Category: Random Ruminations

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Set SMART Goals

Setting SMART Blog Goals in 2021

Heather Leave a comment

January is the time for New Year’s resolutions, goal setting, and recriminations. I gave up resolutions years ago, once I learned that around 80% of them fail by February 1st. However, I am a strong believer in goal setting, and particularly in setting SMART goals. The concept of SMART goals has been around since the early 1980s (what I call high school), and originally came from the world of business management. SMART is, of course, an acronym, generally translated as:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time-bound

Across the years, a number of studies have found that SMART goals are more successful than goals which do not meet the above criteria. The folks at Creately have put together a comprehensive guide on setting SMART goals that we have found very helpful as we went through our goal-setting process for the new year. It includes information on setting goals, applying the SMART method, identifying obstacles and creating an action plan that can be continuously monitored. It is filled with useful resources and worksheets of the latest goal setting techniques.

We have created a set of SMART goals for Poker Pilgrims in 2021. Of course, our top (not so SMART) goal is to play live poker once again. We can’t wait until we are all vaccinated and safe to get back to the tables. But on to some goals that we have control over…

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Best Shows to Stream Part 2: Crime Series and Other Dramas

Heather Leave a comment

Today we continue our look at some of the best shows to stream during these dark times. Just glancing back to our take on comedies and post-apocalyptic/sci-fi series reminds us how many good shows we’ve forgotten. Of course, it’s also an indication of how much TV we watch. In these times, our overabundance of screen time has kept us sane.

In looking over our four lists, one thing is clear: crime series have the deepest bench. Particularly once we consider international series, there are so many great crime/police series. Every time we vow not to watch one more crime show, we find and fall in love with another. The British and Scandinavian countries particularly excel in the crime genre.

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The Best Shows To Stream Part 1: Comedies and Post-Apocalyptic Shows

Paul Leave a comment

For many poker players 2020 has been rough. Many states have shuttered their poker rooms, and others have seen rooms open and close again. Now, with winter ahead, we  are all seeking other distractions. While we have personally added hiking as a healthy alternative (and started an Instagram account to document it), there’s still a lot of time to fill. And nothing fills those dark winter evenings like great, long, streaming series. While we joke that we have “finished Netflix” we still continuously seek new series. As we do, we figured we’d share some of the best shows to stream with our poker brethren.

We’re going to focus on series that not everyone has seen. We know you know about The Sopranos, Deadwood, The Wire, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Game of Thrones (ok, confession time, incredibly we skipped that one). Instead, we’ll share some of the lower profile shows you may not have heard of. Since these are some of the best shows streaming has to offer, not many are really obscure, but we imagine there will be one or two you will have missed. We’re also sharing our favorite international shows, including the best non-English speaking shows for those who don’t mind subtitles.

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