Talk About Tuesday

 

Happy New Year, Y'all!

And just where have I been since October?!?!

Buckle up, Buttercups!

So, you might've noticed that I utterly failed my art challenge this year. That triggered an Apathy episode - I stopped caring about doing art, to be honest. I'm getting back on the horse, but man, I was super bummed. And then I started doing Christmas-Related Stuff, and that... well...

I finished my gifts at 4AM on Christmas Day.

Again.

So yes, I have been working hard the whole time I've been gone...

Except for the end of December/into this month.

My family rang in the New Year by my mom & younger sister plus her husband all contracting COVID.

Since I live with my parents, this meant that I've been quarantining.

And I'm sure you've all guessed it - it's hard to focus on anything except COVID when you're quarantining because one of your household family members - the one who basically keeps everything running smoothly because she's basically a superhero - has COVID.

I've basically been in a constant state of Anxiety for 3 weeks.

Because that's about how long it's taken for her to test negative. I know. It's not fair, and she deserves far better.

Thankfully whatever strain she & my younger sis + husband caught, it was symptomatically mild.

Unfortunately, I had pretty much all the symptoms the entire time, but consistently kept testing negative.

So it's been a weird and uncomfortable start to 2024.

On the other hand, I got some fantastic gifts this year - Z got me that cool wooden shoulder bag that's been so popular (I had one on my wishlist, and he nabbed it for me!!!). I'll be using that with some of the watercolor paints & papers I was given by my folks! I got gift cards for Dunkin and a local bookstore, some of the crochet books I've been lusting after (I GOT THE ONE WITH DRAGONS I'M SO STOKED), flannel sheets, thick cashmere blend socks, and an unforgettably wonderful Christmas with my family.

It's no one's fault that the dumb virus got its claws in some of us. I'm so glad it wasn't worse.

That said, this storm tonight and tomorrow is going to test me.

I HATE power outages, and we're almost certainly getting one. Our wind band is somewhere in the 60-80mph (96,5-128,7kph) gust range, which... alarms me.

I still remember what the roof sounded like when it was torn off by that windstorm so long ago.

I still remember the panic of trying to find things to put under the leaks as they formed on the ceiling.

It's not comfortable, man.

And I feel for my dad - the siding is broken on his side of the house and it's going to spend all night slamming around.

I feel for my mom because this is the first night she doesn't have to feel like a pariah in her own house... and it's during a shitty storm.

I went and got myself a bunch of snacks - Doritos (BBQ and Sweet Chili), Cokes, Nerds (did you know their serving size is 1 Tbsp?!), and Skittles.

I still have the onion I bought for Z right after Christmas lol.

Basically, I am just going to be a little anxious until the storm ends. And possibly beyond, because let's be real, that's what I do. I worry.

At least I have a zipper repair to worry about and keep my mind off of things. I'll have to find a smaller, sturdier needle than the one I started using because it's just hurting my fingers and my stitches are... not great.

And yes, I'm trying to sew it by hand. Our sewing machine does not have good tension and I'd take just as long with that as I do by hand between the snapped threads and the cursing lol.

I might post again tomorrow if we have power/internet. I honestly haven't even begun to think about goals for this year.

Until next time, though,

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

In Which This Has Been A Week

So, I have to be honest - I'm running out of space to keep my physical art. Sometimes I give art away to friends or family, I've even sold one piece for ten bucks before (which was a physical exchange, so I didn't have to consider shipping), but the pages are starting to collect, and I have finite space. This means I should probably figure out a way to sell this art, right? Would anyone else be interested in that? It'd help me out on multiple levels, to be honest.

I'm just tossing ideas around, but if there's interest, I'd get more serious about it. Maybe I'd introduce a second tier on Ko-Fi where you can pay a flat fee to get either a digital file (if the art is digital) or a hardcopy of the category you request? So if you request an Animal image via Ko-fi, you'd include the category (ANIMAL) and a way to contact you (probably e-mail or Twitter because I don't understand Instagram and I'm not on most other social media), and I'd let you know when the art was done. If it ends up digital, I'd send it to you online. If it ended up being a physical painting, I'd send you a message asking for a mailing address. Most of what I use for paper is fairly small, so it would probably fit pretty easily in a mailbox.

