#I have a lot of audiobook to get through in the next 2 weeks.

[shiftingexpanse]

I didn't think I'd ever add another adopt base to my shop because they're so much work, but... I might be working on a new one, stay tuned

[lavender---sunshine]

in all seriousness i 90% sure im going to quit my job tomorrow and for a while i will have just enough money to live on and will have to spruce up my resume and job hunt and stress but MY GOD i need to do something else because this is making me suicidal

[simlicious]

Personal update about my anxiety

Time for another personal update! At the moment, I'm not really in a creative mood and my projects are all resting.

I am working on more stuff in my real life, including cleaning/decluttering my apartment and working through an anxiety app which will hopefully get me to start exposure (though I shudder at the thought alone). The funny thing is, the app is for social anxiety, and I do have some social anxiety, but I think I mainly have agoraphobia (but there is no medical app available for this at the moment, so I took the next best thing). The app said: "Let's make a gradual steps plan, you first choose a very easy step, then one that is a little harder and harder, and so on until the hardest step comes at the top." And for the easiest step, it actually suggested one of my hardest steps: going into a store, buying something, and interacting with the cashier. Checkouts give me such anxiety. I once had a full-blown panic attack because I couldn't remember the PIN number for my credit or debit card. And I very rarely get panic attacks. Luckily, my brother was present and he was able to pay for me while I almost hyperventilated and tears were streaming down my face. Generally, I start sweating and get shaky hands which does not help while handling cards and remembering pin numbers. I get tunnel vision and cannot focus on anything that is going on around me. Sometimes, blood rushes in my ears so I have a hard time picking up whether someone is saying anything. Then, all items need to be put into bags at lightning speed, and I always fear that I am not fast enough and that everyone else in line is annoyed and angry with me and this makes me even more nervous. Putting things away with shaky hands is tough! So I send my boyfriend shopping for me or buy online most of the time. If I absolutely must, I can go shopping with one of my loved ones because I feel a tiny bit calmer and know I have a safety net with me. They can also help me put stuff in my bags. But alone? That's nightmare fuel for me. Same thing with using public transportation, I just can't do it. I also have a very hard time sitting in waiting rooms at the doctor's office, I get so tense and do not know what to do with myself. Oh, and I also have severe anxiety when I need to make a phone call 😫 But all that is seriously impacting my life, as you can imagine. And I want to change something.

Since the app is not helpful with suggestions for my gradually harder steps to take, I have to come up with my own, and it is harder than I thought! All the things I think about are really hard for me, I cannot think of less hard steps to take 😣 Even just going outside without a destination/going out by myself is also anxiety-inducing for me. I feel like I am watched all the time, I get tense and my thoughts start racing or going in circles. This also happens while I am in a store to shop for something. I get paralysed sometimes with decision fatigue and if someone else comes into the same aisle, I have the urge to run away instantly. I get so distracted that I need to spend way more time in a store than usual and this is of course not making me calmer. I am just super exhausted after going shopping! I am proud that I leave the house twice a week now to go for a walk with my best friend though. We have just established a second day of the week this year, and we still do not go twice every week, but pretty often, which is great. And I love to walk in nature, it calms me (if there aren't too many other people around). 😊 I am also making progress with my borked sleep cycle. I am a night owl 🦉, but being awake the whole night clashes a lot with my family's plans. I have tried for months to shift it, but in the last one to two weeks, I actually made real progress and went to bed 2 to 3 hours earlier than normal, which is really huge for me! I found out that there are lots of free audiobooks on YouTube that authors upload themselves. So one hour before I want to sleep, I put one on, set a shutdown timer of 60 minutes so it will turn off after that time, and then go to bed and listen to it until I fall asleep. This has motivated me enough to actually go to bed earlier.

As a result, I get more daylight and I am more inclined to do housework, which I also struggle with in general, so this is really great! I am focusing more on that now. I also started playing Subnautica again, but I can only play for a few hours on end because it can get pretty intense. I kinda want to play Sims 4 again (weird, I know). My anxiety app wants me to think more positively, so instead of thinking that it is no use updating my mods because the minute I do, another patch drops anyway and I have to start all over, I should think more positively. I will probably drop the game after playing for a day anyway, so it does not need to stay updated for long! Maybe downloading and updating mods is more fun than actually playing anyway? 😆

[kernyen-xo]

Long time!

Firstly, how y’all been? I’ve been wandering in from time to time and reading some of your posts. I just haven’t felt like posting myself until now.

Here we go.

