Tuesday

Bad News: I lost my favorite shirt
Good News: It's too cold in Portland and Seattle to wear it
Good News: I'm writing again
Good News: I'm down three pounds
Bad News: Only 27 more pounds to go
Bad News: I'm really hungry

Good News: I'm getting lined up with a car that runs on vegetable oil for two of the last four events of my book tour
Bad News: I have to get the word out immediately
Good News: The BBE said he'd help me write the release tonight

Good News: I get to see some really great and fun friends this weekend
Bad News: I have to leave again when it seems like I just got here
Bad News: I won't be back for three weeks
Good News: I'll be in Las Vegas for half of it!!!!!

Good News: More people are reading this blog than I thought
Bad News: I doubt any of them are my family who still wonder where the heck I am
Good News: Dan and his wife liked John a lot
Bad News: Not sure I believe them, it was one of our worst showings as I was mega cranky
Good News: Doesn't matter as I'm keeping him anyway

Best News: We're going to get a new place by the beach big enough for a guest room
Bad News: I have to travel less
Good News: I can't wait to finally buy a new couch
Bad News: I discovered onions give me really bad gas

Good News: I'm going to stop being hungry and get up and eat instead of writing these mindless items
Good News: I'll be back atcha later or tomorrow
Bad News: that's not a wow enough of an sign off for me
Good News: I found a great WiFi coffee house in Burbank yesterday called Romancing the Bean.

Bad News: Still not good enough
Great News: I'm going to be at the Frontier in Las Vegas next weekend with thousands and thousands of cowboys. It's the National Finals Rodeo and I have a press pass!
More Great News: A travel publisher has asked me to do a quick and easy punch up of their old Vegas guidebook. Christmas Cash for the BBE's special present.

Eugene, Portland, Seattle

Hey Everybody, I just wanted to let you know that John and I are going to be in Portland this weekend.

It's time for the 3rd Annual BootsnAll Year-End Travel Party! This winter fiesta of adventureseekers keeps getting bigger and bigger. If there are any of you out there that are about to go on a trip, being at this party with hundreds of travel enthusiasts is going to really add to the excitement of your pending journey. There will be several travel themes at the party, and I'll be your host of the Vegas room. Can we say poker action? Yep, John and I will be playing poker and (teaching poker?) to all those globetrotters.

When: December 3, 2005
Time: 7 p.m. til late
Where: Studio 1050, 1050 SE Water Ave, Portland, OR

Also, make sure you get to PDX early Friday night for The Thong Also Rises author event at Powell's on Burnside. I'll be joined by contributors Jennifer Colvin and Julia Weiler.

And if you're really local yocal, there are events in Eugene on Wednesday, Nov. 30 and Seattle on Sunday, Dec. 4. All the details are on ThongAlsoRises.com

Get your butt up there!!!

Bluff Heights/ Bluff Park

Hey, I forgot to tell you that I came in 21st in this past weekend's "Saturdays with Dr, Pauly" tournament on PokerStars. That somehow managed to keep me at #5 on the leaderboard for the final showcase! I didn't win anything, but I loved that I stayed that high the whole time. Don't forget, I've only been playing poker a year. The rest of these folks are long time veterans.

And guess what else I forgot to mention? BLUFF. We want to move to Bluff Heights or Bluff Park (I can't tell the differance yet), and we play poker. John's other poker playing friend pointed out last night how cool that would be. And who is the gossip columnist for BLUFF magazine?

So, cross your fingers. We got on the same page last night and wrote the guy this morning after he didn't call me back yesterday. We're both excited about that neighborhood and moving there. The scary part is that I'm about to be out of town for three weeks straight. If miracles happen and we look at it tonight or tomorrow, it's going to be a tough decision to put down a few thousand and not move in for a month. If we wait, we might not find something in that neighborhood. Or, on the more positive note, maybe we'd find a free standing house to rent in that neighborhood.

I'm just going to trust that what's supposed to happen for us, will. Now off to two meetings for me and a big big big workday after that.

Current: Burbank, Ca
Next: Eugene, OR (11/30-12/1) and Portland, OR (12/2-3)

WE FOUND IT!!!!!

