Back to Normality
A lot has happened in these last two months. I headed to Macau to play in the APT and APPT events there. I was hoping for a return to a Final Table or two but no luck. The APT was definitely the better run of the two events. They really took care of the poker players and made me feel special.

I headed to Hong Kong and had a great time with some of my friends as well as friends of Alex. Hong Kong is a real blast, and I hope I can get back there soon. I got a great new tattoo as well in Thailand. The artist used bamboo, which takes longer but I think is nicer. After my spiritual time in my homeland for my father's ceremony, I wanted something really special. And it is.

For the last few weeks, I've been back in LA. And I've decided to spend more time back here in LA and Vegas. I just haven't liked being so far away from friends and family, and I haven't been a big fan of all the travel and hotels. I liked London, but I think ultimately I was just too alone there. Maybe I didn't give it a good chance as I was hopping around all over Europe when I got there. I've been spending time at the Commerce, and the cash games have been very juicy, real action games that play to my strength. Unfortunately, I've had a tough run last week. I'm proud of how I handled it, running away to Cabo with my girlfriends rather than getting caught up in the emotion of a big loss. All of the beautiful casinos of Las Vegas are built on that human emotion, the fear and frustration and anger of taking a big hit. I feel those same emotions, but I've built a thick skin that keeps me from tilting and lets me get through these sessions.

And what a great weekend it was with my girlfriends in Cabo. Cathleen, Jackie, and Tiffany have been my friends for so long. They are the ones who give me tough love through everything, through poker, through men, through tough family times. They are so close to me that they don't fear speaking the truth as to what they see. They had planned on going with their families for awhile, and I wasn't sure if I would make it or not. I'm very glad I did.

I spent lots of time sunning, just relaxing without thinking about too much. Saturday was a day of rough weather, so it was just a lot of lounging around plus a spa visit. I really feel rejuvenated after this trip, and I'm ready to hit the tables hard. I'm going to be spending most of my time in cash games at Commerce when I'm in LA and at the Bellagio when I'm in Vegas. I'll probably play the bigger tourneys, but I need to get back into grind mode for awhile. I haven't had the stamina to play the twenty and thirty-hour sessions, but I have felt better playing for ten or twelve hours at a time. I want to be sure I'm sharp and at my best, as I think the play has improved at the stakes I'm playing at.

Keep up the comments everywhere. I really love hearing from everyone.
Liz