(no subject)
i *know* i have a whole bunch of random draft posts somewhere, but now i can't find them. possibly i deleted them because they were making me feel guilty. :/
anyway, hi there pals, i guess there's a lot going on in my life. but "a lot" feels like too much to tackle, so i'm going to go the less philosophical and more concrete route; this may lack thematic unity.
- i am successfully making sauerkraut and kimchi on a regular basis! and it's fucking tasty, i don't mind telling you. i spent last night jarring up the most recent batch of sauerkraut, which is a 50/50 cabbage & beet mixture that honestly made me a little nervous but seems to have come out really well. also it is bright bright fuchsia. i've made kimchi so far this year from napa cabbage, regular cabbage, watermelon rind, and green beans. the watermelon rind version was a little lacking in the texture department, but it's all been pretty awesome.
- i have been kind of single-mindedly pursuing my new years' resolution to go to more concerts. this has been mostly good, though it's included one or two really terrible experiences (emotionally terrible, not dangerous-terrible). i've been thinking a lot about why concerts are so important to me, and how that isn't necessarily why they are important to other people. a big part of it for me is being semi-anonymous in a room with other people who are there for the same general purpose - but another big part is sheer audio volume. i like the way sound becomes so undeniably and tangibly physical at a show, which is why i like festival shows but don't really love them - without an enclosed space, there's something missing for me. also ngl i like that there's a massive reduction of the pressure to figure out what people are saying to me - and that people work so much harder to convey meaning at a loud show, it gives me a chance to decode their words, and an out if i don't feel like i have anything to really say back to them? it's like an engineered sitting-silently-with-friends situation, except without the actual silence (and without the requirement for close friendship.
there's also an element that i'm finding a lot harder to put into words - like dissolving out of individuality and into a group? except the individuality doesn't actually go away, and decision-making doesn't go away, except in isolated ways that are situationally specific - i mean, there is nothing better, in my opinion, than being down in the front of a packed crowd that is so excited and immersed that i feel like we are wedged so tightly together that i'm only able to breathe in if the people around me breathe out - and i think it's hilarious to pick my feet up off the floor and stay in place, held up by the pressure.
tl;dr: concerts have become a really big piece of my mental health practice. i don't think i'm going to hit my secret goal this year (i'm not going to admit this number until the year actually ends, i might still manage it), and i know i'll go to far fewer next year. i have many more things to say about live music and other performances, and about the place of music in my life, but not today.
- it's been years since i've had anyone impact my thinking and perception of the world as much as
chiefelk. i've been following her on twitter for most of this year, and doing so is something that i recommend. my perception of nonprofit work and activism has/is shifting dramatically.
- i've joined the sf3 executive board as treasurer, as of october, and am currently also wiscon treasurer. my plan is to spend this year disentangling the two roles so i can hand off the wiscon part to someone else next year (wiscon is a project of sf3; sf3 is the nonprofit parent org). i am learning (more about) quickbooks and basic nonprofit accounting, so that's cool.
originally posted at http://general-jinjur.dreamwidth.org/674042.html. possibly there is commentversation there? let's see:
anyway, hi there pals, i guess there's a lot going on in my life. but "a lot" feels like too much to tackle, so i'm going to go the less philosophical and more concrete route; this may lack thematic unity.
- i am successfully making sauerkraut and kimchi on a regular basis! and it's fucking tasty, i don't mind telling you. i spent last night jarring up the most recent batch of sauerkraut, which is a 50/50 cabbage & beet mixture that honestly made me a little nervous but seems to have come out really well. also it is bright bright fuchsia. i've made kimchi so far this year from napa cabbage, regular cabbage, watermelon rind, and green beans. the watermelon rind version was a little lacking in the texture department, but it's all been pretty awesome.
- i have been kind of single-mindedly pursuing my new years' resolution to go to more concerts. this has been mostly good, though it's included one or two really terrible experiences (emotionally terrible, not dangerous-terrible). i've been thinking a lot about why concerts are so important to me, and how that isn't necessarily why they are important to other people. a big part of it for me is being semi-anonymous in a room with other people who are there for the same general purpose - but another big part is sheer audio volume. i like the way sound becomes so undeniably and tangibly physical at a show, which is why i like festival shows but don't really love them - without an enclosed space, there's something missing for me. also ngl i like that there's a massive reduction of the pressure to figure out what people are saying to me - and that people work so much harder to convey meaning at a loud show, it gives me a chance to decode their words, and an out if i don't feel like i have anything to really say back to them? it's like an engineered sitting-silently-with-friends situation, except without the actual silence (and without the requirement for close friendship.
there's also an element that i'm finding a lot harder to put into words - like dissolving out of individuality and into a group? except the individuality doesn't actually go away, and decision-making doesn't go away, except in isolated ways that are situationally specific - i mean, there is nothing better, in my opinion, than being down in the front of a packed crowd that is so excited and immersed that i feel like we are wedged so tightly together that i'm only able to breathe in if the people around me breathe out - and i think it's hilarious to pick my feet up off the floor and stay in place, held up by the pressure.
tl;dr: concerts have become a really big piece of my mental health practice. i don't think i'm going to hit my secret goal this year (i'm not going to admit this number until the year actually ends, i might still manage it), and i know i'll go to far fewer next year. i have many more things to say about live music and other performances, and about the place of music in my life, but not today.
- it's been years since i've had anyone impact my thinking and perception of the world as much as
chiefelk. i've been following her on twitter for most of this year, and doing so is something that i recommend. my perception of nonprofit work and activism has/is shifting dramatically.
- i've joined the sf3 executive board as treasurer, as of october, and am currently also wiscon treasurer. my plan is to spend this year disentangling the two roles so i can hand off the wiscon part to someone else next year (wiscon is a project of sf3; sf3 is the nonprofit parent org). i am learning (more about) quickbooks and basic nonprofit accounting, so that's cool.
originally posted at http://general-jinjur.dreamwidth.org/674042.html. possibly there is commentversation there? let's see: