I haven't really talked about this with too many people, but every once in a while, I like to just type out my thoughts as a therapeutic thing. So I'm going to do that.
I'm struggling a bit right now. It's not been the easiest month for me, just kind of trying to figure out where I'm supposed to be, what I'm supposed to do, and what is making me happy. Those types of major issues. There are obviously deeper ones that I won't get in to here, but it's manifesting itself in to aggravating what has been a nice dormant depressive state. As weird as it sounds, a lot of things are going very well in my life, and I'm really not used to that. I think I expected something to go wrong over the past year or so, something major, and nothing has. As a result, I don't know what to do, and it scared the hell out of me.
Ultimately, I know how lucky I am to have that as a problem. But when what you've been used to through most of your life is dealing with states of depression or just difficulty, whatever you want to call it, these types of things can become much more major than maybe they should be.
Julia has been very supportive, which I'm appreciative of. I don't imagine it is easy for her, especially considering she's dealing with many of the same things. I'm pretty used to dealing with this, but it's always been on my own. Dealing with it while also trying to be a good supportive boyfriend is a challenge.
I know that this will pass. That doesn't mean that it won't be difficult in the mean time. I'm struggling with sleep right now, which is of course typical, and not helpful.
My friends Scot and Michelle will be leaving for Boston tomorrow. That won't be easy. They're such great people, that no matter how happy I am for them, it still is just one of those very difficult things. I've known Scot for 7-8 years now. He's been a very good friend. And no matter how many times you have this happen, with the Walls, Satkuses, McNabb-Daschlers...it's still pretty hard.
I'll try not to have many more posts like this. Like I said, sometimes I just feel a need to type these things out and put it out there. It's a good space for me to do it.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Random Updates
Well, sure, I suck at updating of late. You would think that because it's the slow time of my year that I'd have more time. Which is probably true, I just haven't had a ton of updates to give. So here goes:
We went to Charleston, Raleigh, Savannah, Atlanta, and Nashville a couple weeks ago. It was a good experience on the whole. Here are my quick reviews:
1) Raleigh. Not overly impressed. Seems nice, but also not the most organized city. We hung out with Julia's friend Lindsay, which was a lot of fun, and that was where I picked up my Admiral Ackbar action figure for just $2. Well worth it.
2) Charleston. I did enjoy the city. We went and checked out Fort Sumter, which was a lot of fun. We got to go out on a boat to the little island Fort, and walk around there, with lots of history. We could see across the harbor to the point where the troops featured in "Glory" faced their final battle. I don't know why, but I am a bit fascinated by Civil War stuff. So seeing where the Civil War began was quite interesting. They have a very nice historic district in the city, and Julia said it reminded her of New Orleans. (She's in New Orleans this week, by the way). Also saw an old slave mart, which had the potential to be an enlightening moment, but really wasn't, unfortunately. Just a poorly put together museum in that there was little interaction, just lots of reading signs.
3) Savannah. Big thumbs up for Savannah. Surprisingly, the city only has a population of around 150K. I just expectd more. The architecture was beautiful. The spanish moss was gorgeous. The city parks every two block made it a fun city to walk. They have a very lively river walk as well. Most art galleries per capita of any city in the US. All in all, definitely my favorite city on the tour. On the trip down, we had listened to Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which was set in Savannah, so we had a little bit of history going in. Unfortunately, the house that was the setting for the book/movie was a bit expensive, so we didn't go in. And we also forgot to get to the cemetery mentioned in the book as well, so that's something to do the next time we're there. And I would like to go back. Great food there too.
4) Atlanta. Monstrosity. Went to the MLK Center again, and it's just an amazing and powerful few buildings to get a grasp of the Civil Rights movement. Unfortunately, it looks like they haven't had a lot of money going in, and it's in a slight bit of disrepair. So, I donated some money, in the hopes that they'll get it together. We also went to the zoo and saw the pandas, which means I've now seen pandas 3 times. Not bad. Also, their Botanical Garden is beautiful. Great walking course through it, and even though we got caught in a thunderstorm, it was worth it. But good lord is that city huge and difficult to navigate.
