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Happy tax day everyone!
Like everyone else expecting a refund of some amount, I did my taxes early. I always do -- I really hate the rush of people getting their taxes in at the last possible moment, making the post office (and any place that delivers mail, really) a nightmare on Earth. Maybe it’s a holdover from my Adobe days, where I had to send so many certified letters with return receipt it literally depressed me for a week afterwards.
My heart goes out to all of those who’ve had to brave the crowds this week, no matter what side of the counter you’re on. :)
There’s been a lot going on recently, but when is that ever untrue? I thought I’d give capsule updates on different aspects and kind of deep-dive into the rest later. If at all.
+ Reading
We’ve finally unpacked most of our books from the move, so I’m getting into it again. I found my Kindle (it was in my backpack the entire time!) and bought a couple things for it that I’m working my way through now. One is an ‘amateur’ novella called 2084. It’s one of those ‘alternate futures told from the perspective of interviews and journalist essays’ books, in the vein of World War Z or War Day. Instead of a zombie outbreak or limited nuclear exchange, the great catastrophe that befalls civilization is global warming. The idea is intriguing and in the right hands it could have been astonishingly prophetic -- I believe we aren’t doing enough to combat climate change, and in a couple of decades we’re going to start to see those worst-case scenarios come to pass.
Unfortunately, these aren’t the right hands. The writing comes across fairly unconvincingly, and it’s clear that this guy has a political axe to grind. It’s nowhere near as effective as it could be, and this is coming from the choir. I can’t imagine someone else on the other side ever taking it seriously. It’s too bad, because it’s an opportunity wasted.
I’m also reading Storm Front by Jim Butcher, the first book in the Harry Dresden series. A friend of mine is running a Dresden Universe game set in Buffalo, and I’d like to get a handle on the feel of the setting before I dive into the role-play. I’m only a couple of chapters in, but those chapters have just breezed by; it’s a quick read, and Butcher opens the novel pretty well. I hear there’s a tonal shift in the writing half-way through that makes it less fun to read, and I’m glad I’ve been tipped off to it. If it’s not as bad as I’m expecting, I’ll be pleasantly surprised. If it is, well, I know it’s coming.
I’m also reading (at last!) “Contraindications,” the dragon’s fun set of short stories that he might be finishing up soon. Once I’ve cleared a little more space on my reading plate, I’ll dive back into the massive backlog of comics that’s been steadily growing since the beginning of the year and then get started on Daniel Fahl’s Save the Day. For some reason, furry superheroes are a little difficult to pull off.
+ Writing
The writing hasn’t gone as well as I’d hoped, to be honest. Right now I’m working through a poem a day in honor of National Poetry Month. I’ve been managing to average a poem a day, though I’ve fallen behind every so often and have needed to catch up. My writing for blogs and short stories have suffered a bit as a result...not that I ever did that very much anyway.
In addition to the poetry I’m trying to write short essays (around 500 - 1000 words) in an attempt to have a more polished personal writing style. I’ve come to really enjoy the flavor of a lot of writing/personal blogs out there, and there’s no more sincere way to show that than trying to emulate it. Of course, that’s stalled a bit because...who wants to read about someone failing to live the life of a writer? It’s better to get some experience under your belt before you open up that can of worms, am I right?
Long story short, I’m working on a bunch of things right now, and I’m progressing on all of them slowly. I keep hoping for the day when I’m actually able to show this stuff instead of talking about it, and that magical time is inching closer on the horizon.
+ Diet
This is another thing that’s coming along slowly but surely. I’m sure I’ve talked about my stress eating before, and it continues to be my biggest enemy. I get stressed about work or writing or exercise, and that’s then the cravings start to rear their heads. And those cravings are a lot more difficult to deal with than they used to be since I’ve given up candy for the year. On the bright side, it’s forcing me to be more mindful of them and to make conscious decisions about them. It’s a lot more difficult to mindlessly eat a cookie if you know it will cost as much as dinner, calorically. Candy is a lot easier to write off, and depriving myself of that out means there are no easy decisions.
