Ink for August 25th, 2021

Hurricane Henri made landfall as a strong tropical storm on Sunday morning and my neighborhood managed to survive the storm without losing electricity. There was little to no flooding damage on my street and the local utility company manage to get the power restored to the town by midnight on Monday. I was talking with Mayor Hedrick at work on Monday who confirmed the last point alongside Aundré Bumgardner's Twitter feed on Sunday. 

I probably should've wrote this blog post around Monday as it's a retraction of the blog post I wrote on Saturday announcing a delay in posting. I feared the worst with Henri, as I did with Irene and Sandy, and I panicked over the weekend—at one point I was moving some of my most valued belongings into bags that would end up in the basement. 

I'm glad I was wrong and feel fortunate that this was the case. There were a few people in Rhode Island I was worried about once I read about the sudden shift in trajectory—extended family and friends—and I'm glad to hear that they're doing okay with the utility and associated crews working tirelessly to restore electricity and clear any debris. 

It goes without saying that the Twitter thread last night is a placeholder at this point—which mostly reiterates the information I mentioned above—and will be deleted by the time you're reading this. 

Mentally, between my worries and work, I'm exhausted. I may take it easy for the rest of the week to recuperate. There are some ideas for future blog posts that I'd like to try out—a combined review of Axiom Verge and its sequel for one—and I ideally want to get back into the (semi) daily entries. Right now, I need to relax a little. 

Hope you all are having a wonderful week!     

  

Ink for August 6 & 7th, 2021

It has been almost a year since I've done a proper entry. This one will be more like the weekend checkups I used to do where I go over some of the things I did, collected, listened to or watched. It's more or less an elongated digest, but it (ideally) should help me get back into the habit of regular blogging.

One of the few times you'll ever see me plop a smartphone screen capture in. It's a fuzzy, hot mess.

One of the things I did at the start of the year, to help increase said productivity, was a spring cleaning of sorts for online content. Aside from the goal of decreased procrastination, I wanted to ensure that I don't forget to read, listen, or watch content creators that I love—or have meant to follow more frequently in years, but was distracted and overwhelmed by everything else.

The RSS reader, Winds, was great for blogs and even YouTube channels as they still utilize RSS—meaning that I could still keep abreast on Louis Rossmann's ramblings and board repairs without them flooding my YouTube subscriptions box. Winds also had a separate reader for podcasts that I was really keen on, but unfortunately I had some app trouble that I covered in a pervious entry. I haven't checked to see if they updated Winds. Might do that later.

I've been having bigger issues with how Apple Podcasts works and, after years of following Marco Aument on Twitter, finally decided to make the switch over to Overcast. I don't have much experience using related apps, aside from SoundCloud, but I'm already in love with it.

In short, it's a lot like Vivaldi with regards to how you can manage podcasts:

• There are options to either download new episodes or stream them. It can also be done manually for each podcast.
• The episode listing can even be customized and the podcast library is easy to navigate.
• The player UI is impressive—audio options and episode info are easily accessible without causing unnecessary clutter. 

I briefly sang its praises on Twitter, noting that Apple Podcasts should've been like Overcast. I really don't understand how you can mess up an audio player when Apple was one of major players in making podcasts a thing. However, that has been my experience with Apple Podcasts—having to binge listen backwards leading now to instances in which certain episodes are unplayable even if they can be played via other services and on iTunes.  

Of course, this means I can binge listen to the CheapShow back catalog in proper chronological order. I also no longer need to worry about the storage on my phone—aside from CheapShow, the Video Game History Hour, Nasty Labs, and Stone Age Gamer, I stream all the other ones. 

In audio related goodness, someone introduced me to Austra a few weeks ago. I feel like the band, or their PR, does a much better job of explaining their sound* than I could. What I can say is this, their otherworldly electronic sounds, synths, and vocals are quite beautiful...and when they have a Bandcamp, I can't say no. 

I'm personally fond of their Future Politics album which reminds me of both the Pet Shop Boys and Chris Huelsbeck** in terms of the rhythm some of the songs. "Beyond a Mortal" also reminds me of Earthbound in how it opens with this atmospheric, alien, pulse of sound with static softly crackling in the background. I feel like you could sneak the theremin-esque backing from some of the battle tracks into "Beyond a Mortal" and it would fit right in.

On the subject of video games and synths, Banjo Guy Ollie has been on a roll...

