Not wanting to move twice (esp. with regard to heavy, bulky objects), I decided to go the Aerobed route in the new place and leave my regular bed in storage.  All was well and good: pulled the mattress out of storage, inflated it, set up linens and prepared for a restful night's sleep.  Imagine my disappointment when the bed tried to swallow me whole at 1:00 in the morning due to a pinhole-sized hole in the bottom.  Sound sleep was systematically interrupted every two hours following with a need to reinflate the bed.

Whether the recent bout of working out or the preceding period of not working out is responsible, I can't say, but I can tell you that my neck is too fat to fit into any of my old dress shirts.  I had to undo the top button at lunch yesterday so my food could slip past the collar.  It's also helping to curb my recently acquired habit of cracking my neck since I can barely move my head without cutting off the blood supply to my brain.

It's official: The adventure is over.  Tonight marks the eve of my return to the real world.  The last 14 months have been nothing short of incredible -- so many amazing adventures and experiences it's hard to believe it was only that long.

I feel like I'm returning an improved person.  This last year has provided me with a lot of insight and perspective and I can truly say I've grown during that time.  Backpacking across Europe taught me the value of minimizing and distilling down what is really needed to be happy.  Living away from Southern California reiterated the value of friends and family and how it's easy to take the time spent with those who are close and are readily accessible, for granted.  Not being able to play with the ice hockey team or see the guys for the weekly poker game helped me to appreciate all of the social activities that filled my time and the camaraderie created within.  And, finally, not being able to find a decent carne asada burrito in what some argue to be the world's greatest city, somehow leads me to believe that I belong in the World's Finest City.

So, I'm back.  Del Mar is where I'm calling home until my place opens up again in July and then I'll be moving back in there.  The new job starts tomorrow so I'm dealing with the seemingly foreign concept of a routine -- something that I never thought I'd say I'm looking forward to.  While the fast, erratic pace of the last year was exciting, stability sounds very welcoming, at the moment.

Would I do it all again?  Without a moment's hesitation.  I think 2020's looking good for the next go-round...

I've had a few people ask me about working out and fitness lately (summer must be just around the corner), so I thought I'd share the workout plan I've been using for the past couple of months as it's been extremely effective and requires very little time investment. The regimen is based around a little known study that was conducted at Colorado State University during the 70's. Tim Ferris, author of Four Hour Work Week, distilled the experiment down and provided a simple, easy to apply routine.

The first, and best, part of this workout is that it only requires two 30 minute visits to the gym each week. Each visit is comprised of a full body workout, as it is important to incorporate as many of the large muscle groups as possible (especially the legs) in order to illicit a maximum hormonal response, which helps to build muscle and burn fat. To further boost the number of muscles used, only compound exercises are performed. Another key to this plan is to use a very low cadence when lifting – 5 seconds in each direction. This will help to increase the amount of negative resistance placed on the muscles which is where a lot of the growth response comes from. It should be noted that if you are already working out and start doing this plan, you will probably need to drop the amount of weight you're used to lifting; don't worry, the strength gains will come very quickly. For mass gains, wait about 3 minutes between exercises; for toning and fat loss, rest about 30 seconds between exercises. Finally, only do one set of each exercise, to failure (should shoot for ~10 reps).

Here is a typical workout (after warming up for 5-10 minutes):

To further speed fat loss, a couple light-medium cardio sessions a week could be added. Eating is always plays a role in fat loss/muscle gain. I had very good results following the guidelines in the Abs Diet; a slow carb would probably be effective, as well.

In the 2-3 months I've been doing the plan I've seen substantial gains (and my eating has been far from perfect). I've lost at least 3-4% body fat and added well over an inch to my chest and legs (a lot of my dress shirts are too tight across the chest, now). To successfully monitor progress, I would recommend keeping a journal of each workout (amount of weight, reps, etc).

A funny thing happened at the poker table last night.  I was

playing over at the Red Rock casino where they happen to have a

really big bad beat jackpot (some casinos run a promotion that

if a player has a very, very strong hand beaten by a stronger hand,

like four-of-a-kind beaten by a straight flush, they pay everyone present

from the bad beat fund, which happened to be $167,540 yesterday).

Of that money, $45k goes to the losing hand, $35k goes to the winning

one and the rest gets split amongst everyone playing at the time.

Last time I was playing, a table hit the bad beat and we all got a $200

share of the bad beat fund.

Back to last night…I'm playing at a fairly average Texas Hold 'em table

and not getting too many good hands, until this one came up:  I had

a pair of 8's in my hand and I made a full house on the flop (community

cards) which was K-K-8.  I knew my hand was best, so I was surprised

when an old lady at the table raised me; she had been making a lot of

weird plays all night, so it didn't concern me since the only hands

that beat me were two kings or a king and an 8 which would have made

a larger full house and she didn't play preflop like she had the kings.