What In the World: I walked out of Daiso and almost gave this woman a heart attack trying to get into my parked vehicle. My first thought was why in the world was this lady sitting in my vehicle, and why in the world the driver’s seat of all things?! I mean, why not the passenger side or the backseat?? And, why won’t my key unlock the door!? And then, almost immediately, after trying to open the door a second time, I was like, “Hold on now.. Uh oh. Oh no, this isn’t my vehicle!” Holy hot pockets! I immediately backed away, put up my hands, and told her, “I’m sorry,” several times, and then said, “My mistake, wrong car.” She just stared at me through the closed window, scared shitless. In case she didn’t understand what I said, I stepped back and gave her a respectful bow, and then hurriedly got into my car, which was parked in the next row. I hoped that when she saw me drive away, she was able to put 2+2 together because we had the same vehicle (same make, model, and color). Needless to say the humiliation of it all stuck with me the remainder of the day. I am such a dweeb.

Houston, We have a Problem: Went to Houston last month for my niece’s wedding. I just want to say that I don’t get why Houston is the 4th most populous city in our nation. I mean, the weather. It is pretty miserable. It was super humid and most of us were bitten by these mutant mosquitoes! Every wedding event my niece had was outdoors or it didn’t have A/C. Like the inside pickleball courts. She had a farewell outdoor crawdad boil for her guests, and the wedding and reception were also outdoors. All the events were pretty much held in the Heights area, which despite the weather is a nice historical area. But, you know what? I was glad that I went to Houston because my niece had a great wedding. I loved catching up with my nieces and nephews! I loved the serve yourself margaritas machines! Great people and great food and drinks! The kid and I went to Tenfold, a popular coffee place where I had my first cold brew with lemonade. It was was delicious and refreshing. On another day, the kid and I walked to have breakfast at this cafe with a great vibe. Attached to it was an antique shop, which we perused after we ate. We also did some shopping at Rice Village. We wanted to visit San Antonio but our schedule couldn’t spare the time.

The Kid Jr: My granddaughter graduated from the 8th grade last week! I’m so proud of her. I gave her a Kindle, which I was pretty excited about because she’s starting to enjoy reading, something she didn’t like before.

Saying Good-bye: I also attended my aunt’s funeral last week. Out of 8 kids, it’s just my mom and Uncle Junior that remains. It seems like yesterday when my generation of cousins were kids and our parents were still young and getting into their own shenanigans. It was a sad and bittersweet day. There were a lot of relatives that I didn’t even know, all of them cousins.

Books: I splurged. I decided I needed to start building up my personal library. It’s been a while since I’ve bought an actual book. I have been reading on my kindle or listening to audiobooks from the library app, Libby. It was time to start reading from actual books and adding to my home library. I used to have over 1,000 books but I got rid of most of them because it was becoming too much to pack and move them - especially when I was moving about 3 times a year. But now I have my own home and I’m not planning to move - at least for 5 years.

So, let the book buying begin!

The current book:

If you love birds, you’ll enjoy this book. Amy Tan’s backyard is a bird’s paradise. In this world of birds, you’ll learn about their habits, heartbreak, wonderful curiosities about the whys and why nots of birds’ actions. A lot of times unexplained, but if you are an avid bird watcher like Amy, her reasonings as to why the out of ordinary behaviors were interesting and entertaining. You will enjoy her drawings too.

The Kid and Me: Here’s what we did at the wedding 😆

The beautiful bride and her groom:

(Houston, The Heights May 2024)

How can they look so good in the sticky weather?

The Kid takes a picture of Yours Truly: (Grass Valley, May 2024)

My Loves:

(Sac-Town May 2024)

This post has been brought to you by Toodles, Inc.

[pegasusdrawnchariots]

2024 reads! 📖

*walks in 2 weeks late with a chai latte* I was tagged by @oatflatwhite to share my fave reads of 2024! mate, thank u for the tag & thank u for yr patience O7

Apparently I only finished 3 books last year 💀 Here they are!

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 🎪

Is there anything new left to be said in praise of The Night Circus? I had read it once before in high school & it hit just about all of my buttons then. Rereading it flung me right back to who I was at that time & was a gorgeous magical adventure to boot. I actually read it as an audiobook on youtube & loved every moment — the male narrator did a great job making every voice distinct & intriguing, for the female characters too without getting silly. The writing is rich with sensory detail, from the quality of the wind to the scent of sugary popcorn to the colour of a magical fire. It is rich with style, atmosphere, & above all dramatic tension my beloved <3 Never have I wanted more for a fictional place to be real!

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett 🧹

Yet another book filled with rich magical sensory detail, as well as humour, this time in a completely fictional world. This is the 3rd instalment in the Discworld series, which I'm slowly making my way through & thoroughly enjoying. It's about the appearance of the first ever female wizard on the Disc & her struggle for acceptance among the very boys' club culture at the wizards' Unseen University, & also features the first appearance of the famous Granny Weatherwax! Lots of capable girls & women stomping around getting into pickles & getting things done while the blokes hem & haw about whether or not that is against the lore (lol)... Can't wait to pick up Mort next!

