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Mission: Accomplished!
Dec. 26th, 2025 07:29 pmChristmas was perfect! Okay, perhaps a bit more stress than the perfectly low stress event, but we had friends over, and it was super fun. I'm scrambling to remember that today is Friday, though, which means preparing for tomorrow, which is a really busy day. My plan worked!
Gingerbread
Dec. 23rd, 2025 07:00 pmI have successfully made gingerbread dough. Yay! Joel declared that it is tasty. My next step is to actually bake some. If I can get one batch done today, then I can do two more tomorrow, and I'll be all set.
The three act structure and holidays
Dec. 7th, 2025 05:24 pmThe standard story structure that we use in the West is something similar to the three act structure, which basically has an inciting incident (what begins the story), the rising action (tension increases as the story unfolds with difficulties along the way that keep the hero from reaching the goal), and the climax (where all that tension peaks and starts to be resolved).
I've been thinking about holidays and how to make them fun. I've been thinking about this for quite a while, so probably you've read about this here before. I've known it is about doing some holiday-related activities and that kind of thing to get you in the spirit, but that isn't all of it. Yesterday, I started wondering how much of the difficulty was that we already get whatever we want from an online store as soon as we want it and that we eat all the luxurious food we want, so feast-day food is no longer a big deal. Today, I started with that idea and worked on it until I came out with the following:
Holidays are good if they follow the three act structure.
They start with your realization that it is approaching the holiday season. Perhaps, in the case of Christmas, it is that Thanksgiving is over, or that people start putting up lights. Next, your anticipation begins to build, but you also face some challenges. One is that you need to wait for the holiday (which is already super hard if you are a kid), but others might be travel, buying presents, or preparing food. However, after all the little events that build tension - holiday parties, Christmas music, seeing Christmas decorations everywhere - you get the climactic event: opening presents with a big tree covered in lights.
If the buildup goes on too long, the anticipation wears off. If there is no buildup, it feels a lot less like a holiday, and if the climax is sub-par, it is disappointing.
This is really helpful for me, as now I can see that all the events in the world during the build-up phase don't work to create a satisfying holiday if there is no climax at the end. Likewise, if the climax is too stressful, like Thanksgiving was this year, even though there wasn't actually all that much that I did, it isn't satisfying.
So, now, I'm thinking of organizing holidays/really exciting events around these three factors:
* buildup appropriate to the event (edit: with a sense of joy and wonder, as a friend points out)
* a climax that is fun/exciting/enjoyable enough to justify all the buildup
* the day of the event should be low enough stress that the participants have the energy to enjoy it
To that end, we'll do some more in terms of decorations, but I won't do tons and tons more Christmas stuff around town. Then, we'll have friends who have no family in town over on Christmas Day (or something else if everyone changes their minds) to make gingerbread houses (I'll make the gingerbread in advance to lower the stress), string popcorn on thread to make garlands, and maybe do something that is festive in their countries. Probably, we'll feed them, but it will be something simple like sandwiches or a maybe a spicy ground turkey casserole that Joel really likes. If they all flake, maybe Joel and I will go and walk along the bike path by the river together, since I love Joel time. We're also considering hiring one of the professional Game Masters to run a holiday-themed roleplaying game for us, since that would also be super fun and much less stress than having to run it ourselves.
I've been thinking about holidays and how to make them fun. I've been thinking about this for quite a while, so probably you've read about this here before. I've known it is about doing some holiday-related activities and that kind of thing to get you in the spirit, but that isn't all of it. Yesterday, I started wondering how much of the difficulty was that we already get whatever we want from an online store as soon as we want it and that we eat all the luxurious food we want, so feast-day food is no longer a big deal. Today, I started with that idea and worked on it until I came out with the following:
Holidays are good if they follow the three act structure.
They start with your realization that it is approaching the holiday season. Perhaps, in the case of Christmas, it is that Thanksgiving is over, or that people start putting up lights. Next, your anticipation begins to build, but you also face some challenges. One is that you need to wait for the holiday (which is already super hard if you are a kid), but others might be travel, buying presents, or preparing food. However, after all the little events that build tension - holiday parties, Christmas music, seeing Christmas decorations everywhere - you get the climactic event: opening presents with a big tree covered in lights.
If the buildup goes on too long, the anticipation wears off. If there is no buildup, it feels a lot less like a holiday, and if the climax is sub-par, it is disappointing.