The next two community cards were a 6 and another 8.  I about wet

myself when the last 8 came off as it gave me four-of-a-kind, a nearly

unbeatable hand!  Unfortunately, by then, the old lady and I were

the only ones left in the hand, but we kept raising and reraising until

she ran out of chips – I think we each made about 8 bets.  I triumphantly

turned over my cards and proclaimed my four-of-a-kind.  Imagine my

surprise when she showed her pair of kings for a better four-of-a-kind!

At first, my heart sank deep into my chest when I realized I had lost the

hand.  Within seconds, however, the whole world started to fade away

as the realization that I'd just won $45,000 came to be. 

F-O-R-T-Y-F-I-V-E-T-H-O-U-S-A-N-D-D-O-L-L-A-R-S!  Holy Shit!

Even as I type this now, it doesn't seem like a reality.  Within that one

hand of poker, my immediate life had changed - I could put life on hold

for another year!

The rest of the night is a blur; the whole room was abuzz with activity

after it happened and everyone wanted to come over and hear the story

of the hand.   I vaguely remember being taken to a back room in the

casino to fill out tax forms and collect my check.  I'm shirking reality

again and I couldn't be happier!

For whatever reason, I can't seem to write the entry that is supposed to go here; something about it being the realization that Real Life on Hold is going to end soon and by not writing it, perhaps it will extend the fantasy a little longer.  Instead, I'll put up a little ditty about me doing something stupid, which will likely be more entertaining, anyway.

The weather was quite warm out here in Vegas, today, enough so that I was forced to run the A/C on my way to the gym.  When I got back to the car after my workout, I reached for the Clif Bar I brought with me, as I often do.  Unfortunately, the heat had taken its toll on the bar, slightly melting the chocolate chips and softening the rest of the concoction significantly.  No matter, as I was starving and it was still edible so I hurriedly began refueling my body as I made my way over to Trader Joes.  I took care of my shopping as quickly and efficiently as possible, save for the minute or two I spent talking to the checkout lady as she took her time processing my groceries.  It seemed like she was taking an extra interest in me as she kept looking my way and smiling quite a bit as she talked.  I was feeling good with the endorphins coursing through my veins, having just come from the gym, and I figured she was just picking up on that.

I got home and unpacked the groceries and went into the bathroom to wash my hands.  When I looked up in the mirror, it became quickly apparent why so much attention had been lavished on me at the market.  My face bore not one, but two very noticeable chocolate chip smears just above my chin.

To all my regular readers, I need a little assistance. I'm applying for a writing position at a local review site/journal here in Vegas. Lacking any sort of published works/portfolio, I've been asked to submit some writing samples from this blog. If you could please let me know which entries you particularly enjoyed or thought were well written, that would help me immensely! You can either email them to me or post in the comments. Thanks in advance for your input!

It's been a month since I hit Sin City, let's see what I've learned so far…

The poker career? Uh, if I had a day job, I wouldn't quit it. I don't know that I've given it a complete shot, but what I've been through so far has shown me that there is a lot more to surviving while playing cards when that is the only source of income. Don't get me wrong, I haven't lost the farm or anything like that; in fact, I'm in the black. However, I may as well be starting each month down a couple grand since money has to be made up to pay for rent, bills, food, entertainment, etc. All you 'I told you so-ers,' get 'em in now.

The off-strip experience. There are a few off-strip restaurants that I've discovered and nearly any needed amenity is readily available. Not too much else to say here other than off-strip Vegas feels like Anytown, USA, except there is a lot more driving involved.

Driving? Yes, ass-loads of it. With land so cheap and vast here, everything is spread out to oblivion. Seriously, to go anywhere is a minimum 15 minute drive. It takes half a tank of gas just to get gas. In the month I've been here, I've racked up over 2500 miles, all within the city limits.

Health. Most would assume Vegas to be pretty bad for the body. On the contrary, it's helped me get back in shape. I joined a gym when I got to town and have been fairly diligent about getting in there. I've also been making regular trips over to the ice rink and doing some skating for cardio. Being able to hit on all of the 15 year old girls helps keep the motivation up. Kidding! (they're more like 12). I've been drinking so much cranberry juice at the tables there's no fear of that urinary tract infection kicking in. Food-wise, I've been cooking almost all of my own meals and eating relatively healthy (I'd say I've lost a good 5 lbs from what I added in Europe and New York). I've got to get the abs in shape for my Thunder Down Under tryout next month.

The typical Vegas experience. Any desire to do this on a regular basis was lifted the second I set my bags down. It's like living in San Diego and never going to the beach because it's right there. Or not doing lines of blow off that hooker because there is a perfectly clean mirror on the table. I've been out a few times while living here, but solely when people have been in town visiting. On the plus side, I have been able to take advantage and see a couple of the shows that are currently playing. I've seen Le Reve (good show) and Love (good, but shouldn't have been billed as a Cirque show); tomorrow, I'm going to check out 'O' and I'm planning on seeing Blue Man when my parents come into town next month. Also managed to take in a couple hockey games over at the Orleans.

Overall…do I regret coming out here? Not for a second. I know that this isn't everyone's dream, but it was one of mine. While things may not be going down exactly as I drew them up in my head, by coming out here, it will never be an unanswered 'what if' question in my mind. And for that, I can rest easy.