Putting my finger on the problem; or, minor misadventures in gardening and first aid

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By Matthew E. Milliken
MEMwrites.wordpress.com
March 27, 2023

Some problems work themselves out over time. Others don’t.

A few weeks ago, I grabbed a rake that the previous occupants of my residence had left behind. I used it to scrape up some dirt, which I deposited in my compost bin.

This rake is an old one — possibly almost as old as me. The metal part at the bottom — the business end of this yard implement — is rusted. The long wooden handle is slowly disintegrating.

However, I didn’t notice a problem until later that day, when the middle finger of my right hand started to bother me. I looked at it and immediately saw a thick wooden splinter. It had lodged itself in the front side of the finger, just above the proximal interphalangeal joint (the second joint from the top). The skin around the foreign object was red.

Vignette: The box by the downtown store door

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By Matthew E. Milliken
MEMwrites.wordpress.com
March 19, 2023

On a cool, overcast mid-March morning last week, I set out for one of my daily walks. I crave variety on my strolls and try to go a different way each day. This day, my route took me through the heart of a small but robust nearby business district.

I was moving at speed on the sidewalk when something caught my eye. I was passing a shop of some sort — I never registered what it was — that had a doorway set back from the front of the building. The entry alcove formed by the door, the building walls and the sidewalk was four-sided. However, the edifice connecting the front of the building to the surface in which the door was set was diagonal. If you extended a line along the very front edge of the door, the edifice that connected the building front and my imaginary door line would form an oblique angle with said door line.

The shop’s front consisted mostly of display windows beginning at roughly the height of the middle of my thigh. Glass was built into the diagonal surface, the door and even the wall in which the door was set. Because the thickness of the glass was less than the thickness of the wall, as is typical, the glass was framed by narrow sills.

Resting on two of those sills — one on the diagonal surface, one at the bottom of a narrow rectangular pane flanking the door itself — was a small rectangular cardboard box.

Feb. 20, 2023, poker recap: Part 2

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By Matthew E. Milliken
MEMwrites.wordpress.com
March 8, 2023

As nine in the evening loomed at Live Casino in Philadelphia on President’s Day, I got into a big hand against the man in seat two, who had been there since our group of players had formed back at table 11.

This was a white guy in his 30s or maybe 40s who had a New Era Philadelphia Phillies baseball hat with ugly gray lettering and a matching gray bill perched atop his head. He wore a navy hooded sweatshirt with a white embroidered Nike logo over the left breast; he also sported some battered khakis. He had prospered on the evening, winning three or so all-in pots and a handful of other large scores as well. He played a controlled style — aggressive in spots but unafraid to fold in the face of large bets on boards with unfavorable runouts. At one point, I murmured to him, “Have you made a bad move all night?” As far as I could tell, he hadn’t.

In this instance, I played J♣️9♣️ from the cutoff. We saw a flop of king-10-6, which left me needing a queen to form a king-high straight (K-Q-J-10-9). The turn was a seven, which left me double-gutted: A queen would still give me a king-high straight, but now I could also make a jack-high straight with the addition of an eight (J-10-9-8-7, plus a meaningless six).

Feb. 20, 2023, poker recap: Part 1

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By Matthew E. Milliken
MEMwrites.wordpress.com
March 7, 2023

A few minutes after taking a picture of the sunset over South Philadelphia, I walked up to the poker-room podium and submitted my name for a $1-$3 no limit Texas holdem table at Live Casino. After a wait of about 10 minutes, a new table was called at around 6:11 p.m. I took seat one at table 11 and bought in for $240.

The first hand began eight minutes later. I folded 10-3 off-suit in the hijack and was rewarded by a runout of 9-7-6-8-2, which would have turned a 10-high straight for me. The hand was won by a player with Q♦️J♦️, who hit a diamond flush.

A few minutes later, in the big blind, I limped with Q-10 and folded to a raise of $11, which got two callers. Of course, the flop featured two queens.

Shortly after that, I called a $6 straddle from the button, jumping into what became a five-way pot with 9♦️7♦️. The flop was 9-6-5, and I called a $15 bet along with one other person. The turn was a king. I folded to the big blind’s bet of $30.

Thai food, paused dog, wet walking: Another visit to Princeton and the Watershed Institute

The sunset on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, as seen from the parking deck at Live Casino and Hotel in Southern Philadelphia, Pa.

Photo by the author.

By Matthew E. Milliken
MEMwrites.wordpress.com
March 6, 2023

I took my third trip to Princeton, N.J., on Monday, Feb. 20, which was President’s Day. After walking for more than six miles that morning, I showered, dressed, packed some snacks and hopped into my car to drive to Central Jersey. I came into town from the east/northeast on New Jersey Route 27. That becomes Nassau Street, which fronts the north end of Princeton University’s campus and serves as the town’s main street.

I parked off of North Harrison Street, which runs roughly north–south and intersects with the east side of Nassau. It was a little after 2 p.m. I walked west on Nassau for about half a mile. I turned around in front of Firestone Library and headed back toward my car. Along the way, I mused about where I wanted to enjoy a late lunch.

After stumbling across a small joint named Thai Village, I decided to eat there. I donned a mask, stepped through the door and asked the waiter if I could sit outside. He said it was fine and immediately picked up a menu, a drinking glass and a water pitcher to bring outside. I zipped up my jacket, took my seat and began looking over the menu. I ordered shrimp spring rolls for an appetizer and shrimp fried rice for my entree.