New Years Resolutions: 2016 Edition

My only resolution is for 2016 to be a better year than 2015.

Last year I had to deal with both my kids (ages 4 and 2 now) being diagnosed as autistic, and the older one with ADHD. Both have high food intolerances to gluten and peanuts, though the older one is also highly intolerant to eggs, soy, and dairy, and to a lesser extent to a bunch of other things like potatoes, rice, citrus. It's a miracle he can eat anything at all it seems. Neither are really verbal at this point, though the 4 year old is making some progress with some words.

My wife and I just aren't able to get enough rest as the kids constantly are getting up early, sometimes the older one bites the younger one, they both like to climb and can easily pull themselves up onto tables, desks, the kitchen counter, etc and it's just dangerous for them to do sometimes, so we are always having to pull them down and it's exhausting and affecting our health.

We moved in with some friends to try to save money for a house and in the process of moving out we were robbed. Thankfully nothing of major import was stolen, but there were items of sentimental value taken, all told the value was over $1000.

I was in a car accident in which no one was hurt, thankfully, however my car which only received a long scratch down the passenger side from the front wheel to the back wheel was considered totaled.

I know there's more crap that happened last year, but I'm too tired to think of it. So yeah, I just want this year to be better than last year.
 
Bloody hell, COMaestro.

Sorry to hear about all that, man. I hope things look up for you this year. You and your family deserve a nice 2016. Please keep us posted.
 
Thanks for putting shit into perspective dude, and Here's to this year being better than the last Maestro.

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Maestro. I really hope you have a good year, man. Control what you can control and the do your best reacting to the rest.
 
Unfortunately this year started out badly with both our cars needing new batteries and mine needing a new alternator, which along with new jumper cables and a car battery charger cost around a grand all told. February's been good so far though.

Thanks for all the good wishes everyone. May your 2016 be good as well.
 
Yeah, cars aren't fun. I've got my registration due, as well as my service for registration and then insurance. Probably going to set me back a grand, maybe a grand a half?

I'm going back to university as of next Tuesday. I've enrolled at our local university to study for a six month course, a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. By completing this course, it means I''ll be able to apply for lecturing positions, such as being a lecturer in digital media for VET (Vocational Education and Training). It also means I may be eligible to apply for other jobs that involve training in the workplace.

I'll have class every Tuesday night, with the occasional Thursday night classes and Saturday morning classes.

This interrupts my judo schedule, but honestly I need to start further focusing on my career, as well as my side artistic goals. So... this might diminish my fitness goals to a degree, but I'll still be training and exercising when I can.

I still want to work on my own web comic, but I have to try and start up a website before I can actually begin. Because the whole web site thing is completely new to me, I'm kinda scared to give it a go.
 
Today at the gym I achieved my personal best so far on the leg press. My new one repetition maximum lift on leg press is 360 kg (793.6 Ibs). Really stoked about that, but it's a shame my other lifts (bench press, squat and dead lift) are lacking.
 
I hit a new personal best at the gym yesterday. It's not that high, considering some guys and girls lift outrageously high numbers, but I managed to get 160 kg (352.7 Ibs) squat, for a new one rep max.

Yesterday was also my work anniversary. I've been in my current job for exactly five years, commencing employment on the 2nd of March, 2011. I was kinda hoping my boss would know or remember but he didn't. Yesterday felt pretty depressing, it felt like just another day... in all fairness though, I'm not entitled to anything nor should people (like my boss) remember, so I shouldn't have been so moody about it.
 
Oh hey, it's been two months now.

Yeah Craig, I don't like to dwell on ceremony with most things, but if I was working at a place for five years and nobody gave a hoot, I would be a little depressed about it. I like when big milestones are brought up here at GR, and I would expect the same thing at my workplace if anyone there meant anything to me.

As for me, I've been writing more, and some of my best ideas yet have been coming to me recently. It feels good and I'm not going to stop until my work is done, but I always wish I could finish it a little faster when my family comes home from work complaining about how much it sucks. I feel obligated to help them out however I can, as I should, and I yearn for the day that nobody I know is forced to slog through day after day of sheer douchery from their superiors.

I posted the second chapter of my book a few days ago. You can read it here:

https://mcbadluck.wordpress.com/
 
Hey De-Ting, thanks for that. I appreciate it.

I'm glad you're writing and I'm glad you're pursuing your creative goals. I'd like to read this second chapter of yours when I can (I'm at work at the moment), but could you tell us a little bit about your stories and ideas?

In regards to wishing you could be faster... as an artist myself, we all wish that. We all wish we could produce high quality work in a short amount of time. You can, to a degree, but it requires a lot of practice and patience beforehand, which of course is not fast at all. In my opinion (and I know this sucks) but try not to worry about not being as fast as you'd like to be. You can't rush art. ;)
 
2016 is starting to be draining. I have been sick for a solid month and been on antibiotics twice. Our garage door broke, as did our water heater (which flooded a portion of the basement), our washer broke and flooded the laundry, our 16 month old tv broke, and we found out we are flush with bars in the crawl space. So whoever practices voodoo, please stop. Thanks.
 
^ Holy shit, man. That's terrible. I'm sorry to hear about all of that. That sounds really hard.

2016 has been a shitty year for me too, but I shouldn't be complaining after what I just read. I hope things improve for you soon, Bret.
 
I applied for a new job today.

I found a job at the local university which involves eLearning, teaching staff how to use eLearning software, developing training packages etc. It's also in relation to health, working with the health and science department. It's the very university that I studied and graduated from.

I spoke to the primary contact of the job over the phone and they said that it sounds like I have the skills to do this job, she compared my skills to hers, saying she had a very similar job to mine before she worked in her current one. I admitted that I am lacking in HTML, and she said that's fine and offered me some free, online resources to better myself in HTML... I think I have a pretty good chance.

The job pays more than my current job, offers the same amount of annual recreation leave per year (six weeks) and is much closer to home. I'm really excited, but at the same time I'm nervous and I'm afraid of the possibility of rejection.

I'll let you all know how I go. Applications don't close until the 15th of March, so it will still be a while.
 
Qualify, distinguish, engage.

Make sure they have no doubts that you are capable and will be quick on the uptake.
Next, separate yourself from the competition. What makes you YOU? Remember that an interviewer will talk to roughly ten people that will all say they are hard workers who are punctual and can think outside the box. Don't give them adjectives, give them stories (oh yeah, the Guy who found his passion for judo and its driving him to challenge himself professionally).
Show them that you've done your research, take down a note of you learn something new and use their offer of "any questions" to softball a segue to either compliment their company or show how you exemplify their answer.

Most importantly, contain the crazy. First date etiquette.

All the above has worked for me sitting on both sides of the table.
 
HTML is so lovely and logical (sort of) - you'll nail it in no time!

I'm studying web development at the mo and am on HTML right now.

And Bret has sound advice! I wish you luck Craigy Boy!
 

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