Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 02/10/2026And there's the full rejection, one business day later when batch goes out at midnight, workday default. Blarrrrrgh. Knew this was coming and not just from the button going away, but still sucks. Well, not like I stopped applying, just the furthest Ive been in a while. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Trying to refocus. Ended up setting up an eight hour plus render session. Its not even updated to the latest Disgaea RPG set, but at this point Im just happy that I have an improved set to work with. Redoing all of the previous work doesn't sound as fun, though... 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Today's rejection officially put me in the mindspace that I am likely not going to get a mainframe job ever again. No local IT work, either. Can't do much else. Logically, I know I'm panicking. But the card games will never make me anything, my wife is trying her best, and I don't know what to do. 001
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 30/09/2026...sigh, they found the other reject button. When Workday removes the withdrawal button and the listing itself closes, it is 99% of the time a rejection, the email will just show up in the next two days. Actually heartbroken. This was one I actually reached final interview. 100
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 29/09/2026#my9anime , actually formative picks just like the games one, because I followed the letter of the prompt both times. ...this explains a bit. I also didn't do half bad for being in actual backwater south US growing up (I am no longer even remotely near it now) 010
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Well, one of the found the reject button, for the role I technically qualify for but knew I had no chance at. Since its workday the rejection will show up later tonight. Mondays are always slow for job hunting. I think I made a breakthrough in the Makai Wars art, though? Its not a 100% fix... 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Sometimes this job search just feels like they forgot where the reject button is. Been two weeks since the positive final interview. Im pretty sure I didn't get it at this point. ...at least Im making progress in the Makai Wars art recovery efforts. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Did the #my9games thing. ...did you know I got into one of the biggest anime simfile collections of its day? My effort was awful... #10 would probably be one of the full YuGIOh World Championship games on the GBA. 020
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 23/09/2026...whoops. Triggered the discord anti-scrape and will be back online there tomorrow. 100
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Basically, the remaining Disgaea Netherwar workflow is placing the art on each card (which cannot be automated due to source weirdness) and then placing the text content on each card (which also cannot be automated, I need to write it). So just, ya know, the bulk of it. Decided on art first. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 20/09/2026So the project to try and improve/rescue the Makai Wars art is going surprisingly okay. ...but it also means Im going to have to redo the character art on the card. Thankfully didn't get *that* far into that part, and I can get better naming culture in there at the same time. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Another interview for a separate role today. Went alright again. Didn't help that there was a storm this morning that made everything miserable. Decided to work on the dumped Makai Wars art afterward to try and improve what Ive got for Disgaea Netherwar. Small gains. 020
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Interview went alright. Managed to hold onto the conversation for a decent amount of time, so progress there. Don't feel that I got it, but Im getting better. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Got my first "we shouldn't have sent you that moving forward email, whoops" moment for this job hunt. Took longer than last time. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Not the best nintendo direct, not the worst, and once again Japan got the better direct. They actually showed Prinny Party. And a few seconds of touhou. 010
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 06/09/2026...Well, almost had the dryer, but on unpack it was revealed to have the bottom of it crushed. Exact replacement is another month... so non exact it is. Its the last thing we needed to replace for the lightning strike damage. Annoyed. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 04/09/2026"We need proof you are able to work with AI tools." ...in mainframe? When that damn chip only really got announced last week? Not even the first time Ive heard this! Like, I get it, I really do, but what does that even *look* like right now? (And no, generative AI isnt touching the card games.) 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Oh, its going to be *that* type of week. Recruiter that somehow broke my DnD by marking it as urgent before 8am, for a zVM role I was rejected for two weeks ago and the end client *really* wants the contractor to move to Cincinnati after the year is up. Neat trick, but now I'm awake and grumpy. 010
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Ive been wanting to work on things today but its been a significantly aggressive "recruiter" day and Im drained. Pretty certain the focus for this morning just isnt real, and Im pretty sure the focus of this afternoon was one I was rejected for without feedback or interview two weeks ago. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Latest interview went fairly well! Ive even gotten more work done on the card game! ...Just waiting for the other shoe to drop. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Disgaea Netherwar card game: Managed to automate another workflow part since TTS is giving me fits, but attach faces work now. Also, the setup shown is *technically* possible... 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Job hunt continues... unfortunately for me, I managed to confirm that the tools these recruiters use to "score" resumes pretty much fail completely on my skillset. On the other hand, its catnip for a skillset I don't have! Like instant tip of list level for somwthing not actually in resume! 100
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 26/08/2026...honestly, my card workflow would make six years ago me jealous... let alone mlpdcg me. Alas, plugging things into a spreadsheet does not make for riveting entertainment, and I can't carry a stream on my own. It was the best way to keep me on task back in the day, though. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Tried adding a time value to make the foil shaders animate, since most are at a level I'm comfortable with. Ow. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Disgaea Netherwar: Tabletop Simulator holo foil card. Not the final form of this either, and solving one thing about this one took two days... ...but negative edge foil. It *might* have been a very rough week for the job hunt and I needed motivation. 110
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Disgaea Netherwar: tabletop Simulator foil work continues, especially since a lot of these were crafted in the early hours of the morning in a delirious stress state. Oceanfoil is for the Beachside subgroup. I originally avoided these due to keeping it somewhat sfw... but meh. 020