If you've ever popped into his Twitch streams recently, he's been creating a lot of covers using the Roland and Korg synths. I managed to sneak into a livestream where he created the tune to Green Hill Zone—a song that Ollie did an acoustic cover for awhile ago. It was really neat to see him create music live and if you've missed his stream or are just interested in how he does it, you can check out his Twitch VOD channel on YouTube where he archives his past streams. 

I'm slowly catching up on my to-read list—finishing two of the Boss Fight Books in the past three weeks. I gave one of them, Mike Drucker's analysis of Silent Hill 2, a proper review on Goodreads. I'm currently alternating through Rachel Maddow's Blowout—which I started all the way in 2019—and Violet Ramis Stiel's Ghostbuster's Daughter that I bought at Bank Square Books a few years back. 

In audiobooks, I'm listening to Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis. I'm usually not the one for first-contact stories, but this one's pretty decent and the narrators really do an excellent job.    

So that about wraps this up. I'll try to get back into the habit of daily entries next week. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  

*The links directs you to the Bandcamp page for their album Feel it Break, but the blurb past the track list is what I'm referring to.

**I'm thinking of Huelsbeck's later works: Seven Days - Seven Songs being one of them.  

    

Writing for a Magazine, Waxing Nostalgically About Them—Plus Zines and Games

If you came here from Twitter, then you may already know that, a few months ago, I wrote a thing for Nintendo Force—a review of a game called Hpynospace Outlaw from Jay Tholen and his team at Tendershoot. In short, without spoiling anything, it's a lovely tribute to the web of the late 90's with a keen eye on details and aesthetics. Unlike the review I did for 1324, this one is only accessible via purchasing the issue on their website—available either as a print copy or digital file. If you're a huge fan of Nintendo, especially if you remember reading Nintendo Power back in the day, I would also consider a subscription to the Force through their Patreon page. Much like Hypnospace Outlaw, editor-in-chief Lucas M. Thomas and the rest of the Nintendo Force crew make the magazine feel like what preceded before it—a true spiritual successor that brings the same magic to generations of fans, both old and new. 

I thought that, instead of a regular entry, I would talk about my nostalgia for magazines like the Force and showcase a a few different publications from my collection—including a few zines. 

Nintendo Power was, in a manner of speaking, the magazine that started it all. Or rather, it was one of a few brands—including Expert Gamer, and Electronic Gaming Monthly—that piqued my interest in both the format and video gaming proper. There were also strategy guides for Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color games games that my family and I ended up renting months after their initial release.

I should probably set up the picture: It's the late 90's and I was enrolled in an elementary school in Poulsbo, Washington that closed its doors in 2013 due to low enrollment. My first introduction to the Nintendo 64 was at a kiosk at the local Toys 'R Us in Connecticut, shortly before my first cross-country move, in 1996. I remember being more impressed by the fact that it was in 3D than anything else and many of the strategy guides—from Nintendo Power in particular—used models that were full-3D maps of the areas including Banjo-Kazooie and Ocarina of Time.

In fairness, I was more impressed by the strategy guides at that time for their maps. Nintendo Power for those full-on renders—shrunk down to fit a two page spread—and Versus Books who's maps had a more hand-drawn or canvas-esque look to them. I also had an obsession with collecting maps at the time, but that's a story for a different post.

It actually wasn't until 2003-2004 when I was gifted an Nintendo Power subscription that I became obsessed with them—both the magazines and the games. I was more keen on the Gameboy Advance, as I remember reading through the issue with the E3 announcements being stoked for the chance to play Super Mario Bros 3 on a handheld with the Super Mario Allstars touch-up alongside a new role-playing game in the series. The issue where they showcased the upcoming Nintendo DS was one of my favorites and, even with the awkward control scheme, I was as excited to play an updated port (or remake of sorts) of the game that got my attention at that same kiosk with more playable characters. 

It was another move—this time to a more permanent residence—that I decided to get rid of those strategy guides and magazines. This was shortly before I graduated high school when I started getting more social—more so than in elementary school—and I looked at those magazines at large alongside what was going on in video games and thought that having them around would feel somewhat juvenile, and weird to others. This of course was before I discovered how much the ecosystem around gaming has changed drastically—in many areas, for the better—and before I started not to worry so much about what other people thought about my own geekiness. 

