It's not something I'm particularly proud of, but I have in fact seen every single episode of The OC. Danielle owns the boxed set (I think I may have even bought her 1 or 2 of the seasons as a Christmas present one year) and it was probably her second favorite show of all time (right behind Seaquest, which doesn't really count cause she loved it when she was about 10 and just like they say at the end of The Hurt Locker, which by the way was no 2012 but also did not live up to the claim of the world's perfect movie, as you get older it gets harder to love things) so we watched the whole thing and honestly it wasn't that bad. I particularly liked Ryan, the kind from the wrong side of the tracks (Chino) who was supposed to be the main character until it became clear that every other male character was funnier and then again after they killed the female lead in an effort to jump the shark and save the show (which failed miserably). Why on Earth would I tell you all of this? Drum roll please.....In 20 days I'll officially be a resident of Orange County, CA. That's right, after almost 5 years in the Bay Area (almost exactly as long as I was in Boston), Danielle and I are picking up camp and heading south. The reason for the move is both complicated and extremely simple. I'll tell a version in the middle here.
About a year ago I told Danielle that if she ever wanted to get me to move to LA, now was basically her chance. I was flying high as a professional poker player, could do no wrong, and was confident I could move my operation to LA without missing a beat. You see, I've kind of always known that moving to the Bay Area was only an intermediate step to Danielle. Her entire family is from (and mostly still in) Southern California, and she's always wanted to get back there. With me basically being unattached, it seemed like a good spot for her. Fast forward to October, and I'm not flying nearly so high. June, July, August and September were all bad, and I was actually looking to take a prop job at Garden City. As I was in the process of doing that, a recruiter from Google emailed me to ask if maybe I was possibly sorta interested in having a talk with them about possible job openings. I said no, but at Danielle's request I put her in touch with said recruiter. The day of my Garden City orientation the recruiter "put her on the spot" and asked where she'd want to work. I had assumed all along that the answer to this question was simply "Mountain View" , but as it turned out as usual I was mistaken. Danielle chose to interview with Google Irvine, aced the interviews, got the offer, and that, as they say, was that.
Now of course there are negative aspects of this move. Contrary to popular belief I do actually have some friends in the Bay Area who will be sorely missed. I also have grown quite comfortable here, but at the same time feel I've missed out on some stuff because I wasn't really ticking off activities with any urgency since I figured to be here for a long time. And of course there is the small matter of the job at Garden City, for which I gave notice yesterday and will only show up for exactly two more times. As I've written here, that job was giving me stability and security, on top of probably making me a better poker player. But the hours do suck, and there are prop jobs in LA (on which I have several good leads), which means what it really comes down to is choosing between Danielle and my friends, which I'm sorry guys isn't really even something I thought about. Danielle followed me to San Francisco, and now it's my chance to return the favor. And of course there is the small matter that LA is basically the Limit Hold 'Em capital of the entire universe. There is no better place on Earth to do what I do.
So what does all this mean? Well starting later this week I'll be back on days, playing short sessions at Bay 101 and The Oaks. I'm going to treat these last 3 weeks as somewhat of a vacation. If you'd like to host a home game, please let me know. If you'd be willing to try to convince Bay 101 to spread an 8/16 HORSE game (they are licensed for all 5 games) please let me know. If you live in Oakland and wanted to try to play 15/30 with me....well, let me know. It's not like I'm gonna be gone forever, but as with any place you've lived and move away from, the frequency of my visits will drop over time. Thanks to everyone who's made it fun in the past, and thanks to everyone who lives in LA for doing so in the future.
California......
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6 comments:
Welcome to SoCal, we're glad to have you.
You have an embarrassment of choices in a 60 mile radius; Hustler, Hollywood Park, Commerce, Bicycle, Crystal Park, Hawaiian Gardens, Normandie, Pechenga, and Ocean's Eleven. If you are willing to drive a little more Palomar, Lucky Chances, and Valley Village are available.
If I can fill you in on the local scene at all, don't hesitate to drop me a line.
Oh and mark my words, it's only a matter of time until you switch to no-limit. The money is just so much better there.
The OC? I think I'm doing you a favor taking your money. This way you can't buy any more bad DVD box sets.
Been thinking same thing for long time -- Jesse should switch to NL. Many more exploitable edges for smart player.
Jesse, why not??
LA games are so awesome. Good luck there.
I haven't considered switching to NL in the Bay Area because there really aren't any "mid stakes" NL games outside of lucky chances.
In LA that's obviously not true.
Hmmm, maybe I'll host another home game before you finally take off.
I'll get in touch.
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