She's taken off her shoes and one of her socks...

I just returned from the EnjoyPool.Com 9-Ball Open in Las Vegas, NV.

I think it went really well...


Truth be told, I was very well-prepared mentally for this tournament but I may have sabotaged myself physically by over-training. For the past month, I have been lifting weights five days a week in hopes of looking like this. (Ughh, I don't know how long I can keep this picture posted. It's giving my husband the creeps. Me too, actually.)



All along, I have been doing this with no consequence to my tournament play. Quite the opposite, it has made me feel stronger and more full of energy while playing. I guess I have been tempting fate, though. By my third match in Vegas, even though I had been using light weights all week, my arms were so rubbery that I was missing straight-in shots by a foot (no kidding).

I had a Richie-Tenenbaum-style-full-sky-tilt meltdown in front of the crowd. Well, it probably just looked like I was playing bad and pouting, but inside my head I was breaking cues and screaming at the audience. I know that it happens to everyone, but it was still pretty embarrassing.

Luckily, I had Vegas with which to drown my sorrows. Jaeger Bombs. Room Service. More working out (yeah, I really am that dumb).

I decided that it was in my best interest to come home and play in another tournament as soon as possible. I needed to shake this experience from my head and not let it sidetrack me. I played at the Blaze event in Atlantic City over the weekend and I am happy to report that there were no incidents of violence and that my shoes stayed on the whole time.

Getting huger by the day,
LIZ


P.S. Happy Anniversary Harry; I love you more than all the tunafish sandwiches in the world.

The Secret to Pool Finally Revealed!

That's right, Jimmy. It is a pack of gum!

(Bad/secretly_pretty_good 80's gum, at that.)

Wait. Wha? Gum?

Here's a little background info: I really am a loyal viewer of Dr. Phil. I learned from Dr. Frank Lawlis, a regular Dr. Phil contributer, that chewing gum can help your coordination during physical activities by giving you a rhythm to which to perform. So, I decided to try it out on the pool table.

For the past couple of weeks I have been chewing gum during tournaments and I have come to this bizarre conclusion: Chewing gum while I play actually turns me into a different person, and one who is a significantly better pool-player. I get this cocky jaunt while I am at the table, chompin' away at my gum and I feel like a bratty little teenager who doesn't care whom she is playing, she only knows she wants to beat the crap out of somebody. (While being a completely respectful adult opponent and good sport, natch.)

Now, I am not a fan of the gum "look". I think masticating like a cow in public is severely trashy. Think Britney Spears in a television interview. Smack, smack, smack. But, as a glove-wearer, I am clearly willing to put vanity aside in order to play better. Daintily enjoying half a stick of Dentyne for breath-freshening purposes just doesn't cut it, I have to be on the total chaw.

Gum. Yeah, that's what I said. Smack.

Bubbalicious,
Liz

P.S. I beat Earl.