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!

January News 2023.

I’m feeling under the weather. It’s nothing drastic, but it’s been going on, well, off and on, since November, so it’s kinda annoying. And it means that I still can’t manage to get enough rest, which is also annoying. Boo.

I have some ideas for books. That’s nothing new, I have them all the time, but I think that I might actually finish one of them this year (mostly because it’s a combination of old and new stuff). No promises, though.

I don’t feel like doing much of anything, really. I haven’t been reading much, I haven’t been watching movies or TV series much, I’m watching some courses but even that takes more time than it should. And it’s not that they’re bad, it’s just that everything seems to take more time than expected. Again, kinda annoying, so it may seem like I’m really annoyed this month, but I’m not. I’m not even as anxious as before (playing with meditation helps), I’m just tired. And yet, I can’t get enough sleep.

All I’m gaining is weight. Holiday overeating isn’t good for me (or for anyone else), but no regrets. I’ll lose that weight at some point, and in the meantime, I’m enjoying in delicious food (lots of pastry (straight from the oven!) included on weekends).

It’s a lazy month, perhaps? A very long month that’s coming to an end after forever? And perhaps I’m rambling a bit?

All right, no interesting news, so…

Currently reading: technically, I’m still reading Odakle sam bila, više nisam by Dejan Tiago-Stanković. As in, that book is still on my nightstand. But right now, I’m not actually reading anything.

Recently read: mostly picture books and illustrated books for kids, like Have You Seen My Cat? (super-cute!), The Very Busy Spider (nice and fun!) and The Very Hungry Caterpillar (super-fun!) by Eric Carle, Where the Wild Things Are (wild and fun and compassionate) by Maurice Sendak, and The Velveteen Rabbit (might make kids sad at the end, but otherwise a sweet tale) by Margery Williams Bianco. I’ve also read Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (I started reading it last year and now I’ve finally finished it, and loved it; it’s got a trans girl as the main character, violins, bargaining with a demon, extraterrestrial aliens, and donuts), How High We Go in the Dark (very ambitious for a debut novel, a complex tale (and an elegy for humanity of sorts) that’s mostly well done) by Sequoia Nagamatsu, and Lost in the Moment and Found (the latest book in the Wayward Children series (a YA portal fantasy series), and I loved it) by Seanan McGuire.

Currently watching: various courses, on meditation, writing, business, fun self-help… Useful stuff. And fun.

Recently watched: Troll (2022) (sort of like Godzilla, except that it’s happening in Norway and it’s a troll and not Godzilla; it was mostly fun), Trollhunter (2010) (a mockumentary about a crew following around a guy who hunts trolls), and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) (different from the first one, more comedy than whodunnit, but still very fun).

Currently working on: work, when there’s any. I wrote a couple of stories, too.

And that would be pretty much it. Yet another exciting month in an exciting life… Err…

Have another cat picture.

September News 2022.

September was kind of weird. It took me some time to get used to the fact that I’m back to work, I possibly pushed myself too far with how much I wanted to read and do, and then, some 8 days ago, I found out I was going to get glaucoma. Not instantly, but not in a very very far future either.

I’m still trying to get used to the idea. And I don’t like it. And yes, I know it’s not the end of the world and there’s therapy and a bunch of things that I could do, and that now I should be cautious about what I eat and drink and do and… And I don’t want to get used to the idea. I don’t want it to happen.

Well, there’s plenty of stuff I don’t want to happen, but it’s not up to me.

And other than that, it’s the usual. Reading, watching some stuff, work, a bit of writing of my own… Plus I might have some good news the next time I post.

Currently reading: Body Shocks, a body horror anthology edited by Ellen Datlow. So far, some stories are good, some are so-so, some even hit hard.

Recently read: The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White (yes, finally, and of course it’s super-useful plus fun), Beloved by Toni Morrison (brilliant, and not exactly an easy read…or for the faint of heart), The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle by Steven Pressfield (can’t say that I agree with him on everything, but there’s a lot of good stuff there that can help you write), On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King (another book on writing I’ve been planning to read for a while, and finally got to it; it’s Stephen King, so everything you like or dislike about his writing, you’ll find in this one), The Girlfriend’s Guide to Gods by Maria Dahvana Headley (love and myths and an ending I didn’t expect), Shoggoths in Bloom and On Safari in R’lyeh and Carcosa with Gun and Camera by Elizabeth Bear (fun, clever, with a bit of horror), Požuri i izmisli grad by Lejla Kalamujić (a short story collection, ranging from so-so to wow), A Philosophy of Loneliness by Lars Svendsen (good, like all of his books I’ve read, and with the results that might surprise some readers), The Copywriter’s Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells by Robert W. Bly (another book on writing, this time for copywriters; plenty of useful stuff there), Novčić sudbine by Ivana Nešić (the last book in this trilogy for children, a great ending for the trilogy, and a really great book for kids), and Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher (a fairy tale with a lot thrown in for good measure; and, of course, a fun read; I did mention I wanted to read all of her books).

Currently watching: House of the Dragon (fun, if you find it fun to watch to find out if she’s finally going to get laid with her uncle; plus there are dragons) and The Rings of Power (not much to do with Tolkien (because they didn’t get the rights to use the parts of his work they wanted to put on the screen), and doesn’t really make sense, either; but pretty to look at, and the music is nice).

Currently working on: work, when there’s any, plus I recently wrote a story.

I guess that’s it, see you next time!