Reflecting on 2018

I realize the year isn't over yet, but after this past weekend's snowfall, I felt the sense to reflect a bit on this past year. It's probably a silly time to reflect, but heading into this year I felt a lot of optimism. Now I don't feel quite so much.

It's nothing drastic, but I rode last year's cryptocurrencies highs very hard. I had friends and family investing in it; I was a believer that should mass adoption happen, coins would take off to the moon. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Neo, Steem...you name it, and it felt like the whole world was about to change. And for the first time, I'd be ahead of the game. That meant I could a) pay off my debts, b) help my family out financially, c) quit my job and enjoy life, and d) move to Costa Rica and way from these winters. Ok, Costa Rica was probably always a stretch, but it was fun to romanticize about..who wouldn't want to see a skinny Norwegian/Irish man spending his day wiping out on a surf board?

Now I sit here on this Sunday before the US Holiday of Thanksgiving and think back to how delusional I was roughly 12 months ago. My cryptocurrency portfolio is a mere fraction of what it used to be. I still tell myself that it's possible these coins will return to prior returns; yet at this point, isn't that just fiction too? Why HODL at this point? Isn't it a real possibility that I missed the real price gauge last December? Big money cashed out because they knew they should; I'm still sitting here on the couch dreaming of possibly being financially independent, yet realistically realizing it isn't going to happen with cryptocurrencies. And my bloody 21 Litecoins? We're talking possible extinction, no matter what Charlie Lee and his team continues to tease on Twitter.

My former self as a blogger/researcher has dropped off the cliff too. Why did I even bother? I enjoyed researching various threads of the occult and gnosticism, but ultimately realize that the area too is an enterprise. If you follow your heart and interests, it typically is slammed. If you follow the talking heads of the group, you ultimately are simply supporting an endeavor that is generating an income for them based off of some type of ambiguous/vague statements regarding unique topics. For example, the most of the time I spent on the Hatybov material (if you know what I'm talking about, you know what I'm talking about...if not, don't ask) was simply a curiosity exercise for me. I never claimed to believe in the information; in all the material I wrote I never once stated this was even close to being the truth. Yet the material was swept up in the popular meme of the time, exploited for others profit and brand promotion, and then dropped completely...which I understand - it's crazy stuff, as I mentioned multiple times. There are scarce dollars to be chased in the area of alternative research; to continue to draw them one needs to be able to maneuver quickly and rapidly to meet the public's needs. And the blogger in me, the previous researcher, isn't well adapted to do that.

Enough of that pity party. Going forward, I realize I need to focus on what matters and that I enjoy. Getting back into comic books and reading them has been wonderful. Starting a family and saving a rescue dog (above) has been immensely rewarding...moreso than being interviewed on a podcast. And when it comes to cryptocurrencies, I've made the choice to cash out what I've invested while I still can. It isn't going to get me to Costa Rica, but it will afford me the opportunity to buy more dog treats and raw hides for that pest above. It stings to realize I have to cash out, as I've been a proponent of cryptos for a long time, but maybe it's time for me kill the dreamer in me and think more realistically. Just maybe that change will be the for best.

Whine session over! All that said, I'm going to continue to write about things that interest me, and not worry so much bout the party line. Will that include writing about comic books and television/film? Yes. Summaries of Gnosticism, the occult, gematria, and other random things I find interesting? Of course. How about writing about things like UFOs, chemtrails, Bigfoot, and the ghosts again? Sure, why not? And writing about things like beer tasting, home brewing, foraging, and even cooking when I feel compelled. Of yes, very much so. The days of being pigeon holed in a topic or frame of mind is suffocating to the writer in me. Is writing about Batman, Bitcoin , New Glarus beer or me discussing my love of the Beatles me promoting the agenda of the Illuminati or some other type of grand conspiracy? Probably, but I don't care anymore. I think it's safe to say those days are long over.

Thanks for reading; here's to a good rest of 2018 and future to all of us.