Here, kitty, kitty

Lots of people harbor dreams of quitting their office jobs to play professional poker. Far fewer people actually pursue that dream. And of those who do, fewer still are women. That's why we're fascinated by a blogger called Cardgrrl, who recently decided to dedicate a year of her life to playing Texas Hold 'Em and documents the experience at raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com. "I'd like to share with others what poker has taught and continues to teach me about facing a challenging world successfully," she explains in her first post. The blog comprises a mix of strategies, victories, losses, lessons learned, and, refreshingly, admissions of angst - a rarity in a sport where, as Cardgrrl writes, "the poker table is a pretty solitary place, and not a venue for exposing your vulnerabilities." Sure, Kenny Rogers kind of made that point in "The Gambler," but Cardgrrl does it much more comprehensively.