I know I’m only a week off of my normal schedule, but let me just tell you something – it feels like it’s been an eternity since August happened. I’m glad I made some notes for myself, because I’ve forgotten just about everything I did last month.
Before I launch into that though, here are my blog posts from August! I was a little bit off of my normal rhythm due to traveling, but I’m still proud of what I was able to write this month:
- Revisiting my favorite literary heroines…
- ...and also my favorite heroes the week after
- And another look at my current WIP through the Language of Worlds linkup
You can also check out my 1 Second Everyday compilation from August below!
My August kicked off with a road trip to Nashville, Tennessee for Blimey Con, the yearly meetup for Patreon patrons of the YouTube channel Blimey Cow. This was my first year attending the meetup, and I had a great time! I got to meet a lot of new people, play games, and even learn to swing dance a little. I’ve enjoyed watching Blimey Cow since I was in high school, so it was kind of a dream come true to meet the Taylors in person.
While in Tennessee, I spent an afternoon in Nashville visiting the Parthenon and a bookstore, Parnassus Books. On my drive back, I took a minor detour to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which I read a book about a few years ago. Oak Ridge was created as a “secret city” during the Manhattan Project, and the workers there were instrumental in the creation of the United States’s first atomic weapons. The book I read focused a lot on the women’s roles in Oak Ridge, so I stopped by a little “commemorative walk” there in the city.
The following weekend, Kiara and I met up to celebrate her birthday together, and we spent most of the day hanging out in Harrisburg at the state capitol building, bookstores, and cafes. The day after that, my school’s summer workers were invited to a pool party by someone from a local church. The weekend was busy, but a ton of fun!
My family also celebrated my brother’s birthday this month! Since he and I are both in college, this was one of the first times our whole family was together in a while. We went to the movies, out for dinner, and just spent time together. It was a great way to wrap up the summer.
Speaking of which, as August was coming to a close, I was starting to get ready for the school year. The same weekend we celebrated Paul’s birthday, I moved from my summer dorm to my school year apartment, which went a lot more smoothly than I expected. It took some time to get settled, but it worked out wonderfully.
Finally, at the end of the month I participated in my last student leadership retreat. Since I’ll be graduating in May 2020, this is my last school year as a student leader, so the retreat was a little bittersweet. I had a good time with our team and the other leaders though, and I’m looking forward to what this school year has in store for us.
In the meantime, I was also…
Watching…
Once Upon a Time.. In Hollywood, since my brother really wanted to see it for his birthday. Definitely not something for children (it’s rated R for a reason), but I thought it was interesting! The film is basically an elaborate “what if” scenario based on real history, so it fascinated me as a writer. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for everyone, but we had a good time.
You probably won’t be surprised to find out I also continued my rewatch of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood this month. That’s about it.
Reading…
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo. It was a fantasy Little Mermaid retelling that took me a while to get into, and while it won’t be at the top of my recommended list anytime soon, I did enjoy it! I also re-read – or rather, listened – to Marie Lu’s Legend trilogy in audiobook form. They kept me company on my long drive to Nashville and back. Finally, I finished Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead trilogy with Lila, and I read the graphic novel Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka.
Playing…
Transistor, one of the games that the Epic Games store was giving away for free earlier this year. It’s an action RPG, and the gameplay was fun – but to be fair, I made it pretty easy on myself. I was most intrigued by the game’s setting and story, so I focused more on understanding that. For a relatively short game, Transistor has really strong worldbuilding, and its soundtrack has become one of my favorites too.
Around the Internet
- Blimey Cow: Why I Hate Going to the Airport
- Paper Fury: 63 of the Best YA Books About Siblings
- Thorn In My Side: Date Squares (Winner of the Blimey Con 2019 short film festival, and definitely one of my favorite entries)
- SHcMOOK Network: BLIMEYCON 2019 IN FIVE MINUTES (catch me waving awkwardly at the camera at 3:33)
Gratitude
I’m thankful for audiobooks, grilled cheese sandwiches, new microphones, my plants, cafes and bookstores, free books, pints of ice cream, easy moves, Super Smash Bros., comfy clothes, bonfires, the customer service people at Lowe’s, and being able to make my own food.
