The Almost End of Summer Update

Summer is almost over and hopefully some cool weather will arrive soon. I was looking over a list of topics I’ve been meaning to blog about but weren’t really worthy of a full post. So, I’ve decided to do a random update post that covers a variety of things going on and, on my mind, to at least clear off my topic list for the time being.

A New Job

I’m not really sure if I believed in the concept of burnout. It felt like another keyword folks would use an excuse to not work hard. Well, I was wrong. There is definitely such a thing.

After almost four years, I’m moving on from my position with the State. The main reasons:
1. Lack of respect and unfair working conditions.
2. Managements inability to communicate properly.

I won’t bore you with the details, but it has gotten bad the last few months, once I took on two other people’s responsibilities. So, I’m taking a pretty big pay cut and going to something that should be more of an interest to me and hopefully around some better leadership.

A New Kitty

A few months ago, we adopted Jupiter from the SCPA after our dog Marley passed. Jupiter attached to me pretty quickly, and my wife got a bit jealous. So, after some discussion, we decided to get another kitten. Her name is Khaleesi, spelled like the character from Game of Thrones, but actually named after the Calicivirus that she had when she found in a parking lot.

Khaleesi is a super sweet Siamese kitten, who is full of energy. We’re working her through an upper respiratory infection right now, but I’m hoping she’s going to be good to go in a week or so.

A Hard Lesson

I always thought of myself as someone who was a good judge of character. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized I’ve had a blind spot with this. I’ve allowed people in my life who were manipulating because I was under some strange delusion they’d never do that to me.

This summer, I learned that a man I considered a brother, had spent the last seventeen years lying to me. Not only was he lying to me, but also lying to his family about me. He went as far as to spread a story that I was a womanizer, which instantly cracks up anyone that knows me. But now I understand why he never wanted me to visit.

I defended this person for years. Helped save his job at one point. Supported him through health issues and spiritual issues, and at the same time he was running me down and emotionally/financially abusing his wife and children.

It took a lot of out of me to learn the truth and I spent days feeling like an idiot for giving him a second (and third) chance so many years ago, but I look at this now as a learning experience.

HEMA

I made a post recently about HEMA and my interest in attending more classes and playing around with swords. Unfortunately, the timing is just terrible for me right now. I have so many things going on, and I just can’t commit to a ninety-minute class (or two classes) each week. So, I’ve decided to table this until January when the next beginner classes begin.

Sterile Processing Class

For years, I’ve looked at my local community college’s sterile processing class. I’m not sure why I felt so drawn to it, but I really wanted to take it and become certified. Well, this year, I finally made it into one of the classes, and it’s been going well. I also got a scholarship for the class, so I’m only out around $200 for the book. I doubt I’ll use this certification after finishing up the class in November, but it’s nice to have something to fall back on in case my new job doesn’t work out.

Things 3

I’m not a big “to-do list” type of guy. I prefer handwritten lists, and I’ve managed quite well with Apple Reminders and Notes. Well, my wife is trying to organize better and spent an hour looking at to-do apps and I told her I knew a lot of the bloggers I follow are huge fans of Things 3. So, we bought a copy, and I decided to tinker with it.

I wasn’t expecting to be so impressed. It seems to be underwhelming at first, but once you begin using it you suddenly see the magic in the simplicity and common-sense approach. It’s only been a few days, but I may be a convert.

500.Social

Recently, I rejoined Mastodon on Kev’s 500.social. So far, I’m really enjoying it. It’s slow, laid back, and operates at a speed where you don’t feel like you need to check on things every five minutes.

Duolingo

I took four or five years of Spanish in school, and I can barely read or speak any of it. It just didn’t interest me. Outside of a brief flirtation with learning Russian in the early 2000s, I haven’t found myself interested in learning a second language.

Well, I’ve been trying to explore new hobbies and interests, and I decided to give Duolingo a try. I chose Latin to learn. Why? I really don’t know, it sounded interesting, I guess. So far, I’m enjoying my bite size lessons and while I have no expectations from this experience, I think it’s good to challenge my brain since I’m the type of person who is very stuck in my ways and usually chooses the path of comfort.

The Palmer Method

Another new task I’m undertaking is improving my handwriting. I would say, my handwriting isn’t terrible, but my hand does cramp fast and when I journal, I write so fast its hardly legible at times. I want to be better, and I recalled my grandmother told me she was taught The Palmer Method in school. I did some research and found some great videos and worksheets at ThePalmerMethod.com, and so I’m going to begin practicing this in the very near future.

I may need to do a refresh on cursive first, which luckily that same author has courses on cursive called Consistent Cursive. I broke my elbow in the third grade and began fourth grade with my right arm in a cast, in a new school, in a different state. Between the injury and the school change, I missed cursive practice and instead was forced to manage with my left hand and then sort of quickly teach myself cursive once I was out of the cast. My penmanship suffered greatly, without h the proper practice and training so this may end up being a much bigger undertaking than I expected. Still, I’m sort of excited about it, plus it’s something I’m sure I can do at my new job to kill time until I get the lay of the land.

Granny’s Recipes

I’m slowly working my way through my great-grandmother’s recipe book. I had to slow down, because I realized I didn’t scan the back of a few of the pages, so I didn’t get the full recipes. Luckily, my mom was able to loan me her copy and I’ve scanned the pages I was missing and have gotten back to posting. My goal is to finish the book by the end of the year.

Lord of the Rings

Speaking of trying new things… I’ve discussed my lack of interest in the world of Tolkien before. I have nothing against it, I just don’t understand the hype. Then again, I’m not much of a fantasy fan, which is something I’m working on changing. I’ve seen Fellowship of the Ring twice and The Two Towers once. I’ve never made it to Return of the King. Well, I’ve decided to give LOTR another shot. I’m watching the extended edition of the movies in hour long chunks. I’m basically turning it into a series and so far, it’s been great. I can’t credit the timing completely, as I’ve definitely become more open minded to fantasy elements after my recent Conan the Barbarian reads.

Game of Thrones

I recently wrote about Game of Thrones and the end of appointment TV. I really had little interest in watching GoT but with my new kitty being named Khaleesi and my desire to be a bit more open-minded, much to my wife’s delight, I put on the first episode, and we’ve binged the first four seasons over the last couple of weeks. I’m enjoying it, and I already know the ending and am prepared for disappointment. Ha!

God of War

Not too long ago, I bought the Conan the Barbarian Xbox 360 game to play on my Series X. I was curious to see how it was, and I very quickly realized it was just a God of War knockoff (which isn’t a bad thing.) However, playing a God of War knockoff from 2007 made me really want to play God of War, so I started a new game with the 2018 and had an absolute blast playing through again. It was so good, once I finished, I finally bought Ragnarök and I’ve been savoring the luscious world with my favorite Spartan the rag tag group of people, Gods, and dwarves’ he’s encountered.