Around the World in 150 Days, Day 34, Mother’s Day
May 9th, Milwaukee: I wake up in my hotel bed feeling surprisingly good at 10:45am; water is some kind of miracle drug. I quickly take a shower, get dressed, and pack up my shit. I find that my phone is basically dead so I have no way to contact my parents about exactly when they'll be arriving. God I hate this phone.
I checkout downstairs and ask the woman behind the desk if there's a phone I can use. She directs me to one on the wall and I attempt to call my mom's cell phone since I somehow remember the number off the top of my head. She does not pick up and so I sit around in the lobby for a while confused. I try again 20 minutes later and she picks up and lets me know they'll be there soon.
When they arrive I hand my mom the two bottles of Australian wine I got her with my right hand but clutch a bouquet of pink roses in my left hand and say "The wine is for you but you can't have these, they're for grandma, so don't steal them. Happy Mother's Day." She seems appreciative of the thought even though wine is a cliché gift, but I'm never around to ask about what she'd prefer so I think it's a respectable gift plus nobody ever really minds getting some good Pinot.
Over at my cousin's house I get to catch up with family I haven't seen in years, plus actually eat something since I haven't had a proper meal since breakfast yesterday. As always my family treats the subject of my occupation with a mix of encouraging curiosity and unsure hesitance, and I do my best to explain how things have evolved for me professionally without getting too technical or esoteric. One thing I've recently noticed about talking to people outside of the poker world that I knew in my life in Wisconsin is that while they used to discuss poker with an attitude that said "Well that's a quaint idea that you'll pursue that, but one day you'll get a job like everyone else" they now seem to have accepted that this is my job and I just might not be some crazy gambler with two pennies in one hand and a dream in the other. It's very cool that people have started to come around, and honestly can't blame anyone for the reservations they had about this a few years ago considering the public perception of gambling.
We drive back to Madison in the mid afternoon and upon arriving my dad and I go play a brief tennis match. The conditions aren't great so we give up after an hour. I want more exercise so I take a car over to the gym and lift weights for another hour. Sunday is an awesome night to work out, especially on a holiday. The gym is almost totally empty and I'm able to get to all my machines without any wait, though on the flip side there are no girls to attempt chatting up, though I rarely bother most of the time anyway. I have yet to figure out any especially clever way of meeting women at the gym, and it's one of the few places where I feel like I'd genuinely be kind of bothering a girl if I started talking to her. That said I like the idea of meeting girls at the gym since I know we already have an interest in fitness in common, which would be a great because I'd honestly much rather ask a girl to go for a run and a coffee than to go get slammed at some bar and further destroy my body. However, while at the gym Martina messages that she'd really like to see me tonight, so I guess no pick up attempts will be necessary.
I drive home and call up the apartment place I previously stayed at and book a room. I plan on working tomorrow so I pack up some movies and Family Guy DVD's to watch while hanging out. I know Martina will want to smoke so before I go check in I make a run to the grocery store and pick up healthy munchies; raspberries, strawberries, cashews, skim milk, and vitamin water. There is something amusing in the juxtaposition of being both a health nut and a guy who consistently smokes and drinks, though I imagine when I get back to Australia those habits will fade off considerably. In the two months leading up to my trip I believe I had about three beers in total, if that.
I get to the apartment building which is locked at the front. I have to call in from the hallway phone and the Hispanic lady on the other side seems very confused as to why I'm checking in at 11pm and have some kind of strange accent. She gives me the key to my room and I head upstairs then throw the food in the fridge. Martina arrives a few minutes later and immediately whips out her piece. She packs a bowl and we start playing our shotgun game. As soon as the bowl is cashed we jump each other on the bed and go at it for a while. When we finish I feel totally dehydrated and leap up from the bed
"Holy shit yes, we have vitamin water! Ding ding ding, I am on top of this shit today! I'll get the fruit and nuts too and bring them to bed. Wanna watch Family Guy?"
"Sure"
"Sweeeeeeeeet. They say marijuana ruins your memory yet I am totally prepared for this moment. Fuck those scientists and their tests, I got raspberries here fools, I planned this shit, I bet they didn't remember the raspberries."
"You're ridiculous" she teases
"Oh I'm aware."
I pop in a season of Family Guy and bring the munchies over to the bed. I sit up feeding her the berries and laughing really, really hard at the show, which is hysterical under normal conditions but absurdly hilarious at this moment.
Around the World in 150 Days, Day 34, Mother’s Day
May 9th, Milwaukee: I wake up in my hotel bed feeling surprisingly good at 10:45am; water is some kind of miracle drug. I quickly take a shower, get dressed, and pack up my shit. I find that my phone is basically dead so I have no way to contact my parents about exactly when they’ll be arriving. God I hate this phone.
