work and new prospects 0630

the past two weeks i've just been at work and keeping my head down while life unfolds around me. for all the anxiety i had about the shift, it honestly felt really great to be back onboard and to have my 'rock' in life when i really needed the stability. to keep myself occupied i spent most of my spare time reading and managed to finish the count of monte cristo, which blew me away. i've also made up my mind about moving and in august i'm going to pick up completely and move to the city. lots of my coworkers live in the city i've picked so i'm feeling really positively about it all. i've really always lived in remote places, so i'm excited about the prospects of living somewhere modern where it isn't such a pain to access services.

moving and eviction 0608

so after 3 years of living at my current place, my landlord is selling the house and it's finally time to look at other places and move. the rental market in my town is super dire... so i'm wondering if now is the time to pick up and make a move somewhere else, even though i put in all the work to settle down here. i just wish a clear way forward presented itself here and now and without fuss, so that i could have my plans sorted all in that one instant and i wouldn't have to face uncertainty. there's still time to figure out a plan but i am not thrilled by the prospect of repacking and moving again on my days off this summer. all i can do is wait for now

second life 0601

i've been playing a lot of second life again lately and pivoting towards more customization and building. i tweaked my anime avatar and edited rosier's itabag to be lamento themed ^_^

ticket timeline and discussing work 0526

in june i have to return to work finally after i haven't been on the boat since october. and there's no ill-will towards my coworkers, but i'm sort of dreading being bugged by them and sort of just want to be left alone. i finally have confirmation about the dates for my remaining big 2 exams so i can prepare for my oral examinations starting in the 2026 new year into the spring season. honestly, i'm trying not to be so absorbed in work or the working mindset until i actually get back onboard the boat, but it feels good to have a clear timeline for my examinations set up now, so that i can use the time i have in the meanwhile to tie up my loose ends. sometimes i feel like i'm a little too absorbed in planning ahead.

dental surgery 0519

i had my wisdom teeth removed and spent some time in my hometown. medical stuff doesn't bother me all that much except that i hate to feel weak afterwards, when my body is healing.

simulated navigation 0423

the simulator course was much harder than i anticipated it would be and ended up being a very humbling, but informative, experience. everything in the course is taught in a traditional way with paper charts and paper plotting, so a lot of labour is performed in this training environment that isn't necessarily done in practice. in order to attend the course i was arranged to live in a hotel and had to fly to the island. i always felt that it would feel a little more glamorous to stay in a hotel for a long time, but after a few days it really stagnates, and i could never get really comfortable. i'm happy that it's over with and i can take a well-deserved and long break in may.

meteorology and ship knowledge 0324

backadded for my own memories... these courses consumed most of my life from the new year until the end of march, but it was nice to do it all through online sessions.