hallway weather / [happy new year]
A crazy year behind us, with hopefully a little bit more hope, competency, kindness, and justice in this new year. The holiday season was filled with Super Smash Bros, long bike rides, Zoom calls, and outdoor lunches. I read Blue Revolution: Unmaking America's Water Crisis by Cynthia Barnett, which was a well-written overview of the water situation in the U.S.
I had high hopes for 2020, and while most things didn’t quite work out, I am grateful for making it through the year in a year where many families lost loved ones. I did successfully complete the camper bed for my car, shot a good amount of medium format film, got involved in Citizens Climate Lobby, read a good number of books (32?), and took a few local road trips. I ended up doing much more woodworking than expected and learned some basic joinery with hand tools. I got a lot more into biking than I anticipated. It was a memorable year for the quiet moments.
I don’t have grand plans for 2021 given how this year turned out, but I do have a few small goals.
Read 30 books — I think this is a comfortable pace given all the other things I want to do and the full time job. I have primarily been reading books about history and water.
Do a narrative photography project — I’ve been taking Alex Soth’s photographic storytelling course online, and am inspired to create a body of work that has more of a narrative journey than my photographs typically do.
Become a certified naturalist — The UC school system offers a naturalist certification program through local organizations, and I think it would be a fun way for structured learning about the local ecology.
Draw one thing a month — I’m not constraining this to anything in particular, but I like drawing and just need some motivation to sketch every now and then. I’ve also enjoyed following ProCreate tutorials on YouTube.
Make some hoodies — I used to sew a lot in middle school, and I remember really enjoying the creative process of figuring out how to create something new. Hoodies were one of my favorite things to make, probably because they were one of my favorite things to wear. I want to learn how to make more technical hoodies for hiking or biking, and hopefully expand to other sewing projects from there. The “myog” (make-your-own-gear) community online inspires lots of interesting ideas.
Bike a century — I’m planning on biking the entirety of the Santa Ana River Trail, followed by Highway 1 to Torrey Pines State Beach. 100 miles, probably 9+ hours, with many of snack breaks at vegan restaurants. Wish me luck.
That is all! Happy new year! Also, Pixar’s Soul was an excellent life contemplation film.