For decades, this pile of mysterious reel-to-reel tapes sat gathering dust in my parents’ basement.  A couple of months ago my mother took them to a guy.  The guy transferred the contents onto a DVD.  The DVD is a collection of videos taken in the years 1973 through 1976.  They depict the time period from my birth until, roughly, my third birthday.

There is no audio component and the video is of Zapruder-esque quality, but the footage is marvelous.  My mother and father are youthful new parents.    The infant-toddler version of me is fawned and gushed over, repeatedly tossed from one person’s arms to another’s.  The now-elderly are shown in the primes of their lives.  All of my grandparents, aunts and uncles, many of whom are long deceased, are vibrant.  The video, despite the lack of sound, is a vivid reminder of the personalities of these departed loved ones.  I was deeply moved the day I watched the DVD.

Only a few days later I had the occasion to consider the purpose of this blog.  I’ve decided that it is not unlike the 40-year old video footage.  This is a repository of facts and feelings that tell the story of my career in poker.  It is recorded history that already carries the scent of nostalgia, and that effect should only increase with the passage of time.  This blog is not a diary, it was written for an audience.  It was never designed to be private, none of it.

Janeen and I attended her best friend’s wedding last Saturday.  I began conversing with the couple seated next to me.  The topic of poker somehow came up.  The guy plays semi-seriously.  He asked me my name; I told it to him.  His response was “I like your blog.”  This website was offline at the time.  I put it back up the next day.

That poker is not a big part of my life anymore had no bearing on this decision.  Moving forward doesn’t preclude looking back.  My present involvement with poker is limited to (1) helping my friend Sam learn to beat NLHE (so far so good!) and (2) bearing witness to Mukul Pahuja’s current destruction of the tournament circuit.  He’s on a tear the likes of which is rarely seen.  It’s the best run a friend of mine has ever had, and that is an accurate statement, not “recency bias” blather.  I’m very happy for Muk, I think our outlooks on life are similar which makes it feel natural to root for him.

I’ve also been working on a case involving a lawsuit between a tournament backer and a player.  It will go to trial soon.  I find the case quite interesting, and I think, regardless of the outcome, others will too.  My next new material on this website will probably retell the story of that litigation from my perspective.  Even if I never get around to doing that, this website’s archives are a thing I did.