2023

[momijizukamori]

(I am ditching my year-range format for the date because I just end up confusing myself when I look back at past ones)

- learned how to lay brick (and decided, as soon as I'd finished the little 3.5' x 6' landing, I am never doing it again)
- first visit to the vet ER which worked out fine in the end but was very stressful for all involved
- learned how to do metalwork for jewelry!
- actually had a resist-dyed silk project work out properly
- finally built the media PC I've been wanting to build for YEARS.
- passed the rough-in electrical inspection for my basement reno!!!
- kept my Duolingo streak
- learned how much throwing your back out sucks (answer: a lot)
- was part of the dev team for a new product launch at work
- Fiona has occasionally let me touch her without bribery! After a couple of pets she tends to be like 'no I don't like this actually' and gets up, but - progress!
- finally filled up the notebook I started at the beginning of 2021 as one-spot note storage.

Goals for the next year:
- get insulation and drywall done on the basement reno
- read something in Japanese at least once a month - I'm hitting the point where I know I need to be reading more to cement stuff, but it's always kind of a slog.
- practice something creative at least once a week. There's a bunch of stuff I'd like to learn or get better at, but I am Too Aware of how trash I am at them, which makes me not want to do them, even though I will only get better by doing the thing. I am going to try to brute-force bootstrap this until I can get a habit going like I did with Duolingo and kanji practice. We'll see how it goes, I guess?

Comments

[karanguni]

LET'S READ SOME JAPANESE TOGETHERRRR

[momijizukamori]

HELL YEAH

though honestly I probably need to start with like. Children's picture books or something. Easy yonkoma maybe orz

[karanguni]

The gaps in my Japanese are such that I can read Heike but not yonkoma so this works in our favour

[momijizukamori]

Meanwhile 350+ episodes of Gintama gave me a crash course in Japanese humor and puns XD Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun was a 4koma originally, and I enjoyed the hell out of the anime.... time to figure out how to get digital comics in JP, maybe.

[karanguni]

Mayonnaise fixes everything

[momijizukamori]

If you're Hijikata Toshirou, yes XD

[kaberett]

I resent how much I know "more reading in language" is a thing that will help me too...

[momijizukamori]

It's especially frustrating because I am generally a very fast, effortless reader in English, but in Japanese? It's sooooo much work and it's so sloowwwwwww

[kaberett]

YUP. PRECISELY.

[momijizukamori]

and much like creative practice, I know I will get better as I actually do it, but ADHD brain is too used to either 1) being instantly decent at things or 2) being so hyperfocused that I power through being bad at them, which means I do not know how to deal with stuff that doesn't fit that paradigm.

[kaberett]

what is this WORK and INCREMENTAL IMPROVEMENT bullshit, sounds FAKE

[rekishi]

I hear you on the creativity end of this. After I fell off that wagon last year and things so spectacularly went wrong, I completely lost the drive. I know that it's good for me, but I completely don't care anymore and also, it so much easier to just...not? But I know that'd the devil talking and my brain (and my mental health) need a spot of creativity, so I'll also need to force myself into doing it going forward.

good luck!

[momijizukamori]

Good luck to you, too! Sometimes its worth it to push through the 'don't wanna....' to do things (like actually leaving my house to see people).

[rekishi]

Yikes, leaving the house!

But yeah, I also should do that more. *sigh* Maybe I should check out those knitting afternoons after all.

[tinny]

oh noes, going to the vet ER sucks. *HUGS*

- learned how much throwing your back out sucks (answer: a lot)

I wish I didn't know. /o\

I am going to try to brute-force bootstrap this until I can get a habit going like I did with Duolingo and kanji practice. We'll see how it goes, I guess?

Good luck! <3

[momijizukamori]

Yeah it turns out we call core muscles 'core' for a reason. Thankfully it was just muscular issues, and not anything more serious, but it was pretty miserable for a few weeks.