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Still here
Aug. 1st, 2011 02:06 pmWith, as Mr Dolton termed it, Live Journal making a solid impersonation of Dead Journal every time I have wanted to post something over the past 10 days, and with an increased migration of bloggers to other places, the time has come to consider where to put future posts. One thing a blog-provider needs is reliability. LiveJournal no longer has that.
First of all I have to work out how to migrate earlier posts (that's the first bit of web research required). Secondly I need to decide where to go. Let's look at the choices:
1) Facebook Notes. I could put future notes up on Facebook. On the plus side, this requires the least work. On the minus side, this would restrict the more "personal" side of my postings (given that many people who probably wouldn't want to link through to the blog, might read a Facebook note). Also on the minus side, not everyone wants to be on Facebook.
2) Google Plus: Also relatively easy for future posts. Downside is that at the moment is that hardly anyone who reads this blog is on Google Plus.
3) A web site. BTInternet actually provides a web address for subscribers (at least, it used to). On the plus side this could offer the widest options. I'm sure that I could figure out how to get a "comments" section in there. On the minus side, it would require the most work. I quite like web design, but it does take up a lot of time. On the plus side, all advertising revenue would be mine and mine alone.
4) Blogger: Also relatively easy, but hardly progress. And I don't like the comments system on Blogger.
5) Something else that I haven't thought of or seriously considered. E.G. Wordpress, or whatever. There's probably some stuff out there that I could use that I don't even know about. Suggestions and votes welcomed.
+++++++++
After getting near to giving up "serious" online poker by the end of May, I've had a good couple of months -- indeed I am now virtually even for the year. June was a four-figure month from just 30k hands at $50 buy in. And, more importantly, I booked a gain of about $300 in play at the table. As I've written before, winning at least something at the tables is the bare minimum. If you rely on rakeback and bonuses to outweigh your losses at the tables, you are playing at too high a stake.
On the downside, in June I ran good, particularly on Party. The weakness of my EV on Party remains a real puzzle. It doesn't feel to me that the opposition has got THAT much tougher, and yet here I am consistently beating Stars at this level, but still struggling on Party. The overall EV is still positive, but, as I say, winning at least something at the table has to be the bare minimum.
Stars has come up with a good August offer which means that, even at normal levels of play, I will be at Platinum for September. Should I move back up to $100 buy in in September (I'm now well over 10 buy ins up at $50 buy in on Stars) then a "nearly normal" level of around 20k hands would keep me at that level.
++++++++++++
What is there to write about the current economic situation? I've closed out my long gold positions for a reasonable three-figure gain. I'm looking to get back in at $1540 for what should be a push to $1800 when the next crisis hits. I'm also looking to catch the falling knife on the dollar. This is always a risk trade, but with risk comes reward. If you get it wrong (as you are likely to do) there isn't much loss. But if you get it right, the upside is considerable. Last summer this consisted of a move to €1.27 to the dollar, before the steady decline back to the current position of €1.44. Of course, we've seen a number as bad as €1.51 as recently as late 2009, and there's no guarantee that we won't see it again. But the euro was a different animal in December 2009. I mainly see upside on the dollar and downside on the euro right the way through to next summer, when we might see something as good (for the dollar) as €1.19.
Hmm, saying all that tempts me to trade out of some of my Stars euro account (opened at €1.31). They get a bit sniffy if you use your accounts for currency speculation, but there's nothing wrong with withdrawing money "at the right time".
+++++++++++++++
The weight-training continues apace, although I really do wish I had a bit more willpower on the diet and training front. I mean, I'm not doing badly (very few lapses on the food front, and averaging five training sessions a week), but I'm increasingly sensitive of the fact that I am marching against time here. I've never been one to do something half-a-cock, and my enthusiasm for it (at the moment) means that the "ultimate aim" is something of a moving target. I've already reached what was my initial aim for the end of this year (a dead lift of 130kg) so now I'm heading way into unknown territory, including the unheard-of phrase "I'm really going to need to put on some weight". Unfortunately before that situation comes about I still have to lose some more fat, well, quite a bit of fat. It's coming off, but at a slower pace (hence my annoyance at myself for any lapse) and some muscle is going on (also at a slow pace!). But to get any distance above, say, 150kg, I've got to start thinking about building some muscle.
I'm also beginning to look longingly at the clean-and-jerk lift, even if it's just to master the technique. My previous hatred of anything relating to upper-body work is slowly dissipating, although any mention of biceps work is still certain to make me wince. But even with that I'm getting tougher when it comes to moving up the weights.
For the weight aficionados, I managed three sets of 12/10/8 dumbbell press (no incline) at 16kg, 20kg and 22kg. Followed by 12/10/8 dumbbell incline fly lifts at 14kg, 16kg and 18kg (I think, maybe 20kg for 6 reps at the end). Thence, already pretty exhausted, to the bench press, so we won't talk about that.
After that we ambled over to preacher curls (bleaagghhh, hard work) and then 7x7x7 bicep curls (20kg) and two triceps exercises, all in a super set, repeated twice for three combinations in all. My legs gave way half-way through the last bicep set, but that, so to speak, is "good".
Curiously, there was no lactic acid "burn" today -- just work through to muscle exhaustion. sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't.
++++++++++++++++
Cyprus soon. The hotel has a gym, and I intend to keep myself in shape, with a workout every morning. I'm also going to work on my swimming. When I was in Spain in 2008, just for a week, my swimming stamina improved without focused effort. So if I DO put in some focused effort, we'll see how many metres I can get up to by the end of the fortnight.
To be frank, the holiday can't come soon enough, and I am really looking forward to it. I was on the verge of booking another holiday for the end of November/start of December, but then, in a rare display if self-confidence, I thought to myself: "But what if I meet someone in Cyprus?" So I'll hold off on the booking with solos.co.uk until September. I doubt that all the spaces will have gone.
