We both were terribly annoyed. Yesterday evening really NOTHING worked out for us! We both had bad results in the HORSE race, we busted actually back to back. I just busted right after you.
And how my Omaha MTTs went, well, you know. It can be extremely frustrating, but you know, that´s poker. Some variants (like PLO) are just roller coasters.
Troll Calendar - Day 20
Final stretch, and we got another girly egg. 
An unambiguous one, this time.
Um... what is this?
Some arctic mountain climber guy? Problem is, it comes with a bunch of tiny parts, including a small rubber band and a string, but I can't read the instructions, they are way too small! (They are a bit bigger in this photo, but on the original sheet, the lack of contrast in the colors of this figurine made it really tough to tell anything apart.)
I just did it like this, not sure if it's the correct way. Looks a bit like BDSM from here, but it does result in a bit of a climbing motion if you flick the leg part down, I guess that's what it's supposed to do.
It also came with another tiny, tiny sticker for those glasses.
Now we still have that string left, I guess I should have attached it earlier somehow as well?
Whatever, I found a way to attach the figurine to it, at least. It's probably supposed to be a little different, but I can't be arsed to get a magnifying glass to figure out the exact way to put it together.
Again, I'm not sure what about this toy is supposed to be so appealing to young girls that it made its way into one of those girly eggs...
I railed you for a while in the Badugi and one of the 5-Card Draw SNGs yesterday.
I was hoping to join the HORSE race, but it must have been over before I got home.
Maybe next week...
Originally posted by VorpalF2F
I railed you for a while in the Badugi and one of the 5-Card Draw SNGs yesterday.
I was hoping to join the HORSE race, but it must have been over before I got home.Maybe next week...
I'm afraid you picked a bad time for a rail yesterday... 
There won't be any HORSE race next week, btw. While I do typically restart playing on December 26th, Prim will still be away that day visiting her family and won't return until one day later.
Everything still goes like crap whenever I play, and I'm still on monkey tilt. Maybe it's best to take a break until after Christmas. I'll see how it goes in the next few day, but I guess less is more.
Originally posted by Harrier88
Everything still goes like crap whenever I play, and I'm still on monkey tilt. Maybe it's best to take a break until after Christmas. I'll see how it goes in the next few day, but I guess less is more.
Yes, less is sometimes more and quality before quantity! That´s also my mantra. 
Originally posted by Primrose6789
Yes, less is sometimes more and quality before quantity! That´s also my mantra.
I don't even play too many tables, I'm just struggling with my games in general lately. It has all been piling up recently, I don't feel confident and I quickly get impatient and easily irritable, nothing good can come out of that.
If I do feel ready some time in the next few days, maybe I can give it another shot, but it's probably better to leave things be and restart fresh and relaxed after Christmas, trying to put these things behind me.
Originally posted by Harrier88
Originally posted by Primrose6789
Yes, less is sometimes more and quality before quantity! That´s also my mantra.
I don't even play too many tables, I'm just struggling with my games in general lately. It has all been piling up recently, I don't feel confident and I quickly get impatient and easily irritable, nothing good can come out of that.
If I do feel ready some time in the next few days, maybe I can give it another shot, but it's probably better to leave things be and restart fresh and relaxed after Christmas, trying to put these things behind me.Exactly!
Troll Calendar - Day 21
Not many eggs left, and here's another one from the NaToons series.
Not sure about it yet, but it looks like some tree part is included?
Awww, it's a woodpecker. Does it feature any woodpecking action?
Yes, it does! 
It's hard to demonstrate here, but you can pull back on the bird's head and it will flick back towards the stump when you release it. A more spectacular action than our previous two NaToons, I believe, which could only move their head or hind legs.
Another one of my favorites this year.
Troll Calendar - Day 22
Girly hype!
Oooh, and something genuinely girly inside this time, too.
Looks very cute, but normally, those little dolls come with a bunch of accessories and several variations. This one only had two parts, and no variations. What's so special about it, then?
The instructions explain it, you're supposed to leave it in the light, and then her hair is supposed to glow in the dark.
Will it work? I don't know, but my new dolly is currently catching some rays, maybe we'll see some results tonight.
Troll Calendar - Day 23
Another "Just Like That" egg...
Is that a little kitty? Uh-oh, and it looks like another tiny rubber band is included, this could get complicated...
