It’s been a while since I did a real life check in, so I thought I’d get you all up to speed. The holidays are fast approaching, and with them we’ll see a new year, bringing with it the promise of a fresh start and good things to come. 2016 has gone down as one of the strangest years in recent memory, mainly because of the rash of deaths throughout the year. This isn’t something new, but our hyper connected world has made it front page news time and again. It was also the year this country voted in a complete tool of a president, so we’ll see if 2017 can remain on par with this year, though I suspect that things will be taking a downturn from here. But I digress. I’m not here to talk politics, I’m here to talk personal, meaningless bullshit. Let’s continue.

So the girlfriend I had for the past few months is no longer with me. I won’t go into particulars, but let’s just say that she ended things rather abruptly, and now I’m back on the market. I’m no worse for wear, though it’s upsetting to think about how I was single for 5 some odd years and now I’m back to that after a short reprieve. I do enjoy being single in that I don’t have anyone to answer to and can do whatever I please — the freedom is a luxury. However, the dating game these days is a pain in the ass. Fake people are everywhere, online dating is full of scams, and finding someone worth settling down with seems to be nigh impossible. But I will continue trudging on and improve my life in whatever way I can until Ms. Right comes along.

Speaking of life improvement, I’ve received a couple of raises this year, and come February of 2017 I’ll have been at my job for a year. With that annual review I’m supposed to be getting 2 weeks paid vacation, health benefits and other assorted benefits. I got the official title already, so next year I’ll get the benefits that go along with that. It’s been moving in the right direction since I started here, and it’s nice to finally have a job where I feel appreciated. It hadn’t really happened before.

I’ve also been spending time with some of my co-workers, expanding my social circle. As much as I loved having more of a presence online, via blogging, podcasting and other avenues, it doesn’t compare to a real life social sphere. I miss some of the Internet “stuff” I used to do but at the same time I have enjoyed being more unplugged, only playing video games for entertainment instead of for research, and going out a few times a week to do things that aren’t gaming related. Though some of it could still be considered gaming, the video part is definitely absent.

Playing Magic with my friend has been a blast, but I’m sort of at a point where I’m becoming frustrated. I built a couple of decks (some of which I’ve discussed here), but then I ended up making more and I don’t know if I just spread my power too thin, or if there’s something wrong with my fundamentals of deck building, but basically my friend has a deck that is nearly impossible to beat. It’s not that he’s cheating, it’s not a netdeck, but dammit it’s been rough testing my decks against his. I had a hot streak for a while, but as of late I haven’t taken a single game off of him and it’s been pissing me off. I don’t know if I should just go back to the drawing board, of if I just need to tweak the existing decks more. What I do know is that the new set, Aether Revolt comes out on the 20th of next month and I plan to buy a booster box. Perhaps something unstoppable will come out of that. Time will tell.

I’ve also played some Dominoes with some of the guys from work. It’s a game I used to play quite often about a decade ago, but hadn’t really touched any for at least 5 years. I still have the skill though, and managed to play several games that I won or was close to winning. It’s been a fun little distraction and something out of the ordinary.

On the video gaming front, it’s mostly been SMITE on my PS4. On PC, I’ve jumped around between a few titles, but I’m not making real progress anywhere. I’m not really buying anything either, though I might make a splash in the Steam Winter Sale if there’s something worth grabbing. I’m unsure at this point if there’s anything I even really want. On my phone, I’ve continued to play Clash Royale and Tiny Tower. My Tower is nearly 70 floors high now, and progress is starting to slow. I check on it a few times a day but it’s mostly just maintenance mode. Clash Royale is sort of more of the same, in that the timed chests mean waiting before playing again. I have managed to get my rating up to where I’m playing in the 2nd arena, and I have a decently leveled card collection considering the low amount of time put into the game.

Really, that’s all that’s been going on. I’ll be back again when I have something substantial to report. Until then, happy gaming, where ever you find yourself!