5) Nashville. I really enjoy Nashville. It was made a little better this time as we got to see my best friend from my childhood, Steve, and his quite pregnant wife, Robin. They took us for a nice Southern family style meal (which was difficult for me as I couldn't eat much of the delicious barbeque and fried chicken), and then to a couple of honky tonks downtown. Sadly, the Grand Ole Opry was closed, but that didn't stop me from going to Cooters. That's right, Cooter's. As in Cooter, from the Dukes of Hazzard. I'll get some pictures up sometime soon, probably on facebook. But yeah, they have all the vehicles from the show, and jut a ton of memorabilia. Good stuff.
That wraps up that week.
I've been reading a lot of poker books, and this past week, reached $100 in my poker stars account. Today, I slipped back under to $99, but the $100 mark was a big one for me. I've been working hard and grinding to a point where I could start playing a few more bigger tournaments, and now that I've gotten to that point, I can do that. So good for me.
I was thoroughly disappointed in the lack of a victory from the US World Cup team on Saturday. The biggest players didn't play big in their biggest opportunity, and that was sincerely disappointing. I continue to hope for the US to get one or two more difference makers.
Julia is in New Orleans this week, and then goes to LA the weekend after. Yikes.
I'm off to play some softball, weather permitting. If I've forgotten anything, please let me know.
We went to Charleston, Raleigh, Savannah, Atlanta, and Nashville a couple weeks ago. It was a good experience on the whole. Here are my quick reviews:
1) Raleigh. Not overly impressed. Seems nice, but also not the most organized city. We hung out with Julia's friend Lindsay, which was a lot of fun, and that was where I picked up my Admiral Ackbar action figure for just $2. Well worth it.
2) Charleston. I did enjoy the city. We went and checked out Fort Sumter, which was a lot of fun. We got to go out on a boat to the little island Fort, and walk around there, with lots of history. We could see across the harbor to the point where the troops featured in "Glory" faced their final battle. I don't know why, but I am a bit fascinated by Civil War stuff. So seeing where the Civil War began was quite interesting. They have a very nice historic district in the city, and Julia said it reminded her of New Orleans. (She's in New Orleans this week, by the way). Also saw an old slave mart, which had the potential to be an enlightening moment, but really wasn't, unfortunately. Just a poorly put together museum in that there was little interaction, just lots of reading signs.
3) Savannah. Big thumbs up for Savannah. Surprisingly, the city only has a population of around 150K. I just expectd more. The architecture was beautiful. The spanish moss was gorgeous. The city parks every two block made it a fun city to walk. They have a very lively river walk as well. Most art galleries per capita of any city in the US. All in all, definitely my favorite city on the tour. On the trip down, we had listened to Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which was set in Savannah, so we had a little bit of history going in. Unfortunately, the house that was the setting for the book/movie was a bit expensive, so we didn't go in. And we also forgot to get to the cemetery mentioned in the book as well, so that's something to do the next time we're there. And I would like to go back. Great food there too.
4) Atlanta. Monstrosity. Went to the MLK Center again, and it's just an amazing and powerful few buildings to get a grasp of the Civil Rights movement. Unfortunately, it looks like they haven't had a lot of money going in, and it's in a slight bit of disrepair. So, I donated some money, in the hopes that they'll get it together. We also went to the zoo and saw the pandas, which means I've now seen pandas 3 times. Not bad. Also, their Botanical Garden is beautiful. Great walking course through it, and even though we got caught in a thunderstorm, it was worth it. But good lord is that city huge and difficult to navigate.
