Catching Up

Here's what you may have missed in the life of Jewish Girl:

*  Only a few days after getting back from Bonnaroo, I moved out to Las Vegas as part of a trial team.  Trial began in late June, but then settled a few days into jury selection.  I've mentioned a few times in the last several months being SUPER excited about a work assignment that I couldn't talk about in detail --- well, this was it!  It was pretty much my dream come true:  not only did I get to go to trial, but I got to go to trial in MY FAVORITE DOMESTIC VACATION DESTINATION EVER.  Of course, there's not much spare time on trial, but Vegas is a great place to spend three spare hours a week.

*  Despite being SUPER bummed that the case settled (not only do I love trial and did I want to see the whole thing through, but I was also looking forward to spending my whole summer in Vegas), I took a week of vacation in Vegas and treated myself to a pool/spa day and a shopping excursion.

At the Wynn pool, which is beautiful and feels like sitting in the Italian countryside.

...It was my professional duty to go on with my life, you know?

*  After my two days of relaxation, I played in a $1,000 buy-in poker tournament at the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

A small glimpse of the room.

This was the biggest event I'd ever played (almost 2900 entrants with a three-day long structure) and it was the most I'd ever spent on a tournament entry by FAR, but playing in the WSOP was a bucket-list item and something I'd always wanted to do.  When my case settled, it was like the clouds parted and left nothing standing between me and this poker tournament.  Not only was I already in Vegas, but I didn't even have any other active cases at the time!  The timing was just too perfect, and I figured playing in the WSOP would be a cool enough experience that it would be worth my buy-in as long as I could last at least a few hours.

Me with my entry ticket, the day before the first day.

*  The tournament was SO fun.  I played with poker pros (many of whom I didn't recognize, but figured out were pros either because the poker news guys talked to them a lot, or because other players at my table seemed to care an inordinate amount about the random guy to my left or right) and minor celebrities (including the executive producer of Weeds, who was at my table briefly on Day 2, and the guy who played Marshall's dad in How I Met Your Mother (and who also voices Patrick the Starfish on Spongebob), who sat a few tables away from me on Day 1).

*  On the first day, I got my photo taken for this cool souvenir:

I asked the poker photographer to show up early because I had no idea how long I'd be able to survive, and she arrived at my table on the very first hand of the tournament!  It was a bit embarrassing to have my photo taken so soon but I love the result.

*  We made it into the money at the end of Day 1 at around 1:30 in the morning.  Right before we broke the money bubble (meaning that only one person remained to be eliminated before we would all make money), the tables all went "hand for hand," which means that the dealers only dealt one hand at a time before stopping and waiting for the other tables to finish.  Once the dealers were done with the hand, they had to stand up and wait for instructions from the tournament director.  It was crazy and chaotic in the best way; the mood was so amped up that you could feel it in the air.  I think I probably would have folded aces on the bubble just to make sure I made it into the money.

*  Eventually, the bubble broke (I think the bubble boy had pocket jacks, but I don't know what his opponent had --- I saw him walking away disorientedly and heard him tell someone, "I knew I should have folded those jacks") and everyone started cheering.  We'd all made our buy-in + 80% back, at least!  We played for another half an hour on day one and then came back for Day 2.  Despite accumulating a ton of chips on day one, I spent most of day two with very few chips relative to the blinds (or forced bets), so I mostly sat tight, waited for good hands, and then stuck with them as long as possible.

*  I sat directly in front of the poker news desk for all of Day 1 without being noticed, despite having a bigger chip stack at the time than several of the female pros who were being blogged about (note: the news updates focus entirely on pros and celebrities --- regardless of how big your chipstack is --- until you get down to the final few tables, when amateurs have lasted long enough to matter; the poker news services reported on tournament "chip leaders" who had fewer chips than less well-known players sitting at my very table, but the purported chip leaders were more visible pros).  Not that I was bitter --- I didn't mind flying under the radar and I figured, probably similarly to the reporters, that I could bust out at any moment.  However, I stayed in the game and very late in the day on Day 2, once we were down to four tables, the news guys asked for my name.  Shortly afterwards, I doubled up on a big hand and noticed this on the website:

Love the title!  (Also, now you know why I don't use my full name on the blog --- the spelling is unique enough that a first-name-only Google search will get you to me more often than not.  I like to maintain some anonymity here, to the extent possible...)

