Updates:
4. read 100 books in a year (62/100)
- My favorite books this month were Circe and Dragon Hoops. Circe was a fascinating telling of the witch herself from the Odyssey. It was interesting to see things from her perspective and hear her story. Dragon Hoops is Gene Luen Yang's newest graphic novel and it seems to be about basketball, but it's really not. It's about giving your all and it's so good.
23. see 30 new animated films (19/30)
- Modest Heroes, Studio Ponoc's short film collection is on Netflix! Everyone go watch it! I'm really hoping they can get the momentum to continue in Studio Ghibli's footsteps.
24. add 10 new enamel pins to my collection (8/10)
- My sister-in-law got me a cute dragon holding a d20. :) I also kickstarted pins 9 and 10 (and 11 and 12...), so I'll be done with this one as soon as they ship!
30. see 30 new international films (3/30)
- Gotta step this one up! I watched Emma. and it was delightful. My favorite thing about it was the styling and set pieces and the use of color! It was so pretty.
31. a year of (silly) holiday celebration
- May's holidays included Eat What You Want Day (which just made me sad because I couldn't eat what I truly wanted, being stuck at home), Chocolate Chip Day, Burger Day, and Biscuit Day. I realize now I picked all food days. This may not change as the year goes on, haha.
35. watch 10 anime series (3/10)
- I watched Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun this month and it is so good. It really pokes fun at shoujo anime and I love a good non-traditional romance. They just added it to Netflix so you have no excuse not to watch it. You're welcome!
42. complete 10 unfinished series (reading, watching, etc.) (1/10)
- I'm totally counting Survivor for this. The season finale for Winners at War was so so good. It was fun to watch all the previous winners go to battle and I was very satisfied with the conclusion. It was so much fun catching up on seasons I've missed over the years and it was such a comfort show to watch stuck at home the past few months.
53. get all the Stardew Valley achievements (25/33)
- I got Gourmet Chef this week! I've always wanted to cook every recipe in game and now I've done it! Good job, me! We're getting down to the tougher achievements, and some that are just going to take time and patience.
58. see 30 new documentaries (7/30)
- Two this month: One of Us and 13th, both available on Netflix. One of Us is about leaving the Hasidic Jew community, and 13th is about racism in America and the role of it in mass incarceration. A tough watch, but we felt it was one we needed to do this weekend. We have to educate ourselves and advocate for the changes that are going to best help everyone. I imagine I'll be watching a few more on this and similar topics in the coming months.
60. r/52weeksofcooking - year-long cooking challenge
- The deliciousness continues:
Ginger: Ginger Scallion Ramen Noodles
Sri Lankan: Beet and Cashew Curries
Puree: Blacked Chicken with Lime Cilantro Quinoa and Avocado Yogurt Puree
Flour: Buckwheat Crepes (Galettes Completes)
79. try 30 new salad/side dish recipes (9/30)
- I did so good this month, you guys - 4 whole recipes! I made garlicky roasted broccoli, minty pea puree on toast, orange cumin root salad, and strawberry spinach salad. We got strawberries from the farmer's market and they were so sweet and good. I'm glad I've made more of an effort because I know I've definitely had a lot of junk food alongside these healthy dishes.
99. complete a reading challenge (26/50)
- Looking pretty good on this one as we approach June and I'm already over halfway done! This month I read a book about a book club (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society), a bildungsroman (Circe), a book on a subject you know nothing about (Maybe You Should Talk to Someone), a book with an upside-down image on the cover (Flipped), a book by a trans or non-binary author (Pet [and I actually read I Wish You All the Best as well, but I'm only counting one]), and a book with a map (There Is A Light - bonus! The map in this book was drawn by my lovely friend, Jeska).
101. learn 10 new calligraphic hands (2/10)
- Did you know a style of calligraphic writing is called a hand or a script? Never a font! Fonts are machine created! How insulting! I learned pointed pen Uncial in December and I don't think I ever wrote about it, but if you got a Christmas card from us, you saw it! And this month I learned Carolingian, though by no means perfected it, for my Lettering The Decemberists project with the aforementioned Jeska. I wrote it off as old and stodgy, but I'm kind of in love with it now. Especially those g's!
So that's my progress! Fairly good, I think, considering how little motivation I've had this month. Rest assured for every item of progress there was at least an hour of scrolling through Facebook or playing Animal Crossing. I hope you are all keeping healthy and safe and finding the motivation to do what you need to do. We'll see where this crazy world is next month.
