Aran's recent activity
-
Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Aran LinkDoes a gamified, clearly Pokemon-inspired Japanese learning game count!? I've been playing Wagotabi on my Steam Deck at night before bed. I picked it up on pure whim in mid-February. It's...Does a gamified, clearly Pokemon-inspired Japanese learning game count!? I've been playing Wagotabi on my Steam Deck at night before bed. I picked it up on pure whim in mid-February. It's apparently also available on mobile. "Learn enough Japanese to go to Japan"* has been my more achievable pipe dream than "get into hobby video game dev" even though the extent of my efforts has been a single 5-week summer class I took back in 2023 and a bit of kanji memorization through Wanikani / Remembering the Kanji.
I'm maybe 4-5 hours in - hard to tell because I apparently left my Steam Deck on and it padded out my playtime hours. It's definitely pleasant enough as a gamified learning side tool, as in I'm drawing on what little I remember from my one Japanese class, but now I'm getting to a point where I'm struggling to keep up with the kanji. They write out the furigana in dialogue, but the quizzes/fill in the blank prompts will just give you the kanji with no furigana hint on what the heck these squiggles mean via the reading. Which then prompted me to re-download Anki so I can try to beat the kanji into my brain instead of picking up the Deck at night and thinking... what the hell do these mean again?
*I'm aware that you don't need to speak a lick of Japanese to be a tourist in Japan; practically everyone I know has visited by now. I just think it'd be nice!
-
Comment on Tildes Gardening Group: Week 30/3/26 in ~hobbies
Aran LinkI'll take a photo and upload tomorrow morning, but I'm seeing my mystery seeds sprout! (Mystery as in, I forgot which seeds I planted in which corner of the planters) Some are very obviously...I'll take a photo and upload tomorrow morning, but I'm seeing my mystery seeds sprout! (Mystery as in, I forgot which seeds I planted in which corner of the planters) Some are very obviously cilantro. I am excited.
-
Comment on What’s something you’re putting up with? in ~talk
Aran Link ParentGoodness, now I realize that as upsetting as my recent life circumstances have been... I'm glad I'm in a new apartment before aircon season. My old bedroom window was RIGHT NEXT to the building's...Goodness, now I realize that as upsetting as my recent life circumstances have been... I'm glad I'm in a new apartment before aircon season. My old bedroom window was RIGHT NEXT to the building's condenser units and they weren't dying as far as I'm aware, but I never got used to that racket...
-
Comment on Tildes Gardening Group: Week 24/3/26 in ~hobbies
Aran Link ParentI will add this to the list of things to experiment with, thank you! I’m not really upset about the sunlight situation (I hate heat) but it is kind of funny looking at the next balcony over and...I will add this to the list of things to experiment with, thank you! I’m not really upset about the sunlight situation (I hate heat) but it is kind of funny looking at the next balcony over and seeing how much more sunlight they get just because of the way the buildings are angled.
-
Comment on Tildes Gardening Group: Week 24/3/26 in ~hobbies
Aran Link ParentI was going to look into whether reflecting light would work - artificial light seems like too much effort for a small affair like this one, and I don’t think I have a direct outlet out on the...I was going to look into whether reflecting light would work - artificial light seems like too much effort for a small affair like this one, and I don’t think I have a direct outlet out on the balcony!
-
Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
Aran LinkFirst time coming in for consecutive days (slowly freeing up my online obligations, and have a work trip coming up this week so I either go in early this week or not at all!). Today was very arms...First time coming in for consecutive days (slowly freeing up my online obligations, and have a work trip coming up this week so I either go in early this week or not at all!). Today was very arms focused:
Warmup of jumping jacks, walk out plank + pushups, windmills.
