On The Road Again with Perfect Aim....

Just got done with another match.......

The Renfro said:

get it done Geno!!!!! :thumbup:

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Just got done with my next match. it was tied up 4-4 with Scott C. He's the one that put Tom McClusky in the losers. Tom was top in the calcutta. I caught a gear and everything went right and finished it off 11-4. Got another one at 10:00 PM. Gary Lutman. This guy can play. Need to get my game face on for this one. Only 4 players left on the winners side right now. I don't know how the pros are doing but I'm liking the one I'm in right now.

And for the record I still have the same KiTech med on that I put on 6 months ago.

I've got one on my break cue. Havn't touched it since I put it on 4 months ago to try out. Same exact shape. Couldn't ask for more. I like it because it kind of grabs the ball and i can do what I want with it even on the break/

Thanks Chris for the great job your doing with the KiTech tips.

That tip with the Jacoby edge hybrid is a good combo. At least for me.

Just thankful I can play again.

Was ahead 6-0....

Lost 10-11.

I have to regroup and see if I can play with not enough sleep. Gonna be tough with the health issues but I'll give it my all.

Losing to Gary like this really put the fire back in my mind. I might just be OK tomorrow.

If so look out. Thanks again Chris..........

Not quite ready yet but played some good pool.....

I had to relearn a lesson. All the young guys out there need to heed this. Even some of the older guys.

I havn't been in a big tourny for awhile. Rule of thumb, When you got a guy down like I did with Gary Lutman you need to treat every game in the race to 11 like it's a hill hill game.

I made a huge mistake. About 3 games in a row i tried stuff that i should have played safe on. I was ahead 6-0. I just wacked at some stuff like a beginner. A guy like Gary, great player and a grinder. You know he's not going to give up.

Pretty soon it's 6-6 and I'm just like Wow. What's going on here.

We battled back and forth and soon the score was 9-9. I'm running out the rack and have a fairly easy shot on the 8. A slight cut to the right and then roll down for the 9. Pretty simple.

The 8 ball skidded and missed the hole by 4 inches. it was such an easy shot.

Now gary is on the hill.

I'm running out the next rack to tie it up and I get the cue ball on the rail with the 8 ball straight in the hole. All I could do was shoot the ball softly leave the cue ball about 4 inches off the rail and the 9 ball 3/4 of the way to the other end straight in.

I jacked up, fired it in and drew back to the other end for the 10 ball.

I break the next race and make 2 balls but the 2 ball is half hooked. It's about 1 inche off the head rail and about 2 inches from the pocket. I could either kick at it, which I figured was about a 50 50 chance or bank it down to the other end, which was kind of risky but there was alot of balls down there to hide behind.

Gary made a great shot nicking the 2 ball hooking me pretty good. I kicked and got a hit. He could only see half of the 2.

Gary did a great job and ran out the rack.

After the match was over I was pretty upset. Not for losing but for the way I mentally thought, not taking those 3 games serious.

For me this was huge. Now i go to the losers bracket and have to play at 10:00AM Sunday. It's already 1:00 AM and 9:00 AM is going to come real early. Especially with the icing i need to do for my right leg and knee.

I tried to get to sleep but my legs kept cramping up. Finally at about 6:00 AM I finally got to sleep.

This would be the first time I tried to play pool with so little sleep on my surgically repaired left knee that needs to be replaced and the right new knee from 5 months ago.

I played my first match and won pretty easy running out from everywhere.

I started my second match , which was for 3rd and 4th and ran out the first rack.

I break and was running out the second rack and missed a fairly easy 3 ball.. My opponent made me pay by running out the rack and breaking and running 2 more himself. As I was watching him run out I could feel my energy just slipping away. I was exhausted. Sitting in my chair for those 2 rack was not what i needed at the time. I realised how tired I had become.

I tried to pull it together but even the easiest shots looked really tough now.

The importance of this second match on Sunday is it never would have happened if i would have taken care of my business with Gary the night before.

Plus I would have gotten another 2 hours of sleep.