While I digress, I did discover Douglas Adams and The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy through a Mario fan web-forum, so denying this whole aspect of myself—in full, or in part—was rather silly in hindsight. Most if not all of my interest in media across the Atlantic would stem from this moment alongside from my Dad putting on BBC podcasts—most notably the World Service bulletins and Chris Evans Drivetime highlights in the mid-2000s.

Other things about Nintendo Power before we move on: Biggest thing to note is that they were a publication initially published through Nintendo of America. Many issues that I had contained tips and tricks on recent releases and sometimes, they even did a small walkthrough—they did this with Tales of Phantasia on the Gameboy Advance. Almost every year that I was subscribed to it, they had their own awards with an issue for nominations. I don't remember if readers could submit votes though. 

Also, the issue pictured next to the Force was a gift that my late Uncle won for me on an Ebay auction—while I was still receiving my subscription. Surprisingly inexpensive, from what I remember, at around $10-20, but I can imagine that it's worth much more now.   

While I discarded those old magazines, I never forgot about the personal fondness I had for the games I played. There weren't many people I knew offline that I could discuss gaming with—without diverging into gatekeeping by either side, or with me doing into an ad nauseam explanation of a particular facet. However, there was one person who—much in the way that Mario led to Hitchhikers Guide—would eventually lead me to start collecting gaming publications again—both magazines and zines.

This was between 2009 and 2010, shortly after I graduated high school and begun my academic studies at a local community college. I helped tutor at an after-school program at a middle school that I used to attend and one of the adults, who I believe may have been a janitor or was related to one of the people who ran the school's library, introduced me to both Zero Punctuation and Unskippable. The comedy troupe turned small video production house, LoadingReadyRun, was responsible for introducing me to the Commodore 64 microcomputer. 

It was the sketches featuring the C64 and their web sitcom, Commodore Hustle, which made me fall in love with the SID chip before I fully knew what the SID chip was. I missed the old SID tunes when LoadingReadyRun transitioned to modern jingles in future episodes (from mid-2014 onward), but the impact the SID chip had would make itself known years later.

That would be in 2016, when I started getting back into gaming proper with a 3DS, Majora's Mask 3D, and ultimately the Sega 3D Classics Collection. I remember going onto YouTube one day browsing Steve's Benway's back catalog—I found his channel back in 2012, but I forgot who introduced me to him—and I noticed that Nostalgia Nerd was one of the suggested channels.

This was my foray into the YouTube rabbit hole of vintage tech and software and it was slightly overwhelming—Kim Justice, Banjo Guy Ollie, RMC, Metal Jesus Rocks—but I was reintroduced to both the SID chip by exploring YouTube's retro gaming sphere and also discovered the Commodore Amiga with its MOD community. 

As for the associated magazines, I'll go through them in brief...

FREEZE64 (pictured above) is a fanzine for the Commodore 64 created by Vinny Mainolfi and he puts a lot of work into each issue. Each one features an interview with a developer who worked on some Commodore 64 games, a closer look at the game featured on the cover including cheats, the "Mouldy Cupboard" where Vinny plays an obscure or poorly rated game to see if it holds up, the "Secret Squirrel" which unearths hidden secrets within the code of Commodore 64 games, and "ZZAPBACK" which looks back at the highly rated games in a past edition of the Zzap 64 Magazine. 

(FREEZE64's also how I knew about the 8-Bit Symphony Kickstarter with the add on the back of my first issue.)  

The Amiga Power album (also pictured above) is a creative tribute to the Amiga Power magazine in the UK. There are two CDs filled with remixes to classic Commodore Amiga games—Speedball 2, the Chaos Engine, Cannon Fodder, etc—from well-known Amiga composers like Chris Huelsbeck and Barry Leitch among many others. The Mighty Booklet provides a snapshot into the humor and style of what the Amiga Power magazine was like with each track looking back at how the game was covered by the writers. I personally enjoyed the entire thing...and wish that I could find an Amiga of my own or at least be able to play with one in a museum—playing Turrican the proper way among other games.       

So lastly, there are these...

The Zzap 64 Annuals, much like the Amiga Power album, harken back to Zzap 64 of the 1980s. They are another UK-based publication, but unfortunately, I don't know as much about them. I enjoyed reading through the 2020 Annual, but haven't had the opportunity to start on the 2021 Annual. The cover art by Oliver Frey is incredible and well-detailed, and there were a few neat pieces including an article on a Steampunk Commodore 64. They also review games recently developed for the microcomputer from both indie and more mainstream developers which is really neat! 

