May News 2023.

Another month is coming to an end, and I can’t seem to wake up…

It’s mostly due to the weather. Rainy every day, often cloudy, unstable… Plus, probably, some consequences of the covid are still there. Plus I’ve spent a whole day on the bus three days ago, and had a lot to do after that.

This time, I went to Croatia not in September (or late August), but in May. It was more convenient to do it like that this time. And then it turned out that the sun was already scorching. But, as you can see on the picture above (and below), it’s still pretty.

Yes, I still love pictures of water.

This time, I decided to dye my hair a couple of days before the trip. Because I wanted to be blonde, of course, but also so my family would finally see me like that.

And for the very first time, and just a couple of days before the trip, I got an allergic reaction to bleach. My palms were itching like crazy. I got it some 30 minutes after the bleach was on my head already, so it was pointless to stop; but I have yet to decide whether I’m going to bleach my hair again the next time I go to my hairdresser.

It has never happened to me before. Not even after I went to bleach my hair after covid, which is when it happened to a considerable number of people.

Oh, well. It’s not like I have to be a blonde. I just like it.

Have another picture.

Other than the trip and the allergy, it was as usual: a bit of work here and there (not much, really), and reading.

So…

Currently reading: The Heavens by Sandra Newman. I’m still at the beginning, so can’t say much, other than that it seems interesting.

Recently read: Lovište by Katarina Nikolić (a pretty good thriller), Praznik zveri – Dopisani by Zoran Petrović (another part of his urban supernatural thriller saga, this one set in the WW2 and dealing with the resistance to the nazis in Belgrade), Tri oka u glavi by Ilija Bakić (a series of interesting essays about science fiction), Monsters by Barry Windsor-Smith (an excellent graphic novel about evil, nazis, what makes monsters (and what doesn’t)), Kosingas – Buđenje Svarogovo 2 by Aleksandar Tešić (the last part of the Kosingas saga, thought there will be at least one more book set in the same world), Mladenka kostonoga by Želimir Periš (experimental prose about a so-called witch who (mostly) lived in Croatia in the 19th century; unexpectedly fun at times, but also brutal), Yoga by Emanuel Karer (what was supposed to be a light-hearted book about yoga turned into a book showing what bipolar personality disorder looks like), Komo by Srđan Valjarević (an author gets paid to spend some time at the Komo lake in Italy and write his new novel, but spends that time drinking, eating, walking around and resting instead), and Kad se vratim by Mladen Jakovljević (a novel dealing with two different generations and how they are connected by a loss of a loved one).

Oh, hey, have another picture: I saw a snake, but didn’t come too close to it. You might need to enlarge the picture to see the danger noodle better.

Currently watching: nothing.

Recently watched: nothing. I was away, I was reading…

Currently working on: there was a bit of work, but since I’ve mostly been away, not much.

And that’s pretty much it for now. Have another picture (no cat pictures this time, just the sea), and see you next time!

April News 2023.

Well, this sucks.

I went to my ophthalmologists (there are two of them, mother and daughter, thus the plural) this month. I was supposed to go in January, but I had one cold after another, the weather was lousy, then I got covid in March… And so I finally did it this month. Some of the news I got were good, some were bad, and I won’t bother you with details, I’ll just mention the part that sucks: I’ll never be able to go back to fencing. It’s too risky. It could speed up my glaucoma. And I’d prefer not to go blind if I can avoid it.

Glaucoma sucks, and not going back to fencing sucks.

Other good news: I’m not as tired as I was after covid. Other bad news: the annoying brain fog is still here. Boo.

Something good, something bad… Sounds like life.

Things that suck sound like life, too.

This one feels really appropriate right now:

Anyway.

Other than that, the month was as usual. A bit of work here and there. Reading; I’m able to read again. I wrote a story, too.

So…

Currently reading: Tri oka u glavi by Ilija Bakić. It’s a collection of essays about science fiction, published during the last two decades or so and now collected in a book. It’s interesting. Interesting observations, plus it’s like travelling through time, remembering the times when those were first published.

