How did that happen? What did actually happened? It is unclear and like the twist plot in a movie, flashbacks might be required to explain and remember. For posterity.

You don’t need to read, I’m just journaling.

Partly because we are living through unrealistic times, times which, for some uncertain / crazy /masochistic reasons, we may want to remember… I certainly do! Partly because this online space is becoming something else for me, something I want to cherish & want to see grow like a little garden of memories, for my empty brain. I might be thankful one day. Then again, maybe not… One day, I’d be like ‘what the hell were you thinking!‘ And my younger self will be like ‘ok, boomer… chill!’

I’m also trying to be funny, so you probably, definitively, should not continue reading!

Anyway, I’m starting to feel like I have a lifestyle blog! (Is it still a thing to have?) Never meant it to be, but I’m not sure there is a better word for what it is and becoming. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Note: This post include one sneaky affiliated link. If you decide to make a purchase, I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you.

January snapshots

The month started well. I felt somehow optimistic. Not optimistic enough to think the end of the pandemic was near. Not optimistic enough to believe we would find solutions to the World environmental problems. Not even optimistic enough to believe this feeling would last!

So what? I don’t know! Don’t ask. i just felt good for a while. We are all allowed to, sometimes!?

It didn’t last, ok!

Feelings aside…

I saw what was supposed to be a dress but it ended up looking kind of like a coat, without a lining or the appropriate structure. I didn’t have enough fabric so I improvised. So yeah, in short it is well sawn (yeah!) but unwearable. I f@?#cked up! No idea where to go from there. Getting the wrong fabric and still doing the thing you had planned and improvising doesn’t always pay off. I did a lot of hand sewing for this, we’ll call it training!!

Being immerse in such sewing project, kept me sane when the news was bombarding us with the violent images of the US insurrection. It really helped.

Not trying to tease, but I did draw quite a bit. I can’t show any of the drawing because these aren’t just for me…

Yes, eventually I worked. Yet, I managed to go a full month without seeing any of my co-workers! Hooray! #NewLifeGoal

Most importantly, I managed to alternate gracefully between such activities and it felt right. More on this below.

Cooking was hard this month. I lacked motivation and inspiration. Not sure why, really. It could be too much cooking during the last 9 months, it could be the lack of diversification in products or else. I saw tomatoes at the supermarket yesterday and was appalled. Yet, I crave summer salads, summer colors and freshness. Obviously, I didn’t buy any tomatoes.

Oh, I cut down significantly on bread! When I was at my dad’s place for Christmas and New year, I just had way too much French baguette – and croissants! ok, yes!! – Coming back home, I felt I needed to slow down on these sorts of carb.

Some small but useful decluttering was made as well as some further planning for the new apartment. Although this isn’t going to the pace I had in mind, it still feels good.

The Wolf moon was incredible! Such beauty, such light. It was also draining…

Waking up at 4AM doesn’t seem to work well for me anymore. 5:30 is better. Naps are still a requirement! Oh it’s winter, so maybe that’s ok.

Sometimes, it takes me so much willpower to get cracking with a task. My quarterly invoicing is one of such tasks. I love seeing the money coming into my account, but issuing and sending my invoices is hard, incredibly hard to do. #JustF#@!ckingDoIt !

And then in the middle, there was my aunt’s funeral… And I crawled back into my shell because I couldn’t think about it, I didn’t want to think about it. It went as well as these can go and we all stayed covid-free. Told you the optimistic feeling didn’t last.

I have finished the montage I had started months ago, with all the parts of my bike. It’s basically a flat-lay of such motorcycle. I have mixed feelings about it but overall, I guess it’s kind of cool, at least to remember the work accomplished. Just need to get it printed and done! #PhotoshopNightmare!

The take out

One thing I did this month is to set small & achievable weekly goals.

Setting 5 weekly ‘goals’ and then planning 2 or 3 daily tasks related to such goals has worked out well. Most days, I sticked to such tasks, refusing to handle other things. It kept me sane & focused. It brought me peace. I didn’t manage to finish all goals the same week, but usually did very early on the next week.

Forgive me, but weekly ‘goals’ are kind of new to me! And I have to use a better word than ‘goal’ which I hate.

I still have an endless to do list, but it isn’t there, in front of me all the time. It’s not scaring me, it’s not taunting me. It’s not telling me: “you can’t do all of this. You’ll never manage“. My to do list has become silent and patient and it feels good!

And yes, I stopped adding things to it, just to cross them the next second to feel productive, to fell I managed something!

Something else great happened…

I had to say no. More than once. It used to be hard and maybe it got easier, or maybe the circumstances dictated such firm position. Not quite sure. I hope it got easier because it’s not my super power.

Best buy of the month

A soldering iron! Yes!!

OK, I’m a little crazy but not entirely. I have plans and I just couldn’t continue using my dad’s thing which is antique and ridiculously big, heavy, dangerous and unpractical for what we have to do (on the 2nd bike!)

I’m clearly not yet a soldering expert. I have managed a pretty good solder with this iron, but it took me ages! I’m so not ready to handle the task I have in mind, but will make it happen… somehow.

Not exactly the one I got, but pretty much an identical soldering iron. #affiliatedlink!

What’s planned for February?

Wait?… Am I seriously making plans for a whole month now??? What is happening to me? 😲

I guess I am!

So February should include more drawings! I have to get cracking at this project I’m working on, to at least free some mind space, although it is doubtful that I’ll finish by the end of the month.

Sewing wise, I do have some more fabric to mess up. I’m reluctant to do so but I’ll get to it eventually, although it might not be this month.

Honestly, I still have hopes to fill up my wardrobe with beautiful hand-sawn pieces but admittedly, after the dress / coat disaster, such hopes are slightly thinner!

February is my month to finish up things! Mercury retrograde should help!

Then in March, I can start new things…

My Highlights for February

February 2nd: Crepes for Candlemas!

February 7th: My dad’s Birthday! You know where I shall be!

February 12th: Chinese New year and the year of the Ox

February 14th: Valentine’s day (I almost forget, but I guessed I shouldn’t)

And then nothing! So I suppose I’ll be working a lot!

*****

Enjoy the month to come!

More drawing shown below… a bit peculiar I admit and not my usual style!