Gary still might have beaten me but i like my chances if I play those 3 games i threw away like they were hill hill games.

Moral of the story is. When you got a guy down treat every single last game like it is hill hill.

If you don't a guy like Gary { the grinder } Lutman will make you pay.

Great match Gary. Good Luck.

You got a good shot a winning this thing.my friend.............

Sorry I couldn't make it...........

ndakotan said:

Gene,

Are you coming to Minot ND for the 4 bears classic next week?

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Been moving and trying to take care of my health.

The latest is I thought I had caught some poison Ivy from our new landlord when we shook hands.

Today I found out it is shingles. I wish I would have gotten a shingles vaccine but it's too late for me. I recommend everyone should. Shingles is no joke.

Setting up the table to do some lessons with players that have to travel long distances.

I know it seems like I fell off the face of the earth for awhile but I was focusing on my health and staying in top stroke.

Did about 10 lessons in the last month also.

But anyway I'm back and will be reporting what is going on.

Good luck my friend........:smile:

Things are looking good......

Got a line on a diamond table at a good price.

Selling my Gold Crowns as fast as I can. They are 2's and the diamond will be a huge upgrade for my students and for my practice.

I'm set up in Minneapolis, about 10 minutes from the airport. When someone flies in I can pick'em up and go right to work.

We have an extra room available.

Setting up a 2 day, 3 day, 4 day, and 5 days class. One on one for the player that wants to really improve their game a ton in a quick hurry.

I know, other people and players say it can't happen that fast. All they need to do is watch the testimonials from the players that are learning. It's all good.

Staying here and teaching was an easy decision to make for now. The 3 surgeries and now the shingles has kind of put a new twist on things.

I know it seems like I've been given a bunch of lemons for my life right now so I'm going to do the best I can and make some lemonade.

The lemonade is helping more players around the country play better than ever before. I already have a bunch of them running around winning all kinds of tournaments and cash.

I'm not giving up on myself as a player though. I still got another 20 years or so to play.

My road for now will be the Minneapolis/St paul area. There are plenty of students that need to improve their games. I'm very excited about the opportunity right here at home for now.

Bedtime. Need to win a little tourney again tomorrow.

One man a van and the road. Just a little shorter road for now.

I also want to thank everyone of my friends on AZ here for all the support over the last year or so.

Chances of getting shingles from someone that has them is zero...

stevelomako said:

Gene,

If you're still contagious with shingles I don't think it's a good idea to be going around people till it heals up and no chance to infect anyone.

You have to think of other people right now, there will be other tournaments.

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Once they dry up your not.

People cannot get shingles from someone that has them.

Someone can get chicken pox from someone that has shingles but the window is very small. Must have the runny blisters. Most people have been vaccinated for chicken pox so the risk for most people is very small. I'm way past that stage.

People that get shingles like myself are usually past that stage or close to it when they seek health because they don't know what they have.

There are 100's of people getting shingles everyday. We have the virus in us already if you have had chicken pox. Once you had chicken pox you can get shingles but only from yourself. The people that put people at risk are the ones that aren't vaccinated for chicken pox. Chicken pox is a preventable disease and a percentage used to die from it when I was a kid and there was no vaccine.

To lock yourself up when a person has shingles is not an option. Some people have shingles for 7 months to a year,

If you have the shingles shot you can still get shingles. The virus is just supposed to be less violent.

People need to be vaccinated for chicken pox and most are. Once vaccinated your chances of shingles is pretty much zero from what I understand.

Kind of like when I got diagnosed with diabetes. I knew little about the disease until I had it.

Same with shingles. The risk for everyone else to get shingles from someone else is zero.

Had some fun last night.........

I'm at Shooters in Burnsville playing in the Monday night tournament and in walks Joe, my lesson from a few days ago. It was fun listening to him tell me how the shots just look so good. Then he would say for no reason the next day it's not so good.

I was trying to play in the tournament and I was really struggling myself. Then I thought what Joe said. How the next day it was just not there. Here I had my own answer that I was giving Joe, if there was just one part of the puzzle missing and it just doesn't work so well.