I never thought it would be this easy to find a place in Los Angeles that I would WANT to live in. And we found it yesterday. Bluff Park/Bluff Heights near Belmont Heights, on the north side of Long Beach. We started off in Seal Beach, which was nice, but touristy. Then we drove north to Long Beach and John showed me the houses he looked at last week. Nice houses, but the main street of shops in Long Beach was too big for me and a little too "Marina District" for John, if you know San Francisco.

Before going back to Burbank we decided to look up a rental we'd seen on Craigslist that morning, and instantly fell in love when we got to it. The street that it's on, Vista, is beautiful. Wide enough with trees, and craftsman style homes. Even better, it is walking distance from either the beach or a terrific street of shops. But this is a neighborhood, it's not a big party street like the other big one in Long Beach. This is a place I could see myself living in. We went to a terrific coffee shop to the north of this area with Burbank Elementary across the street...how fitting is that.

The main street I loved was about four blocks south of the rental. It's south of Redondo on Broadway is a coffee house called the Library, a fantastic newsstand called the Newsstand, restaurants, a gourmet grocer--you'll know you've reached it when you see the Reno Room. An old school building that is not a bar. This hood has a feel of artsyism to it, don't think it doesn't.

So, now we're in trouble, as I knew we'd be if we started looking at places. Now, I want it. And it's a bit premature. But the upside is I finally found a 6x4 stretch of streets where I'd like to live in the LA area. I truly didn't think it'd exist and expected I'd be in a world of major league compromise with this move. Nope, now I want to be there and the BBE will have to be on the c-end.

Who's going to list the over/under on how long it'll take us to get there?

More on Bluff Heights.

I'm Full

Thanksgiving has been nice. It's so great having John be a part of my life and all my events. Events being social, not book related. Essentially I have many second families in addition to my birth family. Parents of best friends from high school, college friends and their families, work families...I suppose you could say I get close with people wherever I go. Most of them hardly know the others exist and have not met each other.

San Diego is the hub of most of the main second families, with the Bay Area pulling a close second. And John is doing a great job of being "on tour." He met my closest friends from high school this weekend. We all went out to the Casbah Wed night, and then some of us spent more time together today. And then there's tomorrow's line up as well. For those who know the names, John played football with Dan, and I caught up with the pares.

Thanksgiving dinner at my grandparent's house was different. My aunt took charge of the whole meal and did it all by herself. And then we devoured it rather quickly. I'm full, and way off the nutrition list. Way off. But I knew today didn't count. At least I had oatmeal and fruit for breakky, as opposed to a big egg, bacon, and potatoes dish. Dessert? Raw pumpkin pie, fresh raw whipped cream, and raw pumpkin pie ice cream in a raw cone. Raw gobble gobble goodness.

Dumbest thing we did today? Take the camera everywhere without snapping any photos.

Current: San Diego
Next: Burbank (Sunday - Tues)
Back on Tour: Nov. 30 Eugene, OR; Dec. 2 Portland, Dec. 4 Seattle)

Raw

So, as you know my back has been outta whack since the major pain incident on the tour. I've been paying $75 a visit to see the chiropractor. He would love to see me 2-3x a week, but luckily I've just been going when I'm in town which is once a week and a half. The cool thing about the Chiro is that he's part of a comprehensive medical group. So, you see a bunch of everyone—doctors, trainers. Not only are they cracking my back, but they're putting me on a system to build up my core strength so my back is stronger to begin with. Which means certain stretches and doing a circuit on the gym. And walking.

Last week I found out that I had gained 20lbs of what I'm affectionately calling my love weight. Two previous times I've fallen in love it's been the exact opposite, but there's a first for everything and the BBE is definitely in a league of his own. I'm pretty sure it's because we go out to eat alot combined with the fact that I haven't been working out. So...when I went into shock about this I told the Docs. And they had me monitor my food last week, and put me on a nutrition plan this week. Guess what I get to eat? NOTHING. Well...that's exaggerating of course.

But I want to give it a try. I DO want to be healthy. And I would like to be trimmer. This is the most I've ever weighed in my entire life. I don't think it means that I'm uglier, but I know I could look physically better. And you know how crucially important that is now that I'm living in LA. Right.

