May 10 - I'm moving...

...to another blog place =) I finally put wordpress on my splitsuit.com website, so I will be moving this blog over there so I can consolidate info+blog. So I will be done posting here, and you can follow me right over to www.splitsuit.com and enjoy the new site with me =)

And for those that read me through RSS, I have a new feed address:

http://feeds2.feedburner.com/SplitSuit

See ya'll on the flip!

*SS*

May 7 - In Vegas!

So I finally got to Vegas a day ago. I did 13 hours of driving on the Monday, and then finished up the last 12 hours of driving on the Tuesday. The drive wasn't that bad actually. Most of the trucks minded their lane, and my car has no real issues. I still had to putter through Colorado and parts of Utah because my car doesn't agree with the altitude there, but it managed. I did just about all my driving during the day while listening to the greatest playlist so I got some really good views of Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. It's not really stuff that you can take pictures of, it's something you really have to experience. So I suggest it for anyone who likes scenery like that...

So got set up yesterday, and started working as well. I am such a workaholic sometimes. I actually had lots of time to think about business stuff while I was driving, so I've been working at getting some of my ideas on paper and doing some deeper research. We have a few good ones to roll with, so we'll see what comes of it.

Other things...I plan on redo-ing the splitsuit.com website. I want it to be easier to do on the backend (although you probably think not many things happen because it only changes a few times a month, it's a pain to do). So I will probably get started on that sometime soon, so if you notice the site is down, that is why and I appologize in advance. Also related to my site, I finally had my 5,000th unique visitor. Now, this is a very small site so having 5K unique people visit it is really cool to me. So hopefully you all are enjoying it =)



Oh, an odd story before I wrap this up. I was in Colorado after having driven straight through from Chicago (about 13 hours or so) and it was getting dark so I decided to pull off at a stop and get a nap in. So this was at about 11p, and when I got set up in my area, there was only a semi-truck with me. So I woke up at 2a, and I should note that my car is facing the curb which is overlooking a forest full of trees. It was also about 30*F, so I turned my car on to get some heat before figuring out if I wanted to drive more or nap more. About 3 minutes later a car comes into the rest stop (the headlights do not look like a cop car) and pulls directly behind me, trapping me in. I get fucking paranoid (rightfully so in the middle of no where, just waking up, and by myself right?) and immediately grab my knife. I thought for sure I was getting robbed. About 4 minutes later (I've been trapped in this whole time and debating whether or not I want to ram this car and gtfo) this cop comes up to my window and we have a 2 minute conversation before he leaves (and I never did anything more than open my window about an inch). Scary shit when you are still groggy and paranoid as hell. For anyone that ever gets in this situation, make sure you don't open your door and keep your car running.

So that was my excitement on the road. And on that note, I'm going back to work. Hope all is well with everyone!

*SS*

May 3 - Goal Recap and Travel Update

Ok, so because I have been traveling I have been lazy on the blog thing. Lo siento. So here is my goals/recap and also what is going on post.

Goals for April:

[x] 2 new students
[x] 80 hours of work (I will be on vacation for about a week this month)
[_] Write more of my book
[_] 1 new video for my site
[x] Produce 1 new song
[/] Launch this website and maybe the next one
[_] Get up to 175 push-ups/day

So did some of my goals for April. Though I will admit that I was pretty lazy the last half because of packing and prepping for my trip. I got in my car on Friday afternoon and started my trip. Went to Syracuse for dinner, which turned into a 4 hour dinner at Fuji (the best/worst Chinese/Japanese buffet ever), and then got back on the road. My ability to drive long distances has seemingly disappeared sadly. I almost wanted to take a nap about 3 hours into my trip (lol). So did Cuse, then drove out...didn't even get through NY before taking a nap. Though to my defense it was terrible rain and construction and I was having a hard time seeing, so I figured sleeping through that would be beneficial.

Did that, slept for 2hrs, jumped back on the road, and then feel asleep another hour later (night driving is not my thing at all). Did a 2hr nap, woke up when the sun was out, and then did a straight push out to Chicago (about 9 hours). Did dinner with my friend, slept at her place, and then got a shower. Have plans for lunch with some highschool friends and then i'll get going again and hopefully get to Nebraska before night. I am about ½ way to Vegas right now, and excited to be done driving. Almost there!

Other than driving, I have been getting some action on my stake. Have about 4 offers right now, and will hopefully be able to make a decision by Friday. Feels good to know that I can get staked if need be just in case anything ever goes wrong in the future. So hopefully you will all see me playing some bigger live games in Vegas in the near future =)

Alright, on that note, I need to get some food and then start doing things. Hope all is well!

*SS*

April 28 - Almost time for Vegas!

So for some odd reason I decided to pile a bunch of stuff on my plate before I left, so I have been pretty busy since I got back. I scheduled a bunch of students this week so I have been very busy coaching. Feels pretty good actually since I didn't do any coaching while I was on vacation, so no complaints really. Have 5 more sessions booked and then I'm packing and leaving for Vegas. I will try to pack a bit lighter than I did for my trip last year, but when I am moving I tend to pack pretty heavy. O well...I'm a life nit.

Actually have gotten some really good poker theory stuff done lately. I wrote my paper for 2p2 and posted it. It seemed to get pretty good results, though it seemed people wanted to bicker about a point that was made as an example, lol. O well, if it even helps just 3% of people who read it I will be happy with it. Also had a coaching session today that was just an hour of poker theory and situations, which was a lot of fun. I like being able to add in that session along with sweats, classroom, etc, so my brain has been in overload lately with poker theory, not that that is the worst of things.

So being my brain has been on fullblast lately I am trying to come up with some new business ideas. I have a few though they are following a model that isn't well equipped to make $1M in 2 years...so I am looking at some other things. I may take advantage of some smaller projects that can do residual income of like $2-$5K/mo, require minimal work, and give me lots of time to focus on a cornerstone project. I really just need cost of living taken care of so I can work on something big. I know a ton of people my age say they don't want to work past 30, but I really think I have the capacity for it...so fingers crossed.

On a very unrelated note...I am looking for a live stake in Vegas for the 'series. I am very flexible to contracts, meetings, deals, etc...but I would like a 2/5nl or 5/10nl stake if possible. Feel free to email at splitsuit@gmail.com. I can provide all the references and stat sheets you'd like.

