finally getting back into the groove of working out and yoga, worked out 5+ times last week
cooked a whole chicken on my own, pretty proud of myself, from 5 ingredient slow cooker book. it was great being able to go to the grocery store and only buy a few things and was in there for under half an hour.
going to try to just eat that this week and not eat out, i tried to log out of my doordash account on my phone but they make it incredibly hard.
Character Sketch – Heroine
Willow Le, now 28, has always been an overachiever. She grew up in an immigrant family where the emphasis of all her parents had given up to provide her with a “better life” was the focal point of their relationship. And because she had not known any better, she made becoming rich and successful the focal point of her life. In college she majored in business with a double emphasis on management and marketing with the thought that she one day would be her own boss and run a small business that would make her parents proud (and rich) — although they had wanted her to become a doctor.
Her friends would describe her as frugal but not cheap. She always drove beater cars around, never new, and always at least 10 years old. Currently she drives the “nicest” car she had ever owned: a gas guzzling, 15-year-old Mercedes that drove like a boat. Her parents had bought it for $3,000 somewhere.
Some general facts about her: she is petite with nice curves, black hair, deep brown eyes. Her favorite artist is Radiohead although she listens to all types of music. She loves watching indie films and reading the classics as well as philosophy. She drinks cheap wine and eats “fancy cheese” from Trader Joe’s. She loves Vietnamese food and sushi. On a random day off, she would read a book at a cafe, go to a museum, or just walk around the City (San Francisco) with her friends.
Character Sketch – Hero
Bernard Buckley, 30 years old, lives in San Francisco in a rented room in the inner Sunset. He works at Sony Playstation in the music department, his first and dream job which he got when he was 25 after having interned there during his last semester in school.
His most noticeable physical trait is his piercing grey green eyes that change color depending on what he’s wearing or what he’s looking at. He’s also tall and has an Irish charm to him. He’s an all-around nice guy, but his friends would say he’s oblivious at times when it comes to his social interactions, always thinking the best of people and not being able to spot nuances.
He drives a mid-’90s Japanese import car which he takes to autocross on weekends. Most of his money goes toward making tweaks and modding his car. He prides himself on being a safe yet fast driver.
On a random day off he might go see a live music show, go on a hike, play video games, or play guitar. He’s really bad at reaching out to his friends, but he is genuine and likeable so has a group of really good friends that constantly reach out to him to hang out. He thinks he’s an introvert, but does not come off like one when you talk to him.
His favorite band is the Smashing Pumpkins, although Radiohead comes in a close second.
been binging tipsy tolstoy recently, some of the stories i plan on reading, but some — well there just isn’t enough time in a lifetime but it’s giving me a better sense of how history, economics, and things playing out in different ways affects society on a larger scale. maybe it might make me care more, but it is still giving me a feeling of impending helplessness in the larger context of the world. and so maybe just still continue focusing inward, focus on just a few people. even though that does not come with the glory nor the fame. started reading war and peace again, this time i’m listening while reading with audio book, interesting how the translations are slightly different, and fun to see them. i’m mainly trying to learn how to pronounce all the name. and finally just have to admit i am the type of learner who just needs constant repetition and top of mind awareness. it’s scary how much i have forgotten over the years. like even my first kiss with P. i’ve been trying to remember it and cannot for the life of me. like a part of my life and history has just disappeared. can i really even prove i have existed? maybe this should be part of my romance novel. 3000 words due in 3 weeks. eeeeeeek.
finally starting to get back into the swing of things, a lot of things resolved in my mind. at least for now. starting this russian lit lecture series on the great courses website and will be keeping notes here, i want this blog to be more representative of my life so i can look back in the future. i realized i don’t remember a lot of things and would like to go back to piece things together, but maybe the best way is to document as you go. still planning to journal by hand but i think this is the best way to be able to go back and reference. so once again, for the 100th time, restarting this blogging journey.
started reading war & peace again yesterday. i just haven’t found a book that has quite moved me quite like it in the past few years (not that i haven’t read books that i wasn’t touched by) but there is an excitement in me when i read tolstoy that does not bubble up like others. the books i’ve read that have touched me generally make me feel sad, tolstoy makes me feel alive, wanting to explore more about humanity and life and people. so why not revisit, and unpack. really could probably spend my whole life studying just this one book. i read in the intro by pevear yesterday that it is very hard to simplify the telling of human truths (concept by tolstoy) and so war & peace is an attempt to do so in a very indirect way. i find this to be so true. it’s hard to tell a friend how you feel or are doing when they ask you “so what’s new?” — it can’t possibly encompass all of you. only you can know and maybe the person you live with and even that take a high level of awareness that many people don’t seem to have. and this writing stuff, is even harder. if you’re good you will be able to capture it. but i’d have to admit i’m at the moment notsogood, so let’s just try to capture as much as we can and parse it out later.