Does that seem like a good idea? Any better ones? I don't currently have the funds to make prints, and clearly my scanner is... not the best for making copies, so I cannot offer prints yet. I do have a Redbubble but with the advent of their new price gouging (they get to keep up to 50% of what was originally my profit), I'm reconsidering letting them have my art, so I haven't uploaded in a while.

I'm also considering having a thing where, if someone asks me via a Ko-Fi donation using "Haiku" instead of an art category (as well as including their email or Twitter handle), I'd write them a random little Haiku and send it to them.

Here's a sample Haiku I'll call "Feline Wakeup Call":

Raspy chirped hello

a warm fuzzy good morning

demands must be met

I don't know, man, I'm just trying to branch out here.

I'm not 100% sure how, but I'd like to start selling crochet projects as I finish them. I'd love advice, because Etsy fees and shipping costs mean that's not a very viable place for me to sell right now, sadly.

Now, all of that aside, I should mention that the haiku was based entirely on the way my cat acted this morning. She greeted me with a raspy little chirp and was doing her best Velcro impression until she fell asleep in a sunbeam.

Hard to believe that it was so pretty this morning when it's drizzly and wet now.

Anywho, that's all some stuff I'm considering.

As for this week, I've got some art to work on! In addition to my guaranteed Word, there's been a Request for a Dedbert! If y'all have any other requests, feel free to step on over to my Ko-Fi and buy me a coffee with a message letting me know which category you'd like to see (Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Dedbert, Location, Geometric, Word) and I'll make it for Thursday!!!

Next Monday I should have something crocheted, though I'm still a tiny bit lost as to which thing I should make.

Next Tuesday, I'll be back here to blather a bit more.

As for my wordcount, today's was 147 words. This week's total was 1151 words. The document total is now a whopping 16.7k words! I'm pretty pleased with this week's progress despite missing a day or two here or there as exhaustion set in.

On a final and unrelated note, I'm finding myself missing Dungeons & Dragons, a bit. I was really into it in the 00s-10s, but I fell out of it and have fallen far behind all these new editions. I started in 3.5e, and honestly, I'm weirded out by all the ways things have changed since those halcyon days of my idle youth. Stereotypical Grown Up Stuff, I suppose.

I might start looking into writing up a campaign at some point, though, just to clear the rust off.

Alright, I think that will probably do it for me tonight. I'm pretty sleepy and I have a lot of art to finish up tomorrow!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

In Which I Needed A Day Yesterday.

Yesterday sucked. I'll just be honest here, it was a garbage day and I felt like garbage the whole time.

I was 100% people'd out, but people kept wanting to talk to me, which would be great on days when I miss people, but I'd already had my fill and did not want to keep talking. I just wanted to exist, maybe watch some videos, listen to the rain.

Definitely didn't want to crochet.

Certainly didn't want to try to figure out why following This Pattern ended up with the stitch counts NEVER ONCE MATCHING UP FOR SOME REASON. Honestly, what a migraine of a pattern. How did our ancestors do it?!

Also, my vintage Boye Steel Hook 3 has a very obvious bend at the tip that sometimes disrupts my crocheting, but I cannot bend it back with my bare hands because, again, it's steel.

So yeah, yesterday was a complete and total bust where I never felt right or good or creative or smart or anything positive.

At least I didn't feel negative, and I'll take "just wants to stare at rain in silence" over "anxious about uncontrollable stuff and also self-loathing" any day.

Today was the exact opposite of yesterday, I'm happy to say, and I managed to go for a little walk, picking up some little treasures to put in my Goblin's Purse that I made previously. You can find my collections here, if you're interested! It wasn't as long a walk as I'd have liked, even though it was only about 60℉/15,6℃. The problem was that it was also 98% humidity! I got sweaty in less than a mile, so I headed home with a can of coke, some rocks, and a general sense of satisfaction.

As for the rest of this week, we've had a taker on the "tell me what to paint" front! You'll see what was requested on Thursday, but if you'd like to give me even more work to do, you can hit up my Ko-Fi and send me a donation with a message telling me which category (Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Geometric, Location, Word, Dedbert) you'd like me to work from! I'll do my best to finish any pieces I receive in the next 24 hours by Thursday at noon Eastern :)

Here's the schedule (tentative):

• Thursday: art! You'll see what was "commissioned" this week
• Next Monday: Hopefully something!
• Next Tuesday: Blather from Me To You!

