The Reality Check: Why Temping is My Path Forward

I often talk about the future of Swagnilla Ice, but I want to be real with you all about the present. For a long time, I tried to do things the traditional way. I applied for the steady, permanent roles, but the job market has a way of being cold.

Despite my efforts, the traditional 9-to-5 world hasn’t been biting. And even when I did have that stability, it proved to be an illusion. My longest run at a job was six years before I was given the boot.

That experience changed how I look at employment and why I’ve embraced temp work while we build this community together.

The Illusion of Permanent Work
Getting let go after six years teaches you a hard lesson: no matter how much time you put in, you are often just a line on a spreadsheet. When that permanent safety net disappears, you realize that the only thing you truly own is what you build for yourself. That is exactly what I am doing here with this blog and my video series.

Turning Rejection into Fuel
It’s frustrating to put yourself out there and not get the call back. But instead of letting that stall me, I’m using temping as a tool. It’s a way to keep Harmani Investments happy and the rent paid without tied-down loyalty to companies that haven’t shown that same loyalty to me in the past.

Why the Membership Matters
This is why I’m so focused on our membership tiers. Whether you are a Peasant, a Knight, or a Duke, you are helping me build a career that can’t be taken away by a corporate boot. Until Swagnilla Ice is fully supported by the community, temping is how I bridge the gap. It keeps me agile, it keeps the bills paid, and most importantly, it keeps me from being at the mercy of a hiring manager who doesn’t see the value in what I do.

By supporting me here at Swagnilla Ice with a membership, you are helping me to secure the future and produce more awesome content like this blog post.

Creative Engineering E54: Fishing Pond & Maxed Out Fishing Rod

In this episode of Creative Engineering, Swag builds a custom Minecraft fishing pond and enchants a max-level fishing rod for ultimate loot. While working on the pond’s design, Swag explains his building process and shares which rare items he is hoping to fish up. He also gets lucky and snags a powerful enchanted book—watch the full episode to find out which one!

My Exercise Regime

Aside

I follow a steady exercise regime now of visiting the aquatic centre at Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre every other day as long as I am not working that day. My routine is a simple 20 minutes of jogging back and forth or in place in the deep area of the leisure pool (sometimes I will swim a few laps back and forth for extra exercise), then a 5 minute soak in the hot tub, and finishing with 5 minutes of riding the water slide (walking up the stairs to the top is good exercise!). This can vary by a few minutes depending on various factors, but I am usually out of the pool in about forty minutes at the latest. If you need to get more exercise, why don’t you try it? The water is great for cushioning your joints especially if you suffer from arthritic pain like I do!

An Improved Look for a New Year on Swagnilla Ice

Greetings everyone!

We’re really into 2026 now and small but important changes have come to Swagnilla Ice over the last few weeks. The biggest one of course is the change in theme and a bit of change of layout. Instead of using Twenty Fourteen and it’s magazine style layout, I have switched to Twenty Eleven, which is more of a blog theme that is customizable to feel more ‘royal’ and majestic. From the custom purple background to the dark colours and chess image in the header, it’s the perfect blog theme for someone who’s focused on a Medieval but Modern style in his gaming and video making.

To complement this royal aesthetic, I have also engineered a new badge system for our comment sections. Members who have joined the Knight or Duke tiers will now see their titles displayed in vibrant colors next to their names. These colors are inspired by our Discord hierarchy to keep things consistent across the entire Swagnilla Ice experience. Additionally, the first one hundred paid members will receive a special gold Founder badge as a permanent mark of their early support for my creative endeavours.

The Founder badge does not appear automatically, but I must give it out myself after you become a paid member. Peasants will not be given this badge or any other badge in the comments as they are reserved for our paid members and staff only (including myself). The badges for myself and the staff are not membership badges but are official marks of their employment with Swagnilla Ice after they are hired. This ensures that when you see a badge in the comments, you know exactly who is a dedicated supporter and who is helping me run the kingdom.

These badges are marks of honour and respect, they have been earned fairly through support or being hired as someone valuable to my team. I expect that everyone will follow the rules of what’s acceptable in the comments when posting.

I have put a lot of work into engineering this new home for Swagnilla Ice to ensure it is a high-quality, private space for us to grow. Whether you remain a Peasant or rise to the rank of Knight or Duke, I am glad to have you here as part of this journey.

Check the header for all the important links, keep an eye on your inbox for post notifications, and I will see you in the comments after you become a member. Let’s make 2026 the best year for Swagnilla Ice yet.

Creative Engineering E53: The Supporters Hall

In this episode, Swag builds the Supporters Hall, where paid members’ signs and blocks will go. Don’t remember how this system of rewards in my public Minecraft worlds works? Check out Signs, Blocks, and You – The Update here or search for the post on Swagnilla Ice where your paid membership can get you into this hall and begin your journey of support!

