Videos

Document Your Life: January + February + March 2018

Posted on August 5, 2018

In which I go on lots of walks with my favorite dog friend, meet my future service dog’s possible mom, see Joshua Hyslop live, go rock climbing, and more.

Music:
Joshua Hyslop – Home (iTunes/Apple Music – Spotify)

I chose this song because, to me, it sort of describes the feeling of waiting for better things. I’ve been waiting for a long time, for things like therapy, my service dog, treatment of my eating disorder, a place of my own to call home…
I also felt like the pace and sadness of the song matched my feelings during these months. Even though I went out and did things, I became increasingly more anxious about the wait. It was never really off my mind.

In the dark, in the quiet now
It’s too much for me to take
To feel alone as if there’s no way out
Oh, give me peace of mind today

When the nights are long
And the days go on
I don’t feel the same anymore

Videos

Document Your Life: 2017 In Review

Posted on July 8, 2018

A yearly overview of all the Document Your Life footage from the year 2017. The year did not go exactly as I’d hoped, but looking back on this video, I think I dealt with everything quite well.

Warning: it’s all a bit fast, so if you want to see certain footage more closely, you can always re-watch all of last year’s Document Your Life videos in this YouTube playlist. 😉

I decided to use the same song as last year’s year in review video because it fits so well with the topic and has great pacing!

Special thanks to Tom and Valeria for making it possible for me to finish this video.

Music:
Ine Hoem – This Year (iTunes/Apple Music – Spotify)

Books

Spring Book Reviews

Posted on July 5, 2018

This post includes affiliate links.

As I suspected in my Winter Book Reviews, I have, in fact, ended up in a reading slump. Not because my reading pace is slower (that, I don’t really mind), but because I just haven’t been feeling the motivation to read. I think my switch to primarily non-fiction may have something to do with it, so I want to read more fiction in the upcoming seasons to see if that helps.

I read 3 books in March, 2 books in April, and 2 books in May. Out of the 7 total books I read in spring, 2 were from the library, and 5 were books I bought, already owned, or received for review. Only 2 out of 7 were fiction, the rest non-fiction.

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Autism

My One Year Autism Diagnosis Anniversary

Posted on May 23, 2018

Today, it has been one year since I got my diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at age 21. Before I sought a diagnosis, I had already known for a few months that I was indeed autistic, but I needed the official paperwork to get the care I require. Since then, a lot has changed in my life.

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Books Minimalism

Books I’m Getting Rid Of

Posted on April 28, 2018

I’ve been putting this off for the longest time, but I may finally apply minimalism to my book collection (at least a little bit).

I’ve always said that my book collection is excluded from my minimalist lifestyle. I was working hard towards a massive home library that had each and every book I had read in my lifetime, whether I enjoyed the book or not. I spent hours hunting down the books I read in childhood, so I could add them to my Goodreads profile and have the number of books I’d read be complete.

I no longer feel like this fits me. I still want to have a massive home library, but when I look at my shelves, I want to see books that I remember having read. Books that I rated at least 3 stars, books I enjoyed. Books that mean something to me. Books I’d consider re-reading. It may take me a little longer to have my three IKEA Billy shelves all filled up, but it’s worth it if it means I can look at my book collection and feel joy.

I will make sure all of these books find a good home, whether that’s through selling them, or donating them to Better World Books.

If you’re curious about why I got rid of certain books, keep reading.

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Books

Winter Book Reviews

Posted on March 24, 2018

This post includes affiliate links.

In the winter of 2017-2018, I didn’t read nearly as many books as I did last season. I’m afraid I might have gotten into another reading slump… Still, I managed to read 1 book in December, 3 in January, and 3 in February.

I’m okay with that. One of my goals for 2018 was to read more consciously. When I first discovered young adult fiction, I read between seventy and a hundred books a year, and I barely remember anything from those books. It’s too early to tell now, but I hope that in a year from now, I’ll still remember enough to be able to talk about them with people. I’m also reading more non-fiction, with the goal to learn something new every once in a while.

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Bullet Journal

Two Months Into My 2018 Bullet Journal

Posted on March 18, 2018

I was going to do a ‘one month into my bullet journal’ post but then procrastination happened, so now you get to see January and February all wrapped up, and my set-up for March.

In my previous post about bullet journaling, I showed you how I kept a sort-of bullet journal in a yearly Moleskine planner. For 2018, I decided I liked the system enough to invest in a Leuchtturm 1917 journal. It’s an expensive journal especially if it only lasts you 6 months, but it’s proven to work much better for me than a cheap, low-quality journal.

My personal bullet journaling system has changed a lot as I moved into the new journal. Previously, I only had weekly to-dos, and did daily journaling. Now I make a to-do list almost every day, and journal only when something significant happens. The daily to-do list is essential to manage my executive functioning issues.

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Books Minimalism

Book Review: Goodbye, Things

Posted on February 20, 2018

This post includes affiliate links.

Goodbye, Things: On Minimalist Living
by Fumio Sasaki

Age Group/Genre: Non-Fiction
Publication date: April 11th, 2017 (first published in Japan on June 12th, 2015)
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback

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Synopsis

Fumio Sasaki is a writer in his thirties who lives in a tiny studio in Tokyo with three shirts, four pairs of trousers, four pairs of socks and not much else. A few years ago, he realized that owning so much stuff was weighing him down — so he started to get rid of it.

In this hit Japanese bestseller, Sasaki explores the philosophy behind minimalism and offers a set of straightforward rules — discard it if you haven’t used it in a year; be a borrower; find your uniform; keep photos of the things you love — that can help all of us lead simpler, happier, more fulfilled lives.

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Books

Book Review: Together at Midnight

Posted on February 6, 2018

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This post includes affiliate links.

Together at Midnight
by Jennifer Castle

Age Group/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publication date: January 2nd, 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 352
Format: ARC

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Synopsis

What does it really mean to be kind… and why does it sometimes feel like the hardest thing in the world to do?

High school senior Kendall, who just returned from a life-changing semester in Europe, and Max, who is drifting his way through a gap year before college, struggle with these questions when they witness a tragic accident in New York City during the holiday season. Racked with guilt, the two accept a dare to perform random acts of kindness to strangers. The challenge pulls these two teens, who have a history together from back home, closer and closer as they explore a vibrant city filled with other people’s stories and secrets.

Kendall and Max can’t deny their growing bond, even though they both have other romantic entanglements and uncertain futures. As the clock counts down on New Year’s Eve, will they find themselves together at midnight?

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