Already looking ahead to 2020.
I posted an update in April and called it “triannual,” then I almost let my second update slip away from me. I’ve knocked out 12 items on my list and I’m on track for a few more.
1. Teach Georgie (my Senegal parrot) a new trick.
Uh, sort of in process? I want to teach her to stretch her wings up when I say “Wings!” To do this, I need to reward her every time I see her stretching her wings up. Unfortunately I haven’t caught her doing it a single time since I decided on this trick. But we’ve been practicing her old tricks almost daily, so she should be in the right frame of mind when the moment comes.
2. See my friends Angelica & Becca.
In process. My plan is to see Becca in early October when she visits Eugene, and to visit Angelica sometime in November. I could potentially see her in October, but parts of my schedule are up in the air.
3. Go to a dentist.
Not only did I have many appointments earlier this year, I went back in July for my six-month cleaning.
4. Finish first draft of book.
Done. And more recently, I did some major editing of the first 25 pages for a writing fellowship application.
5. Go to a writers’ group.
I still haven’t gone to a proper writing group, but I have gone to many One Page Wednesday events at Literary Arts, and I’ve read my own work twice.
6. Plan a birding trip with my friend Becky.
In my first update, I didn’t count the birding I did with Becky when she visited Portland. Now I think I need to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. And anyway, it sort of satisfied my main criterion, which was for it to be at a place where neither of us lives. Sauvie Island is technically part of Portland, but I think it was far enough away. Hopefully we can do some more birding before the end of the year.
7. Go birding with my mom.
I (still) need to figure out how to make this one happen. We have done some birding from her living room window.
8. Go back to Japan.
Technically this is in process, but it’s officially happening! I’ll be in Japan for a couple weeks this November/December, playing eight shows!
9. Find a new favorite board game.
I found THREE new favorite tabletop games: MachiKoro, Wingspan, and The Mind. I even played Wingspan AT THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY HEADQUARTERS.
10. Do The Curated Closet.
Still in process. I had called this one “Dress for success,” but in my first update I renamed it to something I thought was more actionable. Since then I’ve picked up The Curated Closet one or two times but definitely haven’t finished it. Nor have I completed any of the steps.
That being said, I do feel like I’ve been more conscious about my personal style, and I’ve made definite efforts to up my game.
11. Read a book in Russian.
In process! I decided to lower the bar for myself and read something that I could get through more quickly, so I’m reading the Russian translation of the second book in A Series of Unfortunate Events.
12. Go to a Japanese conversation group.
I have gone twice, which is only one time more since my last update. Hopefully I can squeeze in another one before 2020.
13. Change my Facebook page photos four times. √ √ √ √
Probably I should try to do this again before the end of the year.
14. Brush up on French.
This just might not happen, and I’m okay with that. I’ve worked a ton on Russian and Japanese this year. On the other hand, I can see me squeezing this in sometime in December, hellbent on completing my list.
15. Write a monthly newsletter. √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ _ _
Almost there! I’ve sent out a monthly newsletter every month this year. (The October newsletter is all ready to go.) Each newsletter includes a free download of an unreleased demo, along with some of the story behind the song. The response to this has been lovely, with people emailing me back very thoughtful messages. I’m glad I started doing this!
16. Make a vlog.
Finally, I made a vlog for my niece Genevieve! Actually it’s a product review, but that counts, right?
17. Plan two family get-togethers.
I didn’t exactly plan two family get-togethers, but two family get-togethers happened because of me. Basically on two occasions I told my mom I was coming to visit, and she told everyone else and they all showed up! Score.
18. Get a stamp made.
My friend Rebecca DeMoss (the Becca of goal #2), who did the artwork for A Troubled Piece of Fruit, made THREE amazing stamp designs for me! If you come to three of my shows, you can collect them all — on programs, in your own journal, wherever — and get a special prize!
19. Have (new) friends over.
I have had multiple new friends over, and multiple old friends!
Some things I’ve accomplished that weren’t on my list:
I went to the Winter Wings Festival in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
I went to a Portland Birds & Beers meetup.
I went to AWP (the Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference).
I entered this year’s Tiny Desk Contest.
I started making my own seitan and never looked back.
I started re-reading A Series of Unfortunate Events, with the goal of finally finishing the series. (I only ever read 10 or 11 books out of 13.)
I’ve orchestrated most of the songs for the next album.
I got a new(er) phone that has been great for taking photos on my tours.
I wrote a new song completely in Russian.
I was interviewed by the National Audubon Society.
Adam and I took a trip to Vancouver, BC.
I’ve done a lot more reading than I have in any other recent year.
I applied for a huge writing fellowship. Huge fellowship, huge application.
I put together an event at Literary Arts showcasing three other queer writers along with a screening of my music video.
I learned a fun cover song for my upcoming shows. 😏🎶
That’s it for this update! I’ll post at the end of the year (or early 2020) to let y’all know how everything turned out.
And if you want to get my next free demo in your inbox next week, sign up for my newsletter here. :)
