Life Update - 1/14/2022
So, I threatened to start writing more, and I'm going to try and do that (with a helpful nudge from a good friend!).
So, what's been new since my last entry? Hmm...This is probably going to be a bit of a ramble.
I got my first run at riding a SnowMobile last weekend, and it was an absolute blast. I've been off of 2 wheels since I broke my arm last year, and even before that, after I crashed the Bandit in October of 2020 - nothing major, just a low side, but I cracked a rib and did some damage to the bike. It's been in the driveway under a cover basically since then, and I haven't been on 2 wheels since. That should be changing this year, though, and I'll expound more on that in a bit here.
Snow Mobiles (AKA Sleds) ride like a cross between an ATV and a Jet Ski, but in a good way! Running on trails flanked by evergreen trees in the crisp air and the fresh snow was a ton of fun, and very mentally calming. Reminded me a bit of the headspace I get into when target shooting - your "back brain" can work on digesting whatever because your "front brain" can only focus on the task at hand. It's one of the things that daily riding really did for me. We only rode about 25 miles, but it thoroughly kicked my ass, and reminded me how out of shape I am.
David bought one for himself already, and he's working on getting it all ready to play before the season ends. I don't know if I'm that committed, but we shall see. Probably not this year, for both a lack of money and a lack of space - our garage currently has a bunch of crap, a motorcycle lift, and 8 motorcycles if you count the GS and the new chassis for it!), plus the Bandit sitting in the driveway. And now with his sled next to the Bandit, and the travel trailer he bought as a restoration project, we have to park both the F150 and the Suzuki SX4 on the street!
Speaking of motorcycles (and this is not from just recently), I picked up a Honda CRF450X with a dual sport kit, and actually got a license plate for it, although it is registered in South Dakota (Longer story than I want to write about right now...), but it's presently wearing SuperMoto wheels and race slicks to play around on the racetrack, and it's a lot of fun.
Shifting gears, the job search continues, but I have had a few very good interviews, including a phone screen with Benchmade (High end knife company) yesterday, a postponed in-person interview with a company called Curtis-Wright (Company makes controls for heavy machinery, and the hiring manager caught the COVID!), and a Zoom interview with a company called Thule (Bike carriers, roof racks, cargo boxes, things like that) later this morning with the hiring manager as well. It's looking positive, and that's definitely helping me climb out of a funk I'd been in for way, way too long.
I'm sure that said funk hadn't been helped by a reliance on alcohol to numb the feelings of despair about being unemployed for the first time since I was 17, (if you don't count my landscaping company I ran through the end of grade-school through the end of Highschool!) worrying about paying the bills, keeping the house in order, and not eating into my retirement fund too hard after FunEmployment ran out. This also resulted in me really letting the house get out of order from a tidiness standpoint, which just drives you to feel worse because your surroundings are a wreck, which stupidly fuels more bad feelings which kill motivation to actually do anything about anything which drives...well, you get the idea.
On that front, a massive cutback on that front, with a goal of being completely done by the end of the month so as to avoid medical complications is on my daily task list, and in the last 2 weeks, it's actually been moving in a pretty positive direction. Not going to lie and say I've been perfect, but I've been a lot better than I had been, I'm back to having an actual appetite, actually cooking dinner for us (and eating it!), and just feeling better. The cutback also means the anti-depressants I'm taking can do their thing, and I definitely think that's helping. Also, one of the drugs my doctor prescribed helps break the connection in your brain between substances that make you feel 'good' and the intake of said substances, and I know that's helped.
As a result, I'm much more motivated to keep attacking projects around the house. I've been setting out task lists and mostly knocking them out, which definitely helps give a sense of control which fuels positive motivation!
Part of that fuel is having the house cleaner than it has been in a long time. We had some company over this weekend past which spurred a solid day of cleaning which really got this place in a much better position, and I've been keeping that momentum going. We've kept all 3 bathrooms in good order, haven't gone to bed without either an empty sink or a running dishwasher (or both), the robot vacuum runs upstairs every morning, and I run the mopping robot in the kitchen either before we go to bed or first thing in the morning when I go to get my coffee or tea and empty the dishwasher or put away things from the dish drainer (things that can't go in the dishwasher), so the floors have been considerably nicer looking and feeling. Next phase is to break out the carpet cleaner and really get after it. The carpet really needs to be replaced, but that's not in the financial cards at the moment - plus we really want to replace it all with hardwood anyway. Still, the clutter gets chipped away at every day, and regular vacuuming (even if it's only been for a week so far) is making this place just feel better to be in. The bathrooms are all almost hotel clean, and that makes keeping them that way considerably easier, and removes the daunting feeling of it having gotten so out of hand that you just want to shut the door and ignore it. It feels good to get into a shower that isn't just gross. Also, we've kept the laundry in check, so the washer is the de-facto hamper, and the dryer stays empty, keeping that from just building up and becoming another mountain to climb.
As for company, Oregon is nothing like SoCal. We live ~25 miles away from Portland proper, which means we may as well live on Mars. We're too far away and too disconnected from the Furry scene up here, for the most part, on anyone’s' radar. At times, it almost feels like we're just not interesting enough to connect with in a medium that isn't Telegram. I guess that's what happens when you've not grown up in the local community coupled with the difference in regional willingness to travel. You become invisible, and just watch from the sidelines, but it does suck a little when you know there are things going on that you just aren't involved in. Unfortunately, my personality is not one to try and force myself into a situation where I don't know if I'm welcome for fear of coming off rude or pushy (a few people we've met up here definitely don’t have that fear (*cough*Saphy*cough*), but I do, and I don't think I'll ever get over it. Oh well, I've got a few close friends around the country, a few friends local I wish I were closer to, and of course David to keep me from feeling totally alone.
Our last visit with friends was interesting, and definitely left me thinking about how the interaction went, how I felt about it, and what that means for me personally, but that's a subject for another day. Suffice to say, the visit had some highs, some lows, and a reminder to be careful to make sure that the expectations of a visit are in alignment between everyone getting together. Like I said, something for another day.
Later today I'm heading to the local fitness club to sign up for a membership. I'm always up early, so there's no reason not to take that early morning time to go and hit the cardio machines, Nautilus machines and pool. I used to love swimming, its fantastic exercise, and they have an indoor pool. It's quite reasonable, and if I'm going to eliminate wasting money on alcohol, here's something worthwhile to spend that money on (and considerably less expensive and better for me!).
Got my task list for the day set out, too:
-Replace the drivers' side mirror on the truck
-Put up the house numbers we bought like a year ago
-Pull a few weeds from the front planter
-Clean out the chickens' nesting box
-Get some clean fuel and start the large generator so we can get it in the paper and sold
-Drain fuel from the small generator to make sure it remains in good operational condition for the upcoming race season
-At least one walk with Malcolm
-Hit the UPS Store to return a digital timer switch we can't use
-Prep for dinner
With that said, I think it's time for another cup of coffee, and to take Malcolm out, then shower and get ready for my interview!