So what the hell just happened? Chugging along, another great year getting underway and then - BOOM.
Crazy.
A worldwide pandemic descended and our little game ground to a halt.
Look - I'm not going to get into the weeds on this whole matter, because I know we are a divided nation and there's lots of different points of view on just about every aspect of this virus and the havoc it has wrought. It doesn't seem like it should be political it all - but the reality is, it is. And that sucks.
I prefer to keep my blog and my game separate from politics, and the best way to do that is to keep things really simple.
In that spirit - there are two fundamental truths that I hope we can all agree on.
1 - The pandemic will end.
2 - It now looks like it will end soon thanks to the promise of the vaccine.
You may notice I have a new photo/banner for the website - yes, I ordered a custom plaque from Smart Sign and had it read "Pepper Street Poker WILL Return" - just so I could take a photo and post it on Facebook and here on this website.
There's also a countdown. It's for sure on the underside of the over/under - but every expert is saying this thing will be almost done by late spring early summer, including Fauci. So I'm just going to take a cue from all the experts, who have been wrong about a lot of stuff, and take a gamble that they will be wrong about this too and that we will be turning the corner by the end of March and at that point an overweight 50 year old like me can go to CVS and get jabbed.
14 days after that second needle hits my arm we are back open for business in The Garage Around Back.
We will not start right away with monthly tournaments for the TOC seat - the first get together will be a cash game.
The next several poker nights will alternate between single table tournaments and cash, and I will likely be hosting every other week for awhile.
I would ask that before you come, you too also please be 14 days past your second shot. I'm not going to be wearing a mask and I'm not going to worry about social distancing, because my wife and I will be vaccinated and I presume everyone else showing up will be as well.
I know there are many of you who want to get together right now, and even some who think we should've been back playing months ago.
I confess, as an ornery American/jingoist/redneck at heart - most of me agrees with this - but I stop short of saying FUCK IT, because of one thing - and that thing is a deep and abiding love for you all.
I could never forgive myself if one of you caught this thing at my game, or even worse God forbid if someone got super sick and even worse than that if someone up and died.
If that happened, there would never be poker at Pepper Street again.
So really, part of it is selfish too - I want to be hosting poker for the rest of my hopefully many years left on this earth! Can't do that if I kill one of you! (Or myself for that matter!)
Also, it would just be devastating to lose any of you.
There is nothing but love in my heart for you all - and I can't wait to see your faces in person again.
It has been great seeing you on Zoom, I've had a blast playing online with you. But nothing compares to the real thing, and here's hoping that the real thing returns, sooner rather than later.
