I’ve been in an unmotivated, lazy funk most of January, which isn’t that abnormal for me this time of year or for many others in my city who have seasonal allergies. It’s the dreaded cedar season. Not only am I suffering from allergy symptoms, but it doesn’t let me get a good night’s sleep, so I’m also struggling with lack of sleep most days. I can’t wait for this to pass, so I can feel normal again!
As for what happened in the month, I’m going to mix in the end of December to start, as there was an annual Anime convention in my city. I normally go to it and do photoshoots for other cosplayers, but this time, I just showed up to get a photoshoot done for my own Tashigi cosplay and left immediately afterwards. I have photos back from it already!
More photos here on my cosplay blog!
The reason why I didn’t stay around was because… my husband and I were going car shopping! We wanted to take advantage of the year-end deals. The past few years, I’ve been wanting to replace our cars with ones that are more eco friendly, ideally one that is hybrid and one that is full electric. I have an Acura TL, and my husband had a Ford Escort, and well, the Escort was on its last legs and felt like it was about to break down at any moment. We worked on replacing that one first.
We ended up with a Kia Niro! (We got the EX trim with the premium package.) We decided on a hybrid SUV because the electric car market still has a ways to go, and we’ve borrowed my mom’s SUV enough that I figured it was time for us to own one too. We originally thought we were set on the Toyota RAV4, but the Niro surprised us. The RAV4 was a nicer drive, but the Niro felt very similar and had almost the same feature set, while also topping Consumer Report’s list for most reliable car.
What really sold us was the gas mileage, as it boasted 46 mpg highway and 51 mpg city. With both of our driving, we average around 50 mpg, which is amazing. (To compare, I only get 20 mpg on my TL with my day-to-day driving.) We’re really happy with it so far!
I also did another art trade with Rezina in January! We did a color one this time, and we gave each other multiple options to choose from. I picked Damian Wayne from her list! I inked my drawing with a brush pen and then colored with watercolor paints. I actually got a new watercolor set for Christmas (I switched from cakes to tubes), so this was my first painting with the new set!
Other than that, my January is mostly getting back into the swing of things, as it’s a new year, and I took a week and a half off of work for Christmas and New Years. Instead of ending with monthly goals, I thought I’d briefly sum up things I’ve watched, read, or played!
Movies
Coco – Wow wow wow, what a touching and visually stunning movie. Well done again, Pixar.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle – I really thought this would be a dumb movie that wasn’t worth watching, but it was actually really funny and entertaining. Not quite like the first movie, but it’s fun.
The Secret World of Arriety – I’m slowly going back to watch Ghibli movies I’ve missed. Arriety is a much simpler story compared to popular Ghibli films, but I liked the simple and sweet story it told.
Shows
Osomatsu-san (Crunchyroll) – Loved season 1, and now I’m following season 2, which is fun too. It’s still funny and ridiculous!
Tiger and Bunny (Netflix) – Took me awhile to get around to this one, but I really liked it! I like seeing shows that have a different take on heroes. In Tiger and Bunny, all heroes are company sponsored and though they still save people’s lives, they’re largely on the whim of their contract and the hero TV show they’re on.
Castlevania (Netflix) – Castlevania is a video game series I haven’t gotten into, but I enjoyed watching this TV series, especially since the animation is gorgeous. It makes me wish the season wasn’t so short. (Warning: lots of blood and gore.)
Devilman Crybaby (Netflix) – Ummmmm I wasn’t expecting so much porn??? Interesting style though. I’m holding judgement on this until I’ve finished it.
As for video games, nothing new in January! Sadly, we got tired of Destiny 2, so we’ve mostly stopped, and I’m trying to play a bit of Pyre each day to finish it before starting something new. Hopefully I’ll have more video game progress in February! I hope everyone has a good month!
I feel like January is always when you’re starting up your car but it’s not quite ready yet, but February comes and it’s raring to go. I’ve definitely been feeling unmotivated and lazy too, so you’re not alone!
