Life Update 3/16/24

So, I know I've been kinda quiet lately. I actually haven't gotten a whole lot of writing done so far this month. There's a good reason for that, actually. 

METALLOVER'S MOVING TO CANADA! WOO! 

Yes, you read that correctly! After literally an entire decade of trying and failing to make this journey, it's finally time. My tickets are booked, I've resigned from my job, and all my other junk is under control. I just have to organise freight for some of my stuff, sell my car, and I'm golden. 

I can't get a full shipping container for all my stuff, unfortunately, so I have to pick and choose and cram my entire life into one suitcase, one backpack, and ten packing boxes. Because a full container is ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. Fuck that. I'm kinda salty about having to leave the coffee table I made by hand in high school behind, especially because I restored it about a month ago, but such is life. 

I tried to get to Canada at 19, and my maternal grandmother had a stroke that required her to have 24 hour care (I was supposed to be staying at their house, and even she didn't want me to have to deal with that). I tried at 21, and then had a brutal breakup (she had half the funds). I tried at 23, and my maternal grandfather passed (again, was gonna live with him). I tried at 25, and then my paternal grandmother passed, and my paternal grandfather needed to be put into a special care facility (yes, I was gonna live with them, too). PEOPLE. KEPT. DYING ON ME. I'm honestly kinda worried my parents are gonna get hit by a bus or something before I get there, because I'm staying with them this time lmao. 

Funny enough, this is also my 200th Patreon update, too. How auspicious! It's a sign! 

So, yeah, I'm working on packing and stuff, as well as paperwork and junk. I gotta get a temporary visa to pass through the US, even though it's only a four hour layover. I gotta talk to the Immigration Department here in Australia to cancel my visa. Then I gotta talk to the ATO, Australia's version of the IRS, to get my retirement fund sent over to me. Then I gotta go to my bank and talk to them about how my accounts and stuff are gonna go when I'm in the process of transferring everything over. It's a lot of work, but it's gonna be worth it. Fortunately, I spent almost all my savings and 'disposable' income in the last year to pay off all my debt. I'm working on packing at the moment, because it's the weekend and all the clerical stuff can only be done during the week. So, I wanted to take one last picture of the nerd-corner to remember it by before I tore it all down. I am sad about it. Brings a tear to my eye. You can see I've already started, too. 

No, I have no idea how I'm gonna get that framed Rei puzzle into a suitcase, but I'm gonna try! 

How is my writing going? Well, it's not like I've been doing absolutely none. I've got the first scene started, and it's gonna be a little different; yup, we're doing it from our new character's perspective! Yay! The entire chapter is planned out, and I've got all the notes written out. I've also been thinking of stories to do outside of my usual comfort zone, but all I've done for them has been some planning and notes. 

And on the topic of writing, I'm so not sorry for that cliff-hanger in the last chapter. I've been planning that scene for literally two years now, and got distracted with all the political junk with starting the war in Valm. It's been so cathartic to get it on the page. Got one more planned story beat that I've been dying to get out, then it's all boom-for-the-boom-god. 

I'm actually kinda debating taking a few months off when I get to Canada to just write, and focus on working on an original novel. It would be nice, but I really don't want to chew through all of my retirement funds to support myself. We'll see what happens. 

This update is getting kinda long, so I'm not gonna bother talking about all the other stuff I've been doing. A condensed version is my hands are almost fully recovered, I'm back to work full-time for the next month until I leave, my parents are visiting here in Australia and have already completely taken over my house, and I am arguing to get a dog for the farm in Canada; a big ugly rottweiler that I'm gonna name Princess Monster Truck. 

That's it! I'll try to do one more update before I actually leave Australia next month, but yeah, I wanted to get you all caught up on what's going on. 

Thanks again for your continued support, especially in this incredibly exciting period of my life, and Nagaspeed, eh!