The first half of 2010

Man, just realized that all of sudden, the year is half-way gone, and I'm not getting as much done as I had anticipated.  A large part of this is just because of work ramping up and not spending as much time at home as I'd like.  Also dealing with a couple unexpected hassles, having to replace my glasses recently and having my car die a month ago.  Hopefully in the coming months I will have a paycheck again and be able to focus more time on leisure instead of necessity.

Things to Learn

Drum Lessons - Had to quit these due to financial struggles.  But luckily my instructor is willing to keep going on a less regular basis, so they continue, just not in the same way.

Guitar Learning - Completely dropped this pretty much.  Just no time with everything else going on, and it's not a high priority for me at the moment.

Games

PS3 Games (47%) - Only game I was working on was Final Fantasy XIII, but I lent it out for several weeks, so I haven't touched it in a while.  Otherwise, the PS3 is still my Rock Band machine.

PS1 Games (33%) - Main game I'm working on now, replaying through Xenogears.  Definitely a flawed game in a lot of ways, but also does a lot of things character-wise that most games of its kind don't do.  I think I'm about half way through it or so.

Gamecube (33%) - Finally finished up Eternal Darkness, and am half way through Resident Evil 0.  Should've finished it a long while ago, I just got distracted away from it.

Other Media

Movies (78%) - I definitely think next year I'll bump the number of movies up.

Shows (13%) - This one will be bumped down instead.  These take a lot longer to get through than I tend to realize, especially shows that are multiple seasons (like the last one was).

Books (133%) - Books will also be bumped up next year.  Granted, two of those were partial finishes, but now I have two full finished books in the first half of the year, and will probably get two more by year end.

Previous Goals

• Drum lessons - SUCCESS - Got to do these for another month before I had to drop them
• More, more, more shows - KINDA SUCCESS - I did get through one more show, but I was intending to do more than that, so I count it was a partial
• Get new laptop - FAILED - As I said, no money, no laptop.  Hopefully soon.
• Start working on first iPhone apps, not just games - FAILED - This was dependent on the laptop
• Get majority of Seraph Compendium written - FAILED - Didn't even look at this during the last two months.  Shouldn't have made it a goal really.
• Finish reading the two books on my plate - SUCCESS - Got through three books actually, but I didn't count one because it was not a leisure book, and I quit on it due to its crappiness.

And now for some new goals for the next two months.

• Focus on smaller games/shows
• Get new laptop - Still on the list, and this time, it'll either happen or not at all
• Work on second novel first draft - Aiming to get to 25000 words by Sept

I'm holding back much more this time around because I don't know what I have in store.  I was hoping to be getting money by now, and that still hasn't happened, so I have to play it safe in case I have to get another job to stay afloat.  I can also tell that I'm in a consuming mode right now rather than a creative one, so I don't expect to get a lot done in the writing space.

The first four months of 2010

It's been another two months since my last update on my goal progress, so here's another one!

Things to Learn

Drum Lessons - So now with almost four months of lessons, I can honestly say that I've improved significantly in the areas that really count.  Certainly no master at it, but I feel like I can really make music now.  Lessons have gotten to the point where they're more just jam sessions than anything else.  They are still fun, and I'm going to keep doing them as long as it takes.

Guitar Learning - I'm not fully back on the wagon yet, but I'm not ignoring it like before.  Had a few good weeks where I got some things down, but with the way work has been lately, it's hard to justify giving time to it when I have so little available.

Games

DS Games (40%) - Finished two games so far this year, so I'm ahead by a little bit.  Put it down a month ago to focus on reading again, and also try to pick the PSP back up (with no success).

PS3 Games (47%) - Finished another few games in the last few months, currently working on number 8.  I know I said I was going to focus on other platforms, but I just couldn't stop myself from charging right into God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII.  I don't regret it at all.  Those games are fantastic.

PS1 Games (33%) - Hard to really count this, since I've only beaten FFVII a dozen times or so in my life, but it's still a long game to beat, especially with doing all the side quests.  This playthrough really pointed out a lot of the flaws to me though, which is a good thing for me when designing my own stuff.

Other Media

Movies (52%) - Again way ahead of the game here.  Movies are just so darn easy to get through compared to everything else.  I've resolved to put more effort into shows for the coming months, and I've been doing okay at it.

Previous Goals

• Buy the new car - FAILED - I wasn't necessarily expecting to quit my job so soon, so that's why I've put this off for a while
• Drum lessons - SUCCESS - Did do what I promised, except I'm going to keep going with them
• Continue movie watching, increase show watching - SUCCESS - Way ahead on movies, and I have been watching shows, just haven't completed any yet
• Play as many older games as possible - FAILED - Finished one, started another, but otherwise haven't even touched them
• Hopefully switch jobs completely - SUCCESS - Old job gone, now full on into new job, and loving every minute of it (most of the time); just waiting for the new job to pay
• Work on iPhone games - KINDA SUCCESS - I did make a game as a way of learning the SDK, but it's not exactly what I had in mind when I made this goal

And now for some new goals for the next two months:

• Drum lessons - Continue becoming more awesome at hitting things that make noise
• More, more, more shows
• Get new laptop - This is completely dependent on getting a salary again, but if that does happen, then I will get it; this is my new highest priority purchase
• Start working on first iPhone apps, not just games
• Get majority of Seraph Compendium written
• Finish reading the two books on my plate

I would have even more, but a lot of them depend on getting money again, which should happen, but is certainly no guarantee.

It's official!

