The Lead Up To…

I got off work at lunch time and headed over to an event. There was a previous event in the morning to gather for coffee that I missed. I could have taken the entire day off, but I had a few things that needed to get done and I don’t work very far away (the Mega is actually walking distance from my job) so I opted to work half a day and then head over for donuts. Well, actually, kolaches. I hadn’t eaten lunch yet and there’s this part of me that just couldn’t gorge myself on donuts (for lunch. Breakfast is a totally different animal) so I grabbed some sausage kolaches and a cinnamon roll (because they are my weakness) and sat and talked. I couldn’t stay long or go out caching with anyone because I had some things to do during the afternoon before I could be free for the weekend. That said, I did run into friends and teammates and even this guy…

…the one and only Mssr. G. Slinkard, a cacher of some reknown and his lovely wife. But alas, I had to run some errands. Besides, there would be a meet and greet later for us all at the hotel. I ran my errands and then returned.

During the opening festivities, Geocache Talk was inducted in the the Texas Geocaching Hall of Fame. Knowing of my normal aversion to photography and videography, Mssr. Slinkard made a point of making a pass by me during the livestream of the induction. I did my best to be entertaining and cordial even though I was withering under the spotlight of the attention. Alright, I may be overselling that a little bit. I also got a chance to meet Emily. She is an absolutely lovely person who is kind, funny, and cordial. And while I am personally loath to reduce someone to their job, she is a Lackey come down to visit from Geocaching HQ. My interest in her was not purely for novelty’s sake, however. Since she was originally from Austin, she opted to roll with Team Cen-Tex for the Challenge! After a quick strategy briefing and a rundown of times and meeting places, she went to share her presence with others while I prepared myself.

I may have previously oversold my aversion to attention (it’s actually there, but I sometimes play it up for comedic effect) but what I am not overselling is how bad I am at poker. That may seem like a non sequitur, I welcome you to the (possibly First Annual) Texas Challenge Geo-Poker Tournament. I’m no stranger to cards. I have silver points from when I used to play bridge in college. However, I’m not any good at poker. Not only do I recoil somewhat from the stochastic nature of it, I am also terrible at reading people, a skill greatly in demand in this game. More specifically, I am not well versed in Texas Hold’em. I know the basic rules and structure, but I don’t know or have a feel for the odds. I cannot possibly overstate how bad I am at poker.

And yet, somehow I was still around when four tables consolidated into two…

…and then still around when two tables consolidated into one. How was that even possible? At one point, I was even the chips leader! Basically, I didn’t even win that many hands. But the ones I won either mattered greatly, or were silly but managed to split the pot. In the end I ended up being tied for 5th place on a hand that took three people out of the game at once. The other four played on into the night, but I couldn’t stay. It was late and I had to be back in this room tomorrow morning. Team Cen-Tex would be marshaled here for the culmination of all our planning Saturday morning for…