For the past 6 months or so, I’ve been feeling pretty down about my job. I haven’t had fun. I’ve been understimulated and bored, but I haven’t been able to change things; I’m considered “key competence” and so I’m not allowed to switch tasks, “in case we need you.” So I’ve been sitting here, trying to explain to the powers that be that I’m not doing any good, that it’s a waste of my time and their money, and that I’d really really really like to do something else.

But to no avail.

So the only way out is to find myself a new job. Which I have. I’ve now signed a contract with a small company that make embedded software for digital receivers, i.e. digital TV boxes. It’s going to be quite a change of pace, going from working for a huge multinational corporation to a small one-site company with about 30 employees. I’m not so naïve as to think that everything will be better; some things will invariably disappoint me. But, honestly, overall I think it’s going to be a huge improvement.

So I’m very very excited about this. The larger salary is nice, but not fundamentally important to me. What matters is that I - hopefully, knock on wood - will no longer have a job where I wake up in the morning and wish I didn’t have to go to, or start looking at the clock around 1:30pm and wish the day was over. In the previous 7.5 years at my current position, before this summer, I had never felt like that more than some occasional day here and there. But since June, it’s been virtually every day. And that’s no way to go through life.

So that’s exciting; I can’t wait. I have given my three months notice (yes, you read it right - THREE! MONTHS!) and although I’m hoping to be released sooner than that, I’m not too optimistic. Still, it’s now only a matter of time.

What about poker then? I haven’t played much. But the little I’ve played has gone alright, albeit swingy. Looking at the year as a whole, however, is depressing. I’m down about $2k this year, and I’m down roughly $5k since June. I’ve learned a lot since then though, and I’m positive that I’ve now turned this around and am making a good come-back. My only real goal left this year is to clear SuperNova status at Stars, at which point I’ll have to make some sort of decision as to how to continue with poker. While I like playing 6-max limit, it’s getting a bit… I’m on autopilot too much. It’s not very stimulating outside of the thrill of winning money. Maybe I’ll take the plunge and go NL. Or maybe I’ll specialize in STTs? Who knows.

The big reason I’m not very fond of tournaments as a poker form is that I like being able to get up whenever I want to. However, and this thought just struck me, I’ve historically had a bit of a discipline problem when it comes to leaving the table.  This, presumably, cannot be something I’d make a mistake with in an SnG since I’m forced to get up when I’m out and I’d have no incentive to leave before I’m done. In cash games, there’s a part of me that wants to quit playing when I’m ahead and of course to get unstuck when I’m down. I know that this is a problematic instinct, and I’m working on it, but perhaps I could just take the easy way out and play SnGs and be rid of the problem altogether?

Although I’m sure there are other problems associated with SnGs. One that immediately comes to mind is hearing ”dinner’s ready!” when I’m chip leader on the bubble. But smart planning should take care of that. Anyone have any warnings they want to raise about a potential future as an SnG-player?