While I count down the last days work for 2017, I keep trying to remember what happened this year. Of course, much of it was taken up with being sick, getting my tonsils out, recovering, and then having some nasty personal shit right as I was supposed to be healthy, healed and happy. 

 

In the months since I’ve found myself with a gap… I’ve had a permanent job for two years now. Which means I don’t have to go home and look for my next contract. Last year I was studying. This year I was sick… so now… for the first time EVER in my adult life, I have no “must do’s” after work. I’m trying to not just fill it with anything and be happy with the space I have. 

 

Random Thoughts On 2017

 

 

More Tonsil-Rants

Medical professionals need to understand that tonsillitis is awful. And yes, more awful than surgery and recovery. On no less than three occasions this year I’ve had to tell medical professionals that yes, being sick with tonsillitis for months and having to go to work and do your job is HARDER than two weeks in bed on painkillers in recovery. Why is that so hard to grasp? Rest is an integral part of healing and when you’re sick for months and have to go to work you are not resting. Le duh.

 

Books

I can read again. In the past few months I’ve finally started picking up books from the library and reading them. A few I’d recommend are:

All Over The Place by Geraldine DeRuiter (a travel bloggers book about being a bad traveler)

Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim (teaching in a North Korean university) 

Slow by Brook McAlary (which I reviewed here)

 

I’ve read a few other books by people who were in North Korea, but they were imprisoned (eg for crossing the border illegally, bringing a bible in) and because they were living in a very different situation than the book about teaching in North Korea, it just didn’t read as interestingly to me. I also struggled a bit with my thoughts of “of all the countries in the world, why would you risk ANYTHING ANYTHING AT ALL in North Korea?” 

 

I have a few more books currently on loan but haven’t finished them yet. I have managed to get over “book guilt”, where if I don’t resonate with the book, I don’t keep trying. I’m reading for pleasure, it’s not like this is for uni and I need to push through a poorly written academic article. It’s ok to give up on books. Even books you thought you’d like and would be right up your alley. 

 

Blogging

I’m deep into republishing Bloggers and Bacon’s content here, and that will be ongoing throughout the Christmas break and into next year. Apparently I’ve written a lot. Who knew? I’m also redesigning my home page and I’ve been awful about publishing newsletters which is double awful seeing as ConvertKit isn’t cheap (but I do love what it can do vs Mailchimp). 

 

My tonsillectomy recovery blog post has become the most popular blog post on my blog, which is nice, as the previous most popular blog post was about ANZ fucking me over two years ago and that is so depressing to have as a most popular post. So I’m glad that something that I struggled to find information on (ADULT tonsillectomies) has clearly been helping others. It seems to be going well on Pinterest. 

 

So far in 2017 I’ve published over 70,000 words on this blog.

 

Doing Nothing

I did nothing on the weekend just gone. As nothing as I can do. I went to the library for books. I picked up some cheese in Coles. I tried to return pants to some dumb unhelpful store who refused to help me. That’s it. Apart from that I was at home. As someone who has had a long commute for years, I find it hard to just be at home and not get up and just go straight out, somewhere, on weekends or time off. 

 

Christmas

I highly encourage you all to make use of my sarcastic gift tags for your presents. And to not go overboard with spending money. I don’t want to go to our usual Christmas “do” this year. I want quiet and time alone. So I’m gonna take my beach tent to whichever beach is breeziest and eat food and read books. Or do nothing. Not sure yet. 

 

Any random thoughts on your 2017 that you’d like to share? What are you plans Chrissy day?