Another thing that's never coming back

 For much of my adult life I have played poker.  I played in the poker rooms that played 5 card draw and lowball.  I played 7 card stud at the Oaks card room and in Reno. I have played hold-em in Reno, Las Vegas, and in a tournament on a cruise ship.  But the most fun (with one exception) I have had was the every other weekend game I had at my house.

It was a friendly game, nickle, dime, quarter, three raise limit, dealer's choice.  Most people bought in for twenty dollars.   We drank beer, smoked a little weed, and played from around 7 in the evening til midnight or thereabouts.  Nobody lost their rent money but that didn't mean we were not all serious about winning.  It wasn't about the money, it was about winning.

We played 5 card draw, lowball, seven card stud, hi-low split and some other variations that I can't remember.  Whatever the dealer called as the deal rotated around the table, that's what we played.  I moved twice, and the game moved with me.  As host I supplied the beer.  It was a small price to pay for the evening's entertainment.

Nobody plays those games anymore.  Texas Hold-em and poker have become synonymous.  I have enjoyed playing Hold-em, but it was never my favorite of all the different poker variations I have played. I don't begrudge those that was to play it I just wish there were choices.

 Oh, and the one exception was a hand I played in Reno.  It was 7 card stud.  I had 3 queens on the deal.  I wasn't first to act and I just called when it was mine turn to bet.  After that, with a queen up I was first to act.  I checked.  When another player bet I raised.  The following card, I checked again, and one player bet into me.  I raised again.  The other remaining players between me and the bettor had also checked.  They didn't need to be taught twice.

I check-raised all the way to the river and he bet into me every time.  I have won more (and lost plenty too) playing poker, but that had to be the most fun I ever had.  But that too, will never happen again, because nobody plays 7 card stud any more.

Finally ran out of excuses

 It is not quite 11:30 in the morning and I am just starting my second cup of coffee.  I haven't showered and dressed or eaten anything.  Even the coffee is from a pot I made yesterday and that I reheated by the cup in the microwave.  I think this is the first day since I moved into this place in April that I have not had travel plans or work or an appointment or an errand or some other obligation demanding my attention.  So there are no more excuses for tackling my least favorite aspects of relocating, or perhaps even life in general.  I have to go through all the things that were not essential to living and so they were pushed aside because I was too busy.

Item 1 - Reconciliation and filing.  Go through 4 months (as I was moving, March didn't get done either)  of paperwork, receipts, and statements, entering everything into the appropriate spreadsheet and make sure everything balances.  Then file all said paper appropriately.

Item 2 - Finish unpacking.  Most of what remains is cleaning supplies.  When I lived in more spacious digs I bought cleaning supplies in Costco-sized quantities.  I had a woman who would come in regularly and thoroughly clean the house.  She and her assistant (various helpers came with her over time) would spend several hours and significant quantities of cleaning supplies keeping the house in excellent shape.  And before leaving (she would leave a note if I wasn't home) let me know if any of the supplies were running low.  When I first downsized, it was smaller, but not that much smaller.  Plus it had a garage.  The second had a lot of closet space I was able to avoid dealing with the surplus cleaning supplies.  This place, not so much.

Item 3 - Electronics and vinyl.  Setting up my desktop computer was one of the first things I did upon moving in, because it was necessary for working.  The setup is not optimal but it is functional.  My other electronics (amplifier, turntable, CD player, tape player, combo record player/radio, file server, router, multi-disk hard drive enclosure) are on shelves but not all are plugged in or functionally connected.

Item 4 - Filing cabinet. I frankly have no idea what I will find in there.  The hanging file folders were mostly removed for moving but there are all sorts of papers in there that were too recent to place into the storage unit.  That will be an adventure by itself.

Item 5 - Create a giveaway pile.  I have gotten rid of a few things by bits and pieces, but much remains that is surplus. Cleaning products will be some of it, but there will other things that could be useful that I need to dispose of.  I have already done that with clothes.  I know I need to do it with kitchen things.  I have more than sufficient flatware to seat a table of 12 people, the table and chairs being long gone.  The same applies to dishware.  I am sure that I will come across other categories along the way.

 Have I mentioned that I hate moving?  I have moved three times in three years, to successively smaller places while shedding possessions along the way.   Obviously not enough.  

It's almost 12:30, can't think of an excuse to put it off any longer.