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 17/08/2026There might be 13 different foil types after going a bit overboard. Columns, Menace, Gate, Confetti, Shatter, Fireworks, Valentines, Ocean, Halloween, Snowflakes, Damascus, Crosshatch, and Black Hole. ...not sure the last one actually works, it kinda removes light from the card and its *weird*. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 15/08/2026A decent part of me working on card foils (and the game in general) is me just brushing up on my python because it came up in an interview. I don't think shadergraph counts as C#... Just want a job in my field. I know the card game will go exactly nowhere but it at least focuses me. 010
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 14/08/2026Disgaea Netherwar... this took 10 hours in unity to troubleshoot, but it is working, I have multiple foil types, it works in Tabletop Simulator, and I have a pipeline to update any of these in around five mouse clicks after the original card render. See, I can upskill, I swear it! ...I need sleep. 231
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Upscale for card assets finally finished. Turns a 830kb image into a 155MB one in probably the most inefficient way ever, but keeps the quality during that step and gives it the "proper" color profile before Krita gets ahold of it, shrinks it to card print size, and turns it into a 6MB thing again. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 10/08/2026Haven't done an upscale pass for DRPG assets in a minute. Time to update everything and see what I can do. Havent done any steam farming in about as long, either. ...I might need a distraction from the 40 or so spam/scam recruiter calls today. No, I dont know Spanish or anything else in that stack. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 08/08/2026I do apologize for all of the job hunt drama when Im supposed to be the disgaea card guy. Its been utterly draining and depressing. I would much rather be working on cards than having to figure out keeping the lights on for me and mine. Actual work is easier than the job hunt. 010
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 07/08/2026The washing machine came in today to replace the one that got struck by lightning. Didn't notice until we were installing it that the dryer next to it had a scorch mark... with a hole punched right through. ...we're lucky to still have a house. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 06/08/2026Well, that was a weird one. Job app seems right up my alley, directly on employer website. Went and applied for it, then a weird question pops up. Turns out the listing was for India, of which I am most definitely not. But it was on their US page, which then showed on the US board. Weird week. 110
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 05/08/2026Ugh. Recruiter reaches out, says Im a good fit for a role. Alright, time to do some digging. Client actually wants an ACF2 to RACF conversion and requires more than double my experience because its a "get it done and leave" project. I was right to say I was under. That company is picky anyway. 100
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 02/08/2026Well, successfully picked up some replacements for the stuff that got fried. This is going to take some taming. I swear these settings are not cooperating. The soundbar is also quite a bit more complicated than before and requires an app now as it only has three lights? Alright, let's do this. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 31/07/2026Having that job interview that went very well ghost me is just depressing. Finding out they reposted hurts. But at least the insurance claim on the stuff fried by the bolt went through, so time for research to distract myself. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 30/07/2026Total damage from the bolt hitting the house is... considerable. Current theory is that the bolt hit the vent used by the washing machine water discharge and through it, directly surged through the rest of the house. The interior of the machine is basically destroyed. Stupid lucky no house fire. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 28/07/2026Got the insurance claim worked on, there was enough taken out that it was justified. Unfortunately have not heard back after the final interview, I think that one is gone. New roles are likely slow until next week. It has not been a pleasant summer. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 28/07/2026House struck by lightning in a bad way. Lost something in every room. World went fuzzy for a second. Cats are alright. PCs appear to be alright. Thankfully no signs of fire. APC UPSes didn't protect things and those were the high end ones, but the lesser surge protectors seem to have worked? 110
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 25/07/2026The silence is deafening on this job sending an offer, but its only on retrospection that all of my previous jobs were offered (verbally) day of or the day after, and that it may be longer. I've still applied for more in the meantime and pretty much writing this one off. Eggs in different baskets. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 24/07/2026Its been a week. A terrible ending to a good trip, both awful and amazing interviews that will go nowhere... Wife and I both got our first three-digit figurines (Raphtalia and Belldandy, respectively) via trade-ins so got that going for us. 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 23/07/2026That interview went *really* well. Its a bit of a pivot but its doing things in mainframe I still know how to do. Do I dare get my hopes up? 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 21/07/2026Well, that was a waste of time. Don't contact me *then* read my resume and decide I'm short on experience. If you need a hero on a certain technology to just drop in and solve your problems, why are you asking the guy that didn't put it on their resume? 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 17/07/2026Checked email against my better judgment. Four interviews this week, four rejections this morning. Two were honestly expected due to the gaps. One went alright and was even their recruiter reaching out to me and then failing to get to the hiring manager. The last one clearly failed their vibe check. 110
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 17/07/2026Honestly debating just turning the phone completely off for tomorrow and just enjoying my day. Not going to get *any* forward progress with thr job apps anyway, and no way I get an offer from an effectively ten minute interview (and that was them, not me!). Not in mainframe. Mental rest time. 020
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 16/07/2026...and then I get a call about a very similar sounding position just with a different bank. Like, shockingly similar. Unless everyone that does LinuxONE kVMs just retired all at once or something. Shame I'm zVM and not kVM. You'd think the skills would transfer and its mostly terms and access... 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 16/07/2026Oh, that interview went quick for the *bad* reasons. At least I was able to end it gracefully. They needed a hero that knew all of their stack when I had clear gaps. Problem is, I dont think they're paying enough; that was lower Senior pay for Principal or even higher job requirements. 110
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 15/07/2026Alright, that was a much better interview... of about 15 minutes because that dood was *fast* on those questions. Do wish I could carry a conversation on demand better, so I probably didn't get that job... but progress! ...now for two other interviews... 000
Age @blitzerage.bsky.social · 14/07/2026Well, that interview could've gone better. Sounded like I was lost at my own job. Its been a minute since the last interview and this week was already majorly distracting, so its on me even if I wasn't enthusiastic about this one. 000