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a little early, but my bullet journal setup for july!!

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blue skies

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Current reads, the coolest dinosaur card ever that my friend @fluencylevelfrench got me 💜🌿, and the amazing gelato I got with my mom the other day.

22|06|2023

It's been a little over a week since I finished my exams for this exam season and summer is officially here. I've had ups and downs with resting and getting my energies back, as well as with my anxiety. But I want to do my best to focus on the positives of the past few days. I started going on morning walks with my dad, we talk about books and movies and it's become a great way to start our days. I have been doing a big reread of old Zerocalcare graphic novels I haven't read in years, which is bringing me a lot of laugh and comfort. I also recently started reading some cozy fantasy in the hopes it will help me heal from the burn out of exam season, because I have indeed burned myself out, and now I pay the consequences. The big happy news of the week is that I finally came out to my family, it wasn't planned, it just happened and I am so glad it did. It went very well, and I still feel like itm only happened in a dream. I have been procrastinating having this talk with them out of pure anxiety for years, and I don't know what I was expecting, but everything is normal and okay with the only difference that now I don't have this huge weight on my shoulders anymore. I'll have lots to say to my therapist this month, I guess. I haven't planned yet when I'll get back into studying for the September/November exam season. At the moment I feel like I need rest, and that is my main priority. I will do a bit of planning as soon as I feel I have enought brain power to do so, and in the meantime I am trying to rest and enjoy the small daily things.

📖: The House In The Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune, L'Elenco Telefonico Degli Accolli by Zerocalcare

🎵:Evergreen by PVRIS

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Asexual Non-Fiction

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Identity, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen

An engaging exploration of what it means to be asexual in a world that's obsessed with sexual attraction, and what we can all learn about desire and identity by using an ace lens to see the world. Through interviews, cultural criticism, and memoir, ACE invites all readers to consider big-picture issues through the lens of asexuality, because every place that sexuality touches our world, asexuality does too.

The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality by Julie Sondra Decker

In The Invisible Orientation, Julie Sondra Decker outlines what asexuality is, counters misconceptions, provides resources, and puts asexual people's experiences in context as they move through a very sexualized world. It includes information for asexual people to help understand their orientation and what it means for their relationships, as well as tips and facts for those who want to understand their asexual friends and loved ones.

How to Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing Up Asexual by Rebecca Burgess

In this brave, hilarious and empowering graphic memoir, we follow Rebecca as they navigate a culture obsessed with sex—from being bullied at school and trying to fit in with friends, to forcing themself into relationships and experiencing anxiety and OCD—before coming to understand and embrace their asexual identity.

A Quick & Easy Guide to Asexuality by Molly Mulldoon and Will Hernandez

Writer Molly Muldoon and cartoonist Will Hernandez, both in the ace community, are here to shed light on society’s misconceptions of asexuality and what being ace is really like. This book is for anyone who wants to learn about asexuality, and for Ace people themselves, to validate their experiences. Asexuality is a real identity and it’s time the world recognizes it. Here’s to being invisible no more! 

Asexualities: Feminist and Queer Perspectives edited by Karli June Cerankowski and Megan Milks

As the first book-length collection of critical essays ever produced on the topic of asexuality, this book serves as a foundational text in a growing field of study. It also aims to reshape the directions of feminist and queer studies, and to radically alter popular conceptions of sex and desire. Including units addressing theories of asexual orientation; the politics of asexuality; asexuality in media culture; masculinity and asexuality; health, disability, and medicalization; and asexual literary theory, Asexualities will be of interest to scholars and students in sexuality, gender, sociology, cultural studies, disability studies, and media culture.

Refusing Compulsory Sexuality: A Black Asexual Lens on Our Sex-Obsessed Culture by Sherronda J. Brown

In this exploration of what it means to be Black and asexual in America today, Sherronda J. Brown offers new perspectives on asexuality. She takes an incisive look at how anti-Blackness, white supremacy, patriarchy, heteronormativity, and capitalism enact harm against asexual people, contextualizing acephobia within a racial framework in the first book of its kind. A necessary and unapologetic reclamation, Refusing Compulsory Sexuality is smart, timely, and an essential read for asexuals, aromantics, queer readers, and anyone looking to better understand sexual politics in America.

I Am Ace: Advice on Living Your Best Asexual Life by Cody Daigle-Orians

Within these pages lie all the advice you need as a questioning ace teen. Tackling everything from what asexuality is, the asexual spectrum and tips on coming out, to intimacy, relationships, acephobia and finding joy, this guide will help you better understand your asexual identity alongside deeply relatable anecdotes drawn from Cody's personal experience. Whether you are ace, demi, gray-ace or not sure yet, this book will give you the courage and confidence to embrace your authentic self and live your best ace life.