Congratulations on your new car! Looking all swanky, girl. Yaaasss.
Oh, and speaking of Devilman Crybaby my friend has been bugging to watch this and I’m honestly a little scared to watch it, hahaha.
Hope you have a good Feb, Cat! <3
Blah! I hope the allergies will pass soon. The photos of you look fantastic! 😀 It’s great that you did have time to attend and go car shopping. The end of year sales can be massive and something you don’t want to miss.
I love the car, and it sounds like it is going to be fantastic. Especially on the gas mileage! I have a small car, and it doesn’t use much gas at all, which I love. 😀
It’s great that you could do another art trade! Experimenting with new paints can be a lot of fun! I recently found my grandmother’s old watercolours, and it feels special to use them.
I want to see Coco! I have been wary of watching the new Jumanji because I loved the first one. It was one of my favourite movies when I was younger. I’ll have to keep an open mind. 😀
Hope you have a great February!
Josh is dealing the Cedar allergies too, ugh! Hopefully, you’ll be able to get some sleep.
Your cosplay photo shoot looks great! Is this the one where you forgot your gloves? lol. And your new car looks so nice! I like the white. Typically Josh goes for black or red. The white just looks so crisp and woohoo for amazing gas mileage!
haha, yes, that’s the shoot where I forgot my gloves. Still annoyed at myself for that!
My TL is red, and my husband’s old car was black, but in Texas, black just absorbs way too much heat. We definitely wanted a light color!
This is the fourth post I’ve read about the January Blues. THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT JANUARY DANG. This year, in particular, has been incredibly long for me too!
I love your cosplays as always Cat! Thank you for sharing them with us 🤗 WOW, congratulations on the new car! I wish I knew more about cars but what I do know is great pick! It looks really robost and pretty 😍
I watched Jumaji late December and LOVED IT. I watched it in IMAX so I felt all the effects (rain, jumping around etc xD) It was really fun! I’ve not seen the first one but definitely will do.
Everyone’s been raving about Coco, it looks like such a great movie! It’s on my to watch list 😛
Have a great Feb!
I love how your cosplay outfits always look 100% legit! Congrats on getting a new car! I’ve heard a lot of great things about the Niro and considering how gas prices are going up, going hybrid is an excellent start to combat that! ~50 MPG is a lot better than 20MPG! It’s a plus that Kia is backed up by an outstanding warranty program (versus something like Audi/BMW).
Your art trade with Rezina looks legit! I haven’t seen Coco yet but heard it’s a really good movie. I need to get on board XD. Glad to hear that Jumani was a decent movie to watch. I love The Rock but wasn’t impressed by a couple of previous films he starred in.
Sounds like you’ve found some great shows on Netflix! I totally feel you about video games *o*. I’m trying to get back in! Have a great February!
Ugh, allergies are awful. Mine are usually bad around September time and it can make everything seem so much more annoying. It’d be great if I could get some allergy medication that actually worked! Hope you’re coping okay with it.
Your cosplay looks great! I remember when you were making it and posting your progress online. I love how you’ve done the flowers!
I love your Damian Wayne painting! It’s always lovely seeing what you and Rezina have traded – you’re both so talented and it seems like so much fun!
Love the new car!
Weird. I thought January was super short for me as it really felt like it went by fast. OMG.
I haven’t seen Devilman Crybaby and I don’t want to.
Though allergies are awful and I rarely ever get them despite being in Texas, as you know that in Texas there are so many allergens here. It sucks.
Nice car!
Fingers crossed your allergies calm down soon, especially with it stopping your sleep!
Yay for your new car! It looks huge! It seems really impressive and efficient, the mpg especially. Here’s hoping it serves you well.
Your artwork is amazing, your watercolouring is great. Have you always been good at art or has it come though practise?
I didn’t realise Castlevania had a series, I’ll have to check it out! I haven’t played a Castlevania game in ages, but watching it might kick me back into it. I’m glad Jumanji surprised you, I hoped it would be good because I like The Rock, but I’d heard mixed things!