I'm done waxing nostalgically about gaming magazines, but I wanted to showcase one more set of magazines from my collection that I enjoy reading... 

   

I'm very biased here with this set for many reasons that go without saying. For those unfamiliar, I'm a huge fan of the CheapShow podcast which I started listening to three years ago. It's a podcast that has changed my life for the better in myriad ways—but more importantly it's a podcast that is hilarious and brings spark to the more inexpensive side of life. 

Now the humor will not be for everyone—they sometimes engage in huge swaths of blue humor—but the passion they put into each episode is further reflected by the fans. There's the CheapShow Awards with the voting organized by Rhianan, the Urinevision Song Contest, the logo designs by Page (ep. 50-149) and Tony (ep. 150-present), and there's also the Unofficial CheapShow Magazine from Ivenne who is also responsible for the 1324 zine.

YouTuber Timmus TSET has done quite a few videos showcasing the magazines—including one dedicated to the D10 issue and another for the Sticky Album (both pictured above)—that I recommend giving a watch to get a more detailed look.

Here's what I will tell you in brief: These magazines are well-designed from cover to cover and serve as an excellent companion piece to the podcast. There's a theme to each issue and many of the sections from the show—including Silverman's Platters, Price of Shite, Cheap Eats, and a section dedicated to noodles—are well-represented in print. Every issue also has a few puzzles to solve and features interview with one of CheapShow's hosts or friends of the pod, which made it one of the highlights of supporting CheapShow via Patreon. It was also one of the things that made me appreciate the podcast and what Paul and Eli try to do with it on a now-weekly basis. 

Of course, having them in print was even cooler. From the sixth issue onwards, there were cover gifts which ranged from Barcode Battler tribute cards, a mini cd, and a booklet on Asian brands, to an entire tabletop campaign. I finally got around to trying the first campaign of the D10 issue last summer and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also appreciated how easy it was to understand—especially as someone who has never played Dungeons & Dragons outside of Baldur's Gate on Switch—and was already knee deep in the campaign within ten minutes.   

If you're a CheapShow listener and love what your hearing, I'd go over to Patreon, give them some monetary support, and check out the magazine—Issue #11 came out in April and Issue #12 is just around the corner.

...and that concludes my nostalgic waxing on gaming and magazines, along with showcasing some of my favorites in the collection. I hope you enjoyed it! I'll try to be less sporadic and more frequent in posting from hereon.     

I Feel Like Blogging This Is a Better Idea...

I know that I have another post in the works, and I'm still writing that one, but I wanted to inform you all of some good news: I have received my COVID-19 Vaccination as of today. The shot itself is from Johnson & Johnson—and the New York Times did an excellent explainer of how that one works. 

I should point out that this is not an April Fools joke, but a real thing that happened as a result of CT's vaccination rollout. Initially, based on my age, I would need to wait until May but beneficial circumstances pushed my eligibility forward. I also learned earlier this week that my current workplace was able to distribute the vaccine as of yesterday, March 31st, 2021. 

The long story short is that the paperwork I submitted to receive the vaccine in February still helped me to set up an appointment—or rather, they called me last night to set up an appointment for today. If they're reading this, I'd like to thank the pharmacists on staff for their time and dedication to ensuring that everyone who signed up got their shots (thus far). I cannot imagine the effort that it took to even get the vaccines at our pharmacy, not to mention the countless phone calls they're currently making to customers and employees. Godspeed to the crew there as they continue to administer the shots while manning the pharmacy. 

Just being able to get the vaccine gives me peace of mind. I'm not one for gatherings or huge parties, but I might take a walk around the block this weekend just for the sake of it. I still have a few weeks before full immunity kicks in though, so I'll probably keep it brief. 

I know there are many people who post their official vaccination cards on social media, regardless of the advice against it. I actually tweeted something earlier that covered most of the card except for the identifier before my name. I retracted it because what covered it was a book I tweeted about before* and it's the only thing the reader will see when scrolling through their timeline. I felt like it would be rude to both the reader and the author of said book—and associated works—for many reasons. 

This would've been the text of said tweet [sic]:

 Managed to get a COVID vaccine—the one from Johnson & Johnson. Just being able to get the shot gives me peace of mind [relieved emoji].

This is not an April Fools joke, but as a result of CT's vaccine rollout and the Biden Administration's efforts."

