Brunansky's Blog

“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” -Bill Vaughan

Merry Christmas! The end of the year is upon us. The new year just on the horizon. There have been changes for each of us in our lives. Perhaps those changes were personal. Did we make new friends or lose old friends? Did we find new romance or did the spark of love flicker out and die? Did we rekindle old flames or let the memory of yesteryears love last? The changes could be financial. Did we get new jobs, contracts, opportunities? Did we lose jobs or change careers? There’s also a possibility of spirital change and growth. Let’s not forget mental and emotional growth. Finally, maybe we had physical growth. Did we get taller, smaller, wider, thinner, more fit? Whatever changes we experienced we did them collectively over the course of 12 months. 12 months that all added up to our year, 2021.

2021 was a bit of a rollercoaster but no different than the past few years. I experienced new opportunities. I’ve been learning two new foreign languages. I’ve established a very positive 21st century “pen pal” relationship. I’m currently in the best physical shape of my life. I’ve got a new puppy. We just celebrated our 1 year anniversary together this month. Speaking of anniversary’s, I hit 4 years stone cold sober. It makes no sense to me either, don’t worry. This coming January marks 5 years being single, completely relationship free. This also makes no sense to me. It’s been a very peculiar year but so have the past few years.

As far as the arts are concerned this was the least creative year in recent memory. My published writing took a backseat to other priorities. In all, I had only 3 published articles with this being my fourth and final for the year. I didn’t complete any films, music or books. I watched a lot of film and TV. I listened to a bunch of music. I started enjoying modern electronic music. I think this stemmed from a desire to listen to something different than the standard playlists. The genre I listened to the most this year was 1970’s rock. I’ve been steadily working on a playlist for sailing. It’s over 30 hours of continuous music from different genres. I read a ridiculous number of books. And finally, I didn’t act or perform in anything this year. Looking back on the year, and the last few years, this paragraph is probably the most surprising to me. Sober and single for a couple years is less surprising than creating nothing in a year. Yes, it’s true.

Let’s break down 2021 unconventionally for this end of the year recap. Maybe when you’re done reading you’ll be inspired to reflect on your own year. Perhaps as you read this you have memories flooding through your brain box. Let’s begin…

January through April:

I accepted a short term contract. It was for a nationwide tax retail chain. It was the first time I’ve managed three stores at once. It was the first time I’ve managed people licensed to do your taxes. It was the first time I’ve managed anything that required masks, dividers, stickers on the floor, hand sanitizers and a specialty team for cleaning an entire building if there’s a contamination incident. I met some nice people. I learned more about leading individuals, teams, and in this particular case, three seperate stores. It was an interesting contract that didn’t pay nearly enough. I digress.

I continued my weight lifting. Occasionally, I even made it to the cinema for a feature or two. I continued bonding with and training Rey (the puppy). The job applications continued to be submitted. For years people have said when you have a job it’s easier to get a job. After 1,664 days of being unemployed or under-employed I can say with certainty that this mindset is flawed and inaccurate. Phoenix Arizona is one of the most populated cities in the United States. Companies were hiring like crazy. It still doesn’t make any sense how difficult it has been to simply get a job or contract. It’s even more confusing when you account for the number of applications I’ve submitted and other factors. Dangerous games are being played. Thankfully, I have an attorney.

I continue to ask for assistance with intelligence gathering. The requirement is actionable intel that can be utilized either by my attorney or law enforcement. It’s true. I still need additional support in this area. I have also continued my hikes in the greater metro Phoenix area. Despite the weird, I kept my chin up and did some chin ups.

For my birthday, I took myself to a steak house for dinner. I also took Rey (the puppy) to California for the first time. We went to Disneyland. It was actually closed, gates locked, everything. I didn’t believe the news reports. I couldn’t wrap my head around a business as big as Disney shutting down completely. They lost all that revenue. It made no sense. I discovered upon walking though the intial health screening gates that Disneyland was completely closed. Downtown Disney was open. And California Adventure was partially open to people who bought a ticket to drink wine and eat food. I’m still not sure how the logic works on these decisions. Disneyland is closed. California Adventures is partialy closed unless you want to get drunk on wine and eat gourmet food. Downtown Disney is completely open and we invite you to shop, eat and drink to your hearts delight. So weird. We went to some beaches. We drove around different parts of Southern California. In all, the first four months of the year were odd but no more odd than the years after 2017.

