Jan 31

I sort of got yelled at today by the friend I thought I was making peace with.  That was frustrating.

Jan 29-30

Wednesday was really cold and I took a very well deserved nap.  I also had a good day at work.  We did additional training for the first half hour, which was kind of boring, but I still got paid, so it works out.  The Greek Iphigenia was sort of odd, a lot of the audio was off from the video which was frustrating.

Thursday I made a walmart run to get some more food and whatnot.  I also went to my reflections program which was exciting as usual.

Jan 24-28

I missed some days, so instead of writing substandard journal entries for each of those days, I'm just going to write a decent one for them all.

Friday, I did well on my Latin quiz, which was nice.  Studying pays off!  Then I came home and played a bunch of video games with some friends, which was really great.  Victoria II is definitely one of my favorite games.

Saturday I did laundry, shaved, cleaned my toenails, and did a bunch of homework and reading.  I was really productive, which was nice.  It always feels good to be getting things done.  I then rewarded myself by playing video games with my friend again, and this time another friend joined us.

Sunday I studied for my Greek quiz the next day.  It was challenging, but Greek is so wonderful that it easily makes up for it.  I also went to training for work, which signifies work starting up again.

Monday, I did well on my Greek quiz and did a bunch of Greek homework just for fun.  Then I went to work again and hung out with one of my friends afterwards for a good while.

Tuesday, I've gone to class and then took a well deserved nap.  I also went to a talk about careers for history majors, even though my major is Latin.  Now I'm going to do some more Latin work and then get to bed early.

As usual, the busier I am, the happier I feel.  Inactivity leads to dwelling, which leads to regret, which leads to sadness.  So its best to stay busy and always remember to maintain stoic equanimity when faced with adversity, real or imagined.

Jan 23

I sort of reconciled with a friend from last semester.  Hopefully things will be smoother from now on.  I also went to my reflections meeting, which was nice.  I met some new people and generally had a good time.

Jan 22

I took a long nap today, which was nice.  I end up taking long naps because I have to get up so early for class.  I also watched a ton of archer and did a bunch of reading on reception studies.

Jan 21

Learned a lot about De Rerum Natura in multiple classes.  While my reception studies and myth classes are really awesome, my literature class in the middle is a bit dry.  I've been rewatching all of Archer, which is probably my favorite show of all time ever.

Jan 20

Today I got some good homework done.  I learned about a quote from Lucretius that actually meant the opposite of what I thought it meant.  I also finished Gomorrah.  Intense stuff.

Jan 19

Watched Ali G Indahouse, did a good amount of homework.  Greek is really interesting and exciting, even if its hard at first.

Jan 18

Hang out with friends, smoke, chill.  Watched Beowulf, read all of Age of Bronze.  Watched part of Caligula.

Jan 17

Good day as usual.  Went to class, did well on Greek quiz, came back, took nap, smoked, watched Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, played games, passed out.

Jan 16

My Tuesday/Thursday classes are looking to be just as good at my Monday/Wednesday/Friday ones.  My professors are super knowledgeable and the subject matter is incredibly interesting.  I did my Latin and Greek homework, played some video games, and then went to a lecture on MLK Jr.  I disagreed with most of what the speaker said, but it was still interesting and I got to see one of my Greek friends on the way.

Then I got super blazed and the entire night is a blur after that.  Not exactly a pleasurable experience, not necessarily an unpleasurable one either.

Jan 15

Today was a really good first day back.  My Latin and Greek classes are going to be really awesome, and Greek has a surprising number of students, which is great.  I'm really enjoying reading Ovid, his poetry is easier than last semester's Apuleian prose.  I managed to get up at 8:30 this morning and made the most of my extended daylight hours.  Its so great to be done with class by noon...but I was a little overwhelmed with the amount of free time I have, though I'm sure thats bound to change.  It was good to see old friends again as well.  I'm reading Epictetus' discourses every night as part of my continuing stoic self improvement, and its definitely helping.  For whatever reason, I feel like my writing on this blog isn't up to my usual standards...maybe writing in first person just feels awkward.  Either way, I'm super excited for class tomorrow!

