Teppanyaki dinner.
It is all Michael Caselli's fault. Every time I am out socializing with Caselli, something mysteriously disappears from my bag- first it's my cell phone, next it's my camera and wallet. I never do this in Boston! Ask anyone! Therefore, it is not my fault, it is Caselli's. He is still my number one favorite though. Personal belonging casualties aside, my weekend in London, well Friday night in London, was one of the most ridiculous nights I have had in a while. It was like an online gaming industry party without the pressure of business and professionalism- inappropriate behavior was totally acceptable.
Karim, the dinner organizer.
Shots of Saki.
The festivities began at the
Poker Heaven and
Blackjack Heaven offices, followed by lunch with the team, Julia from
Purple Lounge, and Julia and Fred's baby Lucio (the first industry baby...that we know of). After lunch, my very good friend and London host, Anna from
Spin Palace, took me to Primark for a true London shopping experience before the real party started. At 7:30pm. To kick things off, Karim from
RakeTheRake.com organized a fabulous dining experience for 15 of us at a teppanyaki restaurant with far too much Saki, meaning most of us needed a stretcher before entering the club. After dinner we met up with the
Lyceum Media crew who very kindly arranged a guest list and table at Mint Nightclub, the site of my camera and wallet disappearance. Of course the night would not be complete without a Swede, so in the absence of Tomas from
Poker Host, the 20 of us welcomed his best friend Joakim as a replacement. Joakim, you passed the test. Welcome to the online gaming world.
Joakim, the token Swede.
Friday night's aftermath was not pretty. The text messages sent to my phone throughout the day on Saturday were priceless: "I have food poisoning...I cannot get out of bed...I have never been that drunk in my life...I am afraid to leave my apartment and face the world...you are not allowed to come to London ever again...etc, etc, etc". I am not sure if I should be proud or ashamed to have this effect on people. Anyway, unlike the others, I forced myself out of the fetal position to have dinner with Mans from
Cardoza Games, yet another Swede that I adore, on Saturday night. After a lovely meal, the two of us ventured to the Sanderson to meet up with Caselli, the only survivor from Friday night (besides me, of course), and the 15 women he had somehow befriended prior to our arrival.
My Purple Lounge ladies.
On Sunday morning, I squeezed in the unavoidable business meeting with Justina from
Clarion Gaming, had a nice lunch with the ladies, and made my way to Heathrow. In all honesty, I was so happy to just sit on the plane and watch movies, sleep and eat. What a luxury. Too bad there were two screaming babies sitting directly behind me...for all seven hours. Hey, at least I wasn't flying to Macau.