That'll about do it for me today. I'm pretty tired and this blog was supposed to go up 2 hours ago lol.

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

In Which Tuesday Happened lol

I mentioned yesterday that a lot happened between last Tuesday and this Tuesday, so I shall explain a bit, though it will likely be as disjointed as usual since my brain is, predictably, pudding.

I mentioned some crochet related stuff yesterday, but that's all in yesterday's blog, so go ahead and check that out if you're curious about bag design and Gordon the Gordian Knot.

As for the other things I mentioned, here you go.

I helped my mother make boiled frosting on Sunday. It was not easy, since we don't have an electric hand mixer, and one of the things you have to do with boiled frosting is beat at rapid speeds over high heat. Being a generally helpful person, I offered to help do the mixing. I've whipped dalgona coffee by hand before, so this shouldn't be too different, right?

Wrong.

Whipping room temperature coffee to soft peaks is vastly different from standing over a double boiler in August while rapidly sloshing around egg whites and sugar with a whisk.

So I asked if we still had the immersion blender. Similar action, right? Rapid mixing and aeration, right?! We did have it, but I had forgotten the blasted thing is slightly broken in that it does not stay running, you have to hold the button down the whole time. It... mostly worked, but the problem quickly became that it was not working fast enough, so...

We moved the double boiler off the stove and under the stand mixer.

Problem:

Stand mixers have locking bowls for a reason, and the pot from the double boiler does not lock down.

Second Problem:

My mom is left handed. I am right handed. The controls are on the left side of the mixer.

Needless to say, there was a minor incident that splattered the entire kitchen in soft-peaked egg whites and sugar. It also spattered me. The pot holders my mom was using to help hold the pot still were completely slathered in the frosting.

But the frosting got made! And as hot and frustrating as the process was, it was really fun to problem-solve with my mom. We mostly just snark at things together, so trying to figure something out was cool, and, even better, it worked!

And so did my attempt to clean the pot holders! I took them outside, tossed them on the driveway, and grabbed the garden hose. It had a gentle shower attachment on it for watering my mother's gardens (she's got some really nice roses and other flowers going right now!), so I popped that off and used my thumb to pressurize the stream. Within a few minutes all of the frosting was off the pot holders and my thumb was wrinkly lol.

I also tried some fruit from a fruit salad my mom was eating and discovered that, yeah, it would seem I'm still allergic to melons. Your mouth shouldn't burn like you've licked the side of a tea kettle when you eat melons, apparently.

So that was my kitchen adventures this week!

I also mentioned spiders yesterday.

I have a single window in my room, and in that window, I have a fan. When I use that fan to bring air into my room, sometimes insects, usually gnats, come in. I don't like bugs in my bedroom, so when I have spiders that move in on the far side of my room I'm perfectly okay to let them stay there. They're paying rent. They stay.

They're also usually about the size of a polystyrene pellet - the kind that were inside Beanie Babies in the 90s.

Night before last, I came into my room after 10PM and there was a much larger spider, about the size of a dime, legs included, on my ceiling. It was too late to grab the vacuum, and then it crawled to the Spider Acceptable side of the room, so I left it. It's still sitting above the far corner of my window. If it decides to move, I will be forced to evict it.

I'm down with feeding spiders with the bugs from my fan.

Not with my own flesh.

Anywho, the third thing I mentioned was how awesome my friends are. Over the course of about 4 hours, my friends found out my guy needed a new bed, found a bed online, picked it up, and then helped him get it inside and set up! Seriously, they're some of the best human beings on earth! What a turnaround!

Now as for today, I must regretfully confess that I did... nothing. I did absolutely nothing.

I woke up at a reasonable hour, drank coffee, and then I checked the temperature and it was already 77℉/25℃ at 9AM. I was not going to go for a walk. I was right to stay in. I wilt in high temperatures and it was 83℉/28,3℃ with 72% humidity this afternoon. I'd have been truly miserable. Instead, I stayed in and pretended I was going to finish detangling Gordon the Gordian Knot. It did not happen.