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas & Auguste Maquet 🩸

Another brilliant audiobook courtesy of Librivox! <3 A new addition to my tightly curated inner circle of favourite books. Rich in plot, character, drama, comedy, with stakes that both sweep across nations & huddle up in a single empty room. It's got everything. Fake identities. Daring escapes. Ecomonical machinations. Lesbians. Himbos. Resurrections. Court drama. Glorification of drugs AND violence. Loaded conversations with old friends & old flames. A documentary on telegraph mechanics. Timelines not to be studied too closely. History not to be studied too closely. & one insanely powerful, insanely intelligent, & perhaps even simply insane man at the centre of it all seeking vengeance for a betrayal in his past. It is THE revenge plot of all time & delicious every step of the way. I cannot get enough. The authors knew this & generously gave me 640,000 words of it!! What more could anyone want out of a book?

Tagging @ninadove @justbecringe & @swamp--girl bc I wanna hear what you've been reading too 📚

[lordsmeldingtonthethird]

Thankyou @kbirbpods for no pressure tagging me on "10 People I'd Like to Get to Know Better" twas fun to fill out!

Last Song: Chinatown by Shakey Graves

Fav color: Green

Last book: I think it was the last murderbot diaries book, kinda devoured that series's audiobooks driving back from holidays

Last movie: I have no idea. I dont watch a lot of movies, if I had to guess probably the 2nd starwars movie? me and my sisters started racing through watching all of starwars in chronological order at Christmas so that was probably it (currently in the lead somewhere in season 3 of clone wars, there is a spreadsheet)

Last tv show: Apothicariy Diaries Season 2 is coming out, so episode 2 of that

Sweet/spicy/savory: Savory, tho I do still like sweet, and curry is one of my comfort foods

Relationship status: Single

Last thing googled: pet rock a child made - My friends are doing a dnd campaign where they are all toys of a 5-year-old. Im not in this campaign since I moved, but I did create a guest character which is a pet rock. they had their first session Thursday and were posting character art in the discord and I wanted to feel involved even though I am states away and won't be a guest in the campaign till whenever I visit next

Looking forward to: I am also getting top surgery this year!!!! and am so excited for it

Current obsession: uhhhhhhhh, probably starwars. notably Obi-wan/Cody I have been knee-deep in basically all the podfics the last 2 weeks or so on my walks

No pressure tagging

uhhhhh, not 10, but heres a few mutuals @corkinavoid @olive2read @the-goblin-cat

no pressure at all

[songofsaraneth]

@onionjuggler submitted:

3 and 14!

From this books ask game!

3: What were your top five books of the year?

I'll be honest most of what i read this year was either rereads of treasured books (finishing up my RotE reread I did mostly in 2023), and then a lot of books i thought were just Fine. They were good enough to keep me entertained and then pretty instantly forget what happened in them specifically. So the ones that stand out from those that weren't just rereads are:

Exordia by Seth Dickinson: This book is a bit frustrating actually because it's SO CLOSE to being exactly what I want, and it drives me mad that it's not quite there. It also is a better read if you go in with the understanding that it's actually 5 novellas in a trenchcoat (publisher changed the plan, from what I understand). But it's the kind of frustrating that wouldn't leave my head for weeks after because what was there was so compelling. I will be reading book 2 the instant it drops.

Dungeon Meshi by Ryoko Kui: It was so cute and fun. I couldn't watch the anime when it started out so found the manga instead, which isn't a format i read much of otherwise. Great balance of silly, heartfelt, and using speculative bio to introduce a usually untouched element of realism to fantasy aka cooking/food.

The Paper Menagerie And Other Stories by Ken Liu: I mean I knew I was gonna like this anthology and just never got around to it to now for some reason. I like reading translated sci fi in anthlogies becuase you also get a window into what tropes are being used in other cultures/languages which is half the fun of it to me.

Monstress vol. 7 by Marjori Liu & Sana Takeda: honestly I love all of the Monstress graphic novels but this one had some fun stuff I apprreciated in particular. I also read 8 and it was good but not as suited to my tastes, and have 9 (this year's release) but left it in New Mexico so will read it once I'm back.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries: this book was just a fun fantasy romp but what I really appreciated about it was that the protagonist was ACTIVE rather than passive despite being a more stuffy/bookish sort of personality. She just went outside and dealt with things anyway. I'm pretty tired of stories where the protagonist is just being unwillingly dragged along by the narrative rather than directing their own fate so I always notice & appreciate when books break that particular mold.

