I disappeared without a trace, I know.
Well, not exactly—because I left several scheduled posts—, but as you probably know by now, I didn’t respond to comments or messages for weeks. I abandoned Substack and any other social media completely for the entirety of October. Twas a very good and necessary break, but there’s a time for every single thing, and now it’s time to come back.
Now, you’d think that being away for so long would have given me a lot of topics to talk about, and yes, I have a lot of thoughts, but they’re not all worth telling. So, this will probably be my shortest newsletter. Hope you enjoy it, though!
Algebra while crocheting
It’s taken time, effort and lots of stressful overthinking, but I FI-NA-LLY am feeling like I can breathe again. This semester has been a time of adjustment. I, of course, didn’t know exactly how the system worked, or how I work with it, which is very important. People often think we should adapt to the system, when in reality the system should adapt to us according to our needs for better enjoyment and absorption of the information and experience. So that’s what I’ve been doing these past few weeks, trying to find the balance and adapt the system to my needs.
The math classes are videos, but since I’m someone who NEEDS to have my hands busy with something all the time or I can’t concentrate, I started crocheting while listening to the audio. That’s how I got into the habit of studying algebra and trigonometry while making a sweater I’ll probably won’t wear anytime soon because I live in a place that’s just hot and hotter.
Also, I’ve got to help some classmates, which is awesome because it makes me feel incredibly useful. Like, man, my skills aren’t useless after all! Especially in the areas of language and optimization of time and mental energy, as these are my strengths.
In fact, I may or may not have joked in the WhatsApp group chat about offering a time and energy optimization course, and my classmates may or may not have taken it very seriously. I may or may not have agreed to it, and they may or may not now be calling me “Miss Honey” as a joke and I may be working on structuring the course’s dynamics.
At first, I thought it might be something written, like a detailed article, but then a girl mentioned doing Zoom calls, and although I hate to admit it, she’s right that it’s more practical. The reason I agreed is because it’s not something I’ll be doing for free; I’ll be paid per person. The same girl who suggested Zoom calls was the one who advised me to charge, since it’s time, effort, and knowledge invested, and now she’ll be helping me with the course’s dynamics.
The idea of video calls is quite daunting, as many of you can probably imagine, but I decided to see this as an opportunity and look on the bright side. This might be exactly what I’ve been waiting for all this time. Not only have I found a way to earn money, which is fantastic, but I’ll also be putting my administrative skills to good use instead of letting them rust.
But the best part is that I’ll be doing something I’ve always wanted to do and have loved doing whenever I had the chance: teaching. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a teacher, to practice the art of guiding others toward wonder and awe. I’m altruistic1 to the core, and teaching others to be self-taught is one of my ways of showing it.
I still need to talk to my parents and work out a few details to make it official, but if everything goes as planned, 2025 will end in even more unexpected ways than before. Seriously, it would take me forever to list all the unexpected things that happened this year. Both good and bad.
On another note, although she’s two semesters ahead of me, I’m helping a young lady to improve her writing skills. When she learned about me and my interest in literature, she contacted me and asked if I could give her some advice, and I, of course, was so excited that I said yes. So now I’m not only a general teacher but also a private literature tutor.
Guests!
In early October, my dad hired an old friend of ours to help him manage a construction project at the local high school. Our old friend and his wife stayed with us for almost four weeks. More concretely, in the girls’ room; so yeah, ‘twas a huge challenge not to have access to my room FOR WEEKS. I missed my desk in the corner, surrounded by my books and the cozy feeling they give—I really did miss my books, I’m not gonna lie.
I had to temporally “move” to the office, where we have a military cot for occasional single guests, which honestly is ten thousand times more comfortable than many mattresses I’ve slept on. Don’t ask me why, though, ‘cause I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to tell you the reason.
On another note, I burned my ring finger with boiling lard while making tacos dorados! I almost never get injured when cooking, but our old lady guest was there watching me, so I got nervous because people watching me doing something makes me nervous ‘cause like “what if I do something wrong,” and so everything went wrong. It didn’t hurt that bad in the begging, but oh, let’s not talk about what happened afterwards.
However, I still have my finger. So no worries, y’all won’t get rid of me that easy mwahaha.
Eh… more guests…
So, I don’t know how, but this Harvard dude heard of our ministry and wanted to help with some unfinished construction projects we have/had. When I heard about a random Christian guy that wanted to come visit us, I said something like, “I bet he’s gonna be a nerd bookworm.” And like, man, my predictions were right on the mark. And I didn’t have any clue! Sometimes I really wonder if it’s possible that I have some kind of hidden superpowers…
Anyway, for the first two or three days of his stay in our town he stayed with our ministry teammates, but then a construction team arrived from Pennsylvania, and he came to stay at our house for another three or four days.
Now, why Harvard guy? Well, I don’t know exactly which university he studied at, but I know it was a very good one and that he specifically studied to play classical music like a true professional. Hence the nickname I gave him to refer to him because his name tasted strange in my mouth. And I say refer because we didn’t talk to each other at all.
It was nice having him here, but I can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief knowing he’s gone. He had some very strange and questionable ways of behaving...
