As far as 8-week-old infants go, L is a stay-at-home daddy’s dream. She’s more or less easy-going. She smiles a lot. And she loves to hang on my lap while we watch baseball. The two of us spend the better parts of every day together, and I cherish every moment.

That said, I admit it: I miss playing poker.

For years before L was born, the game was a constant in my life. I was a fixture at a number of different home games. I’d make regular trips to casinos and card rooms all over the Bay Area. Heck, I turned the pastime into steady income, writing about it as the weekly Gaming columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Since L’s arrival, however, I haven’t touched felt once. No card rooms. No casinos. No home games. Not even a session online.

It’s not that I’ve become a financial tightwad, or that I’m going cold-turkey; I simply don’t have the bandwidth. When I’m not actively caring for L, I’m tackling stuff around the house. When I’m not doing that, I’m squeezing in work. And when I’m not working, I’m sleeping.

These are all important things. But sometimes I just want to take two or three hours and do nothing but play cards (OK maybe I’d like to drink some scotch as well).

I know other new dads who have experienced similar versions of this “Pokerlust.” One friend who lives down the coast loves to surf but hasn’t gotten on his board since his son was born. Another friend, whose son is almost a year old, lives for baseball (like I do) but hasn’t seen a live game since his wife’s third trimester.

Over time, I’m sure we new fathers will achieve balance and figure out ways to work our favorite forms of “me time” back into the equation. These kind of temporary escapes are important. They’re fun. And they go a long way toward clearing the head.

I, for one, with Powergirl’s blessing, mind you, have tentative plans for a session at a local card room this coming Tuesday night.

I’m already excited—almost giddy—about the notion of tossing some chips into the muck. I expect to be a bit rusty, but will wait patiently for the skills to return. Who’s rushing? To paraphrase an old adage, the experience won’t be about winning or losing, but simply playing the game.