Whoaaaaaa, We're Halfway There!
I’ve mentioned before that a feeling I’ve often struggled with over the last year is one of stagnation. After my time on the road, life in an apartment oftentimes feels like I’m not really going anywhere (pun always intended). I fill my days with activities I’m excited about and want to be doing, but it seems to lack an overall sense of direction, and I’m left feeling a bit purposeless and uninspired.
I just realized that we are officially halfway through 2022 (what even is time??), and since part of the reason I continue writing this blog is so I can remind myself that I’m still having adventures and things are still happening, I think it’s time for a good, old-fashioned Six Month Review. In case you missed it, I set myself some goals for all the major areas of my life to ring in the New Year here.
CLIMBING
2022 Goal: Send (multiple?) V5s and 5.12a
My first (and hopefully not only) V5 of the year came in Rumney, with the indispensable beta and stoke of my main squeeze, Morgan. How sweet it was to climb together again! Fingers crossed for more sends and good times when you visit in August!
I definitely thought it would take longer for me to check the 12a box, but here we are! And after only 5 attempts!(??) Her name is Got Pull?, and she consists of a stemmy dihedral and three huge deadpoints. I tried this route once last year and it felt crazy pumpy and (literally) out of reach. This year, it’s clear that my head game and stamina have vastly improved (thank you, Falling Practice and ARCing), because it just…went (and I’ve since used it as a warmup????). I’m working on some other 12a’s that I think will take me substantially longer to send, but it feels pretty rad to break into a grade that only a year ago I thought would be impossible.
COOKING
2022 Goal: Go through The Professional Chef
I’m on schedule! I just executed my Spring Dinner Party (post to follow, eventually), and I’ll start the next section this month. I’ve been really enjoying learning new techniques and recipes, and hopefully my cooking has improved (ask Jamie for confirmation).
READING
2022 Goal: Read 35 books, 12 of which about history/politics/economic/the like
I am currently reading my 24th book of the year (Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher, for those interested), and I have read 8 books under the h/p/e category–going strong! I’ve read several books about Indigenous Peoples, especially those in Canada; these, along with the ones about economics, have given me new perspectives on what’s valuable and how we protect and nurture it. I’m appreciating the opportunity to think about a variety of topics in new and different ways, and also seeing the ways in which all these parts are connected.
LEARNING
2022 Goal: Learn Korean
I lost steam for about 2 months while we were traveling in early spring, so I’m a little behind but I’m back on the ball. My vocabulary and reading speed has improved, I can form short, simple sentences with effort, and my mom says I sound like a baby learning her first words (cute). Overall, not bad! I’m not super confident that I’ll be able to write a blog post for my mom at the end of the year, but maybe I can learn a K-Pop song for her instead (I Googled “korean songs for your mom” to find something she might like, and I discovered that Koreans ♡LOVE♡ their mommas–the options are prolific and heartfelt and my casual Google search turned into a crying-fest).
I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made in these areas, but I’m seeing now that most of my goals are self-guided and self-oriented. They’ve been really good for getting me to try and learn new things, but I think I’ve felt a little isolated as I’ve worked through them. I would like to add more social interaction and real-world application over the next six months, and hopefully that will help me feel more connected.
Some initial thoughts on this front include:
- Think about a way to apply my newfound knowledge of the world – Not sure what form this could take; maybe volunteering for an Indigenous nonprofit, or working in a community garden? I’ll have to ponder on this one more, but if anyone has any ideas about this, please send me a line!
- Find someone(s) to practice Korean with IRL – I’ve tried (and will continue to try) talking to my mom on the phone, but I don’t think the audio quality is quite good enough to make up for my bad accent.
- Get more climbing buddies – Not that Jamie isn’t an amazing partner, but one of the things I love most about climbing is the sense of community and belonging that it creates the context for, and I think I’d like more of that. Luckily, I’ve already started working at my local climbing gym, The Hive, and have met a few groovy potential friends (but don’t tell them yet–I gotta play it cool and not come on too strong).
My newest project in Squamish–Prime Time, V5
- Make food for more people – In particular, I’m meeting an increasing number of folks with some kind of dietary restriction/requirement (allergies, celiac, diabetes, etc etc). As a vegetarian/vegan, I taste a little bit of the (self-imposed) food-exclusion that comes with dietary restrictions, but I’ve been privileged with the time, space, resources, and motivation to learn how to make meals that bring me the same (or more) joy and comfort that I had pre-restriction. Furthermore, plant-based technology has come so far that I barely notice anymore what I can’t eat. I can’t really imagine what it’s like for people with gluten-free or no-sugar diets, so I’d like to experiment more with making good food that includes these people, too.
How's your year going?
XOXO