Friday, April 28, 2023
Warriors/Cleaning/Rehearsal
Day - 520
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Yakima, Day 3
I was planning to leave Yakima at 10 or so, then stay in Seattle for the night and play poker at Fortune Poker all afternoon and evening. Well, the day didn't urn out that way. I stayed in Yakima until 5 p.m. and drove through the pass in heavy rain, snow and dark clouds, making it through to the other side, which was as sunny as Yakima.
Got a quick bite to eat, sent off a few texts, then went to bed.
It was a treat meeting Deborah, Eileen's friend, who loves Vivaldi as much as I do, and also chatting with Mark and Elizabeth. Eileen told many stories and it was so comforting being with her today. She'll need all of us to lean on and I'll do my part to be there for her. She and Wes are such wonderful people. I wish their life hadn't included the loss of a son, but it does and so we all must play to conditions.
Day - 521
Saturday, April 15, 2023
Yakima, Day 2
The memorial for Fritz Weresch began at 1 p.m. It lasted until 3:30. It was emotional, touching, poignant, sad, and in a way somewhat transformative. I haven't been to a memorial like this for someone who was only 18 when he died. What's lost is a life that's just getting started. At 18, my life felt so full and rich, so varied and complete. I had no idea how underwhelming it would be with an additional 40 years tagged on. By all accounts, Fritz was a sweet and glorious young man who loved life. The pics in the program suggest as much. The entire high school marching band paid tribute with their presence and a few pieces. Wes was masterful as the master of ceremonies. I will need to stay connected with him for the rest of our lives. A few speeches were unforgettable. Fritz's best friend Gavin said, "...Fritz was not a saint. Fritz was a human, and I think it's very important to make that distinction...Fritz was complete with all the good and ugly that makes a human being...Calling Fritz a saint is omitting half his characteristics. That isn't just a lie, but it's selling Fritz short." Wow, that's really something. Brilliant. And Jillean said, "I was technically with you to your end and that is unfair. And I find things increasingly unfair as I keep looking at them. The time you didn't get to spend with your mom. You didn't get to graduate. You just turned 18. The whole thing is unfair. That is how life is. And I always feel so numb and unsure how to go about grieving you. And no one ever talks about it because I feel like a broken machine without you. You made my motions turn and kind of put me on kilter that no medication or therapy could ever do, no friends, it was you. And like I don't know, like I was okay before you, and I was like great with you, but now I don't know what to do...not talking to you kills me every day, still. Like knowing and being there without you kills me...I will always continue to love you, even if one day I like move on and find somebody else -- doubt it, I really doubt it -- you will always be my first love. And I consider it that way because I loved you more than anything else. And I loved and depended on you. And I don't believe in the afterlife. I don't believe in anything else, and I know that it's a sensitive topic and I understand that, but if there is like reincarnation or an afterlife I want to continue to meet you in every one of them, because you were so special..." Wow. That's a gift. I hope Jillean keeps a journal, is writing every day and eating books for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
After the memorial, we ate lunch inside the high school cafeteria. Found a few of my favorite snack food items there. Fritz and I similar in so many ways. We both love Nacho Cheese Doritos, but then again, is there anyone on the planet who doesn't? Sat at a table with Shar, who told me all about why Dr. Fauci was worse than Satan (or maybe even is Satan). I just listened and ate my mac & cheese.
Took a break later on at the hotel and watched Game 1 of the Warriors Kings series, then headed back to Cascade Gardens where I chatted with Wes's brother Jonathan and his wife Jen, then stayed up very late with Eileen and several of Fritz's friends who were all telling hilarious stories. I didn't go to bed until 1:30 a.m. Late for me.
Day - 522
Friday, April 14, 2023
Yakima, Day 1
Flew into Seattle at 11 a.m., picked up my rental car, then hit the road to I-90. The drive brought back memories and the weather was fantastic. Such a beautiful drive. Arrived in Yakima by 2:30 and met up with Sara and Matthew for an evening gathering and hymn fest at Cascade Gardens. I hadn't seen Eileen and Wes in so many years (decades, actually), so it was special being with them and connecting with their family and friends. We stayed until 10 or so, singing songs, telling a few stories. It was bittersweet, powerful, sad, and also in a strange way a reminder of how quickly life plays out, how we all have a limited time on earth, and need to make the most of the time we have.
Day - 527
Sunday, February 5, 2023
"The original musical Godfather of teen angst is Vivaldi. He knew teen angst before teenagers even existed." Orianna Oh!
Superfans, wow.
Harry Styles Ate Here. His Fans Will Now Eat Here Forever.
Firing up the research materials:
Day - 528
Saturday, February 4, 2023
Even though the Warriors had a 23-point lead that was whittled down to 4, hey a win's a win.
Day - 529
Friday, February 3, 2023
Working in San Fran today. A bit quiet at work. So nice. Looking over my stock portfolio, searching for deals. Practicing Dvorak 7th. Drafting our small claims matter against our former neighbor's contractor for $4500 in water damage. Lots going on.
Day - 530
Thursday, February 2, 2023
Rereading Blood Meridian. So good and rich. Wickedly good.
Okay, what is going on?
The Warriors just can't step away from .500 ball. Such a weird season. We've lost six or seven games we should have won. Pretty frustrating. I'd love the dynasty to continue, but without the laser focus fourth quarter attention to detail that the Warriors are known for, it might be asking too much.
