Why speak
When the heart’s longing whisper
Travels so clearly
To God’s ear?
Back in January, my wife and I returned to the EverQuest on-line game after absence of nearly five years. Shortly after that, we discovered EverQuest II. As much as we had enjoyed EQ, we did have a lot of issues with the way things worked in the game. Were were delighted to find out the EQ II had fixed nearly everything that annoyed us. We were hooked. and we’ve both been playing a lot. Jen has her other crafts, but EQ II is what I do in my spare time now.
I thought I would share my experiences here. There’s just so much that happens that’s so cool, I feel like I want to tell people about it.
Besides, it’s something to do while waiting to zone….
-= G =-
Jen and I celebrated out 15th anniversary the past Wednesday. Hard to believe. We didn’t do anything really exciting to mark the occasion, but we did take time to be mutually amazed and grateful that we have each other in our lives. Events of the last few months have sharply reminded us just how much we need each other.
It has been really hard at times, but I have no doubt whatsoever that it has been worth everything we’ve put into it. Here’s to many more years!
-= G =-
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I’m looking for a new job again. Actually, I’m looking to re-start my career. I’ve hit some major speed bumps in my current job and in my life that tell me it’s time to go back and re-think everything.
I want to go back into high-tech, but this time in a hands-on kind of position. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I enjoy building and configuring systems more than just about anything. If I could get a job doing that, I’d be a happy camper.
So be it. I’ve updated my resume to reflect the changes in my intended destination. I’ve also started studying on my own toward A+ certification. Most of the jobs I’ve considered thus far list that as a requirement or at least a strong preference.
Change is a pain, but I was stuck in a rut. Like it or not, it was time for things to change.
-= G =-
I have added a page with a picture link to the Divided We Fail campaign. Please check this out. It addresses economic issues facing any American who will have to retire or get health care some day. Sounds like all of us if you ask me…
-= G =-
I have added a more obvious link to my current resume, since I want it be more accesible. Sorry for the extra click required, but I did not want the resume to get the WP page format. I formatted it to be easily readable and scannable when printed it, and I’d lose that if I just dumped the content into a WP page.
I could have figured out how to make the direct link work in a header tab, or made up a special page format CSS, but this was easier…
-= G =-
We had to euthanize one of our pet rats on August 14. I’d never had to do anything like that before.
I wrote this poem that night at work.
Sleep now, little friend
For your pain at last has ended.
It broke our hearts to carry you
Through that dread gate
But our duty, though painful, was clear.
We owed you that hard kindness
And we did not shrink from it.
You knew what awaited –
You knew, and you accepted,
And lay so calm at the last
Under the doctor’s hand
And ours.
It tore at us to be there
But we had always been there;
We could not let you
Take that final step alone.
How could we have?Sleep now, little friend,
For your pain at last has ended.
There’s probaly a lot more I could say, but I don’t know how.
-= Gryphon =-
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I’ve made changes to the blog. Again. Of course, that’s the point, right?
The big deal is that I’ve given in to the reality that my blog is my web site and my web site is my blog. I have therefore upgraded to the latest version of WordPress by creating an entirely new blog at the root level of my web site and importing all the old content into it. Anyone who pings www.billkubeck.com will now go right to the blog.
This makes sense for two closely-related reasons. First, my web site has no reason to exist beyond hosting my blog. Second, I never really wanted just a blog, I wanted a dynamic web site. Well, WordPress isn’t just blog software, it’s a damn fine Content Management System. By putting a WordPress blog in place as my web site, I get all I wanted. How cool is that?
I’m still rethinking everything, so there will be more changes. Promise.
-= Gryphon =-
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Recent circumstances have forced me to work longer hours than ever and learn new skills at the same time. It’s all very profitable from a self-improvement point of view, but’s taking a toll on my health. I have to be very careful about diet and sleep, or I risk a serious crash.
I’ve had a couple of scary near misses in the last month. I ran myself a little too far, and stumbled. The scary part was how hard it was to get back on track without losing momentum. It was also very scary how these episodes trashed my confidence and unleashed waves of anxiety and self-doubt.
I’ve always had the bad habit of imagining the worst about every situation. I don’t know where it comes from, but it can be crippling. It is especially dangerous in difficult situations where you’re trying to break through a block, overcome a set back, or whatever. It’s the biggest single reason I haven’t done more in my life.
I’m fighting back this time. I’m training myself not to brood on negative possibilities. In short, I’m training myself not to look down. Always look up. Be prepared for problems, but always focus on the positive goal. When you live on the edge, look up. Don’t look down.
-= Gryphon =-
I will shortly be adding this graphic to the sidebar. Clicking on it takes you to DividedWeFail.org, AARP’s action group on the issues of health care and Social Security.
I have watched in growing alarm as the Federal government has worked to destroy the American social model and replace it with a medieval one in which a small elite lives in luxury while the vast majority struggle to survive. Their tactics are traditional: deprive people of economic opportunity and adequate health care. The ill and impoverished may be angry, but they don’t have the time and energy to fight back.
The root causes of this disaster must be also be addressed, but this sort of action will help keep people alive and afloat long enough to enact permanent change.
By the way, the mascot image really struck a chord with me. Notice that the creature has the front end of an elephant and rear end of a donkey. That sends a message — this campaign is bluntly political, but it is NOT partisan. This is a problem that slashes across the political spectrum.
-= Gryphon =-