Current Location: Redwood City, CA
Current Weather: 59F, 15C, partly cloudy today
Current Reads: Poker : The Real Deal by Phil Gordon and Jonathan Grotenstein
Presents I bought for Phil Gordon that I hope to use in my letter to Rafe about why I should be considered for one of their future angling sessions : 1
Number of men that proclaimed to be my #38 after last week’s posting about using Aczel’s Chance probability for finding a partner: 1
Movies this week: Closer…FINALLY!
Pitches: 2
Number of times I got barked at for needing to do my poker magazine pitches NOW: 1
Assignments: 0
Biggest surprise: Falling instantly in love with downtown Palo Alto.
Why this last item needs to be explained: With the exception of Sausalito, I haven’t found a neighbourhood in the Bay Area that I’ve wanted to live in since I returned from Australia 3.5 years ago.
Number of kissing dreams I’ve had featuring RolfPotts: 1
What I want for Valentine’s Day: A poker playing Stanford grad to take me to dinner and the Garden City Casino.
Number of Valentine’s Day presents I started working on for someone else: 1
Guarrantee that this Valentine’s Day present is not going to Phil Gordon: 100%
Likelihood of me finishing this Valentine’s Day present: 55%
How many bad Valentine’s Day’s I’ve had in recent years: 5/5
Strength of feelings that Valentine’s Day is still one of my favorite holidays: 8.99 on a scale of 1-10
Number of presents I want from bedridden female friends who feel sorry for me: ZERO!
Number of presents I want from any female friends: ZERO!
Number of non-Valentine’s Day related presents I bought for friends this week: 2
Current writing: Zero, I’m reading everyone else’s.
On or offline poker played: only an hour
Number of TILT converts I made that don’t have ESPN: 1
Wifi Girl: annoyingly lame and hardly available in the house this morning.
Number of times I had to ask a friend in London what our weather was so I could update this post because our Yahoo SBC dsl is so lame that I couldn’t get to it myself: 1
Jobs: Working at Travelers’ Tales till the end of March for sure.
$$ I put towards paying off an old credit card: $150
$$ more to go till it’s all done with: $100-$150ish…I’d know exactly if our dsl was working.
Next trip: Vegas for Superbowl.
Number of friends tempting me to go to the LA Poker Classic before my Superbowl weekend: 1
Number of male bosses that suggested I go naked for the cover of my next book: 1
Number of artists I’ve contacted about photoshopping my body so I can be naked on the cover of my next book: .5
Number of bosses tempting me to get an iPod Shuffle: 2
Number of bosses telling me to wait to get it instead of buying it online infront of them: 2
Level of hope that their blocking manuever means they’re going to get one for me…. 9 out of 10. 🙂
What are you up to?
Current location: London, England
Current weather: Freakin’ cold (36°F), with a slight chance of snow this week.
Nights here: 14
Reason: school
# of flatmates: 7
Trips booked: 1 (next weekend!)
Level of excitement over said trip: 8.1
Destination: Venice, IT for a couple of days of Carnival!
Rumored weather for said trip: Once again, freakin’ cold! (between 37-48 F)
Current total cost of trip: about $130 (air and hostel costs).
Planned budget: $200-250.
Upcoming trips in the works: Worthing (southern coast of England), Scotland, Paris.
Possibly unrealistic expectation for above trips: to go to all within the next 4-5 weeks.
Where I think I want to go for Spring Break: the coasts of Spain and France.
Times I have had to search for buttons on the keyboard: 17
Times said searches were for the @ symbol: 9
Current alcoholic beverage of choice: Strongbow Cider (mmmmm….)
Times I have gotten lost: 0
Times I have been surprised about this: a dozen at least.
Who is responsible: Jen and the A to Z company 🙂
Odd food cravings: tuna, hot dogs, ham and cheese omelette.
# of old men hitting on me: 2
Times I have been asked if I have gained weight here yet: 2
# of stairs to get to my door: 59
# of stairs to get to my classes: 73
# of times a day a curse both sets: 4-7
# of phone calls home: 7 or so
# of tube tickets bought: 2, both day passes
Number of days since I saw Jen Leo at BnA party in Portland: 36
Number of poker games played at BnA party: 0
Hours since Matt left to drive across the country: 13.25
Number of times I have spoken to Matt on phone in last 13.25 hours: 5
Number of episodes from Season One of The O.C. seen today: 4
Number of play money, single table, online poker tournaments played today: 3
Highest position in tournament play: 4th (very distracted with loneliness)
Number of people/couples that looked at the condo this weekend: 1 couple
Book I picked back up to read some more: Poker: The Real Deal, by Phil Gordon
Factoid I learned today: Graceland is closed on Tuesdays from November through February
Plane ticket purchased today: DC to PDX on 2/12
Plane ticket that needs to be purchased: DC (or Raleigh?) to Orlando on 3/5
Number of people who called me to see if I was okay since Matt left today: 0
Percentage of people at my party on Friday that I had met before: 56%
Next trip to the Borgata in Atlantic City: 2/21 and 2/22
Cost of room at Borgata: $39 on 2/21, $0 on 2/22
My degree of satisfaction with the Borgata on a scale of 1 to 10: 9.8
6 months of no smoking to be celebrated: in 7 days
Ah shit. I’m so busted. And I deserve every beating, Heather. I should have had a stats item just for you.