Luckily, the instructions were a lot easier to make out this time, so assembly wasn't too bad. And look, it's another cute little rabbit, not a kitty.
What was the rubber band for?
Turns out there's a little flick in the back, and you can pull it down for some eye-opening action. It's very tiny, though, and it will immediately snap back once it's released, making it difficult to show in the photo, hence my awkward hand position here.
That's as far as we're going to get. I guess it's just a sleepy little rabbit. Fair enough, it's almost Christmas. Hopefully it will be a bit more energized in time for Easter, at least.
Thank you very much, Vorpal!
I did have a very nice Christmas Eve. There was one quite sentimental moment when my mother and I were visiting the local cemetery to visit the graves of my father and my grand-parents. As we were standing in front of my grand-parents' grave, which we visited first, I suddenly began to faintly hear the song Silent Night in the background. At first, I thought it may just be in my imagination because it was so faint. Then I thought it almost sounded like some kind of music box that someone might have placed somewhere in the graveyard.
I asked my mother about the music and where she thought it was coming from - hoping that she could hear it at all, and it wasn't just me. The song grew a bit louder, and it was obvious that it was coming somewhere from our left, where a row of small residential houses were standing. Very likely, someone was playing it on a piano at home with the window ajar. Either that, or they were playing it outside, but who would do that on a cold winter afternoon? Either way, it was a touching moment hearing that song while standing in the company of lost loved ones, it was beautifully played in a very soft and solemn manner, and it was still playing as we were going over to my father's grave. It truly felt as if we were spending Christmas together again.
I'm going to spend a few more pleasant hours at home now, but first, let's wrap up this year's Troll Calendar:
Troll Calendar - Day 24: Final Day!
Like last year, we're using a German-style advent calendar which only goes to 24. And we got another "Good Luck" egg again. Hopefully, the good luck will last well into the new year too.
Another robot, maybe? I remember another "Good Luck" egg this year with some kind of robot inside.
It is indeed a robot. What does it do?
Hmmm... well, looks like it can flail its arms around...
Also note step 1, which implies that another tiny sticker is supposed to be used. Conveniently, it was already perfectly applied through some kind of Christmas miracle or something as I was opening the capsule.
Seems to be a sporty and flexible robot, though. Look, it can touch its toes with outstretched legs.
So this concludes the Troll Calendar 2021. Honestly, I wasn't enjoying it quite as much as last year's version, mostly because of the lack of Christmassy stuff, since the eggs weren't available in the same Christmas packs as last year, but it was still pretty fun.
Here's the entire Troll Calendar gang of 2021, standing on the roof of my balcony and wishing you guys a Merry Christmas:
...and of course, no Christmas at Harrier's is complete without my original "Knecht Ruprecht" Christmas cocktail, made of triple sec, amaretto and Frangelico hazelnut liqueur in equal measures.
Unfortunately, I ran out of Frangelico, so the one on the right, which was for me, had to be made with triple sec and amaretto alone. Still decent, but not the same. I'll take more care that my home bar is fully stocked next Christmas.
We were discussing Jägermeister a few days ago. Mrs Vorpal lost one of her oldest and dearest friends last July, and we found out that Jägermeister was a favourite of hers. So I bought some.
It is tasty enough, but I was wondering how one could use it in a mixed drink — or even by itself.
Sadly Mrs Vorpal appears to be allergic to some component of it — she got all flushed and blotchy .
Originally posted by VorpalF2F
We were discussing Jägermeister a few days ago. Mrs Vorpal lost one of her oldest and dearest friends last July, and we found out that Jägermeister was a favourite of hers. So I bought some.It is tasty enough, but I was wondering how one could use it in a mixed drink — or even by itself.
It's a favorite of mine too, but I usually stick to cheaper off-brand versions, I typically only ever drink it straight anyway - it's not really considered a drink for mixing.
Which doesn't stop anyone from trying, of course. This page lists a bunch of mixed drinks recipes that use Jägermeister as an ingredient. I've had a look through some of them, and decided to test one already:
This one is called the Dead Nazi, and simply involves pouring equal measures of peppermint liqueur and Jägermeister into a shot glass. It suggests Rumple Minze, but I used De Kuyper Crème de Menthe - and my cheapo off-brand herbal liqueur instead of Jägermeister, of course. Not too bad as a fun little shot, it basically tastes like Jägermeister with a bit of a minty kick, because that's what it is.
