Diary of a Poker Diva - Liz Lieu

I’m not going to lie. This has been a tough WSOP so far. I’ve only made one Day 2 and haven’t yet made it into the money in any of the seven events I’ve played. There are a few things going on in my personal life that have distracted me, the most important being my cat, Jace, who is dealing with some major health problems. In addition to giving him medicine, taking him to the vet often, and dealing with his sickness and irregular sleep, I’m worried about him constantly, which weighs heavy on me. I know he can heal, but it’s taking a lot of time and care to get him there.

Excuses? I have them. But am I giving up on the WSOP? No!

Let’s get the last two tournaments recapped, even though I kinda want to forget about them!

Event 18 was the $2K limit hold’em tournament, and as I’ve said before limit is my game. So, I started that day by working hard, though at the end of Level 2, I only had 5,600 chips, less than I started with, because I lost a big pot earlier in the level. That hand was brutal. Luckily, blinds were only at 75/150. I picked up pocket kings under the gun and raised. A woman in Seat 9 reraised to 225, Seat 1 tried to call 150 not realizing it was 225, but he did call. Seat 3 also called. I reraised and they all called. The flop was 6-5-2. I bet, Seat 9 raised, Seat 1 called, I reraised, Seat 9 reraised. I ended up capping it, and they both called. The turn was the 8. I bet and they both called. The river was a 6. I just checked there but Seat 1 bet, and we both call. Seat 1 showed 6-7 and then said he never would have called if he knew it was 3 bets to him! Sigh. He won the pot.

(photo courtesy of Pokerlistings.com)

But I grinded my way back up. At the same time, Tom “durrrr” Dwan was seated at my table, and it was funny to see the tweets that came back at me when I wrote that because I’m actually happy when I have a tough table! It keeps me focused on my game and gives me more to think about with each hand. My bad luck had nothing to do with him, it was just that no matter how much I grinded and got chips, I’d lose them in one hand. For example, I took Ac-Kc into battle with Seat 8, and I hit big on a Jc-10c-8h flop. The Ks turn gave me that pair of kings, but the 6h on the river didn’t give me the flush or straight. Seat 8 won it with pocket tens that flopped the set. Ouch.

(photo courtesy of Pokerlistings.com)

The 90-minute dinner break was good because I had to drive home to give Jace his medicine, but it also left me a little sad to leave him and exhausted from rushing on the break and not having time to eat much of anything. I still came back with a good attitude, though, and finished the night with 22,300 chips. Out of 478 players, there were 110 left, and the average stack was 26,000. Day 2!

I went back the next day and didn’t last too long. My bustout hand was tough. I had Qh-10s in the big blind and called Bob Lauria’s raise from the small blind. The flop was Qs-9c-4h, and he bet, I raised, he called. The 10d on the turn gave me two pair, so when he checked, I bet, and when he raised, I reraised all-in. Bob called with Ks-Jc for the turned straight. The river blanked, and I was gone. There were 80-something players still in, but I wasn’t one of them. SO frustrating.

Early on Friday, I was upset to have a cough and sore throat. Seriously? Maybe I’m running myself down, but a cold for myself on top of everything else? Oh well, I took some medicine and focused on playing the 5pm start of Event 23, which was the $2,500 short-handed LHE. I was super excited about the six-handed tourney!

I felt good, except for the cold symptoms, going into it but took a hit in the first level when I took my pocket eights on through a flop of A-7-5. My opponent had 9-2 and called…and caught a 9 on the turn. Okay. Fine. I moved on. By the end of Level 2, I had 5,400, which was not ideal but I could work with it.

What I couldn’t work with was my last hand. I had Qd-9d, and four of us went to a Q-9-A flop. Not bad! I was all-in when the turn was a 7, but the player who called me had A-7. Nothing on the river helped me, and I was eliminated. My tweet about it said, “This calls for a BREAK…!!”

And I was right. Working so hard with nothing to show for it is tough to take on an emotional and physical level. But I’m not giving up! No way. It’s not what I do. I don’t know how to quit. But what I am doing is taking a day or two to relax. I have to clear my mind, work on my meditation, talk to some friends, and hang around the condo with Jace. All of that will help me focus so I can get back to the tables with a smile on my face and positive feelings about the tournaments. There are plenty more tournaments to go, and I’ll be ready to attack them very soon!

Cheers!

Let’s get to the positive things first, shall we?

