Summer and Winter

Hello there readers,

I'm writing to you from a windy summer night in Toronto. Summer has flown by. I looked up at the calendar, and it was August 29th. So, time flies, what else is new?

The last two months have been interesting. I started a new job at the end of June, I slackened on my goals (sort of), and I have just been living life. This is the way of summer.

The way of winter is one of planning and diligence. It is the way of making new year's resolutions and then going at them eagerly.

Then, summer rolls around. People are out. Things happen more spontaneously, and at the end of the day, I want to spend less time in front of a computer (doubly so, with the new job).

So what has the last two months brought me?

Housing wise, I'm fairly settled into our new apartment. There are still boxes sort-of-out-of-sight. Due to the privilege of our amenities, I've been able to go swimming at the outdoor pool, play tennis or pickleball (a new and exciting thing, pickleball), and hang out in the park on a whim. This has been really great.

The summer has also brought a humidity like none I've felt in Toronto. It feels humid every day. The upstairs of our apartment is sticky. The main floor is decent.

I have also managed to get out of the city a time or two, for day trips a weekend with family, and a week at a cottage. What a blessing.

Painting everyday has mostly ceased, but I'm still staying the course for this month's project of painting 6 paintings from a book of photographs. I've got five out of 6 done.

But there's more. I've become fairly obsessed with comics. This discovery went hand in hand with several serediptious visits to local libraries. I think it might have started with reading Inside Moebius. Then, I went on to borrow many, many more comics and graphic novels (and essays on comics artist, etc) from the library.

If you know me well, you might have guessed that next I might say that I want to try and make comics. Indeed, that is so. It seems like a good next cumulative step in my journey to learn to draw.

Generally, I have stopped time tracking completely. For a while I was trying to use an app on my phone to do that, but I just kept forgetting.

If I've learned anything from this summer<>winter comparison, it's that things like quantified self, objectives, and statistics help me get through the winter. Winter is hard in Canada, and it is filled with much blues. Take whatever you can get to keep you motivated to do what you love, I say.

I have also decided to try going to a gym, monday to friday instead of doing hobbies in the morning before work. At times this feels like a sacrifice, but I think my mental health is better for it, and I feel better in my body.

I continue to peripherally engaged with the idea of building a memex. I have played around with this a bit, using Phoenix and LiveView, but haven't gotten anywhere substantial.

A whirlwind of an update! I hope your summer has been well, dear reader.

xo

wt