This weekend I started doing a little studying on QGIS.
I figured if my next role has any GIS component, and the startup idea currently does, I probably shouldn’t be walking in with ten years of general GIS rust and exactly zero experience in QGIS.
I’ve pointed dozens of people toward QGIS over the years, always with the disclaimer that I was trained on ESRI, worked in ESRI, and didn’t really know anything different, aside from the fact that ESRI is significantly more expensive than free.
So I downloaded QGIS, loaded up a global map, and started poking around. A little raster calculator, a little exploring… just enough to remind myself that I still enjoy this stuff.
The weekend was also good for other reasons.
I took the kids to play laser tag.
First game, it was just the three of us and another family of four, so we got a nice little free-for-all.
Most importantly, I won.
Second game, same family… plus a large birthday party made up almost entirely of girls around 6 to 8 years old.
Now look.
I memorized the rules back when it was Laser Quest:
- I will not run, climb, or jump
- I will not sit, kneel, or lie down
- I will not cover any targets
- I will not make physical contact
- I will play hard
- I will play smart
- I will play to survive
And I took that seriously.
To bury the lead: I dominated those little girls.
First place.
And yes, I did briefly consider rubbing my scorecard in their little noses, because apparently I’m that kind of competitor.
My kids came in 3rd and 4th both games, so everyone was happy.
Later we had dinner with my sister-in-law’s family.
This is usually a weekly thing, but between the layoff, illness, and general chaos, I hadn’t seen them in a while.
My little nephew climbed up on me while I was sitting with my legs crossed at the ankles, sat down, and crossed his legs exactly the same way.
That was the highlight of the evening.
We had dinner, headed home, got the kids to bed, and I played a bit of StarCraft 2 with my brother.
Sunday was groceries, kids having friends over, and the house being filled with what I can only describe as industrial-level noise.
Which gave me the perfect opportunity to do the next most exciting thing imaginable:
Taxes.
I still have a month to finalize everything, but based on the information that I currently have, I believe I’m done.
That’s a very satisfying checkbox.
The last remaining checkbox that doesn’t depend on someone else disassembling my foosball table is my defined benefit pension.
Lump sum now, or wait until 65 and collect monthly.
Right now I’m leaning toward the lump sum. Compound interest tends to be a compelling argument.
A former co-worker suggested that I apply for Non-Group coverage through Alberta Blue Cross.
If you’ve been following along, I already did that, but I want to highlight it again because I think it’s important that people know this exists.
If you have expensive medications, Non-Group coverage is a prescription-only plan that is actually quite affordable, especially compared to the cost of the medications themselves.
For a single person, it’s about $63.50/month.
For a family, about $118.00/month (unsubsidized).
Many employer plans only cover 80% of prescription costs, so if your medications are more than about $500/month, this plan essentially pays for itself.
In my case, my medications alone cost upwards of $3,500/month, so this makes a huge difference.
If you’re in a similar situation, it’s absolutely worth looking into.
(Disclaimer: I am not paid by Alberta Blue Cross, and this is not legal or medical advice. Just sharing something that could help.)
Today had three main items.
First, I met with my psychologist, Dr. May Kanipayor.
I’ve recommended her before, but now that I know she reads this blog, I have to be extra nice.
I still mean it though. If you have benefits that cover mental health support, even if you’re feeling fine, it’s worth using them.
We mostly talked about how things are going.
And honestly… they’re going really well.
I’m happier, more optimistic, and generally in a much better place than I was toward the end of my time at work.
I told her it feels a bit like that episode of Friends where Ross finds out Chandler told everyone he died in a blimp accident… and nobody reacts.
In my case, it turns out a lot of people care that I’m “dead.”
I mean… unemployed.
Since I was downtown, I messaged a few former coworkers.
They told a few more people.
And before long I was catching up with a whole group of friends.
Lots of comments like “you’re smiling more,” which is apparently noticeable.
One person said I seemed taller than they remembered, which led immediately to:
“You forgot he was tall?”
Fair.
There was also one moment where a former coworker saw me, said “look over there,” and very convincingly walked in the opposite direction.
The person they were with waved.
So that was nice.
All joking aside, it was really good to see people.
The thing I miss most about my old job is the people. The conversations, the relationships, the day-to-day interactions.
The work mattered, but the people always mattered more.
After that, I came home, did a bit more work in QGIS, and later I’ll take my daughter to her tap dance class and record it.
Then I’ll finish the day the way many of these days end:
Game night with friends.
And, if things go according to plan, I will once again dominate.
Just like at laser tag.
Brett Wiens 