COVID-19, commonly known as the Coronavirus, has affected basically every business out there. While most are slower than normal (or having to close), there are grocery and retail stores that are seeing insane crowds every day. I count my lucky stars that I no longer work in the grocery industry. Our company, however, is implementing measures to try to keep us and the company itself safe.
We are working from home on occasion during this pandemic. We have done full days at home, we've gone back to full days in the office, and now we're doing half days. Half of the office works from home in the morning and in the office in the afternoon, and the other half of the office works in the office in the morning and at home in the afternoon. I fall into the former category in working in the office in the afternoon. I think I would actually prefer the other option; get the office work out of the way, get home, and it's a seamless transition from working at home to relaxing at home.
Unfortunately, our bosses have had to implement a cost-cutting strategy that is going to hurt the employees financially for the time being. They're postponing a portion of our salaries to get by while our business is slow. Fortunately, I have built up a savings account I could survive off for a bit, but if this goes on for an extended length of time, I might have to do something about it.
I really feel for all of the families who live paycheck to paycheck and those paychecks are now either reduced or no longer coming. As I type this, hundreds and hundreds of restaurants and bars are having to close. I have heard of some CEO's taking a paycut so they can continue to pay their employees, and I got to say, those are the real MVP's.
My thought is we have to slow and basically stop the spread of COVID-19, and then once that happens, we have to get everyone better. If everyone infected or sick stays at home, normal activities, events, and business can resume once the spread of the disease stops. Hopefully that is sooner rather than later.
If this gets bad enough, this could be one of the most single devastating things to happen to not just the economy, but to western civilization. The disease is really only fatal to the elderly or people with underlying health issues, but the hit so many businesses and industries will absorb may take years and years to recover from. Some smaller businesses may be forced to close forever because the financial hit will be too much to recover from.
Let's hope this goes away soon, and we can go back to our normal lives.
Monday, March 16, 2020
Friday, February 21, 2020
Life Hacks
In my years on earth I have learned about and come up with some what are called "life hacks". They're unconventional ways of accomplishing things or making your life easier, that you perhaps normally wouldn't think about. I'm going to share my favorite life hacks I've learned about in my life.
How to defrost a car quickly: Don't you hate in the winter when your car frosts up/freezes over and you either have to leave even earlier so you can sit in your car while it warms up, or (if you weren't prepared) be late to work because you had to wait for your car to defrost? Well, I have found a solution. In the winter time or whenever in your area the temperatures get near or below freezing, check to see if the temperature is freezing in the morning. If so, right before you leave, get a large cup of lukewarm water (maybe even a bucket). Not hot, because that could crack your windshield. Think warm pool water, or room temperature water. Take the cup and set it down somewhere while you start your car, start the defroster, and turn on your windshield wipers to a slow intermittent setting (once every 5-10 seconds). Dump the cup of water on your windshield and windows. It will clear up your windows in no time. If it's really cold out, you'll want the wipers going so the water doesn't freeze on your windshield. This hack has saved me so much time in the mornings, and the gas it saves is well worth the cost of the water from the tap. Although I will say that this doesn't always completely work, but a scraper is good for getting whatever the lukewarm water doesn't.
How to get a key ring open: This one is fairly common knowledge, but just in case you don't know it, I'm going to share it. If you have a staple remover (those ones with the sharp teeth), those are good at holding key rings open to get on and off key chains or keys off key rings. Much easier than ruining or hurting your fingernails. Just move it along the ring as you add or remove keys/keychains.
Chill a beverage (or beverages) fast: When you want a hydrating beverage, but it's not cold, there is a way to chill it fairly fast. The way I've done is to get a paper towel soaking wet (but not dripping) and wrap it around your drink. Stick it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes (but if it's carbonated or glass, don't forget about it!) You should have a fairly chilly beverage in that time. For ice cold, I think it takes 20-25 minutes. If you need to chill multiple beverages fast, say for a party, get a bucket and fill it with water and ice cubes. Add salt, which reduces the freezing point of water. Then add the beverages, and they should chill in no time.
