9 Things Making My Life Better So Far This Year (Jan. – March 2022)
I’m purposely slowing my roll with this blog this year, in part to see how it affects my mental health. So far, taking a break has been good for me, and I’m realizing that, if I choose to continue, more sporadic posting may be more sustainable. I like making these “9 Things” posts; it’s fun to challenge myself to be concise but clear, and it’s also a way to practice gratitude that works for me. So, here are some things that have been keeping me going when I haven’t been blogging:
This, without a doubt, has been the biggest quality-of-life change for me. Not because the Kobo Nia is particularly good, but because Adobe Digital Editions is so freaking bad. Unlike my previous e-reader, Kobo Nia is new enough that it connects directly with my library account. It automatically downloads books I’ve checked out and lets me place holds through the e-reader. I don’t have to fiddle with USB cables or fight for literally two hours with Adobe’s draconian and buggy DRM-preserving software. Yes, literally two hours. That’s what finally made me willing to pay a large chunk of change to never have to deal with ADE again.
Good Drinks by Julia Bainbridge (cookbook, 2020)
I liked this non-alcoholic drink cookbook so much, I got one for my cousin too! I don’t enjoy the feeling I get after drinking alcohol, but I also don’t enjoy drinks full of sugar. This book offers some “cheffy” takes on drinks the author tried at establishments throughout the US. Some are bitter, some are sweet, some are… a lot of work, but all of them are fun projects to make and try.
Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells
Apart from the Kobo Nia (above), this was my most rewarding splurge of the new year. I made excuses not to lay out the cash throughout the pandemic–I’ll be able to go back to the gym soon, they’re so expensive, where will I keep them–but it turns out that I really like having a set of dumbbells within arm’s reach. I’m much better at working out when I can do a set or two whenever I feel like, and it’s much easier to use actual dumbbells that can adjust from 5lb to 55lb than the makeshift weights I made out of whatever I had lying around.
Ace by Angela Chen (non-fiction book, 2020)
I appreciate this book about asexuality because the author’s description of her own experiences made me feel valid in my own ace identity for the first time. It helped me see that plenty of ace folks feel all sorts of positive ways about sex and feel all sorts of enjoyable physical sensations, but positive feelings and enjoyable sensations aren’t the same as allosexuality. That’s not to say that I identify with everything the author describes–I’m still processing why, intellectually, I agree with her point that romantic and/or sexual relationships aren’t necessarily more intimate than other types and yet still emotionally resist that conclusion–but there’s plenty to learn and think about.
Husband has a bunch of magnet USB cables: you plug a connector with a magnet into the charging port of your device, you plug in a cable with its own magnet on the connect-to-device end, and then you can swap devices easily. I decided to go with this company’s version because I wanted to get something that would last and also to avoid Amazon. I really like the thoughtful design details, the various colour options, and the convenience.
The Scholomance Series by Naomi Novik (SFF books, 2020 and 2021)
Thanks for recommending this to me, Katie!
Apparently I haven’t learned my lesson about starting to read as-yet-unfinished SFF trilogies*, but I regret nothing. This series is “teenagers at magic school, except there are no adults and most students are expected to die,” with “extraordinarily powerful evil abilities + extraordinarily strict personal moral code” as the viewpoint protagonist, El. If you like El’s voice, you’ll like these books, and, well, I love El’s voice.
Spiritfarer Farewell Edition by Thunder Lotus Games (video game, 2020, Farewell Edition 2021)
This game combines mature themes–making sense of life, losing loved ones, learning to accept other people’s behaviour–with straightforward crafting and resource-managing mechanics. Your character, Stella, is a newly minted psychopomp gathering spirits on her ferry, tending to their needs, and eventually guiding them into the next world. Because gamified, achievable to-do lists relax me, I found this game a lot of fun and enjoy aiming for 100% completion; because this game is about death, I also found some moments cathartically sad.
For the holidays, Husband bought me a subscription to Duolingo Plus, which has made my daily language-learning significantly more straightforward. I resisted buying the paid version for so long because the ad-supported app was “just fine,” but now I have to admit that if you’re doing daily lessons in 4 languages and looking forward to adding more, then, yeah, if you’re able to do it, paying with money is more cost-effective than paying with time and frustration (damn it, swipe keyboard, why do you always write “mit” when I want “mir” and “mir” when I want “mit”?).
my very own slap-a-roo-er
When my sister and I were little, Mom bought the Holy Grail of cheese slicers: the slap-a-roo-er. Every single time, with any medium-to-hard cheese, it carved a perfect paper-thin slice, which Mom would then flip onto our waiting palms with the announcement “Slap-a-roo!” (I told you, we were little.) We have spent years searching in vain for slicers of similar quality–even Mom couldn’t find additional ones to get us as housewarming gifts–that would deliver the same results and last as long as our dear, still-slap-a-roo-ing cheese accessory.
Apparently, its real name is the Boska cheese slicer (multiple models available), and it’s even dishwasher safe.
* Speaking of unfinished trilogies (though this one became a projected tetralogy), the Nona the Ninth cover reveal was a… like, not honourable? Weird? Yeah, it’s a weird mention on this list. I was delighted to have new information about the book I’m eagerly awaiting, but the whole thing also sucked me back down the Internet fandom rabbit hole. Which, I’ve learned, is something that never turns out well for my mental health, especially with an as-yet-unfinished property.