5) Nashville. I really enjoy Nashville. It was made a little better this time as we got to see my best friend from my childhood, Steve, and his quite pregnant wife, Robin. They took us for a nice Southern family style meal (which was difficult for me as I couldn't eat much of the delicious barbeque and fried chicken), and then to a couple of honky tonks downtown. Sadly, the Grand Ole Opry was closed, but that didn't stop me from going to Cooters. That's right, Cooter's. As in Cooter, from the Dukes of Hazzard. I'll get some pictures up sometime soon, probably on facebook. But yeah, they have all the vehicles from the show, and jut a ton of memorabilia. Good stuff.
That wraps up that week.
I've been reading a lot of poker books, and this past week, reached $100 in my poker stars account. Today, I slipped back under to $99, but the $100 mark was a big one for me. I've been working hard and grinding to a point where I could start playing a few more bigger tournaments, and now that I've gotten to that point, I can do that. So good for me.
I was thoroughly disappointed in the lack of a victory from the US World Cup team on Saturday. The biggest players didn't play big in their biggest opportunity, and that was sincerely disappointing. I continue to hope for the US to get one or two more difference makers.
Julia is in New Orleans this week, and then goes to LA the weekend after. Yikes.
I'm off to play some softball, weather permitting. If I've forgotten anything, please let me know.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Sure, I haven't posted in a month, but...
Here's something to get you ready for the U.S. and Ghana tomorrow.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
My interview with Faraz Jaka
On Wednesday, I got a chance to talk with Faraz Jaka. Faraz was recently ranked by ESPN as one of the top 10 poker players in the world, and is a 24 year old graduate of the U of I. Since 2007, he has over 3.4 million in poker tournament earnings, including 7 cashes at the World Series of Poker. I thought it would be fun to chat with him as the WSOP gets underway on Friday. I'll be airing the interview in an edited version next week on the air, but this is the full thing. Hopefully, he'll be able to make it down for a couple of Illini games this fall, showing off a new bracelet.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Quick update:
Today is Monday, the day after Lost wrapped up. I'm going on 2 1/2 hours sleep. Managed to not screw up on air. Which in itself is quite astounding.
Things have been nice and quiet for me over the past week, which is nice. And Julia ended up going out of town for the entire weekend, so I really didn't have a ton of obligations or things to do, so I got two night of good, solid sleep, and allowed myself some time to just relax. It was spectacular.
Unfortunately, the heat has kicked in, and so has my obscene reaction to it. I tried running on Saturday evening, with the temperature still at 80. After 30 minutes, of a 52 minute run, I felt like my body was going to shut down. Not good, considering I was 2 1/2 miles from home. But I busted through it. Good lord I hate hot weather. Well, I shouldn't say that. I hate how my body reacts to it.
Got in a solid softball game last night, with the Crackmonkeys defeating the Astronutz, 24-1. 3 of the Monkeys had previously played on the Nutz, and 2 of the Nutz have played on the Monkeys, so lots of drama there. Just glad it is over with, and we got extremely lucky to have scored 24 runs. In 3 innings. Most of them in a 17 run stretch with 2 outs in the 3rd. Yikes.
Going on vacation in a couple of weeks. Can't remember if I posted the official destination list in my last post, but here it is:
Raleigh for 2 nights
Charleston for 1
Savannah for 1
Atlanta for 2
Nashville for 1
Then back.
Should be fun. Looking forward to getting on the road. I love driving around more than flying to and from. Love the freedom involved in it. If I had a month, and a ton of cash, I'd just hop in a car and just go and figure out where I'm going later. So, apparently, I need to work on gaining some cash. So that I can quit my job, and then just drive around. That would be alright. Ultimately, I'd love to do a tour of every baseball stadium during a summer. We all have our weird dreams.
Things have been nice and quiet for me over the past week, which is nice. And Julia ended up going out of town for the entire weekend, so I really didn't have a ton of obligations or things to do, so I got two night of good, solid sleep, and allowed myself some time to just relax. It was spectacular.