*  As more and more people got knocked out, I could hardly believe my eyes as we continued moving up in the payout structure.  After every few people, we all made a little more money.  It was so exciting!  Once we got down to three tables, we moved into a smaller, better-lit area to facilitate photography.

The new area had spectator seating!

*  Towards the end of Day 2, when we broke into the final two tables (20 people), the ESPN guys handed out this form for us to fill out, should we make it to the TV-table (final 9 people) on Day 3:

*  I was very short in chips at this point and felt the questionnaire would be a bit short-lived for me.  (Spoiler alert:  I did not make it into the final 9.)  But beyond my most reasonable expectations, I managed to make it into Day 3, and as Day 2 came to a close, I was greeted by this article:

"Two women, Dana Castaneda and [me], still remain and are both looking for a World Series of Poker bracelet to add to their collection of jewelry."

Hoping-to-Win-a-lot-of-Money-on-Day 3 OOTD?

*  I came into Day 3 with the shortest chip stack of the 14 remaining players and did not have supremely high hopes that I would last very long.  Luckily, I managed to double-up with a small pocket pair to stay in the game.

Great photo, no?  Also, you can see how small my chip stack is given that I am holding it in one hand.  Haha.

*  While my double-up was enough to take me into the next level of payouts (good for an additional $6,000!) I was unable to make the final table.  I busted out when my AQ ran into a pair of tens in the big blind.  My opponent's tens held up and the tournament went on without me.

Yes, this is the same guy who doubled me up when I had aces on Day 2!  Luckily, my chips did not ship in vain, as Jason went on to take second place in the whole tournament.

But $26,128!!  Not a bad payout for my first WSOP if I do say so myself!

I like to think that Hellmuth is holding up two ones for "11th Place."

And awesomely, the other woman in the tournament with me, Dana Castaneda, took first place!  It's very rare for a woman to win a WSOP bracelet in a "mixed" event (meaning both men and women), so this is an amazing achievement for her!

Overall, I had SUCH a fun time.  Winning money was obviously a huge plus, but just getting to play for longer than a couple of hours with such skilled opponents was fantastic.  I would love to do this again next year, work permitting.  I set aside some of my winnings already...

...and the rest went to student loans!

So, that's what I've been up to lately.  Now that trial is over, I'm looking forward to what I hope will be a more reasonable work schedule with more time for blog-posting.  I left the office in time to have dinner with a friend yesterday, and I realized I'd almost forgotten what it felt like not to eat take-out at my desk!

OOTD: The Streak Continues!

 

In This Outfit: J.Crew sweater, Anthro skirt, Nine West shoes, J.Crew factory necklac, Michael Kors davenport watch in rose gold, Kate Spade lever-back earrings.

 

Yeeehaw! And thus concludes my week of great outfits (with the exception of Wednesday's outfit, which was probably my favorite but which I'll show you next week).

 

Apparently I have no photographic evidence of Monday, but I'm gonna go ahead and call this a perfect week anyway.

 

Stringing together a couple days of fun, distinct, professional looks may not be a particularly notable accomplishment to most people, but considering the fact that I sometimes take unwarranted sartorial risks, five days on top of my game (not just without fashion disasters) deserves a self-congratulatory self-pat on the back for me :-)

 

I am probably delusional, but I feel like this J.Crew sweater goes with pretty much everything in my wardrobe? Is that possible? I don't care. I love it. Best "it's two sizes too big but I love the colors and it's only $15" purchase I ever made.

 

Also, these old Nine West shoes somehow cycled to the back of my closet and I don't think I've worn them in a year, but yesterday I remembered why I liked them so much. Cute, professional, neutral but with sparkle, and comfortable all day.

