General update.

Time has been hard to come by. I've found it difficult to write posts here as a result. I'll write this post in an attempt to roll the writing-ball again.

This year, my worksite has been very challenging. I continue to work as an Integration Support Teacher at an elementary school. It's my role in the school to support students with special needs designations, to support them in order to ensure their "inclusion" in the classroom. I can't really write much about it here due to privacy and professionalism, but I can say that I've come home discouraged many times, and I've found it very hard to stay energized or to feel successful this year. A lot of things are going well in an objective way, but from another angle nothing is going as it should. I wish I was doing better at work, but consistency has been a challenge all year.

Creatively, I've continued to play at the local Legion when I get the chance. I play at least once a month on the Saturday night Jammers stage, and I think my guitar and leadership skills have improved each time. It's a laid-back environment, but I also want to do a good job with it. I was invited to join a covers band for the next few months, and I'll be joining them for a first rehearsal this coming Sunday. That should be a good boost to the musical ego, and I'm looking forward to getting some "band" experience that I've never had before.

My photography trundles along, but I'm having trouble finding joy in it. My wife and I have done a couple trips out of the country over the last year, and that's led me to take lots of pictures in other locations. But here in Ladner, in the Lower Mainland, I feel like my photographic inspiration is pretty-much dried up. I'd reached out on some photography Facebook groups to find some models to work with, but my posts didn't receive any responses. So I'm still trying to find some inspiration there.

I've tried to start running again, but it's been patchy. I've injured my body more regularly at the gym for the last seven months, so I need to start exercising more like the 43 year old man I am. I've been learning more about cooking at home.

Overall life is good. I am healthy and I'm looking forward to some good things. However, I find that, at the end of the day, I don't have much to say, and I'm performing poorly at keeping up with friends and family. But I've started to try to write The Artist's Way "daily pages," so maybe that technique will help me get the wanting-to-talk juices working again.