How to have cold water all day: Speaking of having cold beverages, if you're someone that drinks a lot of water and can use a water bottle at work, the night before fill it up roughly 1/3 of the way with water and lay it on its side in the freezer overnight. The next day, fill it up with water. You're basically guaranteed to have cold water all day, as that ice will do the trick. The key is to not fill it up so much that the ice blocks the opening at the top of the water bottle. So you could fill it up halfway or even a bit more, depending on how fast you'll be drinking the water, if you'll be refilling it, and how long you want the ice to last.
Increase ketchup capacity for ketchup cups: Whenever you're at a fast food place or a sporting event, and you get ketchup for your fries and you use one of those little paper cups, it never seems like enough (if you're someone that uses a liberal amount like I do, anyway). If you turn them inside out, they will hold a lot more. Carefully fold and bend it so it's stable, and it should have a much wider opening and hold more.
How to keep track of cables: If you're like me and you have a lot of electronics, this life hack can really help. If you have a computer station or a TV/video game set up, use bread clips on the ends of the power cords when you plug them into a surge protector/zip strip. You can either color code them or you can use a small felt tip marker and write what device it's for on the bread clip. This is very handy for if you have to move or replace a device, and you don't know which cord to unplug. Bread clips fit very well on electrical cords and can tell you instantly what the cord is used to power.
Organize cables/wires without tangling: One first-world problem a lot of us have is tangled cables and wires. One notable example would be for earphones. I wind them up in multiple loops and then use a binder clip to keep the loop together. You can also use a hair clip. If you have a large enough binder or hair clip, you can use it on larger cables or cords.
Two uses for scotch tape: Obviously scotch tape is good for wrapping gifts, taping paper together, etc., but it has a couple life hack uses you might not have heard of. One is to remove slivers. If you ever get a sliver that is very small and fine and too hard to grab with any tweezers you have, roll some tape into a loop with the sticky part facing out and press it against the area where the sliver(s) are. As a kid, I once touched the bark of a tree that put tons of tiny slivers into my finger, so my mom used this trick to get the majority of them out. It doesn't always work, but it's pretty quick and fairly painless. The other way to use scotch tape is as a lint roller. Maybe you noticed a bunch of lint on an outfit you were going to wear, but either don't have a lint roller or misplaced it. Grab a loop of scotch tape, maybe make it several connected loops (you can run the tape around the length of your four fingers) and press it against your clothes. It should pick up lint pretty well!
That's all I have for now, but if I think of anymore, I'll be sure to add them here!
How to defrost a car quickly: Don't you hate in the winter when your car frosts up/freezes over and you either have to leave even earlier so you can sit in your car while it warms up, or (if you weren't prepared) be late to work because you had to wait for your car to defrost? Well, I have found a solution. In the winter time or whenever in your area the temperatures get near or below freezing, check to see if the temperature is freezing in the morning. If so, right before you leave, get a large cup of lukewarm water (maybe even a bucket). Not hot, because that could crack your windshield. Think warm pool water, or room temperature water. Take the cup and set it down somewhere while you start your car, start the defroster, and turn on your windshield wipers to a slow intermittent setting (once every 5-10 seconds). Dump the cup of water on your windshield and windows. It will clear up your windows in no time. If it's really cold out, you'll want the wipers going so the water doesn't freeze on your windshield. This hack has saved me so much time in the mornings, and the gas it saves is well worth the cost of the water from the tap. Although I will say that this doesn't always completely work, but a scraper is good for getting whatever the lukewarm water doesn't.
How to get a key ring open: This one is fairly common knowledge, but just in case you don't know it, I'm going to share it. If you have a staple remover (those ones with the sharp teeth), those are good at holding key rings open to get on and off key chains or keys off key rings. Much easier than ruining or hurting your fingernails. Just move it along the ring as you add or remove keys/keychains.
