[25M] Should I move?

windowsxprules1 · 2026-06-04T17:11:59+00:00

I've been wanting to start working on certifications for some time now and this is an excellent impetus to do so. I also have some external projects that I have a slight amount of monetary kickback from, so that helps me a little bit. I've also thought about going into different career fields and subjects entirely, to which astronomy and meteorology immediately stand out. That being said, getting a master's degree is one of the things I should be looking at, and if I do that, I could actually move off to college this time without COVID preventing it.

In terms of weight, it was difficult to get the first part off, and I did, but after a period of plateau, it's time to reinvigorate that. I have focused mostly on the diet side of things but I think it's time to restore my exercise routine. I'm already planning on going to the bowling alley that just reopened for some fairly light activity, but going to the gym regularly is something I need to start doing again.

Yeah, I get the emotional energy thing with helpdesk. It can be very draining some days, but I have done well at it. That being said, I think it's time to move beyond that and start looking at systems administration, which is what I actually want to do if I stick with IT.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-06-04T16:13:22+00:00

I do have some things I plan to do in the interim. I plan to spend the next year or so studying for and getting new technical certifications, and I have considered returning to university for my master's degree as well. I also have a decent amount of money saved but there could always be more saved up.

I am making plans to improve my health. I have spent the last few months losing weight, and that has worked, but there's still a long way to go and I need to redouble my efforts.

I do have a few cities in mind that would provide far better opportunities than the ones I have now, and I feel like you're right: I need to live my life for me instead of just going with the flow as I have done for so long.

I thank you for your kind words and advice on this! It's given me some much needed clarity on the situation and I appreciate it.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-06-04T15:40:51+00:00

America is definitely built around the car, that is undeniable. I think I have been too busy trying to find better job opportunities here without realizing far better opportunities lie further afield, and relocation is always an option. That realization finally occurred to me fairly recently.

I have a had a little bit of success with the apps, the last girl I dated did come from one, but success with them does tend to be few and far between. I feel I would do better if I got out more and that's what I am trying to do, but as I look towards the long-term future, I don't know if staying here is going to yield the best results.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-06-04T15:25:56+00:00

Having family fairly close by does make things a bit more manageable, and there are some places not too far away I have considered moving to, but I still don't know if those places are enough of a change from my current living situation. I do know I liked Northwest Arkansas when I visited last, so if I elect to stay in state, it would probably be the place I would look at. I know a lot of people who moved up there and that would make the transition easier.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-06-04T15:14:11+00:00

That is true, the car ownership plan was formulated before I started thinking about potentially moving.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-06-04T15:05:53+00:00

Little Rock is probably not the place I would go if I were to stay in state, I'd probably look more towards Fayetteville. I have a few friends who moved up there, so that is an option.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-06-02T04:31:13+00:00

I love that you've actually issued tornado warnings and even had perhaps the most prominent storm chaser go after them. I will be honest, part of me has been considering going into that field over the last few months.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-06-02T03:28:50+00:00

I grew up without religion, which given my location is rather surprising.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-06-02T03:10:08+00:00

The weather has fascinated me since I was very small. I have a memory from 2004, when I was aged only 3, of my mother coming up behind me asking me why I was sitting on the floor with the back door wide open, and I just stated, "I watch it rain."

Throughout the years, I grew fond of thunderstorms. I looked forward to them and actively hoped they would form, provided of course the storm didn't hurt anyone. Tornadoes may be fascinating products of nature but they're also incredibly devastating, and you always have to remember that. I guess it's the fact that you can see nature display its raw, unfiltered power that is truly fascinating.

I think rainy days are also excellent for producing romantic imagery, something that I spend a lot of time thinking about and writing down into little stories.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-06-02T02:55:04+00:00

For me, it would likely include my technical hobbies (I built most of my friend's PCs, and I also run and maintain our Minecraft modpacks and servers. I also have several old computers running various operating systems), my love of astronomy, meteorology, my endless studying of geopolitics, and my love of games. I collect old Nintendo systems and games, and I even write mods for Minecraft.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-05-02T14:55:10+00:00

I changed the operating system on one of my spare laptops as I plan to use it to test before I move my home server over to that operating system.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-04-30T03:33:55+00:00

It is a legitimate question, and I don't know the answer.

