What I’ve Been up to, and Plans for 2024
You have no idea how close I was to starting this off with, “It’s been awhile.”
I’ve been busy this year, and I haven’t really had the itch to write a blog post. I’ve had plenty of ideas, but nothing inspired me to the point where I thought it would make a post worth reading. I still want to continue writing here at my own pace, so I’m rounding up all the highlights from this past year that pertain to the topics I typically write about.
Reading
By the time this is published, I will have read 29 books cover to cover, and am less than 100 pages away from finishing number 30. You can check out my list on Goodreads and also follow my progress there. Here are some stats on what I’ve read so far:
Top 3 Reads:
- Educated by Tara Westover
- The House on the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune
- Babel By R. F. Kuang
Least Favorite Reads:
- Spare by Prince Harry
- Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
Riding
If I look at only my mileage stats on Strava, it doesn’t look like I improved since last year. However, I was definitely riding more consistently this year. I didn’t do any century rides, and I think my longest ride was only about 50 miles. I averaged between 40-70 miles and 2-4 rides per week during the peak summer months. I was much more consistent this year, and by the time September hit, I could really tell. My average speed on some club routes was faster than the same route a year before. I noticed that I didn’t struggle up the same hills as much this year, and I even became one of the first people to the peak in some instances.
I usually aim to be faster than the previous year, but this year, I wanted to be better at riding in general. I figured if I could sharpen my skills, it would eventually make me faster (or at least I’d feel like I was doing less work). I practiced gear changes and climbing hills a lot more this year, which helped me keep my heart rate in check and learn to climb more efficiently. I found a local bike shop run by people who love to ride, not salesman who really like bikes, and they gave me a lot of advice and suggested some cool local routes. I also attended a workshop about different bike mechanics, and learned more than just how to change a flat tire.
I made a lot of upgrades this year:
- Insulated water bottles to help survive the hotter rides
- Shimano PD-RS500 SPD-SL pedals (These are significantly lighter than the PD-M324 Dual Platform pedals I used to have)
- Bontrager Shoes – white, to match the bike and the helmet, obviously (I even got complimented once on a trail ride by a couple in matching orange kits)
- Sunglasses from Roka, with much better lenses and a more comfortable fit than the $16 pair from Amazon I was wearing last year
- New jerseys from Ostroy and Machines for Freedom
- ROCKBROS 1500LM headlight (Suggested by a few members of the club as a great light for night riding)
- Garmin Varia RTL515 tail light, which every single cyclist I spoke to about tail lights recommended as the best option
- Full subscription to Strava to help me plan routes
Cosplay
I started a few cosplay projects this year, but didn’t finish them. Is anyone surprised?
Among those started but not abandoned projects is a novelty Sailor Moon scout uniform, F1-style racing jumpsuits inspired by the cars in Inital D, and fixing up my Aerrow cosplay from 2020. I loved wearing Aerrow, but because he was such a rush job, there were a lot of things about that cosplay that I knew I could do better (those seams were scary). I also lost so much weight that I needed to bring the clothes in (amazing what not stressing yourself out over cons, riding your bike a lot, and eating healthier foods will do for you!) I was lucky that almost all the upgrades I wanted to do could be made without remaking anything from scratch. I brought the clothes in and cleaned up the seams, added pockets on the pants, added weathering to the armor, reinforced the rivets on the armor, and added some more detail to the boots.
The one element I’m starting over on are the swords. I originally made them out of foam with fairy lights to make them glow, but I wanted to make them light up with animated, pulsing LEDs. This will be my first LEDs project, and I got overwhelmed with the process when I fisrt started learning more about them. However, I have found a lot of helpful tutorials online, and am able to commission a 3D printer to help with the printing process, so it should be an exciting journey.