I’ve been asked to be on the cover of Lucky 8 Magazine, a casino and gaming publication that wanted to do a feature story on my life and career in the poker industry. But most importantly, they want to focus on my charity work, which I’m glad they’re doing because it will hopefully inspire more people - in and out of poker - to give back as much as possible. I haven’t seen the final article, and the publication won’t be out for at least a month or so, but I’ve been working with them on the cover photo and finishing up the interview process. I can’t wait to see it!

Jace is still struggling with his infections, but I have so much faith that he is on his way to recovery. I’m sure I’ve said this before, but he has the sweetest, most loving personality, and despite all that he’s going through, he stays in good spirits most of the time. I just adore him. Can you tell?

Actually, I adore him so much, and I’m so glad that I rescued him (I can’t even think of how sick he would be without the vet care he’s gotten recently) that I want to go back to the shelter and rescue another cat. I’m going to wait until Jace is all better and completely healthy first, but I’m already thinking about finding a female friend for him and another sweet addition to my home.

On to poker news, I played in Event 17 on Tuesday, which was the $5,000 NLHE event. I started in good spirits, but on my first hand in the big blind, I got involved with K-10 and three other players. The flop came Ah-Jd-Qc, then the 6h turn and Jc river. My opponent had pocket aces and rivered the full house to my flopped straight! I lost 10K in chips and was kinda disgusted by that hand. It didn’t take too long for me to push in the big blind with pocket queens. Guess what the caller had? Pocket kings. Of course he did! The board was 7-6-3-J-blank, and I was out.

The only good part of the day was going home to Jace, who didn’t care what happened in the tournament but let me tell my stories anyway!

I plan to play Event 18 on Wednesday. It’s the $2K limit hold’em, and since limit is my strong game… Wish me luck!

Cheers!

That is a positive way to think about it, right? Only a fraction of the WSOP events have taken place, and I’ve only played a few of them. There are many weeks and tournaments left to go, and things have to get better.

Before I get into my last two tournaments, I want to say thanks to everyone who has asked about Jace, my rescue cat and love of my life. He is still struggling with several infections, and we’re making frequent trips to the cat specialist to try to get his medication right and get him healthy. For now, though, he’s still sick, not always comfortable, and doesn’t sleep through the night. That means my sleep patterns have been off, and I can’t help but be worried about him. That’s not an excuse for why I haven’t gone deep in any WSOP events, but it definitely plays a part when my mind is on Jace at all times.

On Thursday, I played Event 9, the $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em tournament. I was actually feeling very good about that one, somewhat rested and comfortable at the table. Several players at my table were not there at the start of action, so it was Fabrice Soulier, me, and four other players. That table went okay, but when I got moved, I had Yevgeniy Timoshenko and a bunch of other tough, young players at my table. I slowly made my way up in chips, starting with several double-ups. But then I lost more than 8K with A-Q under the gun versus A-J, and the board came A-J-6-K-7. That left me with 2,200. Ugh.

Then I looked down at A-4 in the small blind and limped in. The big blind checked. When the flop came A-Q-10, I checked, the big blind bet 350, I raised to 1,100, and the big blind moved all-in. I called with my top pair, but he showed K-J for the flopped straight. Turn and rivers were blank, and I was gone. I lasted more than four hours in that tournament but left before the dinner break. Very discouraging.

The next day, I drove back over the Rio for the 5pm $1,500 limit hold’em tournament. Limit has always been my specialty, so I was looking forward to it. But I happened to get seated at a table where a guy decided to take his shoes off during the beginning levels. Smelly, gross feet to start the tournament? Yuk! The only good thing to come out of that was that when I tweeted it, I got some hilarious responses. My twitter friends are funny!

(photo courtesy of Pokernews.com)

As for the cards, they weren’t funny at all. I was running bad and down to 1,300 when I got back from the dinner break. I lasted almost another two hours on the short stack but finally pushed with pocket eights, but my opponent had pocket kings. The flop was 7-8-9 for the set! But the king came on the turn to give my opponent a better set. I was gone.

Now it’s definitely time to take a few days off. I planned on it anyway because the next event on my schedule isn’t until June 8, but I do need this time to do some relaxing, meditation, and positive thinking. I know there’s a lot more of the WSOP left to go, and I’ll be ready! After a couple days of peace and no bad beats, that is.

Cheers!

Poker Maven Awards

When I found out about this, I was very humbled. I never do charity work for the recognition but occasionally it does feel good to get a pat on the back. And I feel very honored. I started doing charity work in Vietnam when my Father moved back six years ago. I started travelling there more often and I had an opportunity to see firsthand, how many people were suffering in my homeland and it broke my heart to see so many people suffering. It feels really good to help people who suffer through poverty, tragedy, and natural disasters at no fault of their own. I have been extremely fortunate and blessed in my life, and it only made sense for me to give back.

