August Goals

[forestofglory]

So for the last two months I've done monthly projects. And they've been really fun. So I was thinking about doing another one for August, but after thinking about it I decide I don't want to. I've been trying a bunch of new stuff lately: Fanfic, and music, and Chinese drama! Plus I've been getting back into manga after a long break. And I want to keep up a bit better with short SFF. So I think maybe its time to work on consolidating rather than starting more new stuff. However I liked posting goals here it made me feel more accountable to state things publicly. So here are some of my goals for the month.

1)Finish listening the to all the songs recommended to me for my June music project

2)Read at least 5 online pieces of short SFF and get started on one of the anthologies or collections I have sitting in my TBR. (Current list of physical books: Invisible Planets, A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, Hexarchate Stores, Falling in Love with Hominds, Dangerous Space, The Sea is Ours: Tales of Steampunk Southeast Asia. Plus I know I have a few more in ebook.)

3)Finish my Guardian food project. I only have the last five episodes to go but I'm getting slowed down by two things. First that I've gotten distracted and being using my limited TV watching time on other things and second these last episodes are full of angst and I am having trouble motivating my self to watch them. I don't want the bad things to happen!

4)Maybe finish my the quilt. I'm about 3/4s done with the quilting now so I need to finish that, trim it, then do the binding. Anwyas I defiantly want to finish the quilting.

R left for GenCon on Wednesday. I'm not solo parenting because E, R's mom who we live with, is still around. But I am doing more childcare especially over the weekend so I'm trying to tell myself its ok to get less done. Later this month N is going to have a two week break for preschool so that will probably mean I get less done too. Anyways I'm feeling a little bit stressed about it but I'm sure it will be fine.

Comments

[ambyr]

I am in awe of the idea of a TBR pile that small!

[forestofglory]

That's not my whole TBR just the books of short fiction that I have in hard copy. Though actually my physical TBR is not that big these days -- I've been getting a lot of stuff form the library.

[ambyr]

Noooo, the library is the problem. If I get books from the library, then I'm not tackling my shelves of unread books.

Um, if you want company in short fiction reading, any thoughts on which of my accumulated anthologies and collections I should read next?

Carter, Angela. Wayward Girls and Wicked Women
Dann, Jack and Gardner Dozois. Wizards
Datlow, Ellen, Kelly Link, and Gavin J. Grant. The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2007
Ellison, Harlan. Angry Candy
Evans, Danielle. Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self
Gomez, Jewelle. The Gilda Stories
Hopkinson, Nalo. Falling in Love with Hominids
Hopkinson, Nalo. Skin Folk
Kelly, James Patrick & John Kessel. Feeling Very Strange: The Slipstream Anthology
Martin, George R.R. Dreamsongs: Volume II
Martin, George R.R. and Gardner Dozois. Warriors
McKillip, Patricia. Harrowing the Dragon
Moreno-Garcia, Silvia. People of Colo(u) Destroy Horror
Parker, K.J. Academic Exercises
Ryman, Geoff. Paradise Tales
Schwartz, Howard. Leaves from the Garden of Eden
Shepard, Lucius. The Dragon Griaule
Strahan, Jonathan. The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Five
Swanwick, Michael. The Best of Michael Swanwick
Thomas, Lynne M. Uncanny Magazine: Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction
Vinge, Vernor. The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge
Wilce, Ysabeau S. Prophecies and Dreams
Yant, Christie. Lightspeed: Women Destroy Science Fiction!

[forestofglory]

Ok that is a lot of TRB!

Of those I've read Women Destroy Science Fiction,Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction, and Skin Folk, all of which I remember enjoying.

Of the others I tend to enjoy Ellen Datlow editorial taste, though sometimes its a bit too creepy for me.

[ambyr]

I did like Datlow's Queen Victoria's Book of Spells a lot...

[clevermanka]

Goals are good, and so is knowing your limits and priorities! Yay!

I hear you on watching those last few eps. I've had to rewatch clips from eps 35 and 36 several times for the fic I'm working on now and it's...*whew* yeah. And that's not even to the really rough parts yet.

Glad you can remind yourself that it's okay to not be productive all the time and that yes, things will be fine.

[forestofglory]

Oh right your fic takes place in episode 35/36. That's motivating. I will try to rewatch 36 before I read it.

[clevermanka]

I think I'm gonna barely squeak in under the wire on the September 2 deadline for this challenge. Writing from ZYL's pov--the sex parts anyway--is not coming easily to me.

[lunabee34]

*hugs*

I hope it ends up not being stressful for you.

[forestofglory]

Thanks. I think it should be ok as long as I keep reminding myself that childcare is work, and I can't expect myself to get as much done when I have more childcare on my plate.

[lunabee34]

Honestly, childcare is the work I've done that's been the hardest for me. It is 100% work.

*hugs*

[suncani]

They all sound like good goals. And I hear you on consolidation, I think sometimes it's easier to pick up a new challenge than it is to continue on and dig deeper into something once the shine has come off.

[forestofglory]

There are just so many shinny things in the world!

[swingandswirl]

A Thousand Beginnings And Endings is amazing! I only didn't enjoy one of the entries, but that's because the source (the Mahabharata) makes me want to set it on fire.

Parenting, especially solo parenting is WORK! You're not getting less done, you're just doing more of a different job.

[forestofglory]

Oh, that makes me more excited to read that one.

The problem with parenting is that it not work that leaves you with a concrete thing at the end-- there's no clean dishes, or words written, just a happy and alive child. It makes it feel less productive. (Yes, capitalism lives in my head and is jerk to me)