There’s an energy crisis at my house. As in none, zip, zero, nada, and it’s me. I did make it into work on Friday in time to sign the E/O list – after accomplishing all the other things I needed to do before I got there. I had a jam packed weekend coming up and it was going to be another two days of very little sleep. This is how it started.

Before I got the E/O, I dealt a $15-30 H game in which Phil asked me if I was still friends with Jim (AKA The Monkey from Co). I retorted, “Of course. How could anyone not be friends with Jim, he’s great?”

Phil, “Well I can’t be friends with him the way you are friends with him.” *insinuation hanging in the air*

I don’t know if I appeared shocked or what. I have to admit I was surprised. I replied, “We’re just friends. I have a lot of friends.”

Phil pushed it a little further and asked me if I was seeing anyone.

These queries make me nervous. Especially when I’m in the Box. I don’t really want to give out my ‘status’ to the whole world and set myself up for someone asking me out…especially since I find very few of the men, I deal poker to, fit the category of what I would consider datable. I suppose I need to further clarify that because I wouldn’t want the men in the poker world to think that I think they are all below par or that I don’t find them to be interesting, intriguing and worth getting to know. I do have to have a ‘chemistry spark’ with someone to even consider dating them. Out of all the men I meet and know, there’s only one that I have this spark with. Oh…I’m not telling.

To further the criteria for a relationship there has to be a lot more going on than just the game of poker when it comes to conversation and getting to know each other. And believe it or not, I still believe in Cinderella Stories – true love, caring, mutual respect, and all that strange stuff that seems to be forgotten in the world I work in.

I have been married – more than once – have had numerous boyfriends and flings, finally reached a level with myself that I’m very happy with and I really don’t want or need someone to make me happy. I am happy. If I can’t have what I want – all wound up in one person – I don’t want to mess around with one piece, only to find out I can’t put the puzzle together.

So…back to the relationship query, Phil’s not the only one lately that seems to have spotted something somewhere in my spiritual music. It’s rather disconcerting. I’m not sure what I’m giving off or what the hell is going on in the Universe. Maybe it’s just ‘Spring is in the air’. It is nice to be noticed…but ease up here, asking me questions in front of nine other people at the poker table is a little bit too much.

I got the E/O at 9 p.m. but had to wait for Chau to arrive at Bellagio. I had an errand to do for him and he was bringing content for the errand. I jumped into the 8s in a $4-8 H game and ordered a glass of…you guessed it…vino!

I watched most of the table chase the 4s – he was doing double over time on raising preflop. My chips dwindled with the Blinds and a few calls to see the Flop. I won one pot that put me back to even. Here’s the hand that still irritates me…my play is the problem.

I was BB with 6-9 off. The 9s had sat down about 20 minutes before and played no hands, an older gent, and I knew he wasn’t chasing anything. He called UTG, two other players called, the 4s raised, the 5 and 6s called, so did I and everyone else behind me.

All the action prompted me to call, otherwise this hand was M-U-C-K-ED on autopilot.

The Flop was 5-8-7. Perfect? Of course but it never stays that way. I bet, got called in all the places. The Turn was an 8, I bet again and the 9s raised. The 4s – original raiser – thought about it a long time and finally called $16.

I knew the 9s had to have flopped a set but I still called, checked the River and paid him off. Of course he turned over 7-7. Nothing to be said here except that I was an idiot and should have saved the $16. Arghhhh!

Chau arrived about ten minutes later, I picked up my chips and the ‘errand content’ and hit the door.

My weekend was slamming after that, more yard work, pan game on Saturday night, super hike on Sunday a.m. – up into a ridge in Calico Basin where I saw the first snake in my Nevada hiking career, took the Tiny Tot, Riot, (my grandson) for the afternoon and night, helped a coworker learning to set up a website Sunday night, and finally…settled back into my normal sleep routine so I could go back to work just to rest up from my days off.

Phew! Weekends are grueling sometimes. I’m going to take one soon and just turn into a little veggie, do nothing, think nothing, see nothing for a day or so…Maybe!