Why I've been quiet
If you haven't heard much from me beyond the occasional tweet or Facebook post, you're not alone.
Here's what I've been up to.
Work. Work has been fairly busy -- a big version of one of our main products ate up a fair amount of time, as did some stuff for my main client, and a series of technical changes, security policy changes, and other things have made for a pretty busy time. And no sooner did that finish than some other stuff changed and we had to react to that, and then my main client got busy again. In the midst of the security lockdowns, we had to block access to social networking sites, so I can't really blog as much -- I used to hit those sites a few times a day while waiting for things to compile or when I just needed a brain break. A little frustrating.
Family. Grampa John took a turn for the worse, sliding into a new phase of dementia. He'd been getting worse, and one night woke up in the middle of the night and wandered out of the house. He was kept for observation, then got a bad cold and was hospitalized, then put in a nursing home until he was more stable, but while he's been improving overall, he probably won't be able to go home again. He's 93, and remarkably resilient, but when he has bad days they're pretty bad.
Granny had been trying to care for him on her own, but the night wandering made her see reason. However, between the worry over the cost of nursing home care, the fear of losing her life savings (most of which pre-dated her marriage to John), her own sinus infection and lack of sleep, and getting flustered over trying to get together the paperwork, she nearly drove herself to the brink. Much of my time (and Mom's) has been spent helping her, or trying to calm her down.
Dad got a new job maintaining critical systems for a pharmaceuticals company, which has done him no end of good. My folks sold their house and moved into an apartment. The move was overdue for a variety of reasons, and was rather frustrating -- but like many things, I think it's better now that it's over. Their new place is pleasant and roomier than the house was, but it's still a challenge to sort through 40 years of accumulated crap.
My nephew's become a real talker lately -- mostly full sentences, which is pretty impressive for a two-year-old. He'll be three in January, and he loves puzzles (some of the ones he does are for 6- to 10-year-olds), and he's looking forward to something. That something is a new little brother or sister -- due within the next week. My sister is hugely pregnant, and is in the final stages of prepping for the new baby. (The baby's sex is as yet unknown.) My brother-in-law sold his business and is now managing it for the new owners. This has reduced his stress levels considerably, which is nice because he also injured his back.
Friends have had a rough ride lately for various reasons as well. Haven't had as much face time as I've really wanted with most of them. Some moved away. Some are breaking up. Others are wrangling with depression and addiction. And almost none of it can I really help with.
In short things were kind of sucky the last month or three.
And me, I've been managing my stress by sleeping a lot, playing video games in my spare time, and reading. Have bounced between social butterfly and hermit modes. Mostly I've needed some "me" time.
And now it's October, AKA birthday month, when most of my friends and family have inconveniently stacked their natal anniversaries. Otakon elections are this weekend. Halloween's coming up.
More later.
Here's what I've been up to.
Work. Work has been fairly busy -- a big version of one of our main products ate up a fair amount of time, as did some stuff for my main client, and a series of technical changes, security policy changes, and other things have made for a pretty busy time. And no sooner did that finish than some other stuff changed and we had to react to that, and then my main client got busy again. In the midst of the security lockdowns, we had to block access to social networking sites, so I can't really blog as much -- I used to hit those sites a few times a day while waiting for things to compile or when I just needed a brain break. A little frustrating.
Family. Grampa John took a turn for the worse, sliding into a new phase of dementia. He'd been getting worse, and one night woke up in the middle of the night and wandered out of the house. He was kept for observation, then got a bad cold and was hospitalized, then put in a nursing home until he was more stable, but while he's been improving overall, he probably won't be able to go home again. He's 93, and remarkably resilient, but when he has bad days they're pretty bad.
Granny had been trying to care for him on her own, but the night wandering made her see reason. However, between the worry over the cost of nursing home care, the fear of losing her life savings (most of which pre-dated her marriage to John), her own sinus infection and lack of sleep, and getting flustered over trying to get together the paperwork, she nearly drove herself to the brink. Much of my time (and Mom's) has been spent helping her, or trying to calm her down.
Dad got a new job maintaining critical systems for a pharmaceuticals company, which has done him no end of good. My folks sold their house and moved into an apartment. The move was overdue for a variety of reasons, and was rather frustrating -- but like many things, I think it's better now that it's over. Their new place is pleasant and roomier than the house was, but it's still a challenge to sort through 40 years of accumulated crap.
My nephew's become a real talker lately -- mostly full sentences, which is pretty impressive for a two-year-old. He'll be three in January, and he loves puzzles (some of the ones he does are for 6- to 10-year-olds), and he's looking forward to something. That something is a new little brother or sister -- due within the next week. My sister is hugely pregnant, and is in the final stages of prepping for the new baby. (The baby's sex is as yet unknown.) My brother-in-law sold his business and is now managing it for the new owners. This has reduced his stress levels considerably, which is nice because he also injured his back.
Friends have had a rough ride lately for various reasons as well. Haven't had as much face time as I've really wanted with most of them. Some moved away. Some are breaking up. Others are wrangling with depression and addiction. And almost none of it can I really help with.
In short things were kind of sucky the last month or three.
And me, I've been managing my stress by sleeping a lot, playing video games in my spare time, and reading. Have bounced between social butterfly and hermit modes. Mostly I've needed some "me" time.
And now it's October, AKA birthday month, when most of my friends and family have inconveniently stacked their natal anniversaries. Otakon elections are this weekend. Halloween's coming up.
More later.