Pauly posted a great entry on balance – it’s a must read for every human trying to live a quality life.

I’m nowhere near balanced right now. Work has been incredibly stressful, and I’ve been using large quantities of Sleeman’s Clear Ale and online MTTs to escape. It’s been work, beer, sleep, poker, work, sleep, poker, work. Add in chocolate & french fries and you’ll get the full sense of my existence over the past month. Not good.

A friend came over last night and told me that he’s getting separated from his wife. They have been married a few short years and have a young daughter. The saddest thing he told me was that there would be days on end when they wouldn’t speak. They weren’t fighting, they just wouldn’t speak to each other. The silence must have been incredibly heavy. It made me want to cry.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the impact that poker has had on my life (thanks to CC’s series of Am I better because of poker articles – a series I intend to do myself). I think the biggest positive impact has been on my relationship with my husband (aka Bankwell). In addition to life, work, family – we now have a shared hobby that we talk about all the time. I can’t imagine a night where we don’t talk and laugh – nevermind days on end.

I’m pretty lucky.

Well, except for on the poker tables lately ;)

Bubbled again in Woody’s on Monday. I was on fire at the beginning of the game. I’d really pumped up my aggression (my game had turned very passive) – and was building a great stack. A few missed flops by mid-game, and then one very bad pre-flop raise (committing myself and considering the stack size of the BB) and I was down to 1,000 chips when blinds were 200/400. Bah.

But I was able to rebuild only to go out 5th when I was a small stack and went all in for 3xBB with A4 and was called by AK. Flop was AX6, turn was 4, river was 6. I didn’t even see the second 6 and thought I had sucked out – but his two pair beat mine and I’m done.

But I actually felt great about the game, because with the exception of that one clear mistake, I played well.