Hope all is well everyone!

*SS*

April 24 - Vacation recap

Well I really wanted to get a blog post done every day I was on vacation, I however failed miserably, lol. So let's recap by day:

Tuesday:

Woke up at an unGodly 6:30a...snoozed it until about 7a, and then went into rush-mode to ensure I had everything together. Put on massive amounts of sunscreen, smashed a bagel in my mouth, and ran down to the dock to ensure I got on the 7:30a catamaran. Ended up being myself, my sister, her friend, my mom and Ray. We boarded, went over to customs (the catamaran went from the US to the British side of the Virgin Islands, so we had to declare that), loaded up another 25 people, and then headed out.

The catamaran was pretty cool actually. For those that don't know (and I didn't either before getting on one) a catamaran is a two hull ship (see the pix). So we drove out for about 45 minutes and then anchored up for about an hour for some snorkeling. The water was pretty rough going against current (which of course you had to do to see things that were worthwhile)...but I managed. Saw some more awesome fish, another jellyfish (though no stings this time!) and another turtle. However this turtle did not seem very happy, so I left him alone. Boarded the boat again and started over to Foxy's (some bar/shop place). (I got lost looking for a bathroom and ended up behind a restaurant, and randomly ran into a donkey. I laughed so hard when I saw it (given the picture from the previous post) that I had to take some pix...donkeys are funny)

Did that for a half hour, re-loaded, and then took another 45min ride to a place called “The Soggy Dollar Bar”...well named actually because there are no docks so you have to park your boat and then swim about 30 yards to get to it...so your money is quite wet when you get in. I am very fortunate that I have learned to swim over the last year a bit better and I didn't struggle too badly getting in. It would have sucked if I couldn't swim in, lol

Grabbed a quick lunch (flying fish sandwich ftw), took an hour swim, and got back on the boat to head home. When stopping through customs I was actually embarrassed. The US customs agents there are just compete assholes. To think that that is the first thing someone entering the US might encounter is just disgraceful. So got back in, have some new stamps on my passport, and got a nice buzz from the all day open-bar on the trip.

Got back to the hotel, did dinner, and passed out pretty quickly. Now, I'm not sure if I have mentioned this before, but I often times wear a write brace for my carpal tunnel symptoms. So I put it on before I went to bed not even thinking that this could be bad.



Wednesday:

Wake up nice and late (10a), get a quick shower, and realize that my hand has turned a funny color (and I'm colorblind, so being able to see this color is impressive). Turns out when you mix mild sun-burn, salt water, and a hand brace, that your skin hates you. So my hand was in hellish pain and is like this bright purple while being swollen as hell. Damn skin!

So get some sunscreen on, get the family ready, and jump down to the dock to catch a boat over to St. Thomas (the “main” island from what I could tell) for shopping and lunch (the shopping is pretty cheap because of the duty-free stuff). So got to St. Thomas about 45min later, took a quick taxi over to the shopping center, and went nuts.

They have this huge section under a tent that has a whole bunch of local artists' work and crap like T-shirts. I ended up buying a picture I liked (I like supporting local art when given the chance to do so), some T-shirts, and then realized there were a ton of jewelry stores. So I spent the next 2 hours practicing my negotiation techniques (the best I got was 60% off a decent watch, but I didn't want it...I just wanted to negotiate, lol). Finally found a Rado dealer, and ended up buying a 20BI watch because I feel I can either flip it for a 10+BI profit, or enjoy the crap out of it. I'm an absolute watch whore, so I was very smitten with my purchase.

Did lunch (swordfish sandwich ftw) with my sister's friend's family who were down there for the day on a cruise. Then walked around a bit longer, the girls got their hair beaded, and we went back to the hotel on the 5:15p boat.

It was the 22nd, which is my brother's birthday, so we celebrated that (awkward to celebrate a passed sibling's birthday) with a dinner of his favorite foods and birthday cake. Everyone passed out pretty quickly afterwards and being that it was 10:30p I watched Oceans 12 and then the Jimmy Fallon show before passing out. Btw, I was amazed that Jimmy Fallon has a show. His opening monologue, besides being about 1/3rd the time of Jay Leno's, was horrendous. It reminded me of watching an awkward moments reel of The Office or something...minimal applause, and a whole lot of forced smiling just trying to get through it. I never liked him on SNL that much, and really just felt bad for his show.



Thursday:

Get up at 7:30a to go jet-skiing. Accidentally hit the snooze and sleep through it, and then get up finally at 9:30a. Get some breakfast in me, get a few screw drivers as well, and get to the airport at 11:30a for my 3p flight (the boat system isn't very convenient like that). So ended up finishing the paper I wanted to write for 2p2, read some more of my SEO book, and just relaxed. Get to Philly after a 4hr flight, grab a quick bite and wait for my 8:50p flight to Providence, RI. My stupid ass thought my ticket said gate A2, and I was very confused when at 8:20p there was no one sitting in that section. Turns out my lazy ass didn't see that it was A22...and I had to high-tail it across the airport to board just as it was finishing boarding. Uneventful flight to Providence, and all is well.

Went to my friend's that night, relaxed, and got back home this morning (now Friday). Just got a shower and shave, got my office set up again, and it feels good to be back. I did realize how badly I need to start traveling more. I am traveling cross country again next week, so maybe I can make better use of that...but I certainly want to do Europe in the next year for sure. I have actually gotten some offers from students who would be happy to put me up in various locations in Europe, so maybe I will take a Europe trip and spend a few days with each student...that could be dope =)

Alright, I'm off to proof-read my paper and maybe post it today. Hope all is well with everyone!

*SS*

April 20 - St. John thus far...

So in my effort to be a better blogger, I decided I would write up a quick post about vacation thus far. Got to the airport at 3:45a the other day. Waited until 4a for the ticket place to open up, then waited 30min for them to finally find my reservation. Got through security around 4:40a and then waited till 6a for my flight. Slept for the hour it took to get to DC, grabbed a quick bite, and then boarded my plane to Charlotte. Slept the 1.5h hours to get there. Waited another 1.5hrs for my flight to St. Thomas, and slept the 2 hour sleep. Sleeping through flights is awesome!

