[Mistr]

I am glad that you had an excellent trip and are safely home.

 

You are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing. It is prudent to take some time to research the job market before jumping back in. This is not your first rodeo, you know what you need to do to find a good job for you.

 

You also have all the weapons you need to fight off the stress monsters. You have done that many times, you will do it again. They are noisy, but you will beat them soundly.

[Scaly Freak]

Sunday:

 

Recover HP (physical health)

Walked with Husband and Happy Sidekick again.

 

Restore Mana (mental health)

Forgot to mediate, most likely because the habit was lost while I was vacationing. 

 

Regenerate Stamina (emotional bandwidth)

Took a full day off from work-related things. Felt very good and was badly needed.

[Scaly Freak]

Monday:

 

Recover HP (physical health)

Short walk with Husband and Happy Sidekick. Weather remains unpleasantly windy.

 

Restore Mana (mental health)

Forgot to mediate again. Sigh. 

 

Regenerate Stamina (emotional bandwidth)

Applied to a number of jobs. Re-polished resume/CV and the cover letter.

[Scaly Freak]

Tuesday:

 

Recover HP (physical health)

Short walk in the cold spring rain, with the usual partners in crime. Gym visit planned for this evening.

UPDATE: Nasty cold rainy windy weather. Did a Darebee at home instead.

 

Restore Mana (mental health)

I remembered to mediate! Go me!

 

Regenerate Stamina (emotional bandwidth)

Slept in. Rest of day: Signed up for coaching webinars and training sessions on how to make cover letter and CV look more appealing and impressive, because why not. Applied to a couple of jobs.

[Harriet]

Oh wow, you've updated your CV and done some applications! I admire your courage, those would be really scary things for me.

[Scaly Freak]

2 hours ago, Harriet said:

Oh wow, you've updated your CV and done some applications! I admire your courage, those would be really scary things for me.

 

They are scary things. Period. Let no one tell you otherwise. It's a whole new level of stress that I haven't had to deal with in a long time.

 

*deep breath*

 

But moving to an entirely new country, where I knew exactly one person, was also scary back when I did that. So was starting at a new school in that new country. And so was interviewing for jobs whole knowing that my entire work history was back in my native country and references would be impossible to check. 

 

I am a veteran of many great battles and hard-fought victories. This new campaign will end in glory and add to my legend. 

 

[Jackdaw]

21 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

But moving to an entirely new country, where I knew exactly one person, was also scary back when I did that. So was starting at a new school in that new country. And so was interviewing for jobs whole knowing that my entire work history was back in my native country and references would be impossible to check. 

Wow, your life history is almost identical to mine xD The only difference is I didn't know even one person.

 

Good luck in your current battles! You can do it!

[Scaly Freak]

Wednesday:

 

Recover HP (physical health)

Walked with the usual suspects. Intermittent stretching throughout the day.

 

Restore Mana (mental health)

Meditated with morning coffee.

 

Regenerate Stamina (emotional bandwidth)

First session with Therapist #4. Not quite clicking personality-wise, yet, but she seems like a good listener, so maintaining optimism, and have scheduled our next session.

 

Thursday:

 

Recover HP (physical health)

Morning walk and after-"work" walk. Left Happy Sidekick home for the second one out of respect for her arthritis.

 

Restore Mana (mental health)

Finally remembered to meditate by mid-afternoon.

 

Regenerate Stamina (emotional bandwidth)

March Madness tips off at 5:35 PM in our house. 🏀

[Scaly Freak]

Major spoiler for Picard, season 3, episode 5:

 

Spoiler

Ro Laren has always been one of my favorite Star Trek characters. Not only did Commander Ro own every scene she was in (while holding her own against Sir Patrick Stewart in all of them, acting-wise), she fully owned those last moments and went out in a blaze of glory and honor in every sense of that expression, and takes her rightful place in Sto'Vo'Kor.

