I Am Back!

So! I have returned from my hiatus, in which I actually didn't take a break from reading posts because I have no self control, but did take a break from writing and commenting on posts had a lovely break! (Joking aside, I did actually take a break from reading most posts, so if you had especially good posts that you want me to read, PLEASE put the link in the comments!!)

I, of course, have to include the obligatory gif.

I'm going to do a slightly different wrap-up than usual, because, of course, you want to know if I accomplished my goals from this month! So I'll do stats, then talk a bit about my month and then fill you in on my new posting schedule! There are going to be less pictures in here than in my usual wrap-ups, because I'm writing this the day before I post it, and just don't have time, so please excuse that. :)

Let's get to it!

Hiatus Goal #1: Use Camp NaNo to finish the first draft of Project Megan's Godchild
Status: Accomplished!
Number of words written on PMG: 41833
Total Words in PMG as of now: 98076
Number of words written on a short story project: 8167
Total number of words written during Camp NaNo: 50,000

Hiatus Goal #2: Reread the Everything (at least Ranger's Apprentice, LOTR, and The Queen's Thief, but also a bunch of other things were on my list, too.)
Status: Accomplished, I suppose?
Number of Books I Had On My List: 42
Number of Books I Read: 25
Number of Books that Weren't Rereads: 3 (I'm only human)
Number of Books I Started but Haven't Finished Yet: 3
Series Completed: Ranger's Apprentice, The Queen's Thief
Standalones Completed: The Lord of the Rings (I will die on this hill, it is a single book, even though I counted it as three in number of books I had on my list. XD), Spinning Silver

Hiatus Goal #3: Prep for College
Status: Accomplished, although there's still stuff to do, but I packed a bunch, ordered a lot of stuff, and am feeling pretty good. :) 

So, what else did I do this month?

• Watched Black Widow three times in the week it came out. (I know, I know, I know. But I enjoyed it, m'kay?)
• Worked a part-time job being basically a jack-of-all-trades for a good friend of my mom's--helping her cook & clean, watering the plants, weeding the groundcover, watching the kids. Fun times! 
• Got a smartphone & a new laptop
• Went to Rivendell several times
• Saw my grandparents for three days, while they were up in the area for a wedding
• Started another occasional job livestreaming weddings
• Watched our pastor's livestreamed class series on Chesterton's Orthodoxy
• Got my first cold, post-COVID (super fun. XD But hey, my immune system still works! Yay!)
• Had a graduation party that was an absolute blast
• Went to a Dominican Rite Mass for those who had volunteered at the parish during COVID
• Got to know (and banter with) our student brothers in residence at the parish
• Met this year's class of Dominican novices at our parish's annual ice cream social
• Went to our parish's first big party since COVID & got to hold an adorable baby
• Went on our annual dad's-and-kids camping trip, which was started by my dad and me and Pippin and his dad fifteen years ago, and has now ballooned to 14+ dads and about 300 kids (exaggeration, but not by much) which was over my birthday weekend this year, and everyone sang happy birthday to me and I legit started crying. 
• Visited Pippin at his work, which entailed taking a ferry, which was GREAT! I hadn't done that since COVID, I don't think...
• Saw multiple friends of ours, who came up from California
• Read a whole bunch of the Bible

Alright, now that we're mostly caught up, let's talk about my schedule going forward! I really want to be able to keep blogging during college (and, in fact, I'm working towards some fun updates for the blog, including a revamp for the About Me page, and a new logo!) but that's going to require some modification. Here's the story:

• Starting this month (August), I'm going to reduce my blogging schedule to once per week, on Fridays. 
• My plan is to have one post per month that's philosophical (Musings, In Defense of, etc.), one that's bookish (review, GBB, etc.), one tag, and one wrap-up.
• I'll be modifying my wrap-ups to be a little less labor-intensive, going to a seven-quick-takes-ish format, rather than a WHOLE long thing. More details on that when I roll it out for my August Wrap-up!
• I'll probably be a little less active with reading and commenting than usual.
• If I need more of a break, I'll switch to two posts per month (although I really don't want to do that!) and simply focus on the bookish and philosophical aspects. We'll see.

So, now it's your turn! What was the best blog post you wrote in July? How was your July? What was the most fun thing you did? What's your take on my new blogging schedule? Did you do NaNo, and if so, how was it? Any tips on prepping for college?