I still slip up quite a bit, but I’ve gotten a lot more anal about counting calories and holding myself accountable. I was doing pretty well there for a while, nearing 182 pounds, which would have been the lowest weight in years. Something happened, though, and I’ve retreated from that. Now I’m waffling between 183 and 185. Now that I’m getting pretty aggressive about eating in more often, hopefully the weight will come down.
+ Exercise
I’ve also gotten serious about training for the Bay to Breakers, which means running three times a week is going to happen, no matter what. If we stick to the dragon’s weightlifting schedule, that means exercise six times a week at least. I’m actually comfortable with that, even if I might complain a bit during some of the harder workouts. Back nights are never fun, and the long runs have gotten progressively more punishing. We just finished a six-mile run yesterday that just about killed me. Thankfully, there’s just a set of three mile runs for next week, giving us a bit of a break before we head into the home stretch. The next two Saturdays after our break week? A seven and eight mile run, leading right into Bay to Breakers weekend. I think I’ll take a full week off after the race before aiming for four mile runs three times a week.
+ Work
I don’t talk much about work, mostly because there’s a dangerous blend between my professional and personal selves happening there, and I don’t want to encourage anything that would blur the lines any further. Still, I think this is the most fulfilled I’ve been at any job ever. I’m learning a lot about how to get along with people, business processes, my own personal project management style, and how to push myself to do better. It’s really great to see myself growing into my role and having that growth be recognized by other people. I feel needed, which is immensely gratifying. That newfound sense of ability carries over to other parts of my life, so overall work is just making me a better, more focused person. I really dig that. :)
So that’s what’s going on with me in a nutshell. One of the things I think people don’t talk about enough here is how these journals really are meant to foster a sense of community and interaction. I think we’ve taken that for granted a bit, and now we’re sorely missing it now that the LJ community is starting to break apart.
That being said...what would you guys like to see in this personal journal? What sorts of topics do you find yourself thinking about most? What do you think would foster discussion and input? What do you find interesting? What can I do, if anything, to keep our little corner of the internet active and engaged?
Like everyone else expecting a refund of some amount, I did my taxes early. I always do -- I really hate the rush of people getting their taxes in at the last possible moment, making the post office (and any place that delivers mail, really) a nightmare on Earth. Maybe it’s a holdover from my Adobe days, where I had to send so many certified letters with return receipt it literally depressed me for a week afterwards.
My heart goes out to all of those who’ve had to brave the crowds this week, no matter what side of the counter you’re on. :)
There’s been a lot going on recently, but when is that ever untrue? I thought I’d give capsule updates on different aspects and kind of deep-dive into the rest later. If at all.
+ Reading
We’ve finally unpacked most of our books from the move, so I’m getting into it again. I found my Kindle (it was in my backpack the entire time!) and bought a couple things for it that I’m working my way through now. One is an ‘amateur’ novella called 2084. It’s one of those ‘alternate futures told from the perspective of interviews and journalist essays’ books, in the vein of World War Z or War Day. Instead of a zombie outbreak or limited nuclear exchange, the great catastrophe that befalls civilization is global warming. The idea is intriguing and in the right hands it could have been astonishingly prophetic -- I believe we aren’t doing enough to combat climate change, and in a couple of decades we’re going to start to see those worst-case scenarios come to pass.
Unfortunately, these aren’t the right hands. The writing comes across fairly unconvincingly, and it’s clear that this guy has a political axe to grind. It’s nowhere near as effective as it could be, and this is coming from the choir. I can’t imagine someone else on the other side ever taking it seriously. It’s too bad, because it’s an opportunity wasted.
I’m also reading Storm Front by Jim Butcher, the first book in the Harry Dresden series. A friend of mine is running a Dresden Universe game set in Buffalo, and I’d like to get a handle on the feel of the setting before I dive into the role-play. I’m only a couple of chapters in, but those chapters have just breezed by; it’s a quick read, and Butcher opens the novel pretty well. I hear there’s a tonal shift in the writing half-way through that makes it less fun to read, and I’m glad I’ve been tipped off to it. If it’s not as bad as I’m expecting, I’ll be pleasantly surprised. If it is, well, I know it’s coming.