 

Sitting through the highly questionable bullshit that was season 1 and season 2 was totally wort it for these last two episodes. First Worf returns, and now Ro Laren? All I need now is a guest cameo by Elim Garak, preferably in a multi-layered innuendo-filled conversation scene with Seven and Picard, and my Star Trek fan-life will be complete.

 

[Scaly Freak]

Friday:

 

Recover HP (physical health)

Lunch break walk again. 

 

Restore Mana (mental health)

Once again forgot to meditate until mid-afternoon.

 

Regenerate Stamina (emotional bandwidth)

TTRPG this evening.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

19 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

Major spoiler for Picard, season 3, episode 5:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Ro Laren has always been one of my favorite Star Trek characters. Not only did Commander Ro own every scene she was in (while holding her own against Sir Patrick Stewart in all of them, acting-wise), she fully owned those last moments and went out in a blaze of glory and honor in every sense of that expression, and takes her rightful place in Sto'Vo'Kor.

 

Sitting through the highly questionable bullshit that was season 1 and season 2 was totally wort it for these last two episodes. First Worf returns, and now Ro Laren? All I need now is a guest cameo by Elim Garak, preferably in a multi-layered innuendo-filled conversation scene with Seven and Picard, and my Star Trek fan-life will be complete.

 

Spoiler

Between Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds, And Picard S3, NuTrek has finally hit it's stride. I find something to like in all of it (though I doubt I'll rewatch DISCO S1 anytime soon, but I'm really excited about PIC and SNW right now. This last episode was SO GOOD.

 

[Scaly Freak]

@Tanktimus the Encourager Please share something about what makes Strange New Worlds worth watching? Preferably without spoilers, please.  

 

They advertise SNW in a short trailer clip right before each Picard episode, and every time I see the trailer I become a little less interested, because they're not making it look like a good Star Trek show at all  

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

54 minutes ago, Scaly Freak said:

@Tanktimus the Encourager Please share something about what makes Strange New Worlds worth watching? Preferably without spoilers, please.  

 

They advertise SNW in a short trailer clip right before each Picard episode, and every time I see the trailer I become a little less interested, because they're not making it look like a good Star Trek show at all  

Without spoilers, it's a return to episodic storytelling. There is cohesion between the episodes, but it's not serialized, each episode is a complete story. In addition, each character is fleshed out and developed. You know who is on the bridge and why each member is important. The characters are also well written, with motivations that are consistent and make sense. I like watching the characters interact. There is also plenty of Star Treky-themes, like "Let's solve this science mystery" "let's let this sci-fi situation be an excuse to explore a contemporary societal theme." Anson Mount makes you believe Pike is this legendary captain. 

[sarakingdom]

1 hour ago, Scaly Freak said:

@Tanktimus the Encourager Please share something about what makes Strange New Worlds worth watching? Preferably without spoilers, please.  

 

They advertise SNW in a short trailer clip right before each Picard episode, and every time I see the trailer I become a little less interested, because they're not making it look like a good Star Trek show at all  

 

I haven't seen it yet, but I'm on the waiting list for the DVDs, because I've seen nothing but praise for it, even from people who are not too enthused about other new Trek shows. (Not the raving trads who loudly hate wokeness in their Trek, but fans making reasonable critiques.) And one thing I believe they've done well is retcon the problematic Spock-Chapel relationship in a way that makes Chapel a good character, not a sad two-dimensional cliche. It sounds like they've done well at making it a good ensemble show. Everyone I know who's watched it says it's a return to great Trek, and basically the best of the new Trek.**

 

I suspect the look and feel is quite different, enough that it may feel like a slightly different universe. But I'm okay with that, I think. It probably was that way when TNG came around, and we get an interesting, non-sexist Pike in return, with zero "I just can't get used to a woman on the bridge... not you, you're not a woman, Number One", which is a good deal.

 

*** Apart from the one guy who is stanning for Prodigy.

[Scaly Freak]

Thank you both! Based on your posts, I a feel safe in concluding that the SNW trailers I've seen are thoroughly misleading.

[sarakingdom]

20 minutes ago, Scaly Freak said:

Thank you both! Based on your posts, I a feel safe in concluding that the SNW trailers I've seen are thoroughly misleading.

 

I mean, you never know. The different feel might end up throwing you stylistically. I've definitely seen clips out of context that I've looked askance at. Or maybe it won't. I've seen others that seem fine. But worth the experiment, I'd say. Science.

 

 

(My only real hesitation is that they have broken the code, and readmitted ST:V to canon. It makes me want to spray them with a water bottle, like cats on the forbidden counter. I don't entirely trust them to handle Sybok in a way that successfully subverts the problems in the initial narrative, and this seems like a doubled problem in a universe with yet ANOTHER hastily retconned-in surprise sibling. TNG WORKED HARD TO UNDO THAT NONSENSE. PATRICK STEWART CRIED HIS EYES PUT TO SPARE US MORE SYBOK.)

[Harriet]

9 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

TTRPG this evening.

 

What is ttrpg, precious?

[Scaly Freak]

11 hours ago, Harriet said:

 

What is ttrpg, precious?

 

Table-top Role Playing Game. The most famous one out there is probably Dungeons & Dragons. 

[Harriet]

10 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

Table-top Role Playing Game. The most famous one out there is probably Dungeons & Dragons. 

 

Table top, got it! I'm trying to soak up the gaming terminology, though I don't think any table tops will be in my future as that requires real live humans.

[Scaly Freak]

12 hours ago, Harriet said:

 

Table top, got it! I'm trying to soak up the gaming terminology, though I don't think any table tops will be in my future as that requires real live humans.

 

We actually found our current group during the pandemic shut-down, and play in video chat in Discord. We use a VTT (virtual table-top) system for character sheets, dice rolls, etc.

[Harriet]

12 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

 

We actually found our current group during the pandemic shut-down, and play in video chat in Discord. We use a VTT (virtual table-top) system for character sheets, dice rolls, etc.

 

Awesome. Sounds like a good set up.

[Scaly Freak]

Saturday and Sunday:

 

Recover HP (physical health)

There was walking and stretching.

 

Restore Mana (mental health)

Meditation happened. 

 

Regenerate Stamina (emotional bandwidth)

Kept the weekend as a weekend. No work-hunt related things intruded.

 

Monday:

 

Recover HP (physical health)

Walked again. in the rain. Blech.

 

Restore Mana (mental health)

Meditated, and traded musical favorites with a new friend. 

 

Regenerate Stamina (emotional bandwidth)

New Therapist, henceforth referred to as T4, sent me an anxiety worksheet over the weekend. Since my next appointment is on Wednesday, I set time aside to complete the worksheet Monday, and send it back.

 

Tuesday:

 

Recover HP (physical health)

Walking again. This appears to finally have become a habit.

 

Restore Mana (mental health)

Meditated with music and adorable little plant simulator app.

 

Regenerate Stamina (emotional bandwidth)

Experimentally applied a Pomodoro timer to resume updating and general job search activities, to see if it helps productivity and reduces stress. More data is needed, so the timer video has been bookmarked.

[Kishi]

Kudos to you for walking in the rain. Walking is something I really need to get back in my life in a bad way. That is some daggum dedication right there.

[Jackdaw]

On 3/22/2023 at 5:53 AM, Scaly Freak said:

Meditated, and traded musical favorites with a new friend. 

Great you have a new friend! I think it's very refreshing to get to know someone new, it breaks the routine a little bit. What are your musical favourites right now?

[Scaly Freak]

13 hours ago, XBlackWidowX said:

What are your musical favourites right now?

 

...all of them...? 🤔

 

I've been listening to a lot of symphonic metal lately. It fits my mood. So bands like Archenemy, Sabaton, After forever, Opeth...