I don't know if it's just a feeling sorry for myself moment or what, but I really am missing hosting my game. I miss every part of it, from taking apart the bed to convert the basement bedroom into the poker room, to setting out the bar, to counting out chip stacks and making sure each of my decks has 52 cards for the 14th time. I miss setting up the hot dog roller and scrambling to get somebody to stop and get mustard because this house always seems to run out of it. I especially miss that moment when everything is done, but no one has arrived yet, and I sit at the table, crack a beer and figure out what game or fight is going on the TV.
I miss guys calling for rebuys when I am in the middle of a hand. I miss having to make rulings on situations where I can't even figure out how they got in that spot. I miss having to count out the payouts three times because people are asking where is more ice while I am doing it. I miss getting sucked out on to bust out, but only being pissed for a split second because we are playing cheeseburger stakes and everybody is having a great time. I miss the laughing and ball busting a lot. I miss cleaning up and breaking things down some time between 2am and 5am. I miss that slight stale beer smell that accompanies the end of the night. I don't miss the early alarms to get up and coach hockey or lacrosse the next morning. I miss Colleen waking from a dead sleep and asking me how I did when I eventually get to bed.
I miss the crew, a lot. I think that's actually what I miss the most. Just being with the boys (and girls) and turning off the real world for a little while. Deadlines, stress, drama, all that stuff goes away on poker night.
Anyway... I know well get back there, and I know we are all doing the right thing right now. I've just been missing it.
I miss guys calling for rebuys when I am in the middle of a hand. I miss having to make rulings on situations where I can't even figure out how they got in that spot. I miss having to count out the payouts three times because people are asking where is more ice while I am doing it. I miss getting sucked out on to bust out, but only being pissed for a split second because we are playing cheeseburger stakes and everybody is having a great time. I miss the laughing and ball busting a lot. I miss cleaning up and breaking things down some time between 2am and 5am. I miss that slight stale beer smell that accompanies the end of the night. I don't miss the early alarms to get up and coach hockey or lacrosse the next morning. I miss Colleen waking from a dead sleep and asking me how I did when I eventually get to bed.
I miss the crew, a lot. I think that's actually what I miss the most. Just being with the boys (and girls) and turning off the real world for a little while. Deadlines, stress, drama, all that stuff goes away on poker night.
Anyway... I know well get back there, and I know we are all doing the right thing right now. I've just been missing it.