Am I back?

 I don't know if anyone still reads this. It doesn't matter. I'm posting anyway.

It feels like ever since I moved to San Diego 3 years ago, I've never really been steady or stable.

The first year was okay. I had an okay job in a field I didn't care for. I was starting to make friends and make connections.

Then the pandemic hit.I got laid off from the job. Everyone was encouraged to isolate and keep in their own little bubble. Do everything over the internet. Even socialize.

Like a lot of nerds, I'm actually pretty introverted. I'm okay with this. But by adding layers, complications and hassles to socializing by having everything online, I wound up isolating myself to the point that even I'm realizing it.

I tried running a D&D campaign during the first lockdown, but preparing the maps and everything on the virtual tabletop was a lot of work and I didn't have the fun I expected during the sessions. I still have the stuff there and I keep thinking that I'll come back to it. We'll see.

The coffee shop where I met the writing group and did some gaming closed down a few months ago. There doesn't seem to be a good substitute. There isn't a nearby place to gather a group and pay your admission with a cup of coffee or a bagel in the evening.

The writing group moved online, but with my reticence to call my online activities "socializing," I only recently rejoined the group. I'm carving out some of that writing time to write this. I need to do something. I need to get back out into the world.

A new game store opened up in reasonable range from me a few months ago. It seems really nice. I should try to run a game there. I just need to figure out what and find the energy and focus to put it together. And of course, out of deference to the new game store, it should be something that they carry. Which means that I can't lean on my old games, no matter how much I may love them.

Maybe I'll run Adventures in Oz and give them a few copies on a consignment basis. We'll see.