RJ Rambles About the New Year

Hey everybody! It's 2023! I'm doing another one of these yearly reflection posts. 

Last year, I talked about how great 2021 was for me, and how I kinda felt guilty about it. This year, more of the same. 2022 was a great year for me. The game has continued to grow and become more successful. I got to go on two vacations. I feel very proud of what I've been able to accomplish this year and want to talk to you all about it a little. 

Look back on 2022

I did one of these posts last year (and the year before that). Let's go look at the goals I made last year and see how I did. 

Continue with regular releases - I think I did okay here. Releases have been a little more spread apart than I'd like, since they've gotten bigger and more complicated, but they've still been pretty regular and on schedule. I'm going to continue to try to push myself to get them out quicker, but with as much content as is in them right now, that's hard to do.

Bring on a second person - Nope. Didn't do this at all. Didn't even really try. I've had second thoughts about this in general. I would still like to have another artist to do some of the work for me, but I have a hard time releasing that control and letting somebody else do it with Come Home. It would have to be the right person and I have not met that person yet. 

Improve my health - I did not hit the specific number that I wanted to, but I do feel a little more healthy than I did last year, and I have lost some weight. I need to continue with this, and increase the amount I'm exercising and be more consistent with that in the next year. 

I did get my teeth taken care of this year, which is really nice! I still need to get my wisdom teeth removed next year, and I plan on doing that in the first half of the year. 

Buy a new car - I did this! I bought a Honda Civic Hatchback, and I love it! I'm really happy I was able to do this, as the truck was not cutting it anymore. It's so nice to have a reliable car I can travel in. One less thing to stress about. 

Improve my credit - I did this too! My credit is actually really good right now. I can get a loan when I need one, I'm able to refinance my car (which I need to call and talk to somebody about), and I'm doing really good here. I ended up keeping my cell phone under my mom's name however, because there's just such a big discount when you have 4 lines on the plan - plus she gets a 25% discount for being a nurse. 

Move - I didn't do this. We have been looking into it a lot. The plan originally was to move out of the town that I currently live in. Move north, out of Texas. I don't think that's going to happen now. My mom has not been very well and needs more help recently, so I don't feel comfortable moving too far away from her. Also, with all the things we have here, it would just be easier if we moved somewhere nearby for now. 

We are still planning on moving out this year. We've been looking into it a lot, and I'm hoping to do so around April/May.

Lego Shelf - Ha, I forgot about this. I did do this this year. I had my whole shelf set up, but then we had the fire back in June. The whole ceiling was pulled down, and though the firemen were very nice and took my legos to another room, a lot of the buildings got knocked around and the lighting on them got messed up some, and I haven't gone back and fixed all of that yet. 

So this goal is incomplete. I have the shelf mostly set up, but there is one building missing and the lights are not all set up. I actually built a second shelf as well that has some buildings on it as well. 

I haven't spent as much time on Lego in the second half of the year. I'll get back into it soon, I'm sure, but my interests have drifted to other things at the moment.

Goals for 2023

I think a lot of my goals are going to be similar this year, but it's good to write them out and make them known, so here we go.

Game Goals

• Release 4 updates - I didn't give a number last year, but this year I want to get 4 updates out. That's 14, 15, 16, 17. It's going to be tight, but I think it's doable. 
• Release the Premium Edition - More info is coming on this, but I have a Premium Edition version of the game that I want to release along with Update 14 on Steam and Itch (you patrons will get the Premium Edition along with your subscription). This is a big deal for me, because it's going to be a full-priced game and I'm hoping to make enough from it that I can use the money to move out. So, this is a big goal for me this year. 

Personal Goals

• Move - This is my biggest goal this year. I had it as a goal last year, but I didn't think I'd be able to do it. This year, I think I can. We're seriously looking at places to move to and putting money back for it. I think this is the year. I need this really bad. The place I'm living at is stressful and not good for me mentally. I need a place where I can have an office and good internet and it just be me and my partner in the house. I think it's going to happen this year.
• Go on an overnight hike - Hiking and backpacking is something that I've been wanting to do more of. I've enjoyed the short hikes that I've gone on and I want to extend them. I have a few places in mind that I'd like to go on an overnight, or several night hike at and I want to do that once or twice at least this year. 
• Improve my health - Between hiking and running and exercising in general, I want to continue to improve my health. I also need to go to the doctor and get some issues taken care of. Despite having health insurance, I did not go to the doctor last year. Because I could not find a doctor who was close, who was accepting new patients, and who would take my insurance. This year I've switched insurances to a more widely accepted one and I already have a doctor lined up to call once the near year begins.
  
  I also have to get some more dental work done. I have wisdom teeth that need to be taken out, and a couple of cavities to fill. Once that is done, my teeth are all good though! 
• Go on another vacation - The trip I took to San Diego was definitely a highlight of my year last year, and I'd love to do something like that again. I'm not positive we'll be able to go somewhere out of state and expensive this year, since we're trying to save up for moving and that is more important, but we'll see! I'd love to go somewhere new.

Conclusion

I don't have quite as many goals this year as I did last year, but a lot of that is because 2022 was great for me and I straightened a lot of things out in my life. This year, moving is the big goal and it's definitely going to be difficult, but I think I can do it. 

Thanks for taking the time to read through this post. I know there's a ton of amazing creators on Patreon and Steam and everywhere and it means so much that you choose to spend your time and money supporting me. I can't thank y'all enough for everything that you've given to me. The fact that I can even think about moving out and paying for a house, or a car, or anything with the money I make creating this game is incredible. It makes me feel really good. 

I was talking to my partner just a few days ago about how making the game has changed me. The biggest thing is that I don't feel as stressed as I used to. I am much busier all the time and I work a lot, but I don't stress as much as before. Because when I was working before, it always felt like I was waiting for the ball to drop - expecting to get fired or worried that the job would disappear. Then, when I wasn't working, I was worried that my situation would change and I'd be forced to go out and find another job that I hated. 

Now I get to do this job that I love and I don't worry that much anymore about if the job will be there in the future. I don't want to take it for granted, but I do feel like if I keep working, the audience will be there. And the audience has been amazing and supportive and kind. 

I say that I love you at the end of a lot of my posts and I mean it. I love everything that you guys have done for me and allowed for me to do. It's incredible. 

Okay, I have to stop rambling. I'm crying and my keyboard is getting wet and this has gone on for way too long. 

You are all amazing. I love you. I hope that 2023 is the best year of your life. Thank you for everything. <3