get it done

May 2014. A few hands at the start of the month, and then four weeks of zero poker. Interesting. And a net losing poker month too!
It's funny viewing poker from this new perspective, and looking back on my poker journey since first encountering it in Mendoza back in late 2006...
It's manic and magic that I managed to make (eke?!) a living from poker as my sole source of income for five whole years.
Adjusting into a suited life hasn't been as difficult as anticipated, I've completed the original project brief and now they want me to do some more data stuff. Another few weeks perhaps.
anyway, my three poker sessions in May 2014:

You typically play Full Tilt $50NL FR? How many tables?

six weeks since i played any poker... And it's a sunday, so it's now two days since I wrote any code... I completed the data project i was brought in for far more quickly than the company had anticipated, and they decided to set me loose on a few other things they wanted done. On Thursday afternoon a project manager/business analyst role came up via an associated company, the owner of the company i'm working for called me into a meeting a few minutes later. He wants me to stay on in a BAU capacity for a while, basically on my terms (his words, not mine).

Now i'm in debate mode - go to PM/BA fixed term contracting in a big change project for one of NZ's bigger companies (and likely end up working a fascinating project but with the downside of huge hours), or stay where i'm at for a while working something like Tue-Fri 28hrs a week and having heaps of time to do cool stuff as the days start getting longer.... Nice debate to be having

I'm enjoying the work-buzz, and after a few weeks i got used to the structure and routine enough to be able to start fitting life in around it more effectively.

Last weekend I raced a 3km run-20km bike-6km run sprint distance duathlon. Kinda. I'd been talking smack with some friends beforehand and made the claim that with a forty five minute head start I could run the whole distance (i.e. run the bike leg) and beat them over the course. Race director loved the idea... I started out quick and slowed down. Unfortunately the race start got delayed so there was no chance of them catching me over the distance. Longest run i've ever done at race pace and it felt good!

Enjoying life right now, even if it's a bit tight squeezing everything in.

Originally Posted by Jason

You typically play Full Tilt $50NL FR? How many tables?

mostly 25nl and 50nl, some 10nl, some 100nl depending on all sorts of things. More FR than 6-max, but i've played a lot of both now. Number of tables has varied a lot. Anywhere from four to sixteen. Most often the 8-10 range.

raced a fun half marathon last weekend. Cut seven minutes off my old pb. Still pretty slow by hardcore runner standards, but good for a plodder and i'm stoked with how fit i'm feeling.

On the work buzz as per my last post -> After a lot of soul-searching it became apparent that business-as-usual stuff at the company I was contracting to isn't likely to be a good idea for either party. It's not what I want to do medium or long-term so i'd find it pretty hard to be psyched and i'd be looking elsewhere from the get-go. I also decided not to throw my hat in the ring for the fixed term project role for two reasons: 1= i don't really like working huge hours, and 2 = they're looking at the role starting pronto and i feel like a few weeks of chilling out I wonder how i'll feel about those decisions a few weeks from now.

so.. upshot is that I'm back to being a free agent, with an expectation of occasional report writing and database work for the people i was working for whenever they go into planning or strategy mode. I guess i'll play some poker as well? maybe, it's hard to predict the future at the moment.

p.s. zero hands of poker thus far in June. It's turning into quite a long break from the grind!

hmmm, i threw some feelers out the last couple of weeks...
at current glance the options appear to be:
a) postdoc with supersolid salary in a place i wouldn't mind spending a few years for warmwater surf/climb/party reasons, but not here
b) data contract work, but not here
c) wait a bit for something to come up here, and in the meantime coldwater surf and enjoy the bumlife

decisions...

in other news.. journos are funny sometimes. So, i'd done a pretty good job going on and off record as appropriate for a piece that is being written, but the journo involved hadn't even thought of discussing that sort of thing in reverse. She got pretty stressed when i suggested that i might mention some of the intel she had given to me to an interested party i told her not to worry her pretty lil' head, and i think i've got yet another industry/politico journo to be somewhat biased in my favour. Ahh, the games we play. Poker helped on that front. Poker forum politics probably helped even more. And werewolf has sharpened my claws...

Originally Posted by daven

...the journo involved hadn't even thought of discussing that sort of thing in reverse.

You're an inspiration! LOL.

Originally Posted by daven

hmmm, i threw some feelers out the last couple of weeks...
at current glance the options appear to be:
a) postdoc with supersolid salary in a place i wouldn't mind spending a few years for warmwater surf/climb/party reasons, but not here
b) data contract work, but not here
c) wait a bit for something to come up here, and in the meantime coldwater surf and enjoy the bumlife

Interesting choices, how do you like where you're living? Idk how much financial stuff plays a role for you.

Would you aim for an academic career if you took the postdoc role?