Inktober
Well, I looked it up, and now I can proudly say that I know what the hen Inktober is.
Turns out it’s a challenge to do one drawing a day throughout October. I think the only rules are that you have to follow it faithfully and use ink, no other kind of drawing material. I would have gladly participated even though I don’t have much practice, but I’m afraid I found out too late. Maybe next time!
What did I read
Or should I say… started reading?
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
I started reading this one because Noah Ballard posted a Note one day about crying at the end of the book or something like that. I have to confess that I read the ending a long time ago, so I know it’s a tragedy, but I hadn’t read the beginning, so I thought, “Well, why not?” Then I picked up my old copy of A Tale of Two Cities and started reading. No, I’m not finished yet. I’ll keep you posted in the future.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The very first moment I read the first line of this book, I knew I had been procrastinating on the wrong book. The Picture of Dorian Gray has been on my TBR-list for way too long, but for one reason or another I didn’t pick it up from my files ‘til now. Yes, I’m reading it on PDF. No, I’m not done. YET.
The Ion Effect by Fred Soyka & Alan Edmonds
I’m in love with science, guys; I can’t hide it anymore.
I literally read science books just for fun XD
“The artist is the creator of beautiful things. To reveal art and conceal the artist is art’s aim. The critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things.”
— The Picture of Dorian Grey
Writing updates
*Drum roll*
November is here, folks!
And we all know what that means… the great universal challenge of writing 50,000 words in a month.
I may or may not be crazy enough to believe I can write twice that amount—that is, two complete novels in 30 days. To be fair, Rouge is already started, but it still needs at least another 30k to 40k words. I won’t give any more details; I prefer to keep it a secret and reveal the results at the end of the month.
Meanwhile, hate to say it, but the 100-words-a-day challenge didn’t last long. And not because the method doesn’t work, but because—being completely honest—, I didn’t put enough effort into it. However, the very few days I followed it faithfully, I was able to once again see the effectiveness of this method.
In my defense, my main goal for October was to finish as many semester assignments as possible so I could dedicate myself to writing without worries in November. My plan worked. I only have about six assignments left in the coming weeks, and after that, I can focus solely on writing. And now, I’ll have to write every single day, without exception.
If you don’t know what the 100-words-a-day challenge is, you can check out my post on it!
Extra random content
Because I know y’all enjoy a little bit of humor, I thought I’d share some of my homework for English class with you. Twas a blast, honestly. I could do this for the rest of my miserable, precious life.
English homework:
My daily routine
I usually wake up at six o’ clock, depending on how much I slept the night before. Sometimes I read a little before breakfast to chill, and after having breakfast I help with the morning chores. Afterwards I enjoy the rest of the morning reading, writing or doing some sort of crafting. In the evening, after dinner, I start with my school lessons. I tend to stay up late at night so I can keep writing and listening to my favorite music ‘til my eyes start closing by themselves. Sometimes I also do homework at night. And yes, I am very well aware that I’ve exceeded the word count that the activity is asking for but I seriously cannot for the life of me write a short sentence. Pardon me, Miss/Sir. Tis my inner wordy spirit showing up. Not my fault, I swear!
Kingsley’s daily routine
Early in the morning, Kingsley wakes up and starts getting ready for work. He has breakfast at six o’ clock, alone in his big, cold kitchen. He drives all the way to work through New York’s busy streets, stopping always at Le Madame Rouge café to buy a Frappuccino. After work he goes back home, where nobody’s waiting for him.
While I couldn’t help being a little naughty in my-daily-routine part, I promise I did everything they asked me for in the “choose a person you like and describe their daily routine” part. Kingsley’s my main character from Rouge, by the way. And I don’t like him, actually, but ‘twas a lot more fun to write about a fictional character and pretend he’s a real person than to write about someone else’s boring daily routine. Period.
Favourite Inktober stuff:
Fun fact:
“La libertad de expresión” in Mexico, literally translated “freedom of expression,” is guaranteed by the country’s Political Constitution. Article 6 of the Constitution establishes that “the expression of ideas shall not be subject to any judicial or administrative inquiry” and that “the right to information shall be guaranteed by the State.”
The document that guarantees free speech in Mexico is the Political Constitution of the Estados Unidos Mexicanos (United Mexican States). This constitution was published in 1917 and has been amended several times since then to strengthen this fundamental human right.
Some of the key articles that protect free speech in Mexico are:
Article 6: Guarantees free speech and the right to information.
Article 7: Establishes that the freedom to disseminate opinions, information, and ideas through any medium is inviolable.
Free speech is a fundamental right that allows citizens to express their opinions and ideas without fear of reprisal. In Mexico, this right is protected by the Constitution and secondary laws, such as the Federal Telecommunications and Broadcasting Law.
Meme time:
No poll time this time cuz I ran outta ideas :D
From the dictionary: selfless concern for the well-being of others, without care for one’s own interests; unselfishness.
So glad that you have gotten your life a little more straightened out! I hope you got your bedroom back. :) Also, I have to ask, The Pennsylvanian construction crew... were they Amish?? If so, I think we might have some mutual acquaintances. :)