Whooo... yeahhh so... been a while. XD

Basically just giving a heads-up on what's been going on in my life and why I haven't really produced any art in a while. A LOT of shit has happened in the past few months and I'll give you a quick rundown. Most of you follow me on twitter or via other means of communication, so I'll keep it sweet and simple:

In June, I lost my job. Fired. That's a long story unto itself and I might rant about that in another journal later. Anyway, I was unemployed for the entire summer, up until October, when I landed a job working for a contractor that has a long-term position at Vancouver International Airport. Now I'm a junior maintenance technician, and currently do all sorts of things relating to upkeep of the building itself (changing lamps, HVAC service and repair, fixing floor tiles and pretty much anything that is broken that doesn't require a specific trades certification to work on.) The job is pretty cool, but it has its frustrations. As a contractor, we rely on YVR (the airport), to supply us with work-orders. Right now, we're in a battle with the union workers that YVR is trying to force out, so there's a lot of bureaucratic bullshit going on that hinders us getting work done, so we find ourselves in long stretches of having nothing to do. I'm the kind of guy who likes to actually do WORK, so it's hard going from a career where I used to have to use my brain and troubleshoot stuff with a wrench in my hand, to standing around waiting to be told to do something (which sometimes ends up in us doing menial tasks like cleaning up the lower hallways, sorting the thousands of air-filters we have in stock, etc).

So, now that I work in the Greater Vancouver Area, naturally, living almost 2 hours away in Chilliwack wasn't really an option. As soon as I got my job, I picked up and moved in with a bunch of absolutely amazing friends in Maple Ridge, which is an hour closer. Right now I'm living with my friend Torwin and 2 others, in a nice big house with a yard. The commute into work is still around an hour on a good day, but I'm making money right now, and living with good people.

Haven't been doing much art lately since I've been so fucking busy, but I hope to get started on that again soon and grind out some of the commissions I've taken in the past year. I've also been working on my 4th class power engineering course again, which I hope to complete in the coming months and get my boiler/refrigeration ticket.

And finally, saving the best for last: I've fallen in love with the most wonderful person I've ever known, JessieTWolf. She lived out here with Torwin for the last few years and we recently came to know each other in past visits I had when I was still only just partying out here on the weekends. She moved back to Toronto for a few months to be with her family and friends, but she'll be back here permanently in just a couple more months. I must say, I've never had feelings for another person on this magnitude before, even during the seven years I spent with the girl I thought I was going to grow old with. The circumstances upon which we met are quite muddy and very complicated, but I can say for sure that everything has worked out for the better, and I am for ever in debt to Tor for being such a great friend and letting us come together the way we did.

I know some very special people. I've made friends who I believe to be the upper echelon of human kindness and maturity, and for that I am ever grateful. I can only hope to achieve the same level of paragon that these people have demonstrated to me.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all other well-wishes for the future. <3

-Neox