der meister

Damn. Shev racking up the assists today.

I dunno, man. My cardio is trash. But I also have practically no ego so I wouldn't get myself into a situation like that to begin with.

Thanks dude. I really appreciate it!

Far too kind, my friend

I've been thinking a lot about failure lately, as both my world and the larger environment seems to be full of them. Failure is not always a bad thing, even if it feels like it in the moment. A few days ago I came across David Duchovny's podcast, "Fail Better", which almost comes across as an Alcoholics Anonymous-style step towards forgiveness, but is also a fascinating introspection. I think every one of us could learn to Fail Better, to find the silver lining in our shortcomings, to use failure to actually grow as individuals, to create a more perfect union, if you'll pardon the misappropriated quote. On a micro level in my life, the D.C. Dragons are a failure. My hope was that we'd be around 6th in the North American Conference at the end of this season, demonstrating growth and all that sort of thing. Instead, we're at the bottom of the N.A. table, only better than the abysmal London United [who, if I recall correctly, have a win over us this season]. A 12-45-3 record at the time of writing this piece, is obviously an enormous failure, even if Shevchenko's individual performance is perfectly acceptable for a sophomore player, just under a point-per-game. The team has a tremendous amount of work to do, but I am cautiously optimistic that several of our prospects step onto D.C. ice next season and help us turn this ship around. Success does not come overnight, not in the VHL nor in life outside the screen. Dedication, fortitude, patience; attributes that can be strengthened by learning to Fail Better, are the key to sustainable progress, and ultimate success. On a larger scale is my job, something that I once loved and now cannot wait to rid myself of. The failure of my supervisor to support me, to set me up for any kind of success, upon my promotion is one it's going to take a long time for me to process. I have a serious sense of betrayal with the way the past 12 months have played out. There is failure on my part, as well, most notably in my blind naivete that I could make it work despite being undercut before even accepting the position. Hubris, pride, call it what you will - I have failed, even if the majority of the blame cannot rightfully be placed at my feet. My unhappiness with the way my life has gone the past few years and my entry into true 'midlife' led me to starting my YouTube channel with the idea of leaving something behind for my kids to watch, to hear their father's voice, should anything unfortunate happen to me. I've put a lot of work into this channel, and after 18 months I have surpassed the 320 subscriber mark. It's not something I'm able to monetize at this point in time, but having that as a secondary goal to the aforementioned concept of legacy has given me somewhat of a sense of purpose. Seconding that is my writing career, and my decision to finally self-publish my debut novel, barring some unforeseen miracle of an offer. As of right now, the targeted release date for the novel is July 1st, 2025. I did a little experimentation with AI art for a book cover concept, which I will include below. I want to be able to support myself without the need for sabotaging supervisors and childish political ploys. I want to live my life the way I want for a change, and I don't think I'd have reached this point if I weren't learning to Fail Better.

That's a solid dub

Need to play London more often

1 - Yes and no. Sitting at 29 goals is pretty cool, but I was hoping for more like 70 points instead of hovering just below a point-per game. 2 - Easily the first hatty of Shev's VHL career. 3 - I'm trying not to be flippant and say "water", but I really do love my water bottle. Beyond that, maybe my bluelight filter glasses. They're incredible. Q1) Not a lot of games left. Is your team in the playoff picture, and if so, what are your expectations? Q2) What's the last book you read? Audiobooks count as well. And if it's not something recent, gimme a podcast. Q3) Best music in a video game? I've been listening to Deus Ex Mankind Divided all day at work.

We're winding down yet another VHL season. I think I may have been here with an active player for close to half of them at this point, which is kind of mind-blowing to think about. My first player certainly didn't age well, for legal reasons, and while I've had a lot of fun roleplaying other characters, ranging from Casey Jones of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fame to "The Phantom Tollbooth" villain The Terrible Trivium, I wonder just how many players I have left in me. I do love the excuse to write, to freestyle these little pieces here and there, but I'm at a point where I'm wondering if more of my energy should be focused on writing novels instead of silly little anecdotes about fictitious hockey players. I'm not retiring Shevchenko or anything like that, but part of me is thinking my next player might be my last. Incidentally, my next player was intended to be a VHLE journeyman, but that's not an option any longer. Maybe it's just a straight, almost cliche VHLM journeyman. I have a long way to go before that point, but it's already something I'm giving thought to, because the art is in the story, not the statistics.

Wait, really?

3/3

First career hatty at least

Lies