First Published: 2022 November 1
Another month, another monthly reflection.
My goals were:1
Blog daily. Eventually this goal will happen.
Stretch daily. I’m going to stretch right after this, just so I make sure to do it.
Figure out how to repair/improve my accordion case. I made some notes today, and I think I should be able to get some of it done by the end of the month.
Write a poem every day. I did feel like the poems I wrote helped me ease into sleep, and they certainly help me write songs better.
Finish the newest song I’m working on.
Make progress on catching up for BiaY.
Fill in at least 3 more items on my 24 for 24.
How’d we do?
17/31 blogs. That’s more than half, so improvement.
I had about a week where I stretched, so that didn’t go horribly.
Turns out repair was as simple as taping it back together, so I gave up on that project.
I wrote a couple of poems, rough estimate of 12, so could do better.
I not only finished it, I’ve performed it!
Lots of progress, I’m now at day 232.
I added two new points, so I’m on schedule if not my goal
In the next month I’m going to try:
Blog every day. I believe in this month.
Stretch every day.
Write a poem every day. I’m doing a poem a day with some friends, so I’m accountable there.
Finish NaNoWriMo successfully
Make progress towards catching up on BiaY
At least two entries in 242.
Let’s see how we do!
Outside of my goals, I had a pretty good month. I’m making new friends and deepening existing relationships, which is always nice.
with commentary this time because I’m too lazy to fix it.↩︎
First Published: 2022 October 31
Last night went well! I ended up doing my two original songs and Stan Roger’s “Maid on the Shore,” because it’s a little bit spooky, which is good Halloween vibes. I had another person comment that the song seemed incredibly sad, and that I seemed sad while performing it, which is fun. It’s especially fun because they then commented on how not sad I seem otherwise.
I ended up staying later than normal, and played another set. That one was significantly less prepared, so I did two more Stan Rogers songs that I kind of know. It could have gone better but, that’s the way the cookie crumbles. I realize I never actually figured out how to end them in playing, so it was awkward.
Tonight I’m playing at the open mic alone for the first time.1 I’m a little nervous, especially since I’m only like 60% sure what I want to play. But, hopefully I get home early enough tonight to relay my time.
I technically did it once or twice in undergrad, but I don’t really know if that counts.↩︎
First Published: 2022 October 31
Luke 19:6 “And he came down quickly and received him with joy.”
I appreciate how last week we heard about the tax collector who knew he was a sinful man, and this week we hear about Zacchaeus, a tax collector, who is called to the faith. Something that stuck out to me in particular is his line “if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” In the homily I listened to, the priest mentioned that he absolutely extorted, which is likely where the other half of his wealth would go.
I, on the other hand, took Zacchaeus at his word. One recurring message these past weeks is the contrast between perceived holiness and actual holiness. “Of course Zacchaeus extorted”, we and the people at the time would say. And yet, what if he didn’t?
Too often I find myself judging, making wild extrapolations from minimal data. To me, at least, yesterday’s Gospel called us to reflect on why we assume the worst from those who we barely know.
First Published: 2022 October 28
Way back in the initial iteration of this blog, I attempted the National Novel Writer’s Month (NaNoWriMo). I think1 that I mostly just tried to hit the wordcount2 in these blog posts. My logic then was that I had far more free time, as I was lacking the obligations of “sport, ensembles, (most of) my instruments, much of the studying, a job, etc”, and so should be able to do it. Today much of that is true as well, and I would really like to see if I can write a novel in a month.
Of course, it’s not going to be good, but I’ve started actively scheduling time in my day to write3, and it’s worked well for creating ideas. I also really have a lot of ideas I want to read, and the only realistic way that will happen is if I become the writer for them. Back then I was apparently writing around 750 words a day, which is far more than my posts lately4. But, having now written a book5, I feel more able to write a long6-form piece of creative prose.
because the past is a mystery shrouded in darkness and memory↩︎
50000 words↩︎
hence more of these posts lately↩︎
which makes sense, since back then I was writing it with the express purpose of chronicling my time in a far-off land↩︎
which I just now realize I don’t know if I ever posted about? Ah I did↩︎
ish↩︎
First Published: 2022 October 27
I find that my life runs better when it’s more heavily scheduled. Often, this means that I have activities planned for particular times, but it’s more than that. Lately I’ve been running into a fair number of friends who I realize I’ve lost contact with in the past few months, not through any malice on either of our ends, but simply because it’s easy to forget people in graduate school.
I don’t want to forget the people who mean a lot to me, so I need to figure out a way to get into the habit of messaging people I care about. I was recently having a conversation with someone where I mentioned that I’ve been called really considerate before because I had written down a reminder, and then remembered the event from it. I don’t think of that as particularly speaking to my care/memory, because it was just me sending a note into the aether, where it eventually came back to me. The person I was talking to is in the camp of extended memory as memory1, and so assured me that not having the memory to remember important things wasn’t important, especially since I had a system to figure it out.
Still, though, I know that I have systems which work. I really just need to use them. Maybe I should just set a reminder to text people every few weeks.
if you don’t know what this means, the tl;dr is basically research shows that when we read something we often remember where we read it, rather than what we read, because that’s more efficient. Some consider the writing to count as memory↩︎
First Published: 2022 October 26
As I’ve mentioned before, I like crocheting Celtic knots. I also like drawing them. One issue I often have with them, though, is that extant knotwork often has motifs other than just an interwoven strand.
