Summer is approaching it’s end. Part of me thinks it can’t come soon enough because of all the heat, but part of me isn’t ready for it to end.
We’ve had so many hot days this summer. We didn’t reach the records of last year, but I believe this year has been more consistently hot.
I’ve had a lot of fun this summer. It doesn’t seem like I’ve done as much as last year. I think last summer people were glad to finally be able to do things together again, so we made up for lost time. This year people have been taking it more easy, especially with covid variants and monkeypox going around.
Xander came to visit in early June and we spent a couple of days in Bend. It was my first time and we had a lot of fun!
A bunch of us went to Seattle in July for Alan and Austin’s belated bachelor party. So much fun!
Last weekend we had a corn themed party at Cory and Chris’s.
I’ve been doing tons on PDX Gaymer activities. A bit more than normal. We’ll slow down after this month I think! I also started putting together a board earlier in the year and started the process of becoming a nonprofit.
I made the decision not to go to PAX this year, which is where I would have been this weekend. I just wasn’t looking forward to it at all, especially after being in Seattle so recently. I know that I often dreading a trip and have tons of fun anyway, but I decided to save the money and spend it on a different trip.
Work is going well. I’m finally starting to see where I fit in on this new team.
Wow, time flies. It’s been a while since my last post, so I figured I’d pop in with an update like I do.
Life has been great. Between spending time with friends and PDX Gaymers events, I’ve been busy. October especially with all the Halloween things. My friend Aaron had a Disney-themed party this year. I dressed like a Sith Lord and everyone seemed to like it. PDX Gaymers had a Halloween game night again and my friend Jer also had a party. I’ve come to enjoy Halloween these past few years. I sympathize with those who don’t get into it but have to watch as everyone else is excited about it. It’s kinda how I’ve felt about Thanksgiving and Christmas most recent years.
Speaking of Thanksgiving and Christmas, it feels like a sprint from October until the end of the year. So much happening and work usually has end of the year deadlines. At least I have a few weeks to catch my breath though before things really pick up again.
Work at Nike is still great. I’m not sure that there’s any chance of being hired full time. Not on this team, at least. I received an offer from a team at Intel to return there. A generous offer. I didn’t even have to go through an interview process, probably because I was recommended by one of my old managers. I ended up turning it down, mostly because I didn’t think I would like the work and I would be unmotivated to come to to work every day. While this was going on, a team that includes some of the people I last worked with there also wanted to make an offer, but they couldn’t because of the other offer. It’s nice to feel wanted. I still feel the mental effects of that year of unemployment I had.
I got my covid booster on the 20th. Thank goodness for vaccines. So glad that I’m able to go out and have fun again this year.
I went to see the Trailblazers play the Clippers on the 29th. Aaron got tickets through his work. Floor seats! So weird being that close to all the action.
Oh, early in the month I went to see a Bianca Del Rio show. Wendy Ho opened for her. They were both so funny. I’ve never seen the early seasons of Drag Race, but I want to go back and watch them.
There’s more stuff coming up, but I’ll save it for another time. Happy Halloween!
April was actually a pretty dry month relatively speaking. I think I remember hearing that we set a record for most consecutive days in April without rain. Anyway, that’s not why I’m here.
I started working as a contractor at Nike at the beginning of the month. I’ve wanted to work for Nike for a long time. They’ve been my dream local company for a while now. I really like the team that I’m on and the work that I’m doing. I’ve already taken 1 trip to the employee store and bought a whole bunch of stuff at discount. The only thing that took away a little enthusiasm is that around the time I interviewed with them, another company showed interest. I couldn’t get an answer from the other company a month ago, but they reached out again a couple of weeks ago and I formally interviewed with them this week. I would feel terrible about leaving Nike so soon, but it would be hard to pass up this opportunity.
I got my 2nd dose of the covid vaccine on April 20. Yeah, the next day was awful like I expected. I had chills, a fever, nausea. Thankfully, I felt much better the next day. I already have plans for some social activities this summer. Some friends and I are planning a cabin getaway Memorial Day Weekend. I’m so excited.
I have so many plants now. I’m sure they were happy for what rain we did get. I’m still a newbie when it comes to raising plants. A lot of what I’m doin now is experimentation.
I got talked into trading in my last week Toyota Corolla for a new car. I decided to get a 2021 Toyota Corolla hybrid. I really loved that Corolla, but I like this one better so far. I remember joking after moving to Portland and seeing so many hybrids that my next car would be one. I didn’t happen that way and all electric seems to be the way to go now, but I’m usually behind on this kind of thing.
The covid-19 vaccination effort has been underway since December I believe. It’s been just a matter of waiting for my turn. My turn finally came yesterday.
I kind of had a feeling early on that I would be in the last group to get it. Well, when Oregon finally finished defining the groups, it turned out I was in the next to last group, being pushed into that group by my BMI. All this time I’m jealous because I’m seeing people I know get the vaccine. Some I couldn’t figure out how they got to go so early, though I was happy for them all the same. The time my group would be eligible was pushed up to April (early estimates were July and then May 1) thanks to an increased supply. Then one day last week I got an email with a link to schedule an appointment. I didn’t think much of it. I figured that maybe it was pushed up again. I scheduled my appointment for March 30 at the Convention Center. Well, the next day I found out that due to an error 11,000 people were invited to schedule their appointments earlier than they should have been, but the appointments would be honored anyway.
I haven’t made that big a deal about it publicly because so many people are still waiting. The whole process of getting the shot once I got to the Convention Center was quick and painless. They were giving the Pfizer vaccine.. My arm is still pretty sore, but that’s the only side effect I’ve had. I’ve heard the side effects of the 2nd shot are the worst, which for me is scheduled for April 20. Two weeks after that it should have taken full effect.
I’m so excited to be able to spend time with friends again and go out to do things around town.
I’ve had some kind of respiratory thing going on for about a month now. I think it started at the end of January or first of February. Most of the time it’s just shortness of breath. Sometimes a cough or sniffles or a little nausea comes along with it. I’ve been tested for covid, so I don’t think it’s at. I check my temperature every few days and that’s been fine. I hope it’s not something in my environment making me sick. Hopefully I’ll feel better soon.
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