Personal Blog: February Update – Where I’ve Been

Providing a quick personal update for the past month, letting you guys know where I’ve been and what I’m working on for the upcoming weeks.

Today I’m writing a different type of post. Hopefully this is received well enough. Many of you have noted or messaged me asking about my on-again-off-again abscess over the last month here on Scorum. Instead of answering everyone one-by-one, I decided to make use of the “other” tab here, using it as a place to publish personal updates.

Before getting into it, I would like to encourage others users to not be afraid of posting personal updates/blogs under the “other” tab. Obviously, Scorum is primarily about sports, but it’s also about the community of sports fans. What separates Scorum from all other major news outlets is the level of personal connection between users and between reader and writer.

I believe this is something we should lean into since it’s an element that is unique to the platform and helps separate Scorum from other sports news platforms. In short, don’t be afraid to share parts of your life here. I really enjoy getting to know everyone here. I’ve made friendships with many of you, and I really love getting to know you guys more and more each day.

Okay, so now here’s what I’ve been up to instead of writing on Scorum.

Start of the New Year

The same as all of you, I was quite busy through the holiday season. My wife and I live about 650 miles (1,050 km) from our closest family members. Thus, we have to spend most of our holidays just the two of us.

It’s been many years since we have been with family during the holidays. On top that, this was the first holidays we had to go through since the passing of my father-in-law, which made the season a bittersweet for us. It was the first holidays in our new house but also the first holidays missing one of our parents. It was tough.

Dealing with Health Issues

Before I had even made it to Christmas, I was having several issues with my eyes. Mainly extensive twitching, blurred vision, light sensitivity, and headaches. Since I was having these problems over the holidays, I had to wait until we have through New Years before I could see a doctor. While I waited, I tried to stay off Scorum and give my eyes as much rest as possible.

Come to find out I have some slight farsightedness. Since I spend so much time at the computer and reading, the eye strain was quite severe. I was given eye drops that relaxed and numbed my eyes so the muscle could finally relax. Then I was prescribed glasses. I’m happy to say I haven’t had any issues since getting my new glasses.

The Arrival of my Father

As I’ve said before, my wife and I recently bought a house here in North Carolina. This is the first home either of us have owned, so it’s been a big deal for us. A lot of learning. A lot of stress. But all worth it.

My father hadn't been to the new house yet, so he took a week off from work and drove out to our house. It was wonderful of finally have him there. We hadn’t seen him in almost a year and were so happy to show off our house. My father worked construction for many years when I was growing up; therefore, he wanted to help me work on the house a bit while he was here.

We did some work in the bathroom, some electrical work, and finished with leveling out some hanging doors and taking care of a few minor odds and ends. It was excellent to have him there and to get the help and guidance I needed in regards to some home repairs.

While he was there, I even was able to get him to register for Scorum (@jonrock). My father is a bit older, so Scorum and blockchain is quite foreign to him. That being said, I really appreciate him registering and trying to learn.

A Trip with Mom

My parents are divorced and have been for many years. As a result, they don’t do much of anything together. They’re still friends, but they live separate lives. Before my father had decided to come out and visit, my mother had already made plans with me months ago to come out and stay for 2 weeks over her birthday (mid-January).

Merely a few days after my father left, I was going to the nearby airport to pick up my mother. She had previously been out to my new house during the summer months. Instead of spending her time out here at my house, she wanted to take some time and travel out along the coast for a short trip. So we did the exact thing.

My wife, mother and I rented ocean front rooms and stayed a few days on small island right off the coast of North Carolina called Ocean Isle Beach. During these months, the area is much, much quitter and empty compared to the summer months. We were lucky enough to have some decent weather to enjoy the beach.

The same as my father, I was able to get my mother to register an account on Scorum. She’s been on here for a while now (@hoosierfutbol) and is still learning.

Helping a Friend

My mother was only gone for about 24 hours before a friend, also from Indiana, drove out to North Carolina to stay with me and interview for a new job out here. The job is located in Wilmington, NC which is couple hour drive away. Upon arriving we hung out, got some rest, then drove out to Wilmington, which is on the coast, to do some investigating. He had his job interview and after we went and hung out on the beach for a bit.

The short trip proved useful. My friend (@sirpabloescobar) was offered the job. He loved Wilmington and is happy to call it his new home. As of now, he is back in Indiana, packing up and getting ready for the move.

Everything is set for next weekend, so I’ll likely be gone at that time again. Likely I’ll go to Wilmington to help him get settled. Then him and another friend helping move will probably come stay at my house for a bit.

Looking Forward

And that was it—the handful of things that kept me off Scorum for the last month. Holidays, health problems, family staying with me, and finally helping a friend move. Don’t regret any of it. Glad to have the time with my family and happy to help my friend. But I’ve very pleased to get back on a schedule here on Scorum.

I’ve got a few upcoming plans for things I want to work on here. Of course, I’ll continue with everyone working on the Big Match Lives as we finish the EPL season and potentially cover some Champions League matches. I hope to get the Monday morning Headline Review posts going again (sorry about missing today).

Expect a post this week revisiting the USA Men’s National Team. They recently played there friendlies for January camp, which I wrote about here, and I’ll revisit the subject and talk about how they did. I’ll be hitting on some gaming content here and there, although I haven’t been playing much later. And finally, I’m hoping to start to publish a bit of content pertaining to college basketball—more specifically ACC College Basketball. So you may be seeing some new content from me.

I’ll leave it there for now. Until then, be good.

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