A very similar version is called the Fed Up Motherfcker, which substitutes the peppermint liqueur with some high proof 151 rum. I'm tempted to try it, but I think the above shot is enough for now. I've had plenty of sparkling wine already while getting fleeced at Monopoly at our Christmas meeting tonight. 
There is also a version called the Four Horsemen which combines both of the above drinks (Jägermeister, peppermint liqueur and 151 rum) while also adding some gold tequila and being served in a rocks glass instead of a shot. I only have plain white tequila at home anyway.
And one drink I definitely need to show Prim is the Red Headed Slut, another shot that calls for Jägermeister, peach schnapps and cranberry juice - all ingredients I have at home, but rarely use up except for that Jäger.
Post Hangover Update (just kidding, I'm feeling fine.)
I did have one of those Fed Up Motherfers (Jägermeister and 151 rum) last night. It was actually pretty good, with a unique taste that didn't just seem like a simple combination of two flavors. Not surprisingly, it's a super strong drink, so it's perfectly fine to just keep sipping on your small shot glass, making this feel like more of a miniature cocktail instead of something to be gulped down in one go.
The lack of updates is not a coincidence - I didn't play a single hand of poker since a few days before Christmas. There are many personal things on my mind, but mostly, I've been spending a few lazy days at home recently. I feel like the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve is the one week where you can do that without any guilt. It was very refreshing to spend a few days like that - I finally managed to actually relax a bit over the holidays, instead of accidentally sliding into even bigger projects like I did in the last two years.
2021 is coming to a close, and honestly... it was a bad year. Not just poker-wise, where we will go into more detail later, but just in general. It was not the worst year of my life, but it's up there, and I'd say it was the worst year in recent memory.
Even compared to the infamous 2020, it seemed worse to me, and this even includes Covid-related stuff. Sure, it was arguably more of a danger back then and there was more uncertainty around it, but at least there was a shared feeling of "being in this together" and trusting that things will get better eventually. Now we see a lot of schisms over it, with people pointing fingers accusing each other of being at fault for this not being over yet. It's frustrating, terrifying and depressing.
I remember how I felt on last year's New Year's Eve. Normally, I'm feeling various degrees of optimism about the upcoming year on that day, sometimes more, sometimes less, but that time, I remember for the first time ever being genuinely scared of what the next year had to offer. I also remember getting wasted that night and feeling quite depressed for the following week or so. Still, I believe it wasn't just a self-fulfilling prophecy that things turned out less than optimal in 2021.
Of course, it wasn't all just bad, there were many great and unforgettable moments in 2021 too, and some minor successes. I have collected a bunch of graphs and statistics when it comes to poker last night, which I will present later, but first, let's take a general look of what went wrong and what went right this year - on a personal level, there was plenty that went wrong on a broader scale, of course.
What went wrong...
1. Job Hunting
One of the bigger disappointments this year. After having found short-term employment in 2020, I was determined to follow up on it and secure a stable occupation until the end of the year, building on my previously gained skills and experience. Many applications were sent out, some are still pending, there have been several interviews and a trial shift, so I don't think lack of effort was the problem, but there were no positive results in the end.
This definitely needs to be fixed by the end of last year. Freelancing will be another option I should seriously explore once again, but I will keep my eyes peeled for any other opportunities that may arise, even if they are only short-term once again.
2. Poker
You've seen the stats, and there will be more of them coming up later. On the whole, poker this year was way behind expectations. This was mostly due to a completely botched start, I experienced my biggest downswing ever which lasted until June, where we made a great recovery. Results have been fine ever since then, but the first few months were very tough to overcome. As a result, my bankroll building plan is still not yet complete after more than a year, so there has been no extra income from poker either.
Luckily, a lot of progress has been made in the last few months, so we can expect to get out of this soon and have every reason to be bullish about 2022 when it comes to poker.
3. Lifestyle
Several attempts have been made to improve my fitness level, sleeping schedule and overall productivity. It never lasted long, I always ended up relapsing after a couple of days, even when successes had been made. I guess that's not a huge surprise in a year like this where one bad thing leads to the next, but it's another thing I need to improve, as it has a big effect on everything else.
