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December 25, 2022

Bidding Adieu to 2022

Looks like it's been another long while with no updates from me, huh? I've wanted to make another new post, but life is busy, and finding the time to stop and write a blog post isn't always as simple as it sounds.

This year started with probably the saddest attempt at a New Year's Eve party with my then fiancée and I sitting alone watching Times Square's own New Year's Eve livestream. We do not recommend it. Fast forward 6 months, and we were at our wedding. Do it again, and you're at our 3rd anniversary (dating, of course).

As quick of a summary as that is, time likes to feel both fast and slow. This year shot by in a blur, but at the same time, every memory feels so distant. Every old picture filling me with a nostalgia that I shouldn't find in something so recent. When beginning to write this blog post, I took a look at my photos for the year. I was reminded that it was this year that a surge in in-office COVID cases stuck me working from home for 2 weeks, and not the previous one. Even more jarring is that this was the year that Pokémon Legends: Arceus came out, and that after playing that, I played Monster Hunter Rise for the first time. I saw a collection of friends from all parts of my life finally come together at my bachelor party, and then, just a week later, my wedding. Only a month after that was my first plane flight, and then the resulting first (and hopefully last) bout with COVID.

It is kind of intriguing, if you think about it. Those were all from the earlier parts of this year, ranging from January to July, and yet they all feel much further back in my life. How can something so close feel so far? How can the two weeks between paychecks feel like a few days? Time is such a tricky concept to gauge by the feel of it.

I'm so thankful to be where I am in life right now. Looking back on all of these memories of 2022, I am deeply grateful for the amazing friends and family that I made all of these memories with, none more than my wife, Gwen. It's a bit funny because many people have expressed to me that I have a tendency to be the rock that keeps everyone grounded, both in this year and in years past, but they never seem to realize that they're the ones grounding me. I can only be the rock that I am because of them.

Moving forward into 2023, I think the main areas I want to focus my energy are renewing my commitment to adulting effectively, aiming for promotions at work, paying down student loans, looking for a house to purchase, and recommitting to eating healthier and getting my weight back into a healthier range.

This is getting a bit long-winded, so I am going to wrap things up here. If you're reading this, I sincerely hope that you've had a great 2022, and, if it's been a little rough around the edges, I hope that your 2023 gives you some much needed relief.

I'll leave you with a picture from my wedding.

A grayscale photo of the kiss from my wedding.  Gwen is visible on the left, I'm on the right, and our officiant, who you may recognize as Cory from Board Brains, is behind us in the middle.

January 3, 2022

Commission Price Changes

It's been a while since I've made a blog post, huh? Well, I'm finally back with some news. I'm updating my commission prices! If you've commissioned me in the past, you'd know that the typical 64x64, 16-color sprite, was priced at $5. However, I now have a job that pays me a decent chunk per hour, so, to keep commission work worth it, and to better value my skills, I'm increasing my prices across the board.

Example prices (assuming 16 colors):

Hopefully this price change doesn't prove to be inhibitory to anyone hoping to order commissions from me, though I hope you understand that, charging as little as I was charging just isn't realistic for me anymore. I need a sprite to be close to or higher than an hour of my actual job in pay, given that they often take me close to an hour. My skills have also progressed quite a bit since I first started taking commissions, especially when it comes to my ability to work without simple pixel-over.

Well, that's all I have to say here for now. Thank you for reading!