Workout:
- 3 sets of 15x dumbbell bench press
- 3 sets of 15x dumbbell chest fly
- 3 sets of 10x dumbbell pull overs
- 2 sets of 12x skull crushers
- 2 sets of 12x hammer curls
I tried to use the lighter resistance band for my pull-ups today and failed miserably! And then I tried to see if I could jump to reach the lowest pull up bar (I need to climb onto a bench to reach otherwise), only to see I cannot in fact jump high enough! So now I'm looking at exercises I can add on to increase vertical jump height....
-
Comment on Tildes Gardening Group: Week 24/3/26 in ~hobbies
Aran LinkNo gardening experience whatsoever, and jokingly "blessed" with a northeast facing balcony that currently gets about an hour of direct morning sunlight in a tiny corner of said balcony. Not really...No gardening experience whatsoever, and jokingly "blessed" with a northeast facing balcony that currently gets about an hour of direct morning sunlight in a tiny corner of said balcony. Not really expecting or looking for material results (though the things I've planted so far are things I could use in the kitchen), just seeing whether I can actually get things to grow and stay alive.
I have two little 16x16 raised planters that I purchased from a local woodworker and have already made the mistake of not marking which seeds I planted in which sections. I got some little sprouts in the last week but I have no idea what's what! I've planted cilantro, mint, Thai basil, and some cosmos flowers. I know I fucked up because I also transplanted some mint from the nursery in a corner of the planter, where I had forgotten I had already planted seeds of... some kind. So the poor things are probably going to be crowded out by the mint. Live and learn...
-
Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
Aran LinkWent in again for muay thai on Saturday morning, where I felt a little awkward because I still don't feel comfortable drilling with experienced partners (I mentioned last week that everyone here...Went in again for muay thai on Saturday morning, where I felt a little awkward because I still don't feel comfortable drilling with experienced partners (I mentioned last week that everyone here is nice and they'd probably be chill, but I feel like my body still doesn't quite have this whole jabbing and crosses and hooks right and I just wouldn't be a good partner at all...). I just did bag work! And got fancy gloves in though I foolishly ordered them before asking the gym which ones I needed. Debating whether I should keep them or do a full on exchange - internet suggested that me being extremely petite meant it'd make sense to get lighter gloves for bag work, while most gyms including mine will only accept 16oz for partner drilling. I'm also seeing some comments suggesting to have separate pairs between bag work and sparring since bag work will slowly but surely make the gloves far more compact and hard... which I can afford, just not sure if I should keep the 12oz gloves I got in or get two 16oz gloves.
Today's workout was fun! Only had three of us for the earlier class and we had all been regular attendees of the Monday class for the last several weeks, so the coach pushed us a bit more than usual. I was a little excited because I usually finish all the sets last (not that it's a competition at all), but one of the exercises was hanging knees to elbows, and my lower body weight finally gave me the edge here... that, and I was feeling the returns from the last several weeks' worth of casual pull up training and resulting grip strength.
Workout was:
- 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, then 6 reps of ball slam + pushup
- 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6 reps of hanging knees to elbows
- 4 sets of 15 reps kettlebell swings
- 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6 renegade rows + devil's press
Lastly: I finally assembled the pull up stand I got in! I was inspired by some YT videos to actually keep it on the lower height and work on some inverted rows / pullups. I need to acquire gym rings. I need to run more.
-
Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
Aran Link ParentI took nearly an entire half year of casual walking and ring-closing before even looking at something more serious, and honestly just that helped me out a lot (as someone who is extreeeeeemely...I took nearly an entire half year of casual walking and ring-closing before even looking at something more serious, and honestly just that helped me out a lot (as someone who is extreeeeeemely sedentary otherwise due to computer job and WFH)! And based on what I have been getting from the strength and conditioning classes, you can definitely get a lot of mileage out of just body-weight exercises!
-
Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
Aran LinkI write this entry while in great (but very much manageable) pain from one very bruised knee and one shin lined with bruises... I've gotten pretty lucky in these classes where there is exactly one...I write this entry while in great (but very much manageable) pain from one very bruised knee and one shin lined with bruises...