I started playing much better once I started to apply what I teach. My knees were hurting , Had a headache and my joints were all kind of hurting all over. All side effects from the shingles that I have. I just had to forget about all this stuff and do what I needed to do to line up every shot and execute it correctly.

Then I ran into Jeff, one of the better players in the tournament. In a race to 5 jeff is capable of beating just about anyone. I broke and played a bad safe. jeff played safe back, I missed and Jeff ran out the set to 5.

Now in the losers I had to bare down. My left knee was so sore I had to walk with a limp. My new right knee now feels like the strong one.

I battled back through the losers side to get another shot at Jeff.

Jeff shot well and had me 3-0. I thought back to what Joe said and just made sure I did everything right that I teach. Practice what I teach.

Soon the score was 3-3. I had to use the bathroom and when I came back Jeff asked me if I wanted to split. He saw me limping back to the table from the bathroom and this might have been an act of kindness on Jeffs part because he could see I was in some pain. I told him No, that I always want to play it out. I want to play. Not playing is like working all day to get the ice cream and then don't get it. I want to play in a final match no matter how big or small the money is.

I ran the next rack. Then I broke the next rack leaving the cue ball on the head rail with a shot at hitting the 2 ball thin and caroming in the 9 ball.

In the 9 ball went.

I had just won 5 games in a row to win the first set. Now I need to beat jeff one more time.

Jeff says I'm done. You win.

I said back, come on, lets play it out. He says, Naw, You get first place.

There was no way that I could have won that thing without Joe showing up and telling me his learning experience. I just had to focus on doing the things I needed to do and just let it happen. It's hard for us to do this sometimes when something is bothering us. But by knowing what to do you can overcome the physical stuff and focus on what you need to do to win.

By knowing how to have the eyes correct I could get there. Tired and hurting are just part of the game for me right now until this shingles thing subsides. They tell me it could hang on for months. Even 7 to 8.

My student Joe doesn't even know how much he helped me last night.

He left before the tournament was over last night or I would have told him then.

I think I'll give him a call tonight and give him a tune up lesson for free.

No matter what your situation is with you physical problems, if you know what to focus on you can still get there.

There will be no more wimping out for me and my pool game. As long as you get enough sleep a player can get past the pain unless the pain is so bad you cannot function.

Lesson learned again for myself............

My doctor told me...........

PINKLADY said:

good to hear you are still around, Gene! and yes, shingles SUCK. some of the worst pain anyone could imagine.

but meds have changed in the past 25yrs. high doses of acyclovir should kick it in no time; pain meds are an absolute.

you are the 3rd person in almost 50 yrs that i've ever heard of having them - the other 2 were 90ish when they got them.

they are contagious & are contracted as herpes - oral, genital, eyes, or skin breaks. don't scratch yourself or contact your clothing & then touch cues/balls, etc.

the vaccine is only applicable if you don't already have Simplex 1 or 2, which is 66% of the population.

i feel for your pain. get better soon.

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You can rub the shingles on someone else and they can't get anything as far as shingles is concerned. Herpes or whatever.....................

They can get chicken pox though if they have not had chicken pox vaccine.

If you have had shingle for at least 3 days the vaccine will do no good. It's too late. So much for acyclovir. If this stuff would help me I would be pretty pissed because the doctor said the only thing I could do to help is ibprophen. It did get rid of the headache.

Chicken pox has almost been wiped out since most people have been vaccinated. many people died from chicken pox when I was young but there was no internet back then so it was not advertised.

The only way you can get shingles is if you have had chicken pox. You then have the virus in your body. When you get older and your immune system weakens all it takes is allot of stress on your body and the shingles will break out. You can only get shingles from yourself.

As far as herpes virus is concerned, they might be related but you cannot get one from the other.

it's funny how until you get something yourself and only then do you get the correct medical advice and have the right answers as far as contagious or not.

In the beginning stages, like I said before, when the blisters first form someone could get chicken pox and chicken pox only.

