I have been in the market for a new laptop computer for the last 6 months or so.  When I got back from the PCA, I thought it was a great time to make the splurge.

I wanted a top-of-the-line machine that will not only be able to handle the applications of today, but things well into the future.  So I needed to look for a pretty stacked computer.  The only thing is that it doesn’t come cheap, so I definitely did my research.

I don’t really have a desktop computer, and I do all of my work on a laptop for which I have a pretty relaxing setup in my family room.  I planned to keep the same setup and look for a new laptop as opposed to a desktop.  I needed something that could handle the load of playing multiple poker tables at once with other programs running in the background.  I also needed something that could handle photo and video editing software with a breeze.  Not only did I need the machine to be able to handle these tasks, and handle them well, I wanted something that would last me well into the future.  I didn’t want to buy something that will be pretty much obsolete in a few years time.

All of my research kept on leading me to two models over and over again:  the HP dv8t and the Alienware M17x.  I couldn’t really go wrong with either machine.  However, I had this bias for the Alienware M17x as I have always wanted an Alienware machine ever since about 5 years ago.

Here is a pic of my new computer and how my set up looks when I am normally using it.

When it came down to it, I decided to go with my heart and put down the money for the Alienware M17x with some upgrades.  The computing power could come close to being matched by the HP dv8t after multiple upgrades, but I really needed the backlit keyboard that the Alienware machine offered.

A couple weeks after placing the order, it arrived and I have been glued to the screen.  Now, a couple weeks since prying this baby out of the box, I have nothing but great things to say about it.  I am really pleased with my choice.

I bought some other programs to load up onto the machine from virus protection to Photoshop Elements/Premiere 8.  I have not been able to put the thing away!

Speaking of Photoshop….  I have always in the past used Microsoft Digital Image Suite to do all of my photo editing and Photoshop is much better!  I am still learning all that it can do and watching tutorials left and right and just fooling around with it.  It truly is a great program.  In fact, looking at this website, some things might need to be redone to look a little “cleaner”  by using Photoshop.  So some changes might be coming to the website in the near future.  We’ll see.

But all in all, I am really excited about my purchases thus far and would definitely recommend the Alienware M17x!

Since I have gotten back from the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) held at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas, I have been scrambling to get things back to “normal” on the home front.  I am finally getting caught back up and am looking forward to a wonderful 2010!

The Atlantis at Night

I wanted to take the time to share my experiences in the Bahamas.  It was my first major poker tournament and it did not disappoint as far as expectations were concerned.  It was a great time all around.

Let me first start by saying that the Atlantis was a huge, magnificent resort.  I am not even sure if I got the chance to explore everything the resort has to offer since it was so big.

One disappointing thing, and nothing anyone can really do about it, was the weather was not up to the usual.  It was actually pretty chilly down there for the majority of my stay due to an “arctic blast” as the locals were calling it.  Even so, it was still warm enough a couple of days there to be able to lay out in the sun by the beach or the multiple pools/lagoons the resort has to offer.

The only true downside to the Atlantis was that it was unbelievably expensive.  Everything there was priced at least twice the amount you would expect to pay back at home.  In fact, I ended up spending every last bit of the $1150 spending account that was attached to the package I won on PokerStars in the 8 nights I was there.

Outside of the poker which I already discussed here, I wanted to share a couple stories of my stay there:

The PokerStars Bash

PokerStars threw a huge party towards the end of the stay.  It was originally supposed to be held outside, but since it was cold and windy they held it in the ballroom at the Atlantis.  Kelly Rowland from Destiny’s Child performed a 30 minute set that was ehhh “OK”.  It was almost kind of funny because from where I was, people were like “who is this again?”

Kelly Rowland performing at the Atlantis

You could tell Kelly Rowland was trying to get the crowd more into it, but people just didn’t seem to warm up to her as I think she was expecting.  But what do you expect with a mostly young male audience.  Destiny’s Child songs are more geared to younger females in my opinion.  It was not a good choice on the part of PokerStars in my opinion.  The end of her set was pretty quick and she jetted.  I am not sure if anyone else felt this way and I could be totally wrong in my assessment of the performance.

The rest of the party was on point though.  They had excellent food available and the drinks were on the house.  Celebrities were all around, though mostly in the VIP lounge.  Poker players that you are used to seeing on ESPN were everywhere.  It was really a great party overall.

Speaking of the VIP lounge….  As the night was going along I noticed that some celebrities with the likes of Slash (from Guns N Roses), Adrien Grenier (Vinny Chase in Entourage), and Jayde Nicole (2008 Playmate of the year) were in the VIP lounge which was pretty secluded from the rest of the party.  I told my wife, who came during the middle of my stay in the Bahamas, that “we are getting in there some time tonight, some way.”

Well to make a long story short, we did get in there.  I borrowed a “PokerStars.net” patch from one of the pros, who will remain unnamed, and I followed another player who said he could get us into the VIP lounge through the security. The only downside was when I finally got in there, the party was pretty much over and the only plus was that I could still order some drinks as the drinks were no longer available in the main ballroom.  But hey, I got in like I said I would!

Fish Fry

Whenever I stay somewhere exotic, I like to try and get a little taste of what the local flavor is like.  So under the suggestions of other poker players and the locals, my wife and I checked out “Fish Fry”.  I originally thought it was just one really good restaurant.  But when the taxi dropped us off, it turned out it was more like a strip of restaurants and bars with local cuisine.  Some parts looked kind of run down and pretty suspect under the moonlight but other restaurants looked pretty nice.

View of the Marina from my room

My wife and I chose to eat at “Twin Brothers”.  I got some fried shrimp and lobster dinner that was served with brown rice with beans mixed in it, macaroni and cheese, and plantains.  I would rate my food to be about an average 6.5 out of 10.  It was nothing special.  However, my wife got broiled shrimp which was served in aluminum foil mixed with spices and vegetables.  I tried some of it and finished it off for her as it was more than enough for her.  I would have to say that was great and would rate that no lower than 9.5 out of 10.

Overall the service was on par with what you would expect.  No extreme delays.  It was a nice experience that I am glad we had the opportunity to taste a little of what the Bahamas has to offer. For those planning on going to the Bahamas, I would definitely recommend making a stop at the “Fish Fry”.

Below are some more pictures and videos of various things from the PCA and the Atlantis.  I didn’t really take any pictures with the various celebrities as I didn’t really want to bother them.  Besides, it became the norm to see a recognizable face every day, and became more “ho hum” by the end of my stay.

Over the past weekend I went up to New Jersey for an old college teammate’s wedding. It was a great time. The wedding was outdoors and the reception was held in a huge outdoor tent. It was mostly raining all weekend long; but a few hours before the wedding, the skies seemed to let up as to let the wedding go on as scheduled (not that it would have been postponed).

Below are some pics from the wedding. The pictures really don’t do justice. In fact, I am pretty disappointed with our Nikon touchscreen camera, but that’s a whole different story. I might be looking for a new camera soon.

Since then and as of Wednesday, I have been as sick as a dog. I don’t think it was related to the outdoor wedding, but who knows. I went to the doctor yesterday to see if it was the swine flu, but thankfully that came back negative.