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2009 started well and ended well, at least for me.
The good parts were mostly the result of family and friends. My girls are growing up. Erin and I are still very much in love. My circle of friends has grown and become closer at the same time.
My job, which managed to be well-paid, interesting, and quite easy-going, started to deteriorate in early Spring for a number of reasons. Without repeating them here, it started with the company owner asking us to do something dishonest, and turned into a gradually deepening purgatory of unpaid overtime, a civil war amongst the sales staff, lies to clients, and lay-offs. I decided to quit in August, but stuck around till September 30th.
After that, everything got better. The house got cleaner, my persistent insomnia disappeared, I was gaming more, seeing friends more, seeing a lot more of Erin and my girls. It has been almost entirely positive. Money was very tight for several weeks, but has eased up somewhat now that I'm finally getting EI payments.
I was worried I would regret leaving the company, but I quickly realized the only thing keeping me at the job was "Pyat and Teddog's Lunchtime Adventures." These were the sometimes lengthy ambles I'd take with Rachelle (
commanderteddog) to Look at Things. "Things" included buildings, stores, streets, public gardens, art installations, or anything else that caught our eye. These mini-adventures are what I miss most about working in downtown Toronto.
That, and the eggs benedict at Paddington's Pump in St. Lawrence Market.
My current professional plans are to do a bit of RPG freelancing and maybe get some retraining, while keeping an eye out for suitable local fulltime work. RPG freelancing has been a disappointment for me this year. I committed to some large projects, and then found myself overwhelmed by the day job, and unable to get traction on them after I left the job. I have one very large contract and one small one. I'm going to knock out the small one this month, and then get my head back "in the game" as it were.
Aside from the corporate unpleasantness that spoiled my summer, 2009 has been a good year for me. I have made new friends and solidified friendships with others. Of particular note is Desirée (
kores_rabbit). I was introduced to her when I was a guest at Anime North, and we've got on famously since then.
We managed to get away for our first "proper" vacation as a family. In previous years, we'd travelled with other relatives, which was great fun, but this year we went it alone. We rented a cottage on the Bruce Penninsula and spent a week swimming, lounging, star gazing, and generally having a ball. I'd happily go back there.
It has been a wonderfully social year, particularly on the gaming front. Tabletop RPGs are my diversion of choice. Other men build model trains, or go golfing. My hobby is a lot cheaper and more social. I'm running three very different games for three very different groups, and playing in one game.
2009 ended with a very lively party at the Mousehold. 2010 has started grey and cold, but it's warm and pleasant inside.
Happy Twenty-Ten, everyone.
The good parts were mostly the result of family and friends. My girls are growing up. Erin and I are still very much in love. My circle of friends has grown and become closer at the same time.
My job, which managed to be well-paid, interesting, and quite easy-going, started to deteriorate in early Spring for a number of reasons. Without repeating them here, it started with the company owner asking us to do something dishonest, and turned into a gradually deepening purgatory of unpaid overtime, a civil war amongst the sales staff, lies to clients, and lay-offs. I decided to quit in August, but stuck around till September 30th.
After that, everything got better. The house got cleaner, my persistent insomnia disappeared, I was gaming more, seeing friends more, seeing a lot more of Erin and my girls. It has been almost entirely positive. Money was very tight for several weeks, but has eased up somewhat now that I'm finally getting EI payments.
I was worried I would regret leaving the company, but I quickly realized the only thing keeping me at the job was "Pyat and Teddog's Lunchtime Adventures." These were the sometimes lengthy ambles I'd take with Rachelle (
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
That, and the eggs benedict at Paddington's Pump in St. Lawrence Market.
My current professional plans are to do a bit of RPG freelancing and maybe get some retraining, while keeping an eye out for suitable local fulltime work. RPG freelancing has been a disappointment for me this year. I committed to some large projects, and then found myself overwhelmed by the day job, and unable to get traction on them after I left the job. I have one very large contract and one small one. I'm going to knock out the small one this month, and then get my head back "in the game" as it were.
Aside from the corporate unpleasantness that spoiled my summer, 2009 has been a good year for me. I have made new friends and solidified friendships with others. Of particular note is Desirée (
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
We managed to get away for our first "proper" vacation as a family. In previous years, we'd travelled with other relatives, which was great fun, but this year we went it alone. We rented a cottage on the Bruce Penninsula and spent a week swimming, lounging, star gazing, and generally having a ball. I'd happily go back there.
It has been a wonderfully social year, particularly on the gaming front. Tabletop RPGs are my diversion of choice. Other men build model trains, or go golfing. My hobby is a lot cheaper and more social. I'm running three very different games for three very different groups, and playing in one game.
2009 ended with a very lively party at the Mousehold. 2010 has started grey and cold, but it's warm and pleasant inside.
Happy Twenty-Ten, everyone.
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Date: 2010-01-04 10:31 pm (UTC)I'm very happy to merge my world with yours, friends and family and all.
It's a lovely thing!
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