April Review...

May 1rst already....what a busy month. 

Yoga
I completed my 30 day challenge.  I did 30 classes in April,  had to double up a few times to make up for the days where work/life got in the way.  Overall, I am really happy I did it, but I know that without a doubt I need a break.  That being said, I signed up for a one month pass to another studio...maybe soon I will be doing handstands and wheels, but probably will just be content with being comfortable in a down dog. 

Poker
I already briefly touched on "Black Friday" but now have a better idea as to what the impact is on me.  As a person, I don't like that the US government is preventing the citizens from playing online, but as a poker player, I think it may have been better for me than originally anticipated.   While it is a bit tougher to get an omaha 8/b game going, it is definitely better when it finally comes together.  I have had better tournament results also, including finishing 101rst in the Sunday Million on PokerStars tonight.  Maybe it is variance, or maybe I underestimated the poker prowess of our neighbours to the South. 

I am really happy that PokerStars has been able to process cashouts for the US players, that will help and maybe even improve the flow of money during WSOP (less than a month away now...) because some players will have their whole roll in cash rather than keeping the majority of their cash online. 

SCOOP starts on the 8th of May.  I hope I get to play some of the events, but it isn't looking likely because with the absence of the US players, PokerStars decided to move the events 3 hours earlier.  In the past, I was able to catch some of the evening events after work if I wanted to, or take an afternoon away from work if the event warranted it.  It will be tough this year to take the time....will have a look this week to see what I want to do. 

Personally, "Black Friday" has impacted some of me and some of my relationships with American friends.  We don't have a normal banter about how our days have gone, or hands to talk about, or tournaments to review.  Some have dealt with the situation really well, and things are normal, but it is evident that others begrudge that I can still play where they used to. 

I just maintained my monthly quota to remain a Supernova on PokerStars this month...

Fun
April bring basketball playoffs for us every year, we sailed through the semis, with a couple games this month and are headed to the finals for our division this year, have a solid chance of shipping it too!  Needless to say.....

Mid-month, a group of friends went out to a rural community hall for the 2nd annual curling extravaganza, it was entirely too much fun.  An evening of curling (really everyone should try it) interspersed with a Ukrainian feast of pyrogies, cabbage rolls and skor cake....what else could you ask for?  The rum slush definitely helped to keep us warmer on the ice!

Yoga kept me flexible I guess....

Finally, this week, I went to Riverdance.  I never saw it on it's first run through after the boom of the Celtic Tiger in the early 2000s.  It was an awesome experience that I thoroughly loved, I do still wish I had seen it with a huge full cast.  For those of you who are wondering, I only cried a small amount at the beginning, something about Irish hard shoe dance makes me super emotional!  My favorite clips from Riverdance....I could watch them over and over!  Michael Flately is so haughty and arrogant, but I love it! 

I also read a couple books during April...I read Some Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren and Still Alice by Lisa Genova.  The latter was an incredible book that was told from the perspective of a well educated woman as she became increasingly affected by Alzheimer's Disease.  If you read it (and you should), I recommend you avoid reading on the train/bus or other public arenas, as there are some intense moments that really take your breath away (and may bring a tear to your eye).  It is what I consider a very human book, with situations that you can feel yourself in. 

My basement also flooded around Good Friday...thankfully I have people in my life (my mum and step-father) who are proficient at dealing with such emergencies.  I didn't have the time to put a diving board in my basement, it was dried up in no time! (Thanks)

All in all, it has been a crazy month, periodically I think about things I should blog and am sure that I have forgotten a number of things tonight....not to worry, I'll be back!