What Was I Saying...?

14 days to go.

The morning at work was relatively quiet; I'm not sure if people had taken all the tickets by the time I got in, or if there just weren't any tickets to process. Later in the afternoon, though, my Lead asked for my help on a doozy of a project. Basically, converting particle counts for ten orders (think 100 conversions per order -- or 1,000 conversions total) because of a technician mistake. Two of my Mexico colleagues were already mired in the project, and she was hoping I'd be able to help out.

I'm not ashamed to say I didn't help out. I did take any new tickets that came in so the folks after me would have as clear a slate as possible, but I also don't relish the idea of spending one of my last days here doing basic work that you've hired someone else to do for cheaper. Let them do it, and let me run out the clock.

I did spend a long time on a transcription request (basically manually inputting data that failed to upload because our software solution is atrocious) and handled a lot of spot edits, so there's that. 

Took a look at my expenditures over the past two months and, like I figured, did not like what I saw. Now that I've hit the two-week mark, I think it's well past time to completely halt extraneous spending for the rest of the year. Time to treat each dollar as a precious, non-renewable resource. 

Went to the gym with Snepperboo over lunch yesterday, and it was a good workout! There's a difference between bodybuilding exercise and functional exercises, and I think I like the latter a bit more. We did Torso Rotation and Hip Abductors, which showed me exactly where I was tightest and least-flexible. I'm quite sore today, but I'm happy with the places where I am sore. I think I'll try to do more body-weight exercises that focuses on core and stability muscles. 

We played the third session of Snepperboo's Isekai D&D campaign last night! People in 16th century small-town Bavaria discover a strange hole in the side of a mountain after several children are abducted by demonic creatures during an eclipse; going through takes you to another world and (for the PCs at least) turn you into a different fantastic creature. 

I'm playing Henkel von Axem, an Ethiopian-German monk I've patterned to be a Thomas Merton type -- big into the mystic Christian experience, which puts him at odds with more traditional types. Ratty is playing a gender-fluid migrant whose people are often accused of witchcraft; the two others in our polycule, Yeen and Hare, play a noble's son and a baker, respectively. In the secondary world, I become an Aasimar Cleric; Ratty is a Tiefling Rogue; Yeen is another Tiefling -- this time, a Warlock; and Hare is a Halfling Artificer whose contraptions are all cooking-based. 

It's been an interesting party so far. Yeen is the most inexperienced gamer at the table, and I think he's not quite sure what to expect from us. We're all a bunch of theatre kids, and he might be at tables that are a bit looser. 

In session three, Henkel, Eike (the Rogue), and Klaus (the Warlock) travel back to the secondary world with Eike's partner, Otto (NPC). We catch up with Diel (the Artificer), who chose to remain behind and explore. It takes a bit, but we all meet up again and find a small outpost town that seems to have a big problem with Tieflings (who they call the Warspawn), but act with embarrassing deference to Aasimar (who they call Remnants).

Apparently, "angels" from another plane brought with them the capability to open doors to other realms. This ushered in a wild and exciting time of progress and growing diversity -- until they opened a door to the Abyss. The resulting invasion decimated most of the population, and to put a stop to it the "angels" disabled all portals, then retreated to a walled city no one has access to. 400 years have passed since then, and the PCs are the first folk in that time to pass through the "Cloud Gates". 

It's quite possible we won't be able to get home again. The first time we did, it felt like a lucky fluke -- but also a one-time only pass back to the real world. Next time may be significantly trickier, and to follow our best lead we'll need to defeat a giant squid that's been taking down every ship trying to leave or arrive at the port. The island we're in has effectively been cut off from the rest of the world. 

Next session, we'll get to know the folk of the town a little better and investigate a suspicious fisherman who suffered a shipwreck but came back...different. Klaus' patron marked him as a 'parasite' who should be killed immediately, and Henkel has caught him in a few lies through very good Insight checks. Our conversation didn't yield much, so now I think we'll need to follow him to see what kind of shenanigans he gets up to. 

Today, Snepperboo's baseball coach cancelled his practice this evening -- so I'm not sure what we'll be doing. He'll want to practice *somehow*, but I'm not sure my legs are up for it. I had planned a run after work, but...we'll see. 

It might be a good time to pivot to writing and studying. ;) 

15 days to go. 

