J. Isaac Gadient
GDC PREP
Saturday, March 7, 2026
9:06 AM
I have put off:
◦ Packing
◦ Doing Laundry to even have clothes to pack
◦ Trying on outfits to see if i even own anything fancy enough for the awards shows that still fit on my fluctuating-in-size body
◦ Doing Dishes (cannot leave the sink full for my spouse while i’m gone)
◦ Finalizing my GDC talk schedule, so many good sessions I have at least two conflicts each day M-F
◦ Actually booking any boba chats, past “hey we should hang out or at least high-five eachother on our way to the next thing”
◦ Getting those cute pokemon stickers from the local game shop to give to my friends i see irl as gifts
◦ Pre-checking in for my flight (which leaves out in just fifteen hours)
✓ Starting this piece for ENTRY LVL
9:54AM
::tv show voiceover voice::
I bet you’re wondering why I’m in my basement going through piles of stuff I haven’t looked at let alone touched in months *just in case* there’s anything useful for my upcoming week in California *even though* virtually nothing on the list above has gotten accomplished.
LOOK STRAIGHT TO CAMERA, BREAK FOURTH WALL
ISAAC
(Pleasantly, professionally)
Hi, i’m J. Isaac Gadient. And I have ADHD.
11:12AM
Just realized I haven’t documented my GDC prep with any photos* or videos yet at all.
Here’s what I could bear** to part with, so I’m headed to my local game shop to sell these to raise some funds*** so I can eat**** next week.
*I am a photojournalism school dropout (2003-2005, WKU).
**I’m not thrilled about this, but one of the reasons i’ve always kept physical media (vinyl when i was in the music industry, now games) is so that when times are lean I can sell my things to get by, even if only just.
***https://bsky.app/profile/jisaacgadient.bsky.social/post/3mfwnqgwcss2e
**** between laundry and getting ready to run this errant my best friend of twenty-five years called and when I mentioned someone from Facebook Marketplace was coming over at 2:30PM to buy one of my bass guitars, he said he’d buy my some gyros or falafel for dinner one next next week if I’m broke so I don’t have to break my promise not to use credit cards I cannot pay off.
12:23PM
Just realized I haven’t eaten yet today
1:22PM
Mission: NOT accomplished.
All this and r$2.28 store credit.
5:58PM
Dishwasher’s running, laundry’s dried and in a hamper to be folded and packed in my suitcase, and I’ve just had a lovely ragu my spouse made from scratch (as well as handmade pasta) while we watch the series nine finale of Bake-Off, and I just got this email:
But—nothing I can do about it but wait, right…?
Well. I hope there *is* something I can do about it.
If my plane is actually on time and lands at SFO at 9:40, then i’ll have fifty minutes to get a lift to Moscone Center (a 16-minute drive), register & get my badge, and hoof it to West Hall and find a seat. I think this is technically possible, but I never like cutting it this close. If I stay overnight in Chicago (is American Airlines paying for my hotel? My transportation there and back to O’Hare?) and wake up Monday morning and *that* flight in cancelled…I will be very sad.
8:01PM
Anyways, I’m packed now. Never got to update my portfolio, which honestly is a big reason I am going*. So I feel a little silly about that. I suppose I should pack my laptop and work on it in my hotel during my overnight layover.
*I got some friends and colleagues to give me notes so I could optimize my website before I bring it to the *absolutely stacked* Narrative Portfolio Review happening Monday:
8:42PM
No callback from American Airlines customer service yet (colour me surprised), so I suppose there is only *one* thing I *can* do:
Hopefully I get some good sleep before we have to wake up at 5AM…and hopefully AA (American Airlines, not Alcoholics Anonymous) will be comping my accommodations tomorrow night in the windy city.
All image credits to J. Isaac Gradient unless captioned otherwise.
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