When Maryann Morrison of Woman Poker Player Magazine contacted me to let me know I was nominated for an award because of my charity work, I was overwhelmed. She told me that two other women were also up for the award; Annie Duke and Linda Johnson were also nominated in the same category. Annie and Linda do a great deal of work for organizations that matter to them, and seeing the poker community give back like they do is inspiring. I’m extremely happy to be in the same category with such outstanding humanitarians.

Then I see the news that I’ve also been nominated for “Outstanding Professional Player of 2009.” Wow!! I’m in that category with Kathy Liebert and Vanessa Rousso, both top players in the world of poker. Being in this category also means a great deal to me, because I really had an opportunity to focus more on Poker in 2009. In 2009, I fulfilled my two-year promise to my father after his passing in 2007, and I felt like I was finally at peace with poker and life, and this allowed me to play much better poker. And most importantly, playing well enables me to give back more to the charities I support.

The purpose of the Maven Awards is to acknowledge the many great females in Poker. Maryann Morrison, the managing editor of Woman Poker Player Magazine had this to say, “I am very excited about the potential of the awards to heighten the profile of women in poker, as well as having the industry start thinking about making additional efforts to cater to the women who enjoy poker,” she said. “As we have seen already this year, more women are winning major tournaments then ever before. I hope many people submit their votes to show their support for the accomplishments of the nominees.”

Of course, I would be honored to win either or both of the categories that I’m nominated for. The award would mean a great deal to me, personally and professionally. But I also want to make this known because I’m humbled and honored to be included in such a contest. I want to bring additional attention to the Maven Awards. But to be honest, just knowing that my charity work is noted and recognized, and might inspire others to do the same type of work, warms my heart. Feel free to vote if you think I deserve either award. Voting is open now and can be made at mavenawards.com until September 30th, 2010. Further details on the presentations of the awards will be announced once they are available.

Cheers!

Yesterday was the first day of my World Series. I was ready to play, though definitely a bit tired because Jace didn’t sleep well. My sweet cat is back from the hospital and taking his medications like a good boy, but he has several health issues to deal with. His energy spurts come at odd hours of the night, but I believe that’s a sign that he’s happy and trying to beat these infections.

So, a little tired but excited, I headed over to the Rio and took my seat in the Amazon Room. The Pavilion Ballroom was completely full of tables and players, so my section was in good old Amazon. Familiar place, but I felt that this year was going to be different.

(photo courtesy of Pokernews.com)

It was the $1,000 NLHE tournament - Event 3, Day 1A - and I started off well. On the third hand of the day, I looked down at pocket jacks from the small blind. Seat 2 raised to 100 preflop, and I called. The flop came 9c-5s-9s. When Seat 2 bet, I check-raised to 300, and he reraised to 600. I called, and the turn brought a 9 that we both checked. The river was a 5, so I bet 1,000, and Seat 2 pushed all-in. I called all-in and showed my jacks for the double-up. Wheee! Off to a great start.

I lost a few chips during the first level and ended it with 5,200. But it was the second level that was utterly frustrating. There were three of us all-in preflop. I got my chips in with pocket kings, another player came along with pocket jacks, but the other guy had pocket aces. It played out just as you think it would, and I was gone. Out. Eliminated.

(photo courtesy of Matt Waldon)

So, my 2010 WSOP didn’t get off to the amazing start I planned, but it was only one of the 23 events I’m playing. As I said, the lack of sleep didn’t help me today, but it was the bad run of cards and luck in the second level that did me in.

I went home and curled up with Jace to calm me down, which definitely worked. He is such a peaceful presence in my life, despite his bursts of energy and tough times with the infections.

My next event is Monday, with the $1,500 NLHE in Pavilion Yellow, table 156, seat 8. I’m gonna give it my best shot!

Cheers!

Many people in poker understand the feeling of wanting to lay low before the World Series of Poker. For nearly two months, we’re playing tournaments, being social, lacking sleep, and keeping our schedules full no matter how hard we try to do otherwise. So my sparse updates on this blog lately are mostly because I’m trying to take some time for myself and relax in Las Vegas before the WSOP starts.

