Doing a Reboot – Ryan Schultz

So, I’m again. Effectively, form of again. A distinct form of “again.”

First, per week and a half in the past, my gaming-level Home windows 11 house PC crashed, onerous, and wouldn’t reboot. I landed up having to take it in to the pc restore retailer, and so they landed up having to reinstall Home windows. Sadly, that additionally signifies that I now must reinstall all of my software program—Valve Index, Steam, and so forth.—all of it. So that’s going to take me some time, earlier than I’m again to the place I used to be earlier than. All I’ve put in proper now’s Firefox (net browser), Firestorm (SL viewer), and Discord. You understand, the necessities (sure, entry to Second Life is a necessary).

Second, I’ve not too long ago returned to common, full-time hours at my job as a tutorial librarian. For the previous six months I had been on half-time sick depart, coping with a nasty case of job burnout, however I’ve had an opportunity to relaxation a bit, and recharge a bit. One vital change from earlier than is that I’m now not tasked with making an attempt to get a digital actuality lab at my college library system up and operating. This was an govt resolution made by my new supervisor with the intention to deliver my workload (and stress load!) again to a manageable stage, and a choice that I agree with.

Particularly now that my Valve Index is out of fee, and with all of the VR gear I bought over the previous 4 years at work shifting to the VR lab challenge that I’m now not part of, the one VR headset that I put on frequently is my Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, which I nonetheless love to make use of. I’m making good use of my Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional (AVP for brief), each at work (utilizing the massive, lovely Digital Show function with my MacBook Professional), and at house (the place I primarily use it to eat TV and films, and to make use of numerous apps comparable to InSpaze, the social VR app for the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional which I’ve written about earlier than).

It’s now late spring/early summer season up right here in Winnipeg, and I’ve begun strolling to and from work, a 6-kilometre spherical journey. Whereas I can technically match my AVP in my trusty Black Gap backpack from Patagonia, I discover it’s nonetheless a bit heavy for my 6-kilometre hike, so I often shuttle it forwards and backwards once I know that I might be driving. 😉 I’ve now misplaced roughly 40 kilos, and mountaineering forwards and backwards from work is the best method for me to include some bodily train into my day. On days once I don’t really feel like strolling the entire distance, I’ve a deal labored out with a good friend who lives midway between my house and my work, the place I can drive midway, park my automotive in her driveway, and stroll the opposite half! After which do the identical in reverse on the finish of the workday. A technique or one other, I will get my steps in!

I’ve additionally been a very good Canadian, collaborating within the countrywide boycott of the USA since Trump acquired re-elected, declared a commerce conflict, and began overtly musing about making Canada the 51st state. I’ve cancelled each my Netflix and Amazon Prime memberships, and I’ve switched from purchasing for my groceries at Walmart to my native farmer’s market, my native Pink River Co-Op, and the Nice Canadian Superstore. The one exceptions to my boycott-American mindset are Apple and Second Life (each of which I affiliate extra with California than the united statesA.!). Like many Canadians, I refuse to journey to the USA whereas Trump is in workplace.

So, in a method, very similar to my Home windows PC, I’m doing a reboot. I’m feeling good, having fun with being again at work, and feeling grateful for the help that I’ve had round me whereas I used to be therapeutic these previous six months. I’m feeling rested, relaxed, and recharged, and I’m wanting ahead to the following chapter of my life.

As for the weblog, nicely, I nonetheless have reserved my resolution on what to do with that. I’m unsure when—or if—I’ll return to full-time running a blog. We’ll see, is all I can say for now. The place I am going from right here is fully as much as me—and that’s a fairly good feeling!