I. I can eat as much as I want of: Raw fruits, Raw/steamed veggies, good water (that's what it says), raw nuts, selected herbs, whole grains, Ezechiel bread or Calif black bread.
II. I can eat with some moderation: Meat cooked rare and with no hormones/antibiotics, grilled fish, raw butter, eggs, brown rice, raw milk, unprocessed fruits and vegetable juices, clean soups (no processed oils/hydrogenated stuff), raw chees, raw sugar (NO Splendid)
III. On rare occassions: Processed cheese, commerical pizza, commericial butter, Ice cream, canned food, Alcohol, Pasteurized dairy.
IV. Not in this lifetime: Soft drinks, french fries, pastries, potato chips, refined protein powders (I don't even know what this is), margarine, white bread, coffee, commercial ice cream, mayonnaise, hydrongenated oils, soy in any form.

And then there's the note at the bottom which says "for angelic results, forget about sections III and IV"

Lets just say I'm going to consider these guidelines, and do my best. It's obvious that I can't do this to the T. And Not even to the H, but I'll give it a whack. Then, while I was on my heat treatment/massage bed cute Enrique the Ex-Meter Maid told me that walking is better than running for losing fat, and that I should try 45 min a day. And to of course eat 30 min before I go, because I forgot to tell you that I nearly passed out and threw up in the Doc's office because I went to a 12noon appt and did a work out with no breakfast. Totally unintentional. But that's the thing, everything I do needs to be INTENTIONAL.

So, that's the latest. Yes, I'm having stuffing on thanksgiving. And I'm not eating my turkey raw. But I will be eating a lot of salad with no dressing, Bible bread, and Clean soups. And I had one little spoonful of a taste of John's new fave ice cream...Ben & Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie.

Life is good and I feel great after my walk.

Dear Santa....

I have never started asking for xmas presents this early in my life. Maybe not even when I was ten. But for some reason, I want a lot of things right now. Here's my list so I can just keep adding to it:

1. The DVD player to work in conjunction with the Tivo so I can relax to movies at night.
2. An iPod
3. A Podcasting tutorial and to have my software set up on my Mac
4. An assistant once a week.
5. Maybe a new phone...FYI if you call me, I don't always get the messages till a day or two later.
6. A super cool laptop messenger bag

And the reason I'm thinking about this stuff today is because I did a post on Written Road about Travel Podcasts.

And here's a directory of Gambling related podcasts so I can listen to them later. When I have an iPod. May miracles of all miracles happen next week so that I beat out all other Saturdays with Pauly players, and the other top four be too busy with Thanksgiving holidays to make it to the tourney so I can take first place and win the iPod.

Current Location: Redwood City/Palo Alto, CA
Tonight: Burbank, CA
Wednesday - Saturday: San Diego, CA

Sunday Roundup

I'm still No. 5 on the leaderboard!!!! And I included it up to 13 because our friend Sarah, and two other good players are there. The list went up to 46. John was 39, two above our fun host, Pauly.

"Saturdays with Dr. Pauly"
iPod Leaderboard
Updated thru Event #3

Top 10:
1. On_Thg 8-1-19 = 28 (Event #2 Winner)
1. Philly63367 12-10-6 = 28
3. Bobby Bracelet 3-25-15 = 43
4. CJ 5-44-1 = 50 (Event #3 Winner)
5. Jen Leo 10-24-24 = 58
6. SirWaffle 1-58-12 = 71 (Event #1 Winner)
7. Joanne 25-43-9 = 77
8. Gary634 2-20-72 = 94
9. Drizz 19-40-37 = 96
10. TML10023 (Terry Lane) 29-17-53 = 99

The Rest:
11. SarahBellum 23-34-43 = 100
12. JoeSpeaker 76-3-22 = 101
13. Maudie 21-75-7 = 103

In other news, Kelly Amabile has started writing for Viva Las Vegas Blog. This is a real help for me and we'll be getting another writer as well. Speaking of Vegas, I'll be there from the 9th - 18. Lots is going on. There's the National Finals Rodeo, The World Poker Blogger Tournament, and the WPT Five Diamond at Bellagio. I'll be staying at the Frontier with my friend Christi and all the cowboys during the rodeo on the 9th and 10th. Can we say VIP pass to Gilleys. Oh yeah, mechanical bull time, Baby. And I have to have my camera because if I get a picture of a bunch of Stetsons around a craps table, or watching an Elvis show, I'll just die.

