An Update On What's Going On

Hey! It's been a while. With everything going on, I said the next podcast wouldn't be until maybe late March or early April, and here we are! I've actually been considering recording a podcast soon, but the renovation is still happening.

We've been back in the apartment for about a month now, and unpacking has been slow, but my desk is 80% set back up and running, so I could in theory record the podcast, but there are construction crews roaming around replacing siding and roofing on all the units, which leads to an awful lot of noise. I even wanted to do a stream on Twitch right after getting set back up, but when there's hammering and drilling and sawing going on right outside your bedroom window, that's not exactly a good environment for anything involving a microphone.

I'm fine, for the most part. If you somehow missed the big Tumblr recap of what happened with the renovation, here's a link to that. 

The short version is that the apartment complex we live in is a hellmouth, they put us through a nightmare, but donations from friends (and strangers!) saved the day. Some things were damaged or lost, which we expected. Most of the important stuff is fine. Whatever is missing, we have enough money left over from the donation storm that some or all of it can be replaced. 

Those donations left me with a very weird feeling. I think it's probably obvious that I've been stuck in a rut, or even multiple ruts of various sizes for a very, very, very long time. And seeing people I know, people I barely know, and people I've never met in my life all come around and help me out... it's a feeling that impostor syndrome cannot touch. It makes me realize that things are going to be alright, and that I am more loved than I think I could have comprehended. It recharges my batteries a little just thinking about it.

I have not yet had the dentist appointment for the first round of surgery. When I went in for that, I explained my situation and it was just a consultation on what to do when I eventually do have the surgery. I should probably call or text them here in the next few days to set that back up now that we're out of the woods. That remains a bridge we must eventually cross. 

Also, make no mistake, with the renovation starting to move behind us, we're itching more than ever to get out of this place and in to something better. That all depends on whether or not we can get a hold of the housing authority and find some place that will take us. Now that we're minus one pet, we should have way more options for apartments, but nobody from housing has talked to us since the pandemic started and it sounds like our caseworker doesn't even work there anymore. 

But we do not plan to be here any longer than we have to. If you consider the $1050+ I spent on the hotel, plus the $450 they promised us for food cost but never paid us, they owe us at least $1500 on top of whatever our security deposit will be. And given that this is basically a fresh, brand new apartment now, we better be getting that security deposit back. But... the more I learn about this complex, the more it sounds like it's run by some very nasty characters. It's more important to get out before they screw us over for something else.

We were actually in potential danger of eviction, recently. They raised our rent another $40 around December and neglected to notify us about it. The only way we found out about it is we wanted a copy of our lease after ours got lost in a box somewhere during packing. Going down to the front office to get it, we learned we were $200 behind on rent. Had it gone much higher than that, they could have evicted us without warning. Just another stiff reminder that we need to get out of here.

In lighter news, I am going in for my first covid-19 vaccine shot on Wednesday and coincidentally that will also be the day we get the newest stimulus check. Unlike the first stimulus payment, adult dependents are getting payment this time, so in theory I'll have a decent chunk of money to play with. Currently weighing my options on that, between rebuilding my PC, buying a next-gen gaming console, or maybe some better furniture. I'm starting to think my growing carpal tunnel problems might be due to this tiny little keyboard tray and the way I've squeezed everything in to fit and how I have to twist to type. A slightly bigger desk would be nice, but I don't have a lot of space in my room to work with. I also wouldn't mind having a new TV, given the one the PS4 is hooked up to is probably at least six or seven years old and actually has a dead ant trapped under the bezel from when we had an ant problem a couple years ago. 

That being said, I've always been of the opinion that I won't be getting any stimulus money until it's physically in my hands, and there's plenty of runway to be disappointed by that, so we'll see what happens day after tomorrow.

Anyway, short of getting in to the stuff that is normally podcast filler (TV shows, etc.) that's what's been going on in my life since the last we spoke. 

I've been throwing myself at the wall of trying to untangle, reorganize and clean up my Sonic Forces script, I've been working at writing a Hot Shots Racing text review, and Balan Wonderworld should eventually be arriving on my doorstep for a stream and a review eventually (I should actually contact Amazon about that, today). I've also been working to refreshing my stream "branding." Here's a look at the new waiting/brb sequence:

Until next time.