Slideshow of Scenic Beauty from ABQ to Silver City

Here are a few photos I took while traveling to Tucson from ABQ. I took the scenic route, traveling seven hours on New Mexico's state highway system. I spent the night in Silver City, then drove on to Tucson.

(Hint: move your mouse over the picture to activate the control for pausing, forwarding, and reversing the slides.)

How about them Cowboys? Beating the Philadelphia Eagles is always a pleasure. Now the Pokes are in position to wrap up the NFC East if they'll take care of the Giants. Tony Romo's new contract for $67 million appears to be a good investment. He's playing really well.

I watched the game at a sports bar near the Parks Place Mall, east of downtown Tucson. The place is appropriately called "Touchdown Restaurant and Bar." I first ate lunch, however, at Marie Callender's Brunch buffet located next door. After lunch I made it to the Border's Bookstore at the mall to do some work prior to the game. I made it to Touchdowns Bar in the middle of the Patriots/Colts game. It appears the Patriots are heading for the Super Bowl to play against the Cowboys!

I was updating my monthly tracking sheets last night and I'm still trying to get a handle on my game: am I getting better or worse? Part of the fun for me is tracking my sessions. I log the time, place, wins, losses, winning rate per hour, etc. on a spreadsheet.

I'm beginning to wonder if there is a legitimate way to track my progress as a player in this game. The amount of money I win and add to my bankroll is not a very accurate judge of my skill. One lucky tournament, one big cash payoff, and my numbers are all skewed. If I track my cash game wins only, this too can be deceiving in the short term. I suppose if I can look back over a five year period and show that I've made money each of those years, that would be an indication I am playing well. But even the best of professionals have off years. Does having an "off year" mean I am less skillful, less of a player?

If earnings are not an accurate guage, then what is? The best I can come up with is an hourly win rate. At least if I track my win rate per hour over time it will be analogous to having a regular paying job. For example, if I can check my win rate per hour during a month and see how it compares to a regular job's salary, then maybe I can judge how I'm doing as a player. If I'm losing money each hour, then what I have is a hobby. I'm being entertained, but it's costing me money. If I begin to make money each hour consistently over time, however, then my hobby is beginning to pay off and it may become a source of regular income.

Is earning a regular income from playing poker a sign of my skill? I suppose it is, especially if I can show I've earned money consistently over a long period of time. And the key phrase here is "over a long period of time." It's not particularly relevant to track my win rate per hour for a month and convince myself I am making money. More than likely, the next month I will lose money. It seems to me a year's time is the minimum requirement. I need to track my hourly win rate for a solid year, then see where I am.

Another idea: log 1,000 hours of playing time, then check my win rate per hour. I heard a professional say that a cash game player needs to put in at least 3,000 hours of play before they can judge their skill level. That seems reasonable. Poker is a game, a gamble, with edges and variances that play themselves out over time. Thousands of hours need to be tracked before these variances begin to reveal themselves. This is one reason online players develop their skill far quicker than live game players. An online player will play many more hands per hour, and will also play more hours per day, than live game players. Online poker is live poker on steroids.

So, I guess what I'm suggesting is that:

1. I consider the long term, not the short term, when I'm tracking my progress as a player,
2. I track my win rate per hour, over time, and look for signs of improvement
3. I set a goal to play 1,000 hours at the felt before I assess my skill level and try to determine how well I'm doing.

So far this year, with two months remaining, I've played 510 hours. I suppose this is why I'm a little frustrated in defining my skill level as a player: I've just not played enough to determine where I am as a player.

By the Time I Get to Tucson

For the winter I think I'll live in Tucson. Why not? My only goal for the Winter of 2007 is to skip it. I want to stay warm. Tucson almost never gets cold, so I'm here to stay for a while.


I left Texas in a funk back in August and have not looked back. I spent 74 wonderful days in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area of north central New Mexico, but when the night time temps began to fall into the sub-comfortable range I decided to head south.


My blog "1100 Miles to Vegas" has daily (or almost daily) updates of my trip across the Southwest.


While in Santa Fe I attended the Filmmakers Intensive open house at the College of Santa Fe. It's a new program for anyone interested in the film business, offering three tracks of study in screenwriting, directing, and producing. I'm looking at 2009 as a possible time frame to apply for the screenwriting track. Students spend nine months to a year learning from professional filmmakers on the College of Santa Fe campus.


