I have had a big post rattling around in my noggin about resolutions. But I hate the whole idea of New Year's Resolutions, mainly because everybody else does them and I hate being a bandwagon jumper.

But I've come to the conclusion that I needs me some goals to get me through the next phase in life. Bad things happen when I drift too much; I think too much and my thoughts become too self centered, opening the door for Jealousy, and her sister, Bitterness. I'm tired of it. Enough already.

It being the beginning of a new year, and everyone eager for the usual fresh starts, Lifehacker had a timely post on managing resolutions that hit me at the right time.

I <3 Lifehacker.

I won't bore you with the details of my goals, but I've wrangled them from the general (I want to be a better person and lose weight) to the specific and measurable (go out with Keith or with friends at least twice a week, play 10% less poker and donate that buy-in money to Kiva.org). My goals can pretty much be summed in in six words:


Less online life, more live life.


I love you all dearly, but I really need to step away from the keyboard and get my ass out my front door more often. WAY more often.

So far my plan is working. On Sunday I joined my pal Su for brunch, catching up over a lovely wild mushroom and brie omelet.

Tuesday saw me meeting the lovely, newly-blonde Tawny downtown and heading out to Mr and Mrs. Sauga for some live poker. They've moved further out so the days of weekly home game are over, but a bi-monthly or monthly game is in the works. We had a slight misstep while getting on the GO Train ("OHMIGAWD, we're on the wrong train", followed by a mad dash while the doors were closing), but it was a nice night of poker and Rock Band.

Yesterday I joined Astin at the club for their Wednesday $40 tournament. They've recently lowered all their weekly buyins to $40, and added an Omaha tourney on Thursdays, so it opens up a lot more nights for me. They've also recently moved and the new space is so much bigger!

Reviewing my play during the two nights of live poker, I've come to the realisation that like an 80-year-old driver, I've deluded myself into thinking that I'm still an above-average driver when it's obvious to all and sundry that my skills have slipped and I've fallen into bad habits. My live game both nights was sooooooo weak-passive, and I misplayed perfectly decent hands while making little or no effort to make reads.

Time to take myself to skule. And to remember that the range of hands to play in a live donkey game with a fast blind structure is much different than the range in a blogger game.

The BEST hand of the night came just before the first break. A table had broken, and Astin and another player I recognize were seated at my table. I don't remember the pre-flop betting pattern, but ended up that it was just Astin and the other new player were the only ones in the hand, and the other guy was allin. When he flipped over aces, I leaned over and jokingly asked Astin "So what are you going to crack them with?". With KQ KJ off apparently, with a set on the river no less.

I really need to start channeling my inner Astin.