Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

Today, though, was once again a rough one. Up at 6am for 7am practice, and our second-chance round started at 8am. Our opponents, the Knights of the Pool Table, were from Jersey, and they were actually ranked properly (except the girl at the end, but more on that later).

First up: Misako (3)! She absolutely destroyed her opponent (a 4) in her Championship debut, cutting apart the first game, letting him take the second to lull him a bit, and just brutalizing him on the final game. The match was over quickly, and we were ecstatic. The morning was off to a good start.

They put up a 5 next, and since Jamal (5) was raring to go, he got the nod. It was a fairly even match and Jamal won a few of the games, but was unable to prevail in the end.

We put up Mits (5) next, in anticipation of their many 6s left to play, and they did indeed put one up. It was a guy named Joe who used to play with Captain Jim. Joe won the first two games with his weirdly precise strutting and shooting, then Mits took one … then two for Joe and one for Mits … and we had hope that Mits could turn it around, but he lost the match 5-2. Bummer.

In a surprise move that reeked to me of an under-ranked player, they put up their 2. Who does that, when they have a 6 available to put th enail in the coffin, unless their 2 is more of a 4? We played Jean, and he was shooting well until that 2 shot her last three balls with far too much skill (including carom and very long, complex shots) and sank the 8. Geez. Jean rallied and won the next game, but Ms “Yeah, Sure I’m a 2″ played like a 4 or 5 again and took the third game to win the match … and end our championship hopes.

We were a bit crushed.

But then we entered the Team Shirt contest — we’re a shoo-in to win — and then there was beer and Asian food (the restaurant actually called their food “Asian food”, don’t blame me). Much beer. Beer games, in fact. This was followed by the pool, which is a godsend in the 108-degree heat.

This led us into the night, where we tried to see the Treasure Island Sirens show (which was canceled 30 times in a row due to high winds, sigh), and ended up getting merry on sangria in a restaurant called Isla. Mmmm.

Thursday was another fun day, all pressure was off us … breakfast with half the team, blackjack and roulette at the Hard Rock (they have a yummy bloody mary), more pool time, and a final team dinner at the buffet. We couldn’t let the evening go to waste, so we went up to the Adventuredome at Circus Circus and played all of the midway games and video games (including a stirring Dance Dance Revolution contest) and I rode the rollercoaster, Inverter, Chaos, and other rides until I got queasy.

We lost.

But wait! There’s more! We’re not eliminated, we have a second chance round tomorrow, and we learned a lot on our first at-bat. The match was rough … it’s true, people in other parts of the country don’t have a life outside of pool halls, and a 4 from, say, rural Massachusetts is much better than a 4 from NYC. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

Jamal (5) got shut out in the first match against a 4 — he never really likes to go first, and there was a lot of extra pressure as there were girlfriends (3), a fiancee, a wife, two sets of parents and an ex-teammate watching. Thanks to all of the More Luck Than Skill family for making the trip out, and for staying up so late with us last night!

Jean (4) was up next, against their captain (6). Jean shot amazingly well, and had a few chances to win some games, but still was unable to come up with a W for us. But both he and Jamal had represented well.

Mits (5) was up next, against their 5, and he proceeded to slice and dice all the way to a Hill-Hill matchup. The games went “Mits in 3 innings, other guy in 1, Mits in 3, otherguy in 1, otherguy, Mits winning under pressure to stay alive” … and Mits pulled it out in the end! He then proceeded to celebrate the best way, with beer.

So we were still alive. Captain Jim (4) played their 3, and tore him up something good. Jim took the first game, lost the second, but perservered and closed out the other two as his opponent was rattled and whiffed some important shot. Jim kept his cool, stayed loose, and closed out the match.

And then I was up. Sigh. No pressure, win against a 4 (I’m still a 3) or we lose in our first round. Misako graciously helped me by applying vodka, and I went to the table. Apparently, no one else in the league takes practice lag shots, so there was some confusion there … but then we were on like Donkey Kong. I had so many chances to win games, but I couldn’t convert. I was shut out in games 1 and 2, though I played some good strategic pool with solid D. I had a shot to win game 3 and stay alive, but though Mits gave me a good coach on the 13, I still scratched, and handed the match to Ed. And thus were our hopes dashed for a first round victory.

Still, it was fun, and we learned a lot. The atmosphere in the main hall was charged with electricity, and there was plenty of scenery to look at as well. Wish us luck tomorrow!

That’s right, our little East Village pool team is out here in Vegas this week for the 2007 APA National Amateur 8-ball Championships. It’s a bit heady. We played a few practice hours this afternoon, surrounded by thousands of people all gunning for those gorgeous trophies (and the loot).

Our first match is tonight at 2130h local … if we win, we have to play twice tomorrow, starting at 8am. Yowch!

Wish us luck … pictures will follow shortly.

We played Stick it In last night at the Edge, always a pleasure to play a team that’s laid back, fun, cool-in-a-pool-geeky-way, and haz da skillz wot pay da billz. We lost to them, 3-2, which is sad, but we all had a great time, which is just the opposite of sad. I handed my camera to Joe to take a few pictures, and he went absolutely nuts. It was like I had my own personal paparazzi. I got it back and took some pics of the hotties on the other team to make up for it.

I played a great match vs Bill — he and I have a good rivalry going back a few seasons. He took the first game quickly, though I did have a good run in the middle, but I rallied quickly and pwned game 2. Julie was giving me sh1te about being a 3, which I have to admit is a silly ranking, but I’m happy to have the advantage while it lasts. =) Bill didn’t want to tank so he dusted off his A game and raced to close out the match, but I challenged him constantly and made him work for the ‘W’. Great games, Bill!

Adding joy to amusement, I finally purchased a sweet home-knit hat from none other than the Maker of Hats. It’s black so it fits in perfectly with my NYC ensemble. Michelle, you rock.

Some other pics while I’m here … last Sunday was the annual Veggie Thanksgiving celebration, hosted by Blake and Amy. Major yums, and I got to hang with my favorite peeps and pups. Who could ask for more? Well, me, I asked for more helpings of dip and veggies and pies. Check out the pics.

There are pics up here. Enjoy!

Still, I did take some pics from this week. Enjoy!

Thanks William!