Chill a beverage (or beverages) fast: When you want a hydrating beverage, but it's not cold, there is a way to chill it fairly fast. The way I've done is to get a paper towel soaking wet (but not dripping) and wrap it around your drink. Stick it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes (but if it's carbonated or glass, don't forget about it!) You should have a fairly chilly beverage in that time. For ice cold, I think it takes 20-25 minutes. If you need to chill multiple beverages fast, say for a party, get a bucket and fill it with water and ice cubes. Add salt, which reduces the freezing point of water. Then add the beverages, and they should chill in no time.
How to have cold water all day: Speaking of having cold beverages, if you're someone that drinks a lot of water and can use a water bottle at work, the night before fill it up roughly 1/3 of the way with water and lay it on its side in the freezer overnight. The next day, fill it up with water. You're basically guaranteed to have cold water all day, as that ice will do the trick. The key is to not fill it up so much that the ice blocks the opening at the top of the water bottle. So you could fill it up halfway or even a bit more, depending on how fast you'll be drinking the water, if you'll be refilling it, and how long you want the ice to last.
Increase ketchup capacity for ketchup cups: Whenever you're at a fast food place or a sporting event, and you get ketchup for your fries and you use one of those little paper cups, it never seems like enough (if you're someone that uses a liberal amount like I do, anyway). If you turn them inside out, they will hold a lot more. Carefully fold and bend it so it's stable, and it should have a much wider opening and hold more.
How to keep track of cables: If you're like me and you have a lot of electronics, this life hack can really help. If you have a computer station or a TV/video game set up, use bread clips on the ends of the power cords when you plug them into a surge protector/zip strip. You can either color code them or you can use a small felt tip marker and write what device it's for on the bread clip. This is very handy for if you have to move or replace a device, and you don't know which cord to unplug. Bread clips fit very well on electrical cords and can tell you instantly what the cord is used to power.
Organize cables/wires without tangling: One first-world problem a lot of us have is tangled cables and wires. One notable example would be for earphones. I wind them up in multiple loops and then use a binder clip to keep the loop together. You can also use a hair clip. If you have a large enough binder or hair clip, you can use it on larger cables or cords.
Two uses for scotch tape: Obviously scotch tape is good for wrapping gifts, taping paper together, etc., but it has a couple life hack uses you might not have heard of. One is to remove slivers. If you ever get a sliver that is very small and fine and too hard to grab with any tweezers you have, roll some tape into a loop with the sticky part facing out and press it against the area where the sliver(s) are. As a kid, I once touched the bark of a tree that put tons of tiny slivers into my finger, so my mom used this trick to get the majority of them out. It doesn't always work, but it's pretty quick and fairly painless. The other way to use scotch tape is as a lint roller. Maybe you noticed a bunch of lint on an outfit you were going to wear, but either don't have a lint roller or misplaced it. Grab a loop of scotch tape, maybe make it several connected loops (you can run the tape around the length of your four fingers) and press it against your clothes. It should pick up lint pretty well!
That's all I have for now, but if I think of anymore, I'll be sure to add them here!
Monday, February 10, 2020
Ring Central
Apparently this is a way you can contact me at work. You have to have the ability to dial a phone number on your computer, however. Click the link below to contact me.
RingMe
RingMe
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
My Experience with Shipping
The two jobs I've had in my life have a bit in common. Both involve working with numbers, answering the phone, and using a computer (on occasion at my past job). One more thing they have in common is dealing with shipping and receiving packages. I find that industry fascinating, and I almost entered into it. I also love shopping online and getting packages in the mail.
At my past job, I accepted many packages working behind the customer service counter. We got shipped a lot of things including displays for movies, promotional tickets, etc. We also got shipped items that we would sell such as books of stamps, Orca cards, and lottery tickets. I would then have to enter the items with monetary value into our inventory so we could keep track. The only notable thing we ever shipped out was a drug testing kit, I believe. Not always, but on occasion when a new hire would get drug tested, we would then have to ship the test via FedEx for the results. I often would be tasked to call the number 1-800 GO-FEDEX to schedule a pickup.
