[JT] More than a year later...

Holy crap...  I did not even realize that it has been over a year since my first post went up.  On May 8th 2012, this site started with a farewell.  Since then, I've been going back and forth like a sine wave with my productivity here, but I've been getting the itch to write more.  I'm not certain if it's because of my recent foray into the Modern format in Magic, or if I'm just doomed to cycle through cranking out posts and not; hell, maybe I'm just a masochist and love giving my self more work when I am the busiest I have been in months.  Who knows?  But I couldn't think of a better way to kick off a new year [albeit a little late] and a new spurt of drive than to review what has happened over the past year; both the good and the bad.  It's time for me to lay bare everything...

MtG card art: Lay Bare

I'm warning you now, this is going deep, a lot deeper than I have gone into my personal life before, and it's not all pretty.  So if you want the typical (trying to be) happy go lucky JT, he'll be here, but it's going to be after I get the crap out.  I will be completely honest: this post is more for me than for you, I just figured I would let you along for the ride.

Let's dive in, shall we?

Since May 8th of 2012, a lot in my life has changed.  Like I told you then, I officially quit school to pursue my true academic passion; teaching.  Now, I am enrolled back in my undergrad alma mater, Mercyhurst University; this time as a grad student to get my Masters in Secondary Science Education.  I'm taking two online classes right now with Sarah, who you just met.  This is what I meant by creating more work during the busiest time I've had in months.  The classes are easy but they eat up a LOT of time; added to the fact that I am still at Target until I move and I want to come home and do nothing but lay in bed (hence my lack of posts, or at least that's a part of it).

My drive was also sapped out of me by some other things that have been going on...  *breath*...  so, when I moved home after graduation in 2011, I moved back to my parents at each others' throats; a constant cycle of arguing and silence.  It was so bad that I couldn't even sleep right; any little noise I heard outside of my room made me hold my breath and hope that this was not another argument about to start.  Combined with the stress of finding a job to pay student loans, eventually finding one that makes me run around like crazy, and applying to colleges, I ended up losing about 30 lbs from sheer stress since the beginning of January (I'll admit that the drop in weight was nice, but I'm not proud of how it happened).  Finally, a few months ago, right around the time that my Target store opened, my father moved out; I've only seen him twice since them.  We still talk, but it's still weird.  I can't even go visit him yet because it's so odd. 

The good thing is it's quieted down in my house.  I'm starting to get used to everything again.  My weight has stabilized.  Work is somewhat less stressful now that I don't have to worry about what I am coming back to. While we're on the subject of a good thing, let's forget all the crap, shall we?  Let's dive into the thing that has kept me sane through this all and why I continue to try and push this blog forward:  all the good that has come about in the past year.

I already told you the first: I got accepted back to Mercyhurst!  I wanted to go to Seattle Pacific University, but I got wait listed, and the familiarity and sure thing of Mercyhurst was too much to pass up for the remote
possibility of SPU.  I'm not one to go for familiar when it comes to decisions like these, but I left my heart and soul up at Mercyhurst, so going back felt right.  I still intend to end up in Seattle; just not yet (and you can be certain all of you will be seeing that journey unfold).  What makes it even better is not only did I get accepted back, I got my old job back at our Performing Arts Center!  For those of you that don't know, for the last two years of high school, I did stage crew.  Then when I went to Mercyhurst, I spent all four years working as a stage hand, seeing some of the most amazing shows and meeting some of the most amazing performers; you don't know surreal until you get to speak Japanese with real Japanese Taiko drummers!  Now I'm back, and as the GA of the center, meaning I'll have more responsibilities doing the one thing I love more than teaching that is not in my realm of nerddom.  My return to Mercyhurst could not/cannot have gone better.  Oh yeah, did I mention Sarah also goes to Mercyhurst?  We're going to be the freaking Jessie and James of that campus!

Wasn't sure if Sarah or I was Jessie or James, all I know is Jas is Meowth.

I've also had the chance to go to some pretty awesome events recently that I did not forsee happening when I first started this blog.  First, I went to freaking GP CHARLOTTE, the largest Magic event in his- ...  Ok, so it was upstaged (read as: "obliterated") by GP Vegas last weekend, but whatever.  I got to meet some heroes of mine, three out of the four dorks from The Mana Pool, and got to see my best friend and our favorite nerd noob, Caitlin.  Hands down this was the best week of my life.

Most recently there was AnimeNext, where Sarah, Jas, and I roadtripped to New Jersey for a weekend of cosplay debauchery (read as: they cosplayed while I took pictures, and then we were old fogies and went back to the hotel room early each night....   >.> <.< >.>  did I just say fogies?  F*ck....).  Don't worry, those cosplay pictures will be up soon.  I know I still owe you them.  What was great for me during this trip was we tried out something completely new for us: we recorded end of day wrap-ups and posted them, unedited, on here.  I never thought this site would go beyond text, but if you liked it, I definitely would not mind trying more.  It was also great just going to a con because I really thought that after undergrad, my con days were over.

So, a year later and here we are.  I've gone through my own personal hell and made it through with a smile.  Even if this site is not huge and even if it never will be, I'm going to keep bringing you more content as I can.  Like I said, I have a picture update for you, I'm working up some new CGCs and I'm sitting on a few posts from the rest of the gang too.  This was just year one of who knows how many more, and I really hope you are going to see this through to the end, just like I will.

I'll keep writing if you keep reading...
-JT