July/August Wrap-Up and September Goals

The last two months have been just an absolute whirlwind. There’s some pretty big and significant life-changes that have been going on behind the scenes here at Magpie over the last few weeks that have been simultaneously super-exciting, and absolutely terrifying. I won’t say too much about it all on here until all is said and done, and everything is finalized, but it has certainly contributed to the overall chaos that has been the last two months.

As a result of everything that’s been going on, many of the goals that I had originally set for July ended up put on the back-burner for much of the time since I last did a wrap-up post. The 5k program sputtered out as traveling and other commitments just completely ruined my schedule, and I didn’t get all that much reading done as the beginning of the semester loomed and I found myself occupied with course prep. Zero progress was made on my photo albums, and while I got a bunch of posts written, I only managed to get a few of them up, instead choosing to focus on finally going self-hosted.

But, c’est la vie, I suppose, because as chaotic as the last two months have been, there’s also been quite a bit of fun and travel, and that’s been worth stalling progress on some of these longterm goals a little bit. I’ll always take a little bit of adventure when I can get it.

A trip to Pittsburgh for my college roomie’s wedding gave me the opportunity to explore my alma mater a little bit for the first time in 10 years – and finally show Jim campus as well. A friend’s birthday also took us roadtripping into Jersey a little for an afternoon at Top Golf and some pitstops at Hotdog Johnny’s and White Castle. I’ve posted (or will be posting) photos from those trips on the insta, if you’re interested. And then of course, we can’t forget about the eclipse! It was super fun to watch the community all come together to marvel at science and our universe like that.

The NEPA Air Show also finally made it’s return to our area, something I’ve been waiting for for almost 20 years now. The Air Show was such a huge part of my childhood, and it was super exciting to go back with my Dad as an adult, and also finally be able to show Jim why I hold the whole experience on such a pedestal. I’m hoping to write up a post in the future on it.

So it was a pretty jam-packed and exciting two months, to say the least. But what’s on the docket now that things are settling into the regular (for the most part) rhythms of the semester? Well, I think I’m going to keep it rather simple for the coming month, just so I have a chance to adjust a bit better to the grind while I deal with the big stuff I mentioned at the beginning of the post. So here’s what I hope to achieve in September:

1) Get back into the swing of posting as regularly as possible. Ultimate goal is for twice a week.

2) Read at least one book for fun. My reading as fallen to the back burner with the restart of the semester. I’ve been using what little free time I have to replay Dragon Age 2 instead, and I really should try to keep more of a balance.

3) Try to draw something every day. (I’ve actually been toying with the idea of setting up an Instagram account where I would post each day’s drawing, just to keep me accountable, but I think that’ll have to wait until the big changes settle down).

and last,

4) Weather the coming storm of change as best I can while keeping my anxiety in check. My history with anxiety is long and varied, but nothing sets it spiraling quite like change.

So, few, and relatively small goals overall. Well, except for that last one. This coming month will be a true test of how far I’ve come in dealing with my anxiety issue, so it might be a small one? Or it also may end up being what takes most of my time and energy. That remains to be seen. I’ve got my fingers crossed for small, though.

Wish me luck!

Do you have any goals for September?

(Eclipse photo by Jim – my phone didn’t want to work well with the eclipse classes over the lens).