(no subject)
Sunday, March 28th, 2021 09:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sandryleneI haven't posted in an age, and should fix that. It's a bit hard when it feels like not much changes, though, of course.
New things:
Just finished the first French course I've taken from fi:af, which is the NY version of the Alliance Française method type classes. I did a B2 refresher that was just five weeks, figuring it'd be low commitment and easy to deal with fitting in my schedule. It was generally that. It was also *fantastic*. We had several conversations of the flavor of "so, revisiting this rule that you've all learned in the past... now here's *why it makes any sense at all*." This is so, so helpful. I liked this class so much I'm considering immediately taking another one, even though doubling up on French and German does tend to be a bit stressful. I haven't decided yet, really, though.
Will have my last German class of the current session tomorrow. That's been fine. It's not especially interesting, unless you're easily entertained (as I am) by the guy in our class who lives in CA, but nonetheless has a thick southern accent when speaking German. ...I presume also when speaking English, but I don't get to hear much of that.
Anyhow. I think I only get a couple weeks off before I start A2.3 in German, which will finish out the A2 series, so that'll be done by summer. I will probably dive right into B1 afterward, but am also slightly nervous about it, as I've heard it's non-trivially harder than A2, and a significant bump, in a way A2 versus A1 was not noticeable. I guess I'll find out soon enough.
I've just had mom up for the weekend (she's vaccinated, I'm not, but it felt like a not ridiculous risk). It was relatively low key. I made tofu bibimbap, matzo ball soup and a carrot beet salad, and she generally approved of my cooking, so at least that wasn't contentious. We did have uh. Quite the spirited discussions over her economic anxieties, which she asserts weren't arguments, but honestly came across as "why aren't you worrying more?" to which the answer is mostly, "because that would be entirely unproductive, and also I don't need to persuade my anxiety to find *more things* to gnaw on, especially this year, thank you muchly." Her continuing position seems to be that I should be ready to leave the country at the drop of a hat. I uh. Don't think this is a productive frame of mind to work under.
...I dunno.
In more routine news, work is good, still love my team, currently not in busy season, so have some time to breathe and am mostly filling that with reading. Though I am a bit stuck there at the moment.
So I'm still running a bookclub with work people. The current thing we're reading is I Am a Cat by Natsume. I'm at about the last 150 pages out of a ~450ish page book, so theoretically home stretch, but I need to finish by Friday because I've scheduled that as our discussion day, and I am at this point not at all enjoying it. But I generally feel a responsibility for leading discussion, since I'm the person who organizes all of this. So I *have* to finish.
So this means I'm doing that thing people sometimes do where it's "I have to do X. I don't want to do X. I *do* want to do Y. But it would be irresponsible to do Y when I haven't yet done X. Proceeds to do neither X nor Y for far too long."
So yeah, I haven't really been reading anything else in the past week, which is tragic because I have A Desolation Called Peace out from the BPL and I so loved A Memory Called Empire I really, really want to read it. Aaaand I'm not letting myself. Bleeaagh. I *will* resolve this in the near future. Just apparently I'm going to be slightly whiny about it first. :P
Other than that... glad it's getting to be more spring weather, took a long walk on Friday to get out and appreciate it (after mom went to bed early and I wasn't sure what else to do with myself, anyhow). Still doing some amount of gaming with a couple friends groups, which helps with morale and just generally any amount of social anything... like everyone else, I'm very ready to be done with the never seeing friends in person thing.
But I feel like fundamentally I'm fine and high-functioning despite periodic dips in mood, so I'm sort of higher-order grateful (in the way one might have higher-order volition), but it's hard to actually *feel* that particularly directly.
Anyhow. That's how I am. And arguably I should now stop journalling and get back to trying to finish up I Am a Cat amongst copious deep sighs. :P
New things:
Just finished the first French course I've taken from fi:af, which is the NY version of the Alliance Française method type classes. I did a B2 refresher that was just five weeks, figuring it'd be low commitment and easy to deal with fitting in my schedule. It was generally that. It was also *fantastic*. We had several conversations of the flavor of "so, revisiting this rule that you've all learned in the past... now here's *why it makes any sense at all*." This is so, so helpful. I liked this class so much I'm considering immediately taking another one, even though doubling up on French and German does tend to be a bit stressful. I haven't decided yet, really, though.
Will have my last German class of the current session tomorrow. That's been fine. It's not especially interesting, unless you're easily entertained (as I am) by the guy in our class who lives in CA, but nonetheless has a thick southern accent when speaking German. ...I presume also when speaking English, but I don't get to hear much of that.
Anyhow. I think I only get a couple weeks off before I start A2.3 in German, which will finish out the A2 series, so that'll be done by summer. I will probably dive right into B1 afterward, but am also slightly nervous about it, as I've heard it's non-trivially harder than A2, and a significant bump, in a way A2 versus A1 was not noticeable. I guess I'll find out soon enough.
I've just had mom up for the weekend (she's vaccinated, I'm not, but it felt like a not ridiculous risk). It was relatively low key. I made tofu bibimbap, matzo ball soup and a carrot beet salad, and she generally approved of my cooking, so at least that wasn't contentious. We did have uh. Quite the spirited discussions over her economic anxieties, which she asserts weren't arguments, but honestly came across as "why aren't you worrying more?" to which the answer is mostly, "because that would be entirely unproductive, and also I don't need to persuade my anxiety to find *more things* to gnaw on, especially this year, thank you muchly." Her continuing position seems to be that I should be ready to leave the country at the drop of a hat. I uh. Don't think this is a productive frame of mind to work under.
...I dunno.
In more routine news, work is good, still love my team, currently not in busy season, so have some time to breathe and am mostly filling that with reading. Though I am a bit stuck there at the moment.
So I'm still running a bookclub with work people. The current thing we're reading is I Am a Cat by Natsume. I'm at about the last 150 pages out of a ~450ish page book, so theoretically home stretch, but I need to finish by Friday because I've scheduled that as our discussion day, and I am at this point not at all enjoying it. But I generally feel a responsibility for leading discussion, since I'm the person who organizes all of this. So I *have* to finish.
So this means I'm doing that thing people sometimes do where it's "I have to do X. I don't want to do X. I *do* want to do Y. But it would be irresponsible to do Y when I haven't yet done X. Proceeds to do neither X nor Y for far too long."
So yeah, I haven't really been reading anything else in the past week, which is tragic because I have A Desolation Called Peace out from the BPL and I so loved A Memory Called Empire I really, really want to read it. Aaaand I'm not letting myself. Bleeaagh. I *will* resolve this in the near future. Just apparently I'm going to be slightly whiny about it first. :P
Other than that... glad it's getting to be more spring weather, took a long walk on Friday to get out and appreciate it (after mom went to bed early and I wasn't sure what else to do with myself, anyhow). Still doing some amount of gaming with a couple friends groups, which helps with morale and just generally any amount of social anything... like everyone else, I'm very ready to be done with the never seeing friends in person thing.
But I feel like fundamentally I'm fine and high-functioning despite periodic dips in mood, so I'm sort of higher-order grateful (in the way one might have higher-order volition), but it's hard to actually *feel* that particularly directly.
Anyhow. That's how I am. And arguably I should now stop journalling and get back to trying to finish up I Am a Cat amongst copious deep sighs. :P
no subject
Date: 2021-03-29 02:44 am (UTC)Do you mind if I ask (unless this will be a major topic of discussion on Friday, in which case don't feel the need to do twice something you don't even want to do once) what about it is unenjoyable? I have seen the book around but never read it.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From: