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  • Personal things are slowly getting better

    The American world is an absolute trash fire right now, but my personal journey towards getting back to paying all bills and eating food more often than is survivably-required is progressing.

    There’s still a whole lotta work to do, and the fact that the news is filled with such despair-worthy events doesn’t help.

    So, if you are in a relatively safe place, consider helping those who have need. There are too many people out there that are looking to demonize anyone that doesn’t fit a narrow set of guidelines of who is “appropriate” or not, or fit their “religious ideals” or not, or even just targeting those who upset them, it’s demoralizing at best, and can cost some their everything. Those who stand to lose at this overzealous attempts to make things great again, those people need help, support, real allies, not just those who will mouth the words.

    As things continue to deteriorate (with the most recent being federal funding being cast into disarray and police actions happening all over the place and more than a few preventable disasters happening,) there will be more people who need those of us who can do something to do something.

    To look at it another way – those who have helped me climb up and out of the employment/economic hole I fell into, and continue to help me, are more valuable than everything.

    To quote Red Green, which might be considered heretical/anti-something in my country now, “Remember, I’m pullin’ for ya. We’re all in this together.”

    Thanks for reading.

    Skåll!!!

  • New Year’s Eve is here.

    Normally I’d go on about the promise of New Year’s Eve, about the chance to improve and make things better and all that.

    But it’s been an exhausting year.

    From losing my job to trying to create a streaming/podcasting business that fizzled out to scrambling for income to try to avoid homelessness (and still fighting that fight today,) it’s just been a slog.

    I even just tried to do a stream for New Year’s Eve, and my Internet connection kept dropping and reconnecting to the point where it was just easier to call it off.

    So, dear readers, I’m just going to put out best wishes for your New Year. I sincerely hope it proves better, but I’m not going to hold my breath. I really don’t look good in that shade of blue.

    Good luck out there! I think we’re all going to need it.

    Skåll!!!

  • Getting more hours, but the climb up is slow and grueling.

    Things are slowly getting better, much emphasis on the word slowly. I’m a month in to a new job that is going through training and expanding my responsibilities, paying minimum, and it’s hard. (Note: I’m not complaining about the pay. It is just frustrating for someone who has already put 25 years into the workforce to have to start back at minimum wage.)

    The first two weeks of work have resulted in me being able to cover a few bills, but not everything – yet. Since that first paycheck I’ve been able to build some spreadsheets to make projections, and it will work out eventually, but very slowly, assuming no further disasters. But assuming no disasters takes out the most fundamental factor of our society today: we are our own predators, and the ethical constraints that keep predators from feeding on the weak have dwindled already, and are continuing to dwindle.

    Based on this experience, so far, I can definitely understand now why “entrepreneurs” feel entitled to any and all “successes” they achieve after starting “from scratch”. You look back at this process and you fear having to go through it again. It took so much out of you the last time, you don’t know if you could make it again.

    Or, to put it another way, since you survived the minefield of difficulties that is rebuilding yourself, somehow you’ve earned your way forever, and no one should be able to take that away, ever, so don’t (tax me/take my benefits/take my services/take my freedoms/insert your own thing here.) “I survived climbing back up, so I deserve every single penny I got while climbing back up, and every penny made after that, forever and ever.”

    The obstacles to being able to get back up on your feet: paying for housing and food and whatever services you need to remain “suitable” for larger society – be it bathing, laundry, deodorants, haircuts, power for alarm clocks, internet for job searches, et cetera. This is the “motivation to improve yourself” or “motivation to become a contributor to society and not just be a leech”.

    And aid that ‘s provided doesn’t cover all that. But they’re all necessities to pursuing and achieving employment.

    There is this fear of providing for that survival/covering necessities while someone tries to get a livable paycheck, if it’s provided, people will lose motivation to try at all. They’ll be able to afford to survive and do just that – just survive.