This is really helpful for me, as now I can see that all the events in the world during the build-up phase don't work to create a satisfying holiday if there is no climax at the end. Likewise, if the climax is too stressful, like Thanksgiving was this year, even though there wasn't actually all that much that I did, it isn't satisfying.
So, now, I'm thinking of organizing holidays/really exciting events around these three factors:
* buildup appropriate to the event (edit: with a sense of joy and wonder, as a friend points out)
* a climax that is fun/exciting/enjoyable enough to justify all the buildup
* the day of the event should be low enough stress that the participants have the energy to enjoy it
To that end, we'll do some more in terms of decorations, but I won't do tons and tons more Christmas stuff around town. Then, we'll have friends who have no family in town over on Christmas Day (or something else if everyone changes their minds) to make gingerbread houses (I'll make the gingerbread in advance to lower the stress), string popcorn on thread to make garlands, and maybe do something that is festive in their countries. Probably, we'll feed them, but it will be something simple like sandwiches or a maybe a spicy ground turkey casserole that Joel really likes. If they all flake, maybe Joel and I will go and walk along the bike path by the river together, since I love Joel time. We're also considering hiring one of the professional Game Masters to run a holiday-themed roleplaying game for us, since that would also be super fun and much less stress than having to run it ourselves.
We've decided not to have a New Years roleplaying one-shot, because Joel is stressed from all the time pressure and stuff we have to do. That's fine. We can see if we feel like doing it next year.
Today, we went up to the house and chipped paint off the upstairs walls. When we had gotten all the loose bits off, Joel went downstairs to chip off more paint, while I cleaned upstairs. Then, I tested the varnish on a clean, dry patch. It didn't bead up, which was trial number one. Tomorrow, I'll see if it dried clear. Also, I need to test if it adhered well. If it did, I'll sand a couple of spots that need it, clean the whole floor again, and then varnish the whole floor. Happily, I had enough time to sweep and then mop the downstairs too. It will get dirty again, but it is really nice to have our house not completely filthy.
I ordered an electric sander (a random orbital sander, for those who care) and a bunch of sanding disks, so that I can sand the stairs and varnish them at some point. They really need it. The sander won't come for a bit, though, which is fine. I don't need to do this part now.
I had thought about trying to get the soil samples boxed up and sent to the place that will do the testing. However, now I think that it would be smarter to walk past the shipping place to see if it is open. Then, I can go on Thursday morning before we go to work on the new house.
And I'm sick. So, I'm even more tired than usual. However, I've started playing Baldur's Gate 3, which is fun.
Today, we went up to the house and chipped paint off the upstairs walls. When we had gotten all the loose bits off, Joel went downstairs to chip off more paint, while I cleaned upstairs. Then, I tested the varnish on a clean, dry patch. It didn't bead up, which was trial number one. Tomorrow, I'll see if it dried clear. Also, I need to test if it adhered well. If it did, I'll sand a couple of spots that need it, clean the whole floor again, and then varnish the whole floor. Happily, I had enough time to sweep and then mop the downstairs too. It will get dirty again, but it is really nice to have our house not completely filthy.
I ordered an electric sander (a random orbital sander, for those who care) and a bunch of sanding disks, so that I can sand the stairs and varnish them at some point. They really need it. The sander won't come for a bit, though, which is fine. I don't need to do this part now.
I had thought about trying to get the soil samples boxed up and sent to the place that will do the testing. However, now I think that it would be smarter to walk past the shipping place to see if it is open. Then, I can go on Thursday morning before we go to work on the new house.
And I'm sick. So, I'm even more tired than usual. However, I've started playing Baldur's Gate 3, which is fun.
Christmas Eve
Dec. 24th, 2023 11:54 pmFirst off, I tried to watch Die Hard last night, but it was such a pain to actually get access to it with all the restrictions for regions and other stuff that I decided that it isn't worth it. I'm going to skip watching movies. I don't love watching them anyway, so I shouldn't plan on doing something that is a challenge.
Today, I finished reading another novel by Iain M. Banks. It was not as amazing as the last one I read (Look to Windward), but it was still totally enjoyable. Then, after breakfast, we went to the hardware store to pick up the order made online for the varnish I need for the floor at the new house. First, we went to a notions store in the same mall, where I got the embroidery floss for my New Year's project: a cross stitch embroidery of a capybara with a duckling on his head with 2024 over them. Then, we went to the big food store to pick up more peanuts, because I've been stress eating my way through them. Lastly, we went to the hardware store, where they pointed out that I had ordered the varnish to be picked up at a different location, and I had an hour before the store closed. The bus was going to get us there 15 minutes before they closed, which seemed sketchy, so we took an Uber, which cut 40 minutes off the time. We picked up our stuff quickly and then walked home (about 1 hour) through a couple of parks. It was so lovely, as spending time with Joel always is.
