The Random Ramblings of Samm Diep

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!!!

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!

posted by Samm @ 11/08/2005 12:36:00 AM