Writing and a Passion

I have a dirty little secret, ok, not so dirty, but what does this organic farming, homeschooling, recycling, wholesome mama do for herself to get away, to relax, to recharge? I don't shop, I don't have oodles of cool clothes, I don't drip in jewellery, we DO have lots of books, we own one car and a huge monster gas guzzling farm truck, ok and a tractor or 3, ok ok and we love skiing which is a huge money guzzler....liking that word guzzling tonight. Oh, and yah, I have an ACDC habit, I love going to their concerts.....
Every Friday nite is Mommy time. And I head out to a local poker game - sometimes with hubby sometimes he stays at home..... A guy and a garage and 32 or so players, 4 tables, a $30 buy in and a tournament that can last up to 7 or 8 hours, and if you're knocked out, well there's a cash game to join. It's low stakes pleasure poker. For me. There are some there that take it very seriously and there's even a webpage.
It's the webpage for the group I want to write about. It's amazing. I don't mean in its poker content, I mean in the writing this group of guys put together. Three or four of them have their own sections to write articles on.
The guys I play with come from every which way - real estate agents, retired firemen, heavy duty equipment operators, carpenters, painters, electricians, landscapers, drywallers, business owners, salesmen, lawyers, roofers and the ladies are a secretary, a server, a mom, a saleswoman, a lab tech, a social worker off the top of my head.
All walks of life...but the most striking is the writing. The best writing doesn't come from the best educated.
After reading one article on the page I asked the writer about his education and schooling - ok not so bluntly, I tried to be tactful, always a toughie for me. I said something like, "So did you like writing in school?" The answer? "I have a grade 8 education."
My answer...
So here's a guy, owns a successful roofing business, found poker about 5 years ago, immersed himself in poker, reading, theory, statistics and found his passion. He plays a lot of live and online games and is a money making player. He goes to Vegas 2 or 3 times a year and comes home successful. I've seen his online stats. He found his passion. PASSION. He writes about his passion, successfully. His stories are fun to read and well put together. His grammar sometimes sux, but who cares, the communication is all that counts.
Another guy, the lawyer, writes boring stupid crap.
Now there's a new guy. Tat's up the ying yang, skull cap, tough face, nice guy, but HOLY SH!T, his writing rocks . The stories are shocking, but cohesive. I get a gut reaction from his stories. He's only written two, but I can hardly wait for more. And the next time I sit beside him I'm gonna ask some subtle questions.....
The system failed these guys, or did it?
These guys are the reason I'm unschooling my kids....