Pokerless Friday

You know it’s a good party when some guy starts playing a didgeridoo in the corner.

Banky and I ditched the Georgetown game this Friday for a party at friend’s place, and I’m so glad we did. We had already played poker on Wednesday and Thursday, and were planning on playing Friday night – but we frequently talk about putting friends & family before poker, so it was a no-brainer to accept the invitation.

Our friend Derek lives downtown – and it’s quite a different life than what we live in the ‘burbs. When we have parties I break out my homemade guacamole & chips. When we got to Derek’s place he was shucking oysters while his girlfriend was stuffing freshly roasted peppers with goat cheese – they made the whole night seem effortless. Martha would be proud.

We actually met Derek through poker – another example of how poker has impacted our lives. We never would have socialized with this particular group of people if we hadn’t been trying to win Derek’s chips every week for the past couple of years.

I’m not the most social person and I find it really hard to make small talk – especially when I’m sober – so there were some uncomfortable moments. But all-in-all it was a fun night. At one point I was laughing so hard I was crying, and that’s one of the best feelings in the world. After a stressful week at work, and some frustrating poker sessions, that feeling was exactly what I needed.