I started a new job at the end of August. I am now a full-time lecturer at a university. It's my first full-time job, and I'm essentially on "probation." I have a nine-month contract, and then the department decides whether or not they want to hire me permanently. Thus, I find myself taking on added responsibilities: on top of teaching, I am also volunteering on a few other projects. I also tend to go above and beyond when it comes to my teaching responsibilities--for example, today was supposed to be my day off and I spent about six hours commenting on second drafts for some of my struggling students who requested tutoring. Basically, I'm a sucker who can't say no when people ask for help or volunteers.
(I want to make it clear that I'm not complaining about being employed. I have insurance and on Tuesday, I get my first "grown-up" paycheck, so things are looking better for me than they have in awhile. It's just been overwhelming, exciting, and a little scary.)
I have not played TS3 since the end of August (gasp!). Part of the reason is because if I load up the game, I'll feel guilty--like I have to play Polly Bee and friends and write something. I've basically made up a weird obligation that the only thing I can do in TS3 is play my random legacy, but I just don't feel like playing it right now. I love writing this blog and participating in this challenge, but I don't feel like I have the energy to put into planning out stories and chapters. When I come home from work, a lot of times I just want to do mindless, boring things, and writing this blog is challenging and non-boring. I also haven't been keeping up with blogs simply because I read your blogs and enjoy them and think, "Man, I suck. Like, hard." I'm a bit of a workaholic, and I've started to treat this blog like it's work, which is dumb.
Anyway, this has all be a long, personal post filled with first-world problems. What I want to say is this:
- I plan to catch up on your blogs soon, hopefully over the next week or so. I've been denying myself the pleasure of reading your blogs simply because I feel guilty about my own "failure."
- I am not quitting this blog. I don't know if I'll ever finish the legacy (I gotta be honest: I might play the Sims 4 when it comes out), but I am not planning on quitting anytime soon. I swear, there will be some resolution between Polly and Crux! ;)
- I don't know when I will write the next chapter. I want to at least finish Generation 1 before the end of the year.
- I am a huge ball of stress right now, and I might alleviate that by treating myself to something from the Sims Store and playing the fuck out of it tonight.
- I might make a more relaxed blog where I post dumb pictures and one-shot stories every once and awhile. I can't play the Sims without making up some sort of story in my head, but I don't neccessarily want to "play" the same story all the time.