A very common motif is some sort of animal shape, which I’ve always struggled to draw. So, recently I decided it would be fun to learn how to draw a dragon,1 so that I could make better2 knotwork.
It went really slowly at first. Every dragon I drew looked somewhat goofy, which I only realized later was because of a lack of details.3 Eventually I figured out how to draw nice4 dragon heads, and even made a convincing knot or two with them. Then I decided to learn to draw wings, for some reason.
I’ve always struggled with wings, probably because of the inherent need for a 3D perspective. For whatever reason, though, this time I drew good enough wings within like 15 minutes of trying, which is fun. Anyways, I’m enjoying the Celtic knot resurgence in my life.
First Published: 2022 October 24
Yesterday I got to play bagpipes at a friend’s wedding. It was a lovely service, and I’m grateful that I got to take part in it.
While I was setting up, I remembered the last service I saw bagpipes at. I was at a funeral for a friend’s family member. It was there that I thought about how fitting bagpipes are for emotional performances.
Unlike most any other instrument, which requires consistent and continuous breath support, in the bagpipes you blow just the top of your breath each time. When your breathing turns to gasps, you can1 still play pipes.
Anyways, yesterday’s occasion was really happy and joyful. It’s always shocking to me how much people really appreciate hearing music, especially from instruments that they don’t hear often. Most of the parents and assorted older members of the wedding came up to express their gratitude for my playing, and the bride and groom both were happy for ti. It’s nice when my hobbies actually get to be helpful.
in theory I assume↩︎
First Published: 2022 October 24
Luke 18:13 “But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’”
I really love today’s Gospel, because it gets directly to the heart of the Christian call to holiness. We are not saved through our own actions. We are not holy through our own merits. Rather, we are called to remember that we are sinners, and the good in our life comes from He who is Good.
St. Paul reminds us that we are strong enough to do what He calls us to do, because we are given the strength we need. The First Reading reminds us that there is no one the Lord does not hear.
First Published: 2022 October 21
I’m still figuring out how to do these book reviews. I think maybe a good, bad, other style could be good? I haven’t done that here, but there’s always next time.
In addition to reading Atomic Habits yesterday, I also finished a book that I was reading with a friend.1 That book was Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth.
I’d heard a lot of praise for the book from different people unprompted, so I was curious how reading it would go. Overall, I enjoyed the book a lot, for all that I still have no idea what happened. The book begins, not so much in media res as in medium mundum. Our main character is trying to escape captivity. She has dreams of joining the military, if only to get off of the planet she’s on.
Very quickly, we learn that this universe is one of necromancy and inter-planetary travel. Gideon (our intrepid hero) is not a necromancer. The only other girl on the planet2, is, however. The two fight about whether or not Gideon should be allowed to leave the planet, and it ends up in a duel.
Shockingly, the girl with a sword cannot beat the girl with a seemingly infinite number of skeletons in combat. For losing, Gideon is forced to attend a meeting, where they learn that their God Emperor wants new immortal killing machines. Both think this sounds like a great idea,3, and they fly off to a planet to meet the other houses.
From there, there’s intrigue, romance, and violence. Becoming an immortal necromancer stops seeming quite as wholly good and starts to seem more morally grey as the book continues.4 All in all, it’s an enjoyable read, with a couple of caveats.
There’s a trend I’ve noticed as I’ve started reading more and more self-published/first works.5 Either the text contains literal paragraphs of explanatory text a la “A gronkle is the currency in the realm. It is worth twenty two shenks, which are approximately one inch in diameter. One shenk is worth about as much as a single mana crystal, which is powerful enough to cast one fireball from. Unlike the gronkle-shenk relationship, which is enforced by the King (btw we’re in a total monarchy)...”, or there’s a glossary/index that we’re supposed to refer to while reading. Gideon is the latter half, at least for me.
I’ll take some responsibility in this. I often struggle to keep characters apart in books, but the author does just go “here’s sixteen new characters. Anyways, from now on I’ll be referring to them by name and where they come from interchangeably.” However, the experience was still really enjoyable. I’m excited to start the next book in the series.
First Published: 2022 October 20
By recommendation,1 I listened to James Clear’s Atomic Habits today on a long drive.2 It’s a book which uses anecdote and scientific evidence to help build the habits we want in our life. Like every other self-help book I read by pseudo-scientific men who started out blogging,3 it uses the example of compounding interest, and how small percent differences become massive over time. Unlike others, he really emphasizes how you’re completely unlikely to see any of the gains until after you’ve fully established a habit, which is nice.
Another good part of the book is that he makes a point of the fact that habits don’t form out of nowhere. Whether it’s a net good for our overall life or not, any habit we start is started, on some level, at least, because it’s improving our immediate environment.
The advice seems good and practical, which is somewhat uncommon in these sorts of books. There’s also good mention of survivorship bias, which is often lacking in the genre. Overall, it’s a really enjoyable read, and doesn’t suffer from the same page-length padding common to the genre. It’s a quick read that I’d recommend!