I watched some YouTube vids, cuddled the cat, and drank more coffee, but today was entirely unproductive with this blog post as the only exception.

Hopefully the next week has me do these things:

• tomorrow I'd like to paint something - if you want to have a say in that something, drop me a donation on Ko-Fi with a message letting me know what category (Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Dedbert, Word, Geometric, Location)!
• Thursday I'll post a blog with the art!
• Maybe I'll talk tea on Sunday? I'd like to start talking about tea.
• If there's a quiet, cooler day this week, I'd like to take a walk. If I do, I'll try to remember my Goblin's Purse from yesterday and then take a pic of whatever I find lol!
• Next Monday I'll have something yarn/crochet related
• Next Tuesday I'll blather at you some more!

For now, however, I'm going to relax and rest and hope that the spiders respect my personal space.

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Fiber Monday

 

In Which Today Was Too Nice To Stay On Task

Yesterday, it felt like 100℉/37,8℃ at times, so I was largely just plunked in front of a fan, staring at a screen and wishing the temperatures would drop.

I got my wish today!

The high was around 76℉/24,4℃, and despite the higher humidity, it felt glorious! I actually went outside for a while and had to change into an actual tee shirt! I haven't worn a tee in over a week - it's been to hot and muggy! Yes, tomorrow's going to be a little warmer, but it felt so nice today, guys.

So of course I was 1000000% scatterbrained and couldn't focus on the crochet-along we've been doing under the #secret project tag here.

Instead, I worked on a few creamy thread lace projects!

Some Lovely lace gloves from 1943

Which I keep tangling the thread on...

And a cream-colored version of the infamously unfinished Lady Sibyl shrug

I like to walk out to meet my boyfriend on Fridays, but it was so blisteringly toasty while the sun was out that I didn't make as long a walk as I prefer to. Instead of walking the 3.4 miles (5,5km) to and from one bookstore or the 2.2mi/3,5km to the bakery and back or the 1.8mi/2,9km to and from the other bookstore, I walked a paltry 1.4mi/2,3km to the local library and back. 

Why the library? It's a short walk, there's a lot of shade coverage, and it has the most powerful AC in town.

Also it has books.

And I love me some books!

So I picked up this book, Designer Crochet by Shannon Mullett-Bowlsby, and let me tell you, it is one of my favorite how-to books in that library. This may be the fifth time I've taken it out, and I desperately want to make everything in it.

For myself.

And also to sell, because they are Fashionable and I am 100% for getting these garments into the real world.

Which brings me to the next point.

I want to start making things for sale. Mostly crochet, but also eventually original artwork. I'm not going to get into a cost benefit analysis of Etsy vs Facebook Marketplace this week, but I am actively looking for sites to sell through, preferably ones that handle sales tax and don't charge me extra for a buyer using a credit card vs PayPal or whatever.

Or charge me for a listing. That would not be good for me.

If y'all have any suggestions, please do leave them in the comments (which I'm the sole moderator of, so I have to read them ;) ), along with any suggestions of what exactly I should make to sell!

I'm currently looking into what good pricing practices would be, so keep an eye out for any fiber additions to the How To Commission Me page in the sidebar!

Also, if you want a say in what I paint or draw this week, send me a coffee over on Ko-Fi with a message telling me what category you're choosing (also in the Commission Me page), and come Thursday, you'll see what I come up with!

I think that'll about do it for me tonight, those gloves have exhausted me!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

In Which My Attention Has Been Pretty Shattered Lately...
Again

Every so often (okay, it's becoming more frequent lately) I have days where I cannot focus at all. I can't play video games, I can't read, I can't crochet, I can't paint, I can't write, I cannot focus on a single thing for more than five minutes... unless I'm so hyperfocused on something that I can do nothing else.

I do not like these bad-attention days. I enjoy being productive. I'd much prefer to do a few things than Just One Thing.

Caffeine does not help. Naps do not happen. I'm snappish and rude and argumentative when I'm scattered.

The good news is, I have been able to focus more today. I'm still a little distractible, but I managed to commit to a strategy on a game I was playing for 2 hours, so that was great.

