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A slice of life update.

Life. I’m so freaking exhausted again 😭Working on the AI Hackathon projects took a toll on me, plus on Monday it was sprung on me at the last second (20 minutes before the presentation) that I was to talk over a slide. I would have preferred to have a day, you know? But I survived. But I can tell I’m listless and overwhelmed. I barely can get up every morning. I do my chores and my duties, but with a desperation to finish, so I can stare at the wall. Hopefully next week I can try to restore my energy. I miss writing letters and talking to my friends and cooking and dancing like a dumbass while cleaning the house. My tiny fuel tank is so annoying.

Gratitude. That the hackathon is almost over! Haha, seriously though… I think I was most grateful for the thunderstorms that made for cozy reading weather. I am always also grateful for a cup of double-spicy ginger tea.

Creativity. I haven’t drawn in a bit, since I’ve been busy reading and knitting gifts as well as spending time on the home, family, work, etc. But I have been knitting a lot which has been nice. Right now it’s a pair of socks for my mother-in-law’s upcoming birthday. I have to be careful not to overdo it because I bust my shoulder on the regular (I know knitting-related injuries are not badass, but what can I do?)

Books. I’ve been reading a bit more than usual lately, which makes me happy. I missed the sensation of giving my attention utterly to a book, completely immersed and devouring the stories. I’ve also been working with AI on my book taste profile and it’s made a solid summary with only 22 rated books! I’m impressed. This week I read:

• The Noh Mask Murder by Akimitsu Takagi: A bit dry, but I enjoyed this puzzle. The solution to the puzzle was as intricate as one would expect a locked room mystery to be, but the pacing was solid and the motivations behind the events made sense. Unlike the instant love that came out of nowhere in my next read, which was….
• Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver: Dear god, that was… something. I was excited for the cheap thrill of a romance binge-read since the reviews promised amazing banter and a subversive love story. On paper (see what I did???) it seems like my type of book, but damn it was crazy cringe and the FMC was just unbelievable. Eek… for a supposedly genius and artistic serial killer who never gets caught, she was kind of lame. MMC was not much better, alternating between pining for Sloane and belittling her. My eyes were glazing toward the end. The second one is out too and I was hoping this would be a fun palate cleanser but if the sequel drags as much as the first I’ll have to pass. There are plenty of funny romances. Perhaps the new Ali Hazelwood or Emily Henry?
• The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham: I started this yesterday but I’m enjoying this cozy catastrophe so far! I’ll talk about it a bit more when I finish ^_^

Music. In a summer poppy mood still! Early this week Red Velvet’s Cosmic dropped and… wow! The MV was stunningly styled and edited and the song was so pretty. Every time they have a comeback I worry that it’ll be their last so each release is something I pay attention to and appreciate! I’ve also been liking Dua Lipa’s Illusion. Other than those, I’ve been enjoying the new Lofi Girl’s new medieval lofi radio 🏰 - beats to scribe manuscripts to

Movies. No Ghibli this week! But I’ll start again soon, especially with the blu-ray of The Boy & the Heron dropping on July 9th. Here are the other 8 I have left to watch:

• Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
• Castle in the Sky
• Grave of the Fireflies
• Pom Poko
• Tales from Earthsea
• The Wind Rises
• The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
• The Red Turtle

Recognition and prevention don't necessarily go hand in hand.
– John Wyndham (The Kraken Wakes)