Post-Birthday Post!

Yesterday (September 1) was my birthday. It's at the beginning of the work week, but I took the day off. I didn't do anything different that I wouldn't do on a normal off-day, except get an emissions test to renew my car tags with, but I definitely want to reflect on why this is a good birthday for me.

First, it has been a while since I viewed my birthday as "special." Even now, it somewhat feels like just another day to me. All the warm wishes and any small gifts received are, of course, most appreciated, but each year passes by without significant even for me. I'd never felt like the day was anything worth celebrating-- I hadn't done anything significant in life and was failing as both a student and employee, during their respective time frames. A couple of months ago, however, thanks to a friend's referral, I was able to get out of the frustrating and exhausting work of retail and found a new, invigorating job at Kabbage, Inc. The work environment and perks are great, the people I work alongside are all phenomenal, and the pay is set to have me financially stable for the first time in my life. At my previous jobs, it was very difficult for me to have extra funds for leisure. I'd stopped attending Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournaments simply because I didn't have the cash or was always schedule to work on Saturdays. Even if I just wanted to spend time with friends, I was often reluctant to spend money on the necessary gas, since my usual crew are all each 45+ minutes away from me. This past Friday, however, I got paid, took care of my bills, and splurged. I somewhat side with the notion that "money doesn't buy happiness," but I'm *very* happy with my purchases.

• Avermedia LGP - This cool little portable recording device will allow me to help get some media out for my local Smash 4 community. I've always stood by video analysis being one of the best tools for helping players improve (especially for me), so I'm expecting this to get good mileage. I'm not really a good commentator, but it'll also allow me to stream games from home, should I choose to do so.
• This cool hoodie I said I'd get YEARS ago (which conveniently came in the mail on my birthday). Having a logo with my namesake on it is particularly relevant to me.
• Pre-ordered Persona 4: Dancing All Night from Amazon to get all the bonus stuff.

Material stuff aside, I've felt much better in the past few months, despite how monotonous my daily activities are. Most years, I don't even really realize my birthday has passed, but yesterday I was actually looking forward to hearing from anyone who thought to wish me a good day. I'm grateful for the opportunity that was presented to me to improve my personal life, but I also wanted to take some time and let everyone know how much I appreciate everyone's thoughts and how much they mean to me. Looking forward to another year with all of you, but filled with even greater things.

Cheers.