While on the bus to the first hardware store, I had tried to find a book for my Christmas Eve romance novel reading. I was getting all kinds of "just published in 2023" lists and "I don't like romance novels, but these are the ones I recommend" lists, which were not what I was looking for. These days, instead of fighting to get Google to give you what you want, you can just ask ChatGPT. I did, and it gave me a nice list. I looked up the first book, which was well-reviewed, and it sounded good, so I got that. Once I got home, I finally had the time to sit down and read it. The book is "A Holiday by Gaslight" by Mimi Matthews, and it was delightful. The best part is that I would be happy to read it again, so if next year's book isn't great, I can read this one to make me feel better.
Tomorrow, we're going to have our one-shot, Christmas-themed roleplaying game. A guy from my writer's group suddenly had nothing to do for Christmas, so he will join us. Should be fun!
Today, I finished reading another novel by Iain M. Banks. It was not as amazing as the last one I read (Look to Windward), but it was still totally enjoyable. Then, after breakfast, we went to the hardware store to pick up the order made online for the varnish I need for the floor at the new house. First, we went to a notions store in the same mall, where I got the embroidery floss for my New Year's project: a cross stitch embroidery of a capybara with a duckling on his head with 2024 over them. Then, we went to the big food store to pick up more peanuts, because I've been stress eating my way through them. Lastly, we went to the hardware store, where they pointed out that I had ordered the varnish to be picked up at a different location, and I had an hour before the store closed. The bus was going to get us there 15 minutes before they closed, which seemed sketchy, so we took an Uber, which cut 40 minutes off the time. We picked up our stuff quickly and then walked home (about 1 hour) through a couple of parks. It was so lovely, as spending time with Joel always is.
While on the bus to the first hardware store, I had tried to find a book for my Christmas Eve romance novel reading. I was getting all kinds of "just published in 2023" lists and "I don't like romance novels, but these are the ones I recommend" lists, which were not what I was looking for. These days, instead of fighting to get Google to give you what you want, you can just ask ChatGPT. I did, and it gave me a nice list. I looked up the first book, which was well-reviewed, and it sounded good, so I got that. Once I got home, I finally had the time to sit down and read it. The book is "A Holiday by Gaslight" by Mimi Matthews, and it was delightful. The best part is that I would be happy to read it again, so if next year's book isn't great, I can read this one to make me feel better.
Tomorrow, we're going to have our one-shot, Christmas-themed roleplaying game. A guy from my writer's group suddenly had nothing to do for Christmas, so he will join us. Should be fun!
Organization
Dec. 22nd, 2023 11:33 pmUgh. We are both struggling because so much is going on, and a lot of it involves things that have drying times, which makes this a math problem more than just an effort issue. After a bunch of talking with ChatGPT (I sent it photos of the can of varnish, and it read the instructions and gave me a translated and more clear version) and a bunch of fretting, I finally came up with a plan that I think will work. So, we'll be starting some more work on the house next week. I'll pick up the floor-grade varnish (which I think is like polyurethane) on Sunday from the store and paint a test patch next week to make sure that the varnish I get will work (if it is an oil-based one, there could be issues). We can focus on painting the downstairs walls with lime wash, which is the area that needs the most work, while the varnish on the upstairs floor is drying/curing, since the upstairs walls aren't in as bad shape and will need fewer coats.
We have holidays before that, though. In the future, there are a bunch of things we'd like to do for the holiday: have a tree, make decorations for the tree, make gingerbread houses, etc. However, a lot of those are too much this year, so my holiday plan is:
* December 23: watch Die Hard (I didn't get to last year, and I'd like to, even if I do something else while watching it)
* December 24: buy a trashy Christmas-themed romance novel and read it (giving a book and reading it on Christmas eve is apparently a tradition in Iceland)
* December 25: play a Christmas-themed roleplaying game
I'm holding off until Christmas, but I also plan on finally buying Baldur's Gate 3. It is time.