Unfortunately, the heat has kicked in, and so has my obscene reaction to it. I tried running on Saturday evening, with the temperature still at 80. After 30 minutes, of a 52 minute run, I felt like my body was going to shut down. Not good, considering I was 2 1/2 miles from home. But I busted through it. Good lord I hate hot weather. Well, I shouldn't say that. I hate how my body reacts to it.
Got in a solid softball game last night, with the Crackmonkeys defeating the Astronutz, 24-1. 3 of the Monkeys had previously played on the Nutz, and 2 of the Nutz have played on the Monkeys, so lots of drama there. Just glad it is over with, and we got extremely lucky to have scored 24 runs. In 3 innings. Most of them in a 17 run stretch with 2 outs in the 3rd. Yikes.
Going on vacation in a couple of weeks. Can't remember if I posted the official destination list in my last post, but here it is:
Raleigh for 2 nights
Charleston for 1
Savannah for 1
Atlanta for 2
Nashville for 1
Then back.
Should be fun. Looking forward to getting on the road. I love driving around more than flying to and from. Love the freedom involved in it. If I had a month, and a ton of cash, I'd just hop in a car and just go and figure out where I'm going later. So, apparently, I need to work on gaining some cash. So that I can quit my job, and then just drive around. That would be alright. Ultimately, I'd love to do a tour of every baseball stadium during a summer. We all have our weird dreams.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Marathon results, poker results, and Julia prepares to graduate!
I realize I haven't had a ton of substance of late, so i apologize for that.
Let's see. The Illinois marathon was on May 1st. The Cation Crazies team did very well, in that we all finished within our goal times. I'm proud of my Dad and mary, who both lost weight, and completed a difficult goal while going through classes/work/searching for a job. It's a matter of scheduling and making time for yourself. They both did it, and we finished our relay.
For me, I did 13.8ish miles in 2:02:30. It's not the greatest time I've ever had in a marathon. But considering my knees have given me hell over the past 2 months, I'm thrilled to have finished it. I also want to give out a shout to two members of the Illinois soccer team, Danielle Kot and Christina Sahly. They were running with Coach Janet Rayfield, and I passed them with about a mile left in my relay. And they were nice enough to come run with me for that last mile, and really pushed me, to the point that I felt like I was going to puke. While that part wasn't fun, I did enjoy the opportunity to hang out with some good people while running. I owe both of them a drink once they complete their eligibility.
I recovered pretty well, actually, and the next morning, I felt pretty good. It wasn't until I tried to play softball that my left knee completely locked up. That was fun. I tried to convince my personal trainer, rebma, that I had burst my bursa sac in my knee, but of course she didn't buy it. Mostly because it wasn't true. That's beside the point.
I've finally gotten back to running this week, and feel alright about it. I think I'm going to do Mahomet, but I've got to figure out what more race that I can get in over the summer. Any suggestions, I'm listening.
Poker: I did not cash in either of the free tournaments for which I received entries. The first one I played was on Sunday afternoon, and I stayed in for about 2 1/2 hours or so, and just didn't play well. I felt like people were able to toy with me a little bit, because I actually felt like I was out of my element, and played like it. I put way too much pressure on myself, and was overthinking everything, and trying to do way too much. Basic tournament play, which players without a TON of experience can understand and complete, can get you rather far in large tournaments. I veered from where I was comfortable, trying to do much, and trying to do things that I don't have the experience to do yet. And I felt like it. Made some bad decisions, and had to live with it.
Tuesday night, I played in the $109 tournament, with a bunch of people that are well above my "poker income" level. But I have to say, I played a lot better. I played more solid, basic, tournament poker. I was able to make a couple of moves when I had position, and played a couple of hands/cards that were out of my normal comfort range. Unfortunately, I put myself in a coin flip position when I knew a guy didn't have the better hand (my 8s, versus his Ace King offsuit), where I'm a 55% favorite, and he hit two pair on the flop, and a full house on the turn. For me to have any chance in a tournament like that, I have to get lucky a couple of times, and win those coin flip situations. Had I won that hand, I would have been in very good position after two hours of play, and who knows what happens. But I didn't, and I played good enough to play for another hour, but that was it. It was a terrific experience, and I played pretty well when I got decent cards. So I can't complain.