    And, honestly, some do. Some try and fail and try and fail again, and after failing a few more times they just can’t get back up. Because jobs get posted and you don’t hear back for a month. Because you get disqualified because “you don’t have the experience” or “you’re overqualified” or “we’re going to keep your resume for a better fit.” And the system is always changing, every five years a good deal of the corporate speak changes, new memes replace older memes, processes change, so you keep up or you die. Add to this those at the top are always trying to improve profits by removing expenditures – usually employees – so they want AI, they want automation, they want to limit hiring.

    So some take to scams or crimes. Because if you can make a whole lotta money quickly, wouldn’t you try? If you can get the money to pay the bills quickly and let you play? Wouldn’t you? Well?

    And, yet, serious talk about changing this system gets shot down by those who DID manage to claw their way to the top, or by those who got birthed by those who clawed their way to the top, because – their scams or crimes might be uncovered? They might be put back down amongst us unwashed to have to climb out again? (Note: the word “claw” can be replaced by “scam” very easily. Or replaced with “crime”.)

    It’s hardly any wonder that so many just succumb to the mind-numbing despair that repeatedly visits during this process. And it’s no wonder that those who do make it through NEVER want to go through it again.

    Well, I have to get back to it all – thanks for reading. I hope your day is going better.

    If you can, please donate. I’m still trying to make the videos and podcast-like things. And everything costs money, as always.

    Skåll!!!

  • My new job isn’t giving me the hours

    Update on the things – the new job I got a couple of weeks ago just isn’t giving me the hours I need to survive, so I’m back at the hunt.

    I’m not bad-mouthing that job, I’m just disappointed that the job search process and experience is like gambling with your last few dollars.

    In other news, I haven’t had the peace of mind to really delve into this theme to modify it yet, so that’s also on hold. My podcast and YouTube/Twitch stuff has also been on hold.

    So, yeah.

    Things are still a bit sparse as I revamp my resume again and get back into it. I don’t know how much longer I can keep playing this game, but I’ve got to try because the alternative isn’t good.

    Thanks for reading this short update. I hope life is treating you well, someone should be getting through without the constant worry and struggle, I hope it’s you.

    Skåll!!!

  • Got a new job, so things are on hold right now

    All of my other efforts are on hold right now, as I go through training at a new job.

    The pay isn’t great, but it is better than nothing and it will keep a roof over the old noggin and hopefully a decent amount of food in the fridge.

    I’m still working on many projects in the background, they’re just all things that don’t have a deadline/are easily interrupted as I get this train back on the rails and get things running smoothly.

    Once things are settled, I’ll get back to YouTubing and Twitch Streaming (I almost called it Twitching, but that’s a whole different thing, usually amounting to massive amounts of caffeine in a very short amount of time.

    Thanks for stopping by and reading. I hope the upcoming holidays will bring you happiness and joy.

    Skåll!!!

  • My “Storytime with Ennhuite” podcast is now live

    Hello readers, the few of you who come by, check things out, and leave a comment on the way.

    I’ve released my fairy tale reading podcast, as of yesterday at midnight (Eastern US Time), and it’s had me a little wrecked about it all. It’s the most work I’ve put into anything creative like this – with months of work behind it as I researched how things were done, the various “best practices” with the big podcast hosts, the technical processes of handling creation/editing/prepping files and putting it out there, all to put together how to do it solo*.

    I’m recording more stories as time progresses, in between recording Let’s Play videos and streaming. It’s coming along, next episode already has a couple of stories ready.

    So, please check it out here. And as any serious YouTuber will ask: please like and comment, and subscribe. Let your friends know it’s out there. I can’t afford advertising, either, and Likes/Subscribes/Comments DO matter to YouTube/Google search and recommendations.

    Thanks for stopping by. I hope life is treating you well.

    Skåll!!!

    *Yeah, everything I’m doing is solo right now. I do not have a budget of any kind to pay anyone, much less myself.

  • Milton came and went, but left behind more mess.

    So, a week and two days ago, Milton started waking up in the western Caribbean, and by Sunday started alarming people.

    Everyone started panicking. Which, by everyone, I mean everyone outside of Florida started panicking. Those of us in the projected path started inventorying our supplies, listing what we needed, and began stocking up. We also started packing clothes in case we needed to leave.

