Week #3: 2023.01

2023-01-08

My New Year’s Resolutions

Happy New Year! I am starting the New Year a little less prepared than I usually am. I don’t have a clear vision of my goals, other than:

  • Prepare for my English Major by reading some preliminary works
  • Go back to the gym
  • Finish my first semester of my English Major without a hitch

It seems like I already know my goals, but I haven’t put sufficient thought into how I want to achieve them. There are probably half a dozen things I wanted to do before getting to that stage, but maybe I should look into it now.

Update on 110 Reading Challenge

I am partaking in a reading challenge that my local library is doing. So far I have read 31 hours. There are about 51 days left until the end of the challenge. Which means I would need to read about a little less than two hours per day if I want to reach 110 hours at the end… Sounds like a lot! I’m counting on reading some days more than others!

Books I’ve Read

  • Men to Avoid in Art and Life by Nicole Tersigni: A rather short and cheeky book, poking fun at different types of men to avoid. The author transposed text over famous works of art. It was an enjoyable and short read!
  • Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist’s Journey (Volume 2) by Akiko Higashimura: I started reading this series last year, but never continued it until now. Sometimes I wonder if the reason I didn’t pursue art more thoroughly in my free time is because I didn’t have a mentor like the mangaka did in this series. Still, the mangaka struggled quite a lot in her artist’s formative years, so it’s still not all smooth sailing, even with a mentor.

Books I’m Currently Reading

The books I’m reading right now are… a lot. I’ll just note the books that I’m reading actively right now.

  • The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz: I picked this up at the library on the whim. It’s a rather cute story about a robot who works at a tea shop and a repair technician meeting. Sci-fi but more slice of life!
  • The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin: This is a very different kind of sci-fi… This novel is really something on another level. I am always amazed at Le Guin’s writing. The Dispossessed is quite politically charged and keeps me on my toes quite while reading it. I could only wish I had her mind.
  • Norton Anthology of American Literature (Shorter Version) 6th. Edition by Nina Baym I’m currently in a reading group for this Anthology. So far we’ve only read the preface, but our next meeting is this Tuesday. The one thing I can say thus far is that I am quite ignorant when it comes to American history, and this is a nice primer to American history!
  • Healing Rites by Mattea: Found this book on the Fediverse and decided to give it a shot! It’s a little collection of short stories about a disabled mage. I am a little on the fence about it. It drags a bit, but I love how diverse the characters are.

Nighttime Routine

I am struggling with my nighttime routine. I can’t seem to go to bed at a good time. With my schedule, I would need to be going to bed at 9pm, but it is way too early for me. I like getting up early and doing things before the rest of the world wakes up. My motivation to do hard tasks is at its peak in the morning. I only stay up late to do lazy stuff. Which makes me feel like I really do need to get my nighttime routine under control!