The other thing taking up much of my time is by beloved new cat Jace. You’ll remember that I adopted him earlier this month from the Nevada SPCA. He’s already been such a blessing in my life, such an amazing companion with so much love to give! I even noticed recently that the brown markings on either side of his body are each in the shape of a heart. Look at the pictures! My friends are shocked that the markings are so obvious, and it only serves as one more sign that we found each other at the right time in our lives. He’s just the most loving little boy.

Jace is not in the best health, though. He’s over two years old and he’s been living in a shelter, so it’s not surprising that he has health issues, but the vet we’ve been going to hasn’t been able to help. Jace was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection/virus, ear mites, and most recently an eye infection that the vet says is a result of the infection spreading. The ear mites have been taken care of, but the infection isn’t going away despite the antibiotics, eye drops, and steroid shot to help clear his breathing.

Yesterday, I finally got fed up from seeing my boy suffering so much, and I took him to a veterinary hospital that specializes in cats. He was admitted to the hospital overnight so they could properly monitor him and diagnose the problem. Waiting to hear back is very hard! And going home without him was sad, though I know he’s getting amazing care and I look forward to bringing him back home soon. He’s very happy here with the big windows and so many fluffy places to lounge around.

In other news, I’ve decided on my WSOP schedule! I looked over the schedule and picked my events. It looks like I’m setting myself up for some long grinds, but I’m mentally and physically ready to bust my ass and do well this year! Here’s a look at the events I plan to play:

Event 3 - $1,000 NLHE
Event 5 - $1,500 NLHE
Event 8 - $1,500 NLHE
Event 9 - $1,500 PLHE
Event 11 - $1,500 NLHE
Event 17 - $5,000 NLHE
Event 18 - $2,000 LHE
Event 23 - $2,500 LHE Short-handed
Event 26 - $2,500 NLHE Short-handed
Event 29 - $10,000 LHE World Championship
Event 32 - $5,000 NLHE Short-handed
Event 35 - $10,000 NLHE Heads-Up World Championship
Event 36 - $1,000 NLHE
Event 38 - $10,000 PLHE World Championship
Event 39 - $1,500 NLHE Shootout
Event 42 - $1,500 NLHE
Event 44 - $2,500 Mixed HE
Event 47 - $1,000 NLHE
Event 49 - $1,500 NLHE
Event 53 - $1,500 NLHE Shootout
Event 54 - $1,000 NLHE
Event 56 - $2,500 NLHE
Main Event - $10,000 NLHE

That was exhausting just making the list! Yes, there are 23 events there, though the list may be shortened or changed when I make Day 2s and final tables of some events, preventing me from playing others.

The WSOP is just a few days away, and I hope to see a lot of friends at the Rio this summer!

Cheers!

Since Monte Carlo, I’ve been relaxing in London. The last few tournaments I played were rather frustrating, so I needed to do some meditation and find my happy place again.

The last few weeks in London have been very tranquil. Sure, I took care of some business and put some things in motion with my attorneys, but I made a big effort not to work too much. I spent a lot of time with my cats, did a lot of jogging, bicycling, and other exercising, and I got back to my healthy diet. All of those things do wonders for the mind as well as the body; it’s really true! I’ve been getting in a good mindset for the upcoming WSOP as I will be grinding in quite a number of events this year.

I did return to Las Vegas this week, and though I’m suffering from jet lag, I immediately headed out to the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), a no-kill shelter that houses tons of animals. I was specifically looking at the older cats, as kittens often are the first to get adopted and those cats that are a few years old wait longer for families. As I was sitting in the room with so many cats (wanting to adopt a bunch of them!), one captured my heart right away. He is an ginger/white short-haired tabby, about four years-old, with the most loving and gentle personality.

During the time I spent with him, there was another gray female cat who kept hissing at him, even trying to attack him for no reason, but my loving boy just looked at the other cat, looked away, and went back to resting. What a great disposition! We bonded instantly, which made the decision quite easy. I filled out all the paperwork, then took my adopted handsome boy to his new home.

I gave him a new name, Jace, which means Healer, for several reasons. One is that pets are naturally healing; they’re so calm and unconditionally loving that their presence seems to heal almost anything. Two is that he came to me with an upper respiratory infection/virus, which means I have to nurse him back to health. But he’s a Healer, and I just know he’ll be fine.

As far as poker goes, I’ll be laying low until the World Series of Poker begins in a few weeks. It’s coming up so quickly! I’m not exactly sure which events I’ll be playing as of yet, but I’m going to work that out in the next week or so when I have time to take a closer look at the schedule. But I will be at the Rio… I hear that it’s the “Year of the Woman” so I guess it’s my time to participate in that, right?

