The first day of June

I’ve been listening to “First Day of June” by Linus from the Stars over these past few days. It’s helped me get through these early snows and cold, rainy days that we’ve been having here. It’s weird to think that exactly a month ago I was still riding waterslides, outdoors, and now I’m freezing and all bundled up. 

As I’ve listened to the song, I’ve been thinking, I should make this my most productive fall and winter season on record. My most productive “dark time” of the year. That way, when that beloved first day of June does arrive, I’ll greet it with a sense of accomplishment. I will allow myself a few spring months, too, as a buffer. 

So, what do I want to accomplish by the first day of June — or, more specifically, by the Thursday before Memorial Day Weekend? 

  • Physique. I want to be toned. I want to be at least 155 pounds, but ideally 145. At this zone of weights, my jawline will slim out. Then, coupled with continual acne treatment, hopefully a complete lift of mask mandates (which make my acne worse), and a summer tan (which is very easy to get — run a lot, hike a lot, and go to a lot of water parks), I should be much better in that regard. So, this translates to lifting weights more frequently and longer, and running high mileage (or doing the elliptical when injured). I want to get much faster as a runner in 2022 so I hope to do that as well. I’m trying to cut back on ice cream and shakes but man, it is so good lol. 
  • Art. I’ve been stuck on the same tutorial schedule since 2015. It’s time to blast through everything that is “basic” art. CtrlPaint, Drawabox, and all the 3D tutorials, plus a bunch of work with figure drawing, arguably my weakest point artistically. I will begrudgingly follow the 50% rule too. By the end of spring, I hope to be good enough to be focusing primarily on my own work, with potential to take commissions, and moving into advanced tutorials (such as Loomis) a few times per week. 
  • Animation. I want to submit something to the senior film every single week. Similarly, academics: I will get straight As. 
  • Internship. I need one for the summer, either remote or in Utah if at all possible. I don’t want to miss the new waterslides at Cowabunga Bay and Lindon Aquatics Center coming next summer. I could also go for a SOC position but I’ll probably stick to SWE and game development. 
  • Coding. In addition to finishing Cracking the Coding Interview and then beginning regular Leetcode review, which I’ve never done, I will be conducting a basic overview of everything I’ve learned in the CS major, coupled with everything I feel like I’ve missed. Similarly, I will dabble in hardware basics, get PLC I certified from PLC dojo, and get the Google IT support certification and automation certification. Then, I will do the “May of CompTIA” where I blast through the trifecta in a month. That way, in the summer I can focus on getting PLC 2, and the other ones after it — maybe one per month. 
  • Mathematics and physics. I will review all of the math through differential equations on Khan Academy, plus all the physics. I will also learn basic mathematical proofs. 
  • Theme park design. In addition to IAAPA and running the club, I will get my Theme Park Design certification from Udemy. It’s ridiculous that I haven’t finished the course yet. It’s not hard. 
  • Writing. I will finish draft 1 of Carnivile, which has been moving like molasses. I will become a regular reviewer of fanfics again in preparation for resuming my own — but I won’t pressure myself to resume it just yet. Original fiction takes priority. I will also read a lot of books. 
  • Music. I will continue practicing as much as I can. I really want to master singing and playing the piano, plus clarinet, but if I’m to be honest, the other pursuits have to come first. So I will keep this alive, but until June hits, that’s it. In the summer I will begin playing music for an hour every Sunday again. Similarly, Spanish is still on the backburner. 
  • Imagination. I will perfect hyperphantasia and prophantasia, plus lucid dream regularly. 
  • Other cyber things. I’d like to finish a few shows and video games, plus stop replying late to everyone online. I’ll try to keep 90 sacred minutes every Friday to reply to people. 
If I can master these things, I will consider my “basics” achieved. Then, I will hopefully be in a better position to find a relationship (somehow) and have better balance overall, due to having finally reached an acceptable level of competency. Plus, I will have the tools needed to secure a good job and move out of the cold, darkness, and snow for good. Although with these goals in place, and my happy light scheduled for delivery, I’m almost okay with the darkness and cold. Almost. :P

Well, enough of that. Time to get to it. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unleashing my inner Disney Princess ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ at the 2024 Disney Princesses Half Marathon

Image
TL;DR it was amazing and perfect  and we are going to make this an annual tradition. I may edit this with photos later, but I'm probably going to forget.  Recently, I spent 5 wonderful days donating my dollarbucks and soul to the evil mouse in Orlando. I did it for the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  Just look at that happy little alligator musician. He's so CHONKY. It's adorable. I love him. How could you NOT run a half marathon for him when he's cheering you on?  (My dad says it's weird to say the word "adorable" as a man, which makes zero logical sense and obviously means I need to use that word as often as possible. I will also continue to wear my rings and maybe I'll start flashing my pink protein shaker. Just to cause a little discomfort, because it's funny.)  I haven't seen the movie yet actually so idk if the gator is a major character or not. But JUST LOOK AT HIM.  My cousin and I had been planning a Disney trip, specifically centered
Read more

The 20-something types of Computer Science majors

Image
I've been way too distracted with this blog lately, and I need to hurry up and start getting crap done. But...I've been dying to write this lol.  The advanced neckbeard A rare variety. When a neckbeard is forced out of his mom's basement and into college, he becomes an Advanced Neckbeard. You can always tell when he's coming, because you can smell him from half a mile away. He is very overweight, and wears shirts that are either plain or adorned with anime/gaming graphics. These shirts are either stained with sweat, Hot Cheetos, or something a little bit more, ah, suspicious . He is so socially unskilled that he makes everyone else in the major look normal. Age 30+, GPA at a 2.0 or just barely above it. Will never drop the major despite his lack of effort, because he simply doesn't care if he gets bad grades. In fact, he is probably highly intelligent, but his grades will never reflect that. Nevertheless, he will get a much higher paying job than a regular neckbeard
Read more

The Evenstar

I've never liked this world much.  Ever since I was a little kid, I always dreamed of going somewhere else. I created this alternate version of Earth that had everything and everyone that I loved, but with all these improvements to it. Magic was real. So were dragons. Dinosaurs hadn't gone extinct. Technology allowed people to fly. A network of glass corridors provided transport between this world and mine, snaking through streams of stars, galaxies, and lightyears of blackness.  And more than anything, I wasn't alone. I don't remember why I spent so much time alone as a kid. I really wish I did. All I know is that when I was in my  world, I always had someone by my side.  The feeling of being out of place here was overwhelming. It still is. That sense of not belonging, of longing for somewhere else, it has never gone away.  When I was in middle school, being bullied daily, I escaped to that world. The boys who tripped me and spit on me disappeared, replaced by tropical
Read more