After a year of abstinence... (original) (raw)
April 20 2006, 13:44
I just spotted that I haven't written in this journal in over a year. Yet again it's not like I haven't had anything to write about, more that so much has been going on that I simply didn't know what to choose. Over the coming weeks I'll be jotting down the little caveats I can remember from the last 12 months, but in the meantime here's some of what's been going on;
- After three months of guns, car crashes, fevers, 7 day weeks and 12-16 hour days in Pakistan, I burned out in a huge way and spent some months combatting the resultant stress issues caused.
- My company promptly screwed me out of the large bonus I was promised for said work. This didn't help the stress. Turning up at 11am for the next 6 months and doing no work all day helped hugely.
- I was offered a good job at a cryptography startup in the UK, and am currently waiting to sign up with them and resign from my current employer. I plan to commute between Holland and England on a weekly basis.
- I spent a month in Canada with my fiance Adam, after which he came back with me to Holland to live. This helped get rid of stress. :)
- Adam and I built enclosures and established a small animal breeding programme. We now have over 100 critters - we'll need help naming them, so I'll post pictures soon.
- My 2003 purchase of a Flowboard has grown into an obsession. The boyfy and I plan to start selling extreme sports equipment online before the end of the year. We currently have around 20 devices of stupidity like this.
- I broke my hand playing with LARP swords. Don't ask.
- My closest colleague burned out, stood up from his desk and got on a flight out of the country, leaving everything he owned. I can't say I blame him.
- Bruce (an old friend from the UK) moved into our spare room and now uses our place as a weekend getaway.
- I (nearly) finished my home cinema system. It now weighs around 200 kilograms and fills up most of downstairs. I hope that one day it will attain self-awareness and lead the human race to a far cooler future. Or something.
- Adam and I took a Christmas break in the German alps for a spot of snowboarding after a business trip to Munich. Photos to come.
- I spent a little time working in Athens, Greece where I was terribly surprised to also find snow.
More to come, I promise! :)