Real Estate, Poker and Head Colds

Here I sit at my computer. A long and productive day behind
me. A closing tomorrow. Two offers in negotiation - and
likely closings ahead. I'm working too many hours and have been
giving a lot of thought to local politics. I've been following the
Hamburg Township nonsense for months. Now it seems the
Hartland Township leadership wants to play, too. Today's
papers remind me of Detroit's dysfunctional politics where
the citizens get shorted and it makes me mad.

An impending foreclosure listing, fruitful progress on
another deal. Three others in 'the hopper'. Many typical
communications, good office interaction. My new assistant is
a quick learner and I'm very happy. I'm playing online poker
and listening to Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 in D by
Hilary Hahn on Accuradio.com - which I really endorse, by the
way.

I started a tournament with 227 players, now down to 18 and
I'm in 6th place. No, make that 4th place.

Fighting a cold for the last 3 days I am definitely sleep
deprived and getting nourishment from a lunch-time bowl of
soup, and a light dinner. I just sent off my last email and
will now enjoy the rest of my awake time playing poker and
relaxing. A bad read on an opponent at a new table just took
me down to 8th place. The tournament pays out to 10 and
there are now 16 players left. Make that 14 players
remaining.

I'm in 9th place now with 13 players. I can 'coast' into the
winners circle. But I'm only going to play semi-conservative.
Poker is about (excuse the term) playing 'ballsy'.

Beethoven's Symphony 8 is now on. A wonderful opening
movement. It counteracts the cold medication that I've been
taking for three days and literally jolts me awake. I bet
the bottom pair on the flop and the turn gives me two pair.
Betting the pot, I take it in and move to 7th of still 13
players. I just betted aggressively with one of the worst
starting hands (8-3 offsuit) and took it down.

I'm now 8th of 12 players and pretty sure I'll make the cut.
Good cards in early position, pocket 5's. But my only caller
has two Q's and I'm behind in this hand. I've hit a set
(three of a kind) on the flop and prevail. I finish in 4th
place of 10 places paying out.

After 2 hours and 6 minutes (some of it 'sitting out' to
spend time with my wife), I have won an entry into the WPT
(World Poker Tour) Boot Camp qualifier on 2/27 and the winner
of that gets a WPT boot camp of their choice for 2009.
Not bad for a guy drugged on too much cold medication and a
couple of glasses of red wine. By the 27th I should be
'cured' and ready to play for real. I *think* that I'm a
passable poker player, I'd love to make it to a high place in
a big tournament, at least once.

Tomorrow is a busy day and I need to get some sleep
(hopefully). But first I'll finish listening to the third
movement of Brahm's Symphony 3.