Now
I figured instead of writing slice-of-life updates, I could use this space to add little tidbits of what I'm up to.
Last Updated: Sep 26, 2024 | Archive
Happenings
This week has been quiet, mostly readjusting to being back at work, and rejiggering my schedule in general to see if I can make a little better to avoid burning out. I have this terrible habit of feeling I lack time, and I think it is because I run out of energy easily, and because I am flaky. So things that require no thought for some, seem to require me to make it a point to do. I suck at adhering to consistent systems, so we'll see how this goes 😅
On Repeat
I was excited this week that Key from Shinee dropped a new mini album this week! I started listening to K-Pop 10 years ago and enjoy the unabashed poppiness of it, and turn to the genre often when working or cleaning the house. It's a genre notorious for being manufactured, but I do not feel like I am one to judge what deserves to be called manufactured because no matter what, these artists are in the business because their dream was to be a performer. Key is one of my favorite soloists because he oozes passion for creativity. You can tell that he loves to put the details together when he has a comeback and has been in the business long enough to where he has a measure of say on what is released, which is very rare. I feel that Taemin, G Dragon, Seulgi, and Kai might be the only artists that I can think of that have such a clear vision for their work as a complete package, though I follow plenty of others because they also have an amazing vision for their work (Baekhyun, Wendy, and Taeyeon come to mind). Anyway haha, Key released Pleasure Shop and the concept and music are very fun! I also recommend Killer and Bad Love from him. I consider those some of the best takes on synthpop I've heard in K-pop.
From my Shelves
I put The Overstory aside for now! It's wonderfully written, but the chapters are not tied together beyond the general concept of trees and nature being integrated in parallel with each story (probably not yet anyway), so it's hard to get into it. I switched over to The Silent Companions to kick off spooky season and so far so good! I'm also still reading Dracula Daily on the days with entries and it's still a fun part of my days. I don't think I would have liked to pace it like this if I were reading it the first time, but I have read Dracula so many times at this point that I don't feel confused or lost even when there are long stretches between entries.
On My Needles
OMG so I didn't realize that I was using one needle size too small for the last 2 socks so even though they fit, they are 10 stitches per inch and only just fit. I am such a space cadet, eek! But I went up to 2.5 mm needles for the peasant heel socks and they are perfect so far! I am a third into the second sock and plan to finish the bodies of both before just doing the heels to both back to back. It is a DREAM to use this method for self striping yarn. Each stripe is deliciously consistent! In the heel flap socks, there are areas where my stich count of 64 goes up of down depending on the portion of the sock I was on which made stripes wider or narrower which looked odd, but making this technique with a contrasting cuff, heel, and toe works super well! I'll add photos when I finish and I will add pix of the Gingerbread Lattes too when I block them ^_^
Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.
– Oscar Wilde