La Stravaganza on my mind. Eddie After Hours. Orianna Oh! Opus 4. Venice. Vivaldi. OriOh!s Berkeley. All swirling.
Day - 531
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Lunch with Sophie in Berkeley. For her 21st bday, I took Soph to La Note, a cute brunch spot on Shattuck. Hadn't been to Berkeley in years. Lunch was great and before her 2 p.m. class we walked into campus. That brought back all kinds of memories. Soph is in her second year of school.
Back home at 3 and practiced for tonight's rehearsal. Notes finally coming to my fingers. Love love love Dvorak.
Came home after rehearsal and watched the Warriors lose again. Hmmm.
Day - 534
Thursday - Thursday, January 19-26, 2023
Out sick most of the week. Just not feeling good. Maybe I caught something while in Vegas. Not sure.
Day - 535
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
Oh oh, feeling a cold coming. Not good. Rehearsal tonight was enjoyable, but we have a ways to go before the Dvorak sounds good.
Day - 536
Tuesday, January 17, 2023
Back home early (before 8:30 a.m.). Time to practice for our upcoming concert. Dvorak 7th...such a great piece to play.
Day - 537
Monday, January 16, 2023
A full day at Bellagio, but card dead all day. Down $125 after 9 hours. Hmm.
Day - 539
Saturday, January 14, 2023
Lunch at Paris, poker at Horseshoe and Resorts World, another very long but wonderful day in Las Vegas.
Day - 540
Friday, January 13, 2022
Jill arrived at 11 in her Harrah's suite and we headed to the Linq Promenade for lunch. But before we left Harrah's, Jill won a nice major slot: ca-ching!
So nice catching up with my sister! Found a good pizza place near the hotel. I went back to the Horseshoe for an afternoon session and won $137, so basically even so far.
Lori joined us later in the afternoon and we had dinner at Giada's at The Cromwell. Delicious. The lemon spaghetti with clams was so good.
Day - 541
Thursday, January 12, 2023
Flew into Las Vegas tonight for a spectacular weekend with Jill and her friend Lori. Staying at Harrah's, which is so convenient. Went to the Horseshoe for a few hours of $1/3 and won a nice $250 on my first hand (56), flopping two pair. Not much after that and ended up losing $140 after playing until 4 a.m.
Day - 542
Sunday, January 8, 2023
Practice, practice, practice. I'm playing a lot lately, thanks to Dvorak's 7th Symphony. Oakland Civic Orchestra is performing this masterpiece Saturday, February 11, 2023. It's one of my all-time favorite symphonies and lots of fun to play. I'm practicing real slow, like a quarter speed, just to get the notes in my fingers. I'll never get tired of this piece.
Day - 543
Saturday, January 7, 2023
Ugh, Warriors lose badly to the Magic. They had key players out, but still...hmm.
Day - 544
Friday, January 6, 2023
Reading a very good poker book by Evan Jarvis that contains a couple of wisdom nuggets about betting and aggression. The meta game is just as important as the cards players hold. At lower stakes, you get a lot of information from bet sizes. Paying attention to that has been my focus.
Day - 545
Thursday, January 5, 2023
We met Thom and Noelle Chesney for dinner at The Progress tonight. What a wonderful evening. Such delicious dishes and Kat the pastry chef sure took care of us.
Kat served us every dessert on the menu...yikes! Food coma afterward.
Thom and Noelle are in town for the weekend, visiting family and exploring a few Bay Area destinations. They loved The Progress and so did we. The Progress always delivers! So much fun tonight!
Day - 546
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Lots of work and a day of rain, along with Warriors vs Pistons. Big storm tonight. Klay made a miracle 3 to tie the game with one second left, then this happened.
Oh well. Busy at work this week. Lots of big projects to take care of.
Day - 547
Tuesday, January 3, 2023
What can be expected from 2023? I have good feelings about this year of the rabbit, but Alice tells me I need to be cautious and careful, even though I'm a rabbit and have all kinds of positive feelings about the future.
Watching the failing speaker vote and thinking to myself, "hmmm. Two years of this? Okay..." It's easy to root against McCarthy. This guy...soulless, hollow, ambitious sure, but so lacking in strategy, insight, and thinking a few moves ahead. That's why it was always so much fun watching Pelosi play Congressional Chess with him. Curious to see how this cluster plays out.
Day - 548
Monday, January 2, 2023
A relaxing day off. We stayed home and didn't do much beyond taking care of a few things. I cleaned up some files and updated Quicken. Alice made sure the chickens were protected from a full day of showers.
The Warriors played one of the most thrilling double-overtime games I'd ever seen against the Atlanta Hawks. They never make it easy on themselves, but they're also short-handed.
Day - 549
Sunday, January 1, 2023
Amazingly, my Southwest flight to Seattle at 5 a.m. Friday actually happened. It didn't look good two days before as all the early morning flights from Oakland to Seattle had been canceled. But Friday was just another average day in Southwest Land. Maybe the gov't told them to get their act together by Friday or more fines would come down the runway. At any rate, I arrived in Seattle at 7 and Neal and Karin's by 10. I was on the clock until 3 so my laptop was open while playing cards and chatting. The rest of the gang arrived later in the afternoon.
What a fun 24-hour pre New Year's Eve party. I was up until 2 a.m., then up at 4 a.m. for my 6 a.m. flight back home. Needless to say, Saturday ended up being a nothing but sleep day.
Today, we had Austin, Hana and Gary over for lunch. Very nice time and a great way to begin the new year!
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