What I've learned, pokerwise, is that I need to get a little bit more multi-table tournament experience. So I'm going to try and do that once I hit my $100 bankroll (I'm at 84, was as high as 86, so its slow, but getting there), and also move up in my cash games as well. I also think I play a little bit better against better players. It forces me to use my critical thinking skills, and I think I did well on that.
OK, Julia graduates on Saturday. That's good. She's worked very hard over the past few years, and ever since we started dating. It will be a new chapter for the two of us, as she won't have classes on Monday and Wednesday (and sometimes Thursday) night, and for at least the next three months, I don't have much announcing to do. This weekend, she'll walk on Saturday, and she's got a lot of family and friends in town. Should be fun, and overwhelming at the same time.
Outside of that, it's been a busy few weeks. My last announcing gig will be on Tuesday. And then...who knows?
Oh, final trip details on destinations: Raleigh, Savannah (with a quick stop in Charleston), Atlanta, Nashville, possibly a quick stop in Lexington. I really like Civil War history, and so we'll do some of that.
Let's see. The Illinois marathon was on May 1st. The Cation Crazies team did very well, in that we all finished within our goal times. I'm proud of my Dad and mary, who both lost weight, and completed a difficult goal while going through classes/work/searching for a job. It's a matter of scheduling and making time for yourself. They both did it, and we finished our relay.
For me, I did 13.8ish miles in 2:02:30. It's not the greatest time I've ever had in a marathon. But considering my knees have given me hell over the past 2 months, I'm thrilled to have finished it. I also want to give out a shout to two members of the Illinois soccer team, Danielle Kot and Christina Sahly. They were running with Coach Janet Rayfield, and I passed them with about a mile left in my relay. And they were nice enough to come run with me for that last mile, and really pushed me, to the point that I felt like I was going to puke. While that part wasn't fun, I did enjoy the opportunity to hang out with some good people while running. I owe both of them a drink once they complete their eligibility.
I recovered pretty well, actually, and the next morning, I felt pretty good. It wasn't until I tried to play softball that my left knee completely locked up. That was fun. I tried to convince my personal trainer, rebma, that I had burst my bursa sac in my knee, but of course she didn't buy it. Mostly because it wasn't true. That's beside the point.
I've finally gotten back to running this week, and feel alright about it. I think I'm going to do Mahomet, but I've got to figure out what more race that I can get in over the summer. Any suggestions, I'm listening.
Poker: I did not cash in either of the free tournaments for which I received entries. The first one I played was on Sunday afternoon, and I stayed in for about 2 1/2 hours or so, and just didn't play well. I felt like people were able to toy with me a little bit, because I actually felt like I was out of my element, and played like it. I put way too much pressure on myself, and was overthinking everything, and trying to do way too much. Basic tournament play, which players without a TON of experience can understand and complete, can get you rather far in large tournaments. I veered from where I was comfortable, trying to do much, and trying to do things that I don't have the experience to do yet. And I felt like it. Made some bad decisions, and had to live with it.
Tuesday night, I played in the $109 tournament, with a bunch of people that are well above my "poker income" level. But I have to say, I played a lot better. I played more solid, basic, tournament poker. I was able to make a couple of moves when I had position, and played a couple of hands/cards that were out of my normal comfort range. Unfortunately, I put myself in a coin flip position when I knew a guy didn't have the better hand (my 8s, versus his Ace King offsuit), where I'm a 55% favorite, and he hit two pair on the flop, and a full house on the turn. For me to have any chance in a tournament like that, I have to get lucky a couple of times, and win those coin flip situations. Had I won that hand, I would have been in very good position after two hours of play, and who knows what happens. But I didn't, and I played good enough to play for another hour, but that was it. It was a terrific experience, and I played pretty well when I got decent cards. So I can't complain.
