First Monday in 2010

Today I worked out for two hours, wrote emails, walked the dog, looked at agent blogs, worked on my query, played three poker tournaments, watched four videos on PokerXFactor, mailed some bills and went grocery shopping. Just another day here in Oakland.

A new year, a new decade...now, more than ever, I need to prioritize and use some good time management skills. I have so much I want to accomplish this year, beginning first with representation for Julia Milan. I've received some wonderful feedback from friends and family. I'll create a list of edits to fix and revise, then send a query to some of the agents whose names I have. I also plan to play a lot of poker this year as a means of bringing in some income. The job market is still very tight out there.

I worked out at the club this morning and plan to run, stretch and and play a few racquetball games tomorrow. The league begins and I play Aaron K. for our singles ladder on Thursday. I'm reading several books at once right now and have a large stack of films and TV shows to view. Very busy. I like it that way.

Films

Saw Avatar at noon. Wonderful film experience. Saw The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Very good. Talked to friends. Unpacked and packed again. Did a load of laundry. Snuggled with Sandy. Cleaned up my email.

Christmas '09

December 25: We woke up at 6:10 a.m. The kids came downstairs around 6:30. We watched Alex and Hayden open their stockings and play with their toys. Hayden got books, play food, an activity table and a big wheel. Alex got a play vanity, play food, a couple of games, some dolls and a coloring book. The adults then opened their stockings. I received some nice things and yummy candy. A great little haul for sure!

Christmas was enjoyable and fairly stress free. Everyone was in good spirits and had a wonderful time. The dinner was delicious. Later in the evening, I watched the Wizard of Oz and a few special features. Still holds up. Great show.

December 27: My last day in Reno. It's been very relaxing and wonderful. I'm not sore today, amazing considering how many runs Chris and I went down at Mt. Rose yesterday. I do have a slight headache, but other than that I feel good. I slept until 10:30 this morning. Last night Jill and I played poker at The Pepper Mill until 1:30 a.m. I was dead tired and only played with Jill at the 2/4 table, so I didn't have to think too much. No big surprises at the table except how badly I played a few hands in which I knew I was beat. The players are very predictable. Maybe I was too, but my edge is in evaluating when I have the better hand and valuing betting because of it.

I leave for Oakland tomorrow, then go to Seattle the next day until New Year's. I see the entire gang on the 29^th. Should be lots of fun…I'm looking forward to seeing everyone together. Kathryn and Tom are the only two who be missed. Oh, and Amanda, who flies back to Ohio on the 29^th.

Sandy

Sandy is such a cute little dog. She has several quirks and idiosyncrasies that make her special. Her separation anxiety issue has become legendary. I've had her for over four years. She is a little princess toward other dogs. She rarely shows other dogs any attention, which drives some younger dogs crazy. She loves turning her head away as if saying, "sorry, not interested." She's 14. She's slowed down this past year, but occasionally she can work herself into a frenzy by running and jumping around like a rabbit. Her back issues have been contained this year. I carry her up and down the stairs, which has helped. She rarely jumps off the couch anymore. Such a good little dog.

I read The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. It's very good. The writing is seamless and strong. I'm paying attention to how the book is marketed and sold. It serves as a good model. The second book came out last October, Catching Fire. I'll read everything Suzanne Collins has written. She's the best I've read so far. Thanks for the tip, Sara.

This n That

I just watched Tom's documentary about Jim Thorpe, called "Jim Thorpe: The World's Greatest Athlete," an engaging, very well produced film about the football and sports legend. I liked the pace and flow of the biography, and some of the archival footage and pictures of Jim Thorpe were fantastic. I've never seen the Burt Lancaster film. I wonder if it's even out on DVD or video.