Diminishing

I’ve been neglecting this weblog. Hell, I’ve been neglecting my personal website.

I don’t really feel bad about it… well, maybe I do a little bit because I am posting this here.

The need for a personal website becomes a lot less necessary because I feel as if I’m pretty content with not oversharing anymore. I do focus a bit on my mental and physical health because, well, I need some sort of therapy somewhere. Luckily, I’ve been able to handle my mental health issues in other ways. That probably makes me look like I complain a lot.

So, what do I do? I’ve been reducing my digital footprint for years and feel like I am just wasting money (and time) keeping it going. My need for expressing myself on a soapbox has been diminishing for years. I feel like no one cares anymore.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing though.

So do I keep these little projects going? Or do I let it die. I’m still trying to decide. I have until the end of the year to make the decision to remove the life support. I guess we’ll see, won’t we?

I hope you are all well.

A Little of This and A Little of That

Hi folks.

It’s been quite a while before I’ve dumped my random thoughts here, but I thought I’d do that rather than dump a whole lot of garbage on Mastodon. Don’t worry, you can thank me later.

Right now, I’m sick at home with a chest infection which I haven’t had for a very long time. I’m not sure what caused it, but I am pretty miserable. Regrettably, I’ve had to miss a few days of work to recover, but hopefully I’ll feel better soon. I’ve got a few weeks of annual leave that I need to take in a couple of months and need that couple of hours per paycheque so I can get paid for all of it. Saving anything (including money) has been a challenge lately.

Our new house build is coming along nicely. The exterior is just about done and the builders are starting to put up the dry wall inside. The inside still looks unimpressive, but it’s getting there. I am hoping it will be done mid-year. I’m getting tired of paying rent. I am going to miss my place close to the beach and the city, but kind of tired of having to listen to the traffic all the time. The air is probably not that great for me too. Air purifiers can only do so much, yeah?

Work is work. I don’t hate my job, but I’m also not that enthusiastic to go in when I don’t know what area I am working in. My job requires me to work in various sectors with various specialisations and it would be nice not to have that “jack-of-all-trades, but master of none” feeling I constantly have. At the end of the year, I’ll hopefully be able to alleviate some of that unknowing feeling.

The husband’s job search hasn’t really landed him any leads so he’s decided that he’s going to try to get a promotion at the place he works (and I used to work). Again, that place is about 4 hours away, one-way, from where I’m living now. It’s a good pay rise and probably a good option until something is available around where we’ll be moving. I’m not overly enthusiastic about it because we haven’t really lived together about half the time we’ve been married, but as long as it’s temporary, I guess I’m okay.

It also seems like the years are just passing by and I’m having those mid-life crisis thoughts. No, I don’t need a new car or anything, but I feel like I probably shouldn’t have wasted most of my life being lazy. I’m really feeling aged now and feel like there is so much more I could be doing, you know, like travelling and stuff. I admit that I didn’t work so hard earlier in my life and I wish I would have. I kind of thought that my boyish good looks would get me by, but once you hit a certain age in the gay world, that doesn’t work anymore.

If you’re a young gay guy who thinks they can sweet talk people, go to the gym every day, and not work hard, you’re going to be paying for it later. I mean, yeah, some people have the luxury of having this last a long time, but it doesn’t last. I’m actually amazed that someone wanted to marry me when I was in my late 30s. 😉 I’m not all bad, but charm and good looks aren’t on my side anymore.

What’s happening that’s good? That’s a tough one right now. Other than feeling like total garbage right now, things could be worse. The summer hasn’t been too bad. Still have a job. Red (my dachshund) is doing okay though getting a bit chubby. I’ll be finishing up my last bit of study this year which will be GREAT and well, I’m okay. It may sound depressing, but I’m okay.

That’s the update for now. I hope you and everybody you care about is doing well. 🙂

And so, this is the obligatory end-of-year post…

I don’t really say much here anymore. You can catch my random ramblings on Mastodon though.

I’ve learned that by dropping my regular blog postings and the discontinuation of my podcast that I really like this… solitude. Something about the lock-downs and isolation really helped carve that into a mainstay in my life. When I’m not working, I just want to be left to my own devices (literally).

Sometimes, I do miss the online communities I was a part of though. Sometimes, I just want to sit and chat with people about random things, but after five minutes of that, I realise that it probably wasn’t a great idea. That’s just me though.

