Well, I have a few spare moments to give a quick run down on some things going on in my life.
One event is that our good friends and neighbors, Diane and Lenny Brown, are moving away to Michigan. You would recognize them as the incredibly handsome couple in many photographs on this web log. We are kind of sad having such good friends move away but we must temper that with happiness that they are going to have a better life. They are moving closer to family and have a lovely home on a huge lake in Michigan.
This event got me thinking about a few things. First was the importance of having good male friendship and a sense of loss that such a great friend was moving away. The second was the realization that the lifestyle they are about to lead is one that Terry and I would enjoy as well.
Currently we live in Lake Saint Louis. This is a lake community that gives you just a taste of what the actual lake lifestyle is like. The sad thing is that our lake is little more than an overgrown bathtub and there is never that sense of wonder of driving hours across the lake to attend an event or simply to go exploring.
I have also been thinking about retirement. Maybe that sounds silly for someone who is only 43 years old, but the fact of the matter is I feel like I have been working for a lifetime already. I started working in a plastics factory when I was 15 years old and have never stopped working since. During my time in the game industry I often worked outrageous hours at the expense of time spent with my family and sometimes even my health.
This past fall my wife reentered the work force as a high school teacher. For the first time in a very, very, long time I am no longer the sole provider in the family. This change has created new options for me. There are all manner of job opportunities I might be able to explore. As I get my financial house in order, and we learn how to live on less but live happier, retirement, or at least semi-retirement, becomes a distinct possibility.
I have decided to stop fantasizing about Ferraris and start fantasizing about a little bit of lakefront property in peace and restful quiet.
This past week we purchased 5 acres and 1,000 foot of shoreline on a private cove in Lake of the Ozarks; with the long term plan of some day building a modest home there to retire in. The property is at mile marker 69 in Sawmill Cove and is absolutely and completely perfect.
My other effort was to find a way to better connect with my local community and create lasting new friendships. In that regard I decided to petition for membership in the Wentzville Freemason lodge. I was deeply honored to have my petition accepted and I was entered as an apprentice this past Wednesday evening. There were nearly thirty men present to accept me into the brotherhood and I was deeply moved by the experience. This next Wednesday I will be passed to the degree of Fellow Craft and someday soon I will be raised a Master Mason.
I suspect that this organization will become an integral part of my life and provide many great opportunities to spend my free time once I am retired some day.
These are the two big events going on in my life. I also have made some substantial upgrades to my 16mm film setup so that this summer I can do showings for larger gatherings and community events. I purchased a Xenon projector from my friend Steven Sigel. This is an extremely bright 350wat 2,000 lumen projector that produces very bright images; which is especially useful for outdoor showings on a summer night. By comparison my old projector only put out 600 lumens.
I also purchased at 1,000 watt portable gasoline generator that is supposed to be extremely quiet. While the generator is certainly quiet relative to the old models, it is still going to need some additional sound protection before I can use it for movie showings. Nevertheless, the generator will be very useful when we go down to camp on our property this summer.
That is the bulk of the major news. In a couple of weeks I will be attending the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco. I will be staying at my friend John Oberschelp's home and taking the trolley to the convention center every day.
At the end of March I plan to take a family vacation. Originally we had hoped to go to Hawaii, but with the recent land purchase we just couldn't justify the expense. Instead we are going to spend three days in Chicago taking the kids to all of the various museums and attractions there. After that we will drive up to Michigan to visit our friends and spend a couple of days at a Ski Lodge.
That's all the news that it fit to print. Until next time...
One event is that our good friends and neighbors, Diane and Lenny Brown, are moving away to Michigan. You would recognize them as the incredibly handsome couple in many photographs on this web log. We are kind of sad having such good friends move away but we must temper that with happiness that they are going to have a better life. They are moving closer to family and have a lovely home on a huge lake in Michigan.
This event got me thinking about a few things. First was the importance of having good male friendship and a sense of loss that such a great friend was moving away. The second was the realization that the lifestyle they are about to lead is one that Terry and I would enjoy as well.
Currently we live in Lake Saint Louis. This is a lake community that gives you just a taste of what the actual lake lifestyle is like. The sad thing is that our lake is little more than an overgrown bathtub and there is never that sense of wonder of driving hours across the lake to attend an event or simply to go exploring.
I have also been thinking about retirement. Maybe that sounds silly for someone who is only 43 years old, but the fact of the matter is I feel like I have been working for a lifetime already. I started working in a plastics factory when I was 15 years old and have never stopped working since. During my time in the game industry I often worked outrageous hours at the expense of time spent with my family and sometimes even my health.
This past fall my wife reentered the work force as a high school teacher. For the first time in a very, very, long time I am no longer the sole provider in the family. This change has created new options for me. There are all manner of job opportunities I might be able to explore. As I get my financial house in order, and we learn how to live on less but live happier, retirement, or at least semi-retirement, becomes a distinct possibility.
I have decided to stop fantasizing about Ferraris and start fantasizing about a little bit of lakefront property in peace and restful quiet.
This past week we purchased 5 acres and 1,000 foot of shoreline on a private cove in Lake of the Ozarks; with the long term plan of some day building a modest home there to retire in. The property is at mile marker 69 in Sawmill Cove and is absolutely and completely perfect.
My other effort was to find a way to better connect with my local community and create lasting new friendships. In that regard I decided to petition for membership in the Wentzville Freemason lodge. I was deeply honored to have my petition accepted and I was entered as an apprentice this past Wednesday evening. There were nearly thirty men present to accept me into the brotherhood and I was deeply moved by the experience. This next Wednesday I will be passed to the degree of Fellow Craft and someday soon I will be raised a Master Mason.
I suspect that this organization will become an integral part of my life and provide many great opportunities to spend my free time once I am retired some day.
These are the two big events going on in my life. I also have made some substantial upgrades to my 16mm film setup so that this summer I can do showings for larger gatherings and community events. I purchased a Xenon projector from my friend Steven Sigel. This is an extremely bright 350wat 2,000 lumen projector that produces very bright images; which is especially useful for outdoor showings on a summer night. By comparison my old projector only put out 600 lumens.
I also purchased at 1,000 watt portable gasoline generator that is supposed to be extremely quiet. While the generator is certainly quiet relative to the old models, it is still going to need some additional sound protection before I can use it for movie showings. Nevertheless, the generator will be very useful when we go down to camp on our property this summer.
That is the bulk of the major news. In a couple of weeks I will be attending the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco. I will be staying at my friend John Oberschelp's home and taking the trolley to the convention center every day.
At the end of March I plan to take a family vacation. Originally we had hoped to go to Hawaii, but with the recent land purchase we just couldn't justify the expense. Instead we are going to spend three days in Chicago taking the kids to all of the various museums and attractions there. After that we will drive up to Michigan to visit our friends and spend a couple of days at a Ski Lodge.
That's all the news that it fit to print. Until next time...
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