If you know me, then you’re aware that I haven’t been especially happy at the hospital where I work.

There are some truly fantastic people there…  And I really do enjoy the work I’m doing…  But, due to powers beyond my control, the workload has become straight-up intolerable.  Lots of projects, lots of deadlines, lots of day-to-day break/fix stuff – and not nearly enough people to get it done.

So I started looking around for other options about six months back.  Didn’t really see anything amazing at the time…  Applied a couple different places, but it didn’t go anywhere…

Then, just recently, I saw an opening at a local .com company.  Applied over there…  Went through several rounds of interviews…  And, last night, accepted an offer from them.

I’ve got another month here at the hospital, and then I’ll be starting at the new place.

Back to work tomorrow.  Can’t say I’m looking forward to it.

The vacation has been really nice.  Only got a couple calls from work, so I was actually able to relax for the most part.  Spent a whole bunch of time doing not a whole lot of anything.  Stayed up late, slept late, played video games…

I really think my mind is in a better place now, than it was a week ago.  That I think I’ll be returning to work tomorrow in a much better mindset.  And it will be nice to return to a normal routine again…

But I can’t say I’m looking forward to the huge pile of work that’ll be waiting for me.  I’ve been gone for a whole week, and there’s some stuff that just plain does not get done when I’m not around.

There’s another sale going on Steam…  This time around it’s their Autumn Sale.  They’ve had different specials every day.

Today, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine was on sale – 33% off.

I’ve been a big fan of pretty much all of Relic‘s 40k games, and I’ve been eyeing this game for a little while, so I had to grab it while it was on sale.

Tried it out earlier tonight…  And it is certainly an interesting game.

It definitely captures the dark, gritty, brutal feeling of the 40k setting.  But it also completely ignores the current trend in shooters towards more tactical gameplay.

I don’t know how many shooters I’ve seen recently where cover was absolutely essential.  Games with all sorts of interesting covering-fire and blind-shooting mechanics to allow you to take advantage of cover.  Games where you virtually *need* to use the gun’s sights just to hit the broad side of the barn.  And, while this is fun, it doesn’t exactly fit the in-your-face nature of the 40k universe.

Which is why I was so delighted to see Space Marine ignore that trend.

Rather than ducking behind cover and waiting for your health to regenerate, you have to gloriously destroy the Emperor’s foes to recover your health.  And, rather than hanging back and carefully picking off enemies from the safety of cover, you’re generally encouraged to wade into the fray and mete out justice with a melee weapon.

It’s a hell of a lot of fun.

It’s Friday again.

This week has simply flown by.  Didn’t accomplish much of anything.  Played a lot of Skyrim, did the Thanksgiving thing, and that’s about it.  Sat around on my ass and relaxed.  There were a few days that I didn’t even change out of my pajamas.

I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who would view that as a horrific waste of time.  Folks who’d say I should’ve been doing something more productive with myself…  Or, at the very least, more interesting.

But after all the stress and chaos at work over the last six months or so, I just really needed a break.  I needed a few days of doing absolutely nothing.  And that’s exactly what I got.

I’m sure there’ll be plenty of work waiting for me on Monday.  Because there’s plenty of stuff that just plain doesn’t get done when I’m not around.  But I still think the time off was worth it.

My 34th birthday…

Not doing too much in the lines of birthday celebration today, as it’s also Thanksgiving.  I think we’re going to focus on the turkey and stuff today.  Maybe do something special this weekend for my birthday.

Terri got me a copy of Skyrim, which I’ve been playing almost non-stop.

And I’ve got a good chunk of cash from my folks, but I’m not sure what I’ll be spending that on.

The turkey is in the oven…  We’ve got an apple pie, a pumpkin pie, and some kind of low-carb pumpkin custard…  I’ll be putting together some mashed potatoes and stuffing and mashed turnip a little bit later…  And Christopher should be visiting us around noon.

It’s shaping up to be a fairly festive holiday.

Well, Winter is definitely here.

It’s been a fairly mild Fall…  Chilly, grey, windy…  But not all that cold.  Until today.  We got (according to the local news) 8 inches overnight.  Heavy, wet, sticky snow.

Got to try out my snowblower for the first time this year.  Took a couple tries to get it started…  Took a little while to warm up…  But it worked just fine.

I’ve also got a new winter jacket which proved, if anything, a little too insulating.  I’ve been making-do with a coat that isn’t terribly warm for the last several years…  And I was unprepared for a genuinely warm jacket.  I was sweating heavily by the time I got inside.  But I suppose that’s probably a good thing.