I've gotten pretty lucky in these classes where there is exactly one other woman of similar stature attending so I can do the drills with a partner who isn't like, a dude a foot taller than me (though I'm sure they'd oblige! But it doesn't help that I'm still very new). Today's bruises are from starting off with the lighter bag and just constantly missing my shin on the bag (and ramming it with my knee instead). I'm reminded of a phrase from a Youtuber talking about how starting a new martial art, even if he had extensive training in other disciplines, would feel like playing a fighting game with the controller unplugged, and that is exactly how I feel for most of these drills that are slightly more complicated than just a 1-2 or a 1-2 and kick...
I may rethink doing the strength and conditioning class before the muay thai just because I don't have the energy to keep up for 2 hours straight! That or I can take it much easier if I know I'm heading to muay thai afterwards? Either way, today's exercises:
Warmup:
- 2 sets of 10x banded squats
- 2 sets of 20x calf raises
Workout:
- 3 sets of 8x weighted heel raise squats
- 3 sets of 8x curtsy lunges, both sides
- 3 sets of 10x RDLS
- 3 sets of 10x sumo squats
- 3 sets of 8x hip thrusts
- walking lunge + squat to finish it off
-
Comment on Are you a morning person or a night owl? in ~talk
Aran LinkI think at heart I’m a morning person, but most of my life was spent as a night owl. Life circumstances helped me get away from the “bedtime is at 12 am or later” lifestyle - namely, some...I think at heart I’m a morning person, but most of my life was spent as a night owl. Life circumstances helped me get away from the “bedtime is at 12 am or later” lifestyle - namely, some screaming cats that absolutely demanded breakfast at around 630 AM every day. That and having a partner who needed to commute for work meant earlier bedtime and honestly, that did feel pretty nice, even though half the time I would feed the cats and go back to bed until 8-9 since I work remotely.
Nowadays I’m back to night owling and I feel unhappy for it, though it’s a bit of a vicious positive loop of negative feelings keeping me up -> go to bed late -> not have the energy to stay awake past cat feeding time. There is something about getting past that first 5 minutes of tired gloominess and feeling energized to get the day going after; I don’t really get that equivalent in the evenings or late night. But it takes a bit of mindfulness to get that routine going and I’m still not back to that yet.
-
Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
Aran (edited )Link ParentWent in today for the usual strength training class: Warmups, 2 sets of the following: 15x squats 10 side lunges 20 calf raises Workout: 4 sets of 6x barbell squats 4 sets of 10x RDLS 2 sets of 8x...Went in today for the usual strength training class:
Warmups, 2 sets of the following:
- 15x squats
- 10 side lunges
- 20 calf raises
Workout:
- 4 sets of 6x barbell squats
- 4 sets of 10x RDLS
- 2 sets of 8x Bulgarian side splits
- 2 sets of 20x kettlebell swings
And then I added on 4 sets of 5x resistance band assisted pull ups. I am still very very very far from being able to do one unassisted.
So I did end up talking to the usual Monday coach about adding the muay thai to my plan. Pleasantly surprised to realize that making time for it is actually not bad (stamina willing) because I can go straight from the strength training to the MT class, and in fact recognized some regulars at the strength classes who seemingly do the same thing. It'll give me something to do on Saturday morning too!
-
Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
Aran LinkMonday was fun; the entire class had been to these mobility-focused workouts a few times now so the coach ramped it up a bit in difficulty/intensity. As usual the warmup was a bit of jogging,...Monday was fun; the entire class had been to these mobility-focused workouts a few times now so the coach ramped it up a bit in difficulty/intensity. As usual the warmup was a bit of jogging, Frankenstein walking, lateral band walks (these still kill me).
We were introduced to Copenhagen planks - in fact we progressed through them in three stages! Started with knee on the bench, then foot, then foot with resistance band row. Was another point in favor of me possibly picking up a workout bench for my apartment (I don't have any other solid household item at the right height to use for these).
