It's been awhile...

I typed this about 2 weeks ago otw to san diego and LA...

Well, it sure has been a long while since I've shared my thoughts in a blog...

It's been so long I don't even know where to start, and since I'm on a plane, I don't even know where I left off last.

It's been quite the interesting last number of months. July was the wsop and getting all of the remodelling figured out for the new house while still living at Jon's. I was hoping to be moved in by the beginning of August but it Bill the contractor was taking his time on his terrible work. I was fed up at the end of august and decided to move in and just deal with the contruction pains and noise and maybe that would make him move faster.

I don't really feel like rehashing every last detail, but the gist is he did nothing but terrible work, his tile/stonework had to be scrapped and I had to hire a seperate contractor to redo the bathroom and entry way, and that took time to find and wait for their availability. They finished up a faaantastic job about 2 weeks ago and Bill was finishing up some of the plumbing in the bathroom when he decided to take the shower valve cap off without turning the main water line off. I heard it from my office and knew immediately what happened. I don't remember the last time I ran that fast. Down one flight of stairs...sprint, down another flight of stairs, sprint. Crank, crank crank crank omg hurry up turn off! Got it. As I go back to the main floor water is just pooooouring out of the canned lights. Towels. Every last one I could find. buckets/bins. Check. The new wood floor was not damaged, but the cieling on the main floor and the carpet in the master were. All said and done not some huuuge deal, but the last straw for mr bill. I should have fired him long before, but I guess I just put too much faith in people...and with all the delays just wanted stuff done so I could move on. This was too much. I had to fire him, and he took it just fine it seems. I probably paid for a little more than the services I recieved but I just want to move forward.

So, I've hired a new contractor and he's been finishing up. He'll be done soon and as soon as I pick out replacement carpet for my bedroom, I can actually live in it! Haha. I wouldn't even remotely care except for the woodpeckers that seem to like the front of my house and constantly wake me up. It's good they're on the wall that my bed is one because a good pounding and they're gone for a half hour. Haha.

My furnature has been delayed in addition to my disdain of all the detailed decorating involved in furnishing a house. I have a decorator helping me and she's been good, she's just a little on the over-creative side so I can't just trust her to do her own thing...

I've learned a lot about people and project management as well as being a responsible adult in the last number of months. I've lovvvved having the house to myself at night but 2 days ago was the first time somebody else hasn't been there during the day. It's not particularly annoying having people in your house working on things but it just gets tired after a while. I actually have to get dressed and stuff?!!?! WHAT? Haha. It's nice just being in charge of things and I've learned a lot of 'handiman' things of which were no interest to me b4 having my own house. I also like being able not deal with/address things when I don't want to. There is no mother or other roommates who have to suffer the consequences. I was the only one who got to care when I didn't have trash service for the first 2 weeks of living there. :)

I spent a couple weeks up north with my family and then michelles family in august so it was one of my lowest hour months in a couple years, yet the time I put in I ran well so I made a healthy amount which made relaxing away from life that much easier. September and October Michelle has been very busy with her masters program so in addition to the big twins push I've been playing a lot of poker with great results. EVen still, the long hours with the house stuff I think had me a little more stressed out than I like being. I bet the twins actually didn't help down the stretch. heh.

I just feel like I've really honed in on a place in poker where I can make great money (hu limit online) and I want to take advantage of it while the landscape is the way it is. Put some money in the bank so if something changes, even drastically I have time and resources to reestablish another method without giving up the lifestyle I've become accustom to. So this definitely means playing a little more than would be 'fun' but it's all about the fututure. If I wouldn't have played live/tournaments I'd be havinbg a really good year but unless something changes in the last 2 months, have to settle for a 'decent year' because I've just lost my ass live and haven't done anything in any tourneys. I guess in 2009 decent year is good as almost everyone in normal business is having a crappy year.


A friend and I started a business project a couple weeks ago that has some good possibility of being a good passive income generator. It's not a get rich type of thing but quite possibly a liveable enterprise. I have some ownership in a couple other companies and I'm just trying to touch more things with the hope that eventually all together they can cover living expenses. I don't plan on ever quitting poker, it'd just be nice to have some non poker income (obviously, lol).

I really wish turbulance on planes didn't affect me. I'm so jealous of those who just cruise through it like it's some fun ride. I had a hell of a time on the last flight from DET to CHI and then on to MSP. We had to fly through storms and it was missserable. The entire flight from chi to msp i just sat there with my head in my hands in my lap constantly looking at my watch hoping to be closer. Somehow, I've never thrown up on a commercial flight (but did on a small private plane when i was like 8) yet I feel like garbage a reasonable amount of the time I fly. It's mostly the decent that gets me and more than one in a day is almost always trouble...so I'm gonna start sucking it up and paying for the more expensive direct flights so I don't have to suffer. My thrify side just thinks it's dumb but it's getting the point after all the misery.

I've also decided I need to treat myself to another helicopter skiing day this winter. I just had so much fun 2 years ago and what's the point of all this work if I really don't do what I think is the most fun thing in the whole world every once in awhile. I'm really jonesing for a nice little ski trip and with the little snow we've gotten (that didn't stick) it has me really in the mood. The rainy crap we've had lately I can do without...nice weather or winter sounds better..haha.