So I know there hasn't been a lot of posts lately.  Been over a month since the last one in fact.  Yeah, I've found that it's actually kind of hard to want to post blog entries when I'm actually working.  The transition from my old job to my new job has been pretty quick, and I've been concentrating on getting things done rather than waxing eloquent (sorta) on what's going on in my life.

But there are a few things worth mentioning, at least in regards to this website.  I have been keeping up with updating my goals page, so that's not really an issue.  There will be a full update on those when May comes around.

So, the big news is that Knoxinator Productions, which this site represents, is now an official company!  That's right, I registered the trade name with my local state, and it is now an actual entity capable of earning money.  It's not like I had to do that, I can make the same money under my own name, but this feels a little more official.  And I like the name, so this way no one else can use it.

What is this new company going to mean?  Not a whole lot in terms of my output.  I am working on making this a bigger part of my daily functions, but it's not something I can really devote myself to since it doesn't really make money as of yet.  The company is really just going to be an IP holder and an income buffer for any money that does come in.

Anyway, things are coming down the pipe!  Continuing on with my goals.  Working on the Seraph universe before I rewrite the first book and start on the other books in the series.  Learning how to program for the iPhone OS so that I can make games and other apps for it.  And of course working on my actual job (which also ties into the iPhone development).

The first two months of 2010

With nothing better to do at my place of employment, here's a small update on what I've gotten done so far this year.

Things to Purchase/Acquire

Drum Set - This has been purchased, and I've been playing it for a few weeks now.  I can definitely agree that the cymbals will need to be replaced at some point (they sound way different from the ones I use during lessons), but it is certainly sufficient for what I need right now.  Hopefully I will be able to get a place to put them soon so that they can actually be of use.

Things to Learn

Drum Lessons - Been doing these for a month and a half now, and I really have a blast doing them.  My instructor is my kind of guy, and we seem to spend half of our time just messing around, even though it is all still learning new things.  Probably only going to do them for a couple more months, but I will probably miss doing them.

Guitar Learning - Fallen off the wagon on this.  Haven't even touched the thing in over a month.  Definitely need to get back into it.

Games

DS Games (35%) - Did finish Chrono Trigger a while ago, and I'm most of the way through Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.  Will be finished soonish.

PS3 Games (33%) - Gone through five whole games already, so I'm taking a break from those to focus on some of the other categories.

Other Media

Movies (24%) - Doing very well here.  Already 24% done, using only 17% of the year so far.  As long as I watch one movie per week, which is easy to do, then no troubles finishing this goal.

Shows (7%) - Not doing so well here thus far.  I always forget how long shows can be at times.  Perhaps I should have made this goal for only 10 shows.

Books (66%) - This is kind of a cheat.  One book, I started way back in last year and only finished it this month.  The other book was an audiobook, so it wasn't really reading a book.  Still, got all the same information from it.  I think this goal will be easily crushed.  Next year I'll probably set it at five books instead of only three.

So for the next two months, the goals are pretty simple:

• Buy the new car - This will happen by the end of April for sure
• Drum lessons - Will continue until the end of April
• Continue movie watching, increase show watching
• Play as many older games as possible
• Hopefully switch jobs completely
• And if that happens, get to work on making iPhone games

Really really hoping for the last two.  Another update in a couple months.

New job (or Why I'm crazy)

So, there are certainly a lot of people out there who know this, but perhaps some who don't.  When I was in college at Gonzaga University, I not only got a degree in Computer Engineering with a minor in CS, I also went through the Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program.  The Hogan Program is a four-year program that focuses on teaching entrepreneurship to a select group of students.  While there were certain areas of the program that can be improved upon, the lessons I learned from the program have been essential to my current path in life.

The reason I enrolled into the program in the first place is because I've wanted to start my own business for a long time.  My dad did it when I was young, and that experience never left me.  Being around that left me with a sense of determination that most people never get.  Even today, I still fully intend to start a company that develops video games (and this website is somewhat critical to that effort).

Anyway, the time since college hasn't really helped in a lot of ways.  The economy certainly had an effect since by the time I tried to get a good job in my field, most companies were playing it safe.  I had an initial intention of starting a company with my dad, but by the time I had graduated and was ready to get going on it, I had lost all motivation to pursue it.  The thing about startups is that if you don't really love the idea, it will never happen.  So I ended up getting a part-time testing video games before I managed to get my current job at Boeing.

After being here for a year, it has become painfully obvious that big companies are just not for me at all.  I thought I could endure it for a few years, wait for the economy to bounce back, then move into a smaller company like I had originally intended.  But no, at the start of the year I was already starting a search for another job.

And last week, the stars aligned for me.

There is a new startup in the area called Ivycorp, which "employs" several people I've worked with in the past.  I say "employ" because there is no real money in it yet, most people are working for stock.  After talking to them, I have agreed to also join, with the intention of becoming a full-time employee after they acquire funding.

So for the present, I will be working for them, for no pay, on the weekends when I'm not doing my paying job.  The first thing I'll be working on will be in mobile phone apps, so that's an exciting new area for me to dive into.

Why am I crazy to do this?  Well, with the time I'll be committing to Ivycorp, the hours I'll be working for the next few weeks will be upwards of 70 hours per week.  Sacrifices will have to be made, but I'm hoping that the time invested will be well worth it.  The company has very strong potential (I'm not at liberty to talk about the details), so I'm hoping that it will be a place I get to spend a good amount of time at.  More than anything, this opportunity is several steps toward my ultimate goals, and I'm ready to take the risk necessary to get on the path.