#personal bageling

...what I'm reading (books): So uhhhh, I inched my copy of Writing for Impact closer on my nightstand, does that count? I am in the weeds for Shadow Dragon Week and it's eating up all my spare time. Once it is done, and I have no more events for the foreseeable future (still on the fence about DA Kiss Week b/c I want to but I fear I am teetering on burnout with these events so close together) I am not writing for a week strictly so I can catch up on all the reading I want to do!

...what I'm reading (fic): See above, but I did squeak in the latest chapter of Everything and Nothing To Lose by @gatesofminrathous on Sunday night before bed and I am still spinning in the torment vortex about it 😌

...what I'm listening to: Still stuck on the new Muse album, this week I am all about Shimmering Scars. If y'all like relationship pain (and I know many of you do), it brings the hurt so good. Also that floating-in-space-esque organ in the middle of it is just chef's kiss, I could listen to it forever.

...what I'm watching: Still going strong on The Pitt, we just finished up S3 of The Traitors Canada which was WONDERFUL. Ugh the gameplay got so good at the end. And the person I wanted to win from day 1 won!

Also we just finished S1 of Shrinking, and I really loved the bow they put on all the themes woven throughout the season. Really great writing.

...what I'm eating: Made moqueca (Brazilian fish & coconut stew) for the first time in a while because Monday is fish night and I can only roast salmon so many times before I want to scream, but I forgot how good that recipe is for being so simple. A hot bowl of stew shouldn't be that good in the summer, but it's light and delicious over rice.

...what I'm working on: Trudging my way through my last Shadow Dragon Week pieces. I thought some quick journal-style things would pull massive numbers because they're fast reads, but uhhhhh, I misread that, I guess, and it's not reinforcing my disdain of writing in first-person, nuh uh, nope, not at all 😅

...what I'm doing to touch grass: The grass still feels like its on fire out here in the desert so I'm ensconced in the AC again.

I did, however, buy one of those fancy sunrise alarm clocks since it was on sale. I tried a cheap one years ago that did jack shit, but this one has woken me sooooooo gently before the alarm birds even go off, and I haven't hit snooze once in the three days I've had it. I say this as a habitual snooze button abuser. So less touching grass, more fake sunlight, but it's working? Am I going to reclaim my morning and feel less like a zombie?!

...what's making me laugh: John Oliver's cameo in General Hospital. I have no idea why it happened. It is insane and I love it. "THAT AIN'T GOUNNA HAPPEN" is going to become my new vocal stim. Skip to about 6:30 for the absolute best parts.

...what's giving me hope: Each afternoon is getting cloudier and cloudier and hopefully that means the monsoon rains will start here soon. I think we're forecasted for an above-average season. We need it desperately. C'monnnnnnn rain!

The gentle-est of nudges to @notyourmamasdeerbat, @rosha84, @bigshrimp365, @genjyoandgojyoandhakkai, @vixenofcadmea, @ripzaraschips, @eiluned if y'all feel like yapping too!

Oooooh thanks for the tag @gatesofminrathous, I agree re: this being the only social media worth building connections over, so let's do it!

...what I'm reading (books): I've got a friend that's trying to give me brainworms about The Fourth Wing books, and I'm trying, I really am, but like... there's so much fic I wanna read, and the fic is just better? Idk it's just not clicking yet lol

Also for like the millionth time I've been perusing Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, my queeeen.

“E.L. Doctorow said once said that 'Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.' You don't have to see where you're going, you don't have to see your destination or everything you will pass along the way. You just have to see two or three feet ahead of you. This is right up there with the best advice on writing, or life, I have ever heard.”

It's true, you know, and I'm trying to remember that during this fandom event now more than ever!

...what I'm reading (fic): Everything and Nothing to Lose by the lovely @gatesofminrathous is consuming me morning, noon, and night. I am wandering around my house like Pablo Escobar in Narcos thinking about it. Please please PLEASE go read it. Lose your mind over it. It is SO GODDAMN GOOD. Chew drywall with me about it.

...what I'm listening to: I can't stop listening to the As Above, So Below album by Highly Suspect. If you ever find yourself driving through a stretch of the US Southwest where you can floor it (which let's be real is like 80% of it, it's BIG out here y'all) and it's hot as hell (...also like 80% of the time), open your your windows, crank this, and fly through the desert. It is SUCH a vibe. I went on an errand to the drugstore down the street and drove right past it just to keep it going for like another half hour. 10/10 recommend. Mexico in particular is fantastic. I could have driven all the way there.

...what I'm watching: We've started in on The Pitt, and I can see why the fandom is feral about it, even if I've got the tags blocked to avoid spoilers. They are doing SO MUCH with SO LITTLE. Very impressive writing.

Also The Traitors insanity rolls ever onward with Canada S3. We've been watching seasons basically non-stop since December '24!

...what I'm eating: I'm making mushroom risotto in the instant pot tonight. I know, I know, I insult Lucanis like this during his special week? I deserve the dagger he's sharpening for me. But I live at high altitude and no matter how long I stand there and stir an endless font of stock into it, it never cooks all the way through on the stovetop!

I did find some gorgeous lion's mane mushrooms I'm very excited about sauteeing up for it though.

Also I bought some cherries since yay cherry season, and I'm going to make a nice cherry cobbler, but I have to get both my antacids and my lactose-intolerance pills (and ice cream because cobbler with no ice cream is a sin) before I can eat it, so it's on hiatus until then!

...what I'm working on: I continue to be more behind in my Lucanis Week piece Water, Water, Everywhere than I'd fully like, but see above about Anne's advice. I write, I screm, it will get done piece by piece 😅😅

After that, I'm not really sure what's next! I have a couple pieces in the chute I could choose from. Or maybe get a jump on Shadow Dragon Week. I want to let Maribel have a turn in the blender!

...what I'm doing to touch grass: Sooooo.... it was 103ºF on my back porch yesterday evening and... I do not want to exit the house right now lmao. I am babying my houseplants in this heat though, so I am touching a lot of dirt to make sure they're not drying out?

More seriously, I think we've picked some dates in which I'm heading out east to visit family, so I'm starting to touch the grass in my mind of what I'd like to do out there? I miss the shore SO much. Which is guess is water and not grass, and I'm not actively touching it, but it's so hot plz forgive me 😭😭😭

The gentlest of tags to @notyourmamasdeerbat, @rosha84, @bigshrimp365, @genjyoandgojyoandhakkai, @vixenofcadmea, @ripzaraschips, and @eiluned, and anyone else that might want to participate!

But I finally caught up on my Ao3 comments. ADHD YOU ARE NOT THE BOSS OF MEEEEEE! I mean, most of the time, yes, you are. But not right now!!!! Even if it meas I put off starting dinner for too long!