Parties n Poker

Last Friday, the 13th was my Birthday, 33, Rebecca and i flew over to Belfast (into the Belfast City 'George Best' Airport...why we named an airport after a disgraced footballer who destroyed his liver through drink and drugs, then got a new Liver and went binge drinking again and destroyed that one, when there was far more deserving people waiting for a donor out there; i don't know!) to stay with My Mum. I am not one for fuss and so avoided the big leaving party/birthday party bash, instead having a lovely weekend with my Mum, visited my Aunts, Ester, Heather, and Carol.

I ate loads, had a mince pie (my favourite) and a big ulster fry up, loads of chocolate and ice cream, the typical weekend at my Mums and the reason why i can only go there twice/three times a year... my heart and liver would not be able to survive longer or more frequent.

On Fri 20th, i joined Euan, Sarah, and Neil at a Poker Tournament in the Maybury Casino on the outskirts of Edinburgh, we played Texas hold em no limit... 120 entered and we all made it through the first round, i had the least chips going into the final stage of the 4 of us so expected to go out first. But through hitting it big on 4 hands i was able to get enough chips to see me through to the final table and 9th place with a £100 prize... my first ever real life tourney winnings... I have won $800 and many lesser amounts online but this was my first real tourney win... I have to say Everyone was more chuffed than i was, i was just knackered and truly thought i had went out in 10th place missing the money, but as luck would have it someone went out just before me.

On Sat 21st, Rebecca and I went to a Friends (Irene) for dinner, i haven'thad such a good time for ages, great food, great wine, a flat mate of Irenes and 3 of her old friends and one of their husbands, 8 in all. Its good when you get a group of people together who are all open friendly and sharing, not trying to bring the conversation around to them, or being a wall flower, but participating and listening in equal amounts.

We discussed, everything from racism/sectarianismin football vs. other sport, too teaching and respect, too how we all met our partners. All of which i should write on later...

I hope that we can have more nights like this when we get out to OZ. A very good night but we paid for it in the morning, i was ill but Rebecca was at deaths door... aparently the 1 hr shoulder massage by Leslie a massuse friend of Irenes, must have released toxins into her body...nothing at all to do with the loads or red, rose, and champers she had... but it took her the rest of the weekend and a sizable amount of feeling sorry for herself, chips and crisps to recover!