I’ve been struggling lately to keep a positive outlook about my life. In the past, I used to brush off negative emotions, people, and events as transient, as the main flow of my life was positive and the rest didn’t matter. I liked where my life was and where it was going. Lately though, I’ve been extremely unhappy with my life, and so it’s a struggle to focus on the good and not get dragged down by the negative. Continue reading Keeping a Positive Attitude
Category Archives: The Plaid Mentat
Looking Forward into 2017
Ok, the fact that you made it this far means you are actually interested in what I am planning for 2017. After all the looking back I’ve done in the last couple of weeks, it’s time to look forward, and try to figure out what I’m going to try to accomplish in the coming year. Continue reading Looking Forward into 2017
Looking Back at 2016 – Resolutions
Now that 2017 has arrived, I want to take one final look back at 2016, and see how I measured up to the goals that I set for myself in the first week of the year. Some seemed ambitious at the time, while others seemed like they would be easy pickings, but looking back, it was much more difficult to predict what would trip me up.
One thing about these goals – I’m going with a straight pass-fail. I either accomplished the goal, or not; I’m not giving myself any partial credit. Continue reading Looking Back at 2016 – Resolutions
Looking Back at 2016 – Life in General
2016 was a pretty busy year for me, especially in all the ways that I didn’t set goals around. This post is mostly going to be about that stuff (I’ll be posting about all my New Year’s resolutions first thing in the New Year). Continue reading Looking Back at 2016 – Life in General
Looking Back at 2016 – Gaming
2016 was a pretty busy year for me, especially in all the ways that I didn’t set goals around. This post is going to be about the gaming stuff that I did this year – if you’re looking for how I did on my New Year’s resolutions, you’ll have to wait until next year! Continue reading Looking Back at 2016 – Gaming
Five Years
I got a certificate at work the other day, congratulating me for five years of service at the NSIDC. Five years seems so short when I look back like this though. I’m not quite sure why – it’s possible that it’s because I’ve been at the NSIDC off-and-on since 2005 (before I started as a full-time professional, I was a student). It could be that the last five years have been far more stable than the preceding 10, which were defined by transience, short-term goals, and significant changes. Finally, it could just be that I’ve only been with the organization for five years, which is a very short time compared to some of the other folks in the center – we just celebrated our 40th anniversary at the NSIDC, and there were people in attendance that have been with the center since the beginning. Continue reading Five Years
Mind Control Dreams
Last night, I had two separate dreams all centered around groups of people being mentally controlled. Both were terrifying. Continue reading Mind Control Dreams
Looking Forward into 2016
Just as I looked back at 2015, I am also looking forward into 2016. I’m not really a goals-oriented person, but I wanted to write down some of the things that I want to do in 2016. Of course, life changes, so I’m not sure I can really levee these as expectations of my future self, but they are things that I plan to make time for this year.
Finish a Game Design Project
Last year, I started and completed Ticket to Ride: Iceland. This year, I want to complete another project and get it printed. I have a couple of smaller projects that I have designed from the ground up that I could finally get printed, or, alternately, I may make myself a copy of Dune. In either case, I want to create something cool this year. Continue reading Looking Forward into 2016
Looking back at 2015: Part 2
Health, Work, and Life Balance
Over the course of 2015, I feel like I have been able to improve my healthy habits better than I ever have. I’m exercising more, eating better, and generally taking better care of my body. While my habits and work are still mostly sedentary in nature (and I don’t expect that to change), I feel better about the time that I take to be healthier, even if it cuts into all those things.
As with most people my age, my job takes up most of my time, but I still love what I do. I work with great people, I get to do cool things, and I feel good about the work that I do at the end of the day. I don’t know that I have anything more to say here that I haven’t already said – it’s good. Continue reading Looking back at 2015: Part 2
Looking back at 2015: Part 1
2015 is nearing it’s end, and while I’m not normally very retrospective, I feel compelled to take a look back at 2015. Everyone else is doing it, why shouldn’t I? The main reason is that there are things going on that don’t really merit a full blog post; all the little things that add up to a full year.
Computer Games
Computer games are currently waxing for me right now. I’ve been playing a fair amount of Guild Wars 2 and Path of Exile, while still keeping my EVE Online account active. I also recently picked up Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void, where I am currently playing through the campaign. Continue reading Looking back at 2015: Part 1