I'm going to stop making daily hours targets. Too many things can happen at the table that will impact how long I play. The only target should be to play when I'm playing well and not play if I'm playing poorly.

As far as other targets go I'm doing well. I haven't missed a day lifting and I'm on pace to finish two books before the end of the month (now reading Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse).

Rest of the Month Targets
[ ] Play well
[ ] Keep lifting
[ ] Finish two books
[ ] BLA

I'm currently hibernating. I went on another poker and backpacking trip this past summer. I'll write up a summary of it and throw in some pictures at some point.

excellent, please do. and let us know what you think of Steppenwolf

As promised…

I took the more northern route west across the country this time. The first stop was Cleveland where I played some 2/5 PLO, which was my first live PLO experience. The game seemed decent but I have nothing to compare it to. I went on a little day hike in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The scenery and morning rain gave it kind of an eerie feeling.





Next stop was Chicago. I didn’t play much poker. I spent most of the time being a tourist and hanging out with a couple friends from college. Went to that shiny thing everyone takes pictures of, got some real Chicago pizza and hot dogs, bought a t-shirt, etc.



Most of the drive from Chicago to Denver looks like this:



Then when you get to Utah the drive is awesome because most of it looks like this:



The only poker stop I had after Chicago was Council Bluffs, Iowa where I played tired and gave away two buy ins. I stopped for a day in Utah to play tourist at Bryce Canyon NP:




Then it was on to Vegas. I treated Vegas as my home base most of the summer. I’d spend a week playing poker then go on backpacking trips and head back to Vegas. Rinse, repeat.

The first trip took me to the Wasatch Front near Salt Lake City. I climbed a peak called White Baldy. It was a bit of an improvised climb. I hiked a trail to the base of a ridge, then climbed up to the ridge and followed the ridgeline until I got to the peak. It was possibly the most dangerous thing I have ever done. I had two bad falls, one of which left me with scars that are still visible on my leg, but I somehow managed to walk away from both.





I continued north into Wyoming where I spent three days in the Wind River Range. The scenery there was excellent, even better than a lot of what I saw two summers ago on the John Muir Trail. It’s definitely a place I want to return to someday.




After that it was back to Vegas. I made a couple trips to Zion NP, which quickly became a competitor to Yosemite for my favorite national park. The first trip I took was to the much less visited Kolob Canyon area of the park. The place was like a red rock Yosemite. One of the days I hiked into a cool little slot canyon to a small waterfall called Bear Trap Falls.





A couple weeks later I took another trip to the more touristy area of Zion. The place was packed. I hiked up to Observation Point and wanted to hike Angel’s Landing that day but weather was an issue. I’ll most likely be back in Vegas this summer and will spend more time in Zion. I’m going to apply for a permit to do the Narrows sometime in June.



From Zion I drove through northern Arizona and southern Utah. I never expected to like the desert so much but it definitely found a place in my heart. I’d like to spend a lot more time in Utah/Arizona. There is way too much to see.



Eventually I made my way back east. I really slacked on pictures this trip. I'll probably be back at it again this summer and might actually start making some trip reports.

Gorgeous pics! Thanks for sharing, I'd love to see more.

Nice TR, amazing pics! Yosemite and Zion are definitely parks everyone should throw on their bucket list, simply breathtaking! The bean is such a cool sculpture, Chicago is one of the places I want to visit.

Those pictures are amazing, thanks for sharing.

[x] BLA

FYP

Marathon updates for the fans?

Marathon complete. I took a beating but got a sweet new jacket and a Chipotle burrito.

Rest of February Targets:
[ ] Play 10 sessions
[ ] Gym 3x per week
[ ] Eat 3k+ calories/day
[ ] Reread Easy Game

Lol those jackets. Would wear, but only in AC or Vegas.

^^ Yea I wish it didn't have that logo on the back. I'm only gonna wear it to the casino, will probably just donate it at some point.

You and the headrubbers should get your names embroidered on them so the senior citizens getting terrorized in the mall will know who they shouldn't be messing with.

cool trip & pics

Update on you crushing?

Updated for you.

Bummmmp

The rumors are true. Tom plays poker again.

“Above all, avoid lies, all lies, especially the lie to yourself. Keep watch on your own lie and examine it every hour, every minute. And avoid contempt, both of others and of yourself: what seems bad to you in yourself is purified by the very fact that you have noticed it in yourself.” -Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

For all of my off-and-on poker career I’ve struggled with being honest with myself. To be fair, I think everyone in the poker world shares this struggle. It’s easy to lose some big pots and tell yourself you’re running bad, but running bad is just another excuse to continue to play bad. It’s easy to remember being two-outed in a huge pot, but what about the three value bets you missed last session, or the two bad calls you made, or the good bluff spot you couldn’t pull the trigger on? All of these little mistakes add up to way more than the big suckouts. And all of these little mistakes are way too often overlooked.

About three weeks ago I rejoined KyddDynamite’s stable. I’ve put in close to a hundred hours since then and feel more comfortable at the table than ever. The next step is to focus on every decision I make and to make the most honest examination of that decision that I possibly can. At the same time, I’ll work with Kydd to improve my ability to examine decisions. I’m looking forward to stacking Randal_Graves and making the most of this second chance.

February Goals:
[ ] Play 140 hours
[ ] Workout twice a week
[ ] Keep watch and examine every decision I make at the poker table

2016 Goals:
[ ] Hike 400 miles
[ ] Do a handstand

Nice title following!

Sub'd for that handstand, squeeze your butt, thats the trick GL