hey world. I've been out of the 'verse for a spell (understatement of the decade-and-a-bit). glad to be back, before getting my own site to keep my blog on.
things sure have changed since the 2010s: back then, I was slowly flaming out of UBC, finding work (and subsequently leaving work), still fiddling around with my medications for Bipolar I, and taking courses at TRU in Kamloops as I could afford them. friends came and went, but the real ones always kept in touch, new ones were made, and we sometimes (gasp!) we see each other in-person -- sometimes weekly!
Japan was revisited, both as a solo journey in 2019 and a trip with friends last December, more of Canada was illuminated and brought to mind, a small slice of America was visited briefly; travel has always been important to me, and the pitiful few countries I've actually been to is a source of mortification when talking to more experienced travelers. I'm hoping in the near future to rectify that shameful fact, potentially as early as April. watch this space (?)
oen thing that hasn't changed: I'm still a student, technically. this past semester I had to bow out of due to an unruly appendix needing removal, the complications and length of hospital stay, and the ensuing depressive period. I'm hoping that by the time summer rolls around, I'll be in good enough shape to get back to my studies. I'm in third year now of TRU's International Business major for my BBA, taking upper level courses and panicking about harder coursework and quicker deadlines. the courses so far have been interesting for the most part, and relevant to why I decided to pursue this avenue in the first place.
cats are very much still part of my life. Chasa and Miko passed away in the mid-to-late 2010's, and since 2017, we have welcomed new challenges Baxter and Bailey. they're the two Maine Coons as the family's pets: Baxter, the tabby, is a bit of a handful at times, but is very playful, patient, and friendly to strangers, whereas his sister Bailey, a calico, is a little more skittish, reserved, and gentle; a total sweetheart in other words, opting to hide from loud noises or my niece's attempts to pet her.
did I say I have a niece now? geez, big changes, Uncle Cam!
my sister's almost seven year old daughter is curious, funny, always quick with a song or (occasionally) bizarre performance, and excited to play or just watch shows and listen to music on her old phone. if she ever spends extended time here in the next year or so, I'm hoping to show her cartoons that I loved/love, and good modern, (now) classic music, and vintage oldies. she's already in Grade 1 (where does the time go?), learning French and English, and making lots of new friends. what an exciting time of life! :)
still a bit of a gamer! this year I picked up a PS5, and have been playing Helldivers 2, Baldur's Gate 3, and various smaller games with friends online most weeks. when I'm not doing that, Steam takes up the lion's share of my free time, spent mostly with Dota 2 (since 2013), Counter Strike 2 (since 2024 - so gd rusty, but the muscle memory of my 1.6 days is coming back to me~), Elite Dangerous (space truckin') Delta Force (with the 100 Mile gang as of yesterday), and Valve's new MOBA shooter, Deadlock (expecting big things past Closed Alpha!). I've never been good at keeping up with a gaming schedule, more opting to watch streamers on Twitch like Wagamama (DOTA), GoOffKings and BigHowellDawdy (variety), and recently, my friend NoxDracoria (cozy games/community selected/sp00ky) started a stream while her twins are in school. not for nothing, I'm also considering a bit of a streaming journey to make me more accountable to working through my mountainous backlog of games, as well as debut a bit of a trivia segment, given some preparation.
trivia. that's a big part of my life now. back in early university, I spent a lot of time at the campus pub, Heroes, as well as at the Central Station Pub, with a group of pals known as Optimus Prime in Truck Mode, for Rock Trivia. the weekly event we go to now is called Tremendous Trivia, hosted by Dave the Wave, at Fox n' Hounds pub in Sahali. there's a picture round, classic music (pre '95) and modern music (any time past that), as well as three increasingly difficult rounds of General Knowledge. our team rotates names, mostly as a mashup of 2-3 band names - we keep the name if we win, and we change it if we don't. 2024 was a pretty banner year, with lots of long-standing names (the most recent of which was Cardi B Sharps), and a graveyard of one-and-dones. Ash, Darren, and Jared are the current frequent attenders, but we also have Schterve & Cass, Stu, and occasionally Taylor and Kari if they can swing it. we save up our winnings (gift cards for the pub are the prize: $20 for third, $25 for second, $40 for first place) and spend them on a free night out every few months. our regular waitress, Emily, is a welcome sight most Wednesdays, and the beer selection and food is among the best in town (source: me). I haven't got that much of a beer belly, though, as...
the body has through some changes. as of 2021, during an oft conveniently forgotten Global Pandemic (tm), I weighed as much as 250 lbs. having issues with endurance and strength, I decided to give a program called Noom a try, where they would teach through lessons about nutrition and health, track meals and exercise, and generally start getting me healthier. after the year's subscription lapsed, I was down thirty (!) pounds, which I have since taken to a round 50 (!!) through daily walks and light exercise. the new me is a little more nimble, has a positive outlook on body image, and learning to love limitations on food and drink. mind you, I wasn't pounding soda and eating junk food before (that was high school Cam's steeze), but I was definitely overindulging in the tasty aspects of life in general. most days I can go til dinner time without having much to eat, and nothing but water, mushroom tea (what up, MUD/WTR? [as of yesterday]) and a morning French Press of coffee.
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the next few days, my dance card is pretty full: tonight, I'll be seeing Tokyo Godfathers (dubbed) by Satoshi Kon at the Paramount, followed by some solo karaoke at the Central with Darren as host. tomorrow is Kari's birthday/bad movie/Jackbox bash; will have to find a suitable present tonight! Sunday evening will be a Dungeons and Dragons one-shot (part twoooooooo!) with the gang (again at Kari and Taylor's), and Monday will be Stu's housewarming/"thanks for helping me move" party. after that, I suspect I'll spend quiet time at home until New Year's draws me out again.
there may be a timely update for the eve before, but likely I won't be writing another entry until January. until then...
...sorry for the wait!
see you in the 'verse~
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