 

 

This outfit aside, I had a FANTASTIC day at work yesterday. I'll tell you a little bit more about it when I get the green neon-light. (<-- Spoiler alert!)

 

What are you guys up to this weekend? I've got the weekend off and I am headed to Atlantic City for a bit of poker!! Yaaaaay...

 

Posted with Blogsy

A Weekend in (Old) Vegas

My boyfriend and I spent the weekend in one of our favorite U.S. vacation destinations:

You've heard me talk before about the charm of Atlantic City (see, e.g., here, here, here), so I hope you'll indulge me in a bit of Vegas chatter now! This weekend marked my fifth trip to Vegas. This time, we decided to do something a bit different and stay off the main strip in Downtown Las Vegas (aka "Old Vegas"). We had an AMAZING time! Here are a few highlights:


The Freemont Street Experience

Old Vegas is the area from whence Las Vegas originally sprung. Downtown is steeped in rich history and resembles the crazy neon playground many of us think of when we imagine Vegas. The casinos bordering the downtown strip are covered in neon light and flashing bulbs.

There are tons of fun happenings on Freemont street...

Free concerts...

Haunted house! (temporary) (freaky. Haunted houses scare the you-know-what out of me, so why do I keep going in them?)

Balls!

Every night between dusk and midnight, there is a laser light and music show on the overhang protecting Freemont Street (the main downtown strip).

One of the nice things about downtown Vegas is that all of the casinos (especially those on Freemont Street) are extremely close together. Although casinos on the new strip are next to each other, you often half to walk half a mile to get to the next door casino!

You can take your photo with "a million dollars" at Binion's (and they print it for you for free! You don't even need to give them your email address!)

The Heart Attack Grill

Okay, so we didn't actually eat here*, but this landmark of downtown Vegas is definitely a sight to behold. It is a monument to obesity in America, serving butterfat milkshakes, fries cooked in lard, and a "quadruple bypass burger" that contains four burger patties and up to twenty slices of bacon. If you finish one, the waitresses wheel you out of the restaurant in a wheelchair.

Did I mention that every customer gets put in a hospital gown upon entry? And that the waitresses are dressed in sexy nurse outfits?

The best (and simultaneously worst) part? If you are over 350 pounds (and weigh in on a public scale) you eat free.

No free burger for my boyfriend.

Ironically (and sadly) two people actually had real heart attacks in this restaurant a few months ago. In the first instance, the tourists inside thought it was a show and asked him to turn a bit while on the floor so they could get a better picture! (source)

* Hash House A Go Go


In case my claim that my boyfriend and I did not eat at Heart Attack Grill sounded superior, allow me to mention that we DID eat at Hash House A Go Go, which has a new location in The Plaza hotel in downtown Vegas.

Our breakfast looked like this:

Sage fried chicken eggs benedict (also featuring bacon, mashed potatoes, cheese, buttermilk biscuit, and chipotle cream). Thanks, watermelon. This plate must be healthy now! (source)

The Golden Nugget

We stayed at the Golden Nugget, which was perfectly nice and had an incredible pool!

OMG, that slide! Tragically I never even got to ride it; I saved it for the last night, but then there was a "biohazard" that closed the pool. Any guesses on the nature of the hazard? Poop in the pool?

While at the nugget, we sampled many of the restaurants at the casino (the italian place (Grotto) and The Grill...meh. Lillie's Asian cuisine and Vic and Anthony's steakhouse...DROOLSOGOOD). We also partook in a few poker tournaments. Although they had a very quick structure, we did pretty well in them. Amazingly, you can buy in an hour and a half late with a huge chipstack. I took first place in one small tournament and my boyfriend cashed in the same one.


The Mafia Museum

As you might imagine, the history of Las Vegas is steeped in the mafia. There's a very interesting museum downtown called the Mafia Museum. It gives you an interesting look at the role of the mob in America, and particularly in Las Vegas. Also, there are tons of fun photo opportunities!

I thought this quote was hilarious, spoken by a mafioso who suspected his house was bugged (and it was):

I live by these words with regards to the information I publish on the internet---nothing I wouldn't stand behind in person!

