Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Poker Poker Poker!

With my latest rewrite behind me, it's time to hit the felt. I haven't played much poker this past year, and yet the break, in a strange way, has made me a better player. I'd like to focus on SNG strategy, study SitNGo Wiz and watch all of sheets' videos. on XFactor. I have yet to make a significant score online and I'm certainly due. I haven't had a good run ever and coinflips in crucial late-stage spots always seem to go against me, so perhaps in the next month or two I can turn the tables around. I should get out what I put into the game. We'll see how it works. I've been somewhat successful on Cake, where the players aren't as strong as those on PokerStars. I can't seem to win on Stars, and perhaps it's a combination of bad luck and bad play. Making better decisions should increase my EV. I'll need to play more games though.

My rewrite is done for the most part. The book is where it is. My query has received no positive response from anyone so far, and that's chipping away at my confidence, unfortuantely. I'm tweeking the query and changing things up a bit, bringing more snap to the language and making the storyline a little more interesting. It's all a big mystery though. Contacts is the way to go, and right now I have none. As long as I stay positive and send out more queries, something should happen down the road.

Steve K. was in town over the weekend and last night. He attended a chemistry convention in SF. It was great hanging out with him. He makes me laugh so much!

I actually went on a date last Thursday, my first in many months. I had fun. We ran several miles. She's a marathon runner. She was very nice.

I talked with Jill and Gwen last night about some family issues. It was a good conversation.

Is it really March 24 already? That's so crazy. Brenda and Jack will be here in less than four weeks. Wow. I hope my place isn't too uncomfortable for them. It's going to be fairly tight.

Friday, March 19, 2010

It's Friday and I'm Happy

Life just feels better with Celebrity Apprentice on. That show is so twisted and dysfunctional, but I love train wrecks with bullies. I'm glad Cindi L. survived the boardroom, but Carol L. was railroaded. Too bad, because I liked her. Let's get real, she was axed because she wasn't a model. The moment the guys lose, Rod B. is history. Here's a guy who has no idea how he's perceived by others. If he lasts longer than three boardrooms, I'll be extremely impressed. Sharon O. is the odds on favorite. Betting against her would be foolish. She has the Joan R. been there done that big picture thing going on. Her team won't want to lose her.

My rewrite is done and I'm glad. The book feels strong. Now if I can only get an agent to read it. I signed up for a week-long novel workshop in May. I think it will be helpful to meet folks and brainstorm strategies for getting the word out. The faster I get this book out, the faster I can begin my promoting and marketing. I'm looking forward to the whole shebang.

I have a huge playoff match against Tom next week. He'll be ready for me, but I've been practicing. I just have to keep my shots down and attitude in check. It also wouldn't hurt to practice my serves.

I'll be playing some poker tonight and during the weekend. Looking forward to it.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Another Day, Another 4 Queries

I sent four out today and revised three sections of ch. 12. I have 23 sections left to revise, and then I can move on to something else until the novel gets picked up. I haven't played any poker all week. Watched a few hours of the BBC '95 Pride and Prejudice...very good. Tomorrow's Friday already. Unbelievable.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

New Query

So I've written an updated query letter that clarifies some of the plotlines in my novel. I'm not sure if it's any better, but at least it's different. I took out the Twilight Zone and Nancy Drew reference and changed mystery to novel. I think it reads better, though I'm still not happy with it. Chapter 12 needs more work than I thought. I need to make some small changes to it. I'm almost done with the rewrite. I'm looking forward to moving on. I wasn't as productive today as I'd like to be, but I'm hoping tomorrow I'll get a lot accomplished. I have a big match tomorrow with Steve. I really want to win so that Tyrone, Tom and I battle it out for the number one seed. I should beat Steve tomorrow if I play smart, play my game, avoid making mistakes and keep the ball low. That's the key, keeping the ball low. Keep my serves low and my attitude strong!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Academy Awards Tomorrow

I've been watching a few poker videos on xFactor and learning all sorts of things. Dbl-Dave's style is much different from Pearljammer's. Much different. Pot odds are rarely if ever discussed. It's all about push-fold considerations and fold equity. Good stuff. I played a few tourneys tonight and bombed out early. No cards and ran into ugly situations. Blah!

Revised chapter 11 today. I have five chapters left to go over. The rewrite is good. I'm also revising my query letter and bringing out more of the realistic side of the story. I'm not sure the Twilight Zone aspect of the good plays well in a query. I'm not sure. I've received 3 nos so far and no requests for early chapters. Oh well.

March is going by quickly. This Wednesday I have a big match against Steve and I'm determined to play well against him. We always have strong games. I'm practicing hard tomorrow morning at the gym, doing my routine and practicing shots.

My back hurts today. I wonder if it's the way I sit in my chair while playing poker. Probably. I'm feeling a slight pain on my lefthand side, right in the middle of my back. Hmm. Getting old blows.

I've seen very few movies this year. What's up with that?

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Back to Poker

The rejection letters are coming in and I try not to think about them too much. I'm wondering if perhaps my query letter isn't hitting the right notes. Maybe it's too muddled to something who isn't familiar with the storyline. Maybe it sounds too much like a strange story with no center. I don't know. I may start tweaking it a bit. I didn't get as much done today as I would have liked. Tomorrow I have lunch with Larry H. Haven't seen him in a long time. He's always fun to hang out with. I should really write a blog in the morning, because by 10 p.m. my mind is mush. I can't even write right now.

Monday, March 1, 2010

March 1

Played my first few poker tourneys today. Lasted 12th out of 200 in a big stack tourney. Good cards but bad luck toward the end. Played a few heads up tourneys and didn't fair too well. More unfortunate luck plus some bad calls.

Watched the closing ceremonies on TV today. Neil Young rocks. I didn't watch a lot of Olympic coverage this year. Too busy. Started the day at 5 this morning, played racquetball, revised, played some poker, watched 24 and now I'm ready for bed. I'm hoping for a better day tomorrow.