Hope to see many of you at the WSOP this summer! And in the meantime, make a visit to your local animal shelter if you can. There are so many loving, incredible animals there that could use homes.

Cheers!

After San Remo, a change of scenery was necessary for several reasons before playing the EPT Monte Carlo. Not only did I need to get back to London to check on my lovely cats, who I missed greatly, but I had some business to attend to. Luckily, the volcanic ash problem subsided, and when flights resumed, I was able to book a flight from Nice to London. And though I was only home for a few days, it was wonderful to get my bearings, exercise a bit, and get in the right mindset for the next tournament.

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to let things go in poker and recharge. Bustouts can be disappointing and discouraging, but one has to chalk it up to experience the swings of the game, get that loss out of the brain, and power up for the next one. Luckily, I had the chance to do that before flying back over to Monte Carlo, where I checked into my hotel, relaxed a little more, and prepared to play the EPT Grand Finale.

I chose to play Day 1B, the second starting day of the event. It was a spectacular turnout for the season-ending EPT tournament, and the whole field was 848 players, all putting up the €10K to enter and making for an event that would award €1.7 million to the winner. That is a tough number to get out of your head! And I didn’t want to, as it’s added motivation.

I took my seat at Table 2 and went on to have a very up-and-down day. It was tough to keep my Twitter friends updated as there were internet issues, but take my word that it was a hard to gain any momentum throughout the day. I started with 30K in chips and had only 17K left when Level 8 started. And things got worse from there when I doubled up an opponent with A-K versus A-Q after getting it all-in after an all-small flop. The queen came, and I was down to 4K. But the very next hand, I was able to get it all-in with pocket queens, got called by the big blind, and I doubled up to around 9K. Soon after, I woke up with kings and doubled through Katja Thater with pocket queens, which put me at 16,500. I climbed from there and ended the day with 33,900 chips. Not a bad comeback!

(photo courtesy of Pokerpt.com)

Day 2 started with a few hundred players. I waited for the right moment and doubled up in Level 11 by pushing all-in with pocket kings on a Q(h)7(h)6(d) flop. My opponent had pocket jacks, and I hit a king on the turn to make the set and secure the double-up. But from there on out, I couldn’t get much going. Finally, with a 49k chip stack, I moved all-in with pocket nines preflop, and I was called by A-K. The flop was blank. The turn was blank. But an ace fell on the river!

That was that, and I was out of the tournament with only 253 players remaining and 128 paid. Frustrating!

(photo courtesy of ClubPoker)

(photo courtesy of Partouche)

(photo courtesy of Pokerlistings)

With a couple days left in Monte Carlo, I’ll take the time to get some work done and maybe enjoy the beachfront hotel and Riviera sights. But I’ll be ready to get back to London soon to attend a couple business meetings, get some rest, get back on my diet and exercise plan, and put things together for my trip back to Las Vegas for the start of the World Series in May.

Cheers!

As I mentioned in my last blog post, the travel involved in getting to San Remo was tough with some of the trains not running, last-minute bus rides, and many hours on the road. Once I arrived, it was hard to settle in and accomplish much because the internet was constantly going down. I was even willing to go buy an air card for my computer but couldn’t get online long enough to do an internet search for a location of where to buy the air card!

Between that and handling some unpleasant business, and trying to do some work, it was tough to get into a positive mindset for the EPT San Remo Main Event. I skipped the welcome party because I was still exhausted from the travel and had too much to do. And I even had trouble registering for the tournament because I walked all the way over the casino to register and found that the registration cage was closed until later in the day, though they couldn’t tell me when it would be open. I tried to channel all of the meditation methods I could to calm myself.

Finally, I registered and showed up to play on Day 1B. The field was huge, and it set a record for the EPT Europe events as the biggest one ever with 1,240 entries. Pressure switch on, I ready to play!

(photo courtesy of ItaliaPokerClub.com)

It was a slow start to the day, but I stayed focused and worked my way from my 30K starting stack to 48K by the end of Level 2. At one point, I looked down at pocket queens and played them against a very loose player. The pot was raised and reraised preflop, and after the board came 2-Q-2-8-6, I took it down with my full house and added 12,400 chips to my stack. Wheee!

But the 65,000 count during Level 3 was the high point of the day. It took only about 20 minutes before playing my pocket kings against an opponent’s 7(c)8(c), and that player got two clubs on the flop and another on the river to hit the flush. I lost 26K on that pot. A half hour later, I went into battle with 10(h)6(h) against the J-10 of the same player. My check-call on the 4-10-3 flop led to both of us checking the 10 on the turn. When the ace hit on the river, I bet 2,200, my opponent made it 6,100, and I called. Not nice!

