Okay, I'm going to cut straight to the point here: As far as my performance in this blog is concerned, 2016 was a dismal failure. No other way to slice it. I set some measurable goals, and I failed every one of them. Didn't even come close. The frustrating thing is that I really like those goals! But it turns out that I was aiming way to high for the place that I was at. This year, I will aim lower, and see where I come out.
My goals for 2016 were all sorts of specific posting types, at different rates, with a good amount of wiggle room. My goals for 2017 will be much more broad. Keeping in mind all of the delightful specificities* of my 2016 goals, I am going to make it a goal to write something. anything. at a rate of once every two weeks. No longer will I pledge to direct my writing into given columns, I just want to write anything at all. Which means, be prepared for a lot of rambling thoughts.
Again, I want to say that I really like my 2016 goals, and I really like the various 'columns' that we have come to agree on over the years (first impressions, midi week singles, pak watch, game scores, etc.) I just find that my writing habit has been so neglected, that I need to lower my standards. All apologies to the brand.
So, what do I have to say for myself? The best I've got is that I had some big changes in my life. I was hired on to a new job in October of 2015, which itself was a promotion from the temporary services I had been doing at this place. I've had to hustle to keep up, and to feel like I'm contributing. Add to that a lot of employee turnover in our department, and I quickly became what amounts to a senior staff member in less than a year! While this may be good for my career, it's a lot of work. Whether I like it or not, people come to me for guidance, and I have to stretch my meager knowledge and skills to help them. This usually leads to me being pretty tired out by the time I get home, and not having much energy for writing.
Perhaps that is more detail than necessary. Just be thankful I'm writing! Another big change is that Jane and I moved in together in June! This is a happy thing, but it's also been an adjustment. I'm now splitting my time in a different way than before. Both of us are learning how to share time, but also take time for ourselves. I think we are already much better at it. Jane has been very encouraging to me as concerns creativity and keeping in touch with good friends. So she deserves none of the blame for my lack of communication.
Finally**, 2016 can be known as the year Magic: The Gathering ate my brain. I was soooo obsessed with this game, and it absorbed what little remaining brainpower I had. It's a very very deep game, with a huge community online and in person. I think it is akin to when people fall into the MMO sinkhole that was so common in the late 2000s. MTG is a highly competitive game, and I still play regularly with friends on weekday evenings.
The toughest part is letting go of some of that competitive edge, and just letting it be. I also played a lot online, which guided me toward learning and understanding how Magic is built, and essentially trying to 'crack the code.' I've gotten a reprieve from the online competition because the winter set releases of Magic tend to have big gaps, where one might recover from the hype train of the new releases. It's going to take dedication not to fall back into it when the new set is released in just a couple of weeks. I've decided not to attend the prerelease for this set, to help prevent me from getting sucked in. I really love it, but I just don't have the time for it.
Okay, alright, I think those are the major points I want to address. It all comes down to time-management, I think. Perhaps I can use the blog as a barometer, to show me if I'm getting too obsessed about competitive magic. I've got plenty of thoughts about the game itself, and chatting about that stuff is a great way to enjoy the game, without dumping so much time and money into it. Alright. Good, sounds like plan.
Here's to a Happy New Year, 2017!!!
-D
*"Specificities" does not appear to be a word; I think Specifics is the correct usage. However, for the purposes of this writing, I chose to use specificities because I like how it sounds better. A delighful specificity I think of as like a little piece of popcorn to munch on. Specifics just sounds like popcorn that is sitting, unpopped, in a sealed container. Yawn.
**I suppose I should also note that my current laptop is on its last legs. It's become horrendous for browsing. Often I will have a 2-10 second wait when switching tabs. Suffice it to say, this makes blogging a bit of a slog. A blog slog, if you will. I will be buying a new computer in 2017.
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