And so the first week's flashed by! Almost a full one since the fireworks touched the sky and left the world in a smoky daze.

The day after it I woke up with a headache, we had guests over that afternoon, and though the sun was shining outside we barely had time for a walk, or any of the traditional reflections and contemplations on this first new day. It was a good visit, but it also felt like I missed something special. Like it was a rare moment to find a new inner peace and meaning that I'll now have to wait another year to experience.

Of course each day's a new phase too. Got to learn to treat 'em as such.

After that it was back to work again, and this weekend we've had guests over again on both days. I've been battling the starting signs of a cold that seems to come and go, but never really breaks through. Hope I'll manage to chase it away once and for all tonight, because next week (after a few work days) we're heading off to Tallinn, to explore the city and seep in the winter sights for just a couple of days.

I'm heading of to Östersund at the end of the month too, to Budapest at the start of February, to Turku a week later, to Malaga in March, and to Tallinn for a longer set of days again later that month. Just need to book in one more trip and I'll have achieved an amount of flights (18 in a year) that'll give me free baggage carrying rights on all superseding ones for another full year. Which will come in handy during summer, with all the veggies and berries I hope to pack and carry down from the North. An empty suitcase up and a full one back again, at least a couple times over. I've been going with hand luggage only the last couple of years, and though that's worked alright this'll definitely be better. Looking forward to that.

Not that I'm only taking these trips for the free luggage that follows! I'm looking forward to the trips too.

I've been booking one at a time for a while now, whenever tickets have been on sale (it's almost become a bit of an obsession), but the one I'm looking forward to the most is actually the one I've booked up North at the end of May. It'll be the first glimpse of real summer as I perceive it, no matter what weather there'll be in the countries I visit before it.

Makes you wonder why you're traveling out of the country when the places you enjoy are so much closer... and I think a big part of it is just to get out of your comfort zone, and of course: to see the world. Meet people. Go places. Broaden your perspectives. Then get back and appreciate what you have, and be proud you accomplished whatever you set out to.

Was pondering Marrakech or Krakow for that one last trip before summer, but it probably won't be either of those. We shall see. For now I'm pretty excited about the quick leap this coming week. Gotta deep sleep peeps.

Oh, you know the thing? The one I'm fixing? Well I finished it! Just in time for Christmas, and this time it went through. More news on that later y'all. Good times.

It's been a pretty good start of the new year, tiredness or no, snow's coated the road, I just put up six reviews and I still have double to post... been seeing quite a few this Christmas. And then I wrote some prose.

See you folks.

I wrote a massive wall of text in my resolutions post, so I'll keep this one slim, as the fireworks still occasionally brighten the dusty skies of overdue dusk outside, and the first few minutes of the New Year fade away.

It's a New Year! It really is. A new anno. 2019. An' you... what you gonna do?

Myself I'm both hyped and fearful of what this one might bring; if it'll lead me the right way or put up new roadblocks on this wobbly walk of life. But I shall meet it with resolve and great expectation, as should you, as we should all with any new phase of days we get! Yes!

Not just years, but months too, and weeks, and days. Treat each one like it might be your last, and live it to the fullest... but also note that tomorrow might be your last, so don't live this one in a way that you won't appreciate that one, too. And whatever daze of days may follow.

Here's hoping for only great things in the New Era that now starts! The last one passed way too fast, but I'm (cautiously) hopeful about this one.

Happy 2019.

Don't wait, but don't haste. Don't hesitate. Don't stall, don't fall, don't all. Don't say "yes" if you stress. Don't do if you are not supposed to. But mostly, a 'can't do' won't do: think instead of what you could do. Be good too.

Always good with a reminder, right? That's a little something from 2015.

I didn't post any resolutions last year. I posted some of them after the new year kicked in, more as motivation than actual goals. Nothing in a purely resolute form. No resolutions. Really. So there'll be no aftermath here! The one thing I intended to do was to stop stalling and... have I? I'm not sure. I feel like the year's just blazed by, and I've done a lot of good things but not all the things I've wanted to do. Far from all. Maybe my one resolution now should be to start prioritizing better? It'd be a killer combo.