I have a few online obligations petering out soon so I might be talking to the coaches on coming in for more days (whether that's for trying a muay thai session or two every week on top of the strength training). My mental health has been really up and down lately and while the gym days are not a perfect panacea, they do help a lot.
-
Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
Aran LinkI made sourdough!!! It looks really sad and flat and I honestly had no idea what I was doing therefore I can't even troubleshoot the lack of rising in the oven, but like... it tastes fine! I do...It looks really sad and flat and I honestly had no idea what I was doing therefore I can't even troubleshoot the lack of rising in the oven, but like... it tastes fine! I do need to find a nice schedule to bake these since I was definitely not exactly, uh, following all instructions to the letter when it came to amount of time spent proofing and resting and whatnot...
-
Comment on Would anyone be interested in an online gardening club? in ~hobbies
Aran LinkIf my herbs survive my east facing balcony and black thumb, maybe I’ll post about them……. My previous gardening attempts have been limited to growing cat grass and catnip. The grass was fine; the...If my herbs survive my east facing balcony and black thumb, maybe I’ll post about them…….
My previous gardening attempts have been limited to growing cat grass and catnip. The grass was fine; the catnip grew like, maybe two inches from the soil and stayed like that for basically 3 months where I couldn’t tell if it was struggling or still growing…
-
Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (March 2026) in ~health.mental
Aran LinkWriting this because I am at the moment not doing okay, but I also know I will be okay in a bit (or a day, or a few, or weeks...) I've made a lot of headway in settling into the new apartment....Writing this because I am at the moment not doing okay, but I also know I will be okay in a bit (or a day, or a few, or weeks...)
I've made a lot of headway in settling into the new apartment. Some of it is definitely deferred work (unorganized boxes shoved into a closet, closet itself is a bit of a disaster) but it's nice to see less boxes stacked up. I finally opened up the two boxes for the Ikea Norden (recommended by user here when I asked for input on apartment layout) and will hopefully have some time to assemble that this weekend, because I've been living the r/malesurvivingspace life when it comes to eating dinner (on the rug, footstool as table). I am not accepting commentary at this time regarding the footstool being a dinner table!
The new apartment is a chill 7 minute walk to the river. The park is okay. I'm not a big fan of the times when other parkgoers are there to smoke weed (not saying they can't since it's a public space; it just means I get up and go somewhere else). Overall an acceptable sidegrade for lunchtime walks - much less car traffic, no leaf blowers to walk through once I do get to the walking trail at the river. No option for a guilty pleasure Starbucks on the way back but that's probably for the best lmao.
I freezer meal prepped enough for the week, and won't need to go grocery shopping this weekend to make the same amount of food next week. I do some light biking/walking during lunch hour. I'm doing the solo adult thing and it doesn't feel like a struggle to do them. I really do feel proud of small things like that because none of these were things I could do easily last year.
But I can't seem to get away from being set off into an ugly crying mess even on what seems to be the best days. I have been told over and over again that the whole grieving process will come and go in cycles and that over time it will feel better, and I'm sure the logical brain understands that (and that's the answer I'd give to friends or professionals) but in the meantime I will just... see, hear, or think certain things and somehow be led back to old memories or conversations and great, now I am just burning through tissue paper crying during work hours. I had to disable the stupid memories collection things that Apple/Google photos shoves at you because the next 8 months' worth of photos will be of my ex or her cat, who I also saw as our cat (stray I took in from my high school classmates' network that I sent to her ahead of my own move-in), but that doesn't disable me looking at the spring leaves growing back and remember conversations we had last year about that. Maybe Apple Maps will stop trying to route me to our old address any day now. I don't think I'm consciously dwelling on what is now a four month old breakup and I'm not consciously wondering what she's doing or how she's doing (we are still friends) and it feels like I'm "over it". I guess I'm "over it" in the sense that I don't miss her anymore, but I'm not really over it because now I'm just upset that despite objectively doing better for myself as an individual, I still felt much, much happier two years ago than I do now.
