2022 come harm me
Tuesday, 11 January 2022 10:07![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
braintransplant i am once again setting goals for the year because my 2021 ones didnt go too badly. in no particular order:
- land some kind of research job/position at MSU: i have decided im going to schmooze the hell out of my profs until one of them offers me something wicked. i just have to be the greatest student of all time and magnify my libra charms...and then i can finally stop toiling away in the shitty job mines.
- read 24 books: as always i set my reading goal to be attainable because there is always Something getting in the way of loftier numbers. 2 books a month average has been successful for the past couple years and feels natural so im doing it again! i do however want to read more writing from other countries - maybe another country's classics or a novel that became very popular there in the past few years...? mutuals from outside the united states please feel free to rec me a classic you actually liked or anything else from where you live that was good. i love sci fi especially.
- save 5k: last year i barely scraped my saving goal together but i was still getting through my depressi shopping addiction issues for the better part of 2021...LOL. i think i can actually pull this off this year. i always need longer term somewhat unachievable goals to motivate saving, so i've settled on wanting to get a mac desktop + saving to get a new car in a few years (ford maverick truck im looking at you!!)
- get stronger: i never set weight goals because frankly im pretty sure im underweight and it just doesnt motivate me nor do i think its particularly productive for my situation (thank you medical anthropology), so i am once again aiming to get jacked. well maybe not totally jacked but i just want to stop feeling so frail. i really noticed it while moving my stuff across the country. last year i was making small gains before field school but then it just fell off. so i need to get back on the horse, or whatever that metaphor is.
- learn to rock climb: in utah we clambered up a lot of rocks and cliffs without any equipment and it was sooo much fun. the puzzle-y aspect of How Do I Get From Here To There is delightful as well. im just nervous to officially try it alone and for some reason feel embarrassed that i will have to be bad at it for a while + am so weak...so i need to get over that. which i will. but i will probably need to muster the courage and get comfortable in bozeman for a little while first.
- good grades: not aiming for a 4.0 because i want to be realistic yet hopeful, so nothing worse than a B+.
- original fiction: i really want to write something original this year, even if it sucks. or at least just do some world-building or compile some notes. ITS TIME. for the braintransplant cinematic universe.
- closet minimization: i got rid of a ton of clothes before i moved, but i still have too many. i'm down to the stuff i love + stuff i like well enough, but theres still some pieces that just dont get worn enough. i will probably head over to the consignment store up the road and see what the situation is because i feel bad adding on to the infinite piles at thrift stores + would like some $ return if at all possible. its only been a week since i got here but clothing definitely needs to be a bit more practical than some of my closet is when its -4 fahrenheit (aka -20 celsius) some days.
- get better at piano + bass: hopefully i can find the time or get some lessons! piano i can re-teach myself mostly but i need help with bass because i dont know how to overcome my tiny hands.
- less screen time: some of my stats last year were kind of horrifying.
- learn some kind of craft: i want to make things again!!!!!
- become more well spoken: i stumble over my words a lot + noticed recently how often i use 'like' as a crutch and would like to stop. not sure how to work on this but i'll research it i suppose...
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2022-01-11 23:22 (UTC)re: reading writing from other countries, I think if you love sci fi and don't mind hard sci fi, highly recommend Chinese sci fi! Liu Cixin's Three Body Problem is mind bending because his science is super imaginative. Like he extrapolates off current science in a way that feels realistic, and then he extrapolates off his extrapolation and by the end of the 3rd book you're at the heat death of the universe in a boil-the-frog kind of way but the frog knew he was being boiled. Ken Liu has been doing god's work in translating chinese sci fi short stories, his personal anthology (a paper menagerie) is insane, but would recommend [invisible planets] because it has both stories and essays. 3BP is crazy popular and made sci fi mainstream in China.
If you feel like another jurisdiction, I've enjoyed indian literature because there's common themes like colonialism (peripheral/other/generational trauma), magical realism, caste, homecoming. It's so meaty and I've barely dipped myself in. If you want something easier to read, Ondaatje's [Anil's Ghost], if you want something more fucked up [God of Small Things]. [Inheritance of Loss] is also iconic but based off your reading notes I don't think you'll like it (I think I'm getting to know your tastes!!)
+++ african lit esp post civil-war but ahhh, those two are more than enough to last you for half a year. I'll keep an eye out on your DW when you need recs again
(also read Left Hand of Darkness, will be yelling about it for a long time. Ancillary Justice is on my list now too because degendering is on my agenda)
all the best for attaining your 2022 goals!
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2022-01-12 00:13 (UTC)also yeeeaasssss my continued efforts towards left hand of darkness readership increase...its not much but its honest work. i hope you enjoy ancillary justice - i think it really takes advantage of its premise/world and also has some moments that are totally mindbending. imo. i love it. its like lhod's cousin
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