One might notice, even were one not all that observant, that I’ve been absent for most of last year. One might even notice that this blog has spent more time without a recent update than with one. In fact I believe it has spent three times longer in this inactive state.

This was not intentional. Or planned.

So what happened?

2023 was a tumultuous year for me in just about every way that it could be. On a professional level, I ended up leaving my job of many years as it just wasn’t working out for me any longer. On a personal level, I moved cross-country to return to the only place in the States where I could imagine myself living long-term. Mentally … well that’s the really complicated one, and the one that really did in my year. As it turns out, undiagnosed and untreated ADHD can really play a merry havoc on so many aspects of your life.

So where am I going from here?

Well, technically I’m not going anywhere.

Without the massive time and energy obligations that come with traditional employment, I have found myself with an abundance of - you guessed it - time and energy. And what will I do with all that? Well, I know one thing I won’t do, and that is returning to the old rat race … at least not unless my hand is forced. Instead I intend on devoting the vast majority of my time to the many creative works I’ve had on the back burner for well over a decade, as well as some that are more recent.

My primary goal is to make some serious progress on at least one of the novels that have been knocking about in my skull. My biggest dream, for many years now, has been to become a published author, following in the footsteps of my grandmother. Mind you she and I write in very different genres, but she has always been my inspiration to write. Now how much of that I’ll be talking about here will be on the more minimal side as I do like to keep a good buffer between my online and offline personae, but I’ll likely still have a post here or there about writing, especially if a particularly spicy topic comes to mind.

Following that, it would be this blog. There are many things I still have planned, after all, and I didn’t get to just about any of them last year. This would include my findings from both PAX East and PAX West, from which I took extensive notes. My intention is to manage 1-2 posts per week … depending on the week in question, of course.

The next, and probably (to me) the most ambitious goal, is to try my hand at VTubing. While a blog like this is more than sufficient for many of the things I want to share, some things are honestly better shown, such as indie gems that deserve a bit more attention than they might otherwise garner. If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many is a video worth?

But when?

Anon.

For the blog, that would be this week. Starting off with this very post. Expect another later this week, likely on Friday or the weekend. Topic still TBD, but I have many topics to choose from.

For the books, that will be within the month. I have to start writing a few pages a day, irregardless of if I feel particularly inspired on said days. Once I begin, expect a word count counter to start appearing on my future posts.

For the VTubing, that I’ll likely not start until February. There are many things I need to have lined up before that can start. Assets. Models. Layouts. Configurations. Plans. Expect at least one blog post this month on the topic as I learn, first hand, exactly what it entails.

Note: Nothing here is a resolution.

Because I think we all know resolutions were made to be broken.
And I have enough trouble making things happen without cursing it before I’ve even really begun.