Off campus for good :/

I've spent the last few days moving out, and now I'm back at my parents' house for a few weeks before moving to Chicago on Labor Day weekend. It was pretty hard to leave campus knowing things wouldn't be the same ever again. I now understand what everyone else went through moving out after graduation...as cliche as it sounds, when I locked up my apartment for the last time, it started to really hit me. I've had a lot of good times the last four years, some really tough times, and a ton of learning experiences, but they've all made me a better person.

I started to think about the better times I had in college as I spent hours packing and cleaning, and realized all of them had a common element. I was talking to Alyssa about this yesterday too, and she pretty much agreed. Everything I remember clearly and bring back good memories revolve around the good times I had with people. It didn't matter the location, what we were doing, what the weather was like, how many drinks I had. The people around me made every experience worthwhile.

As most of you know (and some of you experienced), my workload junior year was brutal. Never have I worked so hard. At the time I HATED it. "Why can't I just go out??" 16+ hour days in the library with the same people. The same people. But even during senior year, and especially now, it's those same people that make me smile when I think about it. Yeah the work sucked, but we made the best of our situation. Ordered food in the library. Made obstacle courses in the library. Took shots in the library. We adapted and made it work. We learned to control the things we could - the people around us, and not worry about what we couldn't - the workload, assigned groups, exams, and the sun that sometimes rose and set without us ever seeing it.

Even last year, a lot of my friends couldn't go to the Kresge to work because it brought back "terrible memories." They don't quite understand. It's not the work that created the negative association, it's the people they were with and how they managed the situation. I am so grateful that I worked with the people I did. I can set foot in the library and smile and remember all the hungover mornings we had, the outrageous things that we said and did, and how good it felt to know we got through the situations together.

Senior year was the same story in a different atmosphere, usually one block over at a place called Rick's. "Where everybody knows your name, da da da daaa..." But it's the same story. Transplant that group of people to another bar and I would've been there five nights a week (sick, I know...my bank account is still bruised). It wasn't about the $3 tiny ass drinks, the germ-infested shark bowls, or people practically having sex on the dance floor...it was about the people next to me drinking, shooting the shit, dancing without getting people pregnant, and laughing.

Life is all about people. Who we hang out with is one of the few things we can control in any situation, and most people don't realize it's them that make or break your experiences. When you pick the people you associate with, you're making a major contribution to how you will remember those times. As most of you have started your jobs, you'll be meeting new people and making new friends. Respect them all, whether you like them or not. Don't burn bridges, because you might need them in the end. But the main reason is that YOU will enjoy your time wherever you are if you respect those around you. You may have to adjust to make them feel welcome, but they will respect you. But stick closest to those that you naturally gravitate to.


Poker translation:
Yes this is a poker blog, and a lot of the same ideas from up there relate to poker. Poker, like life, is all about people. Before I deleted it, my last post talked about how I was starting to play almost without cards, sometimes forgetting what I have mid-hand, because I'm too busy analyzing my opponent. I'm considering other people. I'm adjusting to the situation based on what I see. I'm controlling what I can, and disregarding everything else.

I'm figuring out what I can control, and making adjustments to create the best situation for me. Unlike life, "best" in poker is "most profitable," but it's the same philosophy. In life, you're worried about life EV, and poker, $EV. Don't worry about "why does he have to have a set that's bigger than mine?" That's like saying, "Why do I have to take this exam tomorrow?" If you say it enough, will the exam go away? No, it gets you absolutely nowhere. If your read, based on the information you have, is that you're beat, and you're not getting proper odds, it's fine to fold. A poker executioner will not strike you down for folding a set if you think your opponent has a higher one.

Tough laydowns are tough for a reason - they bring dangerous information to the front of your brain to cloud your proper thought process. "I'm already down three buy-ins today, there's no way my luck can continue." "I saw Hellmuth play a hand this way, if it worked for him, it will work for me." Again, things you can't control, but they cloud proper, rational judgment of almost all poker players, even the best at times. The cards have no memory, and if there is any percentage chance of something happening, it MIGHT BE HAPPENING. When facing a difficult situation, it is important to keep that in mind, and consider that anything is possible as long as the deck still has all 52 cards before they're dealt.

You can control how much information you gain, and the actions you make based on them. That's all. Just focus on the first one, and the second will take care of itself.