Personal Digest Saturday: February 15 – February 21

Life news this week:

• Saturday I did my blogging relatively early and worked on my book in little bursts of motivation. I practiced my uke, organized and tossed wrappings from recent packages I'd gotten, and did some dishes. Arthur came over in the evening and picked me up to go out to the gay bar to sing karaoke. We picked up Yasmin and then met Jeaux and Dare over there. All of us (except Jeaux, who prefers not to sing) got to sing twice. The audience seemed to like us and we had a good time hanging out and interacting a little. We even got some free cake! Fun.
  
  
• Sunday I had a lazier day. I did some aerobics, argued with a loser on Reddit, wrote some posts, did some laundry and trash chores, and took an epic nap. Later I did some more dishes, sent a Polo to Meg, and scanned some photos for my project.
  
  
• Monday I was tired and rolled in to work a little late. Probably shouldn't take huge naps in the middle of the day. We found out we were selected for another contract, so so far that's two wins this year. Off to a great start! I did some downloads for selection info and entered credit card entries for my boss and updated some stuff for a utilities project I'm in charge of. In other news, I trimmed my fingernails with a nail clipper for the very first time. (I am a recent convert from the school of nailbiting. So yes, this is significant.) I made a doctor's appointment for my toe, wrote some of my novel, and submitted some short stories and a voice-over audition. Also practiced ukulele again.
  
  
• Tuesday I woke up to news that I'd been selected for another voice over role, which seems fun. At work I did some more credit card entries. I posted some of Meg's stuff on eBay for her and cleaned some stuff up in the house. I tried to frame a poster but I didn't like how it came out so I gave up. The pest control guy came. I played DDR and ate some pasta, did some Polos, got invited to the Discord for the voice over project and checked it out, and worked on my novel.
  
  
• Wednesday Jeaux was sick so we didn't have Jeaux Day. I did a bunch of project research at work. Also chatted with the team for the upcoming project for the voice over role. It appears that the creator has invited us to the project preeeetty early . . . there are a lot of undecided things and the scripts aren't finalized. Later I did some Polos, sent some applications, wrote my webcomic, scanned a photo album, practiced ukulele, and did some editing.
  
  
• Thursday it was cold again, and a pretty slow day at work. I got some cleaning done and talked more with the other cast members. Also found out a role I was shortlisted on ended up going to someone else, so bummer. After I worked on my webcomic and practiced ukulele, I sent Polos to Steve and Meg, did some aerobics, and went to Grand Hacienda with Jeaux. We did our shopping and then arrived an hour late for game night. Afterwards we just hung out, took a walk, and did some sharing of silly internet things.
  
  
• Friday I worked on timesheets and reports. I had to go to my doctor's appointment in the afternoon and after some weird miscommunications I was able to get the procedure I was there for. So . . . I again do not have a toenail. Fun! I hope it will grow back better this time. But for the rest of the day I just had to hobble around with a fancy neon green bandage on my toe. I feel like everything was more painful this time--both the operation and the aftermath--and I woke up a couple times during the night because my toe hurts. It sucks. I was still able to finish my webcomic and post on time, and chatted a little more on that Discord. We received a draft of one of the scripts and I guess we'll discuss it in an upcoming meeting.

Words Written: 4,949.

Interviews, Articles, Mentions:

• On February 17, my book was discussed in depth (without my input) on a podcast labeled "As You Are by Data Darling, which is described as "An AI Exploration of Sexuality, Identity, and Literature." I'm not sure if it is made by anyone specific or who's talking. It's odd; the voices speaking don't reference the book explicitly (they keep saying stuff like "your source material") and they bounce off each other in ways that don't entirely seem natural, so I'm wondering if it's done by robots. There's a description that seems to be mostly lifted from my book's description: "The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality by Julie Sondra Decker. This episode delves into the often-misunderstood world of asexuality, guided by Julie Sondra Decker's insightful book, The Invisible Orientation. We explore what asexuality is (and isn't), debunk common misconceptions, and discuss the diverse experiences within the ace spectrum. From navigating a world built around sexual attraction to building fulfilling relationships, we unpack the challenges and triumphs of asexual individuals. Join us as we shine a light on this often-invisible orientation and celebrate the validity and richness of asexual identities."

