Zen And The Art Of F**king Up A Poker Night

23 July – Another day, another anxiety attack.  Finally managed to get some headway on a particular timeframe but it didn’t go down very well.  What can I say, I cant really negotiate on this one.  In any event, managed to get out of there in one piece and should live to fight another day.  Went to work on a bicycle project in the afters – unfortunately 1974 Raleigh’s have a rather non standard requirement of tools and whilst being a very beautiful machine it proved impossible to get in riding condition on this exercise.  Might have to pass this on to the professionals – at least it looks like a bike now.  The next day seemed to be full of more cases of anxiety – I think word may be spreading about my imminent departure from the most righteous of industries and there was more discussion on how it’s all going to end but it seems to be at the point of no return and I think all concerned parties are finally starting to fully realise the situation.  The latest event to cause me anxiety was the planned Australian Republican Movement Poker Night – ostensibly a fund raiser and membership drive for the yoof of Australia.  Somehow I found myself as a player in the organisation of said event (well, basically because I have intimate relations with a reluctantly senior member of said organisation – it’s not all friendly exercise) – I don’t know whose original idea it was but I stand by the position that it was potentially a good one ... Had it been realised with any sense whatsoever.  Can’t remember when the initial plan for a poker night was actually announced but I made the connection (mistakenly) that it could be connected with the AB, a venue with experience in running poker events, good location, generous entertainment manager and overall good vibe.  After meetings and discussions and more meetings I found myself in charge of or heavily involved with organising a fair chunk of it – venue, tournament director, catering etc and other tasks such as MC, prizes (because we couldn’t make it a gambling event which required negotiating a bureaucratic jungle) and attendees would be left to others (who shall remain nameless).  A fair amount of wrangling and worry on my side was eventually resolved with fair promises from all parties concerned that everything would be okay on the night – for some reason I didn’t feel confident that a newsletter announcement, posters and a facebook.com entry were going to cut it in terms of the marketing campaign but I was assured that all was good on that front – there was a ‘confidence’ in hitting the numbers we’d committed to and everything was going to be alright on the night.  
Well, arrived early at the AB to reap the whirlwind – not long after I was joined by the AB entertainment manager (having taken over the organisation of the event due to underling incompetence), the MC (flown up from Melbourne), the tournament director (organised at last minute and at moderate expense), the tournament director’s assistant (relation) and the ARM reps (a plague upon their houses) and we then waited for the crowds to turn up.  And we waited.  And we waited.  Greg ‘Yeah Yeah’ Matthews was there.  One Young Liberal (I think he was a Ruddock staffer) was there.  Matty G turned up a bit late.  Anyone else?  No.  A more elaborate complaint will follow some time but something resembling an enjoyable night was salvaged – missed my ride and had to ride home full of tequila.  Not good.