I have plenty of experience in my personal life involving shipping. As I said earlier, I shop online a lot. I do most of my Christmas shopping online. I have even shipped packages to people as well. Some semi-famous YouTubers will set up a PO Box, and I have shipped them items through the United States Postal Service. I even got to see one of them open the things I sent him on video. And when my girlfriend and I were long distance, I sent her a couple care packages in the mail. Recently, because of a misunderstanding, I "subscribed" to a gift set I ordered online. I only wanted one thing. So, I had to request a refund, get the address label, affix it to the package, and schedule a pickup to send it back. I don't mind dealing with shipping and the post office, but it can be a bit of a headache at times.
I did consider a career in the shipping industry when I was between jobs. I looked at jobs for both UPS and FedEx, but the one I got closest to was Amazon. I got to the point where I needed to just find something to not only make money, but to have something productive to do. I went for an Amazon delivery driver position, because I thought that would be fun leaving people's packages on their doorsteps. I applied and got hired and did a two day training session. On my first day, I was already having second thoughts because I had to report to the warehouse in the industrial district of Seattle. Because of a miscommunication, I didn't attend my first day on time, so at that point I just decided to quit. But the knowledge I gained from the training seminar was pretty helpful, and I know I lot more about how Amazon ships packages than I did before.
At my current job, we receive packages on a fairly regular basis. Having to sign for them or provide a carrier your name is something I'm definitely accustomed to doing. I am hoping to gain more experience in the matters of shipping as time goes on. I've gotten to know and recognize the guys that deliver us packages.
And to be honest, I haven't completely ruled out a career in shipping. It's a good work out for all the awesome people out there who make sure packages get from one place to another. But I'll play it by ear and just see what my heart wants.
At my past job, I accepted many packages working behind the customer service counter. We got shipped a lot of things including displays for movies, promotional tickets, etc. We also got shipped items that we would sell such as books of stamps, Orca cards, and lottery tickets. I would then have to enter the items with monetary value into our inventory so we could keep track. The only notable thing we ever shipped out was a drug testing kit, I believe. Not always, but on occasion when a new hire would get drug tested, we would then have to ship the test via FedEx for the results. I often would be tasked to call the number 1-800 GO-FEDEX to schedule a pickup.
I have plenty of experience in my personal life involving shipping. As I said earlier, I shop online a lot. I do most of my Christmas shopping online. I have even shipped packages to people as well. Some semi-famous YouTubers will set up a PO Box, and I have shipped them items through the United States Postal Service. I even got to see one of them open the things I sent him on video. And when my girlfriend and I were long distance, I sent her a couple care packages in the mail. Recently, because of a misunderstanding, I "subscribed" to a gift set I ordered online. I only wanted one thing. So, I had to request a refund, get the address label, affix it to the package, and schedule a pickup to send it back. I don't mind dealing with shipping and the post office, but it can be a bit of a headache at times.
I did consider a career in the shipping industry when I was between jobs. I looked at jobs for both UPS and FedEx, but the one I got closest to was Amazon. I got to the point where I needed to just find something to not only make money, but to have something productive to do. I went for an Amazon delivery driver position, because I thought that would be fun leaving people's packages on their doorsteps. I applied and got hired and did a two day training session. On my first day, I was already having second thoughts because I had to report to the warehouse in the industrial district of Seattle. Because of a miscommunication, I didn't attend my first day on time, so at that point I just decided to quit. But the knowledge I gained from the training seminar was pretty helpful, and I know I lot more about how Amazon ships packages than I did before.
At my current job, we receive packages on a fairly regular basis. Having to sign for them or provide a carrier your name is something I'm definitely accustomed to doing. I am hoping to gain more experience in the matters of shipping as time goes on. I've gotten to know and recognize the guys that deliver us packages.
And to be honest, I haven't completely ruled out a career in shipping. It's a good work out for all the awesome people out there who make sure packages get from one place to another. But I'll play it by ear and just see what my heart wants.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
My Work Blog
Ever since starting my job at ASSIC/GIP, I have been keeping up with a blog in my free time on Office 365's Delve. It was a good opportunity to talk about things vaguely related to my company or my job. Unfortunately, Microsoft is ending support for the blogs and closing them down later this year. So, I decided to switch over to Blogger, which is probably better anyway.
