How can I not be me?

To be fair I don't know a lot about chess.  Somewhere along the line it became more about the learning process than the science behind the moves.  My favorite book is The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin. I also enjoy tactics books and there are many old and rare books on expired gambit lines in my chess library (not to mention every recorded game of Mikhail Tal).

I once had the amazing pleasure to spar against American GM Hikaru Nakamura in a starbucks here in Washington State and he told me, "You would be a pretty good player if you learned some openings."  While he was probably being mostly polite (because I am not nearly as good as Hikaru, not by far) it is a widely known fact amongst my small circle of competition that I don't study the best opening choices.  For example my best repitoire includes Halloween Gambit, Italian Perroux and Lolli Attack, Sicilian (but ONLY the variations that excite me most Najdorfs, Dragons, O'Kelly), and many other long and conveluted lines that are constantly in flux.  I'm hardly ever up to date on them and I lose with them constantly but the ones I win with I definitely win in style.

My biggest problem, if I am being honest, is that I get bored with openings that don't change much.  I tend to stear clear of openings like the QGD, Caro-Kann, or systems using 1. ...e5 against e4 as black.  I like games where both players are at risk of making a mistake early, games decided on the ability to endure in the chaos rather than by technique alone.

With that in mind, I would like to take you through a battle I had earlier that I feel embodies my particular style and philosophies.

This game I was black.  After 1.e4 I made a styalistic decision to abandon my openings and play an unfamiliar system.  1. ...e5.  While e5 games are not my usual cup of tea due to their "boring" plan of reaching quiet equality I was tired of my usual standbys.  It appears that sometimes you can't play like anyone but yourself no matter what the system.

 NOTE:  IT APPEARS MY GAME HAS NOT SAVED.  I SPENT ABOUT AN HOUR WORKING ON THE GAME AND NOTATION AND IT DID NOT SAVE CORRECTLY.  I WILL BE BACK TO WORK ON IT WHEN I AM LESS FRUSTRATED.