Got to St. Thomas and waited about an hour for my taxi to take me to the boat to take me to St. John. They dropped us off at the boat dock which had a bar so I grabbed a few beers before getting on the St. John boat. I'm pretty sure that I am an idiot as I broke the seal right before I jumped on the 45 minute boat ride and regretted that very much. I waddled as fast as I could off the boat and had never felt so relieved. And as soon as I was done with that I was finally able to see the awesome view that is this place. It really is something else.

Woke up early today and took a taxi down to the beach. It's pretty cool, they cut the back off of a truck and install seats and a roof. I forget the word they use for them, but they are an adventure by themselves. So drove through downtown St. John (quite a slummy place imo), around a whole bunch of hills, past some awesome views, and then finally got the beach. You know the Corona commercials with the really blue water that is see-through? Yea, that was this. Fucking gorgeous.

So swam most of the day, got a nice sun tan, and did some snorkeling. I had never snorkeled before and it was a pretty cool experience. Ended up seeing a ton of fish, got stung by baby jellyfish (which burned like hell, but at least it wasn't a big jellyfish), and saw a huge ass turtle. Did the beach until about 3p, then went down to “Woody's” (apparently a very well known restaurant) and grabbed some beer and lunch ($1 beer FTW). Got back home, and just relaxed for the rest of the day with my younger cousins (8 and 4). Took some pictures around the day that I will attach for your enjoyment. I'm waking up insanely early tomorrow (6:30a) for some boating and more snorkeling...so off to bed I go.


Hope all is well with everyone!

(also, random side note...I ordered flowers for my friend so they would be there when she finished her marathon (she ran the Boston today). I woke up to a phone call from the flower place telling me they can't deliver them because of the marathon. The woman on the phone didn't see to understand why that might be ironic)



*SS*

April 18 - Catching My Plane Soon...

So I figured I would write up a quick blog post before I pack up and get out of here. I am going to St. John in a few hours and will be on a beach by tomorrow afternoon. I spent just about all day reading and prepping my iPhone (sifted through the music on my computer to pick my “best” 10GB) so I need to get to packing. But being I'm just bringing a backpack full of clothes and books and my laptop bag, there isn't too much to do.

I'm not 100% sure where my head is at recently. I've been having a hard time with the “practice” side of things. To counter-balance that I'm trying my ass off to solidify my “theory” side to ensure that I am at least doing something right. I blame this all on it being April...so hopefully I can sweat this out of my system and get my 100%grind back ASAP.

I realized I wanted to watch something on the plane when I'm traveling so I decided to DL my favorite show from Adult Swim. In case you haven't seen it before, “Perfect Hair Forever” is amazing. It's a cartoon made to completely mock anime and is hilarious in doing that. They only managed to get 6 episodes off before it got cut, but it really is 6 episodes of pure genius. Each episode is like 11 minutes, so if you get bored and want to rot your brain, YouTube it and have a blast =)

Also, I have it planned to write something for 2p2 soon. The working title is “what makes me different from you” and it will be a run down of some of the things (both tangible and intangible) that one needs in order to be LR successful at this game. It will be pretty long I would imagine, but we'll see how it flows out. If it doesn't come out natural I will scrap it, but I've been jotting down some notes all week because lots of 2p2 posts are giving me good ideas to run with.

Alright, I'm out to pack and then off to the airport. Hope all is well everyone =)

*SS*

April 15 - I am green!

I am feeling much better this week.  Started getting caught up on my sleep which feels amazing.  I am still getting to bed way too late imo (averaging like 5am), but I am sleeping until 1p on average, so at least I am getting a decent amount of sleep.  I'm also eating a bit better...I got on a really bad stint of eating fast food like 4 days a week, which is gross.  So actually started eating some fruit/veggies and my body is happy about that.

For those that don't know, I became green a few days ago.  Very cool to be a mod on 2p2 as I have been heavily involved in that community for the last few years (since by Sophomore year in college now that I think about it).  This probably seems super nerdy to those reading that aren't 2p2r's (and hell, probably seems nerdy to even some of you =) )...but this is a really good thing for marketability.  Now I am a coach on a top 3 coaching site and also a mod on the biggest poker forum.  This will be big (I hope!) when I get my book finished  =)

Also did about 12hrs of business work yesterday which felt sick good.  We got a lot of coding and stuff done (trying to build a website from absolute scratch...which isn't easy at all for those interested) and also some more direction.  I will probably have a new website off the ground by Friday so we can start testing some ad campaigns.  So much to do...so much market share to capture...so good to be grinding.

I also found this artist last night, and I for some reason am going apeshit over how good he is.  The first song is my favorite and the others are pretty damn good as well.  Enjoy my new songs to session to  =)

Build your own custom video playlist at embedr.com

 

Alright, back to work for me.  Hope all is well with everyone!

*SS*

April 12 - Happy Easter

My God am I tired as hell.  Got 2 hours of sleep on Thursday night, went to a poker game last night that ran until about 9am...and then only got a 2hr nap before coaching sessions.  My body hates me, my brain is mush, but my damn eyes won't shut...grrrr

Went to the same game I went to last week, and went with ForGlory again.  Yet another good game with a couple of massive spewtanks.  And yet again I got my image ridiculously wet within 20 minutes.  Ended up making a profit this time which was nice...and I think my hourly equaled out to something like $3.5/hr.  Where the hell is RB when you really need it?!

Some fun hands:

I minR to $4 with AhKh, get 4 callers.  Flop As 8s 4s.  Checks to me and I fire $11.  Get one caller (pretty much the worst aggrotard ever who plays so OMGpredictable) who covers me at $400.  turn a brick 2x, he check/calls $23.  I snap his river $50 on a 9x and he berates me for the next 2 hours (and I wish I were exaggerating) for calling like an idiot.

Folds around, button (villain from hand1) opens to $8 with $300.  I cover and 3b to $42 with QQ, BB folds, and villain raises to $110, I snap shove and he stall calls with AK.  We run it out twice, and I lose both cuz ldo.  He berates me for being a fish again.