In total, I did 28 blogs since I started in September. I'm going to move them over here, and I and you or anyone can use this to get to them quickly. I thought I'd also use this to explain briefly what each one is about. I'm not going to go to the trouble to link to each one, they should be on the right under "Blog Archive".
1. "Scam Calls" - The first post I did was about the scam calls I almost immediately started getting. It's short, but I go over other specific calls in another post.
2. "I'm Happy to Help" - This is basically my cry for help, as I was bored and just telling people that I'm willing to help with basically anything.
3. "My Ties to the Aviation Industry" - I have some family that's worked in the aviation industry that I talk about, as well as a brief history of my flying experiences.
4. "In Flight Experiences" - I talk about different experiences I have had while on a plane, what I like to drink and do on a plane, etc.
5. "Places I Want to Travel" - Self explanatory, just basically a bucket list of places I want to go before I die and why.
6. "My Favorite TV Shows and Movies that Involve Planes" - I was really stretching for topics related to my work, but it was a fun thing to write about.
7. "My Frugal and Money Saving Tips" - I talk about the various methods I have used or seen others use to save money. One of my longer posts.
8. "Working a typical Mon-Fri work week" - This job is my first occupation working Monday-Friday, so I go over the positives and negatives to that.
9. "The long, arduous process of a plane flight" - I go over the entire process of a plane flight, from packing and going to the airport to security and whatnot. There's quite a bit of sarcasm in this one.
10. "The many ways I've helped people" - This is almost a continuation of the "I'm Happy to Help" post, but this one I provide specific examples on how I've helped others in the past.
11. "Bonding outside of work" - I did this post right after having lunch with my coworkers for the first time. I talk about it and other past experiences hanging out with co-workers.
12. "Goals and Aspirations" - I talk about various goals I have; now while I'm not specific, I do have some.
13. "Ways to stay productive" - There are plenty of ways to stay productive, even when you have nothing to do, as I pointed out.
14. "Foreign languages" - Since we have a lot of bilingual people in our office, I talked about my experiences with other languages, mainly how I know a bit of German.
15. "Expanding on my skills" - On the Delve profile, one section is a list of professional skills, so I went over the skills I listed and how I acquired them.
16. "My Thoughts on Different Airports I've Been To" - I've only been to a small handful of airports, but each one is different and I went over their unique features
17. "My history with computers" - My personal favorite to write, I talk about my history in owning computers and laptops and how well they've fared for me.
18. "Losing weight tips" - I shared some tips I've picked up on how to lose weight, and it's more than just eating right and exercising. Now if I could only apply these...
19. "Experiences with Scam Calls" - By this point, I had gotten experience with quite a few different scam call attempts. This is basically a continuation of my first post simply titled, "Scam Calls".
20. "Commuting to Work" - I talk about the different ways I have gotten to my two jobs now which is more than just driving, and my plan to try to reduce my carbon footprint.
21. "Dressing up for Holidays at Work" - Right before Halloween I made this post, because I was planning on dressing up fairly extravagantly as a zombie. I explain the different ways I've dressed at work for different occasions.
22. "Working with Numbers" - A simple concept, but numbers are a part of most jobs in the world, and I explain how I've used math, memorization of numbers and more in my two jobs now.
23. "Christmas at Work" - I go over what it's like for me to work in the days leading up to Christmas and how I celebrate it and stay festive.
24. "Apples" - My boss owns an apple farm, and I used to work at a grocery store, so I go over my experience dealing with apples in both jobs.
25. "Helpful Links" - I shared some helpful links I had found while working at my current job.
26. "Computer Hints, Shortcuts, and How-To's" - I share some keyboard shortcuts that I had found while working my current job.
27. "Changes" - I talk about changes going on around me and in my life, and how they're inevitable and how it's better to just roll with the punches of life.
