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Beware: talk about language learning, college, and writing is expected, but anything goes. |
   THE AJM SAGA According to Dictionary.com a saga can be defined as the following: a medieval Icelandic or Norse prose narrative of achievements and events in the history of a personage, family, etc. Essentially, I think that definition sums up one thing I want to do with this blog: talk about myself. But, also, I kind of like the vibe it gives because I love Scandinavian things (especially concerning Norway and Iceland). The thing is? I have done blogs in the past about writing. While I intend to continue blogging about my writing process, I also want to branch out and talk about other things. However, this is my first time blogging in this format. In essence, this blog is also an experiment of sorts. |
| September lurks. Tomorrow, I have a soccer game I am attending with a friend, a festival with fireworks to celebrate the next school year, and a meeting with my building for the next school year. Just like that, Monday I am back in the game. Classes begin, and there will be celebrations and free food for most of the week. I guess I have been so focused on the present that I haven't thought about September too much. But, now that I think about it, there are a few things I would like to accomplish. This next month is going to be very busy, but I am okay with that. This list will be from the low priorities to the high priorities. First off, I would like to transition from writing one novel to taking a short break, and then preparing for NaNo in November. I had originally planned to work on Graves of Magic during the month, but since my current work in progress is fairly heavy, I am debating writing something that's more lighthearted to give myself a break. And Graves of Magic is fairly heavy, as it is a combination of grimdark, horror, and tragedy. My two other contenders would be under the fantasy romance category. That's my writing goal for the month. Since NaNo will be two months away, I will leave it as my lowest priority to figure it out. The second priority is sort of related to NaNo in a strange way. I would be learning Swedish. My plan right now is to try to be somewhere closer to conversational than I currently am. I am a part of an online NaNo community that primarily speaks Swedish, and while I can understand most of what they say from my experience learning Norwegian, I would like to be further along so that I can participate in Swedish as well. This is also a low priority, as I have other things that take a higher precedent than language learning. Next up would be figuring out a practice schedule. I'll be honest: figuring out something that works for me is challenging. However, I would like to practice every morning before class for at least an hour. As a note: I do have a digital piano and headphones. My next priority would be to maintain my social life. This includes working as a board member for the Queer and Trans Services. My main goal will be welcoming any new people, facilitating one of the support groups, and helping to plan events. But I also want to spend time with friends. Whether that's playing Mariokart with some of them, or if it's studying with them. My next priority will be to build my research experience. I have two labs I am currently taking part of. One works with human animal interactions—primarily dog research, but some of the work I have done in the past with this lab deals with the conservation efforts of zoos. The second lab works with wetland ecology, and it deals with figuring out how much chlorophyll and algae are in the streams. Now we are onto my three top priorities of the month. Both are pretty insane, so are you ready? My second most important goal for September would be to find a new job if I haven't already. I am currently in the job search process, and I am hoping to find something that will work with my school schedule. And this means spending the next few weeks applying like crazy to other jobs. My next big priority would be to focus on schoolwork and to build a solid study habit. I did just fine with my psychology degree without studying too much, to be honest. Although I did study, I realized last year that my study habits weren't efficient at all. With psychology, it mattered, but I got by. But biology is completely different, and it does matter. Especially when I still have challenging courses coming up. My most important priority for September will be to make sure I have time for my personal health. To me, this means sleeping enough, eating a balanced diet, and exercising. But it also means taking time to meditate when I can, and it means taking care of my mental health. This one is especially important to me. |
| As summer wanes, I find myself feeling a mixture of relief and anticipation. The clock ticks, and the summer semester comes closer and closer to finishing. But then I log onto my school email, and I see the scheduled events. Here at my school, we like to celebrate the first week back at school. The commencement is on August 20th, and there's a festival that runs for a few hours prior. Later that night, there will be a firework display. Just like that, a new school year has started. Summer used to be one of my favorite times of the year. I loved the heat, and I loved the overall spirit. My family would go to our favorite beach spot in Michigan, and most of the time, we would visit my grandfather at his lakehouse. Also? A break from schoolwork is nice, too. And, while I took summer classes this last summer, I still had fun. I went stargazing once, celebrated Midsummer with a bonfire surrounded by two of my closest friends. Also? Just a few weeks ago, I chased the Auroras late into the night and stayed at a hotel, and the next morning, I went to a cool spot in Nebraska. After a three hour drive home, I went to the pride festival. Also? Throughout most of the summer, I rewatched Avatar: The Last Airbender with a friend. On July Fourth, I celebrated with a friend whose family hails from Panama, and I had the best enchiladas. Summer is a lot of fun, but I don't fear Summer's wane. A big portion of being pagan, at least in my experience, is learning to appreciate nature. I have learned about astrology somewhat, but the biggest thing I do is that I try to celebrate each season. Sure, there are parts of every season that I don't like. In the Summer, sometimes the heat can be far too much. Winter can be hard, too. Driving in the snow sure isn't fun. And Spring and Fall can both be unpredictable at times. But I have been learning to take each season for what it is. Fall has to be one of my favorite times in the year, as I have a lot to look forward to. Some of my favorite holidays are in the Fall. And, this year, I am more excited than ever to celebrate Halloween. I am actually helping plan an event for my school on October 30th. And, once Halloween is over, we have NaNoWriMo, and that is my favorite point in the year. It's when some of my favorite communities are at their peak. With these things in mind, I look at Summer's wane with excitement, not sadness. But this year, it's different. I am looking at what's promising to be one of my best school years yet. I have an excellent support network, and I am working on a degree that's supposed to help me find my dream job. I will say that I have some stress in my life. I love school, and I love biology. I'm also happy with my decision to go down the route of ecology. But I also have some intense courses coming up. I still have fundamentals of chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry. And all of this comes with the stress that goes into wanting to graduate on time. The thing is? It's okay to be stressed about something, and it's okay to be sad. All good things come to an end, and transitioning isn't always easy. Sometimes finding the good in something helps, but it doesn't change the fact that sometimes people struggle with seasonal depression. But it's okay to feel this way, and it's okay to take things as they come. |
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I am not getting the automatic fill-ins probably my internet is too slow...so hopefully my memory serves!