We have holidays before that, though. In the future, there are a bunch of things we'd like to do for the holiday: have a tree, make decorations for the tree, make gingerbread houses, etc. However, a lot of those are too much this year, so my holiday plan is:
* December 23: watch Die Hard (I didn't get to last year, and I'd like to, even if I do something else while watching it)
* December 24: buy a trashy Christmas-themed romance novel and read it (giving a book and reading it on Christmas eve is apparently a tradition in Iceland)
* December 25: play a Christmas-themed roleplaying game
I'm holding off until Christmas, but I also plan on finally buying Baldur's Gate 3. It is time.
A lovely time
Nov. 24th, 2023 10:53 pmWe had a lovely Thanksgiving! A bunch of friends came over, and we talked and talked and talked. Today, we managed to get our state medical insurance numbers, which is something we needed to do before moving. Yay!! Unfortunately, it is pretty chilly in our apartment now. I am _really_ looking forward to having heat in the new house.
Bedroom!!!!!
Dec. 29th, 2022 10:51 pmEars: I went to the doctor, and she said that it is just inflammation. She gave me a prescription for ear drops that I'll get tomorrow. Hopefully, that will be enough to get me to the point where I can travel.
Roof: According to the workers, the roof is done. We moved our bed back into our bedroom, and suddenly the apartment is much easier to navigate. I am so incredibly happy to have things back the way we had them set up previously.
Programming: I'm pretty sure that I got the calendar program working. Right now, there are no holidays, so nothing is showing up, but it should work when there are. There are still a couple of things that need to be fixed/added, but I can do that tomorrow/later. I also fixed the big problem I was having in the travel database and cleaned up a bunch of smaller problems, including some that were caused by my own sloppiness and not by the php 8 upgrade.
Hutch: I started working on putting gesso on the drawers today. I will probably focus on all the other artwork for the hutch except the sphinx painting, since many of those little paintings will be pretty quick. Right now, my plan is to paint the front and inside of the drawers. I'm hesitant to paint the sides, because I think that will make them more likely to stick. I'll think about it. If I decide to paint the outside of the drawers (or glue fabric to them or whatever), I can always do it later. I would really like to get the hutch to the point where I can use it as soon as possible.
Holidays: I made the gingerbread dough. Yay! It needs to sit overnight now. I'll bake it tomorrow. In the future, I would like to get a bit more creative with my gingerbread, like a little gingerbread campsite with gingerbread tents or a gingerbread Greek temple with lots of columns. This really depends on how well the powdered royal icing that I got works. If it works well, then I will be able to use it in the future. If it is as much of a pain in the butt as other royal icing recipes I've used, then maybe not.
Roof: According to the workers, the roof is done. We moved our bed back into our bedroom, and suddenly the apartment is much easier to navigate. I am so incredibly happy to have things back the way we had them set up previously.
Programming: I'm pretty sure that I got the calendar program working. Right now, there are no holidays, so nothing is showing up, but it should work when there are. There are still a couple of things that need to be fixed/added, but I can do that tomorrow/later. I also fixed the big problem I was having in the travel database and cleaned up a bunch of smaller problems, including some that were caused by my own sloppiness and not by the php 8 upgrade.
Hutch: I started working on putting gesso on the drawers today. I will probably focus on all the other artwork for the hutch except the sphinx painting, since many of those little paintings will be pretty quick. Right now, my plan is to paint the front and inside of the drawers. I'm hesitant to paint the sides, because I think that will make them more likely to stick. I'll think about it. If I decide to paint the outside of the drawers (or glue fabric to them or whatever), I can always do it later. I would really like to get the hutch to the point where I can use it as soon as possible.
Holidays: I made the gingerbread dough. Yay! It needs to sit overnight now. I'll bake it tomorrow. In the future, I would like to get a bit more creative with my gingerbread, like a little gingerbread campsite with gingerbread tents or a gingerbread Greek temple with lots of columns. This really depends on how well the powdered royal icing that I got works. If it works well, then I will be able to use it in the future. If it is as much of a pain in the butt as other royal icing recipes I've used, then maybe not.
A little bit of progress
Dec. 28th, 2022 10:34 pmEars: I'm going to the doctor tomorrow. The ear that was infected is doing better, but they are both bubbling and popping a lot. I'm really on the fence about going, since my ears seem better today than yesterday. However, in a month, I will get on a plane, so they have to be cleared up by then.
Roof: No change from yesterday.
