my spot

Every time I go to Sophie's I always end up sitting in the exact same spot. It's toward the back of the bar, right near the jukebox. This spot affords me a view of the entire bar and it provides a relatively clean background if I want to take a picture of people playing. When it starts getting crowded and people come in looking for tables, I always offer up my spot (since it is a four-seat table). Here are a bunch of photos taken from my spot:


This is Ludo, who I'm told is no longer in New York. He is from the Brittany region of France and has a very thick French accent. One night I was shooting at the top of my game, playing brilliantly and tearing through the clipboard. A couple nights later I was playing slow, safe, timid. So he came up to me and said "What is this? I watch you the other night, and now all this careful shooting. Where is your panache!" Look it up.


Will Esposito, who is on my list of "players I've never beaten." Even with a broken foot he is a great player. A super nice fellow who plays on two teams out of Musical Box on Avenue B. I will get a better photo of Will sometime and post it.


A photo of a kid named Eamon, who was in with his mother a few Tuesdays ago as our team was warming up. Not a bad player for his age. We have him signed up for our roster in 2018.


Finally, a photo of Julie Madlener, who is also somebody I've never beaten. I always seem to run into Julie in unfamiliar turf, and when I've had a couple too many. Despite this, she has graciously put up with my numerous inquiries about her game. A few weeks ago she came into Sophie's and we chatted a bit. I knew she had gone to Vegas for the APA's National Singles Championship. So I was curious to know how she fared. I was stoked when she told me she finished in 9th place in her field (players at skill levels 6 and 7). Congrats.