Pinball Hall of Fame

This destination was my boyfriend's idea and it was a HUGE hit. The pinball museum is a nonprofit that collects and restores pinball machines (some as new as this year, some fifty or sixty years old) and vintage arcade games. It doesn't cost anything to get in and all of the machines cost between a quarter and 75 cents to play.

Remember Paperboy? Does anyone remember the name of that tv show on Nikelodeon that allowed you to play in virtual reality inside paperboy?

I learned that I am HORRIBLE at pinball, but I had a lot of fun anyway. (hey, not my fault---I wasn't allowed to have video games as a kid!) Did you know that you can actually aim that metal ball so that it gets somewhere? Or that there are missions to accomplish in a lot of pinball games? Or that you can keep the ball in motion for longer than two minutes? I didn't!!

Me struggling with pinball. In case you couldn't tell from my in-the-mirror outfit photos, my boyfriend (while amazing at many things) is not a photographer.

The Outlets


Las Vegas is home to two outlet malls: one in the north, one in the south. I prefer the north outlets because they are open-air (the south outlets are in kind of a dingy mall). Plus, the north outlets have a Kate Spade! And it's only a mile from downtown Vegas!

Somehow I managed to escape Kate Spade with only two pairs of earrings (despite a 50% off everything sale AAAKCCKK purses). I did buy a few other things, though....budget, I promise I will be faithful to you after vacation!

Michael Kors iPad folio

Ah, Vegas, I only just left you and I already miss you! We will DEFINITELY stay in old Vegas again!

Posted with Blogsy and blogger, because Blogsy is very bad at formatting photos

Poker Tournament in DC This Weekend! (Also, want a poker lesson?)

I've got a huge number of backlogged outfits to post, but I've given up hope of getting those photos up today since I would actually like to accomplish something at work... 

(I want to be all like this...)

(But I've actually spent most of the day so far like...)

...so allow me to take a moment and plug a great poker event happening in D.C. this weekend!  (Disclosure: my boyfriend is running the event!) 

Apologies to those who don't live near D.C. and for whom this isn't relevant;* feel free to tell me about your weekend plans in the comments, or just poke your head into yesterday's entry about magical kitchen gadgets! (here)

[*  Sidenote:  Are any of my D.C. area readers interested in learning to play poker?  A lot of women I meet IRL tell me that they wish they could play poker, and I love teaching people how!  I don't pretend to be an expert, but I know enough to get you started.  If so, it might be fun to get together for an afternoon for Poker 101 or some such thing.  Let me know in the comments and maybe we can put something together.  It would be free of course (or BYO baked goods).]

The event is a charity poker tournament taking place on Sunday, September 23.  It will be held at Hill Country BBQ Market (410 7th Street NW), which is probably in the top handful of places to eat BBQ in the District.  It starts at 11am and will last until 8 or 9 pm.

The best part?  Not only is your buy-in tax deductible, but it also goes to charity!  (There's a cause-and-effect relationship between those two things.)

The charity is called the Writing on the Wall Project, which is a non-profit initiative aimed at helping Montebello (an inner-city Baltimore) residents create a mural in their neighborhood within the next month. 

Another of Shawn James' Baltimore Murals

The Montebello mural's theme will be about health.  Says the Project: 

"The long-term benefits of the arts, particularly for youth-at-risk, have been proved over and over. Just this year, the National Endowment for the Arts released a report that showed that teens and young adults showed higher academic achievement, greater career aspirations and more civic engagement if they were involved consistently in music, dance, theater or the visual arts."

The buy-in is $195 in advance until 7pm on Saturday, $220 at the door.  You can sign up at this link right here, which you should click.  Also, you can find a lot more details about the tournament behind that link.  Prior top prizes have been between $5k-$10k!

Even better than a $10k top prize?  Yours truly will be one of the poker dealers!

Why doesn't my table look amused?

Hope to see you Sunday!  (Or on some undetermined future day when I teach you to play poker.)