Jamie Gold won the World Series of Poker Main Event last night on ESPN2, and I couldn’t be more disgusted with his play. The last three days of the event I was rooting against him because of his ridiculous run of good cards and his incessant talking about his hand while playing. I find it to be poor form to try and talk someone into a call or a fold.

Will a poker pro ever win the World Series again? I seriously doubt it. With over 8500 entrants this year the odds are against the seasoned professionals. I’m sure the pros will win more than their fair share of pots, but in the end there are too many amateurs with $10,000 or able to play their way in with an online satellite.

I recently received an email from one of my friends announcing his new website:

www.millioncount.com

It looks like a funny idea. Basically he is going to lock himself in a room and count to a million. He won’t start until he gets one million in donations, but once he starts he won’t stop until he’s done. Oh yea, and he’ll be on webcam the entire time.

I’m betting that if he gets the funding, he’ll go insane around 124,201. He’s not far from insane as it is.

I’m lucky enough to have parents with vacation property on Pawley’s Island, South Carolina. I’m also lucky enough to have parents willing to let me go there over Labor Day with some friends. We had a great time.

The weather was amazing. I think the hurricane that had just past through helped in that regard. The surf kicked up on the second and third day of our vacation, which made for fun in the water.

Hunt Hapworth, who was one of our guests, rented two kayaks. I had never kayaked in the ocean before, and found it to be at once tiring and enjoyable. When I first put my kayak in the water everyone on the beach started yelling at me. I turned to my left and saw a fin coming out of the water. It was then that I realized that they were shouting “SHARK!” I turned around and got out of the water

I had heard that people fishing had caught small sharks before at Pawley’s, but this was the closest I had ever come to a live shark. Needless to say it was unnerving. Eventually the shark got caught in fishing net and died in the ocean. We dragged it onto shore and buried it. Once on land we were able to determine that it was about six feet in length.

Alison and I are moving yet again. I’m not sure what it is, but she and I need some form of significant change every three or four years. So our big change is to move to a new neighborhood in Birmingham, and trade our three bedroom house for a four bedroom house.

I am excited about the move. We actually will not take ownership until January of 2007 due to negotiations with the current owner. They are building another house and will need to stay in their current residence until it is completed.

I think the best thing about this new house is the size of the lot. The house is very nice, but the lot has some real potential. The land is irregularly shaped and the longest side is 265 feet long. This is much larger than any other lot in the neighborhood.

Followed closely is the fact that there are a number of restaurants, gas stations, bars, movie rental, and other stores within walking distance. Alison and I have always missed the urban lifestyle we had in Chicago, and I feel we are reclaiming it.

Here is a satellite map of the neighborhood. Google maps has it wrong here. The house is actually the one at the end of the street at the bottom left of the cul-de-sac.

I attended a conference in New Orleans last week and was pleased to find the city recovering. The French Quarter was alive, but the lower neighborhoods still had evidence of hardship and trauma. Most striking were water lines on the houses and a visible black ‘X’ on a wall indicating the number of dead found inside. While chilling, it was good to see the tourism and restaurant industries picking up.

I stayed in an apartment in the French Quarter right next to Jackson Square. The location was incredible, and I must thank Michael Weems for his hospitality.

Michael had a Frisbee, and after the conference activities one day we went to Jackson Square to throw the disc. We found an open area next to the sidewalk and we were about thirty yards apart.

We were passed by many walkers while we threw, but one family stands out in my mind. Ten minutes into our session a father with his son on his shoulders walked past. The mother followed four feet behind, and a young daughter, maybe four, followed another four feet behind her mother.

The daughter was very upset. She was crying, stomping her feet, and generally acting like something was terribly wrong. The family walked past without the mother or father paying any mind to their daughter.

Fifteen minutes later the same family came walking the other way. Absolutely nothing had changed in their appearance, with the father in front with his son on his shoulders, the mother following and the daughter in back. The daughter was still crying and carrying on in the same manner as before. In my estimation she had been in that state for over thirty minutes.

When they got about twenty yards from me, I threw the Frisbee. I would describe it as a poor throw. The Frisbee started curving toward the family, went between two pillars and hit the little girl right on the head. She stopped in her tracks and looked up at the sky in disbelief. She also stopped crying.

I’ve never felt such deep and immediate remorse and regret. I certainly didn’t want to hit anyone, let alone a distraught four year old.