Ace Voices: What it Means to Be Asexual, Aromantic, Demi or Grey-Ace by Eris Young

Drawing upon interviews with a wide range of people across the asexual spectrum, Eris Young is here to take you on an empowering, enriching journey through the rich multitudes of asexual life. With chapters spanning everything from dating, relationships and sex, to mental and emotional health, family, community and joy, the inspirational stories and personal experiences within these pages speak to aces living and loving in unique ways. Find support amongst the diverse narratives of aces sex-repulsed and sex-favourable, alongside voices exploring what it means to be black and ace, to be queer and ace, or ace and multi-partnered - and use it as a springboard for your own ace growth.

Asexual Erotics: Intimate Readings of Compulsory Sexuality by Ela Przybylo

Through a wide-ranging analysis of pivotal queer, feminist, and anti-racist movements; television and film; art and photography; and fiction, nonfiction, and theoretical texts, each chapter explores asexual erotics and demonstrates how asexuality has been vital to the formulation of intimate ways of knowing and being. Asexual Erotics assembles a compendium of asexual possibilities that speaks against the centralization of sex and sexuality, asking that we consider the ways in which compulsory sexuality is detrimental not only to asexual and nonsexual people but to all.

Ace Notes by Michele Kirichanskaya

As an ace or questioning person in an oh-so-allo world, you're probably in desperate need of a cheat sheet. Covering everything from coming out, explaining asexuality and understanding different types of attraction, to marriage, relationships, sex, consent, gatekeeping, religion, ace culture and more, this is the ultimate arsenal for whatever the allo world throws at you.

Ace and Aro Journeys: A Guide to Embracing Your Asexual or Aromantic Identity by The Ace and Aro Advocacy Project

Join the The Ace and Aro Advocacy Project (TAAAP) for a deep dive into the process of discovering and embracing your ace and aro identities. Empower yourself to explore the nuances of your identity, find and develop support networks, explore different kinds of partnership, come out to your communities and find real joy within. Combining a rigorous exploration of identity and sexuality models with hundreds of candid and poignant testimonials - this companion vouches for your personal truth, wherever you lie on the aspec spectrum.

Sounds Fake But Okay: An Asexual and Aromantic Perspective on Love, Relationships, Sex, and Pretty Much Anything Else by Sarah Costello and Kayla Kaszyca

Drawing on Sarah and Kayla's personal stories, and those of aspec friends all over the world, prepare to explore your microlabels, investigate different models of partnership, delve into the intersection of gender norms and compulsory sexuality and reconsider the meaning of sex - when allosexual attraction is out of the equation.

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I spent so much time at home that I had forgotten how comforting it is to go out and read in the park ✨

📖: Atomic Habits

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My week in pictures 💖

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26th of april,

virginia woolf bewitched me with her writing and there is no going back 🫶🏼

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This was a good start. This spring feels nice. Heavy and light at the same time.

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Book fair haul and the picture of one of the lovely stand that was in the middle of a bunch of plants and trees!

19|05|2023

Not a productivity day but a good day. I was very excited to spend the day at the book fair with my mom. It was really fun even though there were so many people (I don't deal very well with v crowded places but even though I had a couple of unpleasant head spins I am happy with how I managed). I was hoping to find a specific book I didn't find, but I will get it elsewhere. I did find some pretty random gems like the graphic novel about Mary Shelly and the book about hobbits, and I am so excited to read them!

Productivity:

Finished reading De Profundis by Oscar Wilde

Listened to the latest re:dracula episode

Continued listening to old episodes of the books unbound podcast

Practiced Irish on duolingo

Self care:

Read first thing in the morning

Book fair with mom! (It was very good because I spent quality time with my mom, I got out of the house and faced one of my fears which is crowded spaces and of course I got myself some new books which is always the best kind of self care)

📖: De Profundis by Oscar Wilde

🎵: Love Is A by PVRIS (I could lie and say I didn't have this on repeat since yesterday, but I am obsessed)

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05.18.23

scroll carving againnnnnnnnnn,, might be my favorite part of the work :))))) modeling off the medici this time, w comparisons to the tuscan and aurea scrolls for context

🎧 : kometostai - knxwledge

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Kurt Vonnegut wrote: “When I was 15, I spent a month working on an archeological dig. I was talking to one of the archeologists one day during our lunch break and he asked those kinds of “getting to know you” questions you ask young people: Do you play sports? What’s your favorite subject? And I told him, no I don’t play any sports. I do theater, I’m in choir, I play the violin and piano, I used to take art classes.

And he went WOW. That’s amazing! And I said, “Oh no, but I’m not any good at ANY of them.”

And he said something then that I will never forget and which absolutely blew my mind because no one had ever said anything like it to me before: “I don’t think being good at things is the point of doing them. I think you’ve got all these wonderful experiences with different skills, and that all teaches you things and makes you an interesting person, no matter how well you do them.”

