monthly summaries

It’s May! An April 2024 summary

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.

October was a little weird, as always

I always find the transition from summer to fall mildly traumatic and this October it was very much that, because in what felt like the space of a week I went from wearing shorts and t-shirts to wearing hoodies and long pants. Long pants!

I’ve already been running in single-digit weather.

And in four days we switch back to stupid time, which is to say: Pacific Standard Time. So it will be dark for like 20 hours every day.

On the plus side, it’s only 232 days until summer!

September 2023 was a month

I’m not sure how I’d summarize this September. Unlike last September, which was a long continuation of very hot and humid weather, this September saw enough precipitation that by the end of the month the fire danger rating dropped back to low. Fall arrived with Very Fall weather and two day into the new season, we had our first official fall storm, with weather advisories and everything.

September was never especially hot, though we had nice days. I gained half a pound, but at least 300 grams was sexy leg muscle, I’m pretty sure.

So, a mixed bag.

I’m expecting snow by Halloween.

July 2023 Good, Bad and Ugly: The List

It’s the end of the month, time for a list!

The Good:

  • Weather was mostly nice, except for all the forest fires everywhere. Locally it was sunny, but not usually too hot and humidity is lower compared to last summer.
  • I resumed running at a more regular pace and my right knee is improving.
  • Sexy legs, now nicely tanned.
  • Progress continues on my epic game.
  • I have kept up writing on this blog.
  • I’m still not working in tech support.
  • My social media intake has gone down. This has made me very slightly happier.
  • We’ve decided to get rid of our cable TV package. This will make me slightly happier, too. And save us a heap of money over the year as a bonus.

The Bad:

  • My weight went up 2.5 pounds
  • I got hit with what was probably some flu bug, and while it didn’t hit hard, save for a day or so, it lingered on for weeks before finally going away. Long enough that I appreciated feeling healthy again afterward.
  • We have a mouse. It is not a pet.
  • My left running shoe has a hole that is opening up like the San Andreas Fault during The Big One.

The Ugly:

  • Probably all those forest fires.

April 2023 summary: Phhhbtt!

Free grumpy cat image

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.

November 2019: Bah

I’m not sure why, but November was kind of an off month, despite some positive developments.

On the plus side:

  • Improvements in workflow at work
  • Ran a 10K
  • New headphones provide relatively silent sanctuary on public transit
  • It didn’t really rain that much and up until the last few days, it hasn’t been that cold, either

On the negative side:

  • Return to Pacific Standard Time has probably led to some kind of SAD. Getting out from work and seeing that it’s already getting dark is never not depressing.
  • Still not reading as much
  • Writing has gone from minimal to micromal. Yes, I just made up that word.
  • Even blog writing has tapered off. This will be post #21 when I’d normally be on post #30.
  • After a month of Inktober and getting into sketching again, I only did one sketch in November
  • Fat. Up 2 more pounds.
  • Pulled two muscles
  • Not running as much (see bullet point directly above)
  • General feeling of malaise with working in technology. I’m tired of fixing things. I want to make things.
  • Have not started stretching
  • Have not started meditation

I don’t have a witty summary to sum up the two lists. I also have no expectations for December. I hope it doesn’t snow. That is all.