OH HO HO HO, DID SOMEONE SAY “BONUS RESOLUTIONS”?????
No?
Well, let’s pretend they did.
Back in February, I listed a few “get shit done” items in addition to my regular New Year’s resolutions that I wanted to accomplish this year. So let’s see how they went.
THING #1: Apply for tenure
Done! This was a lot of work and a lot of stress, but the application is in and it is now out of my hands.
THING #2: Take at least two French classes through the Continuing Education program
Didn’t get this one, unfortunately. I took one class in the Winter semester, but I had to cancel my enrollment in the second class in the Fall due to how ridiculously busy I was. I’m signed up for that class in the Winter, though.
THING #3: Run a marathon
DONE! I didn’t do it in person, but I did it. I did it 15 times this year, actually. As well as an ultra marathon.
THING #4: Beat last year’s walking/running distance
Yup! A blog on this is coming soon.
THING #5: Go to a Coldplay concert
UGH, stupid freaking Covid. I was just too nervous about it (on the plane and at the concert itself) to take the risk. I couldn’t justify it, which blows heavy metal chunks, but it is what it is.
THING #6: Do at least one full story revision
Dudes, I’m ALMOST THERE. I’ve got two more chapters to go.
THING #7: Apply for Canadian citizenship
Not only did I apply, but I GOT citizenship!
So it’s not a 100% success rate, but I’d say it’s pretty good.
Are we at the end? ARE WE AT THE END????
Yes, we are. So it’s time for some res-res-resolutions!!!!
(I had sugar before this, so beware)
Let’s review the 2023 resolutions and see what a disaster life has been this year, shall we?
- ACCOMPLISHED: Blog daily. As always. Done. As always.
- FAILED: Post all backlogged blogs. Yeah, they’re still in the Word document. There are like 340 pages now, hahaha. I’m really going to try to get them posted in the next few weeks, though.
- ACCOMPLISHED: Walk/run 5,000+ miles. Yup! A blog on this will come soon.
- ACCOMPLISHED: Run a marathon. I finally did it, yo! I’ve actually run…15 of them? 16? Something like that now.
- ACCOMPLISHED: Complete another complete draft of my 2020 NaNoWriMo. Yes! I completed a new draft in May and I’m almost done with an edit of that draft. I should hopefully have another one by the end of the year.
- FAILED: Write more in general. I did not. I just worked on my 2020 NaNo.
- ACCOMPLISHED: Draw. Technically I drew something this year. It was just one thing, but hey, you make a vague resolution, you can meet it in a vague way.
Let’s see what we can do in 2024.
- Blog daily. Ye olde standard.
- Walk/run at least 5,000 miles. I’ll hopefully do more than this, but this is always a good baseline goal.
- Run at least five (official) marathons. I plan on doing more than five marathon distances, but let’s try signing up for at least five official marathon events. They can be virtual.
- Run at least one (official) ultramarathon. Minimum distance: 60 km. This can be virtual.
- Run a sub-4-hour marathon. I know that’s a low bar, but I’m slow.
- Do something with my 2020 NaNo story. Hopefully more than just another draft. I’d like to take the next steps in getting this story out into the ether.
- Do some non-writing creative stuff. I realized earlier that while I have been doing “creative stuff” in the form of writing, I haven’t done much in any other way. I’d love to be able to do some drawing or painting or something this year, so let’s put it in stone in the form of a resolution. Let’s say…three drawings/paintings minimum.
- Buy fewer frivolous/unnecessary things. Basically, I want to be more careful with my money. More conscientious of my spending. This is a hard one to quantify, so let’s say (as at least something to track) I can only buy a “frivolous treat object” once every two months.
- Take at least two French classes in my progression towards the certificate. This one is pretty self-explanatory.
- Get the DAMN BLOGS POSTED
- Limit my “down time” screen time. I’m good at losing way too much time to Twitter and/or TikTok. I don’t want to completely remove these sites from my use, but I do want to limit my time on them. So let’s say…I can have three 15-minute intervals of “down time” screen time over the course of the day.
I’ll add more if I think of more!
The Frito Bandito is wanted on five counts of murder
This is an odd survey.
I am an odd survey taker.
Match made in heaven.
Which finger on your right hand is your favorite?
Ring finger.
If you had to choose between drums and guitar, which would you choose?
Drums.
Would you rather write or read?
Write
Do you like tea?
Only green tea.
If so, do you like raspberry tea?
ONLY GREEN TEA! Survey, don’t you pay attention?
Are you a wild and an untamed thing?ONLY IN BED I can be. Give me Red Bull and you’ll see things you wish you’d never seen before.