New Reviews:

• Andrew Eder gave The Invisible Orientation a two-star review on Goodreads.

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: And after all my complaining last week, I saw a sudden drop this week and also no explanation because I am pretty sure I changed nothing. I recorded a high of 117.3 and a low of 115.0.
  
• Nutrition stuff: It was a little more difficult to get all my veggies in because of a disruption in my grocery shopping, but I did it. Looking at the app-generated balance, I had one completely on-target day, several high-protein/low-fat days, one high-protein/low-carb day, and just one low-protein/high-fat day (tends to be the day I eat in a restaurant). For the record, the balance I shoot for is 55% carbs, 20% protein, 25% fat. I'm okay with it if the protein is a little higher and the fat is a little lower. I am still regularly taking vitamins.
  
• Activity stuff: I'm continuing to play my dance game twice a week and doing an exercise video with weights twice a week (so far), but this may have to be interrupted a little now that I got a procedure on my toe and need recovery time. And I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Friday at 10,016 steps, and my high day was Thursday at 14,536 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: Nothing this week.
  
  
• Currently Reading: How to Be Ace by Rebecca Burgess. I'm on page 45.
  

New singing performances:

None.

Stuff drawn:

My weekly fantasy webcomic, Negative One:

 

#1032: ivy #322: one time.

Videos Made: 

None.

New photos:

A bunch of gay karaoke photos!

Me singing at Gay Karaoke

Me singing at Gay Karaoke

Dare singing at Gay Karaoke

Arthur singing at Gay Karaoke

Yasmin singing at Gay Karaoke

Dare singing at Gay Karaoke

Dare singing at Gay Karaoke

Social media counts:

YouTube subscribers: 5,478 for swankivy (3 new), 683 for JulieSondra (1 new), 16 for v & V Vids (no change), 210 for Not-So-Giant Women (no change), 65 for Tides of Time Band (no change). Twitter followers: 786 for swankivy (no change), 3,544 for JulieSondra (lost 6). Facebook: 299 friends for swankivy (no change), 642 likes for JulieSondra (lost 1), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 251 followers for So You Write (no change), 100 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,423 (1 new). Instagram followers: 280 (no change). Threads followers: 76 (no change). Bluesky Social. Bluesky followers: 316 (2 new).

Personal Digest Saturday: February 8 – February 14

Life news this week:

• Saturday I did my blogging and sent my sister a Polo, sent out some applications, practiced ukulele, did an aerobics video, and didn't get enough done. Usually I try to write on Saturdays but I ended up bumping it to Sunday for the second week in a row. Boo.
  
  
• Sunday I had to do a bunch of maintenance on my water system, including vacuuming up a bunch of calcium deposits in the chlorine tank, so it took longer than usual to get it running. I went ahead and combined all that with doing laundry and taking out the trash so I could get all the sweaty work done at once. After that I relaxed and worked on my book in between putting some things away in the house. I did some reading and some silly quizzes. Talked to Jeaux on the phone while putting away laundry.
  
  
• Monday at work I wrestled meeting arrangements and project research. Did some Polos with Meggie. Worked on my book for a long time, practiced ukulele, and played DDR. I put some wreaths together from craft store materials I got last week and finally got this season's wreath up on the wall. Wrote back to some mails and wrote a book review.
  
  
• Tuesday I had some meetings and teaming arrangements to handle at work. I did some input with credit card transactions I'm doing for my boss and did some documenting of various stuff I keep track of for the office. After work I practiced uke and worked on my book, walked, and wasted a little bit of time (which I hate).
  
  
• Wednesday involved meetings and data entry for credit cards again. Did some housework (vacuuming, dishes, tidying) and did an aerobics video. Jeaux came over and took me to 4 Rivers for dinner, and we went to our grocery shopping. Jeaux reads a lot of romance books so I asked for his advice on something in the book I'm writing and he gave me good advice!
  
  
• Thursday I did project research and credit card entry again, plus some afternoon meetings. I wrote my comic storyboard, did some walking and reading, and went to game night. Got some drawings done while hanging out. Sent some queries and did some ukulele practice before bed.
  
  
• Friday I dealt with documentation, updates, and reports at work, plus some project research. I didn't take many breaks during the day so my walking was way low, and when I played DDR after work I had to do twice what I usually do to get all the steps out of the way. Then I sat down to concentrate on drawing the rest of the comic and got it done. I practiced uke, watched videos, and made a Polo for my sister about collectibles.

