New Year, New Beans
NYE 2019: New Year, New Beans
First off, thank you so much for subscribing. I'm really excited to be able to share more stuff with you, and hopefully you'll enjoy it and we can keep in better touch!
This is a bit of an experiment, so it'll probably grow and change, but I'm excited to see where it goes.
What I've been reading
I'm re-reading American Gods! It's easily one of the most important novels to me. It's weird, meandering, listless at times; it's perfect even when it's broken. I can't imagine trying to read it on paper (kudos to everyone who has), I think it's best as an audiobook you listen to while driving long stretches or doing the most mundane of errands.
I read a great article about beans last week. It's inspired me to rethink what I'm cooking at home; and I'm excited to try out these recipes:
- Vegetarian Taco Bowls
- Squash Salad with Chickpeas (one of these days I'll learn to like squash)
- Cauliflower Tacos
I also finally read Ancillary Justice and loved it. It's a fascinating look at humanity in the far, far, far future; and touches on colonialism and the ephemerality of culture. Plus it's just plain funny at times.
Finally, The Secret Commonwealth blew me away. I was unsure about a new trilogy for His Dark Materials, but the second book has justified the whole endeavor. It expands the universe in ways I never expected, yet totally make sense.
What I've made recently
Tech stuff
- Sunday Papers: I love webcomics, and it's bummed me out that so many artists aren't running their own sites. Owning your platform is essential for the health of the web, and being an artist. So I put together a template site that anyone can use to build their own comics site. If you know an artist who wants to put their work online, and wants some guidance, please send them my way!
- I've been playing around with some game development stuff too!. I've been using DragonRuby, and I wrote up a big overview of my progress so far
Food
Speaking of beans, I made Bon Appétit's Bean Stew with Kimchi and Squash tonight and loved it. I'm definitely going to be making it again.
How's Kira?
Kira's great! We had an excellent time visiting her aunt/my best friend Amy over Christmas. It was Kira's first time traveling out-of-town overnight, and she was a champ.
It was also her first time around a cat, and she was largely u n s u r e about the small angerey dog.
But regardless, she got lots of naps & investigations for the holiday. She's also convinced that 2020 is the year she gets to try pizza. 🍕
What's on my mind
I've been thinking a lot about what I want 2020 to look like.
My friend Megan DM'd me this today, and I love it:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6pYzbTAJBK/?igshid=mc5po9zxgwe
My immediate reaction was to think about the endless possibilities for 2020. Alongside the normal routine of work, salsa, gym, and Kira Time™, I could:
- Keep working on my drawing skills. I got Drawing the Head and Hands and The Art of Princess Mononoke for Christmas, and I'm super excited to dig into them
- Likewise, I got a book on the essentials of Typefaces & Tartine No 3
- Keep polishing Sunday Papers, and hopefully get some webcomics to actually use it
- And I'm just getting started with my game engine
- Not to mention the next round of CERT training
Needless to say, there's a lot I could do; and I want to do it all.
But...2019 was a different year for me. I spent most of it as a quiet old man, whittling away at a couple of projects. I didn't go out nearly as much, because I spent a lot of effort working on my student loans. It's been a really weird experience; I hope to make a zine about it one day.
I grew in a lot of ways. I paced myself better than I ever have. I learned to say "No" more. And most importantly: my friends really taught me that I don't have to be everything, for everyone, and doing all the things.
And that became empowering by the end of the year.
When I think about opportunity in 2020, I'm thinking about the chances I have to slow down, take time to listen and talk to people, and study a craft without expectations.
What about you? What do you want from 2020? What are you eager to share about this year?
I hope you've enjoyed reading! Please let me know what you think, and how you've been!
Cheers,
Thomas