This Year

I don't know about the rest of you but it's something of a relief to have 2018 over with.  We're going live with our new accounting program for Period 1 of 2019 and the good news is that we've pretty much figured out how my duties will work with the new program.  It's taken two Saturdays of working to feel caught up enough that I'm not freaking out about the whole process.

But it's worth it to be able to relax a bit.

I'm going to try something new in 2019.  Usually in the first couple months of the year I work on some little project until the new kit for the contest comes out and then I go nonstop every weekend trying to finish my project for that year's contest.  It works when I'm not sure how to go about something or when I don't have clear direction.  But it really regiments my time.  I have other hobbies that fall by the way side when I go really full tilt at mini-ing.

I'd half made up my mind that I wasn't going to do the contest in 2019.  I've found my results in 2016 and 2017 disappointing to say the least.  The amount of time, research and resources put into the builds compared to the results was really depressing.  I'm more hopeful about the 2018 kit, but since I have no idea what the criteria for judging is I don't want to get my hopes up too high.   I told myself that I'd wait and see and if I really liked the 2019 kit then I'd buy it and work on it at my own pace and not worry about the contest.

Turns out I like the 2019 kit.  So I'll be doing the build, but I'm still going to go at my own pace.  If its done in time to submit then great. If its not, oh well.  The point is to enjoy myself, not kill myself.  This is a hobby.

This year, the new kit is small, and hopefully will take up lots less real estate on my work table.  I want to keep the footprint small.  That way I can work on the Downtown Loft as well as the 2019 kit.  I also have another Christmas lantern to make for someone at work.

The Downtown Loft hasn't progressed since the last time I blogged about it.  Though I think I've figured out how to do the windows.  I got a lot of practice with windows in the last couple years.

I'm definitely going to close up the door.  And I'm rethinking the lack of windows on the front of the second half of the house.  The little square window is another I don't know about.

I could make the skylights larger or add another one or two, I like the idea of natural light coming through both roofs.  I'm still thinking about the interior and how I want it to look, industrial chic or really modern and polished.

At the moment I'm leaning towards modern and polished just because it's something different and fun.

And I already have ideas for the 2019 contest kit.

I don't want to change the width.  I might make it a little deeper, if it's more of a thicker rectangle or mostly square that gives me two or three more inches to work with.  Then it's making it taller, like an old shop with living quarters over it.

If I change the awning or extend it, that's the perfect place for a store sign.  Making it something of a brownstone will also let me have a flat roof rather than the angled roof which I don't care for.  If I made little bay windows for displays then I could use the kit windows on the second floor.  It looks very Victorian to me so I'm letting that percolate in my mind.

No matter what, this year I'm determined to have fun.  Hope everyone else will be doing the same.