There's something to be said for telling people that you're gonna work on a goal.
In post #009, I said I wanted to clear my writing backlog. Well, it's getting cleared, and I'm patting myself on the back for this!At the end of 2020, writing for this blog—and even for LG—slowed down considerably after two fun pieces: a best of 2020 list and a sequel to my DS love story. But now I've pushed out three reviews and two other articles:
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales review
Interview with indie developer Maschinen-Mensch
Monthly Q&A with LG team: How do we rate games?
Not bad for Mum, eh? Now that Little Miss S sleeps better in the first part of the night, I often have one or two hours of uninterrupted time. (Though telling you this might jinx it.) I can't type or think well during the day, while she's awake. The sight of me on a laptop sends signals to her brain: "Grab mouse! Smack keyboard! Demand to be carried! Wail!"
So it's now 2021. Like in 2020, I'm not feeling ambitious. No new-year resolutions with S.M.A.R.T. calibrated specs. Just a few loosely held disciplines for my physical and spiritual health. If I can get through another year with the baby in decent health and our sanities intact, I'll consider that a great win. Wouldn't you?
Writing has been wonderful for my sanity. I need something of my own that no one else tells me to do. That I really want to do because I feel like it, not because I love the idea of it. Gaming has done that for me. But writing's more rewarding.
I'd like to get back to working on Japanese, but I'm still holding off a serious, organized effort. I can only have so many hobbies right now. But I'm returning to the language casually, through a great manga (宇宙兄弟, Space Brothers) my friend is loaning. I've also started Zoom convos with another friend, who'd like to be a Japanese teacher.
It's easy to be pessimistic about 2021 with a pandemic hanging in the air (literally). My own feeling is that it's here to stay for a few years at least. But I'm glad that I have the luxury of writing this post, of gaming, having fun things to look forward to, not living in desperation. So while I enjoy my little bubble for escapism, I also need to look outward and upward.