My husband and I are still living apart, but that is going to change in 2024. The construction of our house started in October and it’s progressing very quickly. We’ve got a roof, some bricked walls, and a big wooden frame up at the moment. It’s looking pretty good.

I don’t want to type too much here so I won’t. I feel like there’s so much I’ve said on Mastodon. However, I’m happy to give you bullet points of my highs and lows of this year:

  • I’m starting to feel like an old gay man. Gray hair is sprouting up everywhere and no one knows I exist. Is that such a bad thing though?
  • My apartment was broken into while I was home but miraculously, nothing was stolen. The thief got away with my wallet, but later in the day, I got it back with nothing missing.
  • I’m getting a lot more experience in different areas of my work which is nice.
  • Red, the dachshund, was added to my family. I never knew a dog could love fruit and vegetables so much. He was a hero when my apartment got broken into.
  • I’m steadily gaining more weight. I should really fix that, shouldn’t I?
  • I think I’ve been with my current partner for about 10 years now.
  • He’s an Australian citizen now.
  • I miss having him take care of me.

I think that’s about it. I can’t make promises about 2024. I’m afraid to, really. There are quite a few nice things happening though. I guess all I can do is to do my best, right?

It’s like 1:35 am almost. I should get to bed. I already don’t get enough sleep. Good night folks, and hope your 2024 is pretty fucking awesome.

Homesickness

Hello! I hope everybody out there is doing well and in good health.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here because most of the stuff I’m thinking about is being posted on Mastodon and Firefish. (If you have no idea what this is, just head to my website at cnoi.se to see all my fantastically fabulous posts whining about everything.)

Money and survival is what’s in my head right now. Sadly, I had planned for my partner to be here so I can finish a course of study. I thought that I would be able to work a little less while we lived together here but as we know, that’s no happening. It’s affected that and my ability to return back home at the end of the year. I’m really sad that I can’t go back home for Christmas. Everything I make almost goes to bills. It seems like by the next time I get paid, I have a few hundred left over which somehow gets used my next pay cheque comes in.

It’s just disheartening. I am feeling a bit lonely at this time of the year. That’s not out of the ordinary though because it’s cool/cold. It reminds me of Christmas. It makes me homesick.

I’ll be okay though, I guess. My partner does what he can which I need to give him credit for.

I’d just like to keep my stress levels down and have enough money so I don’t have to worry so much. But such is life, right?

The Feels

I don’t have the opportunity to express myself in over 500 character bits often (see Mastodon), so I thought maybe I’d discuss the way I am feeling lately.

Put simply, lately it’s been rough.

It seems like I’ve been feeling more things more often, even when medicated. Though I believe that this can be good at times, it can also can be bad. I find myself a bit more down lately and I think I’m writing this to find and explore the why of what’s happening.

On Mastodon, I complain a lot about work. I do shift work. Sometimes I work in the afternoon. Sometimes I work overnight. Rarely (by choice) I work in the mornings. Lately they’ve been all over the place. I find myself tired a lot. Exhausted. That frustrates me. Sometimes I just want to be awake when everybody else is and I want to sleep at the same time. That just doesn’t happen when I am struggling to sleep at night a lot.

To make life more fun, I am having to work more to cover my expenses. I am going back to study in a few weeks, and this is going to seriously impact the number of hours I work. I don’t like it.

As many of you know, I have a partner. He’s been hanging around for almost ten years now. He’s pretty good to me but lately there have been some issues popping up and it’s making it hard for me to stay productive.

A few years ago, I did a weird thing. I accepted a job that is across the state–one that would force me to move because driving 8 hours a day isn’t something that I would expect to do. I did it without much consultation with my partner but at the same time, I was hoping that it would inspire him to find work in a place where we’d have things to do and places to go. I was told when I moved to the countryside that it would be a one year stint. He’s been there for over five years now. I stayed for three years. When one of the employers that I wanted to work for asked me to do an interview, I jumped at the opportunity. I thought it might make him want to move here and work with the same place.

We had planned to move him here by the end of this month which obviously isn’t happening anymore. We’re just getting the finances together to build our house (which is a 20 minute drive from here). Changing employers isn’t a smart thing for him to be doing right now. I understand that. Though I am disappointed, I understand.

