Looking at the bathroom scale that I need to clean in the master bathroom has got me thinking. I have not weighed myself in months and I know I have gained at least 25 lbs.

New Life Goal:
Stay out of Maximum Security Prison

Las Colinas, TX

Mi Cocina

Newday "So you getting psyched for your big vaca?"

Lover959 "Two free nights, free meal and two $75 free play coupons"

Newday "Beautiful Durant, OK. Sunday, Monday when it's completely dead"

Lover959 "I'll just chill at resort pool after I do my positive EV play"

Newday "My you have come a long way"

Lover959 "I have new life goals. I'm feeling pretty good frankly. Just lower the bar very low and be pleasantly surprised"

Newday "and when you get laid be like winning the lottery"

Lover959 "Those Budhist monk tapes are working"

Lover959 "Those bitches are laughing at me"

Newday "Hey don't get angry.Remember your new goal"

Lover959 "Yeah right.. Ahmmmmmmm enter the Budha"

Newday "You should not make a lot of eye contact until you are in recovery but don't be an ahole either"

Lover959 "Good advice"

Newday "***** don't like your greased back hair and bottle neck glasses. Who cares!"

Lover959 "When you going to shut off my electricity?"

Shanequa "This is what you do. Call on the 24th and cancel that payment arrangement and pay the $123 past due that way you have more time to pay the $275"

Lover959 "Good idea!"

Lover959 "Let's get on the road!"

Newday "I thought you were doing Sunday, Monday free play. You are losing $75 of EV"

Lover959 "Change of plans"

Newday "Maybe you should check that Plano card room"

Lover959 "Maybe after. Everything going to be wide open this weekend"

Durant, OK

Butterfield's

Lover959 "Wtf the deal with that traffic? That maroon 18 wheeler was a maniac"

Newday "Slow down. You are going to get an ulcer"

Lover959 "I hate eating alone. What's this sad music?"

Dragon ***** "Hi there honey. Glad to see you back. You ready play with me"

Newday "Get away.. He just going run through his $75 of free play and play a few orbitz of 1/2

Lover959 "Yeah! Get away!"

Newday "You did not need to bring $720 for 1/2"

Lover959 "Food is lousy today. Let's hit the bowling ally bar to play that 99.7 quarter machine"

Newday "Just stick with quarters. You still need to pay mortgage."

South Padre Island
The water gently moves up and down coast

In a small nail salon near Brownsville, TX

Cell phone buzzing

Kevin "Hello"

75 Southbound

Tears flowing down
Lover959 "Hey man I need some advice"

Kevin "What's up"

Lover959 "I just blew most of my mortgage money. Should I call my mom and sister for money"

Kevin "No don't. You are going to hurt them by doing that"

Lover959 "I have never been more than 30 days late"

Kevin "I think you need to be closer to family. You should move up there"

Lover959 "I hate that weather. I know I can make this work. I got a good job. This is it for me. This late mortgage is eye opener"

Kevin "Dallas is corrupting. I had to get out. I have not placed a bet in 14 days"

Newday "Maybe I should call and lie and tell then these payday loans are eating me alive. Tell them I am banned from all casinos. I can make this work"

Kevin "You need fresh start somewhere close to family"

Lover959 "I can make this work. I'm going to ban myself from Choctaw. Maybe I should call that other lawyer and do an emergency bankruptcy"

Kevin "Don't call your family asking for money"

Lover959 "I know. My finances are none of their concern. It's embarrassing. That's why I wanted advice"

Kevin "I had $29 dollars when I moved down here with my brother"

Irving, TX

Newday "You don't have mortgage money but I would first pay that electric bill. Don't do the Shanequa deal"

Panicking
Lover959 "Ok I'll do that first"

Lover959 "Electric bill paid"

Newday "Look I am calculating you will have like $150 dollars if you pay your mortgage 32 days late on the first."

Lover959 "I will have to be late on HOA again"

Newday "Can you live on $150 for 2 weeks?"

Lover959 "Yes"

Newday "Don't call your sister yet"

Newday "Have you learned yet? Is this bottom?"

Lover959 "Yes."

Don't call your family. Deal with this crap.

South Padre Island

Waves breaking against the rocks

Brownsville,TX
Young Asian man in his late 20s locks the doors of the nail salon. He looks at picture of his wife and daughter and wipes a tear. He picks up his phone.

Lover959 "Hello"

Kevin "What happened?"

Lover959 "I didn't call them. I been calling people from GA. They say sleep on it"

Kevin "That sounds good"

Lover959 "I'm thinking about stop paying these payday loans"

Kevin "I stopped paying them a long time ago. They stop sending me ****"

Lover959 "I have 4K in loans. Most of them new. One online is 700 percent. Maybe I'll ask this bankruptcy lawyer if I can postdate a check to retain him and give the loan sharks his number. That usually works."

Kevin "I gotta go. Just wanted to see if you called your family"

Las Vegas?

Lover959 "I want to move to Las Vegas."

Newday "What???"

Lover959 "I want to grind low limit poker at 20/hr. I'm going to ask IRS for emergency release of my tax lien for relocation purposes"

Newday "For gambling"

Lover959 "Poker is a real business. No more slot machines. I can get 50k out this house as a bankroll"

Lover959 "Dallas is not working for me anymore. My job. My boss. All the home repairs. More property taxes coming due."

Lover959 "I want out"

A real leader has ultimate freedom. He makes his own rules. Freedom from authority and oppression. The greatest position in the world is to be control of your own destiny

Obviously you should never step foot in a casino again but LoL @ the idea of grinding low stakes in Vegas when a low stakes grinder is likely to make 2 to 3 times as much money grinding here.

Can't you imagine to make a living with something that is a little bit more fun?
I mean......than poker....Do you have anything else in live that gives you joy? I mean obviously: food, sex...... anything else?

Your job is not your problem anyways. Your problem is going to the casino. You should sell your car and just take uber to work. Probably save you a lot of money by preventing you from going to the casino.

Thanks mom

Oct. 1993 Galveston, TX

University of Texas Medical Branch dormitory

The 52 year old scruffily bearded man wearing a baseball cap smoking a cigarette outside
Keith "Thanks mom"

Lover959 "Hahah you crack me up every-time you say that Keith"

Keith "Loser. Why you dropping out"

Lover959 "The dean is giving me a leave of
absence"

Keith "Haa!"

Oscar (Surgical Resident) "You are making a mistake. What you going to do? Wait tables in Dallas? Your problems are going to follow you"

Keith "This nursing school is best **** I've done in my life. Going to graduate in 2 months. I have been clean for 4 years now"

Lover959 "That's awesome"

Keith "I ain't ****ing this up"

Takes a puff of cigarettes and squeaks while he looks at Lover

Keith "Thanks mom! Hahaha!"

Lover959 "he"

Lover959 "What if I open an account with twenty dollars?"

NTTA Authority "20 dollars?"

Irving, TX

Kroger Break Area

Newday "Why you wasting money on Monster and bottled water?"

Lover959 "Taking a break from life.. "

Newday "You better not eat out tonight?"

Lover959 "Maybe I'll buy those 99 cent ham slices. I have bread and In and Out fries at home"