Reflections of.....the way life used to be....

This weekend I posted on social media an apology to everyone because I'd not done a blog or a vlog or even interacted much with people. Jane was surprised too because recently both Matt Bridger and Mark Anderson (Pennys4Vegas) had mentioned me on their YouTube channels and I gained 10 subscribers as a result for which I am truly grateful. You'd think I'd have made advantage of the promotion. I'm trying to set up a podcast and I've got a Redbubble shop selling Vegas and Black Country Vlogger merchandise. So what's going on? I hear you ask.

One thing will be resolved pretty quickly one way or the other. My current job is a Pharmacy Technician in a hospital. I've done it for well over 10 years and enjoy it a lot. This September I'll be studying to further my role but at the same time an opportunity has come up to become a line manager to the ward based team I work in.

Managing people, working in an office and being responsible for others is something I never thought I'd even consider doing but its been a crazy couple of years as we all know and my current role has evolved a lot and so have I.

It's one heck of a leap for a person who years ago really didn't like social interaction and to be honest, outside the safety of my family, friends and work colleagues, I still don't. This has been playing on my mind as I've done the job application and if that's successful then it's the interview. If I get it then it's onwards and upwards. If not then I've still got my qualification of a Clinical Pharmacy Technician to work on.

A lot of my work colleagues think I'll get the job but I'm competing against far more experienced people and I'm pretty shit at interviews. I guess the only pressure is what I'm putting on myself but we'll see.

The second thing isn't just something affecting me. It's affecting a lot of people. Regular blog readers and friends all know about the battles Jane and I have had with those challenging few years affecting our mental health. You will also all know how Vegas, vlogging and the whole Vegas fan community helped me considerably with getting back on my feet and giving me something to focus on.

And that's where the problem lies.

I'm not going to get political, I'm not even going to really give much of an opinion on how the Covid 19 situation is and has been handled by anyone but what I am going to talk about is how it has deeply affected the mental health of so many people.

Holidays booked, holidays cancelled, holidays rebooked, holidays recancelled, countries red, countries green, countries red again. Yes you can, no you can't, yes you can, no you can't.

See where I'm coming from?

The stability I got from our regular trips to Vegas was invaluable, having something to look forward to every year and sharing that excitement with fellow Vegas fans was brilliant. Watching vlogs, chatting on social media with everyone sharing their experiences and each one of us learning more and more about the place we love.

You can see the frustrations of everyone on social media, we're all desperate to go back to Vegas but it's currently not possible and hasn't been for a long time now. Some people will consider a holiday/vacation a privilege and not a necessity so why all the fuss?

The 'fuss' is that throughout the year we all work hard and life really is short. Life is challenging and everyone needs a break and release from the ongoing pressures. Never has this been more necessary than it is in these current times.

Despite the best efforts of many, mental health is still not discussed as much as it should be, especially amongst men around my age. Many doctors would still rather just throw tablets at the problem but without the support structure there as well then it achieves very little. Luckily there are a lot of organisations and charities out there that can help.

I really do hope things start changing for the better but it seems at times the light shining over Vegas is getting dimmer and dimmer. Nothing will take away my love of the place and we've booked for October and February. Hopefully at least one of those will happen.

Thanks to non-UK Vloggers I still get to see Vegas on YouTube but there's sometimes a tinge of sadness at seeing Circa, Resorts World and other things happening in Vegas that I can't be a part of.

Unlike my job situation, I've no idea when going to the US will be resolved and it plays on my mind. With Jane not able to be vaccinated is another hurdle we must overcome but there are inconsistencies and very little guidance on that as well.

Apologies for this being a bit of a down beat blog but sadly this is where my head is at the moment.

I'm going to try and get this bloody podcast sorted and just do some random YouTube videos for a bit of fun.

A quick thank you to everyone on my social media and here's to whatever gets thrown at us next. At least there's one thing that's never going to change and that's…

Viva Las Vegas!