How long have you been a member of Tumblr/LJ?
How dare you reveal that I got this off of Tumblr?!?
(Since 2012.)
If you mixed the letters in your name around, could it create another word?
Not a single word, no.
What are your thoughts on gay people?
They’re…gay?
Do you know how to use proper grammar?
Sure.
Do you obsess over grammar?
Hahaha, have you read this blog?
Do you like the Beatles?
Sure.
How about My Chemical Romance?
I know one single MCR song and yes, it’s the one you’re thinking of.
Brad Paisley?
I don’t know any Brad Paisley songs off the top of my head.
What do you think of Dr. Frank N. Furter from Rocky Horror Picture Show?
I’ve never seen Rocky Horror Picture Show and have no desire to.
Do you play any unique or interesting instruments?
Oboe is relatively unique/interesting.
How many songs do you have on your iPod/music player (if you have one)?
Like 6,000-something.
When did you drink something last?
A few seconds ago.
What did you eat last?
See above.
What are your thoughts on Mario Bros.?
Plumbing is a harder profession than I thought.
Do you have a job?
Yup.
Do you still go to school? If so, what grade?
I’m finally out of school!
What do you think of rainbow duct tape?
Anything rainbow make me happy.
Do you write on your pants?
Not on purpose.
Have you ever been on a cruise ship?
Yes.
How about on a plane?
Yes.
Are you married?
Yes!
What was the exact time you woke up this morning?
Uh…like 8:30 or something.
What are your thoughts on death?
I welcome it.
Do you own any drumsticks? This includes chicken, ice cream and wooden ones.
Just for Rock Band.
What is your favorite instrument?
Clarinet if woodwinds, cello if strings.
Can you play this instrument?
Yes to the first, no to the second.
What year was your favorite?
Of ALL the years that have ever existed? 1646, because it brought us Leibniz.
Do you like Cheez-its?
Hell yeah.
Last question: How old do you want to be when you die?
Today years old.
THE MASHUP IS HERE!
Thank you for the Christmas present, DJ Earworm.
Oooo I like this one. I’m surprised that there’s not more Taylor Swift, but he must cut the year off at some point so that he can, you know, actually make the mashup. So maybe more of her songs will be in the top 25 next year.
Life is Weird
And on a slightly related note, here’s that end-of-year survey I always do.
What did you do in 2023 that you’d never done before?
Ran a marathon!
Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
There will soon be a blog post regarding this!
Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.
Did anyone close to you die?
A person I knew from high school died back at the start of the year. We weren’t super close or anything, but we were aware of each other.
What countries did you visit?
The US!
What would you like to have in 2024 that you lacked in 2023?
TENURE
What date from 2023 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The day I got Canadian citizenship. That was an important life milestone that I’ve been (very passively) working towards for the past 5+ years.
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Running my first marathon. Running my first ultramarathon.
What was your biggest failure?
Existing (I think I say this every year).
Did you suffer illness or injury?
Haha, yeah, I busted up my sartorius muscle back at the end of June. It hurt SUPER BADLY and took quite a while to heal up. Now, I’d say 98% of the time, I don’t feel any pain/discomfort from it.
What was the best thing you bought?
My new iPad and Apple Pencil.
Where did most of your money go?
Reiterating from last year: to stuff I didn’t really need.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Longer distance running, haha. Running in general. I mean, I was enthused about it before this year, but this year was when I think it finally became something that just brings me so much happiness.
What song will always remind you of 2023?
Probably anything from Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” album, just because this was The Year of the Swift and her music was everywhere.
What do you wish you’d done less of?
Nothing. I had too many days/nights that I could have taken advantage of my free time and done something useful with it. Never again.
How will you be spending Christmas?
I’m going to run in the morning (probably on the treadmill, as it’s finally getting cold), then we’re going to open presents. Wee!
Did you fall in love in 2023?
Nope.
How many one-night stands?
None.
What was your favourite TV program?
It’s still Chicago Med in terms of what I’m currently watching. I watch a lot of Riverdale, though, too, because I’m trash.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nope.
What was the best book you read?
OOOOOOOOO I HAVE AN ANSWER but I’m going to blog about this soon!
What was your greatest musical discovery?
That freaking orchestral cover of “Call on Me” is the greatest.
What was your favourite film of this year?
I don’t think I have one.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 35. As usual, I didn’t do anything special.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably satisfying?
MAN, I HAVE A LIST. I can’t pick one thing.
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2023?
I’ve been consciously trying to match better, which is a weird thing to say. I try to pick two or three main colors to feature and then match one to my earring color and one to my eyeshadow color. If I’m lucky, I can match my shoes as well. I know it doesn’t matter, but it matters to me.
