What We Repeatedly Do

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What do you do with a blog when you feel as though you really have nothing to say?

The whole "I've got nothing to say" has been on my mind a lot recently. I jumped on Twitter the other day and was really surprised at the number of followers I have there.  I'm flummoxed as to why people follow me and I'm finding that the more people follow me, the less I seem to have to say. Maybe it's stage fright. I should just post a song link and get over it...I'm sure I will (because if you follow me there, you likely already know I often, way-too-often, suffer from foot in mouth stream of consciousness diarrhea...sorry about that).

But what's a poker playing talky girl to do when she's not playing poker, and not doing much of anything, really?

I know the end of the year is supposed to be a time of introspection. A time to think back on what was good and bad, and a time to set goals. But somehow, in the midst of getting the house ready, and having family over, and celebrating Christmas and then the New Year, I failed to make any time for all that. We're into day three here, people, and I still haven't really done it.

Instead, what has been on my mind is how I feel I have nothing to say...and this continual looping thread of a line - "We are what we repeatedly do."

I guess I'm (finally?) coming to the realization that some (much?) of what I've been repeatedly doing is, well, not so good. And I want to change that.

Everybody hates resolutions, right? But goals are important. Having missed my goal in November for NaNoWriMo, I know how important they are (and I also know one thing I'd most definitely like to do, repeatedly, better - follow through on goals *ahem*).

So...here's my stream-of-consciousness-wanting for myself in the New Year: 

Eat better
Be present
Put down the iPhone (or the FaceBook or the Twitter or the TV or the game) more
Walk the loop, every day
Read
Read some more
Be quiet
Think
Give
Get involved
Sing
Write
Follow through

Live.

And live some more. Repeatedly.

And then, maybe, you'll (me) have something to say.

The specifics, the quantifiable objectives, I'll save for me. But yeah...I think that's the gist of what I'm aiming for this year.

How about you?

And by the way, Happy (belated) New Year!

Last One In...First One Out

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Goose: Yeeha, Jester's dead!
Wolfman: Won this bulls***?
Goose: Didn't everybody?
Hollywood: Hell no, man. We got our butts kicked.
Wolfman: Thirty seconds. We went like this, he went like that. I said to Hollywood, "Where'd he go?" Hollywood says, "Where'd whooooo go?"
Hollywood: Yeah, and he's laughing at us, right on the radio, he's laughing at us.


OMG, as cheesy as it was, Top Gun is one of my all-time favorite movies.  And I was reminded of it this past weekend after sitting maaaaybe five minutes into my league poker game and busting on the 4th hand.  Mainly because I felt just like Wolfman, "We went like this, he went like that...." and BOOM, I was outta there.

Karmic-ly, I went out on a similar hand to what I busted S the week before (I raise AQo on the button after 5 people limp.  One caller w/ QT.  Turn brought him an A-high straight, while I just had TP..."where'd whoooo go???" And...scene).  I could have laid down the hand and been short, but my thinking when the river paired the board was: "the only way I'm going to win this hand is if I shove."  Nice guy tanked and tanked and gave me credit for AK, but made a good call with the best hand and that was all she wrote. I titled the blog "Last One in...First One Out" because I got to the tourney late, was the last one to arrive and was walking out the door within fifteen minutes of getting there.  Curse words here.

Other than that, there's not much to report on the poker front.  Absent a saving tournament yesterday, I'd be slightly down on my MTT challenge.  Since February 22, I'm playing, on average, nine tournaments a day.  Out of the nine days I've played, I've had two winning days.  And my bankroll is up to $3500.  I've still not made a top three score, and that's the only goal there is, so I'm a little bummed with that.  But, playing like this has really helped me to stop being so results oriented.  And that's a good thing.  I'm focusing solely on playing the absolute best poker I can play, results be damned, and that can only help my game.  That's what I'm hoping for anyway.

One other thing I'm doing is playing two or three tables of cash at the end of each day, depending on how early I bust out of MTTs, and I've started a bit of a challenge with these.  John Kim has an excellent blog and in a recent post, he's started a challenge of winning 100 buyins at the $5/$10 nl stake. I like goals, too, and so I figured it would be a good motivator for me to try the same at my $.10/$.25 nl stake.  I usually buy in at $20 a pop, playing 6max.  I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Last but not least - who'll be in Vegas this summer for the series?  I will be!!  And I booked my room last week - wheeee!  @EvryDaySaturday and my aunt, will once again, be making the trip with me and I can't wait.  We'll be there from June 27 through July 7.  Who else is planning to be there?  I hope we can have a Twitter get-together because I'd love to meet up with you guys.

In the meantime, I hope you're running good and running over your tables.  Good luck, amigos.


 


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New Year, New Goals...screw that, just bring on the POKER!

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This is the obligatory New Year's "serenity" picture

After all this time I bet you guys thought I was never gonna post again!  Blasphemy!

So...we went to Germany for the holidays and stayed with family for 16 whole days...ahem...therefore, while Germany was wonderful, you can imagine how we all got on each other's nerves.  Thank God we're family and hopefully everyone can recuperate by summertime so we can do it all over again (insert evil laugh and grin here my BFF SIL).*

 All I know is I go away for a few weeks and everything changes in the poker world.  Annie and Phil have left UB.  We're about to find out who Isildur1 is (whatever, can't even be bothered to figure out how to spell that).  Sebock** (maybe?  maybe not?  Either way, not too shabby, hombre) is sharing the pleasures of manscaping.  Harry Reid still can't get legislation passed.  Daniel Negreanu is judging yet another person about their life choices.  Wait a minute...ok, maybe some things haven't changed.

At any rate, here's hoping that 2011 will be a banner year for everyone.  What are your goals for the new year?  What are you doing to achieve those goals?  If you're planning to fly by the seat of your pants, I wish you well.  I generally do that, too, but am still working on my discipline which shall, forthwith, include, but shall in no manner be limited to, the following:

1. The continued blogging of  my travails (poker and otherwise) as the year progresses;
2. The persistent study of the game of NLHE poker via videos, books, regular play, @thewaxslinger***, and maybe a course with The Maven;
3. Testing the limits of stake-age and higher limit MTTs (with my pahdna @thewaxslinger)
4. Participation in live events, with at least one "travel out of town" tournament a month til the WSOP;
5. Oh my gosh I've gotta go on a diet;
6. Two weeks at this year's WSOP because I'm playing the ME baby (when I sat into it or sell enough pieces, that is); and last, but not least,
7. Love.  Love.  Love.  Love. Crazy Love.  CanNOT forget that.

My daughter's currently in a Hip Hop dance class (JAZZ HANDS!), Basketball, and Tumbling, and she rocks at all of it.  Plus, the day job and my Bahbee must receive fair recompense.  So...it's gonna be a great year people.  I hope for you, too!

Tell me what you're doing to improve your game, your life, your...sandwich?  I love hearing your comments and really appreciate that you take the time to write them.

Until next time, good luck at the tables, amigos.  And - Happy New Year!

* If you are reading this my BFF SIL, leave a comment. Luz you!
** Please, did you really think I would link to that??  My mom reads this blog!!
*** You really should start following her on twitter already.