Christmas
😐
I didn’t quite get to the point I was hoping for with my Christmas labels, but I made substantial progress. I’ll have to finish some final steps after my two-week deadline, but I think I can do most of it in the timeframe I intended.
🤔
I booked my flights for Christmas. I had a bit of environmentalist crisis over it. Air travel is bad for the climate, so I was planning to take the train. But I worried I might be stuck in a bad experience for many hours each way, so I looked up Amtrak reviews, and apparently it has indeed gone downhill since I last rode, partly due to cutbacks during COVID.
I could drive, which I find taxing and somewhat stressful, but I found out for the distance I’m going, flying actually hurts the climate less.
I was gratified to find I wasn’t the only environmentally conscious person uneasy with the trade-offs of train travel. Fortunately, Amtrak is getting a big boost from the infrastructure bill, so maybe someday it’ll be worth the switch.
Personal development
🤔
I think my routines are regimented enough now that I’m ready to try daily journaling again, which I’m calling my daily wrap-up. I’ve made a database template for the page in Notion. The main sections cover worries, gratitude and inspiration, and a retrospective—observations about how I conducted my day. I only started a couple of days ago, so we’ll see if I can keep it up this time.
Music
😎
I attended a piano concert by an acquaintance of mine, Matt Peterson, for his very listenable new jazz album, Better Worlds. It was a solo performance, but the album features a full band. I bought the CD, which makes great commute music, and the title track quickly got stuck in my head. The album is coming to Spotify in the spring.
