The strain of being in Las Vegas life for an extended trip, the constant pain of poker tournaments, issues in your personal life, not having someone special in whom to confide who makes you smile, self doubt, mid-life crisis...whatever. After a while it can all get to you, and you need some kind of outlet to depressurise and feel better about things for a bit. Some people go and find themselves a hooker or three. Some spin up (or down) their bankroll on the roulette wheel. Some will do enough drugs to be able fund a small country's economy, some jump out of a plane with or without a parachute.
I cook a curry from scratch.
I'm almost certainly not the best cook in the world, however it's something that I love and try to put my heart and soul into. I've said in the past that if I could make as much from cooking as I do from poker I'd consider quitting poker at some point. Romantic idea of course, I'm too old and not good enough a cook. However, it's always nice to have a passion, and my Las Vegas friends generally seem very happy when they hear I've been cooking, often as I cook enough for 15 people. It's an escape for a few hours, and the end result is generally well received, especially here, as I've been known to point out I struggle to get a decent ruby this side of the Atlantic. The obvious solution is to just make my own. We'll see what's left in a day or two.
I managed to re-reg for the colossus today. They were doing starting "waves" as opposed to flights, since the flights were full. Some people are coming in at the 250/500 level with 8 big blinds....I squeaked into an earlier wave and will be starting at 100/200 with 5k which isn't ideal but I feel is worth the investment. Starts in a few hours...updates to follow.