The College of Santa Fe is evidently the only college in America that has a professional film studio attached to its campus, providing film students the opportunity to observe films being produced and shot in the Santa Fe area. Internships on various productions are possible as well.


The film industry in New Mexico has exploded, with numerous films and TV shows being filmed all around the state. New Mexico began in 2001 providing financial incentives to lure Hollywood film producers, and it's working.


Among the films being shot in New Mexico recently is Kevin Costner's Swing Vote. A new professional studio in Albuquerque, plus one being planned for Santa Fe, will see plenty of Hollywood business in the future. Russell Crowe's 3:10 to Yuma was filmed in New Mexico last year and the new Indiana Jones movie is coming to the state next year. In October, there were 19 movies being filmed around the state, and numerous commitments being made for 2008 and beyond.

I'm sitting in a Border's Bookstore coffee shop, looking out the window at some beautiful mountains, and not getting much work done. My plan is to spend the weekend here, writing. It's a great store, located near a very nice mall east of downtown.

This is a picture of what I see out the window looking north. Tucson is surrounded by five mountain ranges. What a beautiful city this is. If I can't become inspired to write here, then I'm in real trouble.















This is me looking real serious for some reason. I've got my "Harry Potter" glasses on. I saw "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" last night, Halloween night. I am in Arizona, after all, so I figured it makes sense, in a metaphysical and mystical sort of way. I wonder if there is a real Order of the Phoenix in Phoenix, with perhaps a satellite office here in Tucson.






This view of the Border's coffee shop is opposite the window. The guy in the white shirt on the left is an architect and has some drawings spread out on the table. I hope that's his wife sitting near him.







This is my first week in Tucson, so I'm still learning my way around the city. One warning for you, however, if you plan on a visit any time soon. The Tucson traffic is a nightmare because of the road construction all over town. Interstate 10 going through town is being rebuilt, with most of the ramps closed inside the city. Other streets around town are being repaved, too, providing a newcomer like me a huge headache.

I've had to use a map to draw up a plan on getting around the city while avoiding all the construction. So, if you come, bring a good map and a GPS system.

Over the weekend I'll be writing more about the city, my visit to the Visitors Center in downtown, the Casino del Sol, and A Mountain. I'm going to do my best to post something each day, here. There is plenty to write about and see. I've also got to discuss my trip here, along the scenic route from Albuquerque.

I made it to Tucson today, Monday, after two long days of driving and taking hundreds of photos along the way. I'm a little tired, so I'll update my blog over the next few days. There are some things I still need to say about Santa Fe and ABQ before I turn my attention to Tucson as well.

So the next few days I'm going to be working on my blog updates, editing my photos, and touring the Tucson area. Stay with me...it should be fun.

I took the photo at the right in Texas Canyon, about 30 miles east of Tucson. It will give you an idea of the beautiful scenery I've encountered over the last two days.

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More later.

By the Time I Get to Phoenix...uh, Make That Tucson

Well. It is time. I'm leaving ABQ for the desert. In search of warmer weather and a milder winter climate, I'm driving southwest to Tucson. I'm leaving this morning, Sunday, October 28.

I arrived in ABQ on Thursday, August 16. The 74 days I've been here have been great. I have very few complaints. The weather was perfect, the Sandia Resort was terrific, and the people in ABQ are generally very friendly. I've worked a little, played a lot, and seen the sights. The International Balloon Fiesta is a must-attend for any traveler, and the overnight trip to Santa Fe was the best way to wrap up my visit to north central New Mexico.

But now it's time to move on. The road is calling me to join her once again.

I'm first driving south to Socorro on I-25. From there I'll take state Hwy. 60 west to Hwy. 12. Hwy. 12 heads southerly to Reserve, New Mexico. Then I'll take Hwy. 180 south to Silver City. From Silver City, it's an easy drive west on I-10 to Tucson. This route will take me through various mountain ranges and beautiful scenery as I head my way south. I'm in no real hurry, so why not take the time to see the sights of southwestern New Mexico? To track my journey, visit the links to GoogleMaps (located in the left margin). So far, I've created three maps for the three "legs" of my trip.

I'll be writing a bit more about Santa Fe and posting some more photos over the next few days. Plus, I'll be posting my favorite photos on my photography blog at Photographium. I took some wonderful pictures in Santa Fe and want to share them. So check back here and Photographium. Notice I've added a new section to my blog for slideshows under the heading "Photo Albums."