Checking up

[Inspired]

Hello Everyone!

Thunt's health-issue post made me comment in the twitter thread, but it also got me thinking... I have been out of the loop of the community for the past, hmmmm, 4 years, which is kind of sad in a way, but, you know, life...

So, I would like to ask - if anyone bothers to answer - how's it going? I see the text editor has had some facelift, and that there is still some life at the Games subforum... So I assume community-wise all is fine?

Still, it would be nice of you if you could write a short post of how it's been going in your life. (I'm looking at the "oldies" mostly who still maybe remember who Looks&Smiles is/was. )

I promise to read each of your posts and even though my forum activity still stays around the minimal I assure you I'm curious and also caring of what's gone about here. I'm also content with your story via PM if you feel like the events of your life are kinda not-public-but-shareable-with-someone-you-remember-from-the-good-old-days, if you know what I mean...

To ease up writing a bit, I'm going to share what's been up with my life since around 2014. I guess my forum activity dropped around that time.

► Show Spoiler

Sorry if it's lengthy and completely random on topics, I'm not editing it much, just writing as it comes.

I've been travelling with the family a lot, mostly in our home country (wellness weekends, sightseeing, etc.), but we also went to the U.S. (cities like L.A, San Francisco, Las Vegas, but mostly a lot of national parks in between these) and last year to Cyprus.

Working got more intense, at least more interesting and challenging than it used to be, and although the payment hasn't improved much, I can't complain.

I keep practicing kung fu (started around 2010), but for the past three years I also picked up salsa dancing. Because, you know, the internet is a cool thing for building communities, but it does a terrible job for finding significant others... At least in my case, heh.

The original reason I stopped coming here was twofold:
1. My old lap top broke and along with it my credentials to log in here (and to some email boxes that may or may not have been related to password recovery).
2. I have a sickeningly terrible record of sticking to schedules and expectations. And as some of you probably experienced, GMing is mostly consisting of schedules, and expectations... (at least in my head). Don't get me wrong, I genuinely had fun while playing or GMing, it's just I know I could not do it at a level as satisfying as I expected it from myself. So avoiding the forum kind of also meant not having to face it? (face you? face me?)
In any case, I'm not really in the posession of my old GMing stuff (lap top and several hard drive failures saw to that), and even though I'm still full of game ideas (along with creating an online tool to make phpBB GMing quicker, or necro the God School and write a tutorial), I'm now all too well aware of my limitations.

That being said, life is busy. The daily work->train/dance->play games/read comics->sleep routine is already demanding most of my time, which is even more filled with other events occouring around me, including but not limited to spending time with my girlfriend... So yeah.

I hope each and every one of you can find some shareable nice things in your near past/present, and you'd indeed do so!
I love this community, and wish you all the best!

L&S

p.s.: Now back to ad-hoc lurking. Sorry to stir the water. But write me some lines, pwetty pweease?

[Wolfie]

I remember you... quite fondly.

I've been... busy. Got married. Got divorced. Watching my kid grow up into a beautiful young lady... and it scares the bejeezus out of me. Got promoted. Currently looking for a house for me and my offspring and debating options.

[WearsHats]

Welcome back! We missed you in Games.

What have I been up to since 2014? Well, I lost 6 months of my memory to side effects from medication changes imposed by my insurance company. Met up with an awesome bunch of Goblinites in London. Thoroughly exhausted myself and don't remember much of the recovery period. Tried some new medications and can't really remember much of what happened then. Started a restaurant. Had a severe decline in health. The restaurant failed. My health improved slightly, but not nearly back to what it had been before. Had a girlfriend for a few months but we worked better as friends. Did some more traveling in there, including a second Goblins meetup in Amsterdam. That was pretty cool. Planning to go to Emerald City Comic Con beginning of March to hang out with Thunt and Danielle for a while. Hopefully we'll all be up to it. But mostly I've just been chasing sleep and failing.

[Inspired]

I remember you... quite fondly.

I've been... busy. Got married. Got divorced. Watching my kid grow up into a beautiful young lady... and it scares the bejeezus out of me. Got promoted. Currently looking for a house for me and my offspring and debating options.

And still using that avatar I see... Glad to see you around!

Kids growing, huh? I (still) don't have my own, but seeing the co-workers kids grow feels kind of similar. I mean, I saw them in the babycarriage just the other day, and now they are running and playing and talking (with sometimes really funny remarks)...

---

@Wears, and you are still the heart of the community and our direct link to Thunt, as much as I perceive it... Happy to see you are still being awesome despite whatever corporeal hinderances occur.

Also dang, have I been spending too much time on Reddit and Facebook, I've been searching for the upvote/like buttons for at least 2 solid minutes...

[Wolfie]

Yep, she's growing like a weed. Only 9 years old but she is nearly level with my shoulder and I'm 5'7". I'm enjoying watching her grow up, but not necessarily the trials that go along with that. Plus, I miss my baby girl.