Daniel - Poker Journal
Ok, So Here Goes…
24 Nov 2007
So in my last blog I described the news as both good and bad and that’s exactly how I feel about it. It’s bad news, in that, something like this is never a good thing, but it’s good news, because it’s the right decision for me… and Lori.
Lori and I have been married a little over two years now and we hardly ever fight or argue. She’s very easy to get along with and is a very rational human being. Whenever we’ve had issues in the past we usually do a really good job of sitting down, talking about it, and trying to understand and respect each other’s feelings.
Many women would have a really difficult time dealing with me being busy and on the road so much, but Lori was totally cool with it, understanding what I did well before we got married. She was always great about that stuff and when it comes to hanging out with friends or having them over all night until morning, it never bothered her at all. She’s always been awesome in that respect.
Having said that, for quite some time now we both have felt that there was something missing or not quite right. I know for certain that I’m to blame for much of it. I can be a pretty demanding person at times. What I regret most is trying to change Lori into something she wasn’t instead of just loving her for who she was.
She is a great person, someone you could trust with your life and would never turn her back on you. She is a great listener and would do anything for a friend. I think we’ll be really good friends forever.
The decision to split could not have gone any smoother. Seriously, one night we just started talking after a frustrating day for both of us. Not yelling, not blaming each other for anything at all, no crying, just talking like adults.
Neither of us our quitters at all, especially when it comes to something so serious, so the real question was: have we given it enough time? Have we tried our best? Will anything change?
Virtually simultaneously we both agreed that we did try our best and that there just seemed to be this one big problem: while we get along great and enjoy each other’s company, we just aren’t right for each other.
Once we finished talking we both felt sooo much better instantly! I liked her better already, lol! We complimented each other, looked at each other, and both felt like it was the absolute right thing to do. Once the decision was made, we hugged and then hung out for a bit watching TV. It didn’t even feel awkward at all.
Later that week we had her closest friends over to the house for a week vacation. Matt, Amy, Matt’s mom, and the two kids, making for a pretty full house. Our situation was never an issue at all for the whole week. We hung out and had a good time, When they left town, my buddies came over and Lori hung out with us for a bit while we played pool and Wii bowling.
We are getting along great and I’m certain that we’ll be friends forever. There is no need for any lawyers as we took care of all the details ourselves. There were no arguments there either: I get Mushu, she gets Marley which is no surprise. I feel bad for the dogs as they’ve gotten pretty close, but Marley will still come by to play I’m sure.
Right now I’m in Toronto for the Grey Cup and Lori is in Michigan for Thanksgiving. We still have a few minor details to iron out, but we are essentially both living single lives now as friends.
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So what does the future hold for me? Well, I don’t have any plans to find anyone new at all. I’m too busy with other things to even think about that sort of thing. It’s not on my mind at all. I’m still going to be working on my terrible golf game, hanging with buddies playing pool, but I’m planning on changing a few things around the house. More toys, if you will, like www.fullswinggolf.com and a few other things.
As for poker, one of the reasons that I have taken on a lighter schedule both online and live was calculated. I’ve been playing this game long enough to know that if my attention is split between personal issues and poker, the results could be dangerous. So, rather than mess with any of that I’ve been very careful in the amount that I play, and when I do play, I make sure that I REALLY want to play. Hence my decision to skip Foxwoods.
I’ll be back to kicking butt on the tournament trail starting with the 5 Diamond at Bellagio and will hopefully follow that up with a good WSOP in 2008. Despite all of this going on for me recently, I feel like my poker game is super sharp right now and I’m reading people better than ever. That, plus thanks to logging a few more hours in online at PokerStars, my game is as good fundamentally as it’s ever been. I’m looking forward to the 5 Diamond and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January. Both are tournaments I’ve had great success in, coming first and third two of the last three years at Bellagio, and cashing three times in Bahamas. I’ve always had “lulls” in my poker year, and they usually happen between September and December.
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Totally unrelated to anything in this blog, seriously, I know it’s hard to believe but it’s true, I’m selling my 2004 Toyota Tundra on E-Bay. That’s the car I won for being player of the year in 2004. If you are looking for a big car, the item # is:110195939555