So that's what happened to Monday's post, I got too distracted and literally could not commit to a project to show you.

Hopefully by Thursday I'll be back in action and able to fulfill any requests made via Ko-Fi. Possible art request categories are: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Geometric, Place. Just a lil shameless plug there, sorry lol.

Anyway, the weather lately has been pretty good (the sun is very hot, but the breeze is strong and the humidity was low). Sadly, today's weather was awful. The sun was bright, but it's about 73% humidity and windy as heck. Tonight's probably going to rain, too.

My mother went and got her 2nd Shingles shot, so it was a make-your-own dinner night. I made a Mi Goreng and topped it with a fried egg, and I have to say... it looked fantastic.

And yes, it tasted as good as it looks!

I learned 2 things making this egg.

1) Use a lid after the white sets so that the yolk can steam a bit - it's better that way.

2) Use a small pan and plenty of oil or cooking spray.

The 3rd thing I'd say if asked is this: The more saturated the color of the yolk, the more delicious it's probably gonna be, so if it's a yellow yolk, feel free to cook it through.

I let the runny yolk coat my hot noodles and then ate it, and honestly? Best food I've had this week.

I do wish I had a coffee though. Even if it is 7:30PM and my cutoff is 7...

I do have decaf...

I should make coffee....

Anywho, here's the plan for the rest of the week/weekend!

• Art on Thursday! I don't have a theme locked down yet (though I have taken some ideas under advisement!)
• I'll keep looking for games for Saturday
• Hopefully I won't get lost in the dozen or so projects I'm working on and I'll have something coherent for you on Monday
• Blather Next Tuesday!

Wow the sky is yellow now! The sun is setting through the light sprinkle.

I think I'll grab that decaf and settle in for the evening :)

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

In Which Too Much Caffeine And Not Enough Gaming
Make Casual A Dull Birb

What a week. I've had too much caffeine in the last couple days - just finished a cup of coffee after seven despite 6pm being my cutoff - made a whole crochet project yesterday, broke a fan on Friday, and had to hold my cat's tiny furry face in one hand to show her the chipmunk she was stalking because she thought it was under the car but it was watching her from the stairs lol.

I also discovered that itch.io is a thing.

Holy crap how did I not know about this? There's so much on here! It's awesome!

I mean, after Kongregate basically stopped adding new games and Deadwhale died, I've been looking around for another game aggregator that wasn't Newgrounds or ArmorGames!

So if y'all want to have me review an RPG, idle game, or something, feel free to leave suggestions! Bear in mind that I have an office-work-ready laptop, not a gaming pc, and that I am an unabashed coward and also kind of an idiot, so anything that requires smart planning, graphics-intensive hardware, or is pants-poopingly intense is not very likely to be featured on le blog. Also I worry that my Niblings might find this blog someday so "adult" games might not be okay either lol.

Yesterday, I made that bag for my dad. No word yet on how he's gonna use it, but he might use it in the camper once the new canvases arrive. He just sent the old ones out today! I'm pretty excited about that - the camper has been quite the saga for him (it's his latest and longest-lasting restoration project and it's looking fantastic), and also, it could be a great space to use as a semi-outdoor office. It does need new sealing around the roof vent, but once that's done and the new canvases arrive, that little popup could be a great spot to hang out.

On Friday, I messed with my window and succeeded in accidentally breaking my window fan's button. It could be used, but it couldn't be controlled properly. My dad came to the rescue by... removing the button altogether. Or at least, the broken plastic outer button. The small rubber inner button is still intact and fully functional. Tomorrow I plan to thoroughly clean said fan so that I can then pop it back into my window and designate a plastic pen or pencil as the button-pusher lol.

As for the chipmunk, I cannot recall if I've already mentioned, but we used to have two chipmunks - a bigger one and a smaller one. I regret to inform you all that Smol Chippy has been killed in action. They were buried with honors somewhere in my mother's garden. Big Chippy has taken to taunting the neighbor's dogs and sitting on my porch while barking loudly. Evie, who we strongly suspect may be hard of hearing if not wholly deaf, doesn't notice this, but boy does she like to see Big Chippy when she can.

So I help.

By holding her in my arms and carefully pointing her face at Big Chippy.

Because otherwise it would seem she can NEVER see him lol!

Usually when she's outside, she tries to scoot under my mother's car because both chipmunks have attempted to use the car as a hideout while the cat is in sight. My mother hates this for obvious reasons. The chipmunk, meanwhile, will literally watch my cat do this while he sits on the deck and judges us all.

So when I see him on the steps and I can snag Evie, I help her get an eyeful lol!

As for this coming week, my plans consist of:

• Paint something for Thursday! If you want to have a say in what, send me a Ko-Fi by Wednesday night saying what category (Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Location, Geometric).
• Maybe play and review something for Saturday!
• Crochet more on the Secret Project for Sunday. Maybe even finish making the reinforcements for the mouth?
• Blather more next Tuesday!

Aside from that, I don't have much planned. I think.

Plans have a habit of changing, so keep an eye out!

and Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Thursday Art Walk

 

Guess who forgot about blogging? I DID!

Today was... weird.

I woke up late. Showered late. Got all the bottles and cans in the house together late. Walked with a trash bag filled with returnables all the way uphill both ways to the redemption center.

It was closed.

I had to walk home with the bottles.

Ever walked around carrying 7 dollars worth of returnable cans? It's heavy.

I felt like an idiot, though in my defense, they're usually open til 4pm on Thursdays.

So I headed home, bottles on my back, circulation cut off by the ties on the bag, and luckily my mom was willing to give me a ride to the other bottle place, and even more thankfully they were open. So I dropped off the bottles, got my pocket change, and all was hunky dory as the old beans say.

And then it was time to give the cat Walkies.

And Sky showed up again.

Now, for the uninitiated, my cat goes for walks on her harness and our neighbor has a big gray barn cat named Sky. Sky is shy with people but apparently obsessed with my cat, so he'll continuously approach her making cute little kittenish meows.

And then she punches him.

Every time.

Lately, he's taken to baiting her into attacking by plopping his ample bottom onto her deck or her hollow underneath the birdfeeder. Basically, he's trying power moves on an 8lb cat who has no idea that her hot pink harness makes her look like a dingus. She is immune to his bulk, but not his sass, and he is not immune to her front paws.

Today he climbed her favorite tree.

Right in front of her.

Evie, predictably, said ABSOLUTELY NOT and chased him, causing a standoff where there were two chubby cats gripping onto the tree's trunks while my mother tried to calm them down.

"Standoff"; Watercolor on paper; 2022

Above is an artist's rendition (my own) of what I saw from my bedroom window. Evie was further up the tree, tail fat as a bottlebrush, and Sky was lower, growling with his frankly adorable kittenish voice. My mother was baby-talking them from three feet away, which is the closest any of us have really been to Sky, who is shy.

Evie has not yet attempted to throw hands with the orange boy kitty who flounces around the house at night and sings us the song of his people.

It's weird how quiet these cats are when they're calling to each other.

The dogs in this neighborhood go for it, all bellows and bays at the top of their lungs. The ducks cackles can be heard through shut windows and music. The chickens are unmatched. Even the recent addition of the sheep can be heard baaing from the end of the road.

But the cats are fairly quiet. If the window is open and I'm being quiet at midnight, I can sometimes hear Sky or the Orange Boy marrrooowwwwing their way around, but it's half-volume. I find it weirdly respectful.

Anyway, I'm pretty tired and had completely forgotten to post this blog until right before going to bed, so here ya go :)

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

In Which I've Had A Productive Week
(And It's Only Tuesday)

So far this week has been pretty great! On Sunday, I got to hang out with my guy, and we talked about a bunch of writing stuff that gave me some new ideas and I ended up writing about 350 words in the story I'm writing featuring the Cooper character and the animatronic ideas I posted a while ago on a couple of Thursday Art Walks. I'm too lazy to go link them here, but they're back there, I promise lol.

I also did some crochet today - just one round so far on the Secret Project, but hey, that's how it is sometimes!

And I've got some ideas of what to do about my next crochet project, too! And I feel like writing more! And I'm just on a wonderful creative upswing again!

It was so warm the last few days - reached nearly 60℉/15,6℃ on Sunday, made it to around 52℉/11,1℃ yesterday - but today is cloudy and gray and only around 46℉/7,8℃. The chill in the air is very appealing to me, though it does mean I've spent today inside rather than enjoying the weather. It might even rain later today, so inside very much appeals!

