After debating whether to start my own site – where I can write about many things that interest me rather than one particular subject as I do for a living – I decided to pull the trigger and start my site, EarlBurton.com. If you’ve come here, I welcome you to my thoughts as I continue on my journey of discovery.

This wasn’t something that I went into lightly. But there were two men who put their thoughts on the line everyday and, if that statement is true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then I certainly hope that they are flattered upon seeing that they inspired me to start this trip.

One is my good friend Nolan Dalla. Nolan, who has been the Media Director for the World Series of Poker for the last decade, is probably one of the most intelligent people that I know. He has nearly an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of poker (I would love to see him take on the challenge of a poker history book), but it was only through his personal website that his true diversity shone through. In any given week, Nolan can run the gamut from picks for the NFL, discussion on fine wines, a dissection of a recently released movie and finish with the current state of the political world (and these are just scratching the surface). I may not always fully agree with Nolan, but he at least makes me think when I read…that’s something I would like to do.

The second one isn’t quite as well-known. His name is Jim Wright and he operates a website called Stonekettle Station. If your senses aren’t set to NSFW, then Jim’s site isn’t for you. He will blast into language that would make a whore blush, but the usage of such language is reminiscent of such societal critics as George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor and others. It SEEMS appropriate when Jim uses such vulgarities to get his point across. I’m not going to say that I will ever write and use the style that Jim does, but he certainly has given me the drive – along with Nolan – to finally launch this endeavor.

Now that we have that concluded, what are you going to find here? It’s going to be a mixed bag. I am a poker journalist by trade, but there is so much more that goes on around us that I would like to write about. Politics, music, sports, video games, having children (fortunate to have a great son who is a constant joy), married life (a great wife is always something that makes life exciting)…the list could (and probably will) go on to include these and other subjects. Wherever it goes, I certainly hope that it is a journey that you enjoy with me.

With that, buckle your seat belts…it’s time for the mind ship to blast off…