Aw thanks, Katy! I did a lot of art when I was young, but I kind of stopped in college, and it’s been like a 10 year break since then. I’m trying to get back into it now!
Sounds frustrating to have seasonal allergies. If you’re allergic to food and such you can “just” avoid it, but you can’t exactly control nature… I hope you get your groove back soon!
Congratulations on your new car! I love that you want to go eco-friendly and decided on a hybrid. 🙂 I dream of a more eco-friendly car myself, especially a fully electric one. I’m certain that 100 years from now people will look at petrol-driven cars and wonder what the hell we were all thinking, lol.
Your drawing looks great, I like the textured look of the watercolour. Especially the mottled background. Art trades are so much fun, maybe we should do one sometime? If you’re interested of course 🙂
I would love to do an art trade with you sometime!! I’m currently working through Fill-a-Page February (fill a sketchbook page every day), but I should have time for a trade after that 😀
Cedar season is definitely the worst. Our neighbor has a cedar tree, and I’m highly allergic. :/ Totally ruins my gardening?? I hope it doesn’t bog you down too much. <3
Have you seen Erased on Netflix? It’s apparently based off an animanga, which I thought was cool. I totally forgot about Crunchyroll! I’ve been trying to think of that site for a long while now, but couldn’t.
Your new vehicle is pretty cool. 😀 Eco-friendliness FTW.
Ughhh, that’s terrible that your neighbor has a cedar tree. My work is surrounded by cedar!
I didn’t watch the live action of Erased on Netflix, but I watched the Anime series awhile back. It’s on Crunchyroll if you’re interested!
I really enjoyed Castlevania though with my hearing issues I almost had to subtitle it with the heavy accents. orz
I know what you mean about Devil Man Crybaby. I mean I get why people are saying it is good and all but I’m not really into it – some of it is because of that porn aspect. Not that I’m a prude but it just bores me to tears being asexual and all. I still have two more episodes to watch but I can’t bring myself to watch them. I will finish it and probably never watch it again. 0_0
Nice new car! I can’t wait until I can get a new car. Mine is really making me nervous, but it is all paid for so until I get rid of me medical bill loan I can’t afford a new car. The worst part of it is the random jerks I get after I got new struts. I have had it tested over and over and no ones finds any issues but I know I’m not crazy. LOL
I hope feb. is going good for you! ♥
Ahh I think I remember you mentioning you wanted to replace those cars! I’ve never driven a Kia but I had some time on a hybrid car not long ago. It’s really funny to see them charging like a phone when they’re parked, especially in a huge parking lot.
I grew up on SUVs – at least since I was a teenager, because my mom preferred how sturdy they are – so much that I get motion sickness when I’m in a lighter car. I hope you guys enjoy the heaviness of the car! And yours is way better for the environment, unlike my parents’ cars.
I saw Coco on demand the other day and wanted to watch it again. Too good!
I’ve also seen Arrietty back when I was going through Ghibli films! If you are into non-Disney/Pixar/anime animation, there’s an underrated studio I’d recommend called Cartoon Saloon. They have three films and I’ve seen two: The Secret of Kells + Song of the Sea.
Hope your allergies have gotten better! We’re hitting spring-time weather here in Texas and it’s kicking my butt.
I have an SUV…that looks like a minivan(-.-)…and i can say there are quite a bit of things I enjoy about it. Not just the fact it is bigger, but it also is a smoother ride than my little Hyundai accent was. I miss the fuel mileage of that hyundai, but not much else about it, lol.
If we could just never speak of CoCo again, my eyes will thank you all. They still haven’t recovered from all that crying I did. It was such an amazing film, but holy hell they tug on even the most callous of hearts. o.O
Back on the subject of cars, my mother had a Kia for about 12 years, and it STILL ran like a champ when she got rid of it. Looking pretty nice still too. She had a tiny Kia Rio, and I hated it’s size, but I can say it ran well, and we never had a major issue with it the entire time she had it.(It was used when she bought it back in 2004)