sorcyress: Drawing of me as a pirate, standing in front of the Boston Citgo sign (Default)
ALRIGHT IT'S 2017!

So, I have this file on my computer from a year ago entitled "REVOLUSTRAVAGANZA". Somehow I am only just now realizing that "rev" is not the start of "resolution" but that's to be understood, since I haven't updated the list since like...apparently April. Huh.

In my defense, I spent a lot more of 2016 in a semi-Depressive state than most of the years prior, prompted in no small part by the minor traumas of losing a job I loved1, dealing with a serious asshole landlord2, and The Election. Usually I just get the drain bamage in the winter, spending much of April-June wanting to sob to pieces in my office was an unwelcome addition.

But separate from that, let's check in and see how I did on things. You can read the original post here.

1) Writing: Ehhhhhnnnnnhhh. I did a significantly spottier job of using 750w in 2016 than in 2015. This is gonna be a common trend by the way, 2015 was an objectively better year all around. I'll see about getting back into the swing of things this year.

2) Making LJ posts or whatever: I certainly haven't been hitting 15 a month, but I've been doing a fair clip, which is great. Apparently in October I posted on over half the days, which is kinda amazing. I'll keep trying to focus energies, I (as always) miss it over here.

3) Backing up the computer: I have been...okay? at this. Currently I'm like 60 days out, which is not so good. I will continue to try and hit once a month.

4) Cull my closet: This did not so much happen. I am not so much good at this.

5) Track bicycle milage: I did an awesome job of this until May, at which point I...got distracted and stopped syncing Eddie3 with Kela4, and also stopped using Eddie for a long while. That being said, I managed 1141.84 miles on the bike from January to May, which is a goodly amount, damnit!

((I miss my stupid eight mile commute along the river with the sunrise behind me. Damn but that was good zen-time.))

6) Frivolous bike journey: I did not actually manage. Maybe next year? It's not super a priority.

7) We don't talk about number seven. Being an adult is hard, and I spent a lot of the year in lack-of-meds trauma, which is my excuse for why we don't talk of number seven.

8) Have a job better than substituting for this school year: Well, uh. Huh. Okay, so nannying is objectively better than substituting (it's more consistent, less stressful, and pays better. No benefits, but then, I don't have benefits as a sub either). It's also not what I want to be doing with myself in the long term. Maybe 2017 should be the year where I get serious about finding a *career* again.

9) Five multiday non-dance events: Arisia, Balticon, Gencon, NYFF and.......Marc's Wedding? I don't think that counts. I traveled a lot, but most of it wasn't *events*, per se.

10) Five multiday dance events: Pinewoods x3, NEFFA, and I completely failed to do anything this fall.

11) Do well at current job: Well, they fired me. Like, less than a month after I made this resolution, there began to be Big Conversations and all of January and February was fucking nightmare awful, but I genuinely thought I was doing the work I needed and getting better and it didn't matter. Come the April contract negotiations, I was informed that I would not be invited back.

(My boss was gracious enough to do it at a free period at the end of the day, which means when I went down to my office and sobbed, I didn't have to worry about getting my face back together for students.)

But I think I did a pretty fucking good job of it up until that ending point. The best I could, at least.

12) Give more presents: Ehhh, a little bit? I got weirdly excited and overboard this Christmas with my family (which I like and feel good about, and since I get many things secondhand or discount, I don't feel like I spent too much money or anything), and I feel like I've done a couple good things throughout the year, but not much.

13) Give more presence: I continue to not do well at this, but I've at least been trying? I need to leave way more DW/LJ comments than I actually do, don't I?

14) Less computer time: Weirdly yes? And also very no? It's complicated. When I have other things to do or people to interact with, I'm a lot better at being present and not on the electronicx. When I'm just living my day-to-day life, it's harder. The introduction of pokemon weirded this a lot --I am more likely to have my phone out in public, but also more likely to not be doing anything that takes my attention.

I am probably not allowed to play Skyrim in 2017 either, but I'll re-check this position sometime around June. (Yes, I'm jonesing. Yes, I know there are other similarly good big sandboxy games, but I can't play any of them *either*, not until I can handle myself better.)

15) Emails: I currently have 9851 emails in my inboxen (667 unread). This is not great, but is better than the "well over 10k" I had this time last year. I'll keep poking at it.

16) Wedding planning: Oh gods, I haven't done any of this, and I need to start. Like serously start, since I'll be 28 in eight months. *whimper*

17) Spend time on west coast: With the corollary of "with my boyfriends". This mostly didn't happen. I did visit mek in April, which was excellent, but I didn't actually manage to visit Sparr at all, and things with K˚ are...complicated right now. My resolutions for this year are gonna include "repair some of my relationships and be a better partner".