Anyways, a good 70% of all this is probably just hormones anyways. like clockwork at the turn of the month. I am sure it will pass in a few more days.
-
Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
Aran LinkHad an on-site day on Monday and it was not possible to get to the gym on time unless I skipped out on another obligation (have an ongoing 2-hour weekly "study together" accountability buddy...Had an on-site day on Monday and it was not possible to get to the gym on time unless I skipped out on another obligation (have an ongoing 2-hour weekly "study together" accountability buddy session on Monday evenings)... and the gym got the boot.
Was able to show up today! I thought the highlight of today was going to be the fact that I got to do my first exercise using a barbell (albeit with no weights, just a ~35 lb bar). Previously any exercises meant to be done with a barbell, the coach had me do with just dumbells or kettlebells. Alas, the actual highlight was me discovering that I just physically had a LOT of trouble executing on the single leg hip thrust... none of the exercises I've done so far have actually felt "wrong" to do, and certainly not impossible to do a single clean rep of, but this one got me. It might be my muscle imbalances being particularly prominent in this exercise? The Monday coach happened to be around and he had me try a bunch of little adjustments to see if I could get those hip thrusts, but eventually we had to go with a whole different standing exercise that would still target similar muscles in a way that I could actually, you know, do them.
Anyways today was:
Warmup:
- 20x inside outside leg swings, both legs
- 10x body weight squats
- 20x alternating side lunges
Workout:
- 3 sets of 6-8 barbell squats
- 3 sets of 8 Bulgarian split squats, both sides (still just bodyweight for me)
- 3 sets of 10 sumo squats
- 3 sets of 10 single leg hip thrusts, both sides (failed...)
- 1 set of 3 minute plank. I got to 1.5min (which I was surprised by; last time I measured I struggled to last 60 seconds) :')
-
Comment on I need to talk to someone with social mobility experience, and I'm out of ideas in ~health.mental
Aran LinkAlso do not have advice because I think we're in similar boats, just chipping in amongst others here to say that I hear and feel your frustrations even if the folks you try to talk to in life do...Also do not have advice because I think we're in similar boats, just chipping in amongst others here to say that I hear and feel your frustrations even if the folks you try to talk to in life do not
One thing I am curious about though based on one of your responses: you mentioned talking about this with early retirees, folks bored at their lake house, etc. At this moment, how close to the moon are you trying to shoot for? Because to me, being able to retire at all in, say, the mid-60s (which may be considered "early" now but let's just say that's the ideal expected age) is already extremely lucky. I have a close friend who is doing well for himself and he worked very, very hard to get where he is... but his parents retired in their early 60s, because of a fat inheritance, and that inheritance is doing work for him now. I can't talk finances or social mobility with this friend because his financial woes might be having to sell the 4 million dollar home he grew up in. And yes, I did hear the "this isn't all rainbows and sunshine"-esque line too. I'm sure it's not, but let's be real lol - over the years I've known that the biggest reason it wasn't rainbows and sunshine was because of pure lifestyle creep and it's a blessing that they still have a significant amount of assets.
But my point is, I'm trying to achieve financial independence, which I suppose translates to social mobility, and I'm not trying to get to my friend's financial position. I've been thinking about the question of, "how do I make more money?" a lot lately because I'm no longer splitting costs with a SO, which makes me anxious about my finances even though on paper I am doing Okay in terms of savings and projected costs with my current lifestyle. You mention the occasional overdraft and that is already giving me secondhand anxiety through the roof - I don't know the full extent of your financial position and your income stream(s) and costs, but going straight to what I consider to be extremely well off folks seems to be skipping way too many stones along the way.
