Poker!

Poker chips, playing cards, beer bottles, pizza boxes. Finally! After months of trying, I managed to get some buddies on the same page and held my first poker game in our new place. Considering we moved in last November, it's fair to say it was a long time coming.

While bowling and golf have their rewards and frustrations, I've gotta say poker is just about the perfect activity. And, no, I don't say that because I'm sitting in a chair for four or five hours while the piles of chips rise and fall with every few hands. It gives your brain a workout while offering the elements of surprise, luck (good and bad) and friendly competition.

There's strategy involved in every hand and every round of betting, and a tangible reward -- or not -- after the showing of cards. Unlike a lot of sports, you'd don't have to chase a ball or battle the elements. You can tell stories and listen to music as you nosh. And if you're wise, you keep things in moderation. Sleeping in the next day is great. Waking up with a hangover isn't.

I'm already looking forward to the next game.

P.S. Thanks to my buddy Dave Hogan, I now have a new game in my repertoire and a new word in my vocabulary: "stratergy." That's the name of a game, a variation of Texas Hold 'Em, that we played many times during the evening. We're indebted to George Bush for the cool name.