28. "Well, this sucks" - A post I made after finding out I will no longer be able to blog there. The only post that I didn't include a picture with.
In total, I did 28 blogs since I started in September. I'm going to move them over here, and I and you or anyone can use this to get to them quickly. I thought I'd also use this to explain briefly what each one is about. I'm not going to go to the trouble to link to each one, they should be on the right under "Blog Archive".
1. "Scam Calls" - The first post I did was about the scam calls I almost immediately started getting. It's short, but I go over other specific calls in another post.
2. "I'm Happy to Help" - This is basically my cry for help, as I was bored and just telling people that I'm willing to help with basically anything.
3. "My Ties to the Aviation Industry" - I have some family that's worked in the aviation industry that I talk about, as well as a brief history of my flying experiences.
4. "In Flight Experiences" - I talk about different experiences I have had while on a plane, what I like to drink and do on a plane, etc.
5. "Places I Want to Travel" - Self explanatory, just basically a bucket list of places I want to go before I die and why.
6. "My Favorite TV Shows and Movies that Involve Planes" - I was really stretching for topics related to my work, but it was a fun thing to write about.
7. "My Frugal and Money Saving Tips" - I talk about the various methods I have used or seen others use to save money. One of my longer posts.
8. "Working a typical Mon-Fri work week" - This job is my first occupation working Monday-Friday, so I go over the positives and negatives to that.
9. "The long, arduous process of a plane flight" - I go over the entire process of a plane flight, from packing and going to the airport to security and whatnot. There's quite a bit of sarcasm in this one.
10. "The many ways I've helped people" - This is almost a continuation of the "I'm Happy to Help" post, but this one I provide specific examples on how I've helped others in the past.
11. "Bonding outside of work" - I did this post right after having lunch with my coworkers for the first time. I talk about it and other past experiences hanging out with co-workers.
12. "Goals and Aspirations" - I talk about various goals I have; now while I'm not specific, I do have some.
13. "Ways to stay productive" - There are plenty of ways to stay productive, even when you have nothing to do, as I pointed out.
14. "Foreign languages" - Since we have a lot of bilingual people in our office, I talked about my experiences with other languages, mainly how I know a bit of German.
15. "Expanding on my skills" - On the Delve profile, one section is a list of professional skills, so I went over the skills I listed and how I acquired them.
16. "My Thoughts on Different Airports I've Been To" - I've only been to a small handful of airports, but each one is different and I went over their unique features
17. "My history with computers" - My personal favorite to write, I talk about my history in owning computers and laptops and how well they've fared for me.
18. "Losing weight tips" - I shared some tips I've picked up on how to lose weight, and it's more than just eating right and exercising. Now if I could only apply these...
19. "Experiences with Scam Calls" - By this point, I had gotten experience with quite a few different scam call attempts. This is basically a continuation of my first post simply titled, "Scam Calls".
20. "Commuting to Work" - I talk about the different ways I have gotten to my two jobs now which is more than just driving, and my plan to try to reduce my carbon footprint.
21. "Dressing up for Holidays at Work" - Right before Halloween I made this post, because I was planning on dressing up fairly extravagantly as a zombie. I explain the different ways I've dressed at work for different occasions.
22. "Working with Numbers" - A simple concept, but numbers are a part of most jobs in the world, and I explain how I've used math, memorization of numbers and more in my two jobs now.
23. "Christmas at Work" - I go over what it's like for me to work in the days leading up to Christmas and how I celebrate it and stay festive.
24. "Apples" - My boss owns an apple farm, and I used to work at a grocery store, so I go over my experience dealing with apples in both jobs.
25. "Helpful Links" - I shared some helpful links I had found while working at my current job.
26. "Computer Hints, Shortcuts, and How-To's" - I share some keyboard shortcuts that I had found while working my current job.
27. "Changes" - I talk about changes going on around me and in my life, and how they're inevitable and how it's better to just roll with the punches of life.
28. "Well, this sucks" - A post I made after finding out I will no longer be able to blog there. The only post that I didn't include a picture with.
