Birthdays seem to come faster every year.
Note: Links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission, at no extra charge to you, if you make a purchase through such a link. Learn more here.
So, yes, today is my birthday. The number changes every year, so I have to do the math: 2018 – 1961 = 57.
Thank god for calculators.
Some things seem to be good, or at least better than last year:
I weigh a couple pounds less than I did at this time last year—trending in a healthier direction, especially given that I gained 10 pounds before I started the downward trend.
I made it out of the country—Hey, Iceland!—for the first time in a very long time (my passport had long expired).
My term as Academic Senate president ended. I knew during that fifth year as president that I was pretty worn out, but I didn’t know how worn out I was until the responsibilities shifted over to my successor, Elena. It feels much lighter—though I still have a tendency to take over meetings (bad habit!). And it’s not that I’ve completely withdrawn from all responsibility. But that position is in a class of its own.
I’m in the classroom again, with a bunch of students who range from eager to learn to want to nap. And, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I’ve taken our current political situation as the subject for the writing course, working with a sort-of-popular-philosophy book (Post-Truth). We spent the first few weeks working through a good chunk of another book, They Say/I Say, which offers templates (ugh! but, okay) for integrating others’ arguments into one’s own essays—following the metaphor of a conversation. I’m hoping that metaphor will help avoid the cudgel that all-we-all brandish in our political discourse. Too early to say if it will have been a good decision or not. But so far, even people who are virulently anti-Trump have tempered the way they express that opposition. Promising.
I’ve been pretty consistent with blogging. Once I made the decision, I don’t think I missed a Monday post or a Wednesday (moved to Thursday) fictionary term.
I’ve started watching Season 3 of La Femme Nikita . The closest thing I have to a fetish is listening to Peta Wilson say “yih” and “neh” in her Australian accent.
I’ve begun learning cardistry and, almost inevitably from there, a little bit of card magic. I only spend a few minutes at a time, but with time I find that things that used to be really hard have become relatively easy. I mean, I’m learning very slowly, but that’s to expected, given how little time I give it. But I’ve been generous with myself, recognizing that this is completely new, and not beating myself up for not getting it more quickly. And if everything—with time, practice, patience—gradually becomes easier… well, I’ll have learned something about learning.
On the other hand, some things seemed to be a bigger struggle this year:
Parenting is hard.
Iceland was a lot more expensive than I’d expected. Still recovering, nine months later. Someone earning what I’m earning shouldn’t be living this close to paycheck to paycheck.
Most important, despite the regular blogging, I haven’t written any fiction. And since that was kind of the point of having a blog, I’m in a quandary. I mean, I wasn’t writing before, so writing for the blog is still an improvement. But I need to take that next step—and I have this nagging fear that the blog might interfere with that.
Still, as Tori Amos put it (though with much more complexity!), a pretty good year. Not much to complain about.
I’m sure that won’t stop me, though.
P.S. If you haven’t heard that Tori Amos song, check out the video below. It has the two most devastating lines in any song I can remember: “Lucy was pretty / Your best friend agreed.” It looks innocuous enough written out, but the way she sings it, it’s like a knife to the heart.
And watch her deliver those lines on video… brutal.