# Last quarter catchups of 2023
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rawtext.club:70/~xiu
2023-12-29
Boorloo/Perth, Western Australia
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Long time no see, gopherfriends.

Over the last three months, my time online has become very
deliberate, with very little of it spent on leisure or idleness. If
I've not got a specific purpose for being on the computer, then
I've got my nose in a book, my face glued to Baldur's Gate 3, or
I'm doing some other offline or non-internet thing.

It's been nice. I feel like some old habits and compulsions are
ebbing away at last. A morning journaling habit means my phone can
return to my bedside without it being the first thing I reach for
when I wake up. The urge is still there, but it's the analog
notebook I reach for instead.

My novel launched and is now in a local specialty bookstore in my
city, and there's talk of doing a book signing event next year.
Something I, at one stage, thought I would never have it in me to
do. Well, here's hoping it all works out. I've decided I need to
put my big brave pants on and face my fears.

I did face my fear of going for my first solo bike ride. Sod's Law:
my journey was along a busy road where the bike path abruptly stops
part of the way. That was unexpected, but I was lucky traffic
wasn't as busy as it usually is, and a friend with mini-pies and
sausage rolls was waiting for me at my destination ^_^

This last quarter of 2023 has felt like a turning point for me.
Life isn't perfect. There's red flags scattered all over the place,
but I'm in a better place than last year, and certainly the year
before. On top of not having Christmas COVID this time around. I
feel very grateful for the people who share vital ideas, and very
relieved for having stumbled upon them and learned stuff that
helped me improve my approach.

I make no promises to update more in 2024. Que sera sera.

Happy new year, everyone!