    While thousands of online voices told us to evacuate, we prepared. While many asked “Why would you live in a hurricane region?” we reviewed travel routes and evacuation routes, and penciled in plans – no ink yet, because they might change.

    While non-local and incompletely informed non-experts started telling us this was the “Storm of Our Generation,” (never mind that Helene was also the Storm of Our Generation,) we kept watching reliable forecasts and governmental sites (like hurricanes.gov and NOAA) to stay informed.

    When Milton strengthened and sped up, we triple-checked our supplies, and reviewed what highways we could take to get out if it came to that. We also checked our gas supplies, as gas stations were running low.

    When Monday came, they backed their estimates for arrival from Wednesday morning to Wednesday night. We adjusted our plans.

    Tuesday saw the track moving further southward. Tampa was still going to get hit, but we were moving from the orange zone to the greenish zone to the dark greenish zone/bluish zone. The colors aside, we went from being in the hurricane to the edge of a hurricane.

    When Wednesday morning had finally come, we checked and rechecked what evacuation orders had been issued, rechecked the routes that evacuees would use, compared that to the latest track predictions, and our previously planned routes. We also looked at existing traffic levels. We weren’t going to a shelter, because there are people with medical needs or special considerations that need the space we would take up. We would head for the Alabama/Georgia border, then wait. But the track kept shifting southward, so by midday it looked like we were only going to be on the very edge, so we decided to stay.

    Time after this point gets a little timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly. I probably should’ve kept notes as it went on, but I was occupied keeping an eye on developments, news, and just out the windows. An idea for next time, I suppose.

    The storm was intense. I’ve been through two other hurricanes, but neither of them was so close to where I was sitting. At one point I went outside, (on the south side of the house, because the wind was coming from the north-northeast by that point,) to see if anything had been damaged/make sure nothing looked too worrisome. I heard the storm. The wind. The gusts on top of the already fast-moving air. The… extremeness of it. I heard the possibility that it could pick me up and carry me off and no one would ever know what happened to me.

    I was seriously taken aback by how small and insignificant I felt in that moment.

    And we were outside the edge of the hurricane. It was miles to the south.

    I was too well informed to not understand the hugeness of what was going on, and how our decisions threaded this needle, at least so far.

    So, I went back inside and played video games, watched YouTube, watched Twitch, chatted with people online, played it down a little because nerves were already pretty high, and gently put earlier thoughts to the back of my mind.

    In the early hours of the morning, probably around 04:00, half of a tree cracked off the other half and fell nearby. I didn’t hear it, my brother saw it when he went outside to check things and told me, “Maybe you should take a look at this.”

    It fell right alongside a neighbor’s house, branches over the living room extension on their place, but it didn’t land on them. That neighbor came out and confirmed, no damage was visible inside, as of yet.

    By Friday daytime everything had settled down, so a team of construction workers staying here worked at cutting apart that huge half-tree and dragging away everything that could be easily dragged away, leaving only the heaviest part – the main trunk – to be cut up and taken away.

    The neighbor confirmed, again, no apparent damage was suffered, but they’d do a detailed look as time went on. Most houses in the neighborhood were without power, we were one of the lucky ones to have power.

    Saturday stores started opening up again, Doordash only offered pick-up service, no delivery. Fast food restaurants were offering drive-through only as they got their stores running again. Power was restored to our neighbors.

    Sunday things were kinda sorta mostly normal. Things started resembling pre-hurricane.

    But, remember, during the hurricane, we were just on the edge.

    We didn’t get hit that badly, I’m sure there are other areas that just got hammered (I don’t know where, I haven’t looked yet,) but here we are.

    And now that normal life has resumed, time to get back to it. Streaming is back online. YouTube videos are queued, but I gotta get to recording them. More stories are waiting to be narrated/recorded, but they’re also queued and waiting their turn.

    I have some bills coming due that I forgot to keep in mind because of Milton, so any help any readers can provide is greatly appreciated.

    Thanks for reading!

    Skåll!!!

  • Helene came and went, and I’m still working on stuffs

    Helene came, dropped about a half inch of rain on us, hit us with 30 mph gusty winds, and left after a couple of hours.

