Imperium Romanum Returns!
Today’s the day! I’m coming off hiatus and posting on Imperium Romanum is resuming! I’ve got a lot to catch up on – news, events, and shenanigans – and I’m looking forward to it all.
This month will see not only the return of regular content, such as On This Day and the latest Classics related news, but also the start of regular vlogs! Equipment is in the mail now and I plan to produce my very first video next week. If you have any topics you would like me to cover, whether you have a question about the ancient world, a question about my experiences as a student and PhD Candidate, or about any other topics, feel free to pop a message in my ask box or in the submissions.
To finish up, this seems a fitting time to post an update on the New Year’s goals that I set at the start of 2019. I set three goals for myself, and am so far pleased with my progress!
Original Goal: “I love reading, yet, over the last few years, I’ve noticed that I do very little reading simply for the pleasure of it. Because the last six years of my life have been so academically focused – having gone straight from a Bachelor to Honours to a PhD – I’ve spent so much time reading for university subjects and research that the thought of doing more reading, even fiction, is exhausting. I could probably count the number of new books I’ve read (that haven’t been set for a class) on my fingers. I’ve set myself the goal of reading two to three new fiction books every month – if I can read more, great!”
Progress: So far, everything is going well! Although not all of the books I have read have been new, I’ve managed to finish at least one book every month. On top of reading, I’ve taken up listening to audiobooks – this has made it possible to keep up with my goal as I can pop on an audiobook while I’m doing housework or while I’m driving. So far, I’ve read ten books and listened to a further ten.
I’m currently reading Devil’s Breath by Jon P Wells and I’m currently listening to Mythos by Stephen Fry.
This week, I also joined Goodreads so I can put together a library of books I’ve read, books I want to read, and also get some new recommendations. Any and all of my followers are welcome to add me as a friend! You can find my Goodreads profile here.
Original Goal: “Last year, I went on a fantastic one-day road trip with two friends to Freycinet National Park on Tasmania’s east coast. Then, through December, I enjoyed many more small adventures with my fiancé. Even though I’ve never been particularly fit, I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors. Now that I’m equipped with some top-quality hiking boots, I want to get out more – do more bushwalking, walk more rugged and rocky coastlines, and explore more of Tasmania’s wilderness. I also want to spend less time playing computer games (much as I enjoy them), and more time making things. I’m no artist, but I still love to create things. I’m going to start off by making a pom pom rug in my Harry Potter house colours – Ravenclaw – to go under my desk. I won’t be posting my creations of Imperium Romanum, but I will be posting about them on Instagram and Twitter for those who are interested.”
Progress: I enjoyed fantastic outdoor adventures while I was visiting Armidale at the start of February. Between presentations and events at ASCS40, I ventured to Wollomombi Falls (although the waterfall was more a trickle due to the intense New South Wales summer) and to Gara Gorge to enjoy the scenery and a nice bushwalk. I’ve also gone for many enjoyable walks around my neighbourhood in Tasmania and as the weather warms up again, I look forward to doing even more walking.
I have also been quite crafty – not only did I finish my pom pom rug earlier in the year, but I’ve also taken up cross-stitching. It’s been a slow process, but I’m really starting to get the hang of it now and have finished a few designs which I gave as gifts. I’m working on a couple of pieces at the moment. One is a simple Pusheen design, and the other is a more complex 33,000 stitch design which, for now, will remain secret… 🤫
I didn’t quite manage to keep away from my consoles as much as I intended, but I can at least say I was playing relevant games. I’ve finished the main storylines for both Assassin’s Creed: Origins and Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and thoroughly enjoy both. I’ve been taking a bit of a break from them to play a few other things, including My Time at Portia, but I look forward to playing the rest of the DLC content for both games in the future.
3. Participate in a ‘100 Days of Productivity’ challenge
Original Goal: “While I have a reputation for being a productive student with good grades, the truth is that I am a chronic procrastinator who happens to be very good at whipping up strong assignments last minute. Even outside of the academic sphere, I’m somewhat of a procrastinator, thanks in part to anxiety. So, while I will continue to bring you the latest Classics news, there will be some changes coming to Imperium Romanum as I turn more attention to the everyday realities of studying Classics and my experiences as a student. Life can often be overwhelming, and acknowledging this and finding a better way to tackle the day-to-day burdens before the month-to-month or the year-to-year is going to be a major focus for me. I think that a productivity challenge is an excellent way to do this. Starting January 3, I’ll be documenting my productive efforts via Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. While I expect most of my days will be related to research, I have no doubt that the challenge will have a positive impact on my life outside of university.”
Progress: Before June, my last productivity post was for days 67 and 68. I stopped posting following the death of my father in law and am currently on a leave of absence while we continue to come to terms with the burdens which come with a sudden loss.
As I return to regular blogging this month, I will also return to regular productivity posts. These posts will likely reflect more on my productivity at home and regarding hobbies rather than on my academic productivity while I take a much needed break from my studies and research, but I hope they’ll still be interesting.
And with that, I wish you all a very wonderful rest of your day, and I look forward to jumping back in with the classics and history community!
~ Admin @sassy-cicero-says
