January journal

[liv]

I am absolutely in love with kaberett's Daily December meme! I'm really enjoying seeing it spread through all the different bits of my social circle. It's been a really excellent way to continue to keep people who did things like NaBloPoMo or Clovember in the conversation after November ends. And it's led to some absolutely fascinating posts and conversations as well as doing marvels for the pure activity volume round here.

I missed Daily December because by the time I'd realized just how brilliant it was it was already some way into the month. In any case I'm a lot lot lot less busy in January than I have been in December, so I'm going to timeshift it and do a January version instead. I can't come up with any very good alliterations, because words related to jour have more or less lost the sense of "daily" in modern English, though daily record is the literal meaning of journal.

This is, by the way, the first time I've attempted a daily posting meme in the decade+ I've kept this "journal". I think, looking at January 2014, it's going to be doable, if I use some of the Xmas break to bank some posts in advance. So, as kaberett so wisely suggested, pick a day and tell me what you'd like me to write about.

I'll take any topic, any level of detail, whatever you feel like reading about. Just a title is fine, a paragraph of explanation of exactly what sort of issues you want discussed is fine. Questions, prompts, whatever you like. And I'm happy for prompts / requests from people I know well or total strangers or anybody in between. If you're the first to claim a day, I'll write for you. I think for a daily meme it'd be prudent to stick to prose; I'm far too slow at poetry to be able to keep up if people ask for verse. And if I don't manage to fill your "day" I'll come back and answer the prompt as soon as I can after January ends.

January 1 – Favourite midrash for angelofthenorth
January 2 – Science! for ajollypyruvate
January 3 – Happiness for hunningham
January 4 – Britain's food bank crises for pretty_panther
January 5 – Favourite recipes for ceb
January 6 – Jewelry and personal adornment for ephemera
January 7 – Exercise for mathcathy
January 8 – Fibonacci interests for jjhunter
January 9 –
January 10 – Three favourite works of fiction (any medium) for kerrypolka
January 11 – Times I was creative for jack
January 12 – Gaming, of a non-computer kind for cxcvi
January 13 – Where do you go? for ephemera
January 14 – Living abroad for ceb
January 15 – e-books and paper books for syderia
January 16 – Trees that matter to me for forestofglory and for Tu biShevat
January 17 – Art on display in my space for ephemera
January 18 – Ambitions for ceb
January 19 – Single-sex education for shreena
January 20 – Memorable positive food experiences for rysmiel
January 21 – Favourite 3 places in the UK for mathcathy
January 22 – God for jack
January 23 – Social causes I work towards for zhelana
January 24 – Books I wish more people would read for wychwood
January 25 – Jewish history that resonates the most for angelofthenorth
January 26 – Non DW blogs I read for zhelana
January 27 – Reflections on the beginning of a new year for mathcathy
January 28 – Childhood memories of food for ephemera
January 29 – Bodies and health for Screwy
January 30 – Music for ceb
January 31 – Polyamory for angelofthenorth

Comments

[jjhunter]

For Jan. 8th:

Take a fibonacci sequence of your DW profile interests (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, etc.) and tell us something about each corresponding interest (1st — academia — x2; 2nd — alice cooper — x1; etc. etc.) not commonly known. Can be as brief or expansive as you choose.

[liv]

I love your fibonacci sequence of interests thing, it's a really brilliant prompt!

Note to self: Relevant interests are:
1. academia x 2
2. Alice Cooper
3. alphabets
5. AS Byatt
8. BBC computers
13. biochemistry
21. Chaim Potok
34. Dundee
55. Joni Mitchell
89. Reform Judaism

Wow, given 1, 13 and 89 are three very major parts of my life, this little bit of numerology is going to throw up a very challenging post for the 8^th Jan!

[kaberett]

Not original to me! But yes, I'm really enjoying it - it's a challenge to write to prompts, and is also making me want to talk more about some of the other stuff going on; I'm really enjoying seeing what's coming out that isn't prompted, compared to what is.

[liv]

Oh, is it not, I totally got the impression that you'd invented the format and it spread because it's so obviously brilliant. I think it's likely that having prompts will help me to get into a communicating habit and therefore I'll write more of the unprompted posts I've been meaning to do for a while.

[cxcvi]

I've seen this pop up a few times on my reading page. Not sure who started it, though.

[forestofglory]

Hmmm... the 16th will be Tu BiShvat, so how about a post about trees that matter to you on that day.

[liv]

That's a really lovely suggestion, and thank you. But damnit, what is a spring festival doing in the middle of January? Go home, lunisolar calendar, you're drunk.

[davidgillon]

Go home, lunisolar calendar, you're drunk.

Giggles....

[wychwood]

January 24 - 10 (or another number if that's easier) books that you wish more people in your circle would read? Or books that are important to you, or that you especially love - something book-related, anyway.

[liv]

I always like talking about books, so this is an excellent prompt!

[pretty_panther]

Jan 4th - Britain's foodbank crises. Your thoughts and opinions.

[liv]

I'm not sure I have much useful beyond general outrage, but I'll give it a go! Thanks for the suggestion.

[shreena]

Don't mind which date - would be interested in your views on single-sex education (schools/colleges/universities)

[liv]

That sounds like a fun question! I shall put it on the 19^th since S for Shreena is the 19^th letter of the alphabet.

[ephemera]

Jan 6th - Jewelry and personal adornment (eg- what attracts you, your favorite pieces or styles or approaches, pure aesthetics vs memories.)

[liv]

Ooh, I think I could have fun with this prompt. I wear almost no jewelry, so I might be able to give a comprehensive account of what I do wear!

[ephemera]

bonus: you have a month of leave and an unlimited travel budget - where do you go?

- childhood memories of food

[ephemera]

Oh - and another thought, if I may be greedy (or feel free to swap things in and out) - what sorts of art you do you have on display in your space?

[zhelana]

Non DW blogs you read

I was just about to do this myself for January since I missed out on December since I always do the same daily meme every December. :)

[liv]

Nice prompt, thank you. I've put it on the 26^th if you don't have any preferences for a particular date.

[syderia]

Jan, 15th, e-books & paper books

[liv]

Good idea. I'm surprised I haven't held forth about this already, but thank you, I'll enjoy writing on this topic.

[cxcvi]

January the 4d6 drop lowest: Gaming, of a non-computer kind. There are brief mentions of you doing some in the past, but only light whispers.

(Edit: And also consider throwing a topic my way; I have a few slots left, and a determination to catch up on the ones not written yet.)

[liv]

Thanks for that prompt, it is something I'd be very glad to talk about.

I'm sorry I haven't come up with a topic for you; I feel I don't really know you well enough to know what I would be interested to hear you talking about. If it's not too late now that December is a few hours from being over: imagine meeting yourself as a child. Would your younger self be surprised at the person you've become? How would you convince mini-you that you really are their future self?

[ajollypyruvate]

Science!

Why science? Also, is science awesome? Or what?

[liv]

This is a most excellent prompt, thank you so much. I shall really enjoy talking about science and how awesome it is.

[angelofthenorth]

Can I be greedy?

1 Jan - Favourite Midrash
25 Jan - Jewish history that resonates the most
At some point - Polyamory :)

[liv]

Greedy seems good to me, given my list is only half full as it is. And those are some chewy prompts. I've put the last one at the end of the month to give me some time to think over what I want to say.

[hunningham]

Coming in late, but never mind. Happiness - what things (activities, people, things, thoughts) make you happy? Do you seek these out or do they just happen?

[liv]

Late is fine, we're still in December and I still have quite a few slots. Writing about happiness seems like an excellent idea, and I really like your question. So this one's going in the first currently free slot I have.

[mathcathy]

Jan 21: favourite 3 places in the UK

[liv]

Thank you, that's a really nice prompt. I am looking forward to getting to the 21^st so I can write about places.

[kerrypolka]

I'll take the 10th - three favourite works of fiction (any medium)!

[(Anonymous)]

I see you have an empty slot coming up; I was going to suggest ambitions but you might want more of a run-up than that, so how about favourite recipes for tomorrow and ambitions for whenever you think is appropriate? :-)

[(Anonymous)]

Oops, that was ceb.

[ceb]

A couple more suggestions if you'd like to fill up the slots.

- What was different about living abroad and would you like to do it again? (if so, where?)

- What kinds of music do you enjoy and what do you get out of them?

[mathcathy]

Hey! You still have gaps ...

For tomorrow (Jan 7) - an update on all things exercise

For Jan 27 - reflections on the beginning of a new year, both calendar and Jewish - compare and contrast .

Also, let's try to meet up this year? Maybe just encourage me to come to Cambridge sometime when you're there.

[rysmiel]

If it's not too late to fit in, how about a post that is some reasonable number of most memorable positive food experiences ?

[zhelana]

social Causes you work towards

[lethargic_man]

FWIW, I've been reading all of these, but don't really have time to comment, as there's a lot of material!