Get your 4th on

It was the big 4th of July holiday here - and in Boston, the people take it very seriously. I like to think the reasons they take it seriously are obvious. I'm not convinced. I think that it's an excuse for us to blow things up. Which is fine - and probably somewhat patriotic given the activities of our revolutionary forefathers.

I did see a brief re-enactment of some battle near Harvard Square on Friday. I saw a canvas tent erected with several men in "Minuteman" gear and a smoking cannon. I think a woman and her kid (in non-"Minuteman" regalia) were standing near, watching. They might have been waiting for the bus.

For all those who wish to see and be seen - there is the Esplanade along the Charles which is packed with people and coolers and explosives. We chose to not be seen or to see. We were encamped at the house where we hid behind heavy curtains and enjoyed the benefits of our many freedoms. Primarily we played poker and reminded ourselves that we are very clever people for insisting on renting an apartment with Central Air.

Poker for the people
Poker is a game with which I've had a long and thoughtful relationship. As a kid we played cards a lot because it was a cheap way to entertain us. Plus we built up our math skill (however, after we hit 10 we just start naming face cards).

Sure I played Crazy 8s and Go Fish. But once I was like 9 or 10, Poker was a game that I could get adults to play with us for hours. I was horrible and laughed and talked too much. But I had good times.

I stopped playing for a while in my teen years and re-discovered it briefly in college. But like many other games - primarily Trivial Pursuit - after one night of Poker most people weren't eager to sign up for another.

So I stopped playing. I didn't really miss it much. Then I started watching it on TV.

About a year ago Deeps flipped on a Poker tournament on ESPN (or quite possibly ESPN 2). I got sucked in to the weird drama of the whole thing. It's oddly compelling to watch grown men (and sometimes women) sit around and figure out if their neighbor is lying. It's all so civilized too!

Anyway - months pass and sometimes I'd catch it on TV late at night. Last week I suggested to my spouse that we play a few hands. He jumped at the chance. And we've been playing daily for about a week.

Deeps suggested that we might use it to solve arguments. I'll admit I strongly considered playing a hand of Texas Hold'em to see who had to load the dishwasher.

Labels: 2003