Man, you guys, I have absolutely screwed the pooch on some of my no-buy categories this month. Don’t worry, there’s no guilt involved, just amusement. More than anything I want to learn about myself and ways to live better, not to judge myself for my habits.
I’ve added a couple of new things to this month-end post that I want to talk about. Hopefully you’ll find it entertaining if nothing else!
No Buy categories:
Books – None! Still going strong, yay!
Washi tape – None.
Miniatures – I got a lot of supplies and a couple of pieces there was no way I was going to build myself, notably the toilet. Toilets are shaped very weirdly and frustrate even long-time minaturists. I found a 3d printed one on Etsy for less than ten bucks and said YOINK!
Food delivery – Y’all I am still fighting this one and losing. In fact I did worse this month than I have so far this year! I had a few really shitty depressive days that ended with UberEats bringing me an Impossible Whopper or a gigantic molten cinnamon roll, and overall just did not control my spending the way I intended to. But my bills are paid and there’s gas in my car, so, it’s not a tragedy. I shall persevere!
Dollhouse Progress:
I finally got the back wall spackled, painted, and installed, and I put in wooden beams in the “rafters” to hold the upstairs walls straight. They won’t really show once the roof is on but they’ve made that whole floor rock-solid. I’ve built a wardrobe for the bedroom TWICE because the first one came out so poorly. And I’m working on turning an old Kerrygold butter tub (acquired from a nonvegan friend, lol) into a bath. In May: Finishing up the bedroom, work proceeding on the bathroom. Get the back wall covered in stone, grouted, color washed. Add moss to allllll the outside walls. If I’m feeling particularly frisky I’ll start on the roof.
Writing Progress:
I have nearly three chapters of the 8th Shadow World book written! It’s such slow going, mostly because I’m waffling on what order to place things in on the timeline. I’m also trying to get into the head of the newest character, but I don’t feel like I’ve “caught” her yet. I’m a character-focused writer so I need to be able to speak in the character’s voice, figuring out how she ticks. I don’t know what other writers call it but I call it “catching” the character.
Obviously I’ve been blogging a lot more than I have in months, which is awesome – I’ve really been enjoying talking about my own odd little religious stew. I’ve been fretting over whether to try and write a book about it for a long time now, but I think just going for broke and putting it all out there blog-style is the way to go for now. I watch all the new books coming out in the Pagan world and I feel like, what exactly do I have to add to all of this? When I wrote my first two books I felt like I was helping to fill a gap. I’m not sure there are any gaps now!
Favorite Things in April:
1. Hiki deodorant – Let’s be practical: When skin folds over other skin, it sweats and can get manky. Underarms and crotches are the most obvious examples but when you’re a large person you may have additional folds to tend to. I’m making more effort these days to deal with the reality of my fat body without casting judgment over it, and one thing that’s helped is this deodorant made for skin folds. It really does make me feel fresher and more together. I’m definitely sold on Hiki!
2. I asked my roommate to buzz my hair off again. I think I need to just admit that I hate having hair to tend to. Almost all “girly” things just make me tired and honestly, I’m a middle aged fat woman in yoga pants and t-shirts, who’s even looking? LOL Anyone who does and thinks “oh god that’s awful” is of no interest to me. That’s another thing I’m internalizing in my 40s – the divine and sacred power of “Oh fuck off.”
Things to Do in May:
1. Drink a ton more water
2. Finish the two books I’ve been in the middle of for most of the year
3. Keep blogging!
4. Research how to start a CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans) chapter
5. Get Ch4 of SW VIII drafted
6. Come up with more ways to really wriggle into the whole “depth” part of “depth year.”
What are you up to this May? Travel, adventure? Naps? <–me