Then, while getting settled from another workday, I had the idea to blog about it instead. The last time I blogged, along with the post I'm working on, I mentioned work published elsewhere. I felt like it would be a bad habit for me to continue to do so, after I promised to blog on a more frequent basis.

More importantly, it's me checking in. Still safe, now vaccinated. I hope everyone else is doing well and staying as safe as well!  

I'm still writing the other one: It's on magazines. Much of it deals with my memories collecting gaming magazines in the late 90s and 2000s, but there are others that may be familiar to fellow Twitter users. Been by distracted by work, Hades (on Switch), and sorting through my Bandcamp collection. I have written little blurbs for Pocket Vinyl's "Winter Person", Ro Panuganti's "Fallen Hero", and Madija's (MsMadLemon's) "Waterfall" while going through it, but there's still some work to be done.

*Edit from November 2024 as part of my DeTwittering process...

If you're asking for a recommendation, I'd say yes! —Taken with an iPhone 8 

Alt-Text of tweet originally posted on November 16th, 2020: 

It’s a good day to pick up the mail with a tome that encapsulates some of the early years in game and software development. A book straight from the Cave of @RMCRetro who runs an awesome podcast and YouTube channel.

(Started reading it on my Kindle, but will finish with print.)  

Briefly Reflecting on a Chaotic Year

Note: Most of this post remains unchanged, just added a bit of text in the ninth paragraph. I'm still hopeful that the rest of 2021 will be better, both personal and at large.  

It goes without saying that 2020 was a brutal year across the board—the ongoing pandemic being one of the major factors—and much like the rest of the world, I am thankful that it's over. I am more grateful that it ended on a good note, both at large with Joe Biden being elected as the 46th President of the United States among other things, and personally as I'm starting to write again. 

Personally, the year started off on the wrong foot with the death of an uncle on the 16th of January. While I try to keep anything personal offline, with regards to family, I cannot deny how much he meant to me. Growing up, he was one of the closest relatives who always loved joking around and one who I exchanged e-mails with when I was in high school. He also enjoyed a good debate with others regarding politics—never wanting to shut down the other people, but instead asking them to see how the other side would think while remaining humble and sincere. He was also big into yard sales and loved science fiction—Star Trek and Doctor Who were some of his favorites. 

He was also someone who encouraged me to write more alongside his first wife who published a poetry memoir, titled Pondicherry Square. Unfortunately, she has also passed on due to cancer.

I was sad when we got news from the hospital, but it really hit when I went to his "Celebration of Life" event on March 7th, before Connecticut officially went into a State of Emergency due to the pandemic. I remember buying the entirety of Chris Huelsbeck's SID Anthology—Volumes 1 through 4—before we headed there. Once we arrived at the venue, I remember looking at the poster boards with pictures of my uncle throughout his life and started crying. 

Almost a year on, it's still hurts, but I still press forward. We had a good journey, and I try to carry some of his spirit with me in what I do. 

I also felt fortunate enough to still be living with the immediate family (parents and sister) and to still have a job through all this—even if working in close proximity to the public still unnerves me. We spend most, if not all, of our holidays at home, without inviting anyone else, so I felt grateful that those routines remained unchanged.

I feel like my picture roll on Twitter sums how I spent most of the year—playing my Switch and getting in touch with my gaming side. Much of my Bandcamp Fridays were spent on albums of video game soundtracks, covers, and most of Chris Huelsbeck's back catalog—ending up in an another playlist just as huge as the one I have for Commodore SIDs and MODs, including covers and remixes. Part of the reason being was because of a Banjo Guy Ollie stream on Twitch in which he showcased covers from other artists. 

I spent most of my time listening to audiobooks more than I did reading print or e-books. Most of them were audiobooks that I listened to already—Hitchhikers Guide, Differently Morphous, Doctor Who and the Krikkit War, etc. The only one that was new was J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, that I plan on listening to again later in the year. I still need to finish reading through Rachel Maddow's Blowout. It is far from a bad book, but 2020's events called for comfort listening, so much of my reading list remained stagnant. 

The latter half of the year was much better than the first—much of it happening after the end of September. If you frequent the blog often, much of it goes without saying, but I decided that I would try to blog more frequently, which I initially did so on a daily basis. Then I wrote a review that was published in a zine—which I previously blogged about in more detail. Just today, the other publication that I sent a message to got back to me with a go ahead to write a review that I'll be working on this week. For a dumpster fire of a year, the trail end left me optimistic for the future. I'm ready for whatever 2021 will bring.