Well, this sucks
Originally published February 3, 2020
I just saw the warning message near the top of the browser. Apparently, Delve blogs are being retired. Starting Tuesday, February 18, I will no longer be able to blog here, and the blogs will be permanently removed on July 17. I guess either not enough people use this feature, or it's just too much of a burden for Office 365.
I still use Blogger and I have for about a decade now. You can visit my other blog here. I talk about a lot of different things there, but mostly I talk about sports, movies, and entertainment. It's one I've contributed a lot more to recently.
I don't know if I'll go to the trouble to save any of my posted blogs. Maybe the ones where I gave tips, like on how to save money or lose weight. I feel like those are pretty helpful. Or my personal favorite blog, "My history with computers". That one I had the most fun writing of all of them.
Well, I guess this is it. There's not really a point to posting another blog. I really enjoyed coming here every so often and talking about things. I tried to talk about work-related things as you could probably tell, but sometimes I did veer off course a little bit.
If anyone ever reads this or read any of my blog posts, I thank you. It's nice to be listened to, but it's also nice to just talk about things, even if no one is listening. Thanks again.
I just saw the warning message near the top of the browser. Apparently, Delve blogs are being retired. Starting Tuesday, February 18, I will no longer be able to blog here, and the blogs will be permanently removed on July 17. I guess either not enough people use this feature, or it's just too much of a burden for Office 365.
I still use Blogger and I have for about a decade now. You can visit my other blog here. I talk about a lot of different things there, but mostly I talk about sports, movies, and entertainment. It's one I've contributed a lot more to recently.
I don't know if I'll go to the trouble to save any of my posted blogs. Maybe the ones where I gave tips, like on how to save money or lose weight. I feel like those are pretty helpful. Or my personal favorite blog, "My history with computers". That one I had the most fun writing of all of them.
Well, I guess this is it. There's not really a point to posting another blog. I really enjoyed coming here every so often and talking about things. I tried to talk about work-related things as you could probably tell, but sometimes I did veer off course a little bit.
If anyone ever reads this or read any of my blog posts, I thank you. It's nice to be listened to, but it's also nice to just talk about things, even if no one is listening. Thanks again.
Changes
Originally published January 31, 2020
Change. I'm not talking about coins. I'm talking about a difference in your life. Some people like change, others hate it. I'm more towards the hate it. I am a creature of habit and routine, and I like going to the same job year after year, having the same friends, living in the same place. Although that hasn't always been the case.
Last year I got this new job. That was a big change for me. It was my first new job in over a decade. Crazy, right? But after ten years, it was time to move on. I stayed at my previous job for ten years because I just didn't want to change it, and for the majority of the time there, I didn't have a reason to.
Changes happen in my personal life all the time, too. One of my best friends moved away to Spokane last year, and I have not seen him since last April, although we chat on occasion. I worked with him at my retail job, and I got used to seeing him on an almost daily basis. He has talked about moving back, but nothing has been set in stone yet.
One odd thing I thought I'd point out: The places I spent most of my adolescence have all been torn down and rebuilt with something else. My elementary school, junior high school, and high school all went through those massive renovations. My childhood home until I was 10 got torn down and rebuilt into a larger home. I guess it's only a matter of time before my other childhood home gets torn down, which my parents moved out of last August, and they moved a bit further away from me. That was a home I spent about 15 years of my life in. I guess that's just how life goes. You could ask anyone up that's up in years what happened to the schools they went to and their childhood home(s), and chances are they'd say they a majority of them (if not all) are no longer standing.
After my friend and parents moved last year, it will be my turn to move this coming year. Our apartment lease expires at the beginning of April. We will not be able to renew our lease again, because our lease management is completely renovating every single apartment unit. We could move to an already renovated unit, but if we're moving, might as well go somewhere a bit more affordable. I won't get into the details, but we're also not a huge fan of a lot of the changes they've made to the complex and how they still haven't changed other things.