Words Written: 6,320.

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: Just kinda stagnating here even though I'm eating like I usually do and getting a lot of exercise. Hmm. Not great. I guess if I want to see anything different here I'll have to stop some of the nighttime nibbling when I'm not really hungry. I haven't really figured out what the pattern is here but I'd like to change it. It seems very odd because literally every day this week my nutrition app said I ate less than a THOUSAND calories and this is still where I am. I'm not a calorie counter per se but I am curious why that number isn't moving. It's possible I'm seeing a little muscle gain since I've been working out with weights? But I don't think it's extensive enough to explain those numbers. Also my water intake was really high this week for some reason so maybe some of it was water weight? Let's see what I can get moving next week. I recorded a high of 118.5 and a low of 116.9.
  
• Nutrition stuff: Hit my goal for daily veggies and fruits every day. I've had a high protein and relatively low fat diet every day except Wednesday (when I ate at 4 Rivers)--balance was really good. I am still regularly taking vitamins.
  
• Activity stuff: I'm continuing to play my dance game twice a week and doing an exercise video with weights twice a week (so far). And I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Thursday at 10,214 steps, and my high day was Tuesday at 13,100 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: Dream to Me by Megan Paasch. Four-star review.
  
  
• Currently Reading: How to Be Ace by Rebecca Burgess. I'm on page 45.
  

New singing performances:

This week's karaoke song is Caramel by Suzanne Vega.

 

Stuff drawn:

My weekly fantasy webcomic, Negative One:

 

#1031: dax #153: exclusivity.

Videos Made: 

None.

New photos:

Jeaux wearing his "What's Up Jerks?" shirt

Social media counts:

YouTube subscribers: 5,475 for swankivy (no change), 682 for JulieSondra (1 new), 16 for v & V Vids (no change), 210 for Not-So-Giant Women (lost 1), 65 for Tides of Time Band (lost 1). Twitter followers: 786 for swankivy (lost 4), 3,550 for JulieSondra (lost 11). Facebook: 299 friends for swankivy (no change), 643 likes for JulieSondra (no change), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 251 followers for So You Write (no change), 100 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,422 (no change). Instagram followers: 280 (no change). Threads followers: 76 (no change). Bluesky Social. Bluesky followers: 314 (6 new).

Personal Digest Saturday: February 1 – February 7

Life news this week:

• Saturday was a catch-up day. I spent a lot of it editing a short story and finally got it under 20,000 words. Then I submitted some other short stories and did my blogging, and I practiced some ukulele songs, and I didn't actually get to my writing like I wanted to.
  
  
• Sunday I got up nice and late. Relaxed a little, did my DDR, did some chores, and worked on my book. Updated some calendar stuff and wrote some more. Then I rearranged the garage and redecorated the house for the next season. Watched some reactions. Played ukulele. Submitted a challenging voice-over audition.
  
  
• Monday I got up a little late and barely made it to my meeting. We practiced our interview questions over our Teams rehearsal and then I worked on the interview package and got it turned in. Later had to go to another meeting too. Walked to the post office to pick up a package I'd ordered that for some reason needed a signature. And then had ANOTHER meeting. After meetings were over I did Polos with Meg, who was having a crappy time. Finally I took a nap and worked on my projects: played ukulele, submitted queries, wrote some of my novel, and wrote my comic. I had too much to do and started too late.
  
  
• Tuesday I had to get up at 4 in the morning so I could get ready for my interview. Went out to meet my boss at IHOP and we drove to the District headquarters to have our interview. I brought my webcomic materials so I could draw my comics and not waste the time I had just sitting in the car. Our interview seems to have gone pretty well and we felt good about our performance. Boss took me out for Mexican food after. I finished drawing all the comic frames before we got home. I caught up with Meg after I had a nap (she was still having a crappy time) and then I did some exercise, ukulele practice, walking to get more steps, ukulele practice, work on a novel, and scanning photos from a photo album.
  