To end my own rambling... also agree with the other comments reinforcing how big of a deal Luck is. Hell, my current job was luck - my old boss poached me from our previous company and he only did that because I made good use of an opportunity at work that skyrocketed my value as an employee (which was Luck), and I only got THAT job because I interned with someone from a coding bootcamp who was impressed with my work ethic. I wouldn't be surprised if folks felt cagey about talking about "how did they get there" because it might feel weird to admit that they were lucky. At which point I'm reminded of the phrase, Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. It gives me some measure of motivation/consolation because we can't just change our positions in life with pure elbow grease and effort, but I do want to make sure I'm in a position to grab opportunities when they do arise.
-
Comment on Writers who don't read books: a response in ~books
Aran Linkanecdote time, not meant to represent some subset of current or aspiring writers today I don't usually watch/listen to this channel but the title came up while I was looking for some background...anecdote time, not meant to represent some subset of current or aspiring writers today
I don't usually watch/listen to this channel but the title came up while I was looking for some background noise at the park, and... well, of course the title itself triggers something in many folks, but in my case it was because I had an internet friend who, nearly ten years ago, honest to goodness told me that he wasn't interested in reading. After asking for editing/proofreading advice for a rough draft for the first chapter of his novel. Where he wanted to make this whole writing thing an actual Career.
This will be getting a little toxic, but I won't beat around the bush: his writing was atrocious. Writers can bend grammar and sentence structure and all that boring stuff, but with this guy's writing you could tell it wasn't stylistic; he just did not know any better. Writing doesn't have to be good to exist in the world; I'm proud that he tried; but if you want my amateur opinion on whether other people would be interested in reading this in the current format of the written word? Well. It could use a lot of improvement, but this improvement would IMO require a lot of reading of other material because it was equal parts unfamiliarity with written English (as someone whose primary language is English) and storytelling in general. I suggested reading some short, low investment stories and he brushed it off because of lack of interest. My impression was that he wanted to write something that others would want to read, while he himself was above reading what others had written. It drove me a little nuts and this project did not last terribly long.
I finished reading Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War by Joe Bageant. I picked it up on a whim, because of a Youtube comment that referenced it in a discussion about US rural voters. What immediately struck me was the first page, where if you replace the explicit date of Nov. 2 2004, you could absolutely believe that the following was written about the 2016 election. This book was published in 2007 and the author himself passed away in 2011. I was in middle school then, and honestly I am guilty of deliberately not tuning into US politics with no desire to tune more into it. That being said it's depressing yet morbidly fascinating to read this book that seems to have a finger on the pulse of modern day US politics... many years before 2016, which is probably when most folks my age would assume this all "started".
I've actually been meaning to write up a post about some of the book's theses for a while now... but avoided it because like I said, Politics. And even if I were to avoid the modern day partisan politics aspect, it's just... depressing! I was born and raised in a large city in California to immigrant parents. We certainly were not very well off and "working class" feels a lot more accurate than anything else to describe my grandfather and father (not me, I'm cushy and overpaid). But I've visited some internet friends living in tiny towns in flyover states pre-COVID, and... the biggest culture shock to me was a silent one, and I couldn't really put my thumb on what bothered me. Now I know: in a small town of <10k, where cost of living may be cheap but your wages are also extremely low and your own opportunities for employment don't extend much past Walmart cashier or restaurant server or fast food... what the heck do you do if those are not the kind of jobs you want to hold for the rest of your life? Move, I guess. With what money? What education? Join the military I guess! etc etc...
And all this is just a tiny tiny tiny blip when it comes to the original question of, why do these people - the working poor who need Social Security, who need food stamps, "vote against their interests". Heck, there's an entire chapter dedicated to the mortgage industry which hadn't quite full on crashed yet as of the book's writing (I was in middle school; I don't know the timeline leading up to it). It's depressing even if I'm the first person to tell you that I can't find it in me to worry about the lives of anyone other than myself right now. Perhaps it even makes me feel a little grateful for my current life.