On day 8 in a row out of 16 at my work trip, poker reporting for the Borgata in Atlantic City. I had a massive headache the night before and tried to sleep it off, but it persisted during the night and I didn't get much sleep.

So I come in with a headache (probably dehydrated and suffering from exhaustion) and can't really do my job. I miss a big hand right in front of me. The boss is pissed. He can tell I'm out of it. I get sent back to my hotel room for a couple hours to sleep it off, then the boss calls and gives me the day off. I came in at 11 p.m. to work the last few hours after sleeping. I feel better now. He's still not happy.

He really needs to build a day off into this. I'm working 12 hours on, 12 hours off for two and a half weeks straight. You can only work so many days like that before either getting sick or going out of your mind.

Still, I'm supposed to be good at this job. One of the best, actually. So I'm also disappointed in myself. My worst fear is that I won't get asked back for this in January. I'm probably overreacting, but given my history with other full-time gigs (which is why I became a freelancer) - what if the same thing happens again? Do I have a problem with authority?

Best of luck. Just from the way you describe it, it sounds like your boss knows you're not at the top of your game, so you're probably reading more into it than is there.

I hope so, man. The worst feeling I get is when I know someone is disappointed in me.

What's more important is if you're disappointed in yourself. If you know you gave what you could, then you gave what you could. If you needed that breather to get back on track, you needed that breather. It happens. It stinks to have other people disappointed in you, sure, but at the end of the day the most important thing is that you know you did what you could given your situation at the time.

Jusy sayin'.

Knock out some kickass days of reporting to finish off this gig and you'll erase the memory of this one bad night.

It is so easy to get dehydrated when you are doing this kind of job, too. That air-conditioned air takes the moisture right out of you. The balancing act of drinking enough, but not so much you are running to the bathroom every half hour is part of it, too. I hope it is better today.

It's been better. I'm just holding on knowing that I'll be home Friday to see my family.