14: What books do you want to finish before the year is over?

I started rereading the How To Train Your Dragon books because they're very short and I am so close to my book goal for the year (95/100...). I won't finish all of them but I will get through a couple more probably. And I've also gone through some of the Hugo nominated novellas as well since I do usually read those most years.

Actually you know what. Gonna go back and plug HTTYD books more emphatically, because if anyone reading this comment imprinted on Animorphs you should give these a try next. They're not the same level of trauma, and the first couple books are WAY sillier, then the greater story arc comes into play and I am so invested by book 5, and books 8-12 just get me so good emotionally. Never thought I'd be heartbroken over a character named Snotlout but here we are! Also, if you're an audiobook, David Tennant does the narration and you get to hear him sing a bunch of funny little songs. Though the print versions have the authors cute scribbly drawings that go along with the story so can't go wrong really.

[flippetyfloppity]

Ah, thanks for the tag from this post, @various-things! Love a tag game. It was getting kind of long so I made a new post.

1. Last song: Listened to with my ears is Joan Baez's "Diamonds and Rust," but stuck in my head? H-O-T-T-O-G-O you can take me hoooot to go-

2. Favorite color: Green! I also like sunlight, which isn't a color, but which does affect the way things are perceived.

3. Last movie: Kingdom of Heaven, which I did shamelessly watch only for Alexander Siddig and for which I can confidently say the scenes where he was present were some of the best parts of that movie.

4. Last book: I am constantly reading all the time and I loved how you delineated this, so I will expand upon that. In terms of physical books, I last read The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen. I recently finished the audiobook of We Solve Murders by Richard Osman. My friend and I are still trucking through Enigma Tales over the phone. And in terms of book-length fic, most recently I read meriwethersays's expanded Far Beyond the Stars series (a romp where Julius Eaton meets Garak and eventually the extended cast of Voyager), and prairiecrow's When the Farsei Blooms, which has fascinating worldbuilding and is an interesting look back into a different age of fandom.

5. Sweet, spicy or savory: Yeah, if I had to pick I'd go savory. Especially because a lot of savory things are sweet after you chew them for a while.

6. Last thing googled: "how many words is a novel -ai" hahaha

7. Current obsessions: DS9, for one (garashir, specifically). I picked Severance up two weeks ago and I'm really glad I put off watching the series until now because I'll only have to wait until this Friday to see the next season, whereas everyone else has waited *years.* I've also really gotten into warm wool sweaters? Can't believe I lived my whole life without having one or two around for the winter.

8. Looking forward to: I'm going to go get a cardamom latte and also finish doing my dishes and tidying up, both of which will help me feel better.

if you feel like it only! no pressure tags to @searchingforserendipity25, @walkingstackofbooks and @youngpettyqueen (and anyone else who wants to do this!)

[authorsadiethatcher]

I wrote an update last month about what was going on in the Thatcher-verse and I think I might make it a monthly thing. It will give my followers a chance to see what I have coming up.

March was a good month for me. My writing went well and my personal life seemed to be steady on the good side of things. I’ve learned I’ll need to move next year, but I’ve got time. But if you are looking to read any of my books, this would be a great time to make a purchase. I need to start saving to make the move next year.

Amazon is where most people find my books, so here’s a link to my catalogue: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sadie-Thatcher/author/B00B4MINAC

Smashwords is a great place to buy books, especially if you don’t like Amazon’s evil empire. You can find them here: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/sadiethatcher

Plus, you can find them at the Google Play bookstore: https://play.google.com/store/books/author?id=Sadie+Thatcher

Additionally, my books are available through Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Scribd. I don’t have links to those stores handy, but if that’s where you like to buy books from, my books will show up there, eventually. I distribute through Smashwords and have to wait until the review team there approves my books for distribution. This can take days or even a week.

I should also mention that I’m also writing fantasy novels right now under the name Libby Feron. I am currently editing my next novel that I’m planning to release May 2 (there’s a chance I’ll delay, but I’m trying hard to get the book ready). That’s less than a month away now. If fantasy is your thing, take a look at my novels here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Libby-Feron/author/B09PJ9J5RN

And if you sign up for the Libby Feron newsletter, you get exclusive content and updates like cover reveals before anyone else. I’m planning to write a few bonus scenes for my current series that will be exclusive to newsletter subscribers. You can sign up here: https://libbyferon.com/newsletter/

With the fantasy novel plug complete, let me also mention some of the cool stories I have coming out this month.

I’ve got two more books featuring TG in the Bimbo Beach Series coming your way. I will be submitting the second book Sunday (4/9) and the third next weekend.