I did get inspired and write down a list of bad habits I hoped to rid myself of in my Happy 2018 post though, and with those I've done OK! Won't analyze them one by one, but I'm happy to see a few I've dropped within the roster, and hopeful that I'll drop a few more of those this year. Some of them I did drop earlier, but seem to have regained during the winter. Unhealthy times these dark times!

I still have my private list from 2016 with a few dues I wish to do before I reveal those for the world too, so as the time ticks away before the New Year I'm not sure what new ones I should concoct, that won't impede my potential progress with my previous ones.

I have done some progress since then, though. This and the previous year weren't entirely worthless, even though they've sometimes felt pretty hopeless with how many projects I've had on my platter, how many I never seem to finish and how many I've had to say no to because I'm still not done with my old dues.

I don't like it. I want to be faster. I want to write as efficiently as I'm writing this right now, at the brink of a new era and the end of another one, when inspiration truly makes itself known and make my fingertips race over the keyboard. It's a good feeling. But you can't force inspiration... can you?

Something I've learned during recent years is that the difference between professionals and amateurs is that professionals do. How they wake up their slumbering pit of inspiring ideas is a different knowledge, but you can't just wait for ideas to come to you, as you just can't wait for time, or opportunity - If you don't get one you have to make one.

I haven't felt like I've had opportunity to do all that I wanted to this past year, and have in fact been way more stressed than usual from time to time, but as the year is crawling to a close and my inbox looks like this, and my PM inbox at NG looks like this (well it did a couple hours ago - seems like other people want to get through all of their responses before the New Year too) I'm finally beginning to feel an inner peace sweeping in... and that really boosts my sense of efficiency. It makes me believe it might be possible to make room for routines like a pro, too.

And so, my main resolution for this year is to follow through with my old resolutions. These ones.

I know you can't see those yet. That's intentional. They're private. I'm linking to the post anyway as to make it so that I'm continually held accountable for actually accomplishing them. All of them. Also: don't tell anyone about your goals until you achieve them, right?

I am confident I can accomplish everything I set out to do back then at this point. I've accomplished a few already, though next year it'll be with a couple modifications on the remaining ones that'll all make sense whenever you're later able to view that old post:

1. At least three short walks every day if there's no time for a longer one, stretching only after exercise (at least no obligation to stretch at other times), and definitely more focus on posture improvement.

   I'll add to that: daily deep breathing and eye exercises. I have a couple quick routines there that I plan to make a habit. More info on those as the year goes!

2. I will get a new eye test, and I will also improve my sight before the year is over - or at least make an effort to do so so that I'll know if it works or not. I won't just waste away by the computer, but actively look away. I'll hone my sight. Not ignore my problems.

Regarding the 100 and 750 word challenges from resolutions of old: I'm not doing those any longer. I'm not committing myself to any amount-based writing exercises, but rather to just continually stay creative, without letting any amount-based obligations get in the way of personal progress.

There's so much self-betterment I want to focus on. Excellence is a habit.

I'll start with what I've outlined here, and in the previous resolutions posts, and anything in addition to that... that's a bonus. All other points still apply, though without the amount-based goals on the final one. You'll see what I mean. ;)

I feel like I'm getting a bit better aim in regard to what I want in life with each of these posts... even if there is one particular topic I still refuse to bring up. Maybe next year. For now, just a few minutes before the clock strikes twelve and the fireworks start popping outside, I'm happy with the resolve I have and a select few resolutions on my tray. Happy New Year in a bit, and may it be way better than this one was!

It's been good but: just not enough.

Massive end-of-the-year dose of music, new and old? :) Here goes...

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Green Day special! Courtesy of SuperPCGamer.

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GOG are doing one of those things again! SOMA's currently free, and Fantasy Generals is basically free too! Spend a meager 0.01 USD and you get it... though of course there are no games that cheap, so technically: spend a dollar.

I just wish you could sort games by price, or even better: by rebates, in ascending order, and I'd be all on this... but the game giveaways on this one: sure. I got those. Background here.