May-June:

The job applications continued to be sent out. I also increased the pre-sunrise volunteering. I found a food shelter in the greater metro Phoenix area that has a warehouse that needed volunteers. I signed up for more shifts to help the guys unload the truck and organize the warehouse. The warehouse would be set up for volunteers to put together food care packages for families or individuals in need. We organized it so each care package was put together in a systematic order that flowed from one station until the last. It was a lot of work before the sun came up but worth it. They have seen an increase in volunteers too. When I check the availability to volunteer it is mostly booked a week, two weeks, in some cases even three weeks in advance. People are waking up early ready to do some good. It’s positive news.

I also began corresponding with a complete stranger online. I didn’t know what to expect from writing someone online. I’ve never taken online dating, dating apps or hook up apps seriously, ever. I wasn’t sure what to expect from simply writing someone to get to know them as an individual. I understand how to talk to women and get to know them in person. Writing periodically online was a new frontier. It started off in what I assume is a typical back and forth between strangers. It’s developed into something positive over the last few months. During this time, I also began learning two foreign languages.

I was also fortunate enough to fly to the northern states. I took some time to go visit my Aunt, Uncle and cousins. It was enjoyable. The weather is much cooler in their town. They have deer and other wild life that walks through their neighborhood. Waking up each morning to see a beautiful landscape of green grass and trees with cool mountain air was more enjoyable than the scorching hot desert summer. During this time a couple government agencies and I were going back and forth about potential employment. You might be wondering what agencies would be interested in a guy like me. The simple answer is, that’s classified. If that sounds odd just remember the last few years and it all makes sense without making sense.

I was able to help my uncle and aunt with some work they needed done around their home and property. We spent one day on the lake. My cousins have a boat and we cruised around all day. The lake is large. It took considerable time cruising from one side of the lake to the other. On one end, there was a small town. In that town my cousin and I took a walk to get everyone ice cream. It was a small community of folks who enjoy the lake, the town and boating. And then one evening we went to a Cowboy Ball. It is exactly as it sounds. The town they live in has a large population of cowboys. The fundraiser was geared specifically for the like minded. My uncle and I didn’t really look the part but everyone was so nice that we fit right in. I got in a few workouts at a gym there and my younger cousin took me to a driving range to hit some golf balls. Plus, I got to meet some very colorful friends of another cousin who recently started bartending at a Strip Club. It was a fun time with family. I’m glad I was able to spend the time with everyone.

July-September:

I accepted a job with a banking fraud department. The hiring process started off normally. Then they abruptly moved up the start date. The team that was supposed to start on my original hire date never started. The recruiter who did the hiring quit suddenly. A lady in my training class walked up to me during a break to ask if my name was Jeremy Brunansky. I said “Yes.” Because it is. She said thanks and walked off. I didn’t get full system access for the four months I was there. I went through training. I went through additional training. I was trained on another departments procedures and processes. This entire time the system access didn’t exist which means that I just sat there and watched the group complete virtual training. Once I started getting system access they let me go. If it doesn’t make sense, welcome to my life post 2017. I should mention these two short term jobs did provide some financial relief. These two jobs meant that I didn’t have to borrow even more money from my parents. I have been borrowing money from them since 2017. What a disaster the last few years have been. During this time I read several books.

Overall, the books ranged from philosophy, history and biographies to fiction, graphic novels and comic book collections. Books by Oscar Wilde, Stephen King, Malcolm Gladwell, Aristotle, Joseph Campbell, Bram Stoker, Henry David Thoreau, Henry Kissinger, Michael Haag, Adam Zamoyski, Norman Lear, Cavan Scott, Charles Soule and more were on this years reading list. Plus, there were the comics and graphic novels. One story was about a serial killer who’s in love with a plastic sex doll that gets kidnapped. There were stories from Batman, Tom Strong, Silver Surfer, Green Lantern, Namor the Sub-Mariner, The Blackhawks and more. This years reading list covered a large landscape of information. It’s possible I had a book from every section in the book store. My brain is all the more full and brilliant because of it.