Another cosplay I just started a few weeks ago is Mizu from Blue Eyed Samurai. A few friends suggested the show to me, and I loved it from the first episode. Mizu is such a cool character, and I really like their character design. The outfit looks pretty comfortable and easy to make. I’m hoping to have it together by the end of January so I can take pictures in the snow.
I attended Katsucon again this year. It was so fun being back at a con again, and to see friends from out of state. We cosplayed from Critical Role, Shang Chi, Gundam Witch from Mercury, Shield Hero (I finally finished Raphtalia after starting her three years ago!), Cells at Work, and Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans.
We also went to Otakon for just a day and wore our Cells at Work cospalys in a huge group of cells. We’ve been really cutting back on cons lately because we’ve been focusing on house hunting instead.
Other
I started a new job this year, and I really enjoy the work I’m doing. I get to use the skills I’m good at and I feel productive at the end of the day. I don’t feel nearly as stressed as I was at my old job, and I can probably contribute that to the people I work with now and the significantly shorter commute.
I participated in NaNoWriMo this year for the first time in about six years. This was the first time I ever hit the goal of 50,000 words in 30 days! I decided to re-write a story I first wrote back in middle school. I really loved those characters, and it was kind of easy to just expand on some of the events that I already knew were going to happen. I got to develop some of the characters even more, to give them little quirks or habits that made them seem more real, and explain why some of them did certain things or felt certain ways.
I also did a lot of journaling this year. I was very stressed before I started my new job, and I often wrote down everything that was making me nervous or causing me to worry. This style of writing coupled with all the bike riding I did this year was a major step in cleansing all that negativity from my life. I have noticed that I am able to make better decisions that affect my mental or physical health, and my body and mind have grown a little stronger because of it.
What’s New in 2024?
Next year is going to be an interesting one. We started the beginning of our house hunting journey this year. I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, but next year could be the year we move. Thankfully, we live in a good area, but because of that, our rent is also more than a mortgage on a house that is twice the size of our apartment. Besides that, it will be really nice to just let the dog out the back door instead of throwing on a bunch of layers, walking her down the stairs, and stomping around in the grass with a flashlight so we don’t step in dog poo that a lazy pet owner forgot to pick up.
Since we are moving forward with house hunting, I am taking a big step next year, and doing what I am calling a No-Buy year. Some people have different definitions of a no-buy year, but for me, it means I’m not buying anything that isn’t an essential (gas, groceries, gifts), and I’m focusing on appreciating the things I already have. You can read more about my plans for the year in my post from last week.
The no-buy challenge is going to help me with another goal for next year: Cycling. I want to continue to be consistent and refine my skills, and spending less time shopping and more time on the bike is the most straightforward way to do that. Originally, I thought I would aim for hitting 2,000 miles, which is about 400 miles more than I’ve been averaging. However, I think that number might be a little unrealistic based on my job and my lifestyle. I have a century ride planned for the fall, but I’d rather start training for it much earlier than June. One training I plan to start in January is to aim to ride on the trainer for about 20 minutes in the mornings before work. I am hoping that the consistency will help me prep my body for riding in the spring. Depending on how much time I have, I may up that to 30-40 minutes as the winter fades out. I would like to ride every work day morning, at least, and switch to outdoor rides on the weekends if the weather permits it. I just want to try to be more consistent in the early part of the year so I’m not starting back down at zero, or even one or two, at the start of the outdoor riding season.
This year marks the ten year anniversary of my books. I’ve been making some plans on how to celebrate the anniversary, which you will get the chance to hear about in March. Until then, check out the descriptions and links below.
Since completing NaNoWriMo last year, I am inspired to continue to write the story I started in November. I don’t know if I’ll be able to reach the 50,000 word goal, but I could probably get to the end of my story, which to me, would feel just as productive.
And finally, I plan to write more on this blog. I know for sure that I’ll be doing at least three No-buy related posts. I have no idea what my posting schedule is going to look like next year, so if you want to be the first to read them, be sure to subscribe!
Words From the Riverbed 