Two years later...

...I pick up the duster, and start dusting off the cobwebs on this blog.

I'm not sure how much of the old material will survive this blog's revival, partly because I don't know how much time I want to invest in reviewing the old stuff, as that sacrifices time I could spend in creating stuff, or following my other pursuits. Even though some of what I've posted in the past (and possibly in the future) is... the insane ramblings of a bipolar mind?... I'm tempted to leave it alone, just to have snapshots that can measure how I'm progressing in this grand blog experiment.

So, two years have passed since I last blogged here. In the first year, I found myself employed by the state of Texas, processing Food Stamp and Children's Medicaid applications; it was a fair job, but I don't think clerical work suits my personality well, based on the frustrations I developed there and in previous clerical work. The second year has found me working overnights at a 7-Eleven again; that's not too stressful of a job, but it's also not too rewarding of a job either. So, with work, I'm sticking with 7-Eleven, but I'm looking into other careers in my spare time, to see if I could find a better match for my strengths and weaknesses. I'm considering teaching - ideally, a hard science like physics, chemistry, or computer science, or, alternatively, exploring a social science - although I'm a little worried that teaching may be a little too stressful for my bipolar brain. Out of all the jobs I've held in the past, I've most enjoyed tutoring; I just wish I could find a way to turn that into a stable work schedule and income instead of the seasonal highs and lows in demand tied to students' exam schedules.

Over all of these two years, I've been single. Unfortunately, I've also been yearning to start a romantic relationship; and that's usually a sure-fire recipe for NOT getting one. Now, granted, living in a sober house makes it all the more difficult to invite a lady over for company. I'm not too set on moving out of the sober house, though, even with its parade of housemates, as it's fairly competitive rent, given all the amenities - free internet, all bills paid, cleaning and coffee supplies... I think a future post may explore romantic relationships, and my seeming inability to have them; some times, I think I don't let myself flirt, and, other times, I don't think I seek environments where I feel it's safe to flirt (not work, and not recovery...)

I've stayed sober over the last 2 years... actually, over the last 5 1/2 years. I'm fairly active in the recovery community, mostly at the local community/group level. Of course, mentioning that here, where anyone can see it, breaks the anonymity of Tradition Eleven - so, I'll just stop that thread, even though it's a pretty big part of my daily activities these days.

So.. talked a little about finances and romances, or, maybe, the lack of either. Not much else has been going on. I'd like to get back into school, to shore up my scientific knowledge. I'd like to get out to see more entertainment, but funds are limited. I'd like to do some self-improvement, via returning to a meditation practice, quitting smoking, enrolling in a gym, and maybe even adopting a healthier diet. Financing aside, I think that time is a more precious commodity, and I'm thinking I need to be more careful about how I use it.

Oh, yeah.. there were a couple of periods over the last two years where I got heavily involved in Facebook gaming apps - "free" entertainment, but great vortices of time destruction. I'm trying to be good, and not get sucked back in to those. In a larger picture, I find a lot of my free time is spent on the computer, as I pretty much don't like to watch TV, and I don't like to wander around outdoors.

I'm thinking I've done a fair shot at a revival post. The challenge, now, is to consistently post over the weeks and months ahead. I may revive the Movie Monday and Tune Tuesday themes, although that, too, can be a bit of a time vortex, just searching for, and reviewing, the videos before they're posted.

If you've read this far, I hope I haven't bored you to tears, and I'd welcome any comments you have on the direction you would like for me to go with this blog...