Now: November 2024

Nov 13

Happenings

It had been warmer than usual so far this fall which was a bit disappointing, but the cooler weather is finally here to stay, I think. I've been opening the doors and windows every day to fill my home with crisp air as I work and it has been wonderful. It is raining as I type this. Hearing the raindrops and smelling petrichor are top tier hygge awesomeness for me, so I might be a bit floaty with joy. I think I feel floaty in general. As I wrote in my post this week, I feel like a heavy something in me broke in a way and I feel a touch lighter as whole. Bad things are still happening in my life and out in society. This election sucked so freaking hard that I cannot even articulate my sadness, helplessness, anger, and disappointment. There is a sickness in the family. I have urgent projects and zero clue on how to design them (yet) and my anxiety is still a more reliable companion than any human can even aspire to be. My daughter has been getting behavioral reports in school and I'm hoping to get her IEP ammended. I'm still procrastinating about things but overall... I think it's a good thing to view reality under this lens. A pinkie-swear with the universe to not wait until life is quieter outside of myself before giving myself permission to feel contentment sometimes.

I've been playing stitch. on the Switch a lot lately. Puzzles are my zen place for some reason and this one has been awesome for me, between the DYI theme, the soft music and all the pretty colors.

From my Shelves

After all the spooky reading, I did a 180º turn and binge read some translated Japanese slice-of-life novels which, omg I'm VERY addicted to still. I cried so much in every vingette. I'm too sensitive and will tear up when the story conveys hope as much as when sad things happen. I think there is so little hope in us sometimes that to see it and read about it gives me an overwhelming wave of emotion. Like my silly body can't contain the joy I feel when someone finds their way. Because in the end, many of us are living our lives and searching for that sign that can make us find clarity. I digress, I know 😅 Here are the books I read lately

I also finished Dracula Daily 🥳 It was a fun thing to do this year and I'm glad I stuck to it! I'm now going back and forth between Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum and Super-Cannes by J.G. Ballard. The latter book would be better described as I am plodding through it haha but I am halfway through it and it seems like a repetitive story. The author writes well at least but the story needed some editing imo. Also, I swear there is an obssessive need for the author to specify at every turn that the protagonist drives a Jaguar. Paul NEVER walks to or drives his car. No, no, no. Never forget his car is the Jaguar. I daresay that the real main character of this book IS the car. I mean, Jaguar.

On Repeat

I've been listening to this Light Academia list a lot lately! I feel it's nice and gentle and goes well with all those Japanese books I've been reading ^_^

On My Needles

I'm making my mother-in-law her Christmas socks now!I'm making a simple pattern called Hermione's Everyday Socks. Can you believe over 40k knitters have knitted these on Ravelry? I bet it's more too, since not everyone logs their projects on there (I limit my tracking and logging of anything nowadays so I know I've made at least 4 pairs to add to that 40k haha). I'm trying a new to me yarn from Knit Picks called Muse for this project, but it's not my fave, sadly. The colors are BEAUTIFUL. But it's oddly scratchy for merino and I had to triple-check the ball band to make sure I didn't space out and started knitting a sock with Hawthorne instead of Muse 😅

Books are not to remain in your mind, but in your heart. Maybe they exist in your mind too, but as something more than memories. At a crossroads in life, a forgotten sentence or a story from years ago can come back to offer an invisible hand and guide you to a decision. Personally, I feel like the books I've read led me to make the choices I've made in life. While I may not remember all the details, the stories continue to exert a quiet influence on me.
– Hwang Bo-reum (Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop)

Nov 22

Happenings

It's been a busy few weeks lately. I had to go to the neurologist in ze capital for my daughter's follow-up. No seizures since May 2023, which is amazing! I'm also in the thick of Thanksgiving planning. For family reasons we're actually having the big event on Sunday but I'm a weirdo that adores starting everything weeks before so I feel I'm in a good place! My Notion page for the holiday is a thing of beauty (for me at least haha). And I made pie dough for these adorable apple hand pies and when I tested one (of course I tested one in the name of science) it was flaky! Pie dough has always been my enemy because I have warm hands and I always lived in sub tropical regions but I was really happy to have learned to make it. Here's a link to it though it's a boring page with to-dos ^_^ I like this DB because I was able to call things from other DBs, like my shopping list one and the recipes one.

Current Fever

I figured to add a new section for fevers (hyperfixations) because I am always up to some hobby or other I'm into. Lately it's been pens! I got a Lamy Safari a few years ago and horribly neglected it, but last week I went ahead and took it apart for a good cleaning and it's now writing like a dream again. I also got a Sailor Hocoro dip pen and I adore it with all my dorky heart. It writes so beautifully and is much less intimidating to use than I feared it would be. I'm in love with all the pretty ink colors too! I really want to do some solo RPG playing in 2025 and I felt that using a dip pen would make the experience even nicer. I even added a feed thingie to my hocoro fine nib so I can write a lot with each dip. or I can use the fude nib which I tested the other day and enjoyed.

From my Shelves

I've slowed down on my reading but I did read a wonderful manga last weekend called The Cats of the Louvre by Taiyō Matsumoto. It was a surreal gem of a story and the way the artist added the pieces from the museum took my breath away. I'm now reading Goodnight, Tokyo by Atsuhiro Yoshida which is good but nothing crazy. I am still plodding through Super Cannes. I don't have much left on it but it's a drag of a story which is a darn shame because the premise is so good. Oh! I read a cute short story I got free from Kindle called The Answer is No by Frederik Backman. I laughed so much with that one!!! I relate to Lucas on a fundamental level haha.

On Repeat

Ateez dropped Golden Hour Part 2 a week ago! I always enjoyed Ateez and feel their songs are fun and great to get energized. I wasn't really crazy about Ice on My Teeth, ngl but I don't hate it either. I do LOVE some of the b-sides though! Man on Fire and Selfish Waltz are both so so fun and make one want to dance. I also like the contrast between the overall theme of this arc for them. I remember the intro going into how it's important to appreciate life's small moments but the visuals are opulent and loud and over the top and it just gives me a sense of something being built up that will be knocked down. The new MV kinda got into that vibe and I loved that contrast.

On My Needles

I finished the Hermione's Everyday Socks! Muse grew on me though I enjoy the fluffiness of stroll at 8 stitches per inch more. I'm making a pair of Gingerbread Latte socks now for my daughter's teacher in the same pretty cream I used for the pair I made for her class inclusion advocate/para. It's a new color from Knit Picks called Horchata which is so so pretty. I used lavender for the contrast color on the heels and toes of the first pair but for this one I want to use a pale coral pink yarn because her teacher's fave color is pink ^_^

More than anything people are supposed to pretend to be happy on the internet so that other people are reminded of how unhappy they themselves are by comparison. Humanity has a system. But Lucas? He’s just happy. It wasn’t even particularly difficult. All he did was to remove the one thing that makes almost all people unhappy: other people. Whatever they want, the answer is no.
– Frederik Backman (The Answer is No)