I’ve been sort of laying low since the last update. Just trying to pace myself and create breathing room for the things that I need to do in my life.

That means breaking out of the monotony of work-sleep-work-sleep-work-sleep-work-sleep. Things at home are getting done, and I’m finally getting into a routine of things when it comes to making my place look more presentable than not.

My personal “cool down” has been well-received by one job, but not so much by the other. One would rather not see me work too much, while one would rather see me work more often. There will be a time coming up pretty soon when I can perhaps put in more help hours, but only when I’m ready to take it on.

This is an age-old question regarding my adulthood: Would I rather have money and be too exhausted to not do anything with it? Or have just some money and be active enough to do something with it? The goal is to try to find that happy medium. Outside influences can change that, so I have to go with the flow. Right now, I’m cooling down.

I haven’t been watching too many sports lately, just because I’m cooling down. However, that may pick up when I’ve got a feel for my double-work schedule.

February isn’t the greatest month for me, and so far I’m doing better than I thought I was. I’m shaking off the nervous and rehash from earlier in the month, and Valentine’s Day isn’t bothering me as much as it has been in recent years. I’ll be Valentine-less for 2016, but I come to expect that more.

The more removed I am from the 2^nd and 14^th of this month, I’m sure the more better I will feel.

I got my new Samsung Galaxy Grand phone set up earlier this month. However, it eats up data like crazy, and I found that out the hard way after only a few days. So my phone is running on 2 gigs of data until the next refill. That means less YouTube watching, less internet surfing, and avoiding hi-tech pages with the shiny glamour. I can only learn from failing the first time.

The best thing about the phone is that it takes better pictures and video than the old phone I had (another ex-best friend relic I can throw up and shoot). I’m still working with utilizing it for sports coverage, and finding the best ebb and flow to where I can use it without overwhelming myself during deadline pressure.

As of this writing, I have a double-header basketball event on Monday at Serena High School. Because there is absolutely NOTHING nearby, I’ll have to quickly perform my reporting duties better than Wednesday’s double-header action at Erie. Only this time, I need to make the trip 12 miles south to Ottawa and type my articles while eating some Dunkin Donuts.

I’m excited to be returning to Little Ten Country for sports reporting. I haven’t been over that way in a few years, and we hit the Little Ten hard during the last few years of Northern Ilinois Sports Beat. I made a lot of great sports friends over that way. An added bonus is seeing some of my friends from Annawan again, as they are going to be there at Serena also.

Game 1 on Monday will have Annawan take on Ashton-Franklin Center.

Game 2 will have Wethersfield take on Amboy.

Of the four possible outcomes, either an AFC-Amboy sectional final, or an Annawan-Wethersfield sectional final would be a great game to watch.

One last note, going to Serena also gives me a reason to try out something I’ve always wanted to try: a ham sandwich from the bar in Troy Grove, which claims to sport, the “World’s Largest”. If I wasn’t covering two basketball games later that night, I’d consider taking the challenge.

A small portion will have to do.