(this hand may be surprising in that the villain is yet again the same person...notice a theme here?).  Folds around and button opens to $12 with $300.  I cover and flat ATo from the SB.  Flop is T86r.  I check, he fires $20, I CR to $98 and show my A.  He goes bananas and shoves after some deliberation.  I snap call ldo.  He shows K9 and we run it out twice.  He hits his K on the first run out, and and I hold on the second.  He then berates me...and claims HE is now a fish because he ran it twice and had he ran it once...he wins all the mobnies!  

(same villain...I swear this was 10handed...I just had his left so I got involved in as many pots as possible with him).  Folds around and he opens the CO to $7 with $200 back.  I cover and call OTB with T9ss.  We go HU on a J87r flop.  He fires $20, I raise to $55 cuz LOLretardswitch, he calls.  Turn is a 7x and we commit.  I somehow hold against 73.  Your shock is a fraction of my shock.

Lots of little $60 pots coming and going...but never being able to amass a large profit.  I swung from down $400 to up $150 the whole night.  O well...lots of fun.  I did laugh because ForGlory and I were talking (we sat with the fish in between us) and I wasn't even thinking when I started talking about some coaching sessions I had lined up.  Fish asks what I coach and I managed to save myself by quickly saying that I coach soccer on the side.  Don't ask me why soccer was my first thought...but hey...it works  =)  (and for the curious parties...fish drained through about $1.5K in this game.  And I think he may have been profit off me given how well he ran.  He won 5/5 on coinflips on the night as well....*sigh*)

 

And on that note...Happy Easter everyone.  Make it a good one!

*SS*

April 8 - April is suck

So my head is all over the place.  I think taxes finally hit me, along with all the other expenses at the same damn time.  Really sucks to have to pay it all, but what are you going to do?  I believe I am slipping into a slight depression because of it as well, which is the suck.  O well, I am trying my best to get out of it, though I cannot say I am surprised...it is April.  April has historically been my worst month for everything (financial, emotional, etc)...and although I am trying to not repeat it, it's not going well thus far.

Also, to include more flip-flopping in my life, I am going back to Vegas.  I just need a change of scenery (even if I was staying in Boston I was going to get a new place anyway)...and I've heard so much good stuff about the 24/7 party that is Vegas during the WSOP.  As of right this moment I am planning on leaving a few days after I get back from St. Johns (which is the week after next).  Only another 45 hours in my car...I think by definition I am in a civil union with my car given how much time I spend in it =)

Got my Stox video done finally.  I seriously have the worst work-induced ADHD ever.  It comes out this Saturday and is another Critical Analysis format for those who are interested.  I did about 18 hands in this one, and I think covered a lot of what I didn't end up getting to in the last one.  So check it out if you get a chance!

Other than that, I put in a session tonight and realized that I need to put in a shitton more volume.  I actually miss grinding for some odd reason.  I think I am going to take 2 months this year and work 60hrs/week, and finish up my SuperNova (which I am super behind on given I wanted it by March (lol at me)).  It should only take me about 300K hands (very doable in 2mo) and should net me around $26K if I run a little under expectation (which I should account for given massive hours that my body/brain is not used to).  So I am unsure when that will be, but expect to see a lot of me then =)

Alright, a quick hand and then I'm going to play some Halo before passing out.  Hope is all with everyone else.

(I WON A COINFLIP AIPF!!!!)

PokerStars Game #26883679336:  Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2009/04/08 22:31:49 ET

Table 'Helene VI' 9-max Seat #9 is the button

Seat 1: 7curse ($79.20 in chips) 

Seat 2: selvamar ($62.60 in chips) 

Seat 3: tufori ($45.40 in chips) 

Seat 4: pocket A'sX2 ($31.95 in chips) 

Seat 5: swissbankerr ($49.50 in chips) 

Seat 6: XxaceshighxX ($50 in chips) 

Seat 7: Al the Owl ($8.80 in chips) 

Seat 8: Bgxxl69 ($25.50 in chips) 

Seat 9: redacesfull ($23.50 in chips) 

7curse: posts small blind $0.25

selvamar: posts big blind $0.50

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to 7curse [Ks As]

tufori: folds 

pocket A'sX2: raises $0.50 to $1

swissbankerr: calls $1

XxaceshighxX: folds 

Al the Owl: folds 

Bgxxl69: calls $1

redacesfull: calls $1

7curse: raises $9 to $10

selvamar: folds 

pocket A'sX2: folds 

swissbankerr: raises $39.50 to $49.50 and is all-in

Bgxxl69: folds 

redacesfull: folds 

7curse: calls $39.50

*** FLOP *** [3h 7h 6h]

*** TURN *** [3h 7h 6h] [Ac]

*** RIVER *** [3h 7h 6h Ac] [7c]

*** SHOW DOWN ***

7curse: shows [Ks As] (two pair, Aces and Sevens)

swissbankerr: mucks [Ad Js] (two pair, Aces and Sevens) 

7curse collected $99.50 from pot

*** SUMMARY ***

Total pot $102.50 | Rake $3 

*SS*

April 6 - Live Poker LOL

This weekend sucked so much.  I am super stressed (I really can't tell you why, but my body is reacting the same way it does when I have like 2 papers due and a 2 finals on the same day)...and I'm hurting because of it.  It probably doesn't help that I was running on about 12hours of sleep from Thursday to Saturday...but it is what it is.

On Friday I decided I would go play a lil live poker, as I hadn't played live in quite sometime.  Went with ForGlory from 2p2 to a little 1/2NL game in the Allston area which was pretty nice.  The poker room was actually pretty decent (had a dealer, security cam, felted tables, etc)...so no complaints there.  But the rest of the house reminded me of my college place.  I swear I may have caught AIDS from just entering the bathroom.  O well...

