9 Things Making My Life Better So Far This Year (April – Sept. 2023)
It’s been a while! I’ve been working with and around health challenges which have made it tough for me to get things done on the schedule I’d prefer. So here’s what was making my life better these past (gasp!) two quarters.
Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention-And How To Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari (non-fiction book, 2023)
After encountering an excerpt from this book earlier in the year, I wanted to read the whole thing. Hari made me think carefully about how often I turn to activities on my phone that I don’t actually want to be doing. Because my experience inclines me to look askance at apps designed to maximize profit/”engagement” at the expense of my happiness, I don’t want to full-throatedly endorse all the book’s conclusions as though I’m completely unbiased. But I do recommend that you read it and consider for yourself whether Hari makes a convincing case for the idea that contemporary Western culture and technologies structurally discourage sustained, complex thought.
A new phone battery
When my phone’s screen protector suddenly shattered, I figured I’d been a bit rough and replaced it. When the second one shattered within a day or two, I looked a little closer and realized that the screen itself was coming off the phone, and the exposure of the side of the glass made it especially vulnerable to getting smashed. Long story short, the battery was swollen, so I got it replaced. Now, not only is my screen and its protector in one piece, but a single charge lasts all day again. Hooray!
Luckily for my mental health, I was still able to swim most of the summer. When I realized this would be my primary form of exercise, I let myself spend the budget I’d normally allocate toward joining sports leagues or replacing workout gear to little things that made swimming more helpful. Since I wear glasses when I’m not swimming, by far the most helpful has been a cheap*, waterproof swim watch that lets me actually tell whether I need to get back to work in time for a meeting/how long I’ve been treading water… without standing in the shallow end, removing my goggles, and squinting for several moments at the wall clock that runs fast anyway.
Homefield Advantage by Dahlia Adler (YA romance book, 2022)
A book without a speculative element? I know, I’m as surprised as you! … OK, it has a sappy f/f romance** with one character exploring her inclination toward masc gender presentation, so maybe you’re not all that surprised. I liked these teen characters struggling with realistic, urgent, but not overwhelming dilemmas like: what’s the ethical way to speak about a dead peer who was cruel to others but never got the chance to grow up and learn better? How do you navigate coming out as queer when doing so entails outing other people too?
Spectacle by Ro Salarian (comic series, 2018-2023)
In this mystery series, a young woman living and working with a travelling circus sideshow investigates the murder of her twin sister with the ghostly help of said twin sister. Nefarious magical doings make it clear something even more sinister is going on. The characters are vibrant, and I especially like the relationship between the serious, literal-minded protagonist and her more free-spirited (… pun only somewhat intended) ghost sister.
Bar cart
No, we didn’t get another bar cart. I just found new ways to appreciate the utility of having a folding table on wheels that I can load up with everything I might need and move around the apartment. When I had less energy, this was a really helpful tool to avoid being confined to one room by the effort it would take to carry all my stuff to another.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo Switch game, 2023)
I finally had the mental bandwidth to start playing this in late August, and, wow. So far, I’ve run around beefing up my health and stamina at dozens and dozens of shrines; completed a bunch of side quests; and recovered the Master Sword all while completely ignoring the main storyline until I feel like it. What this game does best is make the things that are stressful in real life–such as having an ever-growing to-do list and discovering ten new tasks that need to be completed every time you finally get around to tackling one of the previous items–feel fun, rewarding, and freeing instead.
Being an aunt!
Not gonna lie, having a nibling is weird, because they’re sort of like your sibling in a lot of ways, but also very much not because everything they do that your sibling does/did is cute and not annoying? Anyway, Husband and I are overjoyed to be uncle and aunt to my sister and SIL’s new baby, especially the part where we get to play a bunch with said baby but don’t have to, like, worry about doctor’s appointments or sleep on an infant’s whimsical schedule.
Sister lunch break!
Related to the above, my work schedule lets me go visit my sister and her offspring for lunch once a week. It’s really great to see them and bring homemade food for the non-babies of our party. Definitely gives me the mental refresh I need between two multi-hour chunks of teaching. Also gives me sticky baby fingerprints on my glasses, but such is the price of baby cuddles.
* Er, when I bought it, it cost significantly less than half the current price. I’m not sure what’s changed in the intervening months.
** A sapphy romance??? … I’ll show myself out.