"Make like a drum solo...and beat it!"

Hello, again, friends. I realize, and this has come as quite a shock to me, that it's been over a month since I posted last. In my own defense, it's been a short month, but still...

There's a couple reasons for why I'm not really sure what I've been doing in that month. For one, I've been doing a lot of shuttling back and forth between New York and South Jersey (or "SoJo," as I've been told it is sometimes called, and which is now my new favorite-word-to-hate-and-that-I'll-probably-end-up-using-anyway), spending a week or so or less in each location and then heading out again. For two, I've had it in my head for that period of time that I had last journalled "a few days ago...maybe a week," so I haven't really been paying much attention. Suffice it to say, I've been a bit on the go and much of the non-travelling portion of my time has been spent playing poker, which is at least going faintly well. (Read: I have not yet run out of money.)

I remember when I first started thinking about the poker lifestyle, I didn't picture myself in casinos so much; I figured my bread and butter would be online playing. The idea of face-to-face playing in such an "official" venue didn't do a lot for me, and the added convenience of online play just sweetened the pot, as it were, so I didn't think much about hanging out in casinos. I have to admit, though, the time I've spent in South Jersey has allowed me easy, even daily, access to Atlantic City and the many card tables there, and I've really started changing my tune. There's a lot to be said for face-to-face play. The feel of cards and chips in your hands, for one thing, is something that I could never get online. But aside from the physicality of it, it's nice to have a place, a locale and an atmosphere that's welcoming and sort of...devoted to the cause. Having people around, never much a priority (or desire) for me, has actually been a kind of surprisingly pleasant change from life in my cave. I've been surprised at the number of familiar faces and regulars I've encountered at the casino and equally surprised with the ease with which I've been integrated into the life there. So, yeah, it's not all bad, and once I'm spending more time in Jersey, I can see myself hanging out at the casinos there all the more.

Ah, yes, South Jersey. So here it is: I'm definitely going to move down there, at least for a little while, more likely for a significant while. It was not an easy decision, really, and I spent a lot of time going back and forth, both mentally and physically, when trying to decide if that's what I was going to do or not. I also thank everyone for their feedback and help when I was thinking about it; your advice did not go unheeded. In the end, though, it seems like the smarter thing to do, and there aren't really a lot of downsides to keep me away. It will, of course, mean I'm leaving New York once again, which is something I do from time to time and which appears to never really last. That said, though, I'll not be very far away at all, and I picture myself making somewhat frequent visits. There are many who feel I'll be too lazy to do so, and I'll admit that they're probably right. But even if I end up visiting less often than I expect to, I still hope it will be more often than other people are imagining, so that can't be that bad. :) There is also...not a whole hell of a lot for me to do down there. This is good and bad, and I'm hoping to keep the bad part to a minimum. On the upside, my primary means of distraction would have to become poker, which is what I want to be focusing on anyway. Also, this would catapult me into another situation where I have lots of downtime, and I hope, as I always do, that I'll be able to do something useful with it. I've never been too successful at that in the past, but it's nice to have another opportunty to try. The downside is mostly that I might be driven insane, but I'll do my best to keep that from happening. Anyway, the bottom line is that I'm moving there, quite soon, and I'll be moving in again with my mom. But I won't be far from New York, and hope to make use of it not being so far away as I've been in the past.

So that's the immediate future. The immediate past pretty much escapes me. I've made a few trips to and from South Jersey in that time, and I've played a lot of poker. I thought I'd have some poker tales to share, but they elude me right now, and I'm sure there will be plenty of time for that in the future. :) When I came back to New York this last time, I thought I wouldn't be around very long, intending to head back to Jersey today, but I pushed it back a little and will instead be heading back later this week, maybe Thursday. I did a bit of running around this weekend, spending much quality time with [Bad username or unknown identity: Congressman Kiper] on Friday, and being able to also grab a dinner and some hangout time with my sister on Saturday. Much of the rest of the weekend I spent hanging out with Steph (panyang), largely catching up on the new season of Jem she recently purchased. She also, further evidencing her abilities to make my dreams come true, got me season one of Night Court, which is something I am so incredibly glad has been released on DVD, I can't even tell you. I'm amazingly pleased to be able to once again catch up with Harry and the gang, and just as thankful to Steph for bringing it in to my life. :) I'd also like to now publicly extend encouragement to Warner Brothers: Keep 'em coming! I'll be here waiting.

I've been much more out of touch with people lately than I really gave myself credit for. I'm slowly trying to ramp back up, but it's been a surprisingly laborious process, for some reason. I apologize to everyone I've kept in the dark for so long, even (especially) the ones not reading this. As part of my new downtime management plan, I'm hoping that I'll be able to do a better job of that in the months to come. I'll also have a new (physical) address and such soon which I'll keep you all posted about. In the meantime, I've got backlog to clean up, and belongings to gather and pack for my imminent relocation. I've missed a lot of LJ, so I'm sorry if I'm a bit behind the times, and I'm still wrestling with e-mail a lot, so I'm sorry if things are going unanswered. I'm hoping, though, that among these changes that are happening in my life, I'll also make use of the chance to get some more of my shit together and make a better go of it. So here we go.

Peace out, all.