And that honestly changed my life. Because I went from a failure, someone who hadn’t been talented enough at anything to excel, to someone who did things because I enjoyed them. I had been raised in such an achievement-oriented environment, so inundated with the myth of Talent, that I thought it was only worth doing things if you could “Win” at them.”

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ich war heute mit einer meiner besten freund*innen unterwegs und wir haben so viel übers reisen geredet, dass die york-vermissung noch größer wurde als sie eh schon ist. und weil ich heute außer brotteig nichts produktives und absolut gar keine bilder gemacht hab und vorfreude ja die schönste freude ist, dachte ich mir ich zeig euch einfach mal meine lieblingsbilder aus meinem erasmus semester letzten winter

die echten lieblingsbilder sind halt eigtl die mit freund*innen drauf <3

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09.05 // Last day in vienna and we visited the Albertina after a very delicious breakfast! Life will start again tomorrow and I'm actually looking forward to it.

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11|05|2023

9/50 days of productivity

Today felt a lot like a wasted day. The lecture was basically the first part of the presentations, most peaople who spoke about ceramics did their presentations, and it was kinda useless for me to go to class. I mean at the end of the day what they said isn't required and with my commute going to uni meant that I couldn't do anything else for the day. I leave home to early to actually get something done, and by the time I am home I am exhausted and I physically cannot force myself to do much. I cannot wait for this class to be over. My presentation will be next week, and after that I hope I'll manage to do a big power through to finish up in time everything I have on my plate.

Productivity:

practiced Irish on duolingo (lately I have been doing the bare minimum to keep my streak, but it's good enough)

3 hour protohistory lecture

finished the latest books unbound podcast episode

listened to the new re:dracula episode

continued reading the collection of short stories by Shirley Jackson I was gifted a while ago (I keep this in my uni backpack since it's a small light book, so that's why I am not making a lot of progress with it)

emails

Self care:

read first thing in the morning

I'll be home alone tonight which means I'll have a movie night by myself (although I have yet to decide what I'll be watching)

📖: Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice, The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson

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studyblr introduction time!

Hello all! I’ve been a lurker in the studyblr community for about 4 years now, but I’m currently on a gap year and applying to university this fall, so I’ve decided it’s finally time to get serious about running a studyblr!

about me

My name is Harrison (you can also call me Harris or Harry), I’m a cis guy, and I’m gay

I’m 17, a Scorpio, an INTP, and a Slytherin

I’m extremely nocturnal! I often sleep during the afternoon and I’m awake during the night and morning. I adopted this schedule during quarantine, because I noticed late at night and early in the morning were when I was most productive.

I love the Etruscans, and I hope to eventually study Etruscology in Italy!

I’m American but I’m only applying to UK universities. My dream school is Oxford, and I’m also applying to St. Andrews, Edinburgh, Durham, and Warwick.

I’m hoping to study Classical Archaeology and Ancient History. 

I’m a staunch environmentalist, and I’m very interested in how climate change affects endangered languages and those who speak them.

I love coffee, cold weather, books, baking, anime, video games, and stationery, among many other things.

When studying, I primarily listen to Twitch streams/vods or one of the many lo-fi music and other genre compilations/livestreams on YouTube.

Subjects I’m interested in include: history (ancient history, history of art, historical fashion, and much more), archaeology, the classics, philology, literature, languages, linguistics, theology, anthropology, music, mathematics, and politics. 

Four of my favourite books are: Giovanni’s Room, Call Me By Your Name, The Song of Achilles, and Eugene Onegin

goals for this studyblr

In general, keep myself productive, hold myself accountable, and develop more self-discipline

Study for the SAT/SAT Subject Tests

Continue to improve my Latin

Self-teach myself languages (Japanese, Italian, and Ancient Greek, with possibly more to come)

Read one book a week for the foreseeable future (I’m already on week four!)

Keep up with my writing, both academic and fiction, since I’m not in school

Keep up with studying math (even though I’m a humanities student at heart I still love math)

Generally continue to expand my knowledge about things that interest me

some of my favourite studyblrs

@studyblr @studylustre @acataemic @etudiare @study-van @intellectys @problematicprocrastinator @frnech @mid-afternoon-tea @serendistudy @illya-studies @studythenight-away @athenastudying@coralstudiies @lawyerd @elleandhermione @coffeeandpies

Can’t wait to settle in! Would love to meet any other people studying/wanting to study similar subjects, other Oxford students/applicants, other Americans applying to the UK, or other male-run studyblrs :)

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hi!! i am once again reminding you that i have a bookstagram (@dreamreadervee) and you can go follow me there for more book content! i’ve been a bit inactive on tumblr recently but i’m updating my thoughts on books i read on instagram so check it out if you’re interested! there are dog pictures, i promise. who wouldn’t love the combination of books and dogs? :’)