January Report

Is this a review / progress update of my month versus my plans? I guess, let’s get to it.

Before this year started, and after the disaster of last year’s rather absurd reading challenge, I decided to be more modest this time around. So, 72 books instead of 600. And I have managed two. The Poppy War by Rebecca F Kuang and Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke. Absolutely loved and was devastated by The Poppy War. Fully recommend, with a warning for crimes against humanity, violence, rape, horrors of war stuff. Rendezvous with Rama…less so. It is a classic work of science fiction and fantasy so read if one wants, but warning for sexism. By reading just two books this month though, I am behind schedule.

(Related, I have added Ellery Queen Magazine’s podcast to my listening and I already love the works I’ve heard.)

My workout schedule is rather fluid because I’m lazy. But I did manage to exercise for most of this month. Being able to keep up with Chloe Ting now, mostly anyway, is great but my noisy knee sucks. And its hilarious that the “treatment” I’ve read up for that noisy knee, involves doing more of the squats and lunges that exacerbated the issue. Maybe I should do more yoga.

I included TV in my plans because with the pandemic going on, I am not going out if I don’t have to. Sweet Home horrified but kept me interested to the end. Lupin was a delight and I can’t wait for part 2. The Alienist season 2 is just as fascinating as season 1. I’ve started so many more shows and not finished them because of time or it got to a plot point I found difficult to get past for a while. My hangups are hilarious and weird. Thankfully my “to watch” list is waaaaay shorted than my “to read”.

Language practice has gone almost nowhere. One chapter the entire month. Absolutely ridiculous. Writing has been worse. Not a word. I feel like there is a block somewhere, related to terror of not being to write something worth reading and I just need to get over myself and go for it. Maybe pretending I’m doing NaNoWriMo every day might help…or that I’m writing fanfiction. I’m putting too much pressure on myself. I don’t know how to fix this. Can’t edit what you don’t have. Can’t submit what you don’t have. No one can read what’s stuck in my head.

And this has been my January. I hope next month will be better.