Maybe I'll look into a spy camera in a pen or something. Surveillance equipment!

Then when John gets there we'll be staying at our fave, THEhotel. I raved about it so much Susan considered going...then like an omen that it was, she got a piece of mail offering a room at THE for only $129 the very same weekend I'll be there.

What else? There is a producer interested in me for a potential travel TV pilot. I'll be in SF today taping some new footage of me. And isn't it fitting that on a day I would like to be pretty, I have an itchy rash going down the left side of my neck. Why? Maybe I'm allergic to the Bay Area. Or work. Either is fine with me. John is looking at beach communities for us today. It's really exciting.

Poker Saturday

I want to win that iPod so bad. Like I mentioned yesterday, I'm in the 5th spot on the "Leaderboard" for the Saturdays with Dr. Pauly private tournaments. But for all of our sakes, someone needs to bust On_Thg...EARLY! I'll also be playing in a freeroll in the afternoon.

iPod Leaderboard Top 10 (thru 11.12.05):
1. On_Thg 8-1 9
2. Philly63367 12-10 22
2. Gary634 2-20 22
4. Bobby Bracelet 3-25 28
5. Jen Leo 10-24 34
6. EasyCure 27-13 40
7. TML10023 29-17 46
8. CJ 5-44 49
9. Shane "Big Pimpin" Nickerson 24-29 53
10. Wyndigo 52-4 56

Susan just cooked chocolate chip scones. Yum! And the tourney is starting. I'm off! Have fun everybody and wish me luck!

PS - last night John was asking me what I was doing today. So, I told him about the poker, and a party I'm going to tonight. He said, no, what are you doing that's important. That's funny because right now all I want to do is stay on the leaderboard. :-)

I'm Alive. We're Coming to San Diego for Turkey

Hi All. I'm still doing the different city, different bed thing. This week included Las Vegas, Burbank for a night, and now Palo Alto & Redwood City for some mass work cramming. I wrote a big post earlier this week about John meeting the BootBoyz...but I'm hesitating to put it up. Yes, this is a personal blog, but how personal do I really want to get? I don't know yet.

What you need to know is that I'm at Travelers' Tales and with Susan until Monday night. John and I will be in San Diego for Turkey on Thursday and Friday of next week. I might go down a day earlier since my Uncle will be out from Virgnia. I'm very excited to introduce John to two of my very dearest friends, Dan and Heather, who missed him the last time we were in town. So, the debut tour continues...and yes, I'll be eating twice. Once at Dan's and once with the Leos. Heck, I might even end up cooking.

It'll be a short visit though as we'll be checking out Seal Beach and some other beach towns close to LAX on the way home. I'm excited about that. Actually, I'm excited about the whole visit. But you'll hear from me before then.

BTW... Tomorrow at 10 a.m. PST, John and I will be playing in "Saturdays with Dr. Pauly" on PokerStars.com. We've played in two out of the four tournies so far. I'm going to be trying hard to stay in as long as possible tomorrow because I'm 5th on the leaderboard. Our friend Sarah is 11th and a much better player than me so I've gotten very lucky. The winner gets an iPod. John is 60th...and that might be a small sore spot. I can't tell. However, if you play and knock him out, you'll get $20 and a PokerNews.com t-shirt. I love this tourney because there are so many poker bloggers on it, and Pauly's friends. So, I get to be a Poker Scenester online as well as at live events. ;-)

Airstream Mania

We stopped at a McDonald's near Malibu Canyon to go to the bathroom the other day. A father and his kids got out of a truck pulling a gorgeous vintage Airstream. And it hit me. You already know that I've been fantasizing about my someday home office, and now that we are starting to daydream in the house direction....well, I thought, why not build my office in an AIRSTREAM!!!!!

Jen: Can we get a place with a backyard big enough to have an airstream in it? I could have my office be in it. Customize it so it's WiFi and everything.

BBE: Yes, I think that's a GREAT idea!

