Ravings of an Undead Cheese Minion

I waited around 15 minutes at an off-ramp today. Apple kept insisting it was the fastest route. But the light would turn green and no one was going. The arrival time kept increasing, from 4:45 to closer and closer to 5 until it hit it. 15 minutes of my life I won't get back. I eventually left and took a different route. Got home at 5:03, also ignoring Apple's insistence on taking Center St when a back road takes me to my apartment much faster. Piece of crap!

Since we're having bad weather for the THIRD Memorial Day weekend in a row (thanks Utah), I've had to change my plans. Cowabunga Bay and Splash Summit are confirmed CLOSED, and Lindon Aquatics is confirmed OPEN but you never know when it's 50s-60s and raining. For a place that's supposed to be a high desert, it sure does seem to rain every 20 seconds.  Thesis defense is passed, so I'll be unwinding this weekend. This is how summer will officially start: Today 3:45 pm leave work for Provo Rec 4:15 walk at provo rec  4:45 slides, order Cupbop 5:45 drive home, potentially use pool or spa 6:15 shower, art, writing, code, engineering, and music. Read on hammock. Prep gym stuff. Prep Lagoon stuff. Now that my defense is passed, I don't have any formal education on the near horizon. So, I finally can focus on self-study, personal projects, AND most importantly novel publication.  7:30 writing group AND/OR games, internet, shows 8:15 get ready for bed  9:00 bed Saturday

I've never liked this world much.  Ever since I was a little kid, I always dreamed of going somewhere else. I created this alternate version of Earth that had everything and everyone that I loved, but with all these improvements to it. Magic was real. So were dragons. Dinosaurs hadn't gone extinct. Technology allowed people to fly. A network of glass corridors provided transport between this world and mine, snaking through streams of stars, galaxies, and lightyears of blackness.  And more than anything, I wasn't alone. I don't remember why I spent so much time alone as a kid. I really wish I did. All I know is that when I was in my  world, I always had someone by my side.  The feeling of being out of place here was overwhelming. It still is. That sense of not belonging, of longing for somewhere else, it has never gone away.  When I was in middle school, being bullied daily, I escaped to that world. The boys who tripped me and spit on me disappeared, replaced by tropical

If I can follow the same routine roughly, then I'm practicing what's important to me every day.  And I get that done with the rest of the time left for fun and chores.  Then I have the framework to improve. Even if for a while it feels like I'm spinning my wheels. When inspiration or motivation does strike, the foundation is there, and cool things happen. 

I miss the glory days of internet forums. But, stuff like Reddit and Discord can be a lot cleaner -- all of the stuff you like in one place.  Even so, forums are still alive, and I kinda want to participate in them again. I never really intended to stop; I just got busy and my brain was looking for quick dopamine fixes (like memes).  I am still trying to get my life together after this brutal month and sometimes I've just got to take a walk and only do a short session. So instead of coding for a few days after work, I just looked around for some coding-related forums to join, since Dream In Code is dead (and I really liked it, despite the fact that I never got to the point of making an account).  Coding Forums at https://www.thecodingforums.com seems a lot more active. I think I'll try that. And with that, got to take care of some school stuff and then take an evening walk. 

Instead of focusing on being #1, I think it's better to focus on being in the very top caliber of what you do. It's more achievable and still quite impressive. Thus, one must simply define what being in that top caliber constitutes.  These are my targets now.  Distance running : Qualify for the Boston Marathon and race equivalently fast times for other distances from 1 mile to 26 miles.  Lifting (aesthetics) : Get down to 10% body fat and then slowly get up to 155 pounds using lean bulks and cuts, and then reassess. Bonus for aesthetics: find safe acne and hair loss solutions.  Digital art : Have a high-quality portfolio and demo reel. Make some cash via Patreon (or similar) and do commissions. Sell webcomics. Have completed visual novels hosted on Steam or Itch. Finish all of my course list. Watch animation and play video games regularly.  Writing : Publish novels and poems, plus articles on theme parks and game development. Poems can be published in journals. Might try for s

Friday night: 4:00-5:30 pm Provo Rec Center. Walk (short, just 0.25 to 0.5 miles), ride slides. Order Doordash to the apartment.   5:45-6:15 Eat dinner at home.  6:15-6:45 Shower 6:45-7:30 Personal projects: write, art, code, engineer (music should have been done at lunch ideally, but if not, put it here) and prep for tomorrow  7:30-8 unwind with games, reading, internet 8-8:20 PT, injury prevention with a show 8:20-9 get ready for bed  Saturday:  4:30-5 am gym prep, bring Lactaid 5-5:45 lifting 5:45 drive to Riverwoods 6-9:05 running 16 miles, walking at Riverwoods,  Roxberry for a smoothie and muffin (take Lactaid if getting dairy)  9:05-9:30 breakfast, shower, caffeinate  9:30-10:15 drive to Farmington 10:15-11:50 roller coasters and flats at Lagoon -- Air Race, Samurai, enterprise for flats  12-1:30 Lagoon a Beach, grab lunch  (optional) walking on the Lagoon Trail  1:30-2:45 Cherry Hill 2:45-4:00 Cowabunga Bay 4-4:45 Lindon Aquatics Center 4:45-5:15 SCERA Pools 5:15-6 Splash Summi