hiatus

Well, I have some sad news for those looking for poker updates--for a few reasons (which I'll get into below) I'm going to be taking a hiatus from casino life.

To start with, the last couple sessions went pretty poorly. Nothing devastating or out of the ordinary, just a pretty bad downswing, which is standard for poker (for those who took stats, variance plays a big roll in the game). At first I just intended to take a break for a while, but the more I thought about it and ran some things through in my head, the more I realized I need to make some changes.

So...I'm taking an extended leave of absence from poker in order to get my life straight in some other areas. Don't get me wrong, I'm not in a bad place right now, but I'm certainly not where I'd like to be in setting myself up for the next several years and what I want to do with my life.

Poker has helped me stay true to my beliefs about work and money, but it's also kept me from focusing on some more important aspects of my life. Despite the title of this blog, I think my life right now needs a little more structure than it has. I've never been against structure, but rather I've been adamant in my disagreement with too much structure--balance is key.

What does this structure include? Well, since I (most likely) only have another month and a half in Boston, I want to spend the time doing the following more...

1. Eat healthy
2. Stay fit
3. Read
4. Write
5. Watch movies (less TV)

As of this weekend, I am beginning a week-long detox fast. While the health benefits of detox and alternative medicine in general are debatable, fasting and detox (expelling harmful toxins from the body by eating healthy and taking certain herbs--in this case in tea form) can be really effective on a psychological and spiritual level. Apparently it can really lighten the body and, effectively, the mind. I'm getting sick of continuously clogging my body with greasy fast food and microwavable shit, so I want to use this week-long fast as a springboard to a healthy eating lifestyle. I'll be eating just limited quantities of fruits and steamed vegetables and drinking lots of water and a special detox tea. Sounds gross I know, but I think this is needed.

Also, I'm going to try and start working on maintaining at least a semblance of a schedule. This includes, perhaps most importantly, getting up earlier to make more of my days instead of sleeping in and wasting away in front of the TV. Which brings me to media, i.e. watching more movies. Film is my life, so I really need to start taking greater advantage of my Netflix and watch less television.

Finally, I'd like to read more and run/work out regularly to stay (or get...) in better shape.

Over the next month and half before my lease for my apartment in Boston ends, this will be my charge. That means cutting out the irregularity and repercussions of the poker lifestyle. Of course, I will still be updating you on my "quest" to live free of the 9 to 5! Just with a little less poker...

(You'll certainly be hearing from me during my week-long fast...I'm sure I'll have a lot to write about...the degree of pain maybe?)