Wrap Up from Playa

Packing up the apartment and reflecting on my time here.
First, my thoughts on Playa. It's a cool place. You basically have 3 groups of people, tourist, expats/hippies/move to the beach and open a restaurant people[1], and locals. All three have their own gifts and flaws and all have a very different perspective on life. All I will say is that I find that the product of how all three groups interact and live with each other is quite cool.
Oh, and the local food is really good and cheap[2]. I think it has a lot to do with there being a lot of small owner-operated places. When the person who asks what you want and then serves you is also the person who picked the menu and bought and prepared the food, I think there is a better chance of the food being really good.
Second, my thoughts on my first six months as a professional poker player[3]. Where to start? It's different than I thought it was going to be....wait.....that's not true, I really didn't have any idea how it would be, so how could it be different? Put it this way, many extremely successful poker players you listen to credit much of their success to loving the game. I don't. I think it is a great game, a cool way to make a living, challenging, but there are some negatives that I am struggling to get over as well.
Positives:
- challenging, evolving, and complex game which if you are better at than others are, you make money at
- forces you to keep learning about the game and about yourself
- the human element of poker (competition, thinking about what your opponent is thinking, etc.)
- totally merit based
Negatives:
- socially isolating
- emotional roller coaster[4]
- being zero sum game it is very self serving
- VARIANCE
- loss of the true value of money
I wish I could say that I loved it, but I don't, so.....All that said, I do really enjoy what I am doing and am working on accepting or changing the negatives.
Third (and finally), more introspection about my life (surprise, surprise). A lot of people in my generation take time after finishing school to travel, experience, and find themselves. And to be honest, I have sort of been looking at this last six months in that way. I think that I was hoping to find something that I was overly passionate about or better yet something that I was innately great at and enjoyed. I have not found that thing and I now know that poker ain't it.
However, above I  failed to mention the greatest benefit about playing poker; it should[5] give me the freedom to do what all the things I do truly love (trying to become a better person, learning, seeing/experiencing/meeting new people and things, and just enjoying life (in that order, I think, or hope)(so many parenthesis I feel like I am back in math class)). And poker simply acting as a means an end....well.....that's good enough for me. Anyway....my after school "awakening" time is over and might be silly concept to begin with.

Plans:
NYC for 4 days with 4/5th of the immediate family (and extended family)! Then Atlantic City with good friend for a few nights of poker and junk food at the Borgata. Then home for some family time (and planning where to go next). Then the lake for some fun. Then who knows.

Enough about me.
Hope all is well with you. Take Care.
Ted

[1] This also includes move to the beach and work at a restaurant(or bar, or hostel/hotel, or dive shop) people.
[2] I am not looking forward to paying more than $4 for a meal when I get back to the US.
[3] I don't like the term professional poker player, but I got nothing better.
[4] I am really bad with this one. Trying to get better with it, but I am an emotional guy, and it's hard for me.
[5] "Should", meaning if I get to where I want to be with poker in the near future.