Begin Next Stage

 

As of this posting my life has been changed. Yesterday a judge signed divorce papers, ending my marriage of 21 years. Don't let that upset you, as this has been a long time in coming and, really, it's the best for everyone involved. My ex-wife has moved back with her mother and our fifteen year-old child is with me with a time sharing agreement in place.

Rather than worry about the past, I'm going to keep moving forward. Much like the Saturn 5 image above, I just look at this as the next stage of my life launching me further on an incredible journey. To quote the ending of my favorite movie:

Hiatus!

Time for some big news, everyone. The blog/podcasts/etc will be going on hiatus for an indefinite period. (I'll still try to work in podcast guest appearances, but no promises.) As such, I will be suspending the Patreon as well, since it doesn't make sense to collect money for no work. Why is this happening? Well, I got myself a new job and it's in Florida! (Jacksonville, to be exact.)

The future's so bright I have to wear shades.

I'm actually going to start working for them in a few weeks (training there then working remotely from up here) but after Kira is done with the school year, we'll be moving. That means I have a rather intense few months ahead of me (packing, selling the house, finding a new house, moving, etc) so all of my spare time will be taken up, leaving no time for stuff like this. I might pop back in if the muse takes me, but weekly posting will be off the table for the foreseeable future.

Stuff Happening

There's some behind the scenes stuff going on right now, so I didn't have time to put anything together for this week. Stay tuned for news in the near future. In the mean time:

Pain

Pain is what I've experienced recently, as my friends on Facebook already know. I managed to sprain my left ankle on Friday and, as such, I haven't been able to sit at a computer. So, no (real) post this week. Sorry about that. Hopefully I'll have something for you next week.

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Like what I'm doing here on the blog and podcast? Why not check out my Patreon Page to see how you can help me do more? http://www.patreon.com/TheHammerStrikes

Fill In The Blank

It's still interesting that my name comes up when listening to podcasts. I have become associated with some interesting topics in certain circles, to the point that I'm "That _____ guy." That's not entirely unwarranted or un-welcomed. Here are the ones that I hear most often:

That Heathen Guy - While I don't shove my religion in people's faces, I don't beat around the bush when it comes to it. So, in podcasting circles anyway, when something of the Norse variety comes up my name is often invoked. The most recent occurrence of this was on an episode of "Back to the Bins" where they were discussing the casting of Valkyrie in Thor:Ragnarok. (I don't have a problem with that, BTW)

That Quasar Guy - Not a shock here, as I co-host a podcast about Quasar, but it seems that I'm called out more on this than my buddy Adam Worth is. I'm not sure why this is, but I'm fine with telling you why Quasar is a great character.

That Star Trek: The Motion Picture Guy - Or, as Michael Bailey has dubbed me, Gene “I WILL CUT YOU OVER STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE” Hendricks. This movie tends to get dumped on a lot, but I still love it. Heck I've done two episodes of my own show discussing it. I'm proud to be a standard bearer, along with Scott Gardner, for this much maligned movie.

How about you, dear reader? What is your "fill in the blank" among your friends?

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Like what I'm doing here on the blog and podcast? Why not check out my Patreon Page to see how you can help me do more? http://www.patreon.com/TheHammerStrikes

Rocky Run - Year 2 (sort of)

Well, it turns out that my prediction that I wouldn't do as well in this year's Rocky Run was correct. Not because I wasn't able to train (which was true) but because I wasn't able to go.

You see, my wife got a job at the new Amazon Fullfillment Center in our town (Woohoo!) working nights. This is perfect because it means that Kira is never home alone. The side effect of this, unfortunately, is that I can't closet myself in the office and work on podcasts while watching her. So I have 3 episodes sitting and waiting to be edited & released. I promise that I'll get to them, but family will always come first.

Now, back to our story. Since Kira had a Girl Scout camping trip this past weekend, it actually worked out so that I could leave for Philly before Michelle got home. Then a spanner got into the works and the trip was changed from Friday & Saturday nights to just Saturday night. So, I could leave her home alone (not happening), leave when Michelle got home (and not make the race), take Kira wih me (and force her to walk 3 miles in the cold before going camping), or not go.

I think I made the correct decision.

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Like what I'm doing here on the blog and podcast? Why not check out my Patreon Page to see how you can help me do more? http://www.patreon.com/TheHammerStrikes

Interruptions In Service

As you know, my wife has been working for the first time in quite awhile. What you don't know is that she's also been having some issues with medications changing and various drug side-effects. As such, if I'm not working or taking care of our daughter, I'm taking care of her. So, you will no doubt have noticed a distinct lack of podcasts coming out.

"But you've been on Back to the Bins all month!" That's because I don't have to edit those. You see, for what you hear, it normally takes 3-4 times that to edit it. So a half hour episode could take up to 2 hours of work. I'm sorry, but I can't justify that kind of time investment when I have family issues. I feel bad about missing my schedule (which is on;y once a month anyway), but this is a hobby and family comes first.

I've got two episodes recorded, one for The Hammer Podcasts! and the other for Comic Book Fight Club, that need to be edited. I promise I'll get to that as soon as I can, but I'm not sure when that will be yet. Sorry, everyone, but I'm going to have to ask you to be patient.

The blog, on the other hand, is firing on all cylinders. I've actually got posts written for the next several weeks, so you're weekly does of geekiness will still be there every Thursday.


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Like what I'm doing here on the blog and podcast? Why not check out my Patreon Page to see how you can help me do more? http://www.patreon.com/TheHammerStrikes

On A Personal Note

I have apparently completely lost my mind. You see, the guys over at NeoZAZ have decided to take part in the Rocky Run this November. As I've been wanting to meet the guys, get in better shape, and the possibility of walking the 5k exists, I decided to sign up and participate on team NeoZAZ Stallions. As they're looking for a pace of at least 15 minutes per mile, and I have not done any kind of decent exercise in my weight loss, I figured that I needed to start training. So, now I'm walking at least a mile a day at lunchtime, and doing it at a very brisk pace. I mean, if I'm going to do this, I might as well push myself, right? Which means that, as I type this, I'm sitting here getting my breath back after walking 1.1 miles in 14.5 minutes. Not too shabby.

On another, yet still personal, note, those that follow my stuff on Facebook and Google Plus know that my wife has recently gotten a job after a very long search. While this is wonderful news for us, it does mean that I'm going to need to watch our daughter while she's working. So, my podcast editing time has been a bit curtailed, since if I'm spending time with my daughter, I'm not going to do it attached to a computer. Please keep that in mind if you see a bit of an erratic posting schedule for my shows.

Not to sound mercenary or anything, but if you want to guarantee a more regular schedule on podcasts, then you should head on over to my Patreon page (see below) and pledge a buck or two every month. Like most people, things that I'm getting paid to do take on a higher priority.

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Like what I'm doing here on the blog and podcast? Why not check out my Patreon Page to see how you can help me do more? http://www.patreon.com/TheHammerStrikes