Yorky Pud

In a few hours most of us will experience the huge anti-climax that is New Year's Eve. You'd think I'd love seeing the new year in, after all it generally involves copious amounts of alcohol, but it just gets on my nerves.

When I was younger, listen to me I sound like I'm 59 not 29, I always went out on the lash and I don't remember a time when I really enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong, I had a laugh and got to kiss a load of randoms but the pubs and clubs were absolutely rammed and it took half hour to get served. Not to mention the price of it all, some pubs charge £20 to get in and what do you get for that? Bugger all, you get to hand over £20. Nice. Then the taxi drivers, most of who around here are Asian so don't have their new year tonight but still charge you double time. Yeah right mate, jog on.

Another thing that annoys me about the new year is everyone making resolutions that they are all going to break within an hour or so of 2011 starting. Why wait until the new year just to stop smoking, drinking or stuffing your fat face? Surely if something is worth stopping/starting then it is worth doing it when you first think of it not waiting until the start of another year. That said I am going to be hypocritical and make some myself. Some will be poker related others not so, let's get cracking on them then.

I stopped smoking during the year so I can't have that as a resolution but I could probably do with cutting back on the ale and wine. Whilst I don't drink to pisshead proportions I do sometimes have a drink three or four nights in a row so I'll strive to cut down my alcohol intake, in fact I am going to try and not play online poker if I have been boozing and as I want to play a ton this year they should go hand in hand. In my previous post I hinted at becoming complacent in my work and needing to up my game. Well I really want to up my game in 2011, raise the bar and any other ridiculous corporate saying you can think of. I know I can produce better content than I have done recently so hopefully you'll see an immediate change.

Other life goals include trying to shift at least 1.5 stone, could probably do with 2.5 coming off but 1.5 seems a realistic target. I'd also like to get my motorbike licence at some point seeing as I broke my arm shortly before my test was due all those years ago. I can't afford a bike right now but getting a licence is the first step anyway. I'd also like to give something back to the world in some form. I can't give blood due to the blood products I received in the 80s having a bad reputation so that is off the list but I would like to do something for charity, either a one-off or a continual thing, though I would have to give this some more thought as it is difficult to juggle things at the moment. Finally on the life front I want to become a better person and a better dad. I'm not entirely sure how to go about that but it's on the agenda. Oh, and start to learn another language, probably Spanish.

With regards to poker this year has been pretty crap. I've hardly played, which is half my problem, but that will change in 2011. I am not setting any volume based goals, no monetary based goals instead I am going to set myself the challenge of not tilting, never deleting my Holdem Manager database in a fit of range and try to play my A-game at all times. I'd love to get my first entry on the Hendon Mob database but I'm not sure how much live poker, especially decent buy-ins, I'll play this year. Bit boring really!

Anyway, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading my drivel for the past 12 months and keeping me in reduced priced Zinfandel and BOGOF Dominos Pizza! I'd also like to wish you all the best for 2011 and hope that we all come through it relatively unscathed! All the best and good luck at the tables!