I also have a new series featuring political corruption and bimbos coming soon. It will feature a shadowy cabal that uses bimbos as pawns to gain power, either through blackmail or as a carrot to entice good politicians to turn bad.

Toward the end of April, I plan to begin a series based on a reality TV show. I don’t have a lot of details yet, but expect to see that in the last few days of the month

I’ve also got a commission in the pipeline that should be good. It won’t actually see the light until May, but I’ll begin writing it this month. Multiple transformations and lots of lesbian sex in this one.

Finally, the days of Fake It Until You Make It being available on Amazon Kindle Vella are numbered. I have requested the story come down from Vella so that I may publish it in other forms, including turning it into an audiobook. I don’t expect anything to happen on this until early June, but this is your warning to download those episodes now so you can read them at your leisure.

[nightofnyx8]

Thank you for tagging me @roseofbattles!

Greatest Hits of 2023

1. I got my first real job as a teacher! After about 100 applications and thirty or so failed interviews (that was fun eight months of doubting everything about myself), I was finally hired on as the choir and orchestra teacher at a nearby middle school. It has been such a whirlwind (especially seeing as I only took about six weeks of string essentials in college), and I have spent many long days crying at my desk after school. But oh, how I love my kids. They drive me crazy and crack the weirdest jokes and amaze me all at the same time. It's been a lot trying to breathe life into a dying program and I get a lot of pushback from kids who just want to sing pop karaoke all day, but they've grown so much in just one semester. It's crazy exhausting but I honestly would never want to do anything else. <3

2. Reading-I've fallen in love with audiobooks and reading real books again! I've gotten to read a variety of genres and I really feel like it's improved my writing. My favorite this year would probably have to be Eye of the Needle by Ken Follet (thanks to @puolain for the recommendation). I'm currently working through The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy and Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews.

3. Travel- I had the opportunity to go to NYC for the first time ever and met some really wonderful friends! I really haven't been able to go anywhere else, but my husband and I are saving up to go to Spain in the coming months!

4. Writing-I've been delving more into chaptered fics as opposed to one-shots, and I'm been enjoying it! It takes a lot more planning and dedication, but that urge to write an original work someday is always on the back of my mind. We'll see :)

5. Piano-I've never been the best pianist, but this year has given me time to really go from the plateau I've been stuck on for the last five years and I finally feel like I'm making some progress again. I'm excited to actually start accompanying my choirs instead of faking it with block chords most of the time.

6. I've really built up my private voice studio this year and it's growing quite nicely. It's kind of fun to teach middle schoolers during the day and then private high schoolers in the afternoon.

7. I was invited to join a semi-professional choir by a few of my colleagues, and it's been such a joy! We've gotten to sing at some beautiful cathedrals and were invited to sing at our state's choral festival alongside some collegiate choirs. Next season's looking to be pretty busy, and the first year we'll be paid to sing!

8. I had to do a lot of first-time "grown-up" things this year (apply for insurance and retirement, bought a new car, first time with a salary-based job, etc), and while part of me longs for that safety net of college, it's exciting to actually start my career and begin the next stage of my life.

9. I've been Journaling a lot more this year! It really helps me get my thoughts out at the end of the day.

10. My husband and I will be celebrating our three-year annivesary in May. He is such a nerd and likes to take me on walks to see exposed infrastructure, but he is such a good man and I'm excited to see where life takes us next.

Bonus: I'm hoping to really be kind to myself and my students in 2024. Being a new teacher is very overwhelming, especially as I'm the youngest teacher in the school and it's been hard not to beat myself up over every bad day. But next year also holds the promise of always learning something new and sharing it with the people I love <3

tagging @whateversawesome @klainelynch @neejmorp @puolain @wondrousmay and whoever else wants to do it <3

[tryslora]

Welcome to What I’m Reading Wednesday on a Thursday, because yesterday was chaos and while I got as far as making my little graphic, I didn’t get to do a proper writeup!

I also managed to finish three things between yesterday and today, but that’ll get discussed next week—this is being done as if I were posting it on Wednesday morning as I should have done! Preparing AHEAD OF TIME is apparently the new name of the game for future!me.

Audiobook

I finished reading Heat Wave, the third book in the Incredibles trilogy by TJ Klune, and DAMN that was an awesome ride. Do you love YA books? Queer books? Superheroes? Complicated gray areas but also villains who are villains? Non-neurotypical POV? This is that series. I adored Nick—our POV narrator in all his ADHD glory. I adored the story. It was just so much fun, and angsty in moments, and SO GOOD.

I then started the non-fiction writing advice book Never Say You Can’t Survive by Charlie Jane Anders, narrated by the author herself. This book is wonderful, like having a conversation with the author, and it makes me feel SO GOOD. Even unfinished, I’ve been screaming about it every chance I get. It’s great to read a self-help book and come out feeling energized and motivated rather than shamed.

