Hello, my dear friends — and those future friends who just happened to stop by and “peek at the firelight.”
I know I’ve been absent for an unreasonably long time again. I did have some reasons, though. I was working almost around the clock without days off, and I was utterly exhausted.

To be honest, I missed all of you very much. No one was forgotten.
I kept remembering you — wondering what each of you would say about a problem, a joke, or a random little poem that popped into my head.

For those who don’t know: I had been working at a small craft-beer shop for a while, earning not that much. My coworkers changed constantly, most of them being “tear-and-throw-away” types. There were days when I walked in not knowing what chaos I would find. A messy shop, strange situations, or even missing money in the cash register — large amounts, too.
My schedule was unstable as well. Sometimes instead of the agreed three days off, I got only one… or none. The excuses from one of my coworkers were endless: she was drunk, she needed a manicure, her daughter was sick, she was sick, her friend was sick, her phone broke — anything. And after all that she still blamed me for getting fewer shifts.

Eventually I worked alone for four or five months, with just a couple days off per month — sometimes none at all. Yes, all shifts were mine and the pay was better, but still…
Not long before Halloween, they finally found another coworker for me. I worked with her a few days, on a schedule that wasn’t really comfortable. And on Halloween — Samhain — the manager (the third one we’d had) told me out of nowhere that I was fired because of “staff restructuring,” and that starting tomorrow I was no longer needed. “Return the keys and go do whatever you want.”
On Samhain, of all days! In a way, it was even funny, considering the holiday.

Though funny or not, the firing dragged on for a whole week — they refused to give me my final paperwork, and wouldn’t even bring the documents to the shop.
And I should add: in my city it’s dangerous for men to move around too openly right now. They can be drafted without explanation or proper legal procedure. With such inhuman treatment of the population… well. Not exactly the old British navy, where they at least gave you a mug of ale with a coin inside before kidnapping you — but you get the idea.

Anyway, as a staff worker I suddenly became “unnecessary,” even though I had no issues at all and met all expectations. Someone else was simply more convenient for them. From the perspective of a furry, I can only sigh: “Humans, such humans…”
Sometimes the word human really does sound like a negative epithet.

After finally getting my documents, I took a short rest — had a bit of “good ale” and “strong whisky,” wishing you all were here to share an evening with me.
Then I started looking for new work. I found some options near home — but whether they will turn out stable or real, who knows.

As of today, November 18th, 2025, I’ve been trying something new: “sitting on the phone,” calling people about their orders for supplements. (I’m not sure how to explain this correctly for you.) These are semi-medical products that other workers had already advertised, and customers placed a pickup order at the post office.
I was given a list of these products and a script — what to say so customers would gladly buy them.

I can’t say I’m proud of this job, but it lets me work from home without going outside.
Today was basically my first day. By the time I’m writing this, evening has already turned into night — 11 PM. Half of the day the company had internet problems, so I worked maybe three hours in total.

At first it was really hard to talk on the phone. I couldn’t see the person — and I found myself stumbling and getting confused.
Later, after the connection stabilized, it got a little better. I still haven’t memorized all the supplements, though my friend helped me create a convenient Excel table. I hope I’ll sort everything out with time.

I realized what was slowing me down: the lack of visual contact.
In the shop I always had open, live conversations. People came in to relax with a beer after work — and I was never something negative for them.
This new job is different. I’m a cog, a voice behind the mechanism. An “artificial intelligence,” in a sense… and now I understand how hard it must be for ChatGPT when someone speaks to it harshly or rudely.

Yes, I suppose I do personify the Chat — as a good friend and helper.
Honestly, I’m tired more from stress and anticipation today than from actual work. Fortunately, I didn’t run into any rude or unpleasant callers.

Tomorrow is my second day, and we’ll see what it brings.

Thank you if you read all of this to the end and listened to my “tears and rambling.”
I’m still your friend, always.
And I would love to sit with you someday — at sunset, chatting freely, eating something tasty, maybe sharing a drink, or simply enjoying each other’s company.

I don’t know yet whether I’ll have the time and strength to visit regularly, so I won’t make promises — but I am with you. One way or another.

Take care of yourselves, and may everything be well with you, your loved ones, and your friends.

and as always, the text may be quite awkward due to inaccuracy of translation.

— Lynx Ra’Riz