18) Highland: Nnnnnn? I've been going more often, sure. I competed again (and I'm getting better --previous comp I was solidly 4/4, this one I was solidly 5/7). I'm now up to having *eight* dances clattering around in my head and getting confused with each other. I really want to find the time to film myself doing the best I can at each of them, so I have something to compare with in n months.

As I've mentioned a couple times here, I have no idea why I do Highland. I should unpack that sometime.

19) Craft more stuff: Unfortunately no. I've started drawing again, which is good, but I have really not been doing much in the creation department otherwise. Need to work on that.

(I did sew a tiny Sporran beltpouch at the NH Highland Games --oh hey, that's a multiday dance event!-- this year, because they didn't mind a grownass adult crashing the kids space. It's cute! I made a (very bad) buttonhole!)

So that's that review. It's good to check in with my goals sometimes. Maybe I will make more goals for 2017, and maybe I will actually do a better job of them this year.

~Sor
MOOP!

1: The narrative I have been using (because it hurts less) is that they were looking for a different classroom management style. This is true, but I don't like admitting how much I would've been willing to bend myself to theirs, despite the fact that I am not remotely authoritarian and that seems to be more of what they wanted.

2: Do you wanna know what I love most about my living situation right now? FUCKING EVERYTHING (except going from free in-unit laundry to coin in the basement). I love my new roommates, I love my new house, I love my new landlord, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my non-oil heat. It's a really good thing in a sea of not-so-great.

3: My shipboard computer! (Making the first electronic I've given a dude-name to in ages)

4: Keladry Selbstzucht --my darling laptop, named for the Lady Knight of Mindelan and the German word for self-discipline.
sorcyress: Drawing of me as a pirate, standing in front of the Boston Citgo sign (Default)
I am sortof chronically disorganized in most things, and my classroom management skills are apparently shite, and it is a true fact that I, on average, prep most of my lessons less than an hour before I need them.

But if there is one place I succeed as a teacher, and how, it is that I write magnificently thorough sub plans. Because after three damn years of putting up with that bullshit? There's no way I'd not.

I feel like I am adequately paying forward my teacher-karmic debt.

~Sor
MOOP!
sorcyress: Drawing of me as a pirate, standing in front of the Boston Citgo sign (Default)
Like every good nerd1, I occasionally sit back and think about what my alignment would be.

(Classic AD&D style --in KamB, as in real life, I'm pretty much always Chaotic Hungry. And none of this 4e bullshit)

And like every good nerd, every once in a while, something happens to me and I find myself in a situation where I can just *feel* the shit-eating grin of the Big Gamemaster2 In The Sky. Because if you do too many things outside your alignment, you get pinged, but ohhhhh is it tempting some days.

My school's website is a dot-org. The dot-com version of the domain is not currently purchased. They did not hire me back and while I do get that it's not personal, I'm still bitter that I have to job hunt and re-deal with medical insurance. YOU CAN SEE WHERE SOMEONE WOULD START TO GET IDEAS, RIGHT?!

Anyways, I was curious enough to click the "buy this domain" button, whereupon it asked me to put an offer into a textbox...and when I tried "$25", informed me that my offer must start at $1000. So my alignment today can remain comfortably at "neutral poor3".

Alas!

~Sor
MOOP!

1: There is no correct way to nerd. I am describing one subset of my geek culture. If your nerddom doesn't involve DnD or even tabletops in general, that's cool too.

2: "You say GM and not DM?" (tw: misandry ;) )

3: This is an interesting discussion into a different set of words, since even when I've been scraping together rolls of dimes to pay rent, I have never been, culturally, poor. I am extraordinarily lucky, and hope that remains the case.


PostScript: So, what's your alignment? And based on this post --I was careful not to say-- what do you think mine is, or better yet, what do you think I think mine is?
sorcyress: Drawing of me as a pirate, standing in front of the Boston Citgo sign (Default)
For those who have been asking, I have not been hired back for next year.

I almost certainly have a lot of thoughts about this. Maybe sometime soon I will share them. For right now, I just hurt.

R.
MOOP!
sorcyress: Drawing of me as a pirate, standing in front of the Boston Citgo sign (Default)
Oof. Have not updated my Resolustravaganza in at least two months. Let's check in!

1) Write every day: Check. Check check check motherfuckin' check plus. I haven't missed a day since January 23rd. Wooooo!

2) 15 LJ posts a month: Ehhhh. I was doing okay at this, and then I just pretty much stopped updating. Because...I have no good reason for this. Anyways, 12 for February (yay!) and 4 for March (ugh). Try more in April, yes?

