It’s Sunday Again! Hurrah!

Let’s focus on the positives. I started up my language practice again. I’m using Duolingo for French (so I don’t lose what I have and learn some more vocab) and Russian (if I’m gonna live where it’s spoken for another year, I need to at least try to learn something) and Duolingo plus Drops and Memrise for Japanese. I decided to focus on Japanese and stop learning Chinese because my bucket list, dream life goal is to live in Japan one day. I’ll probably go back to China if I get the chance, but it’s not a place I want to stay long term, and I can use WeChat for most of what I need. I can also take lessons when I’m there. One of the cool things I’m learning about Russian is that I recognize a lot of the words when I hear them, so it’s a matter of learning the Cyrillic alphabet to make the connections when I read. For example, суши = sushi. If you’re just going by the alphabet, it can be tricky, but it’s pronounced the same. Sometimes, the words are similar to words I know in other languages. Like этаж = floor, story. It’s pronounced etazh, which is the same in French. I don’t see myself getting fluent but it’s nice to know there’s not a complete blank where the language is concerned.

I finished reading a whole book! I read These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong, a re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet set in 1920’s Shanghai, with a supernatural twist. It’s really good. It is also the first book in a trilogy, which I did not realize when I started. However, the first book does have a bit of a cliffhanger, but it isn’t so dramatic that I was frustrated about having to wait for the next book. It had a nice, natural stopping place, a breathing space for both the characters and the reader, although given the Events of the Story, the breathing space isn’t much for them. 😁

Writing is also going really well. As in, it’s happening a little bit every day, and I’m mostly okay with what is happening on the page. I’m anticipating a bit of a hit to my productivity next week as I have to take a week-long class to get my qualifications to teach AP Research next year. But I imagine I’ll be able to get a few things in here and there, enough to keep me going.

Here’s a snippet from my next Summer Writing Challenge story. It’s mostly done, but I want to give it a bit more polish over the week. I hope you’re all doing well this week!

It’s dark, hot, and quiet in the supply room in which Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang have barricaded themselves, and Huaisang’s labored breathing is harsh in Jiang Cheng’s ears. Huaisang shifts in Jiang Cheng’s arms and gasps.

“Lie still, baby,” Jiang Cheng says, easing Huaisang back until he’s settled against Jiang Cheng’s chest. “Just, just rest, okay?”

“Did we get it?” Huaisang asks, his voice low and rasping.

“Yeah, we did.” Jiang Cheng kisses the top of Huaisang’s head. “You got it. Jumped right in there between that fucker before it could get me. Took its head off with that fan.”

“Oh, good. ‘S my fav’rite.”