Life, one word at a time

kristy, 25, brisbane. aquarius. aspiring writer/editor. i love endlessly buying new books and never finishing them. i feel simultaneously thrilled and disgusted when i find spelling and grammar errors in reputable publications.

[mythwoven]

Alternate universe where I literally just to go to school forever (for free) so I can just learn about art and literature and history and languages for 100 years. No job skills. No credit requirements. No student loans. Just learning.

[lesbianshepard]

one of the reasons i like greek mythology because the greeks went “yes these are our gods. they’re very powerful and can not die and are incapable of any sort of critical thinking.” 

[englishgradinrepair]

foggy essay writing vibes 

[xnafraxd-deactivated20200704]

January 7, 2019 // Monday

First day of my second quarter in graduate school! I’m excited to conquer both my school work and my own personal projects. Willoughby is here to cheer everyone on! Happy Monday to all of you 🌼

[meg-elle]

[arterialtrees]

Romance as means of redemption is the worst kind of Western medicine, but an obsession with personal transformation is an even more American tendency, or at least it is mine. In the last couple years it became a more interesting challenge to be “good” than bad. I started living alone, vacuuming my apartment weekly, saving parmesan rinds for soup, calling to negotiate better rates for utilities. I became a better cook and friend, especially to myself. These specific tasks are not meant to demonstrate adulthood, the inane fantasy of the unrigorous that there is a finite level—based often on what you can afford to own and what that implies—at which no further acquisition of skills or growth is necessary. Rather, it’s to illustrate that I now live my life in a way that suggests I care to be in it. Naturally that desire transfers to other tasks, practices, and ways of relating––what I mean is that it transfers to love.

“Every Long Letter Is A Love Letter” by Lucy Morris

[kaylareads]

it’s december

[tholdones]

Book, journal and art museums.

[malglories]

me, writing, throwing commas around like i’ve just won the lottery and i’m exulting in my winnings, needlessly, passionately, with no thought to the consequences,

[betterself]

18.03.2018; study snacks: super-naughty edition.

i’m reading some french magazines because i want to improve in the daily use of the language outside the classroom. i’ll be in paris in about ten days and i want to feel more confident with my french. magazines are great because they are less committing than a book, what do you think?

[m-i-s-o]

[galina]

If it seems like all I do is drink coffee and read, well, that’s because all I do is drink coffee and read (and work)

[on-the-heath]

I don't know if you / or any of your followers experienced this, but I somehow feel really ashamed for wanting to go into the humanities? I've grown up with the idea that people only get such degrees to do nothing with them but I would love to study a language/culture or go work as a librarian or archivist. Is it true that studying for such a degree will probably be useless? And if so - do y'all think it's better to just go for it? I still have a few months, but I seem to be stuck.

the fear and shame are so real!! my best friend spent several years as a pre-med bc he felt so much pressure to go into that sort of career instead of do what he loves. when i told my mom in undergrad that i was switching to english, her first reaction was “you aren’t gonna get a job!” (though, i should note, she’s always been very supportive). you aren’t alone. 

i think that it’s worth pursing despite what people may say, however. college (are you heading to college? that’s how your message reads, though i’m not sure) is a time to explore and figure yourself out. you’ll have more resources to learn languages, read books, than you probably ever will again. the idea that a degree isn’t worth your time because it’s not going to immediately funnel you into a job is a product of capitalism – you are so much more than a job, you’re allowed to do stuff that makes you happy, not just makes your bosses money. 

that being said, i really think that language, literature, and other humanities degrees are extremely marketable. what is a liberal arts degree teaching you but to think, read, and write critically? when studying english, you look at how people communicated and how to do so effectively yourself. you learn how to articulate your ideas and look at the big picture. super important stuff in the workplace! if you get a language degree, no one is going to think “wow, they know a second (of third, or fourth!) language, that’s dumb, i’m not gonna hire them.” you learn general skills that apply to a really wide range of jobs, a wider range, in fact, than the training you get in business or STEM. 

tl;dr - humanities are great! you should pursue what you love, you’re a person, not just an employee. 

[kristyspeaking-blog]

cute lil notebooks i bought today!! finally found some that are the size i want, bound the way i like, easy to carry around with me everywhere!

[kristyspeaking-blog]

I’ve slowly started collecting interesting and impressive magazines again. This is definitely a worthy addition: amazing design, great content, artistic, neat, and it comes in my fave size and paper type, feels so good in my hands! Can’t wait til I have time to give the content closer attention.

[kristyspeaking-blog]

And another one! This was published in March this year, in a publication I edited a few years ago when I was studying abroad! 

[kristyspeaking-blog]

I really miss when our sunroom was at its most lush. Sad to say most of those plants have died or have had to be repotted or cut back — they really didn’t fare well over the winter.