I used to write every day, or at least try to write every day. I used to strive to keep up with, if not everything in my life (in a classic journal sense), at least, or major events and strongly held opinions.
Today, I have to look back and thing, where the fuck was I, since I can’t even begin to remember which upheaval I was in the middle of last time I put (virtual) pen to (virtual) paper.
…checking back, I find it was July of last year, when last I updated. SO that would have been just after I left my employer of 23 years, under technically voluntary, if not exactly positive, circumstances.
Wow, a lifetime ago, kind of, and hardly any time at all.
I’m not gonna spend of bunch of time catching up, but, at least a little bit is appropriate, I think.
I spent last summer acting retired – some travel, some projects, some just-not-doing-anytyhing in a good way. My dogs loved this, if they got a vote, i’d just be a full time dog-cuddler, with excursions to the beach regularly. And i’d be ok with that.
By fall, I decided I needed more time to effectively plan retirement, so causally thougyt about going back to work. I uplaoded a fresh resume on linked (and wow, isn’t linkedin stupid).
Almost immediately, I got contacted by a recruiter major social media company who also have a sideline in VR gear. I interviewed once, for 1/2 hour, and then was offered a full time contract gig; what I do is specialized, fortunately, and it’s hard for companies to find people with the mix of skills I have (a combination of IT, HPC/batch queuing, engineering management, and user support).
went back to work the first week of December.
Honestly, it’s been incredibly gratifying to have a company value my skills and experience; my last employer utterly failed to see what i’m good at (despite be being great at it), but instead focused only on what I wasn’t good at, and which I officially didn’t do, given my job description.
There’s a reason people hate big corporations; corporations are fucking stupid.
Meanwhile, over the summer and fall (and now winter), I made up for lost time in terms of getting tattooed. I’ve kind of lost count of the appts, but recreating, two pieces on my calves, four on my chest (i’m now at the gap-filler point on my chest, just finding things to put in small open spaces), three on my neck, one on the insides of my fingers (L A S T C A L L), finished up a long-ago started piece on my stomach, a big piece on my side, and probably at least one more i’m forgetting.
I’ll have to put together a big post separately with an inventory of all that, but too much headache right now (and I need somebody to take photos for me, it’s too hard to do myself, even with a selfie-stand with ring light).
Meanwhile, i’m gradually re-imposing order on my life, which has been a long, long process, and will continue to be a long process. Forward motion is everything, though.