Feb 2024

I should at least attempt to write monthly updates, right?

*pats my own shoulder* "Go at your own pace, pal."

It's the end of February and I have enough stuff to write about to finally write an update with some substance. Where to begin?.. Well, it's likely that there is at least a non-zero amount of people who have at least attempted to read my blog post from November. Specifically the one titled, you know, 'Avoiding Limbo'. Wellll, in retrospect, I feel as though I can now reasonably state with some certainty that I did not successfully avoid limbo. In fact, around the middle of December, the UNTHINKABLE happened (/s): I was introduced to a video game, which I quickly became addicted to. Man, I thought this whole video game phase of my life was dead and buried in the past!

In my defense, Sky: Children of the Light has been a notably unique gaming experience for me, at least compared to all the other massively multiplayer online games I've tried, with its emphasis on social interaction and cosmetic collecting/expression. I never thought I'd find myself hooked on a game like this - heck, you can't even kill any of the monsters that can hurt you - but I did. I'm not entirely unhappy about it. Imagine a magical realm where you spend your time emoting at strangers, honking like a goose, and grinding to afford candles (the in-game currency) to unlock the ability to simply chat with your in-game friends. It's a beautiful game that has left me with ideas for how to approach my own studio art photography in the future, and I met many people with many different backgrounds. I met an inspiring Japanese student, a cool college student from the Philippines who plays bass, a very kind and caring person from Vietnam - who I'm trying to convince to pick up a remote skill she can use to win U.S. customers because. See, wwhile the cost of life necessities in Vietnam are far more affordable in regards to USD, they also make far less money. She has implied that $1,000 a month would be lifechanging for her. I could go on and on about these people I've met, but I'm derailing myself here..

Long story short, I was hopelessly hooked, but after 2 1/2 months, the light at the end of the tunnel appeared. I've finally sucked nearly every last ounce of fun and enjoyment out of the game by intentionally burning myself out, so that I can be set free from its grips to focus on other things again.

Aside from Sky, I've...

A.) worked a small gig in January/February helping a family-friend/retiring home stager move all their furniture and other supplies out of a warehouse space they're leaving behind. There was an incident with a neighboring tenant/business that builds pallets, and something happened to where a thick cloud of particulate matter (soot, perhaps?) leaked into the home stager's warehouse and ruined a huge amount of their inventory, so they're closing business to deal with insurance afaik.

B.) continued to learn and improve my lenticular printing process, reached out to a used photography retailer to see if they'll partner with me (a shot in the dark, but sometimes dreams come true,) and am looking forward to the weather continuing to warm up so I can get back into the garage to shoot more work...

C.) Finally came to the conclusion that my old Ford Explorer from the 90s is not worth repairing. Mechanics have given estimates for all the costly suspension repairs and it's more than I paid for the vehicle. The vehicle has unknown miles and probably other issues I'm unaware of, and while I was looking into ordering the parts and tools to approach the repairs myself, I realized the extent of the repairs and the costs involved in purchasing the tools would still not be worth the effort. Instead of spending $800 to attempt repairing it myself, I'm going to try to sell it for $800 and invest in a newer vehicle. That being said, as I was cleaning it out, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic for the travels I went on in that old thang, and the dreams it represented. I mean, I did spend nearly a month sleeping in the back of it.. So here's a picture.. in memory of the ole Explorer that will probably be parted out (or potentially repaired and sold for profit by someone more prepared and knowledgeable for this sort of undertaking than I am):

D.) spent a lot of time wondering what to do with my life, nothing new there, and that's about it! I am looking forward to mowing lawns again in about a month or so, and I'm thinking of either saving up to begin my own lawn service or using that to build another vehicle that I can live in. I really want a fridge and some solar panels the next time I do this...

Anyway, despite my absence here (again, I do try to take my activity with this website at my own pace,) I want to state that I haven't been completely negligent to the Onio Cafe. I've been performing some minor webmaster chores over the past 2 months (such as keeping the link directory up to date, or making a weather channel version of that page.) Most importantly, I did renew the Onio.Cafe domain. I didn't think I'd be able to afford it, but thanks to 'scenario B,' it's back in my possession. Hopefully those who lost track of this website will be able to reconnect soon :) I've been wanting to make new tracks, but music composing is still intimidating for me. I've decided, though, that if I do fulfill my goal of creating an electronic ambient album, I'll be using 'Onio.Cafe' as my moniker. Ideally, it'll be an album made with the intention of bringing peace, relaxation, and maybe some aide for sleeping to the listeners. Is lullaby music for adults its own genre yet?

Closing thoughts (and completely unrelated to anything aforementioned): I found out my 2013 Macbook Pro still works and I want to replace the battery so I can use it again, I remembered a very old British sitcom from the early 90s called Keeping Up Appearances and I don't know what triggered this memory, I'm attached to an old Nikon dslr from 2004 which I have no reason to keep and no reason to use, I sort of want to make a YouTube channel, I ordered another ESP32, I'm thinking of buying a motorcycle to get to work, and I'm trying to learn Spanish. Buenas noches!

-Onio