What kept you sane?
Sanity is not my strong suit.
Which celebrity/public figure(s) did you fancy the most?
L E I B N I Z
Who did you miss?
My mom, as always.
Who was the best new person you met?
I haven’t met anyone new.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2023:
Whenever you think a semester can’t get worse, it can.
So apparently this isn’t a super new iPhone feature…
…but I just discovered it today!
You can do animated stickers, too.
That’s…that’s pretty cool. Now I can spam my mom with even more Pepper pics, haha.
Playgame
Dudes, I used to play this ALL THE TIME.
This reminds me so much of all the Flash-driven games and animations I used to spend a lot of time playing/watching back in high school.
Anyway.
Wafflin’
So I’ve been running from my office (rather than from home) the past several runs. When I do so, I always forget to grab my chocolate milk and throw it in the lounge fridge.
And when I ran from my office this morning, that’s exactly what I did. Forgot my choccy milk.
However, I’d bought a few energy waffles last time I was at Safeway because I wanted to try them (as an alternate to the Gu packets). Specifically, these:
So I tried one.
It was super tasty! It’s a lot softer than it looks and kind of melts into a gritty chew when you bite it. This one is honey flavor; I also have a few salted caramel flavored ones too (because the salted caramel has been my favorite Gu flavor so far).
So yeah, if you need some energies, give these a try!
Q: Who’s the most boring Steam member?
A: I am! I am!
I’m actually surprised Half Life isn’t one of my top three.
THEY’RE CLASSICS FOR A REASON, LEAVE ME ALONE
Fight me.
Modern games just don’t compare, man. Quake is amazing.
EARWORM!
Y U no release 2023 mashup yet?
My TOENAILS
So the toenails on my right foot are now starting to turn all black and gross and twisted. Will they get as bad as the toenails on my left foot?
Only time will tell!
Am I going to keep blogging about my insanely disgusting toes?
Only time will tell!
(Yes. Yes I will.)
TEN THOUSAND
So as I’ve mentioned on here several times, my goal this year was to walk/run 10,000 kilometers, or 6,213.712 miles. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do it, but all the marathon/ultra marathon training really boosted my mileage (as did bumping my daily minimum to 18 miles instead of 17…and bumping my weekly “off day” mileage minimum to 6 miles) and I was able to hit my goal today! I actually hit it during the first half mile of my marathon run this morning, so that’s pretty freaking cool.
And just to put some perspective on things, last year’s mileage of 5555.55 was the furthest I’d ever gone in a year before this year.
Now am I going to take the next two weeks off?
HA. NO.
Like everything else I do, I’m going to keep pushing it. I may not be able to get to the next biggest mileage marker of 6,500, but I should at least be able to add a few hundred onto what I’ve got so far.
Which is why I’m not doing any sort of big distance analysis today. I’ll save that for January 1st like I always do.
BUT WOOOOOO!
Magnitude
Here is a wonderful demonstration of the exponential property of the Richter Scale.
I had no idea the scale technically went negative, so that’s pretty cool.
Ah, Hell With It
This won’t be the first time I’ve humiliated myself on this blog, and it certainly won’t be the last.
So let’s get to it!
Remember back in the summer when I was off the wall enthused by all those home movies that we finally got converted to digital form?
And remember how I posted like three of them and then you never heard about them again?
Yyyyyeahhhhhhhhhh, that’s ‘cause I got busy.
But I’m still working through them! So in the spirit of “better late than never,” here’s the next installment.
Back in the summer between fifth grade and sixth grade (I think?) I took my mom’s camcorder, a brand new blank tape, and filled said tape with a whole bunch of nonsense that I dubbed “The Fifth Grade Movie.”
It’s basically me being super hyperactive in my room and filming a bunch of shorts, improvised songs, commercials, and interviews.
A few notes:
- I am an only child. This whole video is proof of why I’m an only child.
- This is how an only child entertains themselves. A least in my case.
- I call everything “Tony” because this was during the time that I was obsessed with the “Hey Tony!” Frosted Flakes commercials. Don’t ask questions.
- This is not me acting for the camera. I was just like this. Ask my classmates.
- Yes, my room is very, very messy.
- I sure screeched a hell of a lot, didn’t I?
- My FREAKING HAIR
- I have no idea how my mom put up with me.
You are under no obligation to watch this. In fact, just skip it for sanity’s sake.
Analog
Today was the final exam for MATH 275 (Engineering Calculus). Because of the large class size of 1,000+ students, the exam was held in the gym rooms where each room holds several hundred students in desks arranged in a big grid.
Because the gyms are so large and the wall clocks so small, a large clock (2 feet in diameter maybe?) is placed at the very front of the gym so that students can easily see what time it is as they write the two-hour exam.
This clock is an analog clock.
For the first time since starting work at the University of Calgary, I had some students who did not know how to read an analog clock.
A few came up to the front to sign out for the restroom. The sign-out sheet asks for the time they’re signing out (and the time they’re signing in). There were two students who looked at the big clock when filling out the sign-out time and were very clearly unsure of how to read it. I had to tell them the time. Another student looked at the clock and then immediately looked at their watch instead, which showed a digital clock face.
This seems like an odd skill to lose. Like, don’t most elementary/junior high/senior high schools have analog clocks in every classroom? Ours always did. Or maybe students just don’t ever look at those because they’ve got their phones and/or watches with a digital face.
I’m not passing judgement or anything, it’s just interesting.
I Want to Cruise
Sometimes I really want to go on another cruise. Every one I’ve been on has been very enjoyable, despite the fact that I’ve only actually ever done one route (the 7-day Alaska one).
Anyway, here are a bunch of Princess cruises I’d love to go on.
14-Day Norway, Denmark, and Sweden
116-Day World Cruise – Roundtrip Los Angeles
(Could I handle that long on a ship? Who knows. But it sounds fun!)
Book Review: A Christmas Carol (Dickens)
Have I read this before: Nope! I’ve seen all the standard movie adaptations, though.
Review: So the adaptation that I had in my mind going into this book was the Muppet version, so as was the case when I read Treasure Island, all the characters had their respective Muppet/human voices as they spoke in the book. I was actually surprised at how much of the narration (especially at the start of the book) and dialogue was honored in the adaptations I’ve seen, but I guess that’s part of the classic tale.
Favorite Part: Stave Three, where we follow Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present. I always liked the idea of the Ghost of Christmas Present having such a short life because he only exists in the present and another “present” is always on the horizon.
Rating: 7/10
Book Review: Andersonville (Kantor)
Have I read this before: No. I know we had the book in our junior high library, though, and I considered it during those very first few months of using my Book List. Never did read it, though.
Review: Oof. This book. This was a hard read because basically every chapter was “here’s this soldier’s life from birth until he gets to Andersonville. Get invested in him, he’s interesting. Oops, now he’s died the most horrible death imaginable!”
Of course there was a main storyline threading through the whole thing, but that’s what a majority of this book felt like.
It was very well-written. Very impactful. You don’t really think about those types of prison conditions in the US, even back then, but the real Andersonville Prison was probably even worse than in these fictionalized tales.
Favorite Part: the interaction between Coral and Naz near the end. That whole segment of the book was the most emotional part, in my opinion, because of everything building up to it and how so much of their relationship was built wordlessly and was based on their circumstance and histories instead. Easily the most memorable part of a very memorable book.
Also, these few lines (which was pretty much the only humor in the whole book) between Coral and Naz.
“What’s them?”
“From tropic lands. From many an ancient river, from any a palmy plain.”
“Hain’t you smart with your rhymes and truck!”
“It’s a hymn.”
“Don’t care if it’s a her.”
Rating: 6/10
Color Palette
Y’know what? I’m not mad at it.
I still have my standard favorites when it comes to colors (orange, lime green, yellow, red, mainly), but I think my enjoyment of non-standards has broadened over the past several years.
Like…I used to really dislike neon. I like bright colors and always have, but bright rich colors, not neon. But I really started to dig neon around the end of 2019 or so.
Same thing with pastels. I’m still not a huge fan, but I’ve grown very fond of mint and lavender (that’s why I wanted an iPhone 12 – I wanted that lavender color!).
So peach fuzz? Definitely not a color I would choose as a favorite or to wear, but I appreciate it.
The end.
Duolingo: 2023 Review
So my efforts in studying French via Duolingo fluctuated a lot this year due to fluctuations in how busy I was, but I tried to stay consistent with at least doing one lesson a day. Here’s my year-end summary:
I think the combination of the French class(es) and Duo is a really good one. Duo is great for vocab and basics; the French class(es) help with the nuances of the language.
Can’t wait to learn more!
6×1000
Bros, I hit 6,000 walking/running miles today!
Remember back when 5,000 miles was my goal and how much work that was? Yeah, add another 1,000 miles on top of that.
Now I just need to do about 200 more to hit my ultimate goal of 10,000 kilometers for the year. And assuming I don’t die, I should be able to do that in the last month of the year!
Woo.
Eigenblogger 