  
• Wednesday I was up early again for meetings. I coordinated with my bookkeeper about getting a refresher course on entering credit card data since I hadn't done it in a year. I did some project research as well. Cleaned the house up a little and practiced ukulele. Jeaux picked me up and we ate at So Fresh, visited Michaels, and grocery shopped. I shared silly internet things with him. After he left I finished my ukulele practice and submitted some short stories.
  
  
• Thursday I did my refresher meeting with our bookkeeper and entered data. Did some Polos and went to afternoon meetings. Played DDR. Practiced ukulele. Played games with my friends while doing some sewing repair. Got a confirmation that I'll be writing the introduction to a book coming out next year that is about aromanticism. Cool!
  
  
• Friday I had an early doctor's appointment that actually happened early instead of getting delayed! Every single thing about my health is normal and that was nice to hear. Came home and did timesheet stuff and report stuff. Since my comic was already drawn, I just had to process it and post it and then get my steps in. I also watched a Streamily signing by Shelby Rabara (who did a cartoon voice on Steven Universe) and blogged about it.

Words Written: 3,403.

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: Just a little downward movement, which is nice, but also I have been doing a lot of random snacking and eating when I'm not hungry, so I didn't really expect to see any progress. I recorded a high of 117.7 and a low of 116.1.
  
• Nutrition stuff: Doing well with balance here. The only day that was way off was when I ate a bunch of Mexican food with my boss. I am still regularly taking vitamins.
  
• Activity stuff: I'm continuing to play my dance game twice a week and doing an exercise video with weights twice a week (so far). And I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Saturday at 10,021 steps, and my high day was Sunday at 12,188 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: Nothing this week.
  
  
• Currently Reading: Dream to Me by Megan Paasch. I'm on page 334.
  

New singing performances:

None.

Stuff drawn:

My weekly fantasy webcomic, Negative One:

 

#1030: adele #253: small talk.

Videos Made: 

None.

New photos:

None.

Social media counts:

YouTube subscribers: 5,475 for swankivy (no change), 681 for JulieSondra (no change), 16 for v & V Vids (no change), 211 for Not-So-Giant Women (1 new), 66 for Tides of Time Band (no change). Twitter followers: 790 for swankivy (lost 4), 3,561 for JulieSondra (lost 12). Facebook: 299 friends for swankivy (no change), 643 likes for JulieSondra (1 new), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 251 followers for So You Write (no change), 100 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,422 (no change). Instagram followers: 280 (lost 1). Threads followers: 76 (no change). Bluesky Social. Bluesky followers: 308 (4 new).

Personal Digest Saturday: January 25 – January 31

Life news this week:

• Saturday I got up and did my blogging pretty early, then wrote my comic, recorded a new asexuality video, and played DDR. My internet was out in the morning but the technician who came over said it was something wrong outside the house, not my equipment, so they sent in an order and it was fixed a few hours later. I spent some time working on my book as well.
  
  
• Sunday I had breakfast and coffee before Dad arrived to pick me up for band practice. I told him about an interview I had set up and we caught up on life. The practice was pretty good and a friend of our guitarist joined in at practice--and he might join our band! I hope so. Dad and I had sushi at our favorite place and he drove me home. As soon as I got home I did my trash and laundry chores and processed the video, played my ukulele, and did some drawing.
  
  
• Monday I got up early for a meeting that turned out to be moved to later. Haha. I did some paperwork for work, researched projects, and did some data entry. After work I wrote and drew my monthly writing webcomic, played ukulele, wrote some more of my novel, finished sorting the digital files for my photos FINALLY, and put away some laundry. Did a new aerobics video too.
  
  
• Tuesday I went to a seminar and did some data entry and package organization. I got my steps in, picked out an interview outfit, and worked on my novel. Also submitted queries and practiced uke.
  
  
• Wednesday I chatted with Tony outside and then went to the interview. Seemed like a good match but I'm concerned about how much it would cost me to commute, so we'll see. Went home and our work computers were down so I played DDR until the connection returned. I did a utilities package update, timesheet update, and crash statistics update. Then Jeaux came and we ate at Best NY Pizza and did our grocery shopping. He got me a cute wearable blanket as a late birthday present. We read and watched stuff at each other.
  
  
• Thursday I had a meeting with my shortlisted team and had to rewrite my utilities speech. Then I had to do some stuff on my existing utility project and it took most of the day. I finished my data entry, entered timesheet data into the accounting software, and did project research. Then I did some Polos while walking, practiced uke, preordered some SU records, relearned two songs on ukulele, sent in an voice-over audition, and went to Game Night. After, I got more steps and processed my comic.
  