So, now I'm looking on eBay Motors, and Googling, and and and. Airstream.com is a terrific website, and I can barely touch Aluminum Fever. I want to do this bit by bit, and linger in the fun of it. I also just found a 1961 Airstream Globetrotter for less than $1k. But after I said we might have to get this right now...we both agreed that we need one with the stuff in it (instead of empty) for the vintage effect. And then I can customize from there. Airstream-Bohemia restoration. There are lots of Airstream links on Airstream.org, and AirstreamForums.com will be a great resource, too.

This might become more fun than buying the house, but I didn't say that. He thinks this is going to be a cheap endeavor...I have a feeling it's going to be quite expensive. But still potentially less than converting a garage into my own studio. Still, this is going to be the BEST thing ever. I better get back to work and sell some books so I can have some money for my flat screen monitor and new office sofa! (John doesn't know I've wanted a new sofa forever, but now I want a new airstream office sofa!)

HEY SANTA, PLEASE OH PLEASE BRING ME AIRSTREAM STUFF....like a calendar and mouse pad and messenger bag and Wanderlust book!

Poker Home Game Is the Best Night of the Week

The coolest thing about John's home game group is that it's co-ed. I get to come whenever I want. Sure they reserve the right to have it just boys whenever they want, but for the most part I'm invited every Thursday they have it. They're not religious about it, but they do it more often than not.

Last night I survived the Bubble (John) and made the money ($26). Just enough to get our money back, plus six, but still. I'm working my way to one of the top wins.

Last night Mark, the host, got us some really yummy chicken from Roscoe's. The biscuits were amazing. He showed me where they push a whole pad of butter into each biscuit, and I ate two knowing full well what it might contribute to.

Anyway, it was fun. A lot more fun than the party.

Transition + Hollywood Party Poker review

Here is our review of the Hollywood Poker party at the Montmartre Lounge last night.

I'm a grouch today. And I'm having a difficult time figuring out if it is because money is becoming a greater sore spot for me (not John) now that I'm in a long term relationship, or if it's because this is just what happens when I move somewhere, let a lone somewhere I don't like. Or if it's because I found out yesterday that I've GAINED 20LBS SINCE I MET John, formerly known as the BBE, and maybe to be called that again after I stop being grouchy, and am desperately in need of a great big brownie sundae and lots of jelly bellys or sour candies.

20 friggin pounds. This is the most I've ever weighed in my entire life. I'm in shock. Total shock. So was he when I told him. We made an eating plan since we're both pretty convinced it has to do with how much we go out to eat and lack of excercise. I mean, come on, using half and half in my decaf/reg coffee couldn't do that much dammage—could it?

Upsides to LA/Burbank: I get to hang out with Leigh and Riley whenever. Just popped over to their house for her to save me in the what-the-hell-do-I-wear-to-a-hipster-Hollywood club department. They are both such warm and friendly faces there is really no reason to get down.

Times I ate two dinners and didn't tell John about it: 1
Times I took off a girdle in a restaurant bathroom and hid it beneath paper towels in the trash: 1
Times I talked to Dick Van Patten: 2
Times I got kissed by some guy on Big Brother: 1
Times I saw Sayeed (don't know how to spell it) from LOST: 1


Current: Burbank
Next: VEGAS ON SATURDAY!!!!!!!

editing books + hipster celeb poker parties

It's crazy to be editing the next book while you're still in the middle of promoting the last, but hey, gotta get those books out! :-)
James is doing a lot of work on this one and that really helps a lot. The stories are so funny that What Color is Your Jockstrap? might turn out to be my fave. But I say that every time.

What else?

I'm getting better at online poker, but not winning $$. Made it to the final table last night in a $5 SNG with 45 players. I was in the top ten the entire game and then went out at either 8 or 9 after making it to the final table. I'll be playing on Poker Stars again this weekend for "Saturdays with Dr. Pauly."

Speaking of poker, tonight we're going to a party put on by Hollywood Poker at Monmartre Lounge.

Needlesstosay, I have nothing to wear. Nothing. I am not hip, but wouldn't it be great if I had just two hip outfits for occassions like this.

Current: Burbank, CA
Next: Las Vegas, NV (Sat - Tues)

Library Day?

