It’s the year hoverboards come about. Come on Mattel, at least a basic model! Instead, here’s an update on how chaotic life has become and the ramblings of an old person past their prime. Quite a lot has changed over the past few months.

I’ve finished up at work and am currently unemployed, with the intention of becoming a student. I’d love to get into pharmacy or biomedical science in 2016, although first I need to meet the entry requirements. That’s what I’ll be working towards, assuming I can get everything organised and the finances under control.

One of the bigger changes has been downsizing the collection. A substantial amount of hardware has gone, including the development equipment that had been taking over the house. It was wonderful having all those unusual machines to investigate, but I’d rather they ended up with people who could actually make use of them.

I’ve kept a few favourites, of course. There are some Mega Drive games, a Mega Drive and Mega-CD, a couple of PlayStations, two Super Nintendos and a small collection of Nintendo handhelds. The original Xbox is still here too, because I need something to play Burnout on. Some things simply aren’t negotiable!

Even the Framemeister upscaler has gone. That means it’s back to ordinary AV connections for some of these old machines, which isn’t exactly ideal, but there are more important things to worry about. The collection certainly looks tidier now, and I can see what I’ve actually kept rather than having everything piled around the room.

RetroJunkie.net has been terminated because I simply don’t have enough time to commit to it. And that’s unfortunate, but running multiple websites and producing videos is rather difficult when everything else is changing. I’d rather focus on what I can realistically keep going than let another project become an obligation.

I’ve still got a backlog of footage dating back to around April 2014, so there should be more videos eventually. The main problem is finding the energy and time to edit everything. My Final Cut skills have become a little rusty, and there won’t necessarily be many new repairs until I’ve got some money for parts.

It’s been a difficult time personally as well, and there have been some rather dark moments. The kindness and generosity of other people have meant a great deal, particularly when things haven’t been going well. I’m grateful for the support, even if I don’t always know how to put that into words.

On a lighter note, I’ve been fighting with Python 2.7.9 on Windows. Something that worked under Unix and Mac OS X turned into a six-hour exercise in frustration once I tried to get the Windows version communicating with a USB device. I got the interface running, but not the part I actually needed. Typical!

The YouTube channel is still growing, which has been a lovely surprise. We’re approaching 2,000 subscribers, and I appreciate everyone who continues to watch these strange little videos. I won’t always be able to respond to messages, particularly while I’m trying to get everything else sorted, but I do read and appreciate the encouragement.

I’ve also been playing Burnout Revenge on the Xbox, which is considerably more enjoyable than dealing with government paperwork. I’ve fitted a SATA-to-PATA adapter and a small 160 GB drive to the machine, so hopefully that will keep it running for a while. There are still a few console projects I’d like to revisit when circumstances allow.

For now, I’m concentrating on getting life moving in a better direction, preparing for study and sorting out what remains of the collection. Thanks for sticking around. There will be more McRetro videos, even if they arrive a little less frequently for a while.

And seriously, Mattel. Where’s my hoverboard?