runner runner flushes\straights. 'Tis the nature of low limit poker online.