The Cardio Kickbox Class, Truckin', and Lucky You

I took a cardio kick-boxing class this morning. The only thing it kicked was my ass. I had a coupon sitting around for a free 2-week trial at a gym on La Cienega and decided that now was as good a time as any to put it to use. I don't weigh myself too often, because I hate having my self-esteem wrapped up in a number that doesn't really mean anything, but that number was on the high end of my "acceptable range" after I got home from this most recent 2-week stint in Las Vegas. All the walking I did was counteracted by breakfasts containing copious amounts of pork fat and hours spent at the poker and Pai Gow tables guzzling Coronas.

Back when I spent 12 out of every 24 hours in an office, I think I actually ate in a healthier manner because of the way my days were hyper-scheduled. I drank chocolate protien shakes for breakfast because I could down the whole thing inside of my 6-minute commute, and I'd be relatively sated for the first couple of meetings, during which I would drink anywhere from 1-4 cups of coffee. Lunch was always the same thing-- a turkey chopped salad with balsalmic dressing from the cafe downstairs, and dinner was either chicken and side dishes from Koo Koo Roo if I was going home or some sort of expense account drinks/dinner combo if I had biz plans. There was always bottled water in the fridge at the office, and I drank a lot of it. Probably 4-5 Diet Cokes a day as well. It's a miracle I didn't spend half the day peeing.

With the ability to make my own schedule while I'm at home, interspersed with all the traveling I do now, hope any sort of consistent routine has been shot to hell. I might get up at 7:30, I might get up at 11. Just like I might fall asleep during the Daily Show or at 4 AM. I might eat lunch at 11:30, I might eat it at 3. When I'm home, breakfast ceases to exist, and when I'm on the road it's a major meal. Back in my office days, I used to long for the flexibility of time. "If I could just come in an hour later, I could actually work out in the mornings without having to get up while it's still dark" was the refrain of every D-girl at the Big Man's. I don't miss the rigidity of a schedule, but without it, it's that much harder to self-motivate.

So I decided to take the cardio kick-box class. To attempt to inject a bit of routine back into my life. And to whip myself into slightly better shape for the long hours I'll be pulling at the WSOP. I want to be on my best game there. If Jen Leo can haul her ass out to Henderson at 5 AM for boot camp for Christ's sake, I can make it down the street to a few more of these (temporarily FREE) classes. There's a pilates one tomorrow at 4:30. Cyndy Violette swears by that shit.

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Pauly is out with another outstanding issue of Truckin'. There are pieces by some new writers as well as Otis, BTreotch, and of course, Pauly himself.

Truckin' - May 2007, Vol. 6, Issue 5

1. 60 Hours in Amsterdam, Part I by Paul McGuire
I was worried that the Air France ticket agent in Nice was going to send my bags to Paris. He kept asking me if I was going to Paris and I responded with "Amsterdam" everytime he asked... More

2. Stuck in Monte Carlo by Otis Dart
It was actually the sea that I had stepped out on the balcony to see. I'd only been on the ground in Monte Carlo for a few hours. The moment I crashed into my room at the brand new Monte Carlo Bay Resort, I'd fallen into the most comfortable bed in the world... More

3. Emilio Estevez Loses His Tooth by BTreotch
Four minutes earlier, Emilio Estevez was beating his kid-brother Carlos while he was hog tied and strapped to the top rail of their swing set with cheap-itchy yellow rope... More

4. Confessions of a Man by Sigge S. Amdal
I should have asked her for a date. Any date at all. 4th of March, 6th of April, didn't really matter. As long as we could go and have a dinner, or see a movie or something. It's not like I'm craving a relationship, I've got too much to do already, but it stung inside of me knowing that I'd already lost a chance. A chance. Singular term. There could be more coming... More

5. A Grand Day Out by Susan Bently
On the other side of the road sat this German guy's car with a huge dent on the bonnet and his family sitting in the car, wife and children looking wide-eyed and pale. The bleeding carcass of a moose lay next to the car, dark patches of blood over the centerline... More

6. City of Sins by Clay Champlin
People head to Las Vegas for two reasons: salvation or condemnation. Those looking to be saved from their mundane Midwestern lives bask in the perpetual glow of the strip or gawk skyward at downtown's Freemont street experience... More

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B.J. Nemeth is one of the most talented poker journalists out there and he hooked me up with a ticket to the "Vegas Premiere" of Curtis Hanson's long-awaited poker film, Lucky You up at Red Rock Casino last week. Check out the full review over at my PokerWorks blog. I'd been waiting a long time for this one.