last diary of the year
#65| Watching | Bloody Game 3; Thunderbolt Fantasy 4 |
| Playing | Princess Maker 2 (Refine); Baldur's Gate 3 |
I can't believe it's been so long since I last wrote an entry?! So much has happened in the last two months, lots of hanging out with friends and lots of work finishing up the semester. Some of the tail end of the excitement made it into this year's advent calendar, but I've also been doing my best to relax at home during the holidays. My family is getting really old, and I'm both the youngest of my cousins and the only one who's around to come see everyone for Christmas... The holidays really aren't what they used to be. But there is no point in dwelling on sad thoughts! I had a good Christmas, and for one more year, everyone I love is happy and healthy, so I can't ask for much else.
three journals (one just a refill), a pouch, a long jacket, and The Age of Data
Pink Velvet Cake also arrived close enough to count. I got some art this year as well! Also, my friends arranged to do our secret santa after we return from winter break since the end of the semester became way too hectic to arrange anything. So the gift exchanging season will continue just a little longer, but I'm already very pleased!
Instead of giving my mom clothes again this year, I decided to get her a Protonmail account. She really likes it so far, but it was an easy sell since someone in her social circle has gotten her on all of the alt social medias, excluding maybe only Mastodon. I don't know what business she has on Substack but I'll allow any wedge between her and F*cebook. She's stopped following politics after the election so now I get updates about all of the things that will give me cancer. Spatulas and stevia are the latest additions to the list.
I told myself I'd work on my professional portfolio so I can throw myself back into the job market properly, but I really just don't want to. I don't feel like it. I'd rather sit around and pick my nose. It's kind of weird to say I've finally been able to catch up on...relaxing? But I'm taking full advantage of my short time off. So here are a few thoughts of media I've enjoyed recently. I read We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida on my flight back home and it was such a feel-good light read, the perfect amount of magical realism for my tastes. I really enjoyed it, and I don't really have enough thoughts or criticisms for a longer review, but I highly recommend it. You can tell that Ishida really loves cats, she did a wonderful job conveying their personalities, quirks and charms. My biggest complaint is that there's a certain cadence to the writing that's a little distracting, but something I've come to expect from English translations of Japanese novels as I've encountered it just about every time.
Bloody Game 3 is also currently airing. Up until about episode 7 it has a lot of the same issues as season 2, but even more disjointed and chaotic because of the size of the cast. But after that it gets really fun again, beating out season 1 for gameplay in my opinion. The format just works better when everyone is in the same location and the unfortunate situation that caused it seems to have actually been a blessing so far. For season 4, I hope the fake outs and twists are a little better thought out since they only deliver when the cast is caught unaware.
Other than that, in preparation for New Journal Day, now that my Midori Hibino is unwrapped and on my desk instead of under a tree, I've been working on drafting a pattern for a cover. Standard Hobonichi covers don't fit at all, and the 5-year covers aren't exactly ideal either, but I have to have some pockets and a closure for a journal this girthy! I plan on documenting all of this, mostly at Rio's request from when I mentioned it a few weeks back (I didn't forget!).
You know, I really thought I'd be too burnt out after advent calendar to ever update this website ever again, but if anything, it felt like a warm-up. If I can dollfoto every day for almost a month, what can't I do!? This will be the last diary though. See you in January!