Wednesday afternoon I picked up the phone and called an old friend, Jim Tabilio. We chatted for a few as he was headed into a Committee Meeting at the Capitol in Sacramento in a few. At 4:30 he sent me an email about the Committee issue and at 5:00 he had a massive heart attack and was gone. Wow.

Jim is the reason I ever even played poker. After Hayden, Jim is the one who would call when in town and ask me if I wanted to play a tournament. I told him the truth, I didn’t know where the poker room was or where to register. He literally took my hand and guided me. He also took all those late night calls with questions about hands and players, etc and when I made the final table at Bellagio I called him and he flew in to offer support.

It’s hard to believe someone is here one moment and gone the next. That’s just so brutal. Just goes to reinforce you simply never know.

Decided to meet a friend and play at Venetian Tuesday. I just hate playing there as the smoke generally gets to me before the cards and today was no exception.

Had such an interesting hand that best I can say is I didn’t go broke. Pre flop raiser from early position. Small blind calls. I look down in my bb and see ace queen of clubs. I call. Flop is A99. Checked all around, which made me suspicious. Turn is a Queen. Original raiser fires and I smooth. River is a nine giving me a boat. I bet and he moves all in. I look at him and say I know you did t raise pre flop with the 9 so I’m putting you on queens or aces and I folded my boat. The table was incredulous. He grins and shows aces. The hand chopped my stack fairly well but with a sore throat and all the smoke I was glad to get out of there. Such is poker.

Early morning which started earlier when Don forgot something he needed for a business meeting, and racing for an airplane. The kids and I rushed madly to get to the Strip before they left there. Then off to birthday parties and playing. It was a quiet day once we returned and I did some online poker. After a deep run last week none this week at all, nothing seemed to work. I don’t really care for playing online but the Sunday Millions holds some appeal. Will play at Venetian this week with my friend Carole then to L. A. for the WPT event at the end of the month. Will be lots of fun.

The gators had math camp today so it’s a runaround Saturday. I actually like those a lot as it keeps Lincoln off of tv. Right now L and I Are waiting for Sierra to finish gymnastics. Nice day.

Volunteered at school today so I could see my little ones. Sierra can’t wait to tell everyone I’m her mom and Lincoln, well he’s a boy, I barely get a nod as he passes with his class. I stayed to eat lunch with them in the school lunchroom. I have to tell you … what awful stuff they serve these children. How can a child each lunch at 11:30 and then go back and concentrate, do their best work for another four hours, on white flour and sugar? It is just beyond me. I would be asleep if I ate that at lunch, today and when I was 8. When I was in school my lunches were gross and my refusal to eat things like spam kept me fairly skinny .. but this stuff they serve is just heinous.

Can I pack their lunch, yes I can, but they won’t eat as much of it. If I could pack some of mom’s roast, etc. it would be a different story, but that doesn’t work at all. But I tell you this, want to raise the level of education in our public schools, take out one half of the existing white flour and sugar stuff and they would be amazed what would happen.

Well thanks to my dear friends who are always there for me. One couldn’t expect anyone but the parents of a child to remember the important dates in your life, but I’ve got a loyal group; my neighbor Deana never forgets and joins us for some of Hayden’s birthday cake, Cinch is there with such kind and supportive words, Carole sends me the sweetest cards and supports Hayden’s Fund, my dear friend Chris who has her own anniversarys always has a supportive email in my box and my sweet baby sister, who has become such a dear friend through all of the traumas of my life, says she doesn’t care anything about the Super Bowl – but if the Titans were playing she would watch it for Hayden.

Thanks for all the great friends who watch out for me. You’re all very dear, thank you so much. It made his 20th birthday an easier day to get through. Wow, 20 years ago today. I probably wouldn’t believe it .. except I was there. Great memories my son, thank you for those, too. Love, Mom