I haven’t written one of these for awhile, but this is mainly a proof of life to throw out there into the ether — if you don’t count the several instances where I’ve done the same on Twitter.
Professionally, this has been the biggest year of growth since I was made full-time back at the research firm. A couple of years of proving myself turned into being at the right place at the right time at the beginning of the year and I escaped into the ladder of the fabled management pipeline.
Ten months later, I made it out the other end. Retail management is certainly a stress that can drown those who aren’t prepared for it, but I think I’m treading water in this seasonal deep end.
Meanwhile, I’ve been streaming nearly every week. Squad Ops has been through a bit of a contraction this year as far as its player base, but I’m still there trying to bring some of the action to the wider Squad community on our Twitch channel.
I don’t plan on stopping streaming any time soon, but I want to start throwing some energy behind writing again. Either here or at lowercase esports. I’ve started working on a couple of columns I’ve wanted to update (since the old podcast) on a yearly basis for the site and will try to push at least one of them out this month; it will more than likely be a Call of Duty related post, but I am also working on updating what could be called an esports tier list (or lists, since lumping every competitive scene into one large group is unfair with the vast genres of games with competitive scenes). For the bravest of you on the digital ocean: you can see the last unlisted written update and prepare yourselves for the edgiest esports take of the new year.
As far as upgrading tech goes, I’ve kept it pretty lean. After years of owning the same iPhone 11, I finally upgraded to an iPhone 16 Plus. The screen size and the battery’s resiliency after running a few work shifts has lifted my spirits as well as thinned the bulge in my back pocket; I was running an iPhone 11 with an external yet official battery case before I upgraded. I never used the phone as anything other than a solid communicator and extra camera, but after five-ish years, the battery had taken much more of a beating than I was willing to suffer. With this new upgrade, I feel like I’m jumping back into a modern era of computing, which feels like a weird observation to make when compared to my other machines.
Maybe the next step is to replace the iPad Pro second generation 12.9-inch that I wish I used more, but I’m leaning towards replacing the prebuilt machine I use for gaming with a piece-by-piece built machine. Or perhaps that new Mac mini. Both are compelling next purchases in their own way. I won’t know until I think about it a bit more.
I don’t know if I’ve written this down before, but I’ve been cigarette-free for nearly four years, now. I’m not counting the odd cigar, of which I might have had five in as many years, but I’ve dodged cigarettes. A minor win, in the grand scheme of my health, but I can say it’s a positive. I’m able to move more, bike more, and feel more recovered after working hard. Haven’t been able to recuse myself from alcohol, but I only indulge on weekends lately. Enough of a change in my stress relief methods to indicate a positive change, I think.
One thing I have had some issue with is my sleeping pattern. Last year I was still struggling with changing from working overnight schedules into working mornings. With the stress I was in, maybe I abused alcohol too much. Now, I don’t have the luxury of being able to indulge during the week; seeking a higher quality of sleep has taken priority over a temporary shift of my mental health, if that makes any sense.
It may be in bad taste to admit I am late bloomer, but I’m finally in a position where I’m able to reclaim a bit of security in my own life.
And, all told, that’s not so bad in this day and age. Even if I’m alone. Maybe everyone has someone. Maybe some folks have their family. It’s not so bad to be in one of those camps, surely.
At least I’m in a camp.
