The brief time I spent blogging on Cardrunners captured some pretty dramatic and challenging moments, which included a full blown nervous breakdown. The support I recieved from people who had dealt with similar experiences, or who simply wanted to offer encouragement was very helpful. Thanks for that. I don't plan on resuming my blog, but a number of these issues have more or less come to a close, so I thought I would share a quick update.

I've been in very good health for quite a while now, and that's a relief. I've even been meds free for a few months, so things are looking really good. Losing my health for a while there scared the pants off me, and I can't thank my family, friends, and fiance enough for their incredible support when it really counted.

I'm engaged! I proposed to Natalie a few weeks ago on Vancouver Island. She said, "SERIOUSLY?"... and then she said yes. I couldn't be happier about it. As a younger person I never imaged myself being in love, let alone married, but it's a pretty awesome thing to have happen.

Financially, things turned out pretty darn okay. I ended up losing a ballstastic amount of money, but I kept my shirt, and when the dust started to settle I had enough to pay off the mortgage on my townhouse (which I should have done a long time ago, but if you remember how things were pre-2008, well... leverage-leverage-leverage). I've got two last pieces of real estate that are set to close in about a month, and after that I won't have a penny of debt to my name. House withstanding, I won't own anything, either, but I'm pretty frickin fine with that.

I haven't played a lot of poker this year. It comes and goes.

So, what are some things I've learned? Lots. Here are some of the more important ones:

1) If you're angry or sad to the point that it bothers you (sometimes it's okay to be a little angry) eat something. If that doesn't work, sleep.

2) Having lots of money but being kind of useless doesn't give you great security. If you lose the money then you're just some useless guy, and nobody's going to pay you for that.

3) Being a decent person, however, will get you a lot of things from people. Those things might not be money, but they will probably be enough.

4) Nobody anywhere really gets what's going on. You probably already knew that, but just in case you were wondering if the bigger guys at the banks, the law firms, and the accounting offices knew what was going on with civil law or the economy, don't worry, they don't get it either.

5) In a bad situation it's easy to imagine how things will get worse, but just because you can't imagine how things might get better doesn't mean they won't. If you weren't omincient enough to see the bad stuff coming there's no reason to believe you'll see the good stuff coming either.

6) There are just some people who do truly suck, to an incredible extent. But the world's a big enough place that they can be more or less ignored.

7) Hitting things in your basement is okay. Don't hurt yourself.

8) Fire everyone who can't be bothered to return your calls within the week. Do you have a lawyer like that? Fire them tomorrow. I'm serious. What you need your lawyer to do is not special and it is not complicated. The only criteria that determine whether a lawyer is a good lawyer for 99% of people are 1) cost 2) are they sober? 3) can they return a phone call?

9) You can teach most people how to do most things. You can't teach character. Hold on to your good people.

10) Always make your lists an even ten.


Good luck!