👽 Personal

• Wow, what a frustrating and strange week it was. It all began on Monday, when I got to work and it smelled horrific. I work in an almost 200 year old building, so they have issues with the plumbing at times (and the water is not safe to drink) and I guess there was some sort of overflow. I was able to work from home for a couple days, so that was nice, but I began dealing with some allergies and sinus issues, no doubt exacerbated by the immense stress I've been under. By Wednesday night, I was done, so I called out of work on Thursday with hopes of enjoying and stress-free four day weekend. 
• Sadly, it wasn't as relaxing as I wanted. I did come to some serious realizations about some changes I need to make, and just as I was gearing up to get some things done, I tweaked my back, specifically my QL muscle. This tends to happen when I'm stressed, since I hold my tension in my lower back, and all it takes is one strange twist (like bending sideways when trying to get two twelve packs of soda out of the backseat of my car, when I'm parked on an incline, next to someone who left me no room) and I spent a couple of days trying to nurse myself back to health. This of course, threw off my workouts (which I was already behind on) and this was a recipe for disaster for me. This is the type of setback that sends me reaching for sweets, ordering a pizza, and being mad at the world. Thankfully, I kept my calories in check, I lightly stretched my back and rested it, and I'm keeping my frustration to a minimum. Sure, it hurts to sit, but getting pissed off about this is only going to make it worse. I'm hoping, I can get to feeling better within the next couple of days.
• I arrived at work today to a flood of emails I missed on Thursday. It turns out my job is partially federally funded, and right now, only a lawsuit from my State is keeping my job in place. This type of news would only increase my stress, but one of the realizations I made last week is this job just isn't for me. I began applying for some other jobs, and if anything, these emails only helped convince me I was making the right decision. 
• Once I get my back healed up, I'm going to launch a YouTube Channel. It's something I've been thinking about for a while now, and I ran it past the kind folks on the RSS Haven, and I think it could be a lot of fun and a great creative outlet for me. As of right now, I'm thinking of it being a sort of extension of my blog, where I'll discuss a variety of things, without a specific niche. This may change, but I have some ideas I really like, and I think can help me get some practice with my camera, lighting, editing, and whatnot, which is the ultimate goal of this experiment.

🏋️Healthy Living

• I only got one workout in last week, but I stayed on a calorie deficit so that is a win. 

📺 Watched (A Glimpse at Some of the Stuff I Watched)

• The 6th Day - This 2000 Schwarzenegger film has been on my "to rewatch list" for a few years now. I finally got around to it, and it was a bit underwhelming. I remember really liking it when it first came out, and it features a great cast and has nice vibe and some cool moments, but the movie is overly long and a bit slow in parts.
• The Equalizer - This was a first time watch for me, and I enjoyed it more than I expected. I shouldn't have been surprised, I've always been a fan of Fuqua's directing. Denzel's quiet, calm demeanor was a convincing, although his actions scenes were not so much.
• Rambo - It's been a while since I've watched my second favorite Rambo film, and I guess I was in an action mood while laid up with a sore back. I'm still in awe at the gore and violence in this film, and while it lacks the emotional depth of the first film, it's a blast to watch. 
• The Working Man - You know what to expect in a Jason Statham flick, and this one, like Homefront, was written by Sylvester Stallone. In a way, it feels like a recycled script for an unproduced Rambo movie, or maybe an early draft for Last Blood, but it's based on a novel, so I'm guessing that's just a coincidence. Anyway, this was a fun action flick, that won't be all that memorable, but a great way to spend a couple of hours.
• Magazine Dreams - This has got to be one of the strangest films I've watched in a while. It's filmed nicely and the acting is quite good, but the film lacks a coherent plot, and instead is a few thin storylines that play out while you watch a ticking time bomb. At times it's hard to watch, and parts don't even make sense, but I can see why there was hype for Major's performance, I just wish it was a better film. I feel like someone watched Requiem for a Dream and Taxi Driver and tried to replicate elements of those films, but outside of the darkness and isolation, they forgot to tell an interesting story. 

🎮 Video Games Played

• N/A

🎧 Listened To

• N/A

📖 Read

• Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger 

💻 My Other Writings 

• Stop Whining by Arnold Schwarzenegger