Last week I said I was going to the library in the afternoons to write. But "stuff" has gotten the better of me.

Yesterday, three TV producers contacted me for interviews. And last night I went down to USC to speak to the Masters of Professional Writing program about the importance of having a website/blog. It was fun, and I met some enthusiastic and focused writers.

Lots to do. but I doubt I want to hang here at my desk all day. Today is a day to get out and do it somewhere else. And that has nothing to do with the weather. From my window it looks overcast with specs of blue.

I wrote about Elizabethtown on Written Road.

Current: Burbank, CA
Next: Vegas (Saturday - Tues/Wed)

King Tut Exhibit at LACMA

I thought it'd be cool to take John to the King Tut exhibit at LACMA for his birthday. Why I thought that, I don't know. Might've had something to do with him expressing interest in a travel article about Egypt while we were in London. And then of course me seeing it on a billboard on the way to the Chiropractor.

We went last night and it was a waste of time. Mostly. Sure it was neat to see all the artifacts, but in today's day and multi-media age, they could've done so much more. The artifacts were interesting, but mostly the exhibit was lacking depth. I remeber going as a young child back in the 70s and thought it was the coolest thing ever. I also remember seeing King Tut, or the big gold shell that you see on all the books. So, last night, as we clipped through there between 930-10:30pm, I read the signs and listened to the tapes knowing that there would be a big climax at the end and we'd get to see him. Rooms like "burial" chamber leading us up to it. But as I turned the final corner....nothing. Just the desk where you return the audio tour. No Tut!

I was shocked. I couldn't believe there was such a let down at the end. John and I disc ussed the Tut we saw as kids, and he remembered it, too. It wasn't just me. I didn't understand why they would do an exhibit without him. I paid more than $80 for us to go see this, and did I think I got my money's worth? Um, no. No where near.

But hey, we went to a museum, can't say we're not cultured.

As of today there's a good chance his Christmas present will fare a bit better. I just found out he wants a Bose speaker system for his iPod.

Sunday is for Sports, Same with Saturday

Trojans can sing...who knew? Last night I went to the SC vs. Stanford game with one of John's SC-loving friends. It was great to be back on campus and I clearly did not have enough cardinal and gold clothing on. We won, by a lot, of course...but the most moving and memorable part of the evening for me was during the pregame show.

The USC Trojan Marching Band, which I used to play cymbals for back in the day, took the field in their usual fashion before the team came out. After playing God Bless America, they lined up for the Star Spangled Banner. One solo snare drum, usually the section leader, started it off, and then the horns come in. I always take off a hat, and put my hand over my heart when the National Anthem plays, but very rarely ever sing. I hate it when people sing to this song because they never do it right. They always butcher it. "They" being the people who can't sing and always insist on belting this particular song out as if that singular act defined them as patriotic. No.

So, I was awestruck when I heard the entire stadium singing well. It was sweet and soft, in way that sounded like the people behind you were singing, but not the obnoxious frat jerk down a few aisles. I don't know how they did it. But they managed to make what I always consider the best played national anthem, even better.

Second of imporantce was that I had a pretty good foot long grilled turkey dog, yeah! (And fries, and spicy peanuts, and sugar coated almonds, and a coke). But enough about that. Big thanks to Kevin for taking me, and on to getting our 3Pete!

Sunday was a blast, too. I played golf for this first time. I didn't do so well at the driving range as there was so much advice to think about. But when we got to the course, I held my own. Enough anyway. Sure there were a few balls in the brush, but I also got a par, which John and Leigh and Seth seemed to be quite impressed with. Leigh and I think we might take some lessons so we can do this more often as we all had fun.

And me? After getting to see my Trojans with a fan, and having fun with my friends, am finding being in So Cal a lot more enjoyable. Especially after we drove to Camarillo yesterday and found it quite easy to turn down as a potential place to live.

Have a good week, everyone!
Current: Burbank
Next up: Las Vegas (Nov 14)
Next events: Eugene, Portland, Seattle (Nov. 30 - Dec 4)

The Birthday

Yes, it is becoming funny that people are sending me emails of birthday greetings to John. Thank you.