Recently read: Frantumaglia by Elena Ferrante (yay, I’ve finally finished it, and it was an interesting collection of thoughts, interviews, letters…), Priznanja i sećanja by Vladimir Kolarić (a really nice book for children that treats kids with respect, not like little fools), The Yellow Sign by Robert W. Chambers (a collection of stories that are part horror, and part a bunch of other things, with a lot of it like fragments of something bigger), The Parasite by Arthur Conan Doyle (a bunch of horror stories from the author of Sherlock Holmes), When Pumpkins Blossomed by Dragoslav Mihailović (memories of a former boxer from the old Yugoslavia, now living in Sweden after… Well, I’m not going to spoil it for you, but there is an English translation if you’re interested, and the book was controversial when it first got out), Les Choses humaines by Karine Tuil (a contemporary French novel that touches upon the rape culture and many other issues; there are interesting observations and interesting ideas, though I wish the author went deeper into the rabbit hole), Matrix by Lauren Groff (a novel about the first French poetess, Marie de France; a lot of guesswork went into this one, since it’s uncertain who she really was, but it didn’t bother me; the novel turned out to be surprisingly exciting, and the only thing I really didn’t like was the dislike for cats), Teatro Grottesco by Thomas Ligotti (a bunch of good horror stories), Majkica by Matilda Veljković (a short novel set in the 19th century Serbia, about seven sisters who lose their mother and then their father, and are raised by a really great stepmother), The Dark Domain by Stefan Grabinski (Polish horror stories toying with the macabre and the bizarre), Salt Water by Eugenia Triantafyllou (a short story about mermaids, expectations, trying to fit in when you’re different…), and Malpertuis by Jean Ray (it starts like a bunch of people forced to coexist in a possibly cursed house if they want to get money, but then it turns into something far more unusual).

Currently watching: nothing. With work and all the reading, there’s no time for watching stuff.

Recently watched: after March, nothing. Of course there’s a lot I want to watch, but days only have 24 hours, and there’s a bunch of other things that have to get done.

Currently working on: work, when there’s any. Plus I even wrote a story of my own.

After a long while, I’ve even managed to visit two exhibitions. One was in honor of the Lesbian Visibility Day, and here is one of the pictures:

The other one is called Metamorphoses, it’s by Nemanja Mate Đorđević, about the transformation/continuous mutation of humankind. There were painting, sketches, and even some sculptures.

And that would be pretty much it. Something good, something bad… See ya next time, hopefully with more good than bad!

March News 2023.

Well, it finally happened.

We got covid. Both of us. And it wasn’t fun at all; I had to take antibiotics, too, plus a heart medication. I’m still taking that one.

Plus now I get tired so easily it’s ridiculous.

And with the weather changing like crazy, I think I managed to catch a cold after covid. I think we both did. Annoying.

On the other hand, not all is bad. After I tested negative, I stopped wearing my mask when indoors, and it’s a relief (hey, I just had covid, the chances of getting it again so soon are really small, and I should spend some time without a mask anyway). I also finally visited my hairdresser, and I’m blonde again. Yay!

I admit, I missed being blonde. And you can see my new hair color cheered me up.

If only I wasn’t so tired all the time, and if I didn’t forget things more than usual…

Other than that, not much happened. It’s not like something else had much time to happen.

Have another cat picture to make up for that:

I didn’t really work much in March, for obvious reasons. I couldn’t focus on reading, either. Once I got a bit better (but not good enough for work yet), I spent some time on binge-watching series. That part was definitely fun, even when it came to the this is so bad you have to see it to see how bad something can be stuff.

So…

Currently reading: Frantumaglia by Elena Ferrante. Yes, I’m still reading it, and I didn’t get far with it (I’m at about 25%). It’s not bad, I just can’t focus on it properly.

Recently read: The Calorie Myth by Jonathan Bailor. Interesting stuff there, about a different way to exercise (short but intense), and a different way to eat (lots, so you’re never hungry, but avoiding sugars and starches). Could be worth a try.

Currently watching: Andor. So far, I like it better than The Mandalorian (yes, baby Yoda, pardon me, Grogu, is super-cute, and Pedro Pascal is great, but I don’t like its humor). By the way, type The Mandalorian into Google, and you’ll be able to click on Grogu and have fun.

Recently watched: Alice in Borderland season 2 (I liked the first season better, but this one had interesting parts, too, especially the doctor’s story, I really didn’t expect that one), The Witcher: Blood Origin (it’s amazing how many fantasy cliches they managed to put into just 4 episodes, and how they made it more generic than the most generic FRP campaigns; impressive, in a way), Ragnarok, both seasons, and I’ll be happy to watch the next one when/if it comes out (an interesting modern-day take on the Norse mythology, with adorable humor), and Rick and Morty, seasons 4-6 (still the usual humor, as crazy as ever, and as fun as ever).

Currently working on: work, when there’s any and when I’m capable of doing it. And dealing with complaints from people who can’t read. Oh, joy.

And that was my exciting (err, really) month. See ya next time, hopefully with less exciting news!

And have another cat picture, because why not?

And another one, because cats make everything better.