Jan 14

Today I moved back into my dormroom.  My roommate switched rooms at the end of the semester and I didn't get a new roommate, so now I have the whole thing to myself.  I spent a good part of the day organizing and cleaning my room to be my ideal space.  Its good to be back at school and its good to have the place to myself.  I'm excited for class tomorrow, it'll be my first Greek class!  I also saw "47 Ronin" today with my dad.  It was very actiony, basically "300" in Japan.  Overall, a very good day.

Jan 13

Today I had a nice mexican lunch and did some shopping, which was good.  Tomorrow I go back to school, which will be nice.  I also finished The Power of Myth which was interesting as always.

Jan 12

I had lunch with some family friends today, one of which speaks Italian.  Even though my Italian is really bad, it was still nice to talk to them about Italy, language and life in general.  I also started packing to return to university.  Then I wrote a bit.  Finishing up Stoic Week, I definitely feel more secure in myself and my actions than I did before.  Success.

Jan 11

Today I felt really tired and exhausted all day, I'm not sure why though.  I went to an alumni/student networking meeting for my university, which was nice and exciting.  I met some new and interesting people there and had some good conversations.  One of my friends that I was going to hang out with today ended up flaking out on me.  I managed to maintain a stoic calm in a situation that would have upset me a few months ago.  I also cleaned some windows, which was productive.

Jan 10

I forgot to do this last night, so I'm writing it now.  I beat The Witcher and started playing its sequel.  I also watched more of The Power of Myth which continued to be interesting.  I got even more classical books, including one of Epictetus.

Jan 9

Woke up later today, but got some good books from the bookstore, including Meditations.  On that note, I've been continuing my stoic week and have been feeling better about life in general.  I'm nearly done with The Witcher, can't wait to start Assassins of Kings!  I also watched The Usual Suspects for the first time, which was really great I have to say.

Jan 8

I woke up at 9 today and got my haircut and had a nice lunch.  Then I took a four hour nap which is why I am up so late.  Watching The Power of Myth was really nice tonight, today's episode was better than yesterday's.  I've been making a lot of progress with the witcher, which is turning out to be very fun and enjoyable.

Jan 7

Today I got up at 9:30 (success!) and had pancakes.  Then I played Orcs Must Die 2 pretty much all day, watched office space, and then watched 1/6 of Joseph Campbell's Power of Myth, which looks awesome.

Jan 6

Today I played some video games, namely Crusader Kings II and the first Witcher.  I'm particularly excited to pick up the Witcher again, as its been about 9 months since I last played.  I also got up at 10am and did take a nap, which is awesome.  I still need to work on moving my waking time to 8:30, but I have plenty of time to improve.  I followed the exercises for day one of stoic week today, and keeping the idea of "externals" in my mind actually improved my mood I think.  Lastly, I took some good notes on Italian grammar.  As I have loads of free time being on break, its important to build routines now that will hopefully persists once I return to school.

Jan 5

Today I baked cookies and cleaned some windows around the house.  I also watched 60 minutes, always a pleasure, and learned more about the megaupload case.  I also tried my hand at pixel art (to little success), wrote a bit, and played 12 years of Crusader Kings 2.  I feel ready to return to school in all honesty.

Introduction

Currently I am in college where I am studying Latin and Greek.  Recent events, together with my studies have inspired me to actively improve my life over the course of the next year.  This blog is both a catalyst and a product of that journey.  Keeping up a blog for a year will be an achievement in itself, but ideally it will also establish a rhythm of self reflection.  I like the idea of routines, so the tentative plan is that I will post every night before bed, identifying something of value that I did or learned that day.  I also plan to write longer posts when the fancy strikes me, though I'm not sure what structure those will take.

I'm writing this in the early morning of Jan. 5th, so my list of goals is going to be based on what I know I want to do now.  As the year goes on, I may add more goals as I better understand where I will end up.

In 2014, I want to:

-Keep a regular blog

-Establish a regular sleeping schedule and morning routine

-Learn Italian

-Become more attractive

-Feel happier consistently

-Cultivate better and more numerous friendships

-Attain enlightenment (you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, after all...)

I've never made any actual new year's resolutions before, so this project should be new and exciting.  As Buzz Lightyear once said, "To infinity, and beyond!"