_________________
First of all I have to work out how to migrate earlier posts (that's the first bit of web research required). Secondly I need to decide where to go. Let's look at the choices:
1) Facebook Notes. I could put future notes up on Facebook. On the plus side, this requires the least work. On the minus side, this would restrict the more "personal" side of my postings (given that many people who probably wouldn't want to link through to the blog, might read a Facebook note). Also on the minus side, not everyone wants to be on Facebook.
2) Google Plus: Also relatively easy for future posts. Downside is that at the moment is that hardly anyone who reads this blog is on Google Plus.
3) A web site. BTInternet actually provides a web address for subscribers (at least, it used to). On the plus side this could offer the widest options. I'm sure that I could figure out how to get a "comments" section in there. On the minus side, it would require the most work. I quite like web design, but it does take up a lot of time. On the plus side, all advertising revenue would be mine and mine alone.
4) Blogger: Also relatively easy, but hardly progress. And I don't like the comments system on Blogger.
5) Something else that I haven't thought of or seriously considered. E.G. Wordpress, or whatever. There's probably some stuff out there that I could use that I don't even know about. Suggestions and votes welcomed.
+++++++++
After getting near to giving up "serious" online poker by the end of May, I've had a good couple of months -- indeed I am now virtually even for the year. June was a four-figure month from just 30k hands at $50 buy in. And, more importantly, I booked a gain of about $300 in play at the table. As I've written before, winning at least something at the tables is the bare minimum. If you rely on rakeback and bonuses to outweigh your losses at the tables, you are playing at too high a stake.
On the downside, in June I ran good, particularly on Party. The weakness of my EV on Party remains a real puzzle. It doesn't feel to me that the opposition has got THAT much tougher, and yet here I am consistently beating Stars at this level, but still struggling on Party. The overall EV is still positive, but, as I say, winning at least something at the table has to be the bare minimum.
Stars has come up with a good August offer which means that, even at normal levels of play, I will be at Platinum for September. Should I move back up to $100 buy in in September (I'm now well over 10 buy ins up at $50 buy in on Stars) then a "nearly normal" level of around 20k hands would keep me at that level.
++++++++++++
What is there to write about the current economic situation? I've closed out my long gold positions for a reasonable three-figure gain. I'm looking to get back in at $1540 for what should be a push to $1800 when the next crisis hits. I'm also looking to catch the falling knife on the dollar. This is always a risk trade, but with risk comes reward. If you get it wrong (as you are likely to do) there isn't much loss. But if you get it right, the upside is considerable. Last summer this consisted of a move to €1.27 to the dollar, before the steady decline back to the current position of €1.44. Of course, we've seen a number as bad as €1.51 as recently as late 2009, and there's no guarantee that we won't see it again. But the euro was a different animal in December 2009. I mainly see upside on the dollar and downside on the euro right the way through to next summer, when we might see something as good (for the dollar) as €1.19.
Hmm, saying all that tempts me to trade out of some of my Stars euro account (opened at €1.31). They get a bit sniffy if you use your accounts for currency speculation, but there's nothing wrong with withdrawing money "at the right time".
+++++++++++++++
The weight-training continues apace, although I really do wish I had a bit more willpower on the diet and training front. I mean, I'm not doing badly (very few lapses on the food front, and averaging five training sessions a week), but I'm increasingly sensitive of the fact that I am marching against time here. I've never been one to do something half-a-cock, and my enthusiasm for it (at the moment) means that the "ultimate aim" is something of a moving target. I've already reached what was my initial aim for the end of this year (a dead lift of 130kg) so now I'm heading way into unknown territory, including the unheard-of phrase "I'm really going to need to put on some weight". Unfortunately before that situation comes about I still have to lose some more fat, well, quite a bit of fat. It's coming off, but at a slower pace (hence my annoyance at myself for any lapse) and some muscle is going on (also at a slow pace!). But to get any distance above, say, 150kg, I've got to start thinking about building some muscle.
I'm also beginning to look longingly at the clean-and-jerk lift, even if it's just to master the technique. My previous hatred of anything relating to upper-body work is slowly dissipating, although any mention of biceps work is still certain to make me wince. But even with that I'm getting tougher when it comes to moving up the weights.
For the weight aficionados, I managed three sets of 12/10/8 dumbbell press (no incline) at 16kg, 20kg and 22kg. Followed by 12/10/8 dumbbell incline fly lifts at 14kg, 16kg and 18kg (I think, maybe 20kg for 6 reps at the end). Thence, already pretty exhausted, to the bench press, so we won't talk about that.
After that we ambled over to preacher curls (bleaagghhh, hard work) and then 7x7x7 bicep curls (20kg) and two triceps exercises, all in a super set, repeated twice for three combinations in all. My legs gave way half-way through the last bicep set, but that, so to speak, is "good".
Curiously, there was no lactic acid "burn" today -- just work through to muscle exhaustion. sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't.
++++++++++++++++
Cyprus soon. The hotel has a gym, and I intend to keep myself in shape, with a workout every morning. I'm also going to work on my swimming. When I was in Spain in 2008, just for a week, my swimming stamina improved without focused effort. So if I DO put in some focused effort, we'll see how many metres I can get up to by the end of the fortnight.
To be frank, the holiday can't come soon enough, and I am really looking forward to it. I was on the verge of booking another holiday for the end of November/start of December, but then, in a rare display if self-confidence, I thought to myself: "But what if I meet someone in Cyprus?" So I'll hold off on the booking with solos.co.uk until September. I doubt that all the spaces will have gone.
_________________