The game wasn't bad.  Got there at about 10p.  Played Rummy for about a half hour waiting for a seat to open up (playing Rummy against kids who don't know basic strategy is funny)...and finally got in.  Game was soft, my image got wet so quickly (not surprising), and then some fun hands came up.  Sitting $300 effective I knock 44 in the BB with a few limpers.  Flop 9d 4d 3x.  I fire $10, 2 callers.  Turn 5x, I fire $27, one caller.  River 9x and I open shove...he snap calls with 97o, I LOL quite a bit while re-assuring him that “he could never fold trips” to me  =)

Lost 98hh on a 8x Jh 7h ai on flop.  Lost A6hh on 6x 4h 3h ai on flop.  Lost AJhh on a Qh 5h 3x ai on flop.  Lost K9 on a K935r (got slowrolled by bottom set, cuz wtf, why not?).  Lost K7 on a K287A board.  And a bunch of kicker issue type hands in smaller pots.  Won a pot with another set of 4's, and that was mostly it.  I think I ran about 40/30 and minR'd like a fiend.  Just sucks that I never hit double draws to save my life.  I swear, 12+ outs is the nuts for everyone else...now I just need to figure out how the hell to improve in that spot myself.  Ended up leaving the game and was surprised to see the sun out.  Grabbed a quick bite to eat with ForGlory, and got home to grab a quick nap before some coaching.  (And obviously I didn't have a winning session, but minizing loss felt just as good I suppose)

Business direction changed a little bit, but not too much.  Pretty much decided to take the general idea and split the business (to ensure a wider niche coverage, and again, to learn a lot).  So I took over the more “artsy” side project and I hope to have the site fully laid out by next week.  I just got started on the template a bit tonight, so there is lots to do...like always.  

That's it for now.  I need some sleep before I do some coaching and then get my Stox video finished up.

(Don't ask me why, but I love this song.  Been jamming on it all weekend)

*SS*

April 2 - Recap/Goals

Recap of March:

[x] 2 new students  

[x] 111 hours of work

[x] Write more of my book

[x] 1 new video for my site

[_] 1 new article for my site

[_] Finish the book I started reading

[x] Produce 1 new song

[x] Get my passport for April trip 

I actually feel pretty accomplished this month!  Picked up around 3 students, did about 190 hours of work with everything included, and got more of my book done.  My only responsibilities left are finish a video for Stox (will be released in about 2 weeks?) and upload a JH1 article to my site (very solid article imo).     

The new website is coming along swimmingly!  I had a few people check it out last night (thank you to those that did), and got some really good ideas going.  So I actually decided to completely re-work the “frame” and did some graphics work to finish out the day.  If any people that love music would like to help with the project (and it really is nothing more than sitting down and having a conversation with me), just let me know.  I'll be on AIM the next few nights, so feel free to contact me there (AIM = itsriggiggity )...and we can talk it out.

I have also started taking care of myself physically much more.  Nothing crazy, but doing about 100 push-ups per day and really cutting down the caloric intake (I was doing well with this awhile ago...but it started to dwindle a bit which I'm none too thrilled about).  I've also started drinking more water...I've always been decent with this, averaging about 2PTs of water/day...but I'm bumping it up to about 4PTs/day.  I feel much better so far...which is nice and I hope I can keep up with this.  

Goals for April:

2 new students

80 hours of work (I will be on vacation for about a week this month)

Write more of my book

1 new video for my site

Produce 1 new song

Launch this website and maybe the next one

Get up to 175 push-ups/day 

*SS*

March 30 - Logic v. Religion (pt. 1)

Got a little lazy in updating...my fault. Quick update on things:

I have decided not to get to Vegas. I have no real desire to drive cross country again, a big part of the reason for moving was for warm weather, and there are some things here I want to pursue further first. So I will be in Boston for the summer, and am currently looking to get a place on the ocean for a few months and then re-eval at that point. Seems like a good idea to me, I get to enjoy the ocean, and no 45 hour drive =)

Business stuff is very interesting. I am really pissed still that my degree's only use is being a damn bookmark. I learned nothing from 4 years in school...or at least nothing useful for what I am doing now. I spend more hours per day trying to learn what I should have been taught in college. Seriously, in this day and age how have I not been taught Internet marketing? Pathetic...but that's what I've been doing a lot of...reading and learning.

The Askmeaboutanything.com site is doing OK right now. I still have some things to do to it before it fully goes launch...so I'm trying to get that stuff done sooner than later. I have also started another site which I hope to have done by the weekend. Websites are so easy to do, but so hard to do correctly. But about 20hrs later I have a site that I am 80% happy with...so when it's finished up I will drop a link to it. It's not really complex or anything, just another site to relax on, get some info you would like, and then go about your merry way. As much as I would like to create a 2p2 for another genre of people,...I just don't see that happening.

***(warning...rambling + stereotyping is ahead...proceed with caution if at all)***

Recent thoughts...logic. In writing my book I have been writing a little about logic, and thus have been doing quite a bit of reading and thinking on the subject. It is such an odd topic and I believe it is because people define logic in different ways. Some people think of logic strictly in terms of math problems...others in terms of philosophical issues...others like common sense...and some as a metric of intelligence. Well by definition, all of those are the truth. However, it never ceases to amaze me the thoughts people have about logic.

I read a very popular blog the other day that suggested that home schooled religious students should not be taught logic...rather their studies should focus on “the word of the Lord” and MAYBE teach some critical analysis (which is laughable because CA is actually a derivative of logic). And in reading this article (while admitting I am fully biased) I kept getting the feeling the reason they didn't want logic taught is because what logic would create in terms of future action. If you teach a child to be logical, they will grow up questioning. They will wonder why the sky is blue, they will want to know where babies come from, and they will inevitably question deeper thoughts like sociology, psychology, and of course religion. So why might these religious folk not want students being taught logic?

I'll take a wild stab and say because that same child will question religion. That same logical child will have the necessary skill-set to use clues, thoughts, and interpretations to get to a “logical assumption”. That same child will be confused and tainted for the rest of their lives. But here is an interesting thought...

Religious people, for one reason or another, tend to be very happy people. They tend to not over-think things....things just 'are' so long as there is belief. Belief keeps their lives stable, the knowing that said belief and certain actions guarantees a happy afterlife is a calming thing. But logical people...their brains will never stop. They will constantly question and rework thoughts, hypotheses, and arguments. Because logic is fairly useless in predicting the afterlife (rotting, floating, burning, or partying)...there is no “end-game” for them. Humans need an “end-game”. They feel comfort in knowing there is a beginning, a middle, and an end. Although any and all of those may be painful...psychologically it is imperative for all of those things to happen and be understood. So a religious person has a concept of beginning, middle, and end (god created, you lived, heaven/hell)...but what about a logical person?