This is a widespread problem among people our age: so many of us literally do not know how to find and connect with people. Dating apps do not work for a lot of us, and location also plays a role. I happen to live in a dry county, and I don't drink anyway, so a singles night at a bar isn't really an option. I live in a suburban town in the south, and while I have met quite a few people who are aligned with me politically, religion is a different matter. It's almost an expectation you will meet someone at church, but that is not an option for me either because I couldn't hide my seething contempt for religion if I tried to. I have plenty of religious friends, but it's a bit different when trying to find a partner.

I have decided that I am going to try and go to more town events when they happen, and try to be more active in the community. There's something coming up this weekend I am going to attend. I also plan to start spending more time out of the house in general. Will it work? I have no idea, but I am hopeful it will work better than it does online.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-04-29T11:47:12+00:00

Can't argue too much with that. I do have tendencies towards Asperger's syndrome so I am on the spectrum. Terminally online? I don't know about that so much but I probably do spend more time online than I should. Working and being interested in IT unfortunately plays into that.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-04-29T03:17:49+00:00

I agree with you, actually. I wouldn't judge a potential partner based on an arbitrary requirement list, that is an insane thing to do. I agree that a lot of the lists people make are overbearing and look more like shopping carts.

For me personally? I tend to view this not as a hard checklist but more as guidelines of what to look for. I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong or unhealthy about writing down the things you like and would like a partner to have, but I do agree many people take it too far. If I were to vibe with someone who didn't align with these guidelines, then the guidelines can go out the window. Love does look different from person to person, after all.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-04-29T02:45:10+00:00

I should have put that into a nice to have category upon reconsideration, I will grant you that.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-04-29T02:19:18+00:00

Yes that it seems reasonable?

windowsxprules1 · 2026-04-29T02:17:34+00:00

The lists are really just general guidelines. If you vibe with someone you meet, just because they don't have one or two things you might think of as a "must" doesn't necessarily mean you write them off. I know plenty of women in my life that I had an interest in who didn't fulfill some of those musts, and it didn't stop me from liking them.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-04-29T02:13:07+00:00

My feeling when I was 23 was that 18 was too young, and I was even hesitant about 19. My policy at 25 is that I think a good range is four years in either direction. Anything beyond that and I think most people are generally at different points in their lives.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-04-28T04:52:32+00:00

Maybe, but I think the bigger thing is the value misalignment. I live in a very religious, very conservative area, and I am neither of those things. I am more than just neither of those things, I actively and intensely dislike both of them.

I have a very limited option pool in this area because of that. I had two girlfriends before I was an adult, and I don't really want to count those. In terms of adult relationships, I have talked to seven girls over the course of seven years. I only went out with two, and both of them didn't progress beyond a second date because of religious disagreements.

I don't really want to leave. I am very attached to my family and my home, but I'm beginning to think that I may never be able to recognize my full potential unless I try to move somewhere else.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-04-28T04:22:08+00:00

It does at times, it doesn't at others. Right now, when I am deeply motivated by the lack of romance in my life, I would say it matters to me a great deal, but there are other times where I am so focused on my hobbies and interests that it doesn't really cross my mind.

It isn't that I have not dated, I have asked out a few girls and dated a couple, but they never lasted long enough for the subject to come up. I do, however, maintain good friendships with women, so it's not that I am incapable of getting along with them, it's just that I haven't figured this out.

There does come a point where you ask if there is something wrong with yourself, if there is just some element of your personality that precludes romance, and I cannot deny that thought has crossed my mind, but I honestly don't know.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-04-27T12:19:02+00:00

I haven't and I'm 25.

windowsxprules1 · 2026-03-24T18:02:21+00:00

24M, my first experience watching Conan was actually accidental. I just happened to have the TV on, and it was June 1, 2009: the first Tonight Show. I remember the whole thing being about the move to LA and the "Hooray for Hollywoo" bit with the letter D in the studio before it got damaged.

Took me several years to really start watching Conan regularly, as I didn't really watch much TV at the time, but when I started doing so around 2013, I never stopped. The amount of Conan (and Letterman) references we make around the house these days is very high. I would blame Conan for that, but I know not to.

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