The birthday is going well, but not as I had originally planned. Isn't that always the case? Thank you Susan for stopping at a Panera to send me the recipe and to let me interrupt your beach time with frantic questions. Making the tamales wasn't that hard, getting the ingredients was. Another lesson in not waiting to the last minute. But it all went well. I had the stove working overtime in this little pad...beans, and meat, and steamer, and brownies all going at the same time at one point.

I made chicken, beef, and cheese and jalapeno tamales for the poker group. And they enjoyed it. John especially and said I was doomed as he would ask me to make them again. Some eaters brave enough to say that they liked the beef the best. The beans turned out great, but not that many people ate them so we have a huge pot of yummy beans with no inclination to finish them. John ended up chopping for 1st and 2nd so we could leave the game t 1130pm. It's about a 30-40 minute ride home. I was Bubble Girl, again. (means I went out one before making any money)

Yesterday we worked till noonish. I had some sporty surprises to take him to, but that got foiled when his contact ripped in his eye. We had to put the eye doctor at the top of the list and that took us to Northridge. The upside is that he got to show me where he grew up, went to jr. high, college, and one of his favorite restaurants.
Then we took Topanga Canyon over to the water, looked at this area for future residence, and drove along the beach to Santa Monica.

There's a GREAT hotel called The Huntley with a bar called Toppers on the 20+ floor. It has an amazaing view of the coast line, and we had some drinks up there. (Note: bad mojitos, but good happy hour prices between 4-7pm) Then we wandered around 3rd Street and saw Elizabethtown. I think I'll talk about that on Written Road. So yeah, we wandered, we shopped, we didn't play sports, but he was happy because we had no agenda and were wandering around doing whatever we wanted to do.

But it's a birthday weekend. Today is a poker day and we'll both be playing in "Saturdays with Dr. Pauly" on Poker Stars at 10:00a.m. Then I'm going to the SC game later in the afternoon with a friend of his. Tomorrow I've got the rest of the b-day activities lined up including going to the King Tut exhibit at LACMA.

Thanks for asking...it's going well.

Settling in...

I will be in Burbank for at least ten days. Tomorrow is John's birthday. We will be working in the morning, and then I've got a bunch of surprises lined up for him throughout the day, and again on Sunday. But the festivities begin tonight at our Thursday poker home game with his friends. I'm cooking a Mexican dinner of tamales, beans, rice, guac, and his fave chips and salsa from Sharkeys.

Work continues on. We've got a new sponsor on Written Road, BookingBuddy.com, and Dan B. just told me that WR is the 2500th most popular blog. Which is decent considering there must be over a million of them now.

I'm also working on What Color is Your Jockstrap? and working on finding new writers for VivaLasVegasBlog.com. Sean Keener and I had a good meeting about the progress of our sites this past weekend, and I'm looking forward to seeing how both grow this coming year.

Wiped....Creating Routine

I live in Burbank with John.

It is now official and after having to answer the quite simple question of, "Where do you live?" at every event, every post event, and to every stranger I spoke to at the gas stations....I want to say it now to get comfortable with it. It is temporary, but still. It was so much for fun to say that I lived in Vegas. And Vegas fit. But this is a more important direction to be taking, and one I've wanted for a long time. AND.....BIG AND....I do have a slight tendancy to not get up from a table I'm gambling at. As in...until the money's out. So, that's why John isn't moving to Vegas. But we will still be there quite a bit and it's only four hours a way. In fact, I go back again in a week and a half.

But now...right now...I'm wiped. I'm downing Vitamin water like it's water and it seems that the welcome back flowers on my desk are the only things living at this table. I'm weak. A bit fragile. Cried heavily for no good reason this morning.

The best thing I can do for myself is to get into a routine. We're just back from lunch (sushi), and I'm going to head over to the library to write. Yep, that's right—write! I'm going to start writing every day so I can slam out a book. After that it's off to the gym. And after that I'm coming home to make dinner (curry). Normal work, blogging, networking, PR, etc will happen in the morning and most likely again before dinner.

Online poker play will happen after dinner. There you have it...wish me luck.

Current: Burbank, CA
Next: Las Vegas, NV (Nov 13 - ??)
Next event for Thong: Eugene, OR Nov.30