But then again those people that are not vaccinated are putting other people at risk.

In California not too long ago there was a small breakout of chicken pox. They put a lid on it quick because chicken pox is very contagious. And with the number of people that get shingles the parents of these children that keep them from being vaccinated are vulnerable.

Why a parent would want to put their children at risk like that I'll never understand.
Maybe they don't remember well enough when they had chicken pox.

My mother would never get a flu shot. Finally I talked her into going down and getting one. I'm diabetic and I told her, Mom, the flu could finish us both off, plus when the grand children came over it would be much healthier for everyone.

That year the flu was really bad and mom was very thankful that she didn't get it.

I remember the chicken pox when I was in 4th grade. I threw up a lot and never slept some nights. I was burning up with fever, ached all over and all we could do was wait until it was over. All 5 of us kids got it and it was one of the most miserable 2 weeks of my life.

So far with shingles I have had terrible headaches, aches all over the body especially the knees and middle of my back, dizzy, my vision goes a little double, have trouble focusing. The only thing missing from shingles is the fever and the throwing up. Otherwise its all the same and can last a long time and come back over and over.

Someone told me that the site where I have the blisters are going to hurt forever real bad. This was hearsay so I don't know if that is true until I look it up but I don't think it is true for now. Like I said hearsay.

Thank goodness for medical progress that has almost eliminated this horrible virus.

But children must get vaccinated because the can still get chicken pox from anyone that has shingles.

But you cannot get shingles from someone that has shingles. Or herpes or anything like it. You can put that info in the bank and collect interest.

Anyone can just google it and find the info.

Today I woke up and my knees are just fine but I had a horrible headache. This shingles is just so weird.

I recommend everyone get a shingles vaccine. You can still get shingles if you had chicken pox anyway but it will be less severe.

Trust me. You want less severe.

I'm kind of lucky though. After the pain from my knee replacement this shingles thing is just a bump in the road.

I didn't assume''''

stevelomako said:

Shingles is actually called "herpes zoster".

The chickenpox vaccine was introduced in 1995.


Gene, I'm glad you assume everyone has either had chickenpox or the vaccine.

Make sure you believe everything your Dr. tells you.


It's amazing that in this day and age with the information you can get immediately that there is still so much mis-information.

Like I said, I'm glad you're concerned with not infecting anyone although it would be their fault if you did, for either not having chickenpox or the vaccine. I can live with that.

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1 out of 3 people get shingles.

You going to police all these people to make sure they lock themselves up for 7 to 8 months or maybe 2 years.

Pretty ridiculous with the small chances of someone getting chicken pox.

What would the number be if 1/3 of the population has or will get shingles. That is supposed to be the stats. That might be misinformation.

Look up more info and know exactly what you are talking before you say more please.

The risk of someone getting chicken pox from me is ridiculously low. Once the blisters are gone it's over.

Just got off the phone with Mayo.

Assuming and here say are not very reliable sources.

Get the facts.

I cannot spread the shingles to another part of my body with contact. Only in the blister stage can this happen. That lasts about 3 days. at least that 's how long it was for me. Once the blisters are gone there is no risk what so ever. Once the sore is crusted over there is no risk. Zero.

If I could I would have it everywhere.

I believe the doctors over AZ medical experts.

By not getting the vaccine for chicken pox

stevelomako said:

Shingles is actually called "herpes zoster".

The chickenpox vaccine was introduced in 1995.


Gene, I'm glad you assume everyone has either had chickenpox or the vaccine.

Make sure you believe everything your Dr. tells you.


It's amazing that in this day and age with the information you can get immediately that there is still so much mis-information.

Like I said, I'm glad you're concerned with not infecting anyone although it would be their fault if you did, for either not having chickenpox or the vaccine. I can live with that.

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People are just endangering their own children. Chicken pox itself spreads like wild fire. Back when I was a kid half the children would be out of school during breakouts.

People that aren't vaccinated are luck that so many other people are so it lessons their chances of getting it for them.