Friday Night Shots – Updates

It’s been a while since a Friday Night Shots post, but I’m also going to do away with the ongoing “welcome to the bar” jokes for it.

However, I am actually at a place with a bar, and I may be actually drinking a beer as this posts.

That’s because I wanted to update you on how things are going with me, with my gaming, and with my blogging especially.

I’m proud of myself because I am allowing myself a little grace, which I don’t always do.

I’m proud also because, for the entirety of 2026 (and also probably since the beginning of December), I have done at least 3 posts a week.

Typically they were Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with the occasional Saturday instead of Friday.

Those of you who have followed me, and have read my annual Blog in Review posts, know that one of my major issues is imposter syndrome and actually working up the energy to write posts (or to write anything).

I get into these posting funks where I start to doubt myself and whether I am writing anything that other people even care about at all, and then I end up going 3 weeks without posting anything.

That streak of posting consistently on those three days is most likely going to end on Monday.

Between being sick for over a week and the Bottoscon Winter convention this weekend (that I am currently at, so thank heavens for the ability to schedule posts!), I just don’t have the energy or the time to actually prepare for posts next week ahead of time, like I had originally planned.

For the first time in quite a while, there will be no Monday post.

I’m proud of myself not only for going 2 months with the posting streak, but also for giving myself the grace to let Monday (and maybe even Tuesday) go, and not worry about things.

For the longest time, when I started debating on whether I should write something, I was always afraid of that slippery slope.

Taking a one day off would lead to two, then four, then suddenly it’s been 3 weeks without a post.

I’m vulnerable to stretches like that.

This time will be different, though.

First, I refuse to give in to that negative side of me this time.

I will defeat it.

But also, there is a lot of stuff that will be coming next week, and it may end up being a 3-post week anyway!

Just more condensed.

With the month ending on the weekend, not only will I have a Bottoscon Winter retrospective to write, but I’ll also have the “new to me – February” post and the February gaming post.

Will those all come out next week?

Maybe, maybe not.

But I’m not going to worry about it like I have been.

Because those are posts that I know I will be doing.

It’s not a matter of “what the hell am I going to write about? Nobody will care, so I won’t write anything”

I have not missed doing these posts each month since I started doing them, and I won’t start now.

Plus the retrospective will be fun to write.

I don’t even know what I will be playing as I write this!

But I know it will be great.

One game I am excited about, and I know I will be playing, is my 20th Anniversary Combat Commander set, because I scheduled a game of it and somebody joined it.

That means I’ll finally be playing Combat Commander on the table after almost 6 years of playing it only on VASSAL.

Getting back to the writing, though, I like to think that maybe I can overcome any potential funk I fall into.

I’m feeling more optimistic, and also it’s nice that my blog hits have been consistently higher than normal (even discounting days where thousands of bots hit it).

I think that’s because I actually am having regular output, and I know I need to keep it up.

But not to my own detriment. That’s what I need to keep in mind.

I’ll be back next week with a bunch of good stuff, and I hope you’re around to share my enjoyment of gaming.

Because you are all what makes this worthwhile.

Thank you, and have a great weekend!