Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Phoenix

Phoenix has been a blast. I'm staying with my friends, Josh and Emily, and they're great people to hang out with. They're both really kind people at heart but they aren't afraid to speak their minds about any topic and I really respect that about people. I've lost the only 2 credit card roulettes of the trip, including a 9-person meal at Benihanas but even that can't dampen my spirits. It's been 70 degrees with clear skies and I'm understanding why so many people flock here. 38 degrees and rainy in Seattle or 70 and sunny in Scottsdale? I was even motivated to take a quick jog around the neighborhood today since it seemed criminal to be sitting inside with weather like this. I'm coming back in late February for Spring Training and I'm really looking forward to it.

Tomorrow we're flying to San Diego for New Years Eve. I'm not sure what we have planned but I'm sure it'll be great just because of the crew that will be there. I'm going to try to take a lot of pictures but I'm really the worst ever at taking pictures. I just get lost in my experiences and never think to pull out my camera. A big effort will be made tomorrow and maybe the next post will have pictures. Happy New Year, everyone.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Yo!

This post is dedicated to Nancy Martin. Most people gave up on me a long time ago but she sent me an email yesterday urging me to revive the blog as a New Years resolution. She's on my case every single time that I see her and the persistence is finally going to pay off. Thanks, Nancy.

I also have to apologize to my friends in the Blogger community. I don't know why but ever since the death of my blog, I felt like I couldn't be a part of your community anymore. I deleted my Bloglines bookmark and haven't read about your amazing lives in years. I've missed Al's last two birthday bashes and have been a huge ass about it. I didn't RSPV with a No or anything, I just acted like that world didn't exist. I don't know why I reacted like that but I am truly sorry. The part that makes it even more brutal is that every time I see guys like Otis or Pauly or talk to someone like Spaceman or The Rooster, they have nothing but love for me. It's unreal that I could act like such a D-Bag and have these guys still be so great. I saw Al in Vegas on day 1 of the WSOP this year, after nearly a year of failed contact with the man, and he was all smiles, happy to see me and genuinely wished me the best of luck. I don't know how I would have acted in Al's spot but I know I wouldn't have been such a big man. Thanks to all you guys and I'm really going to try to be a better friend in the future.

Since my last post, about 15 months ago, not a whole lot has changed. I'm still traveling as much as I can, still drinking too much, still "living" in Seattle for 3 months a year and still trying to make a living with this poker stuff. Games are tougher but I have minimal bills and have still been able to earn my travel/drinking money with poker funds. I am currently working on purchasing my childhood home from my Dad and I will get that completed in January once I get home from my next trip. Let's talk about the trip!

For those of you who don't like to read, here's a Cliff's Notes breakdown of my trip:

12/29-31: Phoenix
12/31 - 1/1: San Diego
1/1-4: LA and Orange Counties
1/4-1/10: PCA
1/10-1/16: Philly
1/16-1/19: NYC
1/19-1/21: Washington DC

Tomorrow morning I'm flying to Phoenix to hang out with some poker friends. I'm staying with Josh and Emily for 2 nights before flying to San Diego on the 31st. I'm going to spend NYE in San Diego before heading up the coast to LA to see some college friends. I'm going to try to get up there early on the 1st and see if I can get tickets to the Penn State-USC Rose Bowl. I went to the Rose Bowl in 2001 when my beloved UW Huskies beat up on Purdue and it's still one of my favorite memories. I think it would be fun to watch USC get pummeled and I will try my best to make it to the game. I'll be in SoCal until January 4th when I fly to the Bahamas for the PokerStars Carribean Adventure. I always end up hating the Atlantis by the time I leave but, for now, I'm really stoked for the trip and the tournament. On January 10th, I'm flying to Newark and will be in Philadelphia for almost a week, hanging out with my friend Mike and his mom Nancy, the driving force behind this blog post. On the 16th, I'm heading up to New York to visit with some friends who are flying East for President Obama's Inaguration. We're going to spend the weekend in the city and then head to DC on January 19th and party during the Inaguration on the 20th. On the 21st, we are flying back to Seattle out of Newark. So, if anyone out there is still reading this and will be in any of those cities at any of those times, let me know and we'll get a drink or five. Holla!

I'm hoping that the blog from now on will consist of trip reports of debauchery and everyone will be entertained with my shenanigans. I'd love nothing more than to get this puppy rolling again so please wish me luck. Hope to see you again tomorrow.