Physical Book

My physical book is continuing The Marann by Christie Meierz. I have a few quibbles with the book, but overall, I’m enjoying it. There are some trigger warnings that should be included, so be prepared for that. I continue to enjoy the difference in culture between the aliens and humanity. This is definitely a romance, and has that vibe and happy feel.

Ebook

I have a huge collection of ebooks in my Kindle library, many of which I am not entirely sure how I obtained. Some are freebies that Amazon gives to Prime members monthly. Either way, I’m not certain how I got Love Among the Stars by Claerie Kavanaugh but I’ve been enjoying the romance. It’s a quick, easy read, but too light and quick to be great.

Manga & Graphic Novels

My journey through Elfquest continues with The Complete Elfquest, volume 2 by Wendy & Richard Pini. I’ve reached things that are definitely not familiar! I completed the Seige at Blue Mountain arc and am in the middle of the Kings of the Broken Wheel arc (hopefully I’m remembering that title correctly). Continuing to love it. I fully admit, I want to kick Rayek often and do hope to get to see some character progression as it goes on. I’m very much enjoying getting to see the new things. My excitement grows and it’s hard to hold myself to only one chapter a night!

Since I received the latest volume of Black or White by Sachimo (Vol 8), I sat down and read it right away. I mean. It’s BL, pretty much what it says on the tin. Jealousy between two men—both actors—who can’t be out, but there are an awful lot of people in the know about their relationship. That said, they really have settled in to their relationship and that part continues to improve.

Spoiler for next week… Between Wednesday morning (when this should have been written) and Thursday afternoon (when I am writing it), I finished three of the above books… so expect some new things next week! I may have also discovered that audiobooks make thick unwieldy highly descriptive prose accessible to me, when I struggle to read it in a physical book. So that’s cool!

[sylvasa]

Tag game

Tagged by @dangerliesbeforeyou to list five things I can talk about for an hour without preparing. Thank you for the tag!

1. Ateez.

I only discovered them last year, when Bouncy came out (June 16th, a day after Yeosang's birthday). I was still in the middle of recovery, and wasn't able to game much yet. So I was lying in bed or on the couch all day, scrolling through various social media apps, amongst which tiktok. And when I did find them, I fell hard. I watched any content I could find on them for the past 5 years, bought so much merchandise, made my husband like them too.. up to the point where we got up early last Saturday to watch their coachella performance live through YouTube. My husband was even unable to sleep, scared I wouldn't wake up form the alarm and miss it. What a saint.

2. Doctor Who

I've only ever really seen new who. My all time favourite doctor is 10, but I really love all of them. I even have a huge airbrushed artwork done of the 50th anniversary episode, my favourite episode ever. Also arranged by my husband as a gift, commissioned from his friend and their airbrush teacher helped too! Okay my husband is great at supporting my obsessions. Did I tell you that I'm meeting David Tennant this summer!? We got tickets to comic con, including meeting and getting pictures with him! Just two more months to go!

3. Stormlight Archive

I've read this several times. First I read it by myself, then I read them out loud to my husband who is really into the series as well. Then, while I was recovering and couldn't properly use my eyes so I couldn't read, we listened to them on audiobook. I love everything about the world. I can probably rant for over an hour about my favourite character alone, honestly. If you like reading, read the stormlight archive series!

4. Elden Ring

This was the first souls game I ever played. My husband loves the dark souls series and I watched him play it a lot, but I never though I'd be able to because I can have a bit of a temper when things don't go my way while gaming. So he'd gotten the game for himself and when I watched him play, I was really amazed by everything about it. So before he finished (he doesn't game nearly as often as I do), I started the game instead. Then I cleared it before he did, and 4 more times after that, before helping him clear his run. After that I started to really like souls games, and I'm actually pretty good too!

5. World of Warcraft

I started playing WoW since 3 days after its European release on February 11th 2005. I have had periods where I didn't play much, but since a few years I'm back to raiding with some friends and I love it! I also push mythic keys, and of course have AotC every patch since then. New patch coming next week!

There are probably more, but these are my biggest obsessions, especially Ateez currently.

I am really bad at tagging so if you see this and want to do it, please do!

[lantur]

I can't believe I haven't written in almost two weeks. :// I really regret falling so behind with journaling on here. I want to get back to it, because it helps me process my thoughts. Long post underneath the read more.

notes on life,

I was thoroughly overwhelmed by my work trip two weeks ago, but I was delighted to get to see @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee and @annespelledwithane again. Spending time with them (going out for ramen and to the prettiest tea house in the East Village, and then eating an entire buffet of desserts from two different bakeries, and staying up until 2 AM) was a mini-vacation I very much needed.