Maybe more next time...just had the time to write this all down...enjoy and feel free to argue as you see fit. I would like to assume that I am logical...so I will shoot no thought down so long as there is reasoning behind it.

Enjoy!

*SS*

March 27 - Things are going!

My God...if you have never run a website before, consider yourself lucky. It is insane how much work goes into this damn thing...and I can only image what happens when the site gets busier (fingers crossed on this ldo =) ). So the site is coming along and I am doing a bunch of work with Google Analytics and this click heatmap to understand what is going on. Lots of interesting data has already come up, so I look forward to seeing what things look like with a larger sample size.

Haven't really had time for many other things sadly. Have gotten some coaching done and ended up picking up a couple students, put in a session the other day to get a Stox video done (played 33/28...a grand style for FR =) ), and put in a few sessions of my own. I feel so sick good still while playing which is awesome, and the results are showing. I actually think I am going to try and teach my dad this game. He has started taking an interest in it and now seems like a good time (before I leave for Vegas again)...so we'll see how that pans out.

Other than that standard-ness...I have started hustling on my book again. (yea, the book I mentioned like a month ago that never got mentioned again) It's actually coming out quite well imo, and looks like it will be a bit longer than I had originally intended it to be. I am trying to be “concisely detailed” and it's proving to be quite difficult, but I am sure I can do it. I was a little discouraged to see that 2p2 has changed their status on pimping your own book...so I will need to be a little creative in this...but I have a few ideas planned out already =)

Also got my taxes done the other day. I normally would get very stressed about how much I need to ship back to the government (because LOL at thinking your money is your money)...but am strangely calm about it. I got them done at HnR Block because I am way too lazy and uneducated to do them well, which ended up costing me like $250...but was more than worth it imo. Ended up squeaking out a little under $10K in deductions and owe the government an amount I can handle. Though it feels odd to have to withdraw my entire FTP BR to pay for it, lol. O well...just brings my on-line roll from severely over-rolled to very over-rolled.

So the last few days have felt very silly in that I got all my bills (monthly, quarterly, and annuals all come in March for me) and paid all my bills. Feels like an insane amount of money, but I just keep reminding myself that it comes out to like $2/day per service. That's a nicer way of thinking about it, right? And on top of that I've started paying by phone because it's generally convenient...however, today was “put James on phone-tilt” day apparently. One woman yelled at me because I no longer live in the state I used to (even though my mailing address is where I currently live). Another told me “it's so nice to meet someone from Maine!” because the initials for my state are MA. I didn't have the heart to tell his woman she was retarded, but at least she wrote off some late charges for me (because I get charged when they screw up apparently). *sigh*

Well here are the site pimps:

www.askmeaboutanything.com

best story of the week:

http://www.askmeaboutanything.com/ask-trankuility-about-his-encounter-with-a-transexual

and site chat! For yet another place to talk all day and avoid work =) (I am “James (admin)” for those interested)

http://www.askmeaboutanything.com/chat

Enjoy!

*SS*

March 23 - SITE IS LAUNCHED!!!!

So the site is launched! www.askmeaboutanything.com I am very excited to see how this week goes with people checking the site out and such. A ton of work went into this project (and more will go into it of course), but it feels good to have a “finished” product that people can use. So please check it out, enjoy it, and help it grow! (aka, contribute and/or go tell someone about it =) )

In other news, I am totally spent right now. Minimal sleep, lots of work, some coaching, and some time in Boston made me a very tired individual. I also have videos due (two to be exact) for Stox that need to get finished up and shipped over. I've done a lot of vids for Stox lately, so I'm assuming they are liking me as a FR coach. Always nice to have your content validated by people in powerful places. So be on the lookout for a 100% LPvpip video and also another Critical Analysis video.

Poker sessions have been very limited because of all the other activity, but I hope to pound in some sessions in the next 2 weeks. Chris (my friend and business partner) and I will be working on getting another project off the ground starting at some point this week (the work never stops, lol)...so I hope to find some time around that to get grinding. I am super motivated still, which is a great feeling and I hope it continues throughout the year.

Unrelated to poker and work I went to the doctors the other day for a physical (it had been awhile since I had one). Pretty damn healthy despite a few bumps in the road (like carpal tunnel symptoms at the grand age of 22), however I was unable to get adderall like I had hoped. Now I have to schedule an appointment with another lady, who will charge me to simply call my counselor, get the OK, and then write me a prescription. Why can't they just make my life easy and give it to me while I'm at the doctors? O well.

Alright...I'm stupid tired. Enjoy the site and if you have any suggestions or comments, just fire away either here, or send me an email (james@askmeaboutanything.com)

Hope all is well!

*SS*

March 19 - New Song!

Almost the weekend! The week hasn't really even been very strenuous but it has seemed to drag on. Just one of “those weeks”. Have been very motivated but haven't been able to focus in the slightest, which sucks a ton. There is nothing worse than wanting to hustle hard but not being to able to because you have so much to do you can't get one project started. O well...it happens.

Actually decided to spend sometime last night and start a new song. I believe it was one of my goals for the month, so I figured I'd crack at least one open. Was very frustrated after the first hour and couldn't get anything working, but then I found an awesome acapella from Adam Freeland and got working. I thought a simple background with some synth mix-up would work well with it (kind of like Massive Attack's “I Against I”). It is very much a work in progress...but any suggestions are more than welcome!



Other than that, we've decided to launch the site on Monday rather than end of the month. I will drop the link on Sunday night when I post again and you can go run rampant on the new site! I am really hoping it goes pretty smoothly, but you never know until it actually goes 100% live...so fingers crossed.

