the life updates have been piling up as I've been working on other things - so here's a few paragraphs on what's been happening around here lately, and a few topics I've been pondering.
[and also, some old fall-ish photos. because I'm too lazy to shoot new ones today, and it's totally still summer weather in Taiwan.]
writing
while I've been infrequently blogging, I've still been writing every day. I'm not quite ready to publicly share details yet, but I've been working on a new project. over the summer I decided to put my travel memoir on hold. almost immediately after making that decision, I had what might be a brilliant idea for a fiction story. it's not really a genre I thought I would write in, but I am so intrigued by this idea that I'm just going to go with it and see where it takes me. I've been researching and reading classic literature of this genre, dreaming up plot points and character attributes, and trying to settle on the rules of my universe. it feels really good to be so excited about a project again.staycationing
this weekend was a national holiday in Taiwan, which means Husband had a 4 day weekend. it also means that plane tickets leaving the country were way overpriced. SO we decided to book ourselves a staycation at a nice hotel downtown. though we got off to a rough start [forgetting to bring ID so we could check in, oops] we got sorted eventually and had a nice relaxing time. the weather was too rainy for the pool, but I can't really be mad when I got to drink a free glass of Veuve Clicquot while seeing Taipei from 31 floors up.reminiscing
I recently dug back four years to share the horrifying story of our accidental stay in a love motel. October 12th is the four year anniversary of another event I never really wrote about - our scooter crash. I considered posting about that, but it's still pretty traumatic. I couldn't really walk for about 6 weeks after. pretty much spent my time sinking into a depression on our couch. and though I was lucky and did not break or tear anything, I bruised my knee so deeply that I was not able to straighten my leg fully for six months. I'm getting heart flutters and sweaty just thinking about this, sooooo maybe we will save the story for next year.
healing
at the end of our Vietnam trip I ended up at a pharmacy and was given a course of antibiotics to take. after finishing the medication, my body has suffered a variety of digestive issues and gastrointestinal distress. it's not fun to talk about, and it's not fun to experience. for the past 2 months I have been struggling with this. the gastroenterologists that I've seen think it's complications and damage from the antibiotics, and perhaps with all my special food allergies my system is just more sensitive than most. tomorrow I am heading to a third doctor for another opinion, and hopefully a solution. any prayers or good thoughts you could send my way would be greatly appreciated. I feel much better than a month ago, but there are still good days and bad days.voting
... or trying to. I registered and requested for my absentee ballot what feels like ages ago. Luke received his in the mail last week, but mine has yet to appear. to be honest, I just want to vote and be done with everything. watching debates and seeing headlines from the campaign has been blood-boiling and nausea-inducing. and I'm sure many of you feel the same way. in fact, I know a lot of people who have decided to just ignore it all and just not vote. as an American citizen, it is of course your choice whether to take advantage of the right to vote. personally - I don't like my choices but I still feel responsible for making one. SHE is not my ideal candidate, but she is experienced and qualified. HE, on the other hand, horrifies me. with every incident that surfaces - the sexism, the racism, the intolerance, the arrogance, the fearmongering - more and more I feel I cannot stand idly by and let these attitudes take over my country. if the worst happens, at least I'll know it wasn't because I didn't do my part.I will at least say that one positive aspect of this whole circus has been that many important issues have been brought to light for discussion. my hope is that we all examine and improve in the ways we treat our fellow humans, acknowledge the flaws in our educational and government systems, and have intelligent discussions on how we can work together to change them. I'd like to think that someday soon we can be both a more equal and a kinder nation.
catching 'em all
maybe I've finally reached that age where I just don't care enough to be embarrassed about the things that excite me? because catching a Pikachu while at a tea house in Juifen was one of the most awesome moments for me in the past few weeks. right up there with FINALLY evolving a Dragonite and catching a wild Blastoise. so far I've collected 114 species of Pokémon, and am almost to level 25. it helps that I live in a city full of pokéstops and walk just about everywhere. and now that Luke has started playing, we've been getting out for long walks together to hunt Pokémon. a lot of people think the game is silly, but especially with all my health issues lately, it's been great to have an exciting reason to go outside and be active.planning
to share more about our summer travels - my Vietnam itinerary and packing list are almost there. also to possibly join in NaNoWriMo next month. potentially moving apartments [since our roof is still leaking.] making a list of things to do while my Mother-in-law visits over Christmas holiday. figuring out next summer's travels. and scheming to fit in another trip sometime before then if the budget allows.phew! what all have you been up to lately?
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