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.
Hello Brandon! Been following your site since your Bearblog days. I’m wondering if you’ve ever looked into fountain pens to solve your hand cramp issues when journalling? They’re a lot more ergonomic than ballpoint pens and lots of people have said that their cramp issues went away with them. You don’t need a super fancy fountain pen to get started. Some have even said that fountain pens have improved their handwriting as they’re more mindful of how they are writing on the paper.
Hi Mima! Thanks so much for the support. I have not tried fountain pens, but I was just looking them up earlier this week. Do you have any suggestions on a particular pen? I’m down for trying anything new.
I’m not a massive aficionado myself, but the Pilot Kakuno is generally recommended as a good starter pen. I have it myself, but I’ve heard people with larger hands have a bit of trouble with the size. Lamy Safari is also recommended a lot but I’ve heard they are having quality control issues. I also own a TWSBI Swipe which I do like a lot, but the clip on the pen is super tight.
Thank you for the suggestion! I just ordered a Pilot Kakuno. I’m excited to try it out.
I’m interested in seeing how the handwriting practice goes. My handwriting is absolutely TERRIBLE these days. Embarrassingly bad, bad enough that I can sometimes struggle to read my own notes. I blame spending so much time using keyboards, but a part of me is concerned that’s a general reduction in fine motor skills as I age.
I think this is my concern as well. I know I use a keyboard a lot, but as I age I realize I don’t use certain small muscles like I used to. I’m trying to keep everything as limber as possible!
I find very interesting that you chose to learn Latin. Having studied that at school for five years (basically it was mandatory unless you chose a technically-oriented type of high school), I enjoyed it a lot, mostly for the reasoning required to understand sentences, making every translation exercise almost a self-contained little adventure game.
But I’m curious to hear from you how it’s going: due to the complexity of the language, I think a good dose of theoretical knowledge (by which I mean, a thorough explanation of the three genders, five declinations, not to mention the verbal conjugations) is required, and Duolingo for my experience doesn’t go much into grammar.
That is interesting that they require Latin in school there. Here, Latin is not offered widely and is usually only taken by people going into the medical field. I attended three different high schools, and not one of them offered Latin as a choice. Only Spanish and French.
So far, I’m seven days in and it’s been going well. I’m new to Duolingo, but I’m finding it pretty easy to use and so far, the Latin is not too difficult to understand. I can see some similarities to English, which is nice. I also see what you mean by a lack of grammar though. Duolingo doesn’t seem to teach much grammar and even word placement. I love your description of it being a little puzzle, because that is exactly what it feels like.
I read online that there are a series of books that are better used to learn Latin, so I think I’m going to see if this interest holds up a couple of months and maybe then I’ll buy those books.
Great entry, I found it entertaining and very relatable. I feel the same about LOTR, I did watch them too, though. Your kitty is so beautiful, I bet they both are. I wish you much success with your plans/projects 🙂
Thanks Miriam! I really apprecaite the comment!