Just wanted to put a quick update up...more next time =)

PokerStars Game #26045276619: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2009/03/16 22:39:27 ET
Table 'Merope' 9-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: FXF1 ($67.15 in chips)
Seat 2: awtiger ($47.75 in chips)
Seat 3: 7curse ($50 in chips)
Seat 4: gaizka46 ($49.15 in chips)
Seat 6: lonerydr44 ($70 in chips)
Seat 7: amosone ($9.50 in chips)
Seat 8: dellfc019 ($38.80 in chips)
Seat 9: jameric2 ($19.50 in chips)
gaizka46: posts small blind $0.25
lonerydr44: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 7curse [4d 6d]
amosone: calls $0.50
dellfc019: folds
jameric2: folds
FXF1: folds
awtiger: folds
7curse: calls $0.50
gaizka46: folds
WyeKnott1 has returned
lonerydr44: checks
*** FLOP *** [4c 2s 8h]
lonerydr44: bets $1.50
amosone: folds
amosone is sitting out
7curse: calls $1.50
*** TURN *** [4c 2s 8h] [6c]
lonerydr44: bets $3.50
7curse: raises $5 to $8.50
lonerydr44: raises $5 to $13.50
7curse: calls $5
*** RIVER *** [4c 2s 8h 6c] [Kd]
lonerydr44: bets $14.50
7curse: calls $14.50
*** SHOW DOWN ***
lonerydr44: shows [2c 9h] (a pair of Deuces)
7curse: shows [4d 6d] (two pair, Sixes and Fours)
7curse collected $57.80 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $60.75 | Rake $2.95

*SS*

March 16 - OMGOMGOMG...I a whole session!

So work is finally starting to slow down a tad. The site is pretty close to done, I just need a little more content (wink wink to anyone who can write about themselves for 20 seconds =) ), and it feels awesome. Everyone who has seen is so far seemed to like the layout and overall feel of it all, which I'm happy about since I spent so many damn hours messing with it.

I actually just got done putting in a session which felt awesome. Always helps that I had a winning one, but most sessions I'm putting in this year have been that way. I suppose this new laptop came pre-loaded with the luckbox fully engaged. But all the coaching I have been doing is very obvious when I'm sitting at the tables now. I actually talk through my decisions like a student was with me and I'm squeaking out a few extra BB per hand. My sizing feels sick right now and I feel like I'm reading frequencies much better than I was a few months ago. Or maybe I'm just getting on the right side of my frequency reads a little bit...either/or

Spent most of this weekend down in Boston which was a good time. Nice to be getting out more to mix up the monotony of grindcore. Might be going up to NH this weekend to hangout with some old friends from highschool, but we'll see how that goes. I'm tired as hell, have stuff all week, and have a doc appointment on Friday (checkup + get Adderall). Also just looked at the calendar and didn't realize tax day was coming up so soon...I might just take care of all that tomorrow. And by take care of that...I mean have someone else do it for me because mine are super confusing =)

That's it for me tonight. I'm going to play a lil Halo3 and then pass out. Hope everything is well with everyone, and fingers crossed for my Uncle.

PokerStars Game #26045379532: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2009/03/16 22:43:01 ET
Table 'Spica VI' 9-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: Staphmaster ($50 in chips)
Seat 2: cko32007 ($37.55 in chips)
Seat 3: dsrowqf ($46.05 in chips)
Seat 4: maximStgt ($24.65 in chips)
Seat 5: Project wise ($62.35 in chips)
Seat 6: acemercer ($46.85 in chips)
Seat 7: 7curse ($54.60 in chips)
Seat 8: bblade195 ($63.30 in chips)
Seat 9: johan75a ($61.75 in chips)
acemercer: posts small blind $0.25
7curse: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 7curse [Tc Qh]
bblade195: folds
johan75a: calls $0.50
Staphmaster: calls $0.50
cko32007: folds
dsrowqf: folds
maximStgt: folds
Project wise: folds
acemercer: folds
7curse: checks
*** FLOP *** [9c 2s Jc]
7curse: bets $1.50
johan75a: folds
Staphmaster: raises $3.50 to $5
7curse: calls $3.50
*** TURN *** [9c 2s Jc] [5c]
7curse: checks
Staphmaster: bets $8
7curse: raises $41.10 to $49.10 and is all-in
Staphmaster: calls $36.50 and is all-in
*** RIVER *** [9c 2s Jc 5c] [8d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
7curse: shows [Tc Qh] (a straight, Eight to Queen)
Staphmaster: mucks [2d 2h] (three of a kind, Twos)
7curse collected $97.75 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $100.75 | Rake $3

*SS*

March 12 - Site is coming along!

Still grinding away on this site. Launch set for 2 weeks at an absolute maximum, and we've been hustling to get this thing done. For those that have helped me testtrack it so far, thank you very much! It has been very helpful getting feedback from various sources, and I think that will reflect nicely in the finished product. I have learned so much already from this experience that I look forward to putting this new found skill-set to work in my next project (you didn't think I was done, did you?)

So now that many people have testtracked the site, I am looking for people to help me fill the site up =) If you have any interest in writing an article about something makes you unique (a skill you have, something you've done, etc) then please let me know. This can be great marketing for those of you in music/art and also a great outlet just to tell some people about yourself. So if it interests you at all, just email me at splitsuit@gmail.com, thnk you =)

I haven't really had much time to put in sessions which has been very annoying. I am super motivated right now and using all that energy towards the site which won't show a return for some time. O well, at least I'm doing other things. Still coaching and making another video for Stox (coming out at the end of the month) and then building the ground-floor to build a nice income later. Hustle now and relax later.

I also decided I'm going to back to Vegas. Probably around May. I wanted to be out there for the series anyway, and I there are lots of positives to being back there. So back in the car and back on the road we go =) I will be back in Boston for my sister's graduation and birthday in June, and will re-eval Vegas after 3 months to see where I stand on that front.

2 things as I wrap up:

1.) Congrats to Frank Calo! I knew this kid from back at 'Cuse, and it's always nice to see another's success.

2.) In finding some new music I came across this gem.





This guy is awesome! Instantly DL'd all his albums and am really impressed. A very nice sound and even better message...I hope this brings hip hop back (note: hip hop is NOT rap).

And that's all from me...enjoy!

*SS*

March 9 - My weekend...

Still busy as hell with everything, but still enjoying the hell out of it. I improved my CSS knowledge ten fold today when I learned about this “Inspect Element” in Google Chrome (nice browser for those that don't use it). So I managed to get my new site to do effectively what I want it to do (not 100% perfect, but close enough that I'm more than thrilled with it), and am going to bed happy to that I finally figured it out!