Thank you to those who have given me the opportunity to work my talents, those who have help me pull through the rough emotional throes, and those who have made work bearable—family, friends, co-workers, online acquaintances. You know who you are!

Happy New Year and I hope that 2021 will be a prosperous one!

Postponing a Thing Further

Those of you who follow me on Twitter* may have noticed me mentioning that I would write out a "year in review" post—wanting to get it finished and published by yesterday. 

I set a couple hours to work on it yesterday and all it really needs is some editing. I took a glance at Twitter while I was finishing it up and read up about what happened in Washington DC. It goes without saying that I'm beyond appalled at the interruption of the congressional certification of electoral votes. A part of me is shocked that those who participated in an attempt to hijack and attack our democracy— bureaucratic systems, and ultimately our body politic—actually followed through on it. However, the continuing mentality of those who still blindly—or, more accurately, chose to follow—Trump and the false ideas of a "rigged election", mainstream journalism being "fake news" leaves me unfazed. Bill Maher, even if I don't always agree with him, has said in multiple shows that Trump will refuse to leave if he loses the election and former President Barack Obama's statement yesterday points out the systems which continue to enable said mentality and what led up to the mob's attack on the Capitol...    

Here’s my statement on today’s violence at the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/jLCKo2D1Ya

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 7, 2021

My frustration with yesterday's events is not the reason why I'm holding back on publishing my 2020 retrospective. I don't believe that it is the right time to publish something that's more personal—especially since I was more optimistic about this year—and take the focus away from a direct attack on democracy at large. 

My plan is to get the post up on Sunday. Please stay safe and take care of yourselves! 

*Edit from November 11th, 2024 as part of the DeTwittering process...

Alt-Text from personal tweet thread written between December 31st, 2020 and January 7th, 2021: 

It has been a rough year for both reasons that go without saying and personal ones—within the first two months. 2020 is a year that can move straight into the rear-view mirror. However, it's the same year I turned thirty and got out of a writing hiatus. (1/2)

Hoping to do a lot more work on that front in 2021 among other things. Here's to a better and prosperous 2021 to all of you! Happy New Year! :-)

 Will do a "year in review" thing for the blog tomorrow.

 It didn't pan out. Aiming for next Tuesday or Wednesday when I'm off from work.

It's almost finished, but I don't think today's the right day to post it: (Links to this very blog post)

Will post on Sunday.

Catching Up From October...

I'm taking advantage of the fact that I woke up early by mistake to write this post before I head into work so that I can avoid the routine I mentioned in late September. The holiday rush has been more stressful than usual and it goes without saying that the pandemic has been partly to blame for that. The unexpected Halloween rush was the worst of it—since I was under the impression that the usual Trick or Treating was cancelled. 

I'm glad that I requested that following week off, which I initially requested for in September in case I did not receive my absentee ballot in time for the presidential elections. Luckily, I did end up getting mine and submitted it promptly, so I spent most of the week at home, relaxing, only leaving the home to get take-out lunch. 

I also wrote a review of Pocket Vinyl's latest album "Winter Person" for 1324 during my week off—featured in the fourteenth issue. It was my first time writing a music review, meaning that I was outside of my usual comfort zone of book reviews. I am glad at how it turned out in the end and, once again, I would like to thank Ivenne for the opportunity to write for the zine. If you have something you'd like to recommend or review—a book you read that you really enjoyed, a film, a game, a podcast, a Youtube channel, et cetera—do send her an e-mail. I, personally, would love to see more people contribute to the zine.

I've also sent a message to another publication—not a major one at large, but one I started reading in July—asking if I could contribute a review. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that one, but I also plan on seeking out other places where I could submit something. Part of why I was trying to blog more frequently was to build the confidence to start properly writing again and possibly end up working in my intended field. I feel like I'm getting there and that what I'm doing now is a good start in that direction. 

In the same week, however, I found out via a text that there was a positive COVID case at work and ended up getting tested a week with a member of my family who had a similar situation at their workplace. (In their case, their organization called them whereas I learned mine through a co-worker.) Thankfully, both of us tested negative. It goes without saying, but masks and social distancing measures do work so please follow them or continue to do so. 

The other positive thing about that vacation week was, of course, the election results. What a way to close the week and thank goodness for it too! 

Aside from that, it's been mostly uneventful. I'll try to do better about blog entries in future when possible. Hope you are are safe and well this holiday season!