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The Gift and the Curse – Nominated for Best Blogger and a Rare Posting

Appallingly this is the longest time I’ve been without a post since the inception of my blog in 2005. Like a late school boy with no completed homework, I have little to no excuse, and can only plead for your forgiveness – not that either of us owe it to each other. I should further admit that this post is almost out of obligation as I was invited to attend the UK Poker Awards after a nomination for best blogger. Gone are the days when Bluescouse/The Poker Bastard would be able to walk that one in…

I spent just over a week in South Africa back in November. The tournament was well run and was very good value as well as a fun holiday. The weather certainly was a touch nicer than the looming winter that Edinburgh was providing and we took advantage of this on various excursions. The animal park was my highlight. Unlike Denmark where they’re busy killing baby giraffes over in Copenhagen [1], the South Africans decided to spare theirs for us to pet and feed. Very enjoyable. There were a multitude of other animals on offer for gawking at, but no turtles unfortunately.

I was teasing the giraffe by holding the food far away. Like a bastard.

A well earned afternoon nap

These old power station towers are now the site of a bungee jump.

Rugby stadium in SA. It was big.

I didn’t manage to cash any of the events out there but as per usual Dominik managed to FT the main which helped cover the expenses with a cheeky swap.

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Back in the UK, December and January were very much drinking months.

There was cause for celebration when one of my best friends Ben Mayhew found himself winning the UKIPT Nottingham and by the time the New Year rolled around we were still going. A quieter entry into 2014 than previous years, but thoroughly enjoyable time spent at the pub nevertheless. My drinking binge rounded up after UKIPT Edinburgh where it was nice to see some familiar faces again. As I’ve taken more of a back seat approach to poker I seldom get to see a lot of people who are travelling about bar the Edinburgh faithful so it was thoroughly enjoyable to have a couple of blow out nights in the local haunts. A brief mention about the tournament – I managed to stay in the tournament just long enough for Pokerstars to interview me but was knocked out on the first level of day 2 when I made a dubious call down with top pair (you know, flushing board, paired etc, had no kicker, basically beat nothing etc).

Even a blind squirrel…

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More recently, I’ve rekindled my love for table tennis which has been furthered by Thomas buying a table (and conveniently living a 2 minute walk away). I also joined a local club but they awkwardly schedule practices for Friday night which lately have been filled by birthday parties, baby showers etc, but I’ll be sure to establish myself as a regular before the new season.

Additionally, I bought a piano and had my first lesson yesterday. I played for a year or two when I was very young. It’s the sort of thing that I can see being hit or miss with me as my interest could dwindle very easily, but in the worst case I have a nice piece of furniture that people can mash about once in awhile. The lesson was fun though, so I’ll see how far I get for now while it’s all new and exciting.

Anyone know if it’s any good? I like it

I had a brief jaunt to Copenhagen where it was snowing every day. It was booked out of sheer boredom and a craving to get away. Copenhagen is a fun city.

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Anyway, there isn’t much else to report. The shares have been doing well and I’m keeping myself busy with several other projects. It must be start-up season or something because it seems every other week someone’s asking me if this or that is a good idea. Exciting times anyway!

[1] Sorry Mickey, that article was too long to read.

The post “The Gift and the Curse – Nominated for Best Blogger and a Rare Posting” was first posted on Rupert Elder’s Blog.