I’m also reading (at last!) “Contraindications,” the dragon’s fun set of short stories that he might be finishing up soon. Once I’ve cleared a little more space on my reading plate, I’ll dive back into the massive backlog of comics that’s been steadily growing since the beginning of the year and then get started on Daniel Fahl’s Save the Day. For some reason, furry superheroes are a little difficult to pull off.
+ Writing
The writing hasn’t gone as well as I’d hoped, to be honest. Right now I’m working through a poem a day in honor of National Poetry Month. I’ve been managing to average a poem a day, though I’ve fallen behind every so often and have needed to catch up. My writing for blogs and short stories have suffered a bit as a result...not that I ever did that very much anyway.
In addition to the poetry I’m trying to write short essays (around 500 - 1000 words) in an attempt to have a more polished personal writing style. I’ve come to really enjoy the flavor of a lot of writing/personal blogs out there, and there’s no more sincere way to show that than trying to emulate it. Of course, that’s stalled a bit because...who wants to read about someone failing to live the life of a writer? It’s better to get some experience under your belt before you open up that can of worms, am I right?
Long story short, I’m working on a bunch of things right now, and I’m progressing on all of them slowly. I keep hoping for the day when I’m actually able to show this stuff instead of talking about it, and that magical time is inching closer on the horizon.
+ Diet
This is another thing that’s coming along slowly but surely. I’m sure I’ve talked about my stress eating before, and it continues to be my biggest enemy. I get stressed about work or writing or exercise, and that’s then the cravings start to rear their heads. And those cravings are a lot more difficult to deal with than they used to be since I’ve given up candy for the year. On the bright side, it’s forcing me to be more mindful of them and to make conscious decisions about them. It’s a lot more difficult to mindlessly eat a cookie if you know it will cost as much as dinner, calorically. Candy is a lot easier to write off, and depriving myself of that out means there are no easy decisions.
I still slip up quite a bit, but I’ve gotten a lot more anal about counting calories and holding myself accountable. I was doing pretty well there for a while, nearing 182 pounds, which would have been the lowest weight in years. Something happened, though, and I’ve retreated from that. Now I’m waffling between 183 and 185. Now that I’m getting pretty aggressive about eating in more often, hopefully the weight will come down.
+ Exercise
I’ve also gotten serious about training for the Bay to Breakers, which means running three times a week is going to happen, no matter what. If we stick to the dragon’s weightlifting schedule, that means exercise six times a week at least. I’m actually comfortable with that, even if I might complain a bit during some of the harder workouts. Back nights are never fun, and the long runs have gotten progressively more punishing. We just finished a six-mile run yesterday that just about killed me. Thankfully, there’s just a set of three mile runs for next week, giving us a bit of a break before we head into the home stretch. The next two Saturdays after our break week? A seven and eight mile run, leading right into Bay to Breakers weekend. I think I’ll take a full week off after the race before aiming for four mile runs three times a week.
+ Work
I don’t talk much about work, mostly because there’s a dangerous blend between my professional and personal selves happening there, and I don’t want to encourage anything that would blur the lines any further. Still, I think this is the most fulfilled I’ve been at any job ever. I’m learning a lot about how to get along with people, business processes, my own personal project management style, and how to push myself to do better. It’s really great to see myself growing into my role and having that growth be recognized by other people. I feel needed, which is immensely gratifying. That newfound sense of ability carries over to other parts of my life, so overall work is just making me a better, more focused person. I really dig that. :)
So that’s what’s going on with me in a nutshell. One of the things I think people don’t talk about enough here is how these journals really are meant to foster a sense of community and interaction. I think we’ve taken that for granted a bit, and now we’re sorely missing it now that the LJ community is starting to break apart.
That being said...what would you guys like to see in this personal journal? What sorts of topics do you find yourself thinking about most? What do you think would foster discussion and input? What do you find interesting? What can I do, if anything, to keep our little corner of the internet active and engaged?