So last year, a new job, and this coming year a new place to live. Honestly, I don't hate changes, I just really like routine and habit and feeling comfortable in my day-to-day life. Changes can also be some of the most stressful times in our lives. I try to reduce the amount of stress in my life as much as possible; hence why I try to avoid change. But change is often inevitable, and it's better to roll with the tide than to try to go against it.
If I want to continue this trend of major changes happening in consecutive years, next year I might get a new car. I've had my current car for almost 9 years now. It's served me well, but I am ready for something different. I'd like to own a truck or SUV, even if that means parking gets tougher to do. I'd just like to have the ability to move furniture for myself or others if need be. I'd also like to be able to comfortably drive in the snow when we get that in the winter. Heck, I might not even wait until next year. Time will tell.
Life is about changes. No one person in western civilization has the same exact routine their entire life. People get new jobs, cars, homes, friends, and partners all the time. I really only enjoy change once the thing you've gotten used to has become monotonous or your current lifestyle requires an upgrade. Change can be stressful, but it can also be fun. It's a topic of conversation with anyone in your life, from friends, family and co-workers to even making small talk with people you barely know. If you never go through change, there's not really much to talk about in regards to your life.
Change. I'm not talking about coins. I'm talking about a difference in your life. Some people like change, others hate it. I'm more towards the hate it. I am a creature of habit and routine, and I like going to the same job year after year, having the same friends, living in the same place. Although that hasn't always been the case.
Last year I got this new job. That was a big change for me. It was my first new job in over a decade. Crazy, right? But after ten years, it was time to move on. I stayed at my previous job for ten years because I just didn't want to change it, and for the majority of the time there, I didn't have a reason to.
Changes happen in my personal life all the time, too. One of my best friends moved away to Spokane last year, and I have not seen him since last April, although we chat on occasion. I worked with him at my retail job, and I got used to seeing him on an almost daily basis. He has talked about moving back, but nothing has been set in stone yet.
One odd thing I thought I'd point out: The places I spent most of my adolescence have all been torn down and rebuilt with something else. My elementary school, junior high school, and high school all went through those massive renovations. My childhood home until I was 10 got torn down and rebuilt into a larger home. I guess it's only a matter of time before my other childhood home gets torn down, which my parents moved out of last August, and they moved a bit further away from me. That was a home I spent about 15 years of my life in. I guess that's just how life goes. You could ask anyone up that's up in years what happened to the schools they went to and their childhood home(s), and chances are they'd say they a majority of them (if not all) are no longer standing.
After my friend and parents moved last year, it will be my turn to move this coming year. Our apartment lease expires at the beginning of April. We will not be able to renew our lease again, because our lease management is completely renovating every single apartment unit. We could move to an already renovated unit, but if we're moving, might as well go somewhere a bit more affordable. I won't get into the details, but we're also not a huge fan of a lot of the changes they've made to the complex and how they still haven't changed other things.
So last year, a new job, and this coming year a new place to live. Honestly, I don't hate changes, I just really like routine and habit and feeling comfortable in my day-to-day life. Changes can also be some of the most stressful times in our lives. I try to reduce the amount of stress in my life as much as possible; hence why I try to avoid change. But change is often inevitable, and it's better to roll with the tide than to try to go against it.
If I want to continue this trend of major changes happening in consecutive years, next year I might get a new car. I've had my current car for almost 9 years now. It's served me well, but I am ready for something different. I'd like to own a truck or SUV, even if that means parking gets tougher to do. I'd just like to have the ability to move furniture for myself or others if need be. I'd also like to be able to comfortably drive in the snow when we get that in the winter. Heck, I might not even wait until next year. Time will tell.
Life is about changes. No one person in western civilization has the same exact routine their entire life. People get new jobs, cars, homes, friends, and partners all the time. I really only enjoy change once the thing you've gotten used to has become monotonous or your current lifestyle requires an upgrade. Change can be stressful, but it can also be fun. It's a topic of conversation with anyone in your life, from friends, family and co-workers to even making small talk with people you barely know. If you never go through change, there's not really much to talk about in regards to your life.
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