Back in the Fold

During my unexpected bout of unemployment, still ongoing, I drifted away from Warhammer 40k. Between going to the unemployment office, filling out applications, and going to interviews, I have not been in the mood for miniatures. Instead, I have spent the majority of my free time playing video games and writing about them for www.diehardgamefan.com.

Miniatures gaming is something I have always done as a form of meditation. Put on some soft music and paint with my wife. When I am agitated or in poor spirits, it is hard for me to paint. Maybe it is because I am not a naturally gifted painter, but it takes a lot of concentration for me to achieve the dizzying heights of mediocrity with my painting, let alone something I would like to share with others.

This week, however, I find myself drawn back to my Sisters of Battle. While I will likely not return to my Dwarfs until after 8th Edition launches, my Sisters are untouched by rules changes. Plus, without a community of Sisters players to influence me, I can endeavor in the creation of a different sort of Sisters army. I see Storm Bolters in my future. Lots of Storm Bolters...

Unemployment Day 10

If the student loan goes through, I'm going back to school. Exciting, for sure.

Unemployment Day 7

So, after one week of being jobless, I have figured some things out. I am going to school. I would say back to school, but I dropped out of college a decade ago, so that hardly counts. There is an IT school with 4 month classes starting on Sept. 14. I'll be going to class until mid-January, slowly eating away at my savings, but the upside is that I will be certified to be a programmer, something I've done on my own since I was like 5. As a bonus, the fellow I talked to said that my background in video game reviewing for www.diehardgamefan.com gives me a leg up, especially if I want to take further steps towards being an instructor or technical writer. I know it is hard to tell from this blog, but I can actually write, when necessary. One more, slightly self-aggrandizing note, I scored in the 95th percentile on the numeric part of the test, a test that is designed for people who are already proficient in the field. That was a good feeling.

Unemployment Day 3.5

Got my Learner's Permit and did some driving. Fun. I am becoming really frustrated. Do I go crawling back to the casino business and get steady employment? Do I tough it out and learn a trade? Do I go to IT school for 4 months and hope that works out? I'm really stuck.

Unemployment Day 2

When Heather gets up, we are going to the DMV to get my Learner's Permit. Since it will eventually snow, I will need transportation besides my Triumph, eventually. If things go well, I could start one of the training programs I have been looking at sooner than later and we could use our savings to buy me a small pickup truck or the like. I would hate to sell the bike, since I still owe on it and I enjoy riding it, but I will if I have to.
No list for today, besides going to bed early to try and get off of my night shift sleep schedule. I'm going to do more research on cabinetmaking and maybe look into community college courses to take alongside the Carpentry training. I want this to work.

Unemployment Day 1.5

As I'm getting ready for bed, I feel pretty good. I have found two apprenticeship programs that I can apply for, one for plumbing, the other for carpentry. I am leaning towards the carpentry school, since it is 3 miles from my house and I like the idea of learning to build. Maybe I'll be a cabinetmaker! After all those years at the casino, producing nothing but cheap thrills and false hopes, it would be nice to actually make something tangible. I might be overly romantic about it, but I love the idea of MAKING something with my hands and tools. Being a skilled tradesman would be a step up from being a skilled cardsharp. Besides, I do play Dwarfs, so it would be appropriate.

Day 1

I put both feet on the floor and got up. Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
Wake up
Apply for unemployment
Mow the Lawn
Sort through Grandma Jean stuff
Update resume
Finish King of Fighters XII Review

This is my list for today.

5 down!