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Happy Post-giving!
This year's Thanksgiving was pretty mellow and somewhat uneventful. Instead of our usual: getting up at the crack of dawn to
feed the homeless at Jackson's downtown, rushing up to Vail to pick up food from the caterer, and haulin' tail home to clean and and get ready while the food is warming up... We just went downtown and then up to Vail to nap and get ready before heading over to our friends' place. It was nice to hosting this year. It did suck not to have any leftovers though.
ESPECIALLY... Since we got snowed in for the weekend. Leftovers would've definitely come in handy. Mmmmmmmmmm.... Leftovers... Yeah. Saturday night was supposed to be another Book Release Party at
Greenfields in Lakewood but after loaded up the car & the boys, we got to the on ramp to find that we could get on. Vail pass was closed. Oh well! Can't think of a better place to be snowed in. So, we just stayed until Monday so we wouldn't have to fight the Sunday traffic. I did have to call
Hikle though and let him know I couldn't pick him up from the aeropuerto. It all worked out in the end. I had a nice relaxing weekend in Vail & got lots of good, quality practice in.
Anyway, I hope everyone had a nice, relaxing Thanksgiving weekend!!!
Jumpin' on the Bandwagon
So, a couple days ago, my friend
Matt posted the following list of things to google image search for the first (or favorite) results:
The name of the town where you were born
The name of the town where you live now
Your name
Your grandmother's name (just pick one)
Your favorite food
Your favorite drink
Your favorite song
Your favorite smell
Mine are below. They're all "firsts" except for one. Enjoy!
1. Vietnam - as it is still undetermined (or at least I keep forgetting) the name of the actual town where I was born. I know. How sad. I was born somewhere on that map.
2. Aurora, Colorado
3. "Samm Diep" - Okay, so it wasn't the "first" image that came up but it was more interesting. Yes, it's me. The first two images are also me, but this was a young me
from '98 carving a turkey on Thanksgiving. I thought it would be appropriate. Those sunglasses appear to be much older.
4. "ama" - Eek! That's the name that Alvina and I used when referring to our grandmother (in chinese). Fortunately, that's
NOT her. I don't know who that is, but it's very scary. Oh Gawd! I can't even look at it!!!
5. sushi - simple, yet satisfying...
6. boba - a bit more interesting. That's a photo of
someone's bobas alright. Woah!
7. You've got a friend in me - (by Randy Newman) I don't know if it's actually my favorite song but it's from my favorite movie,
Toy Story. It was just the first song that came to mind.
8. fresh linen - apprently, this is what you get.
Thanks, Hatty. Anyone else reading this should give it a go. Or, just click here for other results:
Matt,
Mike, &
Chad.
I have a ton more pics to share (ones that I actually took myself) but in case I don't get to them by Thursday...
Have a Fun & Safe Turkey Day!!!
To snow or not to snow...
Just sitting in the computer room in my gramma robe, wondering when it's going to stop snowing; while Vegas is wondering if it could just snow forever...
On Monday, I met
Hikle for lunch and had the top down all day. Then, I came home and felt productive so I diligently raked nice little piles of leaves for Chisolm to wake up to and bag. Needless to say, it began raining, and then snowing before he got a chance. Unfortunately, they are still in nice little piles. GGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!! Did I mention I was just topless all day?!?!? Only in Colorado can you have the top down and drove home in the snow in the same day.
Anyway, today's dilemma is now that I'm the "captain" I need to make sure we have enough people for league each week. This is an open, non-handicapped Thursday night league and on my team are the 5 strongest, non-pro women in Colorado. We're bad-a$$es! Anyway, the one drives up from the Springs each week and is still planning to drive up but will not know for sure until 4 o'clock when she starts her trek. She's such a trooper. We'll see what happens.
Whenever it begins to snow, I just want to rent a bunch of movies, make a nice fire, and drink hot cocoa. Is that too much to ask?
**Photo of Vegas was not taken today.**
Back to Work
Now that things are just slightly less hectic for me, I am back to training again. The next big event I’m looking forward to is the
Valley Forge Super Billiards Expo event in late March. It’s always a fun time. There a $10,000 added tourney in
South Padre island in late January that I hear is a good one too, but I haven’t decided on that one yet. If I know anyone else that’s going, then I might go. Otherwise, it’s a bit hard to get to and hurricane-friendly.
Tonight, I had a nice dinner with
Hikle (who recently blogged a new posting yesterday after a long awaited 2 weeks) and his new m-a-n at the
Outback. They had a slight tiff just before dinner so there were some awkward moments during dinner, but it was still a good time. Afterwards, we checked out a new
Lollicup boba place on Montview & Nome. It’s safe to say that we will not be returning there for more boba. They didn’t even have foosball! Anyway, I came home and got a bunch of work done after that. My friend,
“Fast Mikie” from California ordered
10 books from me tonight! WOW! That was VERY exciting. So, I got those ready, along with some other books and things to be shipped out, watched some X-Files, and did some work online.
