Update Randomness, Part Whatever

I’ve got a few minutes, so here’s some random rundowns:

1.) Still jobless. It’s been a hard three months, with over 150 resumes and covers gone out and nary a word in return. I have had a couple of interviews, but nothing panned out so far. The biggest encouragement I suppose is that I’m only getting – just now – rejection letters from positions I applied for back in March.

1a.) Freelancing. However, I’ve had a few additional ‘bumps’ in the freelancing area. While the downside is that payment won’t be seen for at least another three months, it *is* work that I’ve been able to do. And as a side benefit, I’m in talks with Potomac Press to write one or two books on the gaming industry. Nothing firm yet, but the initial pitches and discussions have gone well. I need to finish a couple of sample chapters for the editorial board as the next step. We’ll see.

2.) I took this past weekend as a “disconnect” weekend, cutting myself off entirely from being online. No email, no FB, no forums. And not even going online for movie times or directions – did all that the “old fashioned” way, using the phone and maps. I didn’t go Luddite, mind you – I spent a happy 10 hours over the weekend playing Lego Star Wars and HALO 2; I’ve not Xboxed by myself in ages and it was nice to slip into that groove for a while.

I’ll probably be doing these more often, as I’m finding that I’m unconsciously tying myself to the laptop and the internet waaaay longer than I think I should be.

3.) Yardwork. Mundane? Maybe. But keep in mind this is the first yard we’ve owned since like well, ever. (Our PA townhouse had no yard that we had to maintain.) It’s been great. Our container veggies are finally growing full-force and we’ve re-done the side of the house with a new evergreen tree and transplanting several bushes. I’m hoping I’ll have work soon so we can begin laying out our raised beds for next year – need the financial maneuverability to do that.

4.) Movies. Thanks to our dear friend Diane who gave us an AMC gift card, we were able to go out on a date night and enjoy the opening night release of UP! from Pixar. Fan-tastic movie. We’ve tried to hit every Pixar release – only missed Cars and Monsters, Inc – on their opening weekend. I’m soooo happy we were able to make this one and it was totally worth it!

5.) Weight. One happy side-effect from the job loss has been me restructuring priorities and spending some more time working out. I’ve lost almost 10 lbs now and more importantly, about 4″ off my waist/gut (down to a 34″ waist!). I actually don’t look like I have a baby potbelly any more. 🙂

6.) Photography. Another happy side-effect is having more time to photograph. We’ve started trying to head downtown DC after-hours for night shooting – my favorite – and the results so far have been great. Check out my Night Photography set on Flickr for my better attempts. We’re attempting to try some Photowalking events this summer; hopefully we’ll be able to go and meet some new people while we’re at it.

7.) Hockey. Well, the Penguins have put up a good fight…but are still down 2-0 to the Wings. I’m hoping this will resolve like Round 2 did against the Caps, but the cynic in me is doubting it. I’m more incensed with the horrible inconsistency of the referees; both sides have gotten away with a lot and in my mind, it’s ruining the game. Find a method and stick with it, don’t waffle from series to series, please.

That’s about it for now. Back to the job hunt!