Ok then new iteration (probably not, I think I’ll go back to the “short essay with some quick hits” format, that felt the best).
Hi. I’ve been away for awhile.
The AI fiction thing didn’t take. It really did feel like a good idea when I started it, but the more I tried to use the tools, the more their limitations started to show. I couldn’t get anything more evocative and utilitarian than its default style (that is, shorter sentences without ambiguity, an almost hard-coded habit of using every final paragraph to sum up the ideas presented (as in a child’s essay), and a strange fixation on certain bits of text that couldn’t be worked out no matter how much the prompt was edited), and in general the prose itself wasn’t very good. If someone were to tell me the AI generated parts of my work were the best written, that would cause me so much shame that I’d simply stop writing.
My project for the rest of the year is to find a workflow that allows me to write more consistently, and in higher volume. That will be a pretty big project on its own, but I think it will help me much more in the long run.
I am still a massage therapist. I only work 3.5 days a week, and make really good money. If some interviews and new opportunities work out, there will be even better money in my future. Let’s hope.
The job itself is easy—I show up, do my sessions, flip my room, and leave. It is a rather stress-free existence. I want for nothing, I have little to worry over, and it’s never work that follows me home. There is a feeling in the back of my head that this might be the cause for my dip in writing—for the longest time, it was a survival tool, something that I used to keep me alive (figuratively and literally), a way to stay grounded and “in the world”, so to speak. Now that my conditions are no longer so dire, the desire to create doesn’t feel so urgent.
Not a bad problem to have. Finding ways to keep myself creatively sparking and consistently productive has historically been tough during periods of joy and happiness. Making things is a passion of mine, I shouldn’t only reach for it when I need to stay sane.
My music listening is perhaps a bit too cautious. I take my hearing loss very seriously, and try not to give myself too much time on my headphones. As such, I’m not as informed as I should be about music, though I am doing better this year than my historical average since my reinvention. New Paramore is alright, new Fall Out Boy is surprisingly excellent, Caroline Polachek is dull (people already forgot about Pop 2, huh), The Hold Steady continue to be reliable.
I saw movies. I have seen movies. Tár moved me in ways I can’t express; Oppenheimer, while not perfect, managed to keep itself going nearly to the end and served up the first moment where I cried during a Christopher Nolan film; Barbie reckoned with its own history in a way that recalls nothing less than Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, right down to its corporate-mandated inability to condemn its source material; Asteroid City was just lovely and beautiful; Across the Spider-Verse was a bit too loaded down with continuity but delivered a parade of stunning visuals and strong performances; Ant-Man 3 was the blandest of an already bland off-shoot (apologies to Paul Rudd, he’s the only good part of them), while GOTG 3 managed to be a messy and affection send-off to the MCU’s most unlikely success (remember that the Guardians were the first heroes you controlled in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, a testament to how much the property has changed over the last fifteen years); lastly, John Wick Chapter 4 was the lore-heavy sendoff the series deserved.
I saw all of these in the theater. Wow (wow!).
Tv shows?
Andor.
House of the Dragon.
Yeah, that’s about it. Nothing really has grabbed me. Final season of Better Call Saul was incredible.
Now, that’s it.
Games.
Video games go clicky and brr and vrr and annoy the shit out of BVMW whenever the buttons make their little sounds.
Dressing up Link in his gay little outfits to go on his gay little adventure (Tears of the Kingdom) was probably the most fun I’ve had with a video game in years. The story is pretty boilerplate franchise stuff, no surprises. Its real power lies in its depth and presentation—this is a real triumph of design and aesthetics. There’s just so fucking much to do, and so much space in which to do it. The fact that it ran on the Switch at all, and ran so well, is a miracle.
Mario and Rabbids Sparks of hope is one of the best TRPG’s of 2022.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is one of the best TRPG’s of 2022.
Warhammer 40k Chaosgate Daemonhunters is (probably) one of the best TRPG’s of 2022.
Bravely Default II is fun until it is not, and that’s a shame.
Vampire Survivors is fun until it is not, and that’s an even bigger shame.
Roguebook is fun!
Comics!
Astro City.
Starman.
Top 10.
BMB Daredevil.
BMB Miles Morales.
Great stuff.
Regular books!
Memories of Ice.
Fire & Blood.
Incredible novels.
I’ll have more some time.