On a side note, Vegas has been SO BAD lately. I don’t know what has come over him. He is normally such a good dog but he has recently been getting into the trash and eating things off the coffee table (like, a box of my business cards, some craft glue, a bottle of Advil, my Samm’s Pocket address stamp, and who knows what else). Then, tonight, TWICE he got into the trash right in front of me! Twice, I got on the phone and turned around to find him chewing on a snotty piece of Kleenex from the trash. GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, as promised, here are some pictures of my other kids… (currently, the good ones)
Here is "Ketchup" (left) and "Mayo" (right) hanging out on the floating island. Ketchup is a Southern Painted [Chrysemys picta dorsalis] and Mayo is a Common Musk [Sternotherus odoratus], aka "Stinkpots" as they have been know to omit a stinky odor when they're frightened or nervous. I, personally have not experienced it so he must be happy.
Here's one of Mayo. He has a very long neck, as you can see. He and Ketchup are very friendly and have a ton of personality. Hey swim right up to the glass when they see me coming and get very excited. They are quite fascinating to watch. Mayo is like a puppy. He sniffs around the bottom of tank looking for stuff.
Here's "Mustard". He's a Mississippi Map [Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii] and a bit antisocial. He is elusive and enjoys hiding and running away when he things I might be coming. Unlike the other two, he's not so friendly.
I got them from a breeder, The Turtle Store. If you or anyone you know is seriously considering raising a turtle(s), you should check them out because this guy is totally professional and knowledgeable. He spent a lot of time with me during my research period determining the right turtles for me and that I had an appropriate environment for them. The service was legendary!
Also, I wanted to make sure I didn't forget to include the "closeup" photos of my Vegas plaques, as per a recent request. I hope this will suffice.
Hhhhhmmm... I think that's all I have to write about for now. I'll be back soon.
"Almost "Regular"...
A recent comment from my friend
Chaddie read, "So glad you are back to regular blogging..." Well, I would hardly call it "regular" yet. I
am doing my best though.
Yesterday, I met with Dave, my friend
Megan's coach. He has been offering his services to me for quite some time now and I finally took him up on it. Boy! Dave likes to talk... A lot! That's all I am writing about that.
Afterwards, I really needed to unwind a bit so I texted
Hikle for some booty-
pho &
boba. We actually ended up having Vietnamese Buffet at this yummy new place near Federal and Mississippi. It was really good, in a sketchy sort of way. The rice noodles and spring rolls were good. Mmmmmm... Afterwards, we headed over to boba where I gave Hikle a quick whoop-a$$ in some Connect4. It was about time!
Tonight we had league. This is my first time as the captain. I'm not really much of a team player, but I'm learning. This captaining this is a lot of work but is also fun. I got these expanding (accordian) file folders for Chisolm and I to put our league stuff into so we could stay more organized. It helps. I put little matching calculators in there too.
Our team name is "Slightly Competitve." I am the only non-Master player on my women's team. It is only by circumstance. We have such a kick-a$$ team! Apprently, 2 of the women were told they were "too competitive" by the former captain of their old team, hence the team name. I don't care. We're so stacked!
I haven't sold that many books so far, but I have been receiving great responses from the people who have bought books already.
Anyway, I'm all packed and ready to go. We leave for the weekend for a tournament in Cheyenne, WY tomorrow afternoon. Hikle will be housesitting for us. I'm glad. That way I know the turtles will be getting enough attention.
I should go now. I have to update The Tip Jar blog and head to bed. I have been up since 9:30am. I know! That's crazy talk! I took my friend Denny to lunch today. He is going through some personally medical problems and I have been very concerned with him. He is the most selfless, generous person I know. He organizes so many different volunteer projects all year round and during the holidays, I help him with 3 of them. It makes me so sad to know that he's in pain.
Good night for now. You won't hear from me for a couple days. There were only 3 women signed up for the AA/AAA division so I will be playing in the Men's Open A division. Wish me luck!
Honk! Honk!
I guess I gotta keep blogging now that I've started again, right? It's not the blogging part that's scary, it's all the catch-up blog-reading that I've missed in the past month. I'm so OOL (out of the loop).
Anyway, today I received a surprise invitation to hang out with
Hikle. I excitedly accepted. We had our usual
pho, but instead of
boba, we headed up North to
Hatty's place to polish off some leftover desserts from his weekend tea party. Yum-my! Before heading up to Westy, we stopped by Table Steaks South (the newest location, not to be confused with
Table Steaks East where I pro at or Table Steaks West, the sketchy 24-hour one on Sheridan) to visit Chris Byrne, my cue maker & sponsor to pick up the 2 shafts for the cue he made me. They weren't ready when the butt was because it was too humid out. We chatted for a bit and headed for Hatty's.