It took me a whole week to recover from being out of town for a few days. :// I truly don't bounce back from travel the way I used to a few years ago...

I've been in my new job for almost exactly one month now. The challenging transition phase is over. I'm still adjusting to being way busier than I used to be, putting a lot more mental effort in. It's tiring. Every day, I do roughly as much work as I used to do in one week at my old job, so I have to work faster and harder than I used to before. It makes the days go by super fast, which is disorienting. I feel like February just started, but actually the month started eight days ago.

I've been trying to keep on top of my personal goals despite all of that. I've been enjoying swimming and yoga. I cooked a new recipe, halal cart chicken and rice, and it turned out really good. I'm hoping to cook two more new recipes before the end of this month. I finished my audiobook of The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, and it was so good that I kept thinking of the ending for days after I finished it. I started listening to My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix a few days ago as well.

I had my long-awaited psychiatrist appointment yesterday. I was nervous, but the psychiatrist was very kind and empathetic, and she is also another WOC. She has suggested starting a new medication to treat type 2 bipolar disorder. I'm nervous, but hopeful that this could help me.

I've been going through pelvic floor physical therapy as well for the past couple of weeks, which is quite a time and energy commitment - weekly appointments with the PT, and regular practice at home. It's tiring, on top of everything else going on with work, social life, home maintenance, exercise, etc., but I'm hopeful that this too will help me address longstanding issues with excessive pelvic floor tightness. I wish it could be fixed quickly, but I think it might take months to sort out.

I've been enjoying spending time with Derek playing board games, and cuddling my cat Westin and watching The Wire at night/in the evenings after work. The quiet time really helps me recover before the next work day.

I have been loving watching The Last of Us.

I had a wonderful time hanging out with my little nieces, five and almost three years old, on Saturday and playing hide and seek with them. <3

I had a dream that really hit me hard a couple of nights ago. I dreamed I got to see my brother again. We hung out, and I gave him a big hug. I was adopted, so we weren't raised together. We only saw each other once every few years, until our families became estranged. I haven't seen him in 10 years now, as we live in different countries. We're in touch occasionally over text. I wrote on here last fall that I thought I processed my grief over that separation, and found surrogate siblings in my brothers- and sisters-in-law via Derek's family. So this dream hit me hard. I wouldn't have normally done this, but I sent my brother a short text tonight, just saying I was thinking about him and I hope he and his wife are doing well. It hurts a lot. I always wonder if I'm ever going to see him again. I would love to give him and my sister-in-law a hug.

I'm looking forward to therapy on Friday. I haven't been able to have an appointment in about three weeks or so, and I'm excited to be able to process my thoughts and feelings with my therapist, and getting back to doing that on here by myself as well.

[kestrelvylbrand]

Get to Know Me

Tagged by @luck-and-larceny, who stole the cute lil section dividers from @ashenbun's post •°•°• and now I'm stealing them too!

Last song: The Parson's Project - Dr. Tarr and Professor Feather. I was driving home through a pretty bad rainstorm yesterday. Even though it was only around 5 pm, it was super dark and really coming down, so I was driving really slowly and feeling in a kind of gothic mood. I originally wanted to listen to this really cool Edgar Allan Poe album, but it wasn't on Spotify, so I went with The Parson's Project Tales of Mystery and Imagination instead.

•°•°•

Currently reading: Sourcery by Terry Pratchett. @vetinarivisuals and @luck-and-larceny have been bugging me to read his book for ages, and I've always wanted to, but I had several years where I just really struggled to finish books. With the new audiobooks starting to come out last year, it seemed like a good time to do it, so I'm working my way through all of them! So far, I've been going in order, though I may start diverting from it eventually.

•°•°•

Currently watching: The Great. I really enjoy it, it's a great show, I'm in season 2 at the moment. Though I gotta admit, in the first season, I was reminded a lot of A Royal Affair, and I kind of wonder if they took some inspiration there. Since it's only an occasionally true story, I feel like it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to take inspiration from another royal house.

•°•°•

Current obsession: Freelance work, sadly. My work has been crazy lately and I'm trying to get set up to be able to cut down my hours there a bit by doing more freelance work, but also that kind of sucks. Baldur's Gate 3 is likely gonna take over next week lol.

And then I just started my D&D game up after a few months of break and it's stressful and awesome and fun, so there's that too :D

•°•°•

Tagging: @vetinarivisuals, @dumb-hat, anyone who wants and hasn't been tagged yet! Tag me if you do so I can read it!

[redheadgleek]

WWW Wednesday, er Thursday

What are you currently reading?