I checkout downstairs and ask the woman behind the desk if there’s a phone I can use. She directs me to one on the wall and I attempt to call my mom’s cell phone since I somehow remember the number off the top of my head. She does not pick up and so I sit around in the lobby for a while confused. I try again 20 minutes later and she picks up and lets me know they’ll be there soon.
When they arrive I hand my mom the two bottles of Australian wine I got her with my right hand but clutch a bouquet of pink roses in my left hand and say “The wine is for you but you can’t have these, they’re for grandma, so don’t steal them. Happy Mother’s Day.” She seems appreciative of the thought even though wine is a cliché gift, but I’m never around to ask about what she’d prefer so I think it’s a respectable gift plus nobody ever really minds getting some good Pinot.
Over at my cousin’s house I get to catch up with family I haven’t seen in years, plus actually eat something since I haven’t had a proper meal since breakfast yesterday. As always my family treats the subject of my occupation with a mix of encouraging curiosity and unsure hesitance, and I do my best to explain how things have evolved for me professionally without getting too technical or esoteric. One thing I’ve recently noticed about talking to people outside of the poker world that I knew in my life in Wisconsin is that while they used to discuss poker with an attitude that said “Well that’s a quaint idea that you’ll pursue that, but one day you’ll get a job like everyone else” they now seem to have accepted that this is my job and I just might not be some crazy gambler with two pennies in one hand and a dream in the other. It’s very cool that people have started to come around, and honestly can’t blame anyone for the reservations they had about this a few years ago considering the public perception of gambling.
We drive back to Madison in the mid afternoon and upon arriving my dad and I go play a brief tennis match. The conditions aren’t great so we give up after an hour. I want more exercise so I take a car over to the gym and lift weights for another hour. Sunday is an awesome night to work out, especially on a holiday. The gym is almost totally empty and I’m able to get to all my machines without any wait, though on the flip side there are no girls to attempt chatting up, though I rarely bother most of the time anyway. I have yet to figure out any especially clever way of meeting women at the gym, and it’s one of the few places where I feel like I’d genuinely be kind of bothering a girl if I started talking to her. That said I like the idea of meeting girls at the gym since I know we already have an interest in fitness in common, which would be a great because I’d honestly much rather ask a girl to go for a run and a coffee than to go get slammed at some bar and further destroy my body. However, while at the gym Martina messages that she’d really like to see me tonight, so I guess no pick up attempts will be necessary.
I drive home and call up the apartment place I previously stayed at and book a room. I plan on working tomorrow so I pack up some movies and Family Guy DVD’s to watch while hanging out. I know Martina will want to smoke so before I go check in I make a run to the grocery store and pick up healthy munchies; raspberries, strawberries, cashews, skim milk, and vitamin water. There is something amusing in the juxtaposition of being both a health nut and a guy who consistently smokes and drinks, though I imagine when I get back to Australia those habits will fade off considerably. In the two months leading up to my trip I believe I had about three beers in total, if that.
I get to the apartment building which is locked at the front. I have to call in from the hallway phone and the Hispanic lady on the other side seems very confused as to why I’m checking in at 11pm and have some kind of strange accent. She gives me the key to my room and I head upstairs then throw the food in the fridge. Martina arrives a few minutes later and immediately whips out her piece. She packs a bowl and we start playing our shotgun game. As soon as the bowl is cashed we jump each other on the bed and go at it for a while. When we finish I feel totally dehydrated and leap up from the bed
“Holy shit yes, we have vitamin water! Ding ding ding, I am on top of this shit today! I’ll get the fruit and nuts too and bring them to bed. Wanna watch Family Guy?”
“Sure”
“Sweeeeeeeeet. They say marijuana ruins your memory yet I am totally prepared for this moment. Fuck those scientists and their tests, I got raspberries here fools, I planned this shit, I bet they didn’t remember the raspberries.”
“You’re ridiculous” she teases
“Oh I’m aware.”
I pop in a season of Family Guy and bring the munchies over to the bed. I sit up feeding her the berries and laughing really, really hard at the show, which is hysterical under normal conditions but absurdly hilarious at this moment.
February 20th, 2010 - 17:39
Personally I never have 2 Anti-Virus programs installed at the same time. They seem to have a knack for totally screwing each other up. They like to detect each other as a virus signature and tend to blow each other up. ~Yiffy MSE santoramaa
February 26th, 2010 - 09:00
I have ended up searching all over for this material. Happily my partner and i discovered it in Google.
GLAYDS