Last week Ratty and Snepboo took a few days off for their mental health. I wholeheartedly supported this, though it did feel weird to be working while everyone else in the house was doing their own thing. I considered joining them while they were playing hooky, but I figure I'll be playing hooky enough at the end of this month and it might be nice to hold on to the money made from stashing my PTO days. Every little bit helps, doesn't it?

Got current on the job tracker to see that there are at least 12 applications still active and viable. Some of them are getting a little long without a response, though, so I'm thinking it might be a good idea to follow up if at all possible. I don't have a good feeling that I'll ping someone and they'll go "Oh you're right, here's your application at the top of the stack! Let's fit you right into interviews." But it would be nice to get *some* response from a company with an indication of where they're leaning.

So far I've gotten 8 form rejections without a second look and 7 "ghosts", where I've submitted an application, gotten no response, and circled back to the company site to see the position wasn't there any more. It's unclear if these are actually ghost jobs, or if they just don't respond to most of the applications they see. Either way, it's good to note which companies will not respond so I'm not wasting my time with them. 

Right now, it feels like building a disciplined routine would be the thing that helps me most. Meditation, journaling, goal-setting, and review at the end of the day to get a firm grip on where I am, where I want to be, and how the progress from here to there feels. Watching Sneppers practice baseball has shown me how important it is to have solid goals; it can be hard to keep going day after day, especially when part of your brain is telling you that what you're doing is stupid and won't lead to anything. Learning to focus on the small things -- especially the hundreds of little decisions within my control -- feels like the best way to consistently push myself past that mental road-block.

There are 12 weeks left in the year, or just about three months. Where would I like to see myself three months from now?

First, I think I'd like to have a better handle on my actual monthly expenses so I know where I'm spending and I'm sure that I have the financial discipline to spend things properly. It would be nice to know exactly what recurring expenses I've got so I can cut down to only the things that are actually important. I'm positive I've been wasting money on subscriptions I don't use or need, so it would be nice to reign in my money so that every dollar comes in has a job AND I know what that job is. 

Second, I would like to redirect my focus toward reading and writing again. I know the written word is pretty much a dying medium, but it's MY dying medium and I'd like to actually give it a professional go before I do. Immersing myself in writing isn't something I've had the stomach for in ages, and this upcoming period of unemployment is an excellent opportunity to fall in love with books and stories all over again. 

Third, I'd like to have at least one certification or course completion certificate under my belt. There are a lot of digital classrooms that have laid fallow and it's time to revisit them, actually learn the lessons I should have learned a little while ago. Better late than never, of course, but still -- this is free learning I've left on the table, no more of that. I have an Introduction to Programming AND SQL Nanodegree program from Udacity to finish; Udemy courses on Excel, Python, and writing; a year's access to Masterclass and both writing AND cooking classes from really quality instructors there; access to CuriosityStream, Nebula, and a lot of Educational YouTube escape pods. Part of my disciplined routine will include a few hours of upskilling. 

Fourth, while I understand that it will be...really hard to develop a steady, recurring income stream on my own, I would very much like to be able to make $500 on my own in December 2025. That can happen either through Patreon, or some kind of freelance work, or local sales and the like. But it's important to find ways to make money myself so even when I'm not technically employed I'm doing something I can point to as a way of supporting myself. It's important for me to make sure I'm not tying *everything* I make to one thing. 

Finally, I would like to have my shit together about the holidays this year. I want to make sure Christmas cards go out on time, that I have presents (however small) for the people I appreciate, and I want to make sure I do a little something every day to express gratitude for my ties to the community.

So -- how do I make these SMART goals? Here's my first pass:

1. Have a "minimum required monthly income" based on current bills and expenses by October 24;
2. Develop a strategy to reach minimum income as a freelance/contract worker by December 1
3. Write 50,000 words of content intended to be published by December 31
4. Read at least 5 books (fiction, non-fiction, collected shorts) by December 31
5. Finish at least 3 online courses from Udemy, Udacity, and/or MasterClass by December 31
6. Make at least $500 from writing or services in December 2025
7. Give at least 12 presents and send at least 25 cards by December 25
8. Finish revision suggestions for Sofawolf Academy by October 15
9. Finish revision suggestions for Grave Affections by November 1

There will likely be at least one house-related goal to be added as time goes on, but I think that's a good set to begin with.