This week will be super busy. I want a test track of the site ready by Friday at the latest. I am planning on test tracking it for about a week and then taking all the feedback and making any necessary fixtures. If you have interest in walking through the site for me, and wouldn't mind giving me feedback and such on it, just email me (splitsuit@gmail.com) and I'll put you on the “beta list” =)

So this weekend was awesome. Took a break on Friday night and went into Boston to hang out with a friend. Went to some bar in Fanuiel Hall called “The Tap” which was a decent place. They had some live band that was very energetic, yet sadly had little vocal skill. I also hadn't been in that sort of atmosphere for some time and had a tough time with my claustrophobia. And to make matters worse it was hot as balls and I kept getting shoved in the back. O well, made it through, had a good time, and you can't complain about that.

I managed to mix in some coaching sessions and website work as well, so overall I feel very accomplished. It is odd, I really dislike the whole corporate concept (wake up at 6a, go to work, get paid nothing, have no ROI in anything, get home at 7p, rinse/repeat)...but this whole working 12hr days is really refreshing. I am convinced that I was needing the structure and putting in more hours per day for what is an expected high ROI is more than worthwhile imo. Plus I am surrounding myself with people that support the motivation, which is also refreshing.

And on that note...I'm going to passout so I can start the week. Hope all is well with everyone!

(hurray cooler cards for someone for a change!)

PokerStars Game #24544004956: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2009/02/02 22:15:26 ET
Table 'Stephano' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: TubbyWon ($67.20 in chips)
Seat 2: 7curse ($51.50 in chips)
Seat 3: JPasky ($34.60 in chips)
Seat 4: krendelb ($9 in chips)
Seat 5: Make_my_D ($40.70 in chips)
Seat 6: fire81147 ($10 in chips)
Seat 7: MeRunSoHot ($56.95 in chips)
Seat 8: dixiecrat88 ($50 in chips)
Seat 9: patsfan34 ($59.20 in chips)
MeRunSoHot: posts small blind $0.25
dixiecrat88: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 7curse [Kh Kc]
patsfan34: folds
TubbyWon: folds
7curse: raises $1 to $1.50
JPasky: folds
krendelb: folds
Make_my_D: folds
fire81147: folds
MeRunSoHot: folds
dixiecrat88: calls $1
*** FLOP *** [9d Ks 5c]
dixiecrat88: checks
7curse: bets $2.20
dixiecrat88: calls $2.20
*** TURN *** [9d Ks 5c] [4h]
dixiecrat88: checks
7curse: bets $4.70
dixiecrat88: calls $4.70
*** RIVER *** [9d Ks 5c 4h] [Qs]
dixiecrat88: bets $7
7curse: raises $36.10 to $43.10 and is all-in
dixiecrat88: calls $34.60 and is all-in
*** SHOW DOWN ***
7curse: shows [Kh Kc] (three of a kind, Kings)
dixiecrat88: [Kd Qd] (two pair, Kings and Queens)
7curse collected $97.25 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $100.25 | Rake $3

*SS*

March 5 - Getting a business off the ground

I am so damn tired it is insane. I have been working more hours per day than I am anywhere near used to...and absolutely love it. My friend and I are currently getting a business off the ground (for real this time), and it's been a very busy thus far. On a very related note, I just realized how very little a college degree helps you. I took 4 years at a top school that prides itself on preparing students for “the world of today and tomorrow”...and yet was never taught anything about CPM, SEO, or anything related as a marketing major. Very disappointing.

So I have been spending tons of time doing research on Internet marketing, advertising, monetization, and a thousand and a half other interesting topics. Fun things I've learned:


1.Customers/Viewers want to pay, even for free things. Although they will not do so using currency, they like to vote, leave comments, and gratify the seller/giver.

2.People that read blogs tend to feel odd about leaving comments because they feel that space is reserved for the blogger...(odd because it tends to conflict with #1)

3.Internet marketing has as much to do with targeting a customer base as a keyword

4.The Internet is oddly cult-ish

5.People give insane amounts of information out for free...like...INSANE



So I am in the process of making a new site, expanding upon my basic knowledge of entrepreneurship, and doing a thousand other things. All this while balancing coaching, playing, music, Halo, and whatever else I feel like doing. Feels good, yet semi-stressful to be putting in so many working hours per day.

Not too much else has been going on since this...but that's probably for the best given time constraints (seriously...24 hours in a day is nowhere near enough). I'm going into Boston to hang out with a friend this weekend, which should be fun. Other than that, just grinding away. I want to have a test-track site up within a week, and have only my domain and basic concept hammered out. And if it took me 25hrs to make my bare-basic site (www.splitsuit.com for those visiting from another spot), I can only imagine how many hours this will take all while learning a much more in depth site process. Hurray!

I'm going back to work. I will leave another song for today. Officially my new favorite song ever. I really cannot think of a mood I could be in that this song would not apply well to.

Pendulum – “Hold Your Colour”



PokerStars Game #25488617423: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2009/03/01 13:48:57 ET
Table 'Edasich' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: tradeveloper ($50.75 in chips)
Seat 2: BIG_EV1L ($25.85 in chips)
Seat 3: schieri2103 ($16.95 in chips)
Seat 4: 7curse ($49.25 in chips)
Seat 5: jeffreymb ($50 in chips)
Seat 6: KIDNIC ($44.20 in chips)
Seat 7: johan75a ($48.20 in chips)
Seat 8: MarcDeFun ($19.65 in chips)
Seat 9: chirak1982 ($50.50 in chips)
jeffreymb: posts small blind $0.25
KIDNIC: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 7curse [Ad 3c]
johan75a: folds
MarcDeFun: folds
chirak1982: folds
tradeveloper: folds
BIG_EV1L: folds
schieri2103: folds
7curse: raises $0.50 to $1
jeffreymb: calls $0.75
KIDNIC: folds
*** FLOP *** [Qc 8h Qh]
jeffreymb: bets $2
7curse: raises $4.50 to $6.50
jeffreymb: calls $4.50
*** TURN *** [Qc 8h Qh] [2c]
jeffreymb: checks
7curse: checks
*** RIVER *** [Qc 8h Qh 2c] [6d]
jeffreymb: checks
7curse: bets $41.75 and is all-in
jeffreymb: folds
Uncalled bet ($41.75) returned to 7curse
7curse collected $14.75 from pot
7curse: doesn't show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $15.50 | Rake $0.75

*SS*