brain go brrrrr !!!
I am once again begging my brain to pick just a few hobbies and stick with those because why am I always trying to do everything everywhere all at once. Most recently I've been cycling through these:
- I'm on Chapter 6 of the audiobook of 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' by Suzanne Collins. I meant to either read or listen to it back when the movie was announced but never got the chance to. Now I've watched the movie, another book is released, and the movie for that one will be out in a few months.
- I paused my progress for that because my hold of the audiobook for 'The Humans' by Matt Haig became available. I own and have read the physical book when I was a teenager (about 10 years ago?). I was very depressed and this book really resonated with me. I've wanted to do a reread for a while now but thought I might not have the focus to sit down and read a book I already knew the ending to. So audiobook it is. I'm almost finished with it now so maybe I can go back to Songbirds and Snakes after???
- The Body Scout by Lincoln Michel has been sitting on my coffee table for months. I've renewed this borrowed copy from the library 3 times now. 2 weeks ago, I decided to FINALLY open it. I finished the first 2 chapters but I'm not immersed in the story so far. I've procrastinated reading it further so far by switching to Songbirds and Snakes, then The Humans...
- My love for cross stitching has been revived. I've dug out my sewing supplies and unfinished projects out of the closet. I'm working on a lighthouse, a black cat, a rainbow sky, a patio scene. The lighthouse is my favourite though so I'm focusing on that. I visited a craft store last week to buy new floss, bobbins, and a cute sewing scissor.
- I have 4 kpop albums that I bought a few weeks ago waiting to be opened. I haven't added to my little collection since Purple Kiss disbanded last year (still not and will never be over it). After my year-long mourning period, I have 2 versions of STAYC's latest release waiting for me and 1 version each of XLOV's 'UXLXVE' and 'I,GOD'. I'll probably post photos here when I get to them!
- Speaking of blogging... I made my first attempt on a public journal like this on Wordpress last year but I didn't love the platform so I moved over. So far I'm enjoying it but I still wasn't motivated to write anything new until this past month. Now I have multiple drafts about things I've been doing and thinking about lately (with paragraphs! not just titles and lines of gibberish!).
Also, some honourable mentions I'd like to note are:
- Dungeons and Dragons. I attended an introductory event in April and was hooked. I think I played as a ranger and was given a free set of dice with a pouch to keep them in. I attended another one in June and played as a barbarian goliath. I went to the bookstore and bought myself a player's handbook soon after. I've been too busy with summer activities lately but I fully intend on playing more D&D when I’m less occupied.
- Pokemon Legends Arceus. I’m about halfway through the game since I’ve been playing it on and off for a few months. My favourite video game is BOTW so I’ve been enjoying the exploration aspect of Arceus a lot. I haven’t played lately as well because I’ve been out and about. Touching grass and photosynthesizing. I plan on sitting on the couch to play when the weather is shittier. Considering I live in Canada, it’s only a matter of time.
- Tarot as a mindfulness tool. Last fall I bought two decks so I could learn how to read the cards. I’m far from spiritual so they serve more as flash cards to me but I find that they help with mindfulness and journaling. The specific meanings of each card and the structure of doing a reading helps with guiding my thoughts and creativity. I’ve been working on this blog lately so I might get back into it for inspiration. I currently have plenty of drafts to work with already though so not too soon.
- Learning a language. I’ve always wanted to learn at least a 3rd language, ideally more. The most interesting ones to me are ASL and French. I would also like to learn one with a different script but I’m not set on a specific option for that yet. Recently my girlfriend mentioned that she’s interested in taking an ASL class so I will most likely go with her.
- Swimming! I’ve always loved swimming and being in water in general. I took swimming lessons when I was a child to teenager and was almost a lifeguard. The only reason I didn’t become one was because I was too depressed and exhausted to pass the final test at the time which I failed 2 times. Now that I’m feeling better and have more energy the only thing stopping me is my dysphoria. I hope I can figure out how to dissociate from my body enough to drag myself into a pool by the end of this year.
- Guitar! Another interest that I used to take lessons for when I was a teenager. I had an acoustic and electric guitar but just like swimming, I was too mentally unwell to have much motivation or brain power to excel in it. I really enjoyed making music though and I would love to try again now.
And there goes my long list of interests lately. I’ve been cycling through these depending on my mood. I wish I was able to focus on a few at a time instead of the chaotic jumping from one to the other.
-- M.M --