01-28-26 02:26 PM
feeling: run down ):

Site updates, etc

Helloooo.

Been awhile since I’ve posted anything to the site, though I’ve been making updates here and there. I’ve added some cliques to my index, rearranged my webrings, and did a few updates for my 3DS shrine which is still unfinished.

I’ve been working on a HUGE blog post since last October about art school.¹ I began writing it at the start of my figure drawing sessions and intended to post it within a few weeks. Well, the more I wrote about art school, the more feelings and memories I uncovered. It turned into a behemoth retrospective that I only just completed about a week ago. Currently sitting at ~9k words lol. My partner Jem agreed to look it over and help me edit it, after which I will finally publish it! I’m really excited to see what people think of it. I also plan on showing it to my professor.

I’ve got a few other blog posts in the making, as well as some recent ideas I’ve yet to draft. One is about my thoughts/plans for a “no buy”/“low buy” year and what I won’t be purchasing. The other is about social media, how I can’t quit it, and what I’ve done to try and reduce my time spent on it. I recently read a couple blog posts about social media—one from ploum.net and the other from bekianee.art here on Nekoweb. They gave me a lot to think about, and I want to share my own experiences and thoughts.

Speaking of social media lol I’ve been spending more time on Mastodon. You can find me at @xavier_hm@sunny.garden

Music

Been listening to a lot of music lately. Mostly Rufus Wainwright. I downloaded his Want Two album. I was only familiar with Gay Messiah prior to now (which is a GREAT track), but man there’s sooooo many bangers. I love his voice so much. I find that it’s really nice music to write to. I think it’ll be nice to draw to as well once I get back to figure drawing class. I’ve also been listening to his self-titled first release and Folkocracy. As a big fan of classic country, folk, bluesgrass, and acoustic music, I really enjoy his take on the genres, and hearing how they influence his idiosyncratic artistry.

Besides him, I’m listening to a lot of Mariah Carey still. Right now I’m back to her self-titled first release. I still think Daydream is probably my favorite album of hers so far, but I love her vocals the best on her first record. I haven’t listened past Daydream yet lol, her first few albums are so good. One day I’ll get to Butterfly and beyond. I have the same problem with Erykah Badu—I just listen to Baduizm and Mama’s Gun on repeat.

Charlie boy

I have two kitties, Marley and Charlie. They’re brother and sister. Charlie, my boy, has had some bad teeth for a couple years now and I finally got them removed. He ended up getting seven teeth extracted!

He’s been doing alright. He’s on wet food for a couple weeks and taking antibiotics and pain meds. Whenever he’s not zooted he’s been a spaz, so I am assuming he’s feeling better. He’s draped across my arms right now while I type this actually lol.

Sucky adult life real world crap

I’m really glad he’s doing fine and feeling better. His surgery cost almost $2k though x_x I am in hella debt atm. Hoping to find a new job soon that pays better so I can start getting a handle on it. If I wasn’t chronically ill I’d just get a second job, but the last time I got super stressed/overworked my pain flared for like a week straight.

I’ve been really nervous about money lately. Got some chunky paychecks coming soon though that I will put towards debt. I’m also going to try to stick to my no buy/low buy plans. The only extraneous thing I really want this year is a Kobo Libra Color. With the stylus and case I want it’ll come out to about ~$330. I think I’ll just take cash out every paycheck and keep it in a jar or something. Maybe just $20 at a time.

Besides all that my insurance fucked me. I’m on the same plan as last year but I guess the LGBT clinic I go to for my HRT is suddenly out of network?? My copay for my recent appointment (that took all of 30 minutes!) was $80. Not sure if the rest is covered or if it’ll have to go towards my deductible.

I opted for a more expensive plan BECAUSE my clinic was in network. But now I’m not even going to an in network provider so what’s the point!! Instead of losing $120 PER PAYCHECK I could’ve just gotten the cheaper plan and only lost like $80. Ughhhhh.

Insurance is a fucking SCAM. But having a partner in the UK has opened my eyes to universal healthcare. I would NEVER want a single-payer public option here that’s operated by the feds. The second Republicans can they would gut trans healthcare like they have in the UK and we’d be forced to DIY. I would probably trust state Medicaid though if it was universalized. Always thankful I live in Illinois, lol.

Run down and burnt out

It’s been a long work week. Just busy or short-staffed so I’ve been running around every day. To make matters worse I think I’ve picked up a bug from one of my coworkers. Thankfully it isn’t too bad yet but we’ll see how I fare. I’ve got the next two days off though.

Creative projects

Since I’m sick I couldn’t make it to my figure drawing class today. Hopefully I’ll be there Monday!

In the meantime I’ve been doing a lot of writing. Mostly fanfiction. I want to start writing some original fiction too. I’ve been planning out ideas for like a year but I haven’t sat down and drafted much up yet. I think I will build out some pages for my OCs and stuff here on my site which will help with inspiration. It’ll be nice having character sheets and bios to reference while writing, too.

I think that’s it for now. Hope everyone is doing well. Take care!!