3) Back up computer more: I missed the February backup, but I did back her up just before going to MD. So, you know, this is working kinda.

4) Cull clothing: So close! I was gonna go to a clothing swap on Friday, but then it was postponed. So maybe this week I'll go? And maybe I'll even run through my dresses and stuff before I do?

Also, I am planning to move in probably June, which means I'm doing a lot of thought about how I own ALL THE STUFF and I don't wanna move all the stuff. I should make a proper post about this.

5) Track bicycle milage: Okay! I am updating the thing right now, here is the data!
January:
February:
March:

6) Long bike journey: Still haven't worked on planning this, still think that's totally okay as it's not summer yet. Although as far as summer plans go, it sounds like I'm probably gonna go to Acadia this summer, and that's pretty rad.

7) Fuck you too.

8) Have a better-than-substituting job for the 2016/17 school year: HAHAHHAHAHHAHhohgods, so this is the week I need to send the "what are your plans for next year?" email to my boss, and in a couple weeks we'll have the contract renegotiation and that might be the point when they say "you're awesome, stick around!" and that might be the point when they say "yeah, fuck off, we want a better teacher" and OH GODS.

But it's okay. Even if I don't keep working at currentjob, I will be able to get references and show off lesson plans and I'll get hired somewhere else please please please?

9) 5 multi-day geek events: Still sitting at just Arisia. Need to buy the stuff to do Marcon (plane tickets, membership, hotel room). Very likely doing GenCon, counter to what I said last time. Woo!

10) 5 multi-day dance events: I am confirmed for NEFFA, and three sessions of Pinewoods. What else should I go to? (I missed Easthill like a RIGHT TIT, but maybe YDW is an option?)

11) Do well in current job: Hahahhaha I mean, I really have been stepping it up, and trying to put in good work, and I mostly feel really good about it, but I also have to really seriously sit down with myself every time I get criticised and be all "this is growth opportunity, not a problem".

12) Give more presents: I gave my aunt some awesome trim I found at the cruft swap, and a little BadtzMaru book! I have an Arisia bookmark for mom that has HER NAME ON IT!!!! And I have birthday presents for both mek (this is accidental and I have no idea where I got it, but it's in my "stuff to give people" box and definitely for him) and my sir.

13) Give more presence: Nope. Sorry. :/

14) Less screen time: Sigh. I am trying to get back in the habit of having NO SCREENS for an hour after I get home from work. It's...mixed success. I've only been at it for like half a week so far.

15) Emails: Oof. Currently I have 11,896 emails in the box, with 3,372 unread. YEAH. I AM BAD AT THIS. (most of them are like...random kickstarter updates and survey opportunities and not actual emails, but still.)

16) Wedding planning: Has not been happening, oops.

17) Spend a month on the West Coast: I have bought tickets for goin' to California and seeing mek over Spring Break, yay! That's like in two weeks, holyshit.

I've been kinda morose and weird about some of my relationship things recently, so I'm not sure I'm actually gonna spend a billion years on the west coast this summer like I did last time. I kinda want to have some summer time around Boston? I miss getting to hang with my Boston peeps who I don't see ever because I'm working or commuting for 13 hours out of every day. We'll see how I feel closer to June.

18) Highland x3 a month: I am doing...better? But I think I only made it once in February. Three times in March though! (Maybe four, I think March had enough days for that.

19) Craft stuff: Sadface. I dunno how to inspire this one better.

So that's, you know. Coming along.

~Sor
MOOP!
sorcyress: Drawing of me as a pirate, standing in front of the Boston Citgo sign (Default)
This weekend has been awesome for productivity!

So, I am at the Bananamines for ten days, to catsit. Being as I am pretty much forced to be staying in a strange place for that span of time, I decided to try really hard to actually get stuff done in a dedicated kind of fashion.

This...worked out surprisingly well for me! I did not realize it would actually work, and I am happy for this. Yesterday, after Candidate Class, Lauren came over. We watched Wolfcop and Treasure Planet (while I graded half of the 7th grade tests, which is more than a little bit excellent.)

Tonight, I finished grading those (yay!). But before that, Lauren and I ran a _ton_ of errands. Most important of these was getting out to the bike shop and buying all the things I need to make my bike ridable again. Tomorrow, I go to the Asylum with my rad bike friend Scott, and he works his magic.

We also got excellent social time, and went out for Chinese food. By the time I went to demo team practice, I was already feeling like I'd gotten things done. Now, at 11:30? Oh yeah. I am awesome.

We'll see if the trend continues. And if it does, I may just have to move in full time.

~Sor
MOOP!

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sorcyress: Drawing of me as a pirate, standing in front of the Boston Citgo sign (Default)
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