Then, Now, and Tomorrow | A 2012 recap so-far

So yesterday after I talked about my re-return to the blog, it seemed only fitting to go over some of the things I’ve been doing instead of blogging here, some of the things I’m working on, and some of the things I should have been doing instead. With that, let’s begin a quick recap of 2012 (so-far):

What I’ve been up to

– Work! Although I’d say that my present job actually takes up less of my time than my previous job, I still have a drive that says “who cares it’s 5pm, kick it into the the next gear and lets hammer these projects out”. The team I’m on has great ideas and wants to do awesome work, we’re just still in the early stages of garnering buy-in and proof-of-concept. That means that at work I have even more ideas bouncing around as I search for the “right” idea to push instead of pushing every “good” idea.

– Guest Blogging! This year I’ve had a number of guest posts published over at BloomingRock.com. I really appreciate the opportunities Taz has given me, and this set of guest posts has certainly been both challenging and rewarding to me as a writer. Check out some of my recent blogs:
– 4-Steps to becoming a Phoenix Super-Hero before Comicon
– Perks of Being a Regular
– A Letter to Light Rail Riders

– Gaming! Although I’ve been playing less WoW than ever, I’ve been playing far more LoL, Starcraft II and random games I bought during the Steam Sale.

What I’m cooking

– Restarting this blog, duh! While I want to downplay it, because really, how impressive is it to start a blog? Tons of people start blogs everyday and they’re all either crap or poorly written or complete aimless, and I know I’ve been guilty of all those things in the past. Instead, what I am looking forward to is the re-dedication to something that I felt helped me become a high-achieving person at home and work before. Getting my craziness out through the blog, taking the time to flesh out ideas that are sort of clogging up the works up there will hopefully help me be more focused and even more goal-oriented afterwards. So having the blog into the goal, using the blog to declutter my grey matter is.

– Likewise, our typical summer doldrums are coming to an end over at LeetSauced, the gaming podcast I co-host and organize. We’re coming up on the end of our second year here in a couple weeks and I’m glad to see that such an enjoyable enterprise is still going and still being received very well by our listeners.

What I should have done with my summer vacation

– Working Out! Aside from needing to get in better shape for general health, I’ve had an idea for the last couple of years that I ought to make into a goal. I want to run with the bulls in Pamplona. Well, more accurately, I want to safely out-run some on-rushing bulls in Pamplona. The festival occurs every July, and I’ve had an idea of using the blog to track my progress as I get ready to run in the event. Instead of having an idea, I really should have just started running and made a go at it.

– Going back to school! Now more than ever I’ve been feeling an itch to move away. Not that I have anything against Phoenix, or that I imagine I’d stay away for very long, but between the heat and the slow march of progress, maybe absence really would make the heart grow fonder. Every time I seriously discussing moving to Seattle or NYC or London, the same questions come up, namely “Could I get a gig somewhere else having only work experience and not my degree?”. The only real way to answer this is to either dive in, or go back to school. Honestly, it’s been a decade since I stopped going to college, I need to get my butt in gear and make it happen.