What I've learned, pokerwise, is that I need to get a little bit more multi-table tournament experience. So I'm going to try and do that once I hit my $100 bankroll (I'm at 84, was as high as 86, so its slow, but getting there), and also move up in my cash games as well. I also think I play a little bit better against better players. It forces me to use my critical thinking skills, and I think I did well on that.
OK, Julia graduates on Saturday. That's good. She's worked very hard over the past few years, and ever since we started dating. It will be a new chapter for the two of us, as she won't have classes on Monday and Wednesday (and sometimes Thursday) night, and for at least the next three months, I don't have much announcing to do. This weekend, she'll walk on Saturday, and she's got a lot of family and friends in town. Should be fun, and overwhelming at the same time.
Outside of that, it's been a busy few weeks. My last announcing gig will be on Tuesday. And then...who knows?
Oh, final trip details on destinations: Raleigh, Savannah (with a quick stop in Charleston), Atlanta, Nashville, possibly a quick stop in Lexington. I really like Civil War history, and so we'll do some of that.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Restaurant to remember in Chicago
For all my friends in Chicago, and also for me, so that I go back there the next time I'm there.
Las Mananitas
3523 N. Halsted St. (Boys Town near Wrigley)
773-528-2109
Poker tournament on Sunday and Tuesday. Excited and nervous. More on that later.
Las Mananitas
3523 N. Halsted St. (Boys Town near Wrigley)
773-528-2109
Poker tournament on Sunday and Tuesday. Excited and nervous. More on that later.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Current poker update
On pokerstars, I continue to make slow and steady progress toward my goal of having $100 in my account by June. I got to 85 at one point last week, only to lose $4 in one day, most of it on one hand where I had pocket Aces, which, for those of you that don't know, is the best hand you can have pre-flop. That was a bummer.
I'm also really enjoying playing live with Tony and his vet friends. Mostly because of the fact that Tony has a couple of drinks, and so does everyone else, and I sit there stone sober, and watch them do some crazy things. For example, Tony took it upon himself this past weekend to fall out of his chair. Yet I couldn't quite take any of his money. Card dead.
Speaking of which, if anybody out there is thinking ahead for a nice birthday present for Mike Cation, Card Player magazine would be swell.
I'm also finding I really enjoy discussing hands as they come up. I wish I had a few more people to discuss them with.
After I move up upon reaching $100 in my account, I'd also love to try some other games on poker stars. I've already found some good videos about how to play pot-limit omaha and how to play 7 card stud, but I think it'll take some more time to really "get" those games. Especially when I won't get a lot of experience playing it live.
I also have to start thinking about when I can go up and play in Chicago sometime soon.
That's all on that front for now. My thoughts on the Illinois Marathon are upcoming tomorrow.
I'm also really enjoying playing live with Tony and his vet friends. Mostly because of the fact that Tony has a couple of drinks, and so does everyone else, and I sit there stone sober, and watch them do some crazy things. For example, Tony took it upon himself this past weekend to fall out of his chair. Yet I couldn't quite take any of his money. Card dead.
Speaking of which, if anybody out there is thinking ahead for a nice birthday present for Mike Cation, Card Player magazine would be swell.
I'm also finding I really enjoy discussing hands as they come up. I wish I had a few more people to discuss them with.
After I move up upon reaching $100 in my account, I'd also love to try some other games on poker stars. I've already found some good videos about how to play pot-limit omaha and how to play 7 card stud, but I think it'll take some more time to really "get" those games. Especially when I won't get a lot of experience playing it live.
I also have to start thinking about when I can go up and play in Chicago sometime soon.
That's all on that front for now. My thoughts on the Illinois Marathon are upcoming tomorrow.
Monday, April 26, 2010
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