The last days

Still on call.

Got what could be my last chance to enjoy the beach prior to being a father this weekend. This means that I was able to spend about 4 hours on Saturday (at 21st street in Hermosa Beach) and another 3 or 4 on Sunday (8th street in Manhattan Beach) playing volleyball with friends. This is something that I have done many times in the past 7 years or so of living in the South Bay, and something that I have enjoyed immensely. One of the greatest parts of moving back to California for me has been the increased opportunities for enjoying recreational sports with friends. This is something that I am sure will be decreased when our son is born, but hopefully will not be lost. I look forward to the days of being able to take him to the beach and hope that he finds the same enjoyment that I do in being physically active outdoors.

The wife and I also went to see "The Hangover". Hilarious movie that even she admitted she really enjoyed. Usually with comedy movies she laughs throughout the movie and then says afterwards that she didn't like it.

Also played poker for a couple of hours at "the park". Yet another pastime that I'm sure will be lessened, at least in the immediate future, but I hope not lost. In fact I played in 2 WSOP events this year for the first time in my life (early June) and am determined to make sure that they are not my last. In the first one I played in I got knocked out in 600 something place out of just over 2,500 entrants. Not a terrible showing, but I definitely felt I could have done better. During that tournament I sat next to Sam Simon for a bit, who is one of the original creators of the television show "The Simpsons". We talked for a bit about poker in LA, and a new show he was in town taping called "Sam's Game" for the Playboy channel. He seemed like a nice guy and it was eventually me who knocked him out of the tournament. In the second event I got knocked out shortly after the 1st break. Next time (hopefully next year) I would like to take the family up there and focus solely on the poker without being distracted by other gambling and going out at night. This year's effort was not a financial success, but definitely a fun and educational experience.