I also took Rey (the puppy) to the beach for the Fourth of July. She is getting more comfortable with travel. She has a positive, energetic attitude. She enjoys the beach. I am confident once we are on my boat somewhere across the ocean she’ll enjoy the sun, sand and the chasing of birds. I look forward to that day. I look forward to that day very much after the past few years. I guess I should also mention that I’ve been learning about boats and sailing. That’s an entirely new language in itself. So, two foreign languages and the language of sailing. Look at me go.

The workouts continued as did the hikes. Plus, the reading of books, foreign language studies and the online correspondance continued. Speaking of the workouts, during this time I was burgeled. During a workout one day some lockers were broken into and mine happened to be one of them. While the other lockers only had wallets stolen, my backpack was stolen. My backback contained some electronics, a wallet, car and house keys. It was a disaster that I am still cleaning up months later. It was a mess and yet still felt stupidly appropriate for the madness of the past few years.

October – December:

The job applications continued to be submitted. The workouts continued. The foreign language studies continued. The major change here, I got a tutor for one of the languages. I’ve been making increased progress thanks to her help. It’s been very beneficial for the learning of a language so unfamiliar to me. Plus, I’ve started reading some books on the country, its history and its tourism. I didn’t realize how rich the history of this country was. It’s not something we’d study in general history courses in America. As it goes with most of my historical knowledge, it’s self taught. However, in this instance, I’ll be making my way across the ocean to visit. The study will be rewarding on different levels. It’s good now and will be so down the road. I look forward to that day very much.

As far as films and music go, I didn’t make any films this year or spend anytime in the studio. My photography slowed. I didn’t write any books. I didn’t act or perform in anything, online or in person. One could say 2021 was the slowest artistic year I’ve had in many years. After I was fired from Quicken Loans back in 2017, I was making short films. I also wrote a book and started to explore photography. However, in 2021, the metaphorical breaks were hit. It was a wash of a year for delivering creative content. If anything, the year was spent absorbing information. I even signed up for MasterClass online and watched several of those. They covered a variety of topics. Who knows what will come of this break. Perhaps it was needed. I won’t be able to say until I start creating again. Until that time… 2021 was a bust as far as producing content of any kind is concerned.

The most artistic thing I completed in 2021 was probably sculpting. That’s right. I’ve been sculpting this body of mine! Ba-boom. You did not see that one coming. But seriously, it’s been a great year of progress for my health and body. I’ve hit a couple new milestones at the gym. My bench press has surpassed my previous record of 255lbs in a set. This is not a single lift max. It’s a rep set max. Officially, in December, I hit 260 lbs. I am officialy stronger than I’ve ever been and I’m turning 40 in a couple months. It feels great. I’ve also hit a new milestone for my legs. This has always been an area of weakness due to injuries in my youth. I wasn’t supposed to be able to run distances. I’ve run more than one 10k. I wasn’t suppposed to squat. I’m officially squating more than double my weight. It’s a great feeling when I finish a squat lift over 500lbs. Take that doctors, therapists, trainers, acupuncturists and electric shock therapists! The gym has been a rewarding experience mentally and emotionally. Plus, I’ve met some nice people there.

Moving forward into 2022 there’s always the promise of a brighter future. There’s always the belief that when the last chapter closes and a new one begins it moves toward a positive outcome. And after the last few years a positive outcome is needed. I look forward to waking up on my boat somewhere across the ocean with Rey (the puppy). Both of us ready to explore another new location. Completely ready to experience new cultures, new cuisines, new customs and new people. It’s been hell the past few years, an absolute walking nightmare. I’m ready for the positive outcome and so is my attorney. May 2021 end quietly and may 2022 usher in a financially positive outcome with so many new positive people, places, moments and memories. Mr. Bill Vaugn gave us two options at the start of this recap. I will be one of those who stays up to make sure that 2021 leaves. However you celebrate it may you do so with people who make you smile.

“Let the great world spin for ever down the ringing grooves of change.” -Sir Alfred Lord Tennyson

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years. Cheers to you, yours and all the change that 2022 shall bring.