well, another year has come and gone, and i lived to tell about it... unlike the year before, which was pretty bland and sucky overall, this year was... well, it was "interesting" as the chinese would say :) but in many ways this was the best year ive had since my divorce... and for the first time, i can look forward to a year without even a remnant of the black cloud of soul-crushing despair hanging over my head...

i guess really this year was the year i started to feel like ME again... and thats a very good thing...

but whats a birthday without a celebration?! well, after a few last-minute changes of plans, ed and my brother came through for me, and we all decided to set out for shreveport, louisiana for a rousing night of gambling... and it just wouldnt be a proper road trip if i didnt bring back a picture of some funny bit of roadside americana, so here it is (taken very late at night with no flash, so the quality kinda sucks):



i wonder what it is that a peckerwood eats?

anyhow, i played poker for the first time in a real casino poker room... and i have to say, it was AWESOME! seriously the most fun i have EVER had for $200... period. ever. at one point i was up over $600, and i SHOULD have stood up and walked away from the table, but by then id been playing for 4+ hours and it was 6am in the morning and i wasnt exactly thinking clearly :) i got drawn into a few hands i shouldnt have played, and got burned on a few good hands that just werent good enough, and i went home with nothing... but it was a valuable learning experience, and next time i go ill go in the early morning so im fresh and rested, and if i get up by a few pots, ill cash out and GO HOME to enjoy my earnings...

if youve got any interest in poker at all, or play online, i HIGHLY recommend trying it at least once in a casino... its intimidating the first few hands, but once you get into it, youll see that online play just cant compare to the straight-up pulse-pounding intensity of the real thing... man what a rush...