Hikle and I had a fun time cruisin' around with the top down, even after it got dark. We didn't care. We just cranked the heat up. It was so nice today and it was nice this evening, too. Oh! Before I picked Hikle up, I stopped by the mall to get my ring cleaned and some guy in another convertible Miata with his top down honked and we exchanged a moment of coolness. HA! Dorkness, actually.
Anyway, I'll have more to write later!
Okay. Okay. I'm back!
Alright, so it's been a brief 3 1/2 weeks since my last posting but that does not mean that I haven't been thinking of all of you. The worst part was that the longer I put it off, the harder it was to get back into it. So, I am starting today with a clean slate! I will briefly catch you up on what's happened in the past month (because trust me, a LOT has happened) and then I'm movin' on, folks!
Well, first of all, my book is FINALLY done and available. Whew! After a year of collecting silly
D Player-ism and four months of intense labor, it's finally completed. It was like a dream when I opened the box and held the book in my hands. Then, I went back to bed and had a nightmare that the book did not look the way it was supposed to and people were complaining about the price. Thankfully, I woke up.
In turtle news... I'm sad to announce that about three weeks ago, Janet did not make it. It appeared that she had fallen ill with the same symptoms that Jack and Chrissy had. I think they were not well when I got them and were not kept in the best conditions. This all happened about a week before Chisolm and I left for Vegas and I said I didn't want to have turtles again because I was very sad and I felt like a bad turtle mom. Chisolm insisted that I should pick out three new turtles and order them from a trusted breeder and to start them off right. After some negotiation and extensive research, I said "okay." So, they arrived after we got back from Vegas. Pictures & more info to come.
Speaking of Vegas... Chisolm and I went to Vegas for the
BCA National 9Ball Championships. I played some of the best pool of my life.
I won the women's division, and Chisolm and I came in second in the scotch doubles division. It was a great week and it was VERY exciting! Meanwhile, I was also covering the tournament for
Professor Q Ball, so keep your eyes out for December's issue of the story. While I was in Vegas, my wonderful friend
Hikle and his new bo Lenny sent me flowers. I am so fortunate to have such great friends!!!
(Don't mind Chisolm. He was taking a nap.)
On a similar note, I received an awesome care package in the mail today from my friend Rose (who also has a blog but insists on keeping it private). She lives in DC but is in the process of relocating to New Mexico with her boyfriend in hopes of one day becoming organic farmers. We've been friends since high school and vow to be each others' maids of honors.
After I cashed the checks from my big wins, I made a beeline for the PF Store. I caught the double-decker bus (called "The Deuce") to the strip and headed straight to the Fashion Show Mall. I picked up a few things that would forever remind me of my great victory and had some solo-sushi at Ra. It was a relaxing, enjoyable day.
Speaking of PF, mark your calendars. November 11th is Julius' 10th Birthday. Woohoo! He's so mature for his age, too.
The Saturday night before leaving Vegas, my throat started to hurt and I knew I was coming down with something. We made it back to Vail by Sunday night and avoided the snow until the next morning. By then, the roads were fine. My ears, however, were not. It was absolutely miserable driving through the mountains with stuffy ears and a runny nose. Anyway, I survived and I'm pretty much all healthy again with the exception of some occasional coughs.
This past weekend I scheduled 2 book release pool parties. Saturday night was at Shakespeare's and Sunday afternoon was at Table Steaks East. Shakespeare's was a great showing. My closest friends stopped by and most of the Shake's crew was there, too. You may recognize the familiar face, and one of my dear friends, Megan Minerich, to the left. She was nice enough to pay a surprise visit. Sunday's festivities were not as exciting. Only one person of ALL the people that said they would be there showed up. That was my student Kevin. He's such a loyal supporter. My friend Pierre also stopped by. It was my own fault. I was sick most of the week and when I was finally healthy again, I was to busy catching up from being sick to go down there to do much promoting. Self-promoting... UGH! I hate it!
On another note - I'm still looking for a hairdresser that might be interested in donating their services. In two more inches, I will be chopping off 10+ inches for the Locks of Love. At which point, I will be needing cut & color services. If you or anyone you know may be interested in donating these services for a good cause, please let me know.
Lastly, and very excitingly, my book is now available on Amazon.com. So, if you are a pool player and/or looking for a gift for a pool player, this is the perfect gift. Especially, if you live outside of Colorado. I will take any help I can get.
Thanks for being so patient while I was gone and I'm very glad to be back and healthy again. Thanks for all the great support and positive feedback on the book and my recent win. I am incredibly lucky to have so many special people in my life. Okay, enough sap, I'll see ya when I see ya!
This year's Thanksgiving was pretty mellow and somewhat uneventful. Instead of our usual: getting up at the crack of dawn to feed the homeless at Jackson's downtown, rushing up to Vail to pick up food from the caterer, and haulin' tail home to clean and and get ready while the food is warming up... We just went downtown and then up to Vail to nap and get ready before heading over to our friends' place. It was nice to hosting this year. It did suck not to have any leftovers though.
