Well hello again. It has been quite the busy couple of months. Let’s dive right in, shall we?
First off, a delivery driver position opened up at the restaurant and I jumped on it like a trampoline. The work is much more my speed and it pays quite well when you consider the tips. Sure there’s a lot of menial work involved when I’m not actually out on a delivery, but it’s worth it to not worry about if bills are going to be paid on time AND to have spending money in my pocket. It’s not a forever job by any means, but it’s the job I need right now.
In other money matters, my appeal hearing with the UIA finally happened and the denial was overturned. That is one ob the biggest reliefs I’ve ever felt. It couldn’t have come at a better time either with car insurance, license renewal, and plate tabs all coming due at once.
After almost five years I finally have a new phone again. My old Droid 2 was a champ but when it starts taking four or five minutes for the phone app to make a call… Anyway, I picked up the phone I’ve had my eye on for a while, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. I am constantly getting ribbed by my friends for how giant the thing looks in my not so giant hands, but I love it. It has a big, beautiful screen, great battery life, it’s snappy and responsive, the S-pen is pretty damn cool, and 4G is nice. I am quite happy with my choice. Hopefully this one last as long as its predecessor.
I went to a showing of local writer/director Michael McCallum’s latest feature film Buffalo yesterday and, I must say, it is phenomenal. As always, he packed in a lot of local scenery, music, talent, and flavor along with a deeply moving story to make one of my favorite films this year. I recommend you check out Mike’s other work with Rebel Pictures at rebelpictures.net and keep an eye out for Buffalo at a film festival near you.
I may have been absent from blogging for a while, but my social networking didn’t take a break. In fact, just today I got an invite to the new platform Ello, and ad-free network with a very simple and clean esthetic. I haven’t really had much time with it yet to give a solid opinion. You can find out more about it here.
One thing I haven’t been neglecting these past few months is my tabletop RPGs. Wizards of the Coast finally released the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons unto the world and it is good. With our friendly local comic/gaming store recently losing its gaming space, my roommate and I have picked up hosting the weekly Encounters sessions. We’ve got a solid group of 6-10 players every week and we always have a blast. In addition to D&D, I’ve been playing in a Sunday evening Pathfinder game in a quite interesting setting of the GM’s design wherein different worlds phase together semi-permanently and our group works as troubleshooters for the claim holders of these discoveries. I am also starting my own Pathfinder campaign tomorrow. Having Kickstarted the Pathfinder Online MMO, I received The Emerald Spire superdungeon which I will be taking a group through on a bi-weekly basis.
More good news. It would seem we have found an appropriate dosage for my anti-depressants. Of course, the way I found out was far from ideal, I ran out. Within a week I could tell a difference in my own mood and energy levels as well as other people’s reactions to me. I’m all set on that front now and hopefully wont be running out again. Now to get some counseling scheduled and get some other health issues looked into.
Next up, I’ve got a bit of a downer to talk about involving a week of high hopes that tumbled off into nothingness. I’ve never had the best of luck in the realm of dating. My lifestyle, jobs, depression, anxiety etc. haven’t really helped me get out there and meet people in appropriate social settings. So, I’ve tried my hand at online dating sites on and off over the years. This usually involves combing through hundreds of profiles to find women who seem genuinely interesting and for whom I fit the bill(of which there are maybe five to ten). Next comes sending well thought out messages with a bit of flirt, mentioning something from their profile, and a question or two to break the ice. A vast majority of the time this is met with exactly zero responses, but every once i a blue moon I’ll get a bite. This time, after a few messages back and forth, we seem to be getting along and start texting. Within a few days we set up a date. The day before she has to cancel due to a family matter. We reschedule for later that week. We exchanged some photos. I complimented her smile. While at work(my phone in the car), I get two messages. First, “I don’t mean to come off like I think you’re shallow, but you still want to meet, right?” Then, forty minutes later, “It’s okay.” As soon as I get out of work I read them and respond that of course I still want to meet. I have not heard from her since.
Pulling back out of that, Ive decided that this year, no bull, I am going to participate in Nanowrimo. I’ve got a solid basis to get going from this time, the story of “Baron” Byron Green and his rise to power from orphan to the owner of the first trans-atlantic railroad.
Speaking of anachronism and fantasy, the new series of Dr Who is off to a great start with Peter Capaldi in the role. I’m digging almost everything about it except the new title theme. The animation on it is great, but some of the audio elements just don’t sit right with me. As for the show itself, I’m really liking the new character Mr. Pink and “Listen” is all of the good things about a Moffat episode. I’ve enjoyed Clara thoroughly but I can’t wait to see *SPOILERS* how they write her out this Christmas. *END SPOILERS*
One last thing before I go as this entry has already stretched beyond a thousand words. Acapella group Pentatonix has released their third EP PTX Vol. 3 and it is good. Especially phenomenal is the cover of Stromae’s “Papaoutai” with Lindsey Stirling adding some strings to the mix. You can see the official video here.
Chronicles of Brad 