Sphinxes: Done! I'm pleased with how they turned out. The next step is to cut paper for all of the artwork for the hutch and to paint everything (drawers, cabinet doors, and paper) with gesso.
Programming: I made some progress. There is something going on with one of the calendar files that is making my code not parse it. I had it mostly working, then I cleaned up some other stuff, which caused it to stop working. * shrug * I'll fix it. I also am trying to put the information about our next trip into my travel database, but there are errors from that awful php upgrade to php 8, plus some barfing that may be because I changed something in a library. I'll get that fixed too.
Holidays: I am going to try to make gingerbread houses. Ideally, I will make the gingerbread tomorrow. We'll see how I feel after the doctor.
Roof: No change from yesterday.
Sphinxes: Done! I'm pleased with how they turned out. The next step is to cut paper for all of the artwork for the hutch and to paint everything (drawers, cabinet doors, and paper) with gesso.
Programming: I made some progress. There is something going on with one of the calendar files that is making my code not parse it. I had it mostly working, then I cleaned up some other stuff, which caused it to stop working. * shrug * I'll fix it. I also am trying to put the information about our next trip into my travel database, but there are errors from that awful php upgrade to php 8, plus some barfing that may be because I changed something in a library. I'll get that fixed too.
Holidays: I am going to try to make gingerbread houses. Ideally, I will make the gingerbread tomorrow. We'll see how I feel after the doctor.
Happy Solstice!
Dec. 21st, 2022 10:56 pmHappy solstice! I had planned on cleaning and drawing a sun mandala to celebrate. However, instead I cleaned and am rereading my favorite fanfic. I'll do the mandala tomorrow. Also, I just couldn't skip working on the sphinxes, so I spent a lot of time working on painting the first layer of color for that, which took quite a while. After that, I didn't feel terribly into drawing. I think tomorrow I'll watch a video on painting night scenes, which I think will help the painting a lot, as now the background isn't quite right.
It turns out that I have an ear infection. Hopefully, the antibiotic drops that the doctor gave me will clear it up.
I made good progress with the test version of the Neverending Story sphinxes. I should be able to paint the general areas of color tomorrow or the next day. Since it will be the solstice, I'm planning on cleaning the apartment and painting a mandala of the sun.
In great news, even though it rained, the roof didn't leak. The chimney in the kitchen did, so that was a giant mess, but at least the roof didn't.
I made good progress with the test version of the Neverending Story sphinxes. I should be able to paint the general areas of color tomorrow or the next day. Since it will be the solstice, I'm planning on cleaning the apartment and painting a mandala of the sun.
In great news, even though it rained, the roof didn't leak. The chimney in the kitchen did, so that was a giant mess, but at least the roof didn't.
All is more or less well
Dec. 18th, 2022 10:24 pmLast night was the holiday dinner for the writers group that I attend, and it was super fun. I _really_ enjoy spending time with them.
I still can't hear well. I walked down to the river this morning, which was nice. This afternoon, I pinned up some more of my hoodie and finished putting the texture paste on the parts of the hutch (thank goodness). I'm going to start working on the artwork for the hutch tomorrow. Yay!
As for the holidays, I've come up with some fun things I can do that I think will be nice, like painting a mandala of the sun on the solstice, watching Die Hard on Christmas eve, and making a gingerbread house on Christmas day. Those should definitely be fun.
I still can't hear well. I walked down to the river this morning, which was nice. This afternoon, I pinned up some more of my hoodie and finished putting the texture paste on the parts of the hutch (thank goodness). I'm going to start working on the artwork for the hutch tomorrow. Yay!
As for the holidays, I've come up with some fun things I can do that I think will be nice, like painting a mandala of the sun on the solstice, watching Die Hard on Christmas eve, and making a gingerbread house on Christmas day. Those should definitely be fun.
I don't really celebrate holidays. Or birthdays. Or really much of anything else. I used to make food for holidays, but I can't really eat much that is holiday related these days. I'm not interested in partying or going to church. The thing is that I really do enjoy holidays. I think that perhaps, as with so many things, I've been so drowning in mental health issues that I don't make the effort to find creative ways to celebrate. However, I'm in a better place than I was, and I can come up with ways to celebrate that I will enjoy. Obviously, they won't revolve around food, since I can't eat most holiday foods. I'm going to spend some time thinking about this over the next few days. If I do one or two things per holiday, even if it means writing a cute story, playing a holiday-themed RPG, or painting a holiday-themed picture, I think it will help me get a lot more into the mood.