These two years of living by myself have been rough at times, but now I feel as if I am used to this. That’s hard for me to admit. Though I love my partner, I am used to the solitude. I’m used to doing whatever I want and how I want to do it. When he comes by, much of my life gets rearranged. The same thing happens when I go stay with him for a bit.

My partner has been stressed too but now he’s bringing up how I abandoned him–a lot and how it’s my fault that I am struggling financially. He tells me that I am constantly asking him for money–which I don’t. I do get afraid that some of my expenses will outpace my pay, especially while studying. I asked him just to put a bit into our joint account just in case. I have been putting money in there too in case I need it later. I think of it as savings–if I need it, fine. If I don’t need it, that’s okay too. It’s not an incentive to spend, but just to have something there. After the resulting conversation, I started feeling that I am lazy. A burden. Dumb. I just didn’t feel that great and those feelings have spilled into how I am feeling today.

One of my partner’s faults is that once he becomes fixated on something, he doesn’t let it go and he won’t listen so he took my suggestion of saving a little extra just in case I needed it as me wanting to work less. I just couldn’t tell him my plan because he heard the part of me being afraid I am not going to be able to pay my bills because I need to work less. It’s frustrating at times so all a person can say is “okay” to everything. Nothing else can be said.

I don’t really expect there to be much of a change from how things are today. I don’t plan to work less because, well, I can’t. If anything, I need to pick up one or two more shifts. I kept trying to tell him it was a security thing–just in case. At the end of us living apart, whatever is there can be spent on furniture or something for our new place.

I’m not really expecting my partner to move here until the house is finished and not a moment before. I was hoping for some sort of relief to concentrate on my studies which has been dragging on for way too long (I am just about done, by the way!). I won’t get that.

I am also risking not being able to go back home at the end of the year which I was really looking forward to. I had expected my partner to be here at that time.

There’s a lot happening in the old noggin of mine. I am really hoping I can process what to do about it soon. I’m not in crisis mode at the moment, but just stressed and worrisome. That’s not atypical though.

So if you’ve read all of this, I appreciate it. Sometimes it helps getting these feelings out. As I’ve said, things are manageable now. I’m not really much worse off until the end of the year but I kind of wished I had more support emotionally. My partner has his own stressors and has a lot going on, so sometimes it feels like I am alone in this world.

Until next time, take good care of yourselves. I will try my hardest to do the same… much love!

Mental Health Matters

It’s been a long while since I’ve posted here and Mastodon probably isn’t the best way for me to post a big, huge wall of words so I thought I’d drop this in my personal weblog.

This topic may be sensitive to some people, so please keep this in mind.

For those who don’t know, I have suffered through severe depression and anxiety most of my life and I had gotten to the point where it was manageable. It took a while to get there so that I could at least function in my day-to-day life, but I got there through cognitive behavior therapy and a little help through medication.

Unfortunately, both have recently come back and with a vengeance. I have been having issues managing it. I haven’t been able to pull myself out of it like I have learned to do. Every single thought in my head lately has been one of negativity and sadness.

My family (including my partner) and friends have been noticing it for a while and I would brush it off and say “I am just really busy right now.” My mother said it sounded like I am really depressed and I said I am not depressed, just busy.

I have started hating everything: my job, my study, my financial situation, my inability to make myself better–basically I started hating myself and asking myself “why?”. I came to the conclusion that I deserved this and it would be temporary–just until the rest of the year and then I can relax. That morphed into “why bother?” to “why do I live to suffer?”. That’s a really scary place to be.

Not everybody can boast this, but my partner is what I consider as an expert in mental health. He’s got the study and experience to back that up. He has usually been around to get me to rethink my destructive thoughts, but we’ve been living in two different parts of Australia for over a year. I haven’t had the time to go see him as much I really should have. I may be a grumpy Gus around him at times, but I know he makes me feel happier. Just having his presence makes me feel a bit better.

I opened up to him last night about all the pressure I have been through. I told him directly how I am feeling about everything happening in my life. Basically, I told him that I’m sick of everything and feeling a lot of pressure constantly. I told him I am unhappy with the quality of my life right now.

What do I do then?

I am almost finished with my studying, but unfortunately, that came with more than 3 months of unpaid practice this year which was adding pressure to me financially. Not only that, it was adding a lot of pressure to me to perform well too. I just wanted it done but I am studying full-time. It was the root of my unhappiness.

I realised with juggling that with a job and the price of everything going up, it’s just not sustainable. I’ve burnt through my savings from having to take time off from work. I have been in the worst financial position I’ve been in since my 20s. That itself is not fun. I had gotten used to not worrying much about where my money is going because I had plenty coming in. My study schedule was the root of all my problems.

I’ve cut my course load. To make things better, I need to eradicate the problem at its roots like an annoying weed. I feel some relief, even now, that I am much happier today. My partner helped me realise that by doing this, it’s not the end of the world. If it’s really making me that unhappy and depressed, it needs to be fixed.

This will allow me to work more, relax more, and be more flexible with my time and energy.

I have just gotten so tired with everything happening and on top of that, having a house built, having to move the contents of my other rental here and stuff has really added to the pressure I’ve been going through but at least it’s more manageable now.

Something I have told myself is that I don’t have to be miserable. I can be stubborn which is probably how I got to that point, but at the end of the day, I’m going to be in a better mental state from being able to pinpoint my problems and come up with a solution.

The solution was a team effort though. I tell people this all the time: talking to someone about what you’re going through is sometimes the best thing you can possibly do. I know not everybody has a mental health professional at their disposal, but the other person just has to listen and understand what you’re going through. It’s difficult to do, yes, but at the end of the day, it’s the start of resolving issues. No one is perfect and I don’t want to be. Flaws are what makes me as quirky as I am. I’m okay with that.

So yeah, this is just a big long story of what’s happening lately and I am feeling a bit better. I need to do some reshuffling of my schedule, but everything will be okay. I’m pretty confident of that since I’m going to have more time this year to myself.

Next year though is already looking challenging, but at least I can prepare for it, right? RIGHT!

Old Podcast Episodes

Hi. I’ve deleted the podcast episode posts due to the fact that the files for them have been deleted. It’s not a perfect solution, but I’ve done my best.

The Inevitable End

Shifting Priorities

Over the past few years, my priorities have shifted from web and media development to my other career. This other job keeps me away from the computer and is physically and mentally demanding. With the purchase of land and a house, I’ve had less free time to spend here.

I’ve also had a personal website since 1998. I’ve shared and overshared with the general public too long. I am older and wiser now and sharing private aspects of my life is no longer necessary. It’s also not very interesting. My life is, in a word, mundane. No one cares. (It’s okay. I wouldn’t care either if I was a stranger peeking in.)


Podcasting and Stuff

It’s been hard to maintain my podcast. I would keep making plans to record, and when the day would come, I would find something else to do with my time. Instead of telling myself that I am going to record, I am going to be realistic and say that I am officially cancelling my podcast.

You may find that the feed (if you’re subscribed via Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts) is no longer available. Old episodes will be removed at some point. We’ll pretend like they didn’t exist.


Streaming

That didn’t work from day one and I had a feeling that it wouldn’t. I’m not planning to stream on a regular schedule. I may do it, but it will be unannounced and will only happen when I have free time.


Online Presence

I am not disappearing but I am not going out of my way to promote myself or to overshare on this weblog. People who want to stay in contact with me are encouraged to do so, but I won’t force you.

My online business will live on. I need to have websites and stuff. Web domain registrations are relatively cheap so I’ll be around. I need to keep my technology skills sharp, so here I will remain.


Chatting and Messaging

I haven’t been chatty for a long time. Many friends complain that I don’t talk to them. If you understood what kind of job I had, you’d understand that my time alone is very precious and extremely necessary. Typing is annoying, but if you want to try your luck, find me on Telegram.


Social Media

I hate Twitter. I hate Facebook (but it’s a necessary evil for close friends and family). I hate Tik Tok. I hate Instagram. It doesn’t leave much choice, does it?

I do post on Mastodon.


Things Do Change and Things WILL Change

I’m forever going to be interested in technology. That will never change.

I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know if there will never be another podcast or if I’ll miraculously start trusting social media again. Who knows?


General Housekeeping

In case you had an account here, it has been removed. Your login is no longer needed or necessary. You should have received an email about it. If you didn’t, take a closer look in your mailbox.

Redirection links (Cnoi.se links) will no longer work.


Into the Future

Updating this weblog is no longer a priority for me. If you’re curious about what’s happening, follow me on Mastodon. As I said above, things may change. It’s hard for me to stay away from the web because as I’ve said numerous times: this is a therapy for me. Coding helps me forget about my problems, but it can also cause additional problems, such as things never being completely finished. I want to stay away from that as much as I can and focus my time and life on taking care of myself and my wonderful husband.

Until we meet again (or when I need therapy), take care of yourselves!

Ben

Not so social

I haven’t been very talkative or social lately. Sometimes I feel bad that I don’t contact people or want to go out and do things, but I have accepted that this is how things are. There probably isn’t any changing it. As you have possibly read (or heard) in the past, I’m not a social butterfly. I’m more like a social sloth. Sure, I like to be social, but the less I have to do, the better.

I make all these excellent, grand plans to go to Melbourne, but I just can’t be bothered at the end of the day. It takes too much energy and effort to go. I deal with people constantly in my job, and I want and need a break from that. The little free time I have is spent enjoying my own company and sitting around in my old, but still loved, work clothes. They’re comfortable; what can I say?

Things haven’t calmed down with me. I am still stressed and am having a big problem managing my life. Our house won’t start its build when it was initially scheduled to start, so I have had to plan for more time apart from my significant other and have to keep renting a unit that will now cost me $400 more per month. That means I need to work more. Thankfully, I’ve got money in the bank to make up for the fact that I am not working as much as I could be, but that will not last forever. I kind of wish that I didn’t have to travel so much back and forth, but I guess this is one of those decisions I didn’t think over very well.

Yeah, it’s the same thing over and over again. I need some relief, but there’s no telling when I will get it, so in the meantime, I am very happy to take it easy every chance I get.

As of Late, Things Are Better

Hey! It looks like I’ve got some free time so I wanted to tell you guys a super big hello! Can you believe it? The year is almost over. Things have been so busy this year and next year will be much of the same. I already know this. There are so many things to do so I can finally take a break.

I’ve announced a few times that I have been working on a few ambient music tracks and have had to put them on the back burner for now. The last little track I shared I am not particularly proud of, so I want to do something a little more refined. They’ll come at some point. I just don’t know when.

Why do I keep saying that I will do it? To do one little music project is on my bucket list of things to do. Whether it sells nothing or a million, that’s my goal. I just don’t want to wait too late.

Healthwise, I am doing okay. I’m still experiencing pain at times, but it’s manageable. Mentally, I am feeling a bit better. It’s all good. I keep thinking about recording new podcast episodes, but just haven’t gotten around to doing it yet.

So I guess that’s it right now. I’m making a few little updates to Complicated Noise, but nothing worth mentioning really. I am still trying to do a code clean-up so that things load a little quicker.

Freedom

Finally, it is done, and I am back home. I didn’t think that would ever end, but it did and now I’ve got one free night to myself before I have to plunge back into the wonderful world of working to earn money so I can level up my adulting. It’s not an exciting life, but it is my life.

Today, I spent my time going through boxes, getting out old electronics and stuff that I haven’t used in a really long time. I grabbed my old iPhone and Apple Watch out of my desk. The batteries were dead. I thought that I might try to sell some of the old stuff lying around.

But then I remembered how much I hate dealing with people about selling stuff online. I’m not too fond of the general stupidity of people on marketplaces. I powered it all up, activated a new line on my old phone, and then told myself it was okay because I needed a dedicated line for my business that I had done nothing with lately.

I do like my old iPhone though. The size is nice. It still functions just fine, but I really can’t be holding on to all these gadgets forever.

In the short time I’ve had two phones, I have to say that I don’t know how people do it. I think my husband totes around three of them for some reason.

I also dug out all my Philips Hue stuff. Set it all up, then realised that to power it, I needed to plug in an old Apple router, connect the Hue Bridge, and then plug in a light. That’s a lot of wasted energy. About 20 minutes later, I disconnected it and threw it into a box. I guess I just couldn’t be bothered anymore.

I think about it sometimes and think I should enjoy this freedom from everything while I can. In less than a year, my husband and I are moving into a new house and to be frankly honest, it still scares me a bit because I liked the freedom of not having to work my fingers to the bone for money. I feel like I will need to be an adult and act like one finally.

I guess that’s it from me for now. I think I’m just thankful to be in my own space so I can do my own thing in as few clothes as possible.

I Scream into the Void

ice cream at Harajuku Takeshita Street
ice cream at Harajuku Takeshita Street by sysbird is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0

You know that butterflies in the stomach kind of feeling right before you submit something to be marked, knowing that it’s not the best thing you’ve ever written? How do you feel afterwards? Relief?

Well, I actually feel WORSE after I submit something. I don’t know why. I start to get physically sick. It sucks. I feel like it’s subpar probably because it is. I’ve been so busy that I just submitted what I could and called it a day. I figure something is better than nothing, right?

I’m away from home for a few more days. I’ll be so happy to get back home where I can do my own thing in as much clothing as I want. I never have liked the shared accommodation thing. I think I might have seen two of these people once each and that was just like a “hello”. I also get pretty annoying having to get dressed to go to the toilet.

Anyway, I guess I am a bit of a nudist but I don’t think everybody appreciates that.

So, 4/5 more days left and I am out of here. I’m over it. I want this to be done.

Things Are… Interesting?

Hello everyone. I hope you’re well. If you aren’t, I sincerely hope things get better. I’ve been a bit busy lately with work, study, and other things in my life. My thoughts have been full of a lot of negativity, so I thought I’d come here and give myself some therapy. Life’s difficult at the moment. My health isn’t as excellent as it could be, but I’ll explain that below.

The Not-So-Good

Notice how I didn’t say “bad”? That’s the start of making me sad, unfulfilled, and mopey. So, let’s work through my stressors and what I can do about them.

Health

I am stressed. I’ve distanced myself from social media, friends, and even my partner. I believe that this stress has also overlapped with some health problems. For example, I’ve been having trouble with my gut again. I’ve always had some kind of issue with them from when I was a child. Nausea, vomiting, going to the toilet too much, going to the bathroom not enough, and stomach aches to summarise most of my childhood, unfortunately. It has been reoccurring so much that I had to go to the emergency department yesterday. I spent seven hours there yesterday. Again, my blood pressure is high. My blood pressure has been creeping up, and I’ve noticed that it would get terrible at work. My pulse would get up to over 120, and I would get dizzy. So yeah, things have been challenging. It seems to creep up more when I study and work.

Okay, that was a lot, right? So what is my plan to tackle this? First, I need to change my diet. Since I’ve moved away from my husband, I’ve been eating a LOT of fast food. It’s just convenient. I’ve got over 25,000 Macca’s Reward Points in just a few months. That’s probably about $235 or more in junk food. Can I fix that? Of course, I can. I can cook, and even when I do, it’s simple. I’ve also got a gym membership that doesn’t get used much, so it’s about time to start using it once I get back home. (I have two more weeks here before returning home.)

You know what else? My father passed away early because of his cardiovascular health, so I need to be more careful.

Work

We’re dealing with severe staff shortages at work, so when I go in, I have to do the work of two people since there is no available staff. It makes going to work a bit of a bummer, and it is exhausting. Don’t get me wrong, though–I love what I do. However, I don’t love it enough to keep myself exhausted. I need the money, but I don’t need the extra stress. The amount of work I do for my primary job is just enough so that I don’t end up hating my job.

Did you know that I have a second job in the same position? The same problems occur there, but they are multiplied. I definitely can’t work more than I do there. Also, this job is a four-hour drive away. The good thing is that I work when I can and have my husband there to keep me happy and sane.

Study

I’m studying in the same field I work in, and I sometimes feel like when I study, I don’t have the necessary time off from work. I’ve got extra pressures when I study, which physically and mentally wear me out. It is terrific that they’re related, but I feel as if I don’t have much of an escape when I need to get away from things.

Social Isolation

This isn’t such a problem for someone like me. I thoroughly enjoy the time and space I have for myself. I tend to distance myself when I am worried, depressed, stressed, or anxious. People see it as rude, but it is one of my coping mechanisms. I sometimes find that not talking about it or thinking about it helps. That’s usually not a long-term solution because look at what I’m doing now!

I am not paranoid about going out and catching COVID-19 or the flu. Given a choice, though, I would rather not have to deal with either of these conditions. So I go out shopping and stuff when I really need to. I’ve discovered, however, that it makes me incredibly anxious being out in public the longer I go without going out. I need more practice!

The Good

Now, let’s list some of the good things that are going on in my life.

Husband and Extended Family

My husband is incredibly supportive. I think sometimes he doesn’t agree with what I do–like moving away from him, but overall, he’s supportive and lets me know that he cares for and loves me regardless of how I feel. When I feel bad about a decision, I just talk to him, and he’ll usually get me to rethink it so that it doesn’t seem like such a terrible decision. We’ve just celebrated 5 years of marriage, and 99.4% of the time, I am happy with that decision. The 0.6% missing is that he is sometimes a bit too loud and annoying. I don’t like his singing, but because I love him, I deal with it.

I’m not a good singer too, and I’m sure he cringes every time I try to sing.

When I married him, I got some family members here in Australia, which is nice. It feels really nice knowing that they’re here. When I get lonely or something, I know that I can call them up or visit them. That feels great.

Work

As I’ve said, I love my job, and I usually feel pretty good about what I do at the end of the day. It doesn’t feel like a way to make money but a way to make a difference in people’s lives. When I am away from work for some time, I feel lost and am eager to return. Let’s just say that I love my job enough to the point I don’t want to suffer from burnout.

Study

I am almost done–for good!

Health

I might have high blood pressure, but there is still time to do something about it! So let’s do it! (I probably need to have my cholesterol checked too.)

Immediate Family

I am looking forward to returning to the USA to see them next year. 🙂

Conclusion

Things may not be perfect, but I feel there are ways to transform “bad” things into good ones. I know my health isn’t excellent at the moment, but these recent problems have shown me that there are ways to make it better. Even small changes are better than doing absolutely nothing. As much as I love KFC, I probably shouldn’t be eating it all the time. I will try to plan things a little better in the future. I will make it a point to enjoy work and take a deep breath when situations overwhelm me.

I think it’s essential to find the good out of every situation. Even with the worst problems, some good can come out of it. Sometimes it just takes a little searching, but it is entirely possible! Never give up hope and realise there is always potential to improve things. If it means visiting your general practitioner or doctor to get some help, then go for it. I have done that and feel there is absolutely no shame in that because, at the end of the day, you have to do what is right for you.

Grammarly tells me that this post sounds sad. I don’t mean for it to sound sad, but more hopeful. There are people around you (including me in that group) who you can talk to and help you get through things, and I am happy to help you think about things more helpfully. All you need to do is to reach out and ask.

I hope everyone is doing well and hope to update this weblog a little more often in the future.

The Podcast Episode That Couldn’t

They’re just not happening, are they?

I had recorded an episode while driving back home the other day, and it sounded like I was recording it 5 rooms away so I have to cancel that one too. One of these days, I’ll get around to publishing new content. I’m time-constrained right now, so it’ll come when it does. Maybe next time I will check to see whether it sounds terrible before I talk to myself for 30 minutes.

See you soon?

I Don’t Know What To Do Anymore

Hello everyone!

Cloudy day on the coast
:)Random photo for no reason. I just think it’s pretty. Breaks up the boring text junk, right? 🙂

I hope all is well over in your neck of the woods!

Lately, I’ve been neglecting a lot of my Internet-based projects because there’s so much going on around me. From working two (sometimes three) jobs, studying, traveling, and all the other things that I do, needless to say, I have gotten really, really busy.

It seems like the prices and costs for everything is going up. This has caused me to have to work more to make ends meet. The rent for my apartment has gone up around $400 a month. The costs of food and utilities are going up. Fuel prices are the highest I’ve ever seen them. I need to work more to cover those costs so that I am not living on Struggle Street like I used to be.

I’ve been trying to simplify my website so I don’t have to update it or maintain it as much but as I work, I ask myself again and again, “What am I doing here?”

That’s usually not a good sign, but it’s something I have run into before except this time, it is more persistent.

Visits and feedback to my podcast, weblog, and website are at an all-time low now. It makes me wonder whether my time, money, and energy could be spent somewhere else.

At the same time, I am making zero effort to connect to other people because I’ve discovered that people online usually irritate me. I don’t want to or care about meeting other people online anymore. I just don’t need that level of socialisation anymore. Sure, there is a time or two where I wish I could message someone, but I don’t. I know plenty of people, but typing anything has become quite energy-consuming. That’s laziness talking!

As I’ve said in the past, I am going to keep this project going for as long as I possibly can but my interest is really waning. I must be getting older and meaner or something. Who the hell knows?