Last Thoughts of 2024

Rollercoaster.

That's my word for this year - because it ends much the same as it began, but the middle, oh boy. This year squished in curveballs good, bad and neutral, and somehow it's managed to be both utterly normal and utterly upended at the same time, for the same reasons. Schrodinger's year? Perhaps.

And you know, I'm fine with closing out this year on the note it's at.

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Reading

My reading journal got off to a shaky start this year and I did want to post about the good books, or at least the ones that gave me food for thought, by the year's end buuut... 

If I had to pick a favourite book for the year, it would easily be The Age of Skin, by Dubravka Ugresic. This collection of essays took time to get into, but once you get the flow of the narrative, you're hooked. The Age of Skin requires re-reading, with highlighters and thought.

I joined Goodreads earlier this month and transferred my library from Storygraph. It... did not work well, but it gave me a damn good start and I've focussed mostly on updating this year. Still need to chase up a few books, but they might not be in the database, so eh.

Writing

I've been suffering one hell of a slump, breaking through for a short burst every now and then. There's an entire fictional universe living in my head rent-free, so you'd think that would be motivation enough, but no.

Two days ago I began writing again. This is a new one, so I'm just seeing where my imagination takes me and weaving it together. And I have to say I'm loving it... mind you, if my characters were real, they'd have leaped out of the book and murdered me by now. I'm just not a nice-things kind of penslinger.

To be honest, I'll probably be writing when it hits midnight. There's a couple gaps to fill before I let the FMC recover from her magic- induced explosion (aka instant karma).

Cats

We welcomed (and renamed) a new pet over Christmas. Miss Lilith quickly adopted her new home and enjoys eating beef treats with her big-little brothers, of which she has a favourite - though maybe not so much after he swiped at her for getting too close to his dirt box yesterday.

(Dust baths soothe the outdoors beast. Where we used to live, he would escape outside and I'd find him - every single time - in a little dust depression outside the bedroom window, absolutely filthy and thoroughly pleased with himself. Let him explore a little, let him thrash around in the dust, and he was happy to come back inside. Where we are now, he can easily get lost under the house, and we've discovered a big box of dirt keeps him happy and content to stay indoors).

Lilith is an inquisitive, affectionate, and very vocal lady with a voice like rocks grinding together and an approach to human management that boils down to, 'charm M and boss her to bed so I can sleep next to her legs at every opportunity, and sit on K's stuff and smack her hand if she tries to get it back.'.

She also likes racing around like a maniac, but only at night when the cool air descends. Alex is happy to help, and Perry thinks he's surrounded by idiots.

On a sober note, we are working to get her to understand names, and gain weight.

Cooking

Due to oven problems, I now use a convection oven for everything, and due to stovetop problems (and the cost of gas), I'm currently using a camp cooker. And it is so much better.

This year, I added a nice amount of recipes to my list. My biggest success? Peanut butter milkshakes. Nice, but use French Vanilla ice cream and the WOW! factor really kicks in. So, uh, does the I MUST HAVE MORE craving, and my lactose intolerance...

My family liked the quiche I made for them. Pumpkin, baby spinach leaves, leek and ham. I might go easier on the veggie variety next time, and add feta. Nice little cubes of cheesy salty goodness would compliment it beautifully.

Biggest failure? Glazed mushrooms. The glaze burned...

Weirdest? Egg drop soup turned into noodle soup... no, it's not that weird, it just weirds me out having two-minute noodles and eggs in the same dish. I don't know why. Doesn't bother me as much when it's rice noodles...

(Rice noodles and easing up on the warm spices turn egg drop soup into a wonderful summer meal for those cooler days when the temperature's under 30).

Weirdest by most people's definition? Glazed mushrooms. The glaze was primarily honey, water and a little bit of Vegemite for that umami kick. Sounds awful, but K liked it... you know, apart from the burning.

Most unexpected? Pasta Alfredo. Where has Parmagiano-Reggiano been all my life?! And how exactly is a vegetable-less pasta with an alchemical sauce made of nothing but butter, water, and cheese and seasoned with pepper so damn addictive?

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And that's 2024. Whenever I think of it, the one memory that comes to mind is of me, sitting and anxious in the waiting area, reading The Good Life Elsewhere on my new Kobo while while waiting to see if the judge would grant our intervention order. I'd picked the title for the irony, and because after the last few years, a nice biting satire sounded perfect.

Cut to some months later, and I am indeed living a much better life elsewhere.

Rollercoaster.

I'm excited for next year - it's not without its shadows, a hell of one to be honest, but there's so much to look forward to, and I want to spend the rest of my day reminding myself of that. Come midnight, maybe I'll be writing with my earplugs in, maybe I'll be listening to The Magnus Archives, who knows? Probably I'll be patting a cat while a Pepsi Max gets warm on my bedside table.

I'm happy with this.