[J.A.Sucker]

Hi JV,

Glad you had fun in Hermosa. I used to have 2 buddies who lived a block from the pier, and someday I'll get a house on the Strand... *sigh* The buddies moved away from the beach, however, though I have lots of fond memories (or lack thereof) regarding drunken weekends down there. Sharkies and the others are all great, and the women are loose, aggressive, and all have the same lower-back tatoos. (t)It's lovely!

My trips to LA usually don't involve any poker (or maybe a quick 3 hour session in the morning while hungover), which is a shame, because the games are terrific, though I think that the games aren't as good as people brag about at 30-60 and above (though still plenty juicy). Then again, it's not a shame that I don't play poker on those trips - the beach, the sun, the fake titties... waking up hungover, strolling down to the beach for some sun, taking a dip in the ocean, passing out on the beach while waiting for my nuts to return to their original position, and hitting the BackBurner for a greasy breakfast at 2pm before grabbing some beers and doing it again. Yeah, I miss Hermosa.

I'm also glad that you mentioned the Flight Attendents - they are a bellweather aspect of the Hermosa/Manhattan Beach scene, and are wonderful in their own right... I think of that scene from Blow, where they're all hitting the bong in Manhattan Beach and all these young chickadees say what they do for a living "I'm a flight attendent!" "I'm a flight attendent!" "I'm a flight attendent!"... it's high comedy... mainly because it's true.