weeknotes 15/26
General happenings
Better weather this week, I general felt better since some health problems cleared up. I tried shifting towards an early-sleep-early-wakeup schedule this week, and it seems like my body hasn't fully adapted to it yet. In one way it has already payed off though: I've been using the extra morning hours for drawing / painting practice and have been a lot more productive than before. My watercolor technique is still rather poor though, I should check out some tutorials and study the basics again. Highlight of the week was, again, Sunday with a very nice hiking trip from Mt Jinba to Lake Sagami.
The blog
- No significant changes this week. The Daily blogging challenge is progressing smoothly.
Listened to (non-music)
- The Secrets of Strixhaven main story (Magic: The Gathering)
- My regular podcasts
I didn't care for the Strixhaven story. It had the same problems as all Magic (main) stories before it: Too much stuff crammed into a tiny space. As a result, the writing always feels rushed and the characterisations flat. I think going forward I'll start by checking the spark notes and only read the story if there's something that grabs my interest.
Listened to (music)
- Steve Roach / Serena Gabrial - Entering Elysium (album - Bandcamp)
Nice ambient album. No other albums this week, I mostly just listened to my regular playlists with all the tracks that I never get tired of.
Read
- Kaho Nashiki - In Spring, We Pick Strawberries (continued)
- Natsuo Kirino - Pearls and Diamonds (continued)
Not a whole lot of reading this week, I have to pick it back up. The hardcover (Pearls and Diamonds) is really inconvenient for reading on the train. In the mornings before work I'm drawing, and in the evenings I'm too tired.
Learned
Some new Japanese plants:
- Mamushi-gusa (Fuji cobra lily) - Poisonous pitcher plant-looking things that were growing all over the place near the hiking trails
- Tsuru-nichi-nichi-so (Bigleaf periwinkle) - Not a Japanese plant, but a neophyte originating in Europe (I can't remember ever seeing it there though). I like how the flower looks like a pinwheel