For the love of the game. (Introduction)

interesting games.  welcome to the site.  :)

If you really want to learn, the first thing to do is to post losses, not wins.

Playing lots of games helps improve pattern recognition, which is important when you don't have a book in front of you. Tactics trainer also helps with this.

Possibly you are right.  But I'm speaking of the psychology of the readers as well.  People will be more likely to give you gainful criticism I think if they see a game where you "went wrong," rather than just another more or less effortless win which seems to belong in Games Showcase.  And people who post "showcase wins" often seem to be a bit more bristly about criticism...thus deterring many who might otherwise be inclined to make constructively critical remarks.

Perhaps just look for one thing to add to your opening style for the games that didn't fit your eye.

When I saw White play f4, it didn't look right, at least not in a queen-pawn opening. I used to play 1.d4, and remember the importance of pushing the c-pawn, fighting for the center.

I am not talking about reading book after book on opening theory, just adding one thing at a time, especially when you found yourself in a chess position that was no fun to play. Personally, I can't stand locked pawn centers, but I do need to get better at playing them when they arise.

Well, unfortunately that was a game that the OP won due to a very obvious error. 13 c3 Nxf2... game over.

I understand. However, if that blunder had not occured, the OP would have had a more pleasant position by pushing his c-pawn, which could help him in future games.

To the OP's credit, he is playing Live Chess games at 30 0. Dan Heisman and others recommend slow time controls for faster improvement, and 30 minutes is longer than my 15 10 or 20 20 games. I'd like to give 30 0 a try. I really want to think more over each move, and I am discovering that it is more fun, at least for now, to play slower.

Sure, Musik.  But I was replying to the OP's post #6 where he said his losses would be uninteresting to analyze because he generally makes a "very obvious error."  So did White here. 

Wow, your hair can be that long in the Corps?  Times sure change... 

I would say you should play a lot more than study...unless maybe you're a GM looking for opening improvements or something like that.  I used to study more than play, which I think wasn't too good for my game (of course, it wasn't as easy to get games back then...plus I had to walk 10 miles to school every day in a blizzard). 

Tactics training and play and then more of the same.  Also, planning is great, but don't stick to your plans like glue.  Be flexible.  Tactics are the watchdog of position...