Had an awesome month in May, working every single day and now enjoying a quieter time in June. I say working but it didn't feel like that.

Most days I was broadcasting including a lot of live stuff like this.

Live TV (I know this was a web show- but there's less and less difference) is like being on a roller coaster. As they count down to it 'being live' it's like that bit when the roller coaster chugs up the hill to the first drop and it stops being exciting and that bit of your brain that looks after your survival screams at you 'what are we doing here!!!!'
Then you go 'live' and it's the best thing in the world - exciting, organic, fun; it's one of my favourite things to do 'work or not'

The NBA playoffs have just finished and I can get back to some kind of normal sleep pattern. I have rotating obsessions in life and this is my latest. I've always loved American sport but am late to basketball. It's been a great playoffs and a fitting end to the narrative of the season which was the league's best player Lebron James moving to Miami to create a 'super team'.

They lost in the finals last night pleasing a lot of 'neutrals' and making this premature pre-season victory party (having won nothing) even more hilariously lame than it was at the time.

The finals were a victory for teamwork over individual talent - that said Dirk Nowitzki was outstanding... not only his level of execution but his grace under pressure. He is officially my favourite German (the list now runs 1. Dirk 2. Steffi Graf 3. Boris Becker pre restaurant toilet conception 4. Mr Mercedes and Mr Benz).

It's UKIPT Newcastle. Sadly we're not filming it but the cool thing is that means I can play the event; first time I'll be able to play a UKIPT - should be a lot of fun. I'm going to do a video diary while there so check it out.

So it turns out I can't get a little bit pregnant. I seem to be incapable of having a passing interest in anything.

I'm binary. I'm bi-winning (by the way the Charlie Sheen melt down is the best news story of the last 10 years).

If I like something I can't just read the odd article about it or watch a TV show occasionally. I need to know everything about it, constantly be receiving news about it and basically distil whatever it is into liquid form and slam it into a major artery.

The latest thing is the NBA basketball from Amercia. I'm not the only one. The NBA is on the up and up with a "golden generation" of stars and teams coming together this year and for some years to come. I'm a Boston Celtics fan but not set in stone yet as I have soft spots for other great players and teams. Tragically I'm on the "I hate the Miami heat" bandwagon -- you've got to have heroes and villains haven't you. and they fit the bill. I think they should embrace it and play up to it but they don't seem capable of that. They seem a bit like spoiled kids who have been indulged all their lives and are suddenly disliked and can't adjust. Anyway, I'm spending a lot of time trying to understand why Lebron doesn't go to the rim more However, the other day I did learn the difference between pick and pop and a pick and roll so I'm all over it.

I'm writing this from UKIPT Manchester which is another sell out and another "cap buster." I swear this tour will eat itself. Despite both the last events being sold out, I think they could have been even bigger. They're going to have to start building bigger UK card rooms!

I hibernate in January.

It's a close run thing between August and January as to which month involves me doing the least.

I don't really trust people who 'hit the ground running' in the New Year - I put them in the same bracket as people that go literally running at 6am. It's ironic we do our 'New Year's resolutions' in January as it's the worst time to do new projects; the days are short, the weather is awful and we've just come out the holiday season.

Take it from me in future hibernate in January - do the minimum, eat comfort food and stay indoors a lot; the spring is where you want to be kicking butt.

In other news the Nottingham UKIPT is round the corner next week - I expect it will be huge; and I can't wait. Apparently For those who don't know we're on Channel 4 this year. Wooooooo is the correct noise to make at this point. Tuesday's at midnight - set your series link immediately. I'm ecstatic to be presenting a show on "4" (as the kids call it) but also thrilled for the coolest regional tour in poker history; should be lots of fun.

Finally part of my January hibernation has been buying the complete box set of the West Wing. It's brilliantly written (although every single character is super intelligent, witty and can guess what people are going to say before they've said it), fascinating, moving and amazing to watch. American TV has been killing our TV for years now.

Trying to decide whether Sopranos or West Wing is the pinnacle of man's efforts to entertain on TV...this could take most of February.

Merry New Year!

Okay Trading Places is about 20 years old, but me and my sisters still shout Merry New Year at each other so you're getting it, too.

Hope your festive period was one full of presents, fun, and copious food and drink that out weighed the inevitable family tension and 'what in God's name am I doing with my life' introspection that it can also bring.

I spent the holiday season conducting a one-man experiment to establish whether or not After Eight mints contain the requisite nutrients and minerals to sustain life. Almost 4 boxes done - solo - and I'm still here, so I'm going with yes and intend to make them my food of choice from now on. I'm sorry but those waifer thin minty bastards kick the arse of porridge and all the other 'breakfast' foods - hard.

For those that care, I'm having a quite January. I'm going to try not to travel too much and try not to take on too much new work stuff. Don't really go for this 'hit the new year ground running' mullarkey. As far as I'm concerned this is the hibernation point in the year where time is best spent inside with the football or poker or the Playstation. Optimism and productivity can wait for the spring, or any point where it isn't constantly drizzling, five degrees, and dark just after lunch.

Deeper into the blog now, and I feel the overwhelming pressure to reveal my goals and resolutions for 2011.

Or at least to have some

First up I'd like to resolve whether it's 'twenty - eleven' or 'two thousand and eleven'. This should take until mid- March I reckon. I'll look for some new goals after that.

My resolution is to give up smoking. In order to achieve this I will have to start smoking and maintain it for a long enough period of time for it to be an achievement giving up - so look for my celebratory I finally quit blog around July.

My prediction for 2011 is that it will be a bit 'meh' for the world.

Prove me wrong, twenty eleven, you magnificent new shiny fool.

I hope it's your best year yet.

by Nick Wealthall
Apparently it takes a day for every time zone you travel through to recover from jet lag. Well I must have popped around the world a couple of times because this trip back from Vegas kicked my butt. I don't think it helped that I went straight to the UKIPT in Brighton and managed not to sleep for more than about five hours for two weeks but still. Several times I've been up before 8.30am and that just wont do!

Brighton was great - the Rendezvous is a super place to play and did the tour proud. It's also a cool place to be generally although it's many times cooler during the week than the weekend when the hordes from London descend.

Congrats to Jamie Burland on his victory.

* * * *

Final WSOP fantasy game standings... Kara Scott 45pts / Matt Broughton 37 pts / Me 17 pts.

I suck. I've been let down. Kathy Liebert needs to have a serious word with
herself, frankly. It's the last time she lets me down.

* * * *
I've had a shocking month on the playing poker side of things. It involved a couple of weeks of barely winning a significant pot and then some time where variance kicked my backside. The last few days I've been playing well though and my PLO game is looking better so we'll see. Still running horribly on the year making small profit online when it should be a decent one; thank goodness for live tourneys. Never thought I'd say that.

* * * *

Did you see Inception yet? It's basically a very well done heist thriller covering up a story about the lead character's love and loss and it demands to be seen, it's just so well done. Amazing Nolan isn't lauded here - we've produced a Steve Spielberg equivalent and you barely see anything on him.

That's all my bits for now. Later skater.