How many days I’ve felt guilty for not:
-spending more time with HK at the BnA party
-not playing poker with HK at the BnA party as promised
-number of days I’ve thought about it and felt guilty for not doing the above, and not writing to tell her the above since the BnA party
It wouldn’t quite be 36, but I bet it’d be 24
I owe you.
# of countries visited last week for “work”: 2
Hotel bill for five nights in Tokyo: $1986.13
You’ve got to be kidding: no
Thank god for: expense accounts
Bowls of fish sperm eaten: 1
Tasted: salty
Best museum visited: The Meguro Parasite Museum
Length of tapeworm on display which was actually pulled from some dude’s butt: 27 ft.
You’ve got to be kidding: no
# of times solicited by prostitutes in Shanghai: ~25
# of times I thought I was ordering a drink but got sent a woman instead: 2
Decided to go with: The Tsing Tao beer
Angry prostitutes: 2
# of pirated DVD’s purchased: ~60
# of Mao little red book/cigarette lighters purchased: 1
Most depressing travel book read: Theroux’s “My Secret Life”
The dude has: issues
# of travel stories I outlined during my business meetings: 4
Least exciting topic in business meetings: Hexavalent Chromium replacement strategies
Most exciting topic in business meetings: 0
Least exciting Valentine’s Day gift ever received: 3 pairs of socks
Which kind of related to: girlfriend replacement strategies
No worries, Jen. I’m sure we’ll meet up again soon enough. I really just enjoying ribbing you. I wasn’t that disappointed. In fact, I was so miserable with my sinus infection at the party that I probably would have passed out if I sat down and played for a while.
No worries, Jen. I’m sure we’ll meet up again soon enough. I really just enjoying ribbing you. I wasn’t that disappointed. In fact, I was so miserable with my sinus infection at the party that I probably would have passed out if I sat down and played for a while.
Well, I was upset about it. I was excited to meet you. But I’ve got this very weird responsibility thing with BnA parties like that. Nothing that the boys ask of me, but on my own I try to make sure all the newbies are welcome and was trying to make the rounds. Especially when I see someone sitting by themselves or something. And I felt like I already knew you, so I always thought I’d just get back to you.
But now I’m being a mushball and should probably take this off line. How long is your man gone? Email me your number and I’ll try to call tonight for a proper catch up. If anything we need to gloat to each other about Borgata and Vegas. 🙂
Current Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Current Reads: Hokkaido Highway Blues (Will Ferguson), Fletch and The Man Who (Gregory McDonald), Digital Fortress (Dan Brown)
Can’t Wait To Read Next: The Masked Rider (Neil Peart)
Why?: May fave travel narrative. Read it once seven years ago, kept meaning to re-read it when I had time.
Other Travel Books On The “To Read” Pile: about 3 dozen.
Can You Say Obsessive?: Yes.
Current pieces I’m working on: 3.5 (1.5 Czech Republic stories for Travelers’ Tales; 1 How To Learn A Foreign Language story, no market yet; 1 Health Club-esque story for a local mag)
Anticipated Completion Dates: All 3 by mid-Feb.
Number of kissing dreams I’ve had featuring Rolf Potts: 0
Number of kissing dreams I’ve had featuring a rabbi and a game show host: 7
Number of times I’ve sworn I’d stop having Mexican food before going to sleep because it gives me weird dreams: 6
Nice Shoes, Are They New?: No, I’ve had them for a while. Thanks for noticing.
Next Small Trips: San Francisco for the InsideOut Happy Hour Feb. 24th; Tempe, AZ in late Feb. to see a friend I haven’t seen in 7 years; possibly a trip to New Orleans by March; maybe Vegas in March to meet a friend attending a conference
Next Big Trip: Thailand in June (maybe)
Number of Vital Organs I’ll Need To Sell For Traveling Money: 3 (kidneys grow back, right?)
Number Of People Who Have Pointed Out That I’d Spend As Much Money On All The Small Trips As I Would On 1 Big Trip: 4 (including self)
Time To Realize That I Need To Travel More In 2005 And Do Something About It: Now
Pepe, you are, as always, the best at this! But I’m thrilled that Alex,Dave, and Heather have decided to join in our fun.
Are you back in town? There are parties this week. Let me know when you’re back.
Current location: “Lovely” Sunnyvale, CA
Days I have to drive to Sunnyvale before I’m off to Honduras: four, counting today.
Days I’ll enjoy the drive: zero
Things I have to do before I leave for Honduras: 2,387
Likelihood I’ll get them all done: HA!
Things left in my refrigerator that I have to ahem, dispose of before I leave: hummus, orange juice, yogurt, a tomato, feta cheese, and radishes.
Number of Orson Welles-sized raccoons that my dog has treed in our yard this week: three
Number of poker lessons I’ve had this month: one
Number of kissing dreams I’ve had featuring Rolf Potts: I’m working on it.
Upcoming appearances: Sunday, 1/30, at 6:30 p.m. on UPN – Tom Stienstra’s Great Outdoors. My Half Moon Bay Kayak Company is in the show, and I’m shown kayaking with Tom.
How will you know me if you haven’t met me: I’m the curly-haired blonde.
How irritating is it that the show is on when I’m out of the country: oh uh, very
Jill, awesome.
>>Number of kissing dreams I’ve had featuring Rolf Potts: I’m working on it.<<
Easy LOL.
I talked to him last night and told him about my dream. I think he thought it was a little bit, or too much, on the rated G side. Sleeping Beauty was a better kisser than I was in the Rolf dream. So yes, if you have the opportunity to work on it, Rolf will be most impressed if you can turn out rated R material. 😉