Long Couple Weeks

I made a promise to update my blog weekly and I immediately failed. December 1st I found out my dad was in the hospital. I just realized how tough it is to deal with these types of situations especially while having nothing but 1200 miles that separates my family and I. To make a long story short, I drove to MI with my sister and her boyfriend to see my dad. The verdict is he has stage 4 adinocarcinoma cancer. He's recovering from a colonoscopy he had done a week and a half ago and has lost a lot of weight. Now he is looking more healthy and is in high spirits. It's been tough to deal with but I'm coping with it. I'm here in Michigan for the time being here for my dad and family and helping out with anything I can. I'm unsure how long I'll be here, but as long as I am here with my dad and the rest of my supporting family and friends, the comfort will keep me here for as long as needed and my timeframe is undeclared.
I'm not quite used to the colder weather yet. One day I'm wearing khaki shorts with sandals in 70 degree weather, and the next I'm bundled up in a coat in 15 degree weather. Not to mention I don't even own a winter coat, just a raggity old light jacket that smells like cigarette smoke, beer, and mildew. Which brings me to my next topic. It's been almost 4 days since I quit smoking. When I say "quit" I mean I've had 1 cigarette in 4 days. I'm really going to do it this time and I feel the timing is right. I just gotta stay strong mentally, which I feel I've done well at for the past 2 weeks.
As for poker, I haven't played much lately and isn't one of my priorities. Since I don't have a job right now I'll be grinding here and there for a few extra bucks. Well, that's all for now. I'll run an update once a week or so.

My Biggest Flaw/s

SMOKING. Ew. I picked up smoking cigarettes more than 2 years ago when I turned 21. Once I hit that age I kinda hit the wall. Began drinking regularly and smoking a pack a day. I'm 23 years old now and have recently had some time to re-evaluate myself. Smoking is disgusting. The stigma attached to it does not suit me and definately does not reflect the image of who I am. I don't do drugs, which is good though......obviously. I feel like I am to that point in my life where I'm starting to realize how short life is. I need to quit smoking, drinking (regularly), and get my skinny ass back into shape. I want to be able to play baseball again, and if I don't quit my bad habits, then I never will play the sport I love again. My goals for 2011 are to quit smoking, put more meat on my bones, and find me a nice girlfriend. I don't want to rob myself of a New Years Resolution post on here, so I will save the rest of this until that time comes. Thanks for reading! See ya soon.

Where I currently stand in poker

I've been playing poker for about 3-4 years as a hobby. I did not take it seriously until March of 2010. I studied and played often. Quickly I became a winning player and am taking baby steps to get to the top. I've learned a lot over the past 6 months in terms of bankroll management and only playing when I feel I can play my A-game. As I stated in my intro, I am currently staked. Became a member of PTP (Parttimepoker.com) and was fortunate enough to accept a staking opportunity. The rules/terms of my stake are as follows:
*Stake Amount: $1600.00
*My staker and I split winnings 50/50 at end of period
*May only play heads-up sit-and-go's ranging from $31.50/$52.50/$105 buyins
*May only play a certain stake if my bankroll supports 30 buyins. For example if my bankroll is $1600, I am able to play $52.50 matches unless my bankroll reaches below $1575 (30*$52.50 = 1575). In this case I would play $31.50 matches until I accumulate a bankroll to continually play $52.50 and eventually $105 matches (in which I would need a $3150 bankroll).
*I must report my daily profit/loss at PTP in my rail thread in the forums.

I have been staked only one other time which was in August. Initial stake amount was $900 and generated both me and my staker a $947.89 profit, each. I am VERY confident in my game at this point in my "career". I am at a stage right now where I am building a bankroll of my own, and eventually 100% of profits will be mine (hopefully within a month). I will be posting weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly results of my bankroll progress on here so you all can keep up with where I am at. Right now, I've been playing for a week, took a $400 downswing and am right about even as of now. Hopefully I can pull a nice $500+ profit this week. That's my goal!!! Below is a picture of my "Hand of the Day". I'll occasionally post some interesting hands or pictures of whatever is on my mind. Cheers!