The cat has been enjoying the weather lately, too. She's been getting hours-long walks every day this week, and that includes today - though she noped out of the breeze lol.

My plans for the rest of this week are simple enough:

Tomorrow I'll sketch and brainstorm art ideas

Thursday I'll post an art blog

Friday I'll go for a walk

Saturday & Sunday I'll work on crochet so that on Monday I'll have something to blog about

Next Tuesday I'll be back to blather!

It's my younger sister's birthday coming up. I hope I can finish her gift in time!

No word on what it is here, though, since she might see it.

Also gotta make some stuff for Mother's Day!

And prep for Father's Day, since I miss it every single year somehow...

What else have I been up to?

Hmm...

Well, I've been watching more episodes of Ghost Adventures as I keep doing research for my future ghost hunting story. Most of the time I watch GA, though, I end up screaming "HAVE YOU NEVER HEARD WHAT A FERAL CAT SOUNDS LIKE? THAT'S A CAT IN HEAT, NOT A WOMAN!" or "OF COURSE THE DOOR SHUT, YOU'VE GOT THESE STUPID BULKY 2009 CAMERAS AND YOU JUMBLED IT CLOSED!" or "NOT A GHOST, JUST A HOMELESS DUDE - LEAVE HIM ALONE."

It's... cathartic.

I think I've already run out of interesting stuff to talk about lol! Boy am I dull lol :) I prefer it that way - being boring is a difficult thing. It's hard to be boring in a world that demands predictable extroversion. World says "party! get wasted! record yourself for social media's sake!", but I say "curl up on your creaking bed with a cup of coffee and a novel and enjoy just being for a bit."

And most importantly,

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

I'm Back From My Unannounced/Accidental Hiatus!

So... two weeks ago on Thursday was the last time I blogged. Oops! I promise, I haven't just been lounging around my house moping and scratching my ass.

It's not the *only* thing I do, no matter what Dedbert tells you.

I have, in fact, worked on crochet, but last Monday I was sick, and this Monday I got caught up on the workflow! I have a bunch of work to show off on the Secret Project, though... I'm not 100% sure how to write some of it down lol.

Tuesday was another "feeling crummy, constantly interrupted by cats & chores" kind of day.

As for art, well...

Last week on Thursday I was suddenly carried away on an adventure, so I didn't succeed in making any art, but I've got a lot of ideas I'm working on! Some for next month, some for this month!

I'm hoping that I can post a long Fiber Monday blog next Monday, but this Thursday I also hope to have a couple of finished pieces.

If I seem a bit fragmented, it's because I'm typing this while watching Adam Cole (Bay-Bay) play Outlast in another tab lol!

Okay, so what else is new with me?

Evie.

My cat.

I don't know if it's because she suddenly feels better or just because she's feeling her oats, but she has been relentless about wanting to go out lately. From dawn til midnight, it's just MEOOOOOOWWWWWW, MERRRRRRAAWWWWWW, MERRROOOOOOWWWW? MEW!

It's a lot.

She wants out so bad, but once she's there, she basically just parks herself under the birdfeeders and stares into space, wishing the birds and squirrels would come back so she can hunt them. She did manage to tumble the poor chipmunk, so now he squeaks indignantly whenever he sees me with her lol. He's fine, I don't think she batted him that hard, and he's been around since. She has slipped her harness, tried on a Kitty Holster (but the velcro was too stiff to be comfortable for her), and climbed two or three trees. She has also had to have her paws washed twice because they keep getting muddy!

I think I should probably get to work on my art so I have enough done for a blog on Thursday, so I'll let you guys go for now :)

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

In Which I Napped Too Much LOL

So.

I may have gotten a bit caught-up in my crochet yesterday.

And it may not have gone well.

I made half a shirt and... I misread the pattern. In my defense, I do that a lot with DROPS patterns, and this one was especially obtuse to me. It has been frogged and set aside for the time being, but eventually I hope to have it made.

Today, though. Today I just did not want to get up. Whether it was the indecisive weather (too hot! too cold! super damp!), the skunk outside my house (phew), or the incessant complaining of a very cranky and lonely cricket, I could not fall asleep until well passed 3AM.