(photo courtesy of Pokernews)

Toward the end of the night, I doubled up when I hit my flush, which beat my opponent’s trip deuces. And I ended the day with 58,400, slightly above the average of 55,042. I survived a very up-and-down day and went back to my hotel to rest.

I started Day 2 with a positive attitude but no cards. I took my seat and got the BB the very first hand. Level 10, Blinds at 600-1200, Ante 100. I picked up pocket 3’s and immediately got into action in a HU pot against Markus Lehmann (on button position) who raised 3,500 preflop, I called. With around 7,500 in the pot, flop came 10(h)-6(c)-2(s)-9(d)-J(c), I checked flop, Markus bet 4,000, I check raised to 10,000. Markus thought for awhile before making a flat call. We both checked on the turn with the 9(d). I checked again on the river. Markus bets out 14,000, I took some to think before making the call putting him on either AQ or AK. My read was spot on correct! Markus turned over AQ (no pair). My pocket 3’s took down the first pot. Wheee …..

(photo courtesy of PokerItaliaWeb)

Literally, I went completely card dead right after the first hand I played until I busted out eight hours later. I had nothing to work with, lost chips slowly, and finally busted with only 207 players left in the tournament out of the 1,240 who started it. Sure, I survived longer than the vast majority of the field and came fairly close to the money. But it’s tough to run so deep and be eliminated after putting up a strong fight.

(photo courtesy of Pokernews)

For now, I plan to get out and enjoy a little of the sights and sounds of San Remo. In a few days, I’ll head over to Monaco for the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final, which I’m very excited to play. I’ll update more in the days to come.

Cheers!

I don’t know what the problem is. Maybe I was a very bad train conductor in a past life? Maybe I angered the travel gods by bringing too much luggage? I may never find the answer. ha!

It was supposed to be simple. I was going to the train station in Aix-en-Provence to catch a train to Nice. Though there was a strike among train workers, some trains were running, and I was told I could buy a ticket when I went to the train station on April 13. And that’s where the problems began.

My travel friend, Liv Boeree, and I arrived at the Aix TGV station, where we were told that no trains were running from there, so we should go to Marseille to catch a train. So we went back to the city by bus, and then we caught another bus to the Marseille train station. From where the bus dropped us off, we had to walk up a massive hill to get to the station, and I had serious luggage with me. Mine, I think, weighed about 65 pounds, and I wheeled my luggage for a short distance before Liv kindly offered to switch luggages as hers was a lot smaller and lighter, so she took over mine and wheeled it uphill the rest of the way. At that TGV station, we were also told that no trains were running. Seriously? Zero communication between the stations. So we were told to catch a bus to Nice, though we had to wait three hours for that bus. Once we finally got on it, we’re looking out the windows and thinking that everything looks rather familiar. Oh, that was because we were going back through Aix! We went all the way back to the Casino in Aix-en-Provence because the bus needed to pick up more passengers. From there, it took two hours by bus to reach the Nice airport.

Funny bus story. Sitting in the back of the bus for the entire trip made me car sick. That’s not really funny, but I thought I’d share. It was such a fun day that just kept getting better!

When we arrived at the Nice airport, we caught a cab, and the ride that took more than an hour finally got us to San Remo. A trip that was supposed to take about 2-3 hours ended up taking more than ten. Liv was dropped at her hotel first, then I was taken to mine. By the time I checked in and put down my luggage, I was exhausted! I did try to get on the internet to check a few things, but the internet wasn’t working at the time, and I didn’t have one ounce of patience left. It didn’t take long for me to pass out and sleep for quite awhile.

One of the most frustrating things about the horrible travel day was the inability to really enjoy the countryside or the sights as we traveled. France is so beautiful, especially the regions we traveled through, but it was so mentally and physically draining that I wasn’t able to soak it in as I would have liked.

But, I’m in San Remo. And despite having to get some work done and deal with a couple business matters, I’ve taken a few moments to take in the view from my wrap-around balcony here. It is absolutely gorgeous to be in this little Mediterranean city in Italy and to see the sea from my room.

Also, on the bright side, the EPT San Remo doesn’t start until the 16th, which gives me time to rest up, get back to a good mindset, and even see some of the sights in this town before the tournament begins.

Hopefully, I’ll be bringing you some great updates from the tournament when it begins later this week.

Cheers!