First off, I have to apologize for the lack of updates, but this time it’s not entirely my fault. At first I wasn’t updating because I simply haven’t been playing much poker, but for the past 4-5 days, my internet connection has been out. Adelphia Cable in the LA area is crap. Avoid it at all costs. I think that we are the maximum distance from a DSL hub or something, so that’s not an option. We’re basically forced to stick it out with Adelphia, but I’m going to equip my laptop with Verizon’s nationwide wireless as a backup plan. It’s expensive, but crucial for someone like me. The worst thing that could possibly happen is that the internet goes down after I enter eight SNGs or something, and I can tell you from experience that it’s not fun when the happens. I recently bought a Dell Inspiron 9300, which is a pretty good laptop, and it has a wide screen, so I can fit in eight tables without too much overlap in a pinch.

Ok, sorry for rambling so much about my internet connection. No one cares about that. I last updated right before the Magic Pro Tour. I played the Last Chance Qualifier on Thursday, but was paired against an old friend from the East Coast in the first round: Pat Sullivan. He has probably won more Pro Tour Qualifiers than anyone I know, and unfortunately for me, this tournament was no exception. He ended up going undefeated to win the whole thing. I wasn’t too upset about losing to him.

On Saturday there was a Pro Tour Qualifier for the next Pro Tournament which will be in Honolulu. Since I no longer own a single Magic card, I had to borrow a deck from someone at the last minute, and it wasn’t exactly the best deck. Somehow, I started off well at 6-1, and was playing for the top 8 in round 8. Unfortunately in game 3 I suffered some bad luck (mulligan to five) and finished in 11th place (out of about 230 players). I didn’t win anything, but it was good to know that I still had it in me to do well in these things. I was a bit rusty and made more small mistakes than I would have made in my prime, but I felt like I was playing well overall. I really miss Magic and am a little tempted to play some more tournaments.

I haven’t had a usable internet connection all week, so I’ve been doing boring wholesome stuff. This time at home in LA has let me get on a schedule that I haven’t been able to do before with all the traveling. Most notably, I’ve been going to the gym with my brother four days a week. I’m already starting to notice some significant improvements. I’ve also been eating healthier. I try to eat around 200g of protein a day which might not be as easy as it sounds. I’ve been cooking a lot of steaks, chicken breasts, and salmon filets to help get the protein count up. I kind of cheat using KC Masterpiece and Steakhouse Marinades for flavor, but I’ve really impressed myself w/ how good the food turns out despite not really knowing how to cook.

I Saw Jarhead last night with some friends, and highly recommend that movie. It’s not the most action packed movie, but that’s to be expected since it’s about a really tame war. The acting from the three main characters is phenomenal, and they all give great performances encompassing a wide range of emotions. One of the things I liked about the movie that most people might not is that the overall message is a bit unclear. Sometimes movies try to hard to force you to think a certain way, but Jarhead does not do that at all. None of the characters are superheroes or villains. You actually have to make some judgments for yourself.

I recently wrote an article for Cardplayer. You can find that on their site. Ill post it here in a couple of days.

I think that’s everything for now.