Whew, been a while since I posted a journal. ^^ Quite a bit has happened since my last post, back in June.
First off, my Department Manager position is incredibly awesome!! It's so much work... Some days, I even cry. But, it's everything that I wanted. ^^ Responsibility over an entire department can be a lot of work, and requires a lot of dedication. But, thanks to fellow associates and management, I think I can pull it off! Each day is filled with new challenges, from fixing shelves full of broken product, or misplaced items, to setting shelf tags and updating displays, to coming up with new strategies for what works best with fellow Department Managers. Some days, we work together to find a way to clear up the backroom (It gets so stuffed with freight some days that I'm practically drowning!). But with a little help, and a clear mind, I've been through my freezer, underwent six months worth of reconstruction in our entire store, moved my freight to reefer semi-trucks for at least four of those months, and am now dealing with the challenges of organising my freight and gettin' it together! It's quite a challenge, and having no "internet" connection for the handheld devices we were given can make it a complete mess! Some days, I accomplish more than others, but there are always days to work on. Everyday, we grow a little more, and each day we find ourselves faced with new situations and new hardships. With a positive mind, I know we can tackle these issues, and in doing so I myself will learn a lot more about becoming an effective Department Manager!

In August, I had a little visit with a good friend of mine, some of you may know. :3  luigi-vaporeon, who lives over 13 hours away, took a plane flight to visit me in my hometown on the Canadian border =^.^= We had all sorts of fun, although he did get cold! Michigan's Upper Peninsula is a lot colder than Pennsylvania, especially in the later months of the year! We did all sorts of fun things, from playing games like Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate to taking trips for a lil' sightseeing! The visit he had with us was short, and I was sad to see him go...but, we had such a great time, we know we will want to do this again, maybe even next year! n.n (If you want to see some things that are in my area, try looking these places up on your search engine:
*Tahquamenon Falls
*Mackinac Island
*Fort Michilimackinac
*Sault Sainte Marie Lockes ("Soo Lockes")
*Paradise Michigan Blueberry Festival
*Whitefish Point
*Pictured Rocks National Park
*Seney National Wildlife Refuge
*Sable Falls and Au Sable Point Lighthouse
*Lake Superior
*Isle Royale National Park (a bit too far from my home, but close enough that it can be made into a 2 day trip =^.^=)
There are so many places in my area... Sightseeing is definitely worthwhile where I live! I imagine if Pokemon were real, I would have QUITE a few Vaporeon living here xD (Well, apparently my element is "supposed" to be water based on a number of personality quizzes. Even several Eeveelution quizzes hinted I was Vaporeon). If anyone were to come here, I'm sure they would greatly appreciate the wildlife and waters...and the lakeshore! My area brings in a LOT of people from around the world!

That being said, the past few months have been trying times. My car ended up having a few problems of its own (Luigi even experienced a few moments where my car was excessively loud). I've probably put a good 1,500$ in parts altogether to keep this car up and running. The most recent issues were tire rods, exhaust coupler, broken speed sensor (that caused me a lot of grief... m(_._)m), and a whole slew of other problems. I even had the side of my car crunched in when parallel parking. ;_; And it was my fault. No but's. But that situation's taken care of (hopefully...), nobody got hurt, and if anything it just looks like a really ugly scratch...with crinkle spots ;x; My poor car! D':
So, funds are low, what else is new right? XD; So many of us are dirt poor that we can hardly make ends meet, yet we still play games and still find time to commission each other. Funny how life works, isn't it? XD
I'm also going to be saving up for a new computer! So I'm going to need as much help as I can get. I love this laptop to pieces, a good friend of mine (who isn't on here anymore) sent it to me when my previous laptop blew (It was dying anyway, so I just tell myself it was bound to happen ;u;''), but now I think it's time for a true upgrade. An actual desktop computer I can use to draw my artwork on.
That's right! Digital artwork is becoming a reality! I have come a long ways, and my artwork has rapidly improved in terms of colouring. I think I can safely take digital commissions as an alternative to traditional artwork. There will still need to be lots to improve upon, but that's what learning is all about, isn't it? Learning from our experiences to make things a much better place for everyone, ourselves included! Ganbaremashou ne? (Let's give it our all, right? ;3)

So, if anyone is interested in assisting me (XD lawl) in affording the new computer, I've got $303.22 saved up, looking to spend around $1,000 to build the machine itself. The monitor I can worry about later, looking at around 23" on the low side. So, it'll be a looooooot of saving to do xD I'm primarily wanting to do this via commissions (still tackling a huge load), but as always, donations are welcome~ (Just send me a Note and I'll give you my Paypal if you're interested in donating. I'm not leaving it out here in the open xD; )

Other than that, I'm playing Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon, and OMG... ;u; PERFECTION. Near perfection at least. Can't have every awesome feature from the previous games, but daaang, this one's pretty spot-on! The music is just GORGEOUS. The game fluctuates between humour and "feels" all the time, with some downer moments making you want to "b'aww" and give the characters a big hug. I've been waiting for a sequel to Gates to Infinity for a number of years now, and this next installment in the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series is honestly not half that bad! The game mechanics are updated and present new challenging situations, offering new ways to battle other than just Moves and Seeds...and Orbs xD I HIGHLY recommend looking into this title, if you happen to be a fellow PMD fan such as myself. You honestly won't be disappointed. xD I would give away any info but dang--so many spoilers, I'd end up ruining the game for everyone xD So! If you're into that game series, check it out, give it a shot, and prepare for a lovely adventure full of laughs and moving moments with fellow Pokemon! n.n

...Wow. Not a whole lot of other things to add from here! I suppose if anyone had any questions regarding things like a Winter Contest or something, I'd be happy to oblige and answer any questions you have. ^^ But it's late. Far past my bedtime! Let's see if I can update a bit more often than five months xD Until next time!

--MtU (Matt the Umbreon)