Which makes my awakening at around 8:30AM that much more frustrating.

Naps and I do not usually get along. In the past, napping is either "well, have 8 hours during the day and say goodbye to your circadian rhythm" or "you have laid here for 3 hours and not rested at all, also still say goodbye to your circadian rhythm you putz".

Today was... the latter, sadly. I napped all day and slept not a wink. It's why I don't nap.

But don't think I did nothing all day!

In fact I:

• Walked a mile and a half on the treadmill
• Watched a tutorial on how to paint seashells in watercolor
• Read a bunch of articles on various random subjects because laying there with my eyes shut was getting really boring
• Did a bunch of situps
• Frogged that failed shirt pattern
• Made a really satisfying bowl of cereal and 2 cups of coffee (but only 2!)
• Took a shower
• Ate a banana
• Brushed the cat
• Watched a tutorial on how to make digitigrade feet for a fursuit because it popped up on my recs
• Played a bunch of Pokemon games on my 3DS XL
• Caught up a bit on some of the new areas in New Pokemon SNAP!
• Did about 10 wall pushups before the cat bit me in the back of the leg for attention
• Brushed the cat again
• Tried to nap again
• Got distracted by FB and then ended up falling down a comic book blackhole with my partner (Blue & Gold looks really fun!)

See, when I list it all out like that, I was super active today.

Except most of the actual active stuff fit in a 3 hour window.

Because I'm LAZY.

Anywho, my plans for this week consist of watching a buttload of how-to vids on watercolor, colored pencils, and digital art, all while trying to figure out how to actually follow that DROPS pattern I was talking about because I want a nice shirt that I can actually wear around people...

And that about covers my day today!

Tomorrow might be 75℉ (23.8℃), but it'll feel around 82℉ (27.8℃), so I'm probably going to just quietly melt in my backyard instead of biking down to the waterfront for some art-time like I'd hoped, but I'll try for some sun.

I hope you guys are having a more productive week than I am, but if you're not, don't be too hard on yourself. The plague isn't over yet, and it's stressful out there!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday 227

Talk About Tuesday is a go!

Good afternoon, folks. I wish I could say I was sleeping this whole time, but I was not. Believe it or not, this morning was mostly spent in negotiations. I negotiated with the shower over whether or not I could use the warm water (it was reluctant, but eventually my persistence paid off). I negotiated with the cat over whether she'd let me have my coffee or not (again, persistence was key, though bribing her with cuddles and a serious brushing helped). I negotiated with one of my crochet projects to see if I could detangle it from the horde of yarn (this one failed, sadly, so I'll have to return to negotiations in the next week or so).

I've had a busy, busy week, and with the heat wave now beginning in my home town (it's already 78℉, which is a little under 26℃) coinciding with Festival Season, it's going to be a rough week coming up, too. Today was not supposed to leave the mid 70s. Tomorrow... well, they're saying it'll feel like 82℉ (28℃), but they're also saying it will be cooler than it is now for realsies. I have 0 faith in this prediction.

Basically, this week is going to be hot, sticky, miserable, and I'm absolutely getting a sunburn because I always do no matter how much SPF I slather on...

But enough about the weather and the state of my coffee cup.

Here's the upcoming schedule:

• Tomorrow I'm gonna talk about that FYTER FEST thing AEW came out with!
• Thursday I'll draw some more - I have ideas.
• Friday will involve a movie I've seen recently, possibly involving a wrestler.
• Saturday will involve DINOSAURS! I flippin love dinosaurs!
• Sunday will be tasty, as I feel it usually is
• Next Monday will have more skulls, but hopefully at least two repetitions. We'll see.
• Next Tuesday, you'll have me back here blathering away.

I'll be honest, the heat makes me really want to make some sorbet or shaved ice or something. I really do want to try to make shaved ice... maybe matcha or citrus flavored... mmmmmmmm....

I didn't get to go to my favorite ice cream place last year, so I'm hoping I can go this year and maybe even do a review!

I kind of hope that things aren't as toasty and awful as they tend to be in early July here, but we'll see :P

That'll be all from me today, guys!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC