Hope Rides Alone

2023 was the year I left LA after about 8 years. It was a major life change. I loaded up my stuff into a shipping crate (U-Pack is the best for long distance moves) stuffed my car to capacity, and got sedatives for my cat Luna. I said goodbye to my first ever local game store, many friends, and the Pacific Ocean. I said goodbye to the worst traffic and the best fresh fruit I've experienced in my life. I embarked on a journey with my poor cat in the backseat, heading for Indianapolis and my girlfriend. 

Living with my girlfriend has been wonderful! I've missed being domestic with a partner, and it feels right to be doing that again. Communication issues are to be expected, and we're working through them. Most of our problems seem to come down to "I care you!" "I care YOU!" and struggling to communicate that to the other person properly. 

Being in a house with one person, after sharing apartments with friends for the past 8 years (12 years if we go back through college) has been strange. While I appreciate my privacy at times, I really miss the convenience of living with other people. I miss the companionship. It's too easy to get stuck staying at home, too tired and daunted by the prospect of leaving the house to make a move. 

Some especially stressful things happened this year. I sought a new therapist with difficulty in the new health care system. I miss my LA therapist very much, but I think the new one will be ok for now. I'm working on making peace with certain things I can't control, and being supportive to the people I love as best I can. 

Some habits have changed that I'm ok with (weed usage), some have changed that I'd like to change back (TV watching time), and some I'm still figuring out (playing Baldur's Gate 3, my first major video game ever.)

A lot happened this year, but I got through it all. Huge life changes happened and overall I've rolled with them. And now, here comes 2024 ... 



( Resolutions )

1) This did not happen.

2) This did happen! I joined a class, painted some paintings, and had a grand time.

3) This didn't really happen. I did run a Lasers & Feelings hack at one point, but that's about it. I let my D&D games fall by the wayside during the year. 

4) This happened! I read a few books, all good, and have added some very cool ones to my shelf to read in the future. More outings means more time to read in the parking lot! 

5) This was a roaring success! I grew massive tomato plants, a surprisingly productive cucumber plant, and some herbs. For 3-4 months I didn't need to buy any tomatoes, I could just pick them from the garden. I hadn't grown stuff in this way since I was a kid in school so this was very exciting for me. 

6) This did not happen. The move was a lot, settling was a lot, some personal stuff happened later in the year. It's easy to get stuck in a rut, and I got stuck. That's ok though. 


~*~

My Resolutions for 2024 are: 

1) Run more games, including some in person

2) Cook more meals

3) Find something active to do consistently (i.e. walking, martial arts, dancing)

4) Paint minis 

5) Finish a script 
 

Last years's Resolutions were:

1) Work on my scripts
2) Run a ttrpg game that isn't D&D
3) Tattoo OR new place to live (or both?)
4) Set aside time to really think about my future
5) Make more time for reading

1) This didn't happen in the way I was hoping. I did work on my whiteboard more often and come up with new ideas, but the scripts didn't become a priority. 

2) This I did, and enjoyed myself thoroughly running Monster of the Week! 

3) These are plans that also stalled this year, but I made big progress on my savings, building up to have the freedom for more choices in the future. 

4) This I did, quite significantly. I actually took a proper vacation where I sat in a cabin in the woods and thought about my future and life. I made some pretty big decisions and devoted a lot of time to figuring out what I want, and don't, and what I need, and what my emerging goals are. 

5) This I did at varying times. I worked through more books this year than in past years, but not nearly enough to satisfy my cravings for time to read. 

~*~

My new Resolutions are: 

1) Leave my current job for a new one
2) Get another tattoo
3) Run more ttrpgs
4) Make more time for reading, painting miniatures, and visiting the beach
5) Finish a script

[Error: unknown template qotd]I sure hope not! I got into a bad sleeping habit, forgot to eat, yelled too much, fought a loosing battle with procrastination, and got a really bad headache.
Of course, I also organized my music, worked on a good fanfic, got some nice comments on my fics, watched a cute and funny movie, and got to bed at a decent hour, so ... *shrugs*