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske - I got the last book of the trilogy from the library (A Power Unbound), started reading it, and realized my memories about what had happened in the last book were fuzzy, so I'm rereading.

Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher. Again, the latest book in the series was just released (Paladin's Faith), and I needed a refresher. Such a hardship!

Know My Name by Chanel Miller (audiobook). I think I'll have to switch to another format to finish by book club on the 16th.

Upstream by Mary Oliver. I've been reading a chapter every night before bed as a relaxation tool. Her prose is as lovely as her poetry. 

What have you recently finished?

Since I didn't do this last week, here's the books I've finished in the last two weeks: 

Sweet Like Jasmine by Bonnie Grey. I tried to keep an open mind, I really did, but it was light on details and emotions and heavy on "Jesus saved me from my horrible life and everything is perfect now." Even the tidbits at the end of each chapter on Chinese culture were spun through a Jesus lens. Thankfully, it was short. Not for me.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. There was a lot that I loved about this book (Rocky was the best, the enthusiasm over the science was awesome, the ending was just right), pacing was a little odd, and at times the writing felt like it was for early readers, which isn't something that I expected with a book as heavy on math and physics as this one.

The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clark (audiobook). I loved getting back into this universe and the stories were fun.

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez. My friend recommended this book as I am always on the look out for the perfect "protagonist is a doctor" romcom. Overall really enjoyed it and the medicine was mostly accurate. Looking forward to the sequel.

Mister Magic by Kiersten White. I read this one because I heard she wrote it as a way to process leaving the LDS church and her dedication and author's note really resonated with me. The book itself fell flat for me about 2/3rd into it and I hated the ending.

Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper. Started this one around Halloween and it took me a long time to get into it. It was fine as a sapphic Halloween Hallmark special. 

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher. I wanted to read a light-hearted, causal, fun romp which this was until it wasn't. The last 1/4 of a book was entirely different than the rest.

Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher. This is one of the books that got me into reading again and it's every bit as good as it was when I first read it two years ago.

What will you be reading next? 

A Power Unbound by Freya Marske, Paladin's Hope and then Paladin's Faith by T Kingfisher, The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan (the last of my "friend recommendations for 2023 project"), A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (still on the list), Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder. 

[inkovert]

Nine People You Want To Get To Know Better

Thanks to @freedominique for the tag! You sound like a pretty cool person :^) Impressed that you're casually reading about Foucault

Current Book I'm Reading: bro...the amount of books I've picked up and stopped reading in the past 3 months 😮‍💨 I don't know if I even deserve to claim I'm currently reading anything. But if I must give an answer, I'm currently buddy reading The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez with one of my friends. She chose the book and the reviews were off the charts and promised an unforgettable reading experience so I had to pick it up. And from the first few pages I read Simon didn't come to play. The prose is so beautiful that every time I try to read it it just has me itching to put the book down and write (anyone else have that issue??). So yeah. Haven't got that far with it even though I went out and bought a physical copy of the damn thing because listening to it via audiobook was doing it a disservice. I've also been listening to the second book in the Aristotle and Dante series by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. My friend recommended the books to me because I was looking for something lighthearted to read and it has not disappointed.

Last Song I Listened To: Okay hear me out. I'll give my honest answer if I'm answering the question literally but there's a reason for it. It was a song by Eminem but I can't remember which one bc I went down a rabbit hole of listening to some of his songs (maybe Do Rae Mi (Haile's Revenge?)). But it's because I went down a rabbit hole this afternoon of watching videos of different rappers naming their top 5 rappers out of curiosity and then ended up on a video about how black rappers in the industry view Eminem....so yeah. I haven't been listening to him regularly, just today bc of that (though he is a legend and has a lot of dope songs).

Currently Watching: Honestly, I'm not a huge TV person, I'm slowly coming to realize. I don't have an interest in watching any new shows that come out. Honestly, if I'm watching TV it's either a movie or something anime-related. I just finished watching Your Lie in April yesterday (beautiful anime from the animation to the storytelling). And I'm currently watching (and have been for the last 2 years) One Piece (only on ep 976 so haven't caught up just yet 😮‍💨).

Current Fic I'm Reading: Not a fic reader, sorry!

Next On My Watch List: hmm...oh! Across the Spider-verse. I rewatched the first movie a couple weeks ago so I could prepare myself to watch the new one once it hit Netflix, but looking at the run time of the movie is a little daunting. I know it's a masterpiece though and I'll get to it eventually!

Current Obsession: 🤔 One Piece? My WIP? Sleeping? Dismantling the patriarchy? Who knows.

Tagging: @that-chibi-writer @pertinax--loculos @words-after-midnight @wordsacrossemptypages @avrablake No pressure!