kestrel

Goals Reflection: June 2021

GOALS REFLECTION: June 2021

SUSTAINABLE LIVING
The garden is rockin' out. I was so sick of eating radishes that I let the rest go to seed, and now their impressive stems are covered with flowers and seed pods. Potato plants have started dying down, so I took a look at one this morning and it seems like they still have some time to go. I'll let them roll for maybe two more weeks and we'll see how they are in early- or mid-July. The ginger has sprouted and there are maybe five separate plants. The pumpkins are growing and doing their thing. The Swiss chard but grows back after I cut it down, much to my chagrin.

I added a suet feeder to the backyard, and "upgraded" the seeds I put in the bird feeder. What a difference that made! In the space of a day and a half, the new seed was gone and/or scattered all over the ground, and it's attracted more and different birds. It has also attracted a trio of rats however, so before I refill with the new seed I want to rig up some kind of seed catchment. It's for the birds, not the rats. Seeing mourning doves in the backyard was a special treat however. They're ground feeders so they peck around for the dropped seeds as well. A challenge will be to encourage ground-feeders to stick around while repelling rats. I'm not interested in trapping/killing rats at this point.

GAME DESIGN
It was fun to visit my designer friend and play games all afternoon and evening. I met his girlfriend, and they're two peas in a pod. We played games and ate food. My roll n' write hit the table for a considerable length of time, and the two of them provided useful feedback and a favorable impression of the game, which was great to experience. I've also revised that game through this month and it seems to be in excellent shape. It would be nice to have that game ready for a small-scale Kickstarter campaign by the end of the calendar year or in time for my birthday next year.

I think it's a very good game for the roll n' write genre. Just today I added a few more elements to it, providing for a little more variety to play-throughs and multiplayer games, while still being thematically-connected. Time for some more rounds of playtesting and feedback.

I will be hosting a video game event in early July, going into September. This will be similar to the event I held round the same time last year. It's been quite some time since I'd made a video game, so this might be a nice way to dip a toe back into the hobby.

INCREASED INCOME
The search for a junior trainer at the day job continues. Our first promising candidate dropped out the day of the third interview, which is a bummer. There are a couple more phone screenings happening this week so it might be looking up. Meanwhile a new training cohort begins literally tomorrow and between the two trainings, there's me and a job coach that seems to be out to lunch (or on his way out). There are also computer upgrades I'm responsible for, and these have provided their own share of headaches.

July won't be kindly to me personally, but it's not like I haven't had to run two trainings myself simultaneously before. However I think there will be a few days off in a row after this training is done. I have the paid-time off to spend.

The last batch of soap seemed to have turned out great. I have ideas on the recipe for the next batch, and then to start packaging it for selling. Not sure how exactly to send it out there into the world, but with good-quality inventory building up, it's time to recoup some of the costs. This stuff will be ready in August, I reckon.

I didn't consult with a financial advisor, like I had intended (but made no plans) to do. That's on me, just sticking my head in the sand about it. Although my supervisor hasn't conducted my annual review yet (dude seems underwater these days), raises begin in my next pay period.

FAMILY & FRIENDS
This month marked the first time I was able to visit my relatives since March of this year. I wrote about this in an earlier entry. In general it was good to catch up with everyone, although they all seemed burned-out. Meanwhile I received word that my first book shipment made it to my mother this weekend, and my brother and his family are all out camping in the wilderness with their RV to get away from it all for a day or two.

I buckled down and purchased a month of access on the online dating website. I've been trading messages with a lady on there for the past few days, and maybe things will develop. It's too early to tell, however I'm enthusiastic about it.

The cinema has re-opened, and even started-up its revival series again. I've already seen a few this season, including a Wednesday night screening of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." This coming Sunday morning, it will be their annual screening of the original "Jaws," and I hope to see the manager to catch up with him, and bring him some soap.

HEALTH & WELLNESS
Physical health has stayed on the level. The abdominal pains persist a few times a week. I reckon I'll go back for a physical in October or November for a regular checkup.

I'd like to cut weight, and have adjusted my exercise bike regimen. I think I'm one of those people who eats for comfort. To address this, I need to re-learn how to eat veggies as comfort food. It can be done. AND I need to reduce my purchases of pastries and stuff like that except for my trips to the farmer's market.

I've begun reflecting on different "themes" in my life, and how I'm thinking this year is a transition for me. Like I'm changing LPs on the record player. Earlier in life, the themes were theatre, bicycling, and teaching. A new theme is emerging, while those other themes seem to be taking a back-seat. I think it has a lot more to do with the natural world than in the past. Maybe this has a lot to do with me feeling burned-out by the day job and by that fuckin' city in general. Maybe my urge to move out of the 'States is a reflection of me observing so much being out of control, or people being in denial. There's a lot about these feelings I'm not able to articulate at the moment, and I know I still have thinking to do. It's preoccupying my quiet moments, and negatively affecting my mood.

This time of year is my least favourite, and I find myself rushing from one air-conditioned building to the next. So it goes. But it ain't helping...!

TO SUM IT UP
This is the lead-up to my least-favourite season of the year. Things are weird while there still seem to be pockets of normality and occasional bright spots. I want to focus on visiting the garden, maintaining at the day job, cultivating a possible new relationship, and staying physically active while avoiding the heat and humidity.