    The worst part was the small branch cleanup in the yard. That’s covered by the HOA here, but I still collected the ones in my way and piled them next to their parent in the yard.

    In other news, I’ve been upgrading and migrating the website for YouTube/Twitch/Audio stuff. All content has been moved, I just have to go through each entry and make small corrections to things that didn’t copy over well.

    I’ve also adjusted my Stream schedule, and am revamping offerings. I will be updating my Patreon and Ko-Fi coming in the near future, so please check out the Half a Pound of Pixels site if any of that interests you.

    In working on that site and comparing it to this site, I’ve realized I’m going to have to learn Twig templating. That appears to be the “current” fad* in theming across multiple website engines. It doesn’t look difficult, it’s just worth multiple sighs and getting down to work. So, this theme might not be replaced/altered any time real soon. It depends on how quickly I can pick up Twig and run with it.

    The job search is/headhunters are still crap, so I’m going to get back to trying to make a living from the Half a Pound of Pixels stuff mentioned above. If you can, please use the Ko-Fi button below.

    Skåll!

    * “Current” as in, it happened but I was too distracted by adulting to notice until it had appeared, and now it’s been here for a while and now I gotta catch up.

  • Helene is coming

    Right now, she’s still far away, but she will probably make her way to my neck of the woods in about 24 hours.

    We started checking our emergency supplies on Monday, and by yesterday everything was set. All portable chargers and emergency radios are fully charged and ready to go. Six flashlights are ready to go. Enough canned food and water for a full week, and toilet paper/paper towels for two weeks.

    I’m really hoping this just turns into a few days of heavy rain/an extended excuse to stay inside and not go outside.

    I feel worried for people closer to the coast, as they will have to deal with storm surge, but here there is plenty of drainage – if waters rise to where I live, we should really be worried that Florida broke off and is sinking into the Atlantic/Caribbean.

    In other news: I’m continuing to post videos on YouTube and stream on Twitch. I’m also working on some other audio projects. Please check out my site: https://halfapoundofpixels.com for more information.

    Thanks for checking in.

    Skåll!!!

  • YouTube and Twitch work continues

    Hello all – long time, no post.

    I’ve been heads’ down lately to focus on job hunting and my YouTube and Twitch stuff.

    First – the job hunt – it’s dismal. I don’t have a car, so I need a remote job. All jobs I find online are hybrid, or the ones that are actually remote – I’m not qualified for. (Think marketing requiring degrees, or sales requiring degrees and experience, or technical that requires certs and knowledge I do not have,) I keep looking every day or two, but it’s just disappointing. Every recruiter that contacts me based off of my profile on one of the sites also doesn’t get the remote part – so I’ve had to politely decline jobs in other cities or even other states because they have an in-office requirement. The search continues for that.

    Regarding local jobs – I’ve applied at all the places locally/within a mile, and it has been radio silence for months. Other than two, one told me I’m too qualified for the position that I applied for, the other hired someone else. I did follow up on a few, and I was told “No jobs yet, sorry.”

    Regarding streaming/posting videos/posting podcast type things – I’m working on it. My YouTube channel has almost 50 videos available now, with more being posted almost every day. My Twitch has a new video every weekday, sometimes on weekends, and those videos are being copied over to YouTube after 20 days. I’m finalizing a Discord Server, and should be ready to open the doors next week. I’m still working out how to manage posting notifications to social media sites.

    But the streaming and videos are not monetized yet, and once they do monetize it’ll take a while for them to cover anything. I have a Ko-Fi and a Patreon, but they’re pretty quiet right now.

    And the end of month is looming. More bills will be coming.

    So, yeah, I could complain more, but I think I’ll get back to work on everything. Maybe I can get some sort of income soon, and take all the responsibility off of my brother’s shoulders.

    If you’re reading this and can help, please check out my channels (or the separate website devoted to them – HalfAPoundOfPixels.com) and my Ko-Fi or Patreon. I would really appreciate it.

    I have big ideas, but continuing habitation in a place I have Internet is pretty bedrock-level important in my version of Maslow’s pyramid.

    Thanks for reading.

    Skåll!!!