monthly summaries

Apart from the weight gain, assorted technology failures, the U.S. election, strata-related nonsense and various existential threats, I guess it was nice that what little hair I have left on my head didn’t spontaneously burst into flames or something.

And the bacon was good.

I hope December will be better. I am making plans for it. Ho ho ho.

Enjoy this holiday cat:

September was not a great month.

It started with something like three new temperature records being set as we got multiple days of 30C+ weather, but not long after that the reverse happened, with periods of rain and cooler-than-average weather. That trend has continued right to the end of the month, where today the high is supposed to be 16C, two degrees below the usual 18C. And yes, I can feel the difference!

My birthday was a bit of a dud, but it got better a few days later, weirdly.

Strata stuff is basically all bad and weighs me down. I wish people could just be better, but that world is clearly a fantasy. Maybe we’ll evolve to be more enlightened in a few million years. Haha, sure.

On more positive notes, I am doing more stuff and being more productive, both creatively and otherwise. I have resumed regular runs and my legs have not betrayed me–yet!

Also, as per the previous blog entry, I am down very slightly in weight, which is better than being up.

In all, a hearty meh, with a side of “could be worse!”

September good:

• Weather is still generally summer-like (today’s forecast high is 29C, which is a whopping 7 degrees higher than the average), but more comfy (except for today).
• That more comfy weather is ideal for running.
• My birthday, yay! I have always maintained that having a birthday is better than the alternative.
• I don’t have to return to school.
• Two stat holidays if you work for someone else.
• Some of the leaves start to turn and look all pretty up in the hizzy.
• School supplies are on sale. I don’t need them but whenever I see big displays of pens, paper, binders and notepads, I always want to buy one of everything.

September bad:

• Days get noticeably shorter. The sun is already setting before 8 p.m.
• In a weird way, I kind of miss the start of school. But I’m referencing when you’re still a little kid, and starting a new school year is an adventure, and a year feels like it stretches out forever.
• We officially move from summer (my favourite season, I don’t care what the haters say!) to fall, which starts out fine and ends with skeletal trees, a few hours of daylight, and everything gray and soaked with rain.
• Pumpkin spice becomes inescapable.
• Christmas stuff starts to appear.

I did not care much for April. Among the lowlights:

• I gained weight (though not much)
• I hurt my right knee again (though not as badly as last year)
• A valve in our dishwasher broke, meaning I had to wash dishes by hand for weeks like a barbarian¹Admittedly, I came to enjoy this in a Zen kind of way
• The replacement valve from Amazon was delivered to a full locker six times before Amazon (without emailing me) just gave up on the delivery, forcing me to “contact Amazon”, which meant cancelling the order, waiting for the refund, then getting the part locally for a few dollars more. But actually getting the part! Amazon is now an official last resort for me.
• General strata nonsense. Just mentally tiring.
• The weather was a real mixed bag, which is still better than a month of solid rain. I feel like March was probably better, which is weird.

On the plus side:

• The climate still hasn’t collapsed
• No nuclear wars that I know of
• No new pandemics (yet)
• I did some drawing!
• I noodled very slightly on my game

On to May. It better be better, or there will be serious grumbling ahead.

April 2023 in list form:

• It rained most of the month
• We got teased with summer-like weather for two whole days (which was admittedly nice)
• I think I overdid a couple of runs and my knees got stiff, making me pull back on my running to let them recover, which made me sad
• Too much snacking, too much weight gain
• My Garmin Forerunner sent me a notification telling me my heart rate was too high because I was apparently very quietly freaking out at my computer desk (it hasn’t happened since)
• I’ve been hit by either the worst spring allergies EVER or have a head cold to end the month
• No chocolate bunnies at Easter

But it wasn’t all bad:

• I got some nice bird shots
• I did a few desperate last-minute daily photo shots that turned out funkier than expected
• I re-read some of my old fiction and liked it!
• I started reading books in bed again, which had two effects: I’m reading books again, and no blue light (iPad) before bed has resulted in better sleep
• I’ve made some nice bird art
• Noise issues have become tolerable
• I have learned to accept some things that can’t be changed
• We are this much closer to summer and I already have sunblock!

I am ready for May.