A New Year Means New Hope

As the calendar turns to 2026, there is always a familiar sense of a clean slate. For me, this year is about finding renewal in what I build and how I live.

First, I have a major update for the fans of my gaming series, Creative Engineering. After a lot of work behind the scenes, the Creative Engineering Season One modpack is officially available for public download. You can find the link right here on the blog (under My Downloads). I am excited to see what you all build with these tools, especially since I am already preparing for the future—the next pack will be its own world and not in this one, so now is the perfect time to dive into this version.

On a more personal note, I am making a change to how I handle my time, my budget, and my health. I’ve recently received a diagnosis of minor arthritis in my knee and some slightly elevated cholesterol. It means a few more meds, but it also means I need to be more intentional. I have officially decided to give up on ordering in via delivery apps. To tighten my purse strings and ensure I am actually staying active and enjoying the experience of food someone else has cooked, I am restricting my dining out to a specific ritual.

I will only be going out to eat after Mass on Saturday or Sunday when I attend in person. As long as I am not sick and the weather isn’t too cold to make the trip, that will be my time to sit down and appreciate a fresh meal. It is about reclaiming the experience and making it a deliberate choice rather than a habit of convenience.

Whether you are downloading the new pack to start your own engineering journey or making your own small shifts in daily habits, I hope this year brings you a sense of fresh momentum.


f you enjoyed this blog post and the other content here on Swagnilla Ice, consider becoming a member. Members get to comment on posts as well as communicate directly with me and each other via a Discord server. Your support is what will keep this blog alive.

The Power Up Notes – December 2025

Welcome back to the final Power Up Notes of 2025! It has been a massive year for Linux, and we are closing out December with some record-breaking news and updates that show how far the platform has come. In today’s episode, we explore the latest Steam hardware survey results, a major new Long Term Support kernel, and the tools I use to put these videos together.

In this episode:

  • Game Notes: Linux usage on Steam hits a record 3.2%. We discuss why I stick with open-source NVIDIA drivers for my dual-monitor setup despite recent “driver chaos” on other distros.
  • Kernel Notes: A deep dive into Linux Kernel 6.18 (LTS) and what the Linux Mint 22.3 “Zena” beta means for your system’s stability.
  • Editorial: Why independent, family-friendly content matters and how you can support the channel.
  • Spotlight: A look at Lightworks on Linux Mint. I share how I use the free version for an efficient dual-screen workflow—editing on one side while researching on the other during processing.

News Theme by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Support the Journey: If you enjoy this family-friendly look at tech and gaming, consider supporting me. Your support helps me keep this research independent and accessible for viewers of all ages.

Locked Out: Why I’m Done with the Golden Arches

I have spent years stopping by the golden arches for a quick meal between shifts, but lately, something has felt off. After some reflection, I have decided to officially move on from McDonald’s, and it is honestly a bigger relief than I expected.

The breaking point happened on Christmas Day. I checked the official app and Google Maps, both of which confirmed the location was open 24/7 for walk-in customers. However, after making the effort to get there, I was met with locked doors and a sign stating it was drive-through only. As someone who doesn’t drive, I was left standing in the cold with no way to get service despite the glowing Open signs.

What made the situation even harder to swallow was the weather. It was freezing outside, and a big part of the plan was to step inside for a few minutes to warm up before the walk back home. Standing there in the cold on Christmas, staring at a Drive-Thru Only sign while the app insisted the lobby was open, felt like a slap in the face. When a billion-dollar company can’t keep its own digital hours accurate, it shows a lack of respect for a customer’s time and effort. It is one thing to have a technical glitch; it is another to leave a customer out in the elements because your business model only accounts for people in heated cars.

The kicker? I’m walking away from nearly 3,000 McDonald’s points, but honestly, it’s a small price to pay for my peace of mind. When I look at the competition, the choice is easy. Starbucks actually serves hot chocolate that tastes like chocolate, not watery sugar. Tim Hortons and Subway offer fresher, more diverse food options that don’t leave me feeling sluggish. To top it off, the rewards system at Tim’s actually feels like it respects my wallet—I earn freebies way faster there than I ever did at McDonald’s.

Missing out on that meal ended up being a blessing in disguise. Instead of settling for fast food, I had a proper brunch yesterday: two egg, ham, and spread cheese sandwiches, a hot glass of apple cider to shake off the chill, and some vanilla-flavoured almond milk. Not only did it taste better, but using eggs with Omega 3 is a win for my heart health, too.

It isn’t just about a missed meal; it is about the principle of the matter. This experience reminded me that my time and my patronage are better spent elsewhere—somewhere that actually values accessibility for everyone, not just those behind a steering wheel. From now on, I will be taking my business to places that keep their doors open and their digital promises honest.