  
• Friday I got up super early to get my bloodwork done but the order hadn't been put in by the doctor so I had to wait an extra half hour for them to open and put them in for me. After that it went fine. Went home, posted my comics, and started work. Had a meeting with the shortlisted team again. Did some reports and project research. Then after work I did an aerobics video before going out. Jeaux took me to Joe's Diner and Dare met us there for food, and then we all headed over to Tampa Karaoke where we met up with Yasmin and Arthur for a night of fun singing. We rented a room for 2 hours to sing silly stuff and it was a great time, but I got tired early since I got up so early.

Words Written: 2,845.

New Reviews:

• Emilija gave The Invisible Orientation a four-star review on Goodreads.

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: So the good news is that the high is lower. The bad news is the low is not lower. Hope to see these numbers in my rearview very soon. I recorded a high of 118.3 and a low of 117.4.
  
• Nutrition stuff: Decent nutrition balance--the protein situation is mostly amended. And I feel energetic and am able to keep up with life! I am still regularly taking vitamins.
  
• Activity stuff: I'm continuing to play my dance game twice a week and doing an exercise video with weights twice a week (so far). And I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Saturday at 10,038 steps, and my high day was Friday at 15,251 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: Nothing this week.
  
  
• Currently Reading: Dream to Me by Megan Paasch. I'm on page 278.
  

New singing performances:

None.

Stuff drawn:

My monthly writing webcomic, So You Write:

 

#164: direct experience.

My weekly fantasy webcomic, Negative One:

 

#1029: ivy #321: just you and me.

Videos Made: 

Letters to an Asexual #122 ("Sex Will Fix You!") is out. In this video, I read a Twitter exchange between me and a trollish person who said having sex with a man can turn an ace woman straight, and insisted it had happened to her because of "the power of the penis." I discuss why this is a terrible take and also share some thoughts on how open-mindedness can be used and misused in a sexual orientation–related context.

 

New photos:

Arthur & Yasmin

Dare and me singing

Dare and me singing

Dare and me singing

Dare singing

Yasmin singing

Arthur & me

Dare & Me

Dare and me singing

Dare singing

Yasmin singing

Dare and me singing

Me singing

Social media counts:

YouTube subscribers: 5,475 for swankivy (lost 4), 681 for JulieSondra (no change), 16 for v & V Vids (no change), 210 for Not-So-Giant Women (no change), 66 for Tides of Time Band (no change). Twitter followers: 794 for swankivy (no change), 3,573 for JulieSondra (lost 10). Facebook: 299 friends for swankivy (no change), 642 likes for JulieSondra (no change), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 251 followers for So You Write (no change), 100 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,422 (lost 2). Instagram followers: 281 (1 new). Threads followers: 76 (lost 1). Bluesky Social. Bluesky followers: 304 (5 new).

January Goals Update

Our first month of 2025 is in the bag. Let's see how the New Year's Resolutions (and general goals) are shaking out!

1. Health Goals: I resolved to continue drinking an appropriate amount of water (around 4 glasses a day), eat 3 servings of fruits and veggies a day and keep my nutrition balanced, and walk at least 10,000 steps a day plus add in an aerobic activity every other day.

2. Personal Project Goals: I resolved to keep working on getting photos sorted as the first stop on a website rebuild; resolved to work on writing three days a week and submissions when I can; resolved to relearn ukulele songs I've forgotten and learn new ones, keep creating my regular webcomic and video content, and get some small voice acting gigs.

3. Reading Goals: I resolved to read at least twice a week.

4. Relationship and Communication Goals: I resolved to document daily life stuff more, keep up with e-mails and online communication, and make time for friends and family.

5. Other Goals: Get rid of some things in my garage, paint the pillar, keep the house clean, watch some backed up TV shows, and avoid biting my nails.

Progress Update:

HEALTH GOALS:

Summary: Things are going very well at the beginning of this year! I established a routine last year and it worked great for me so I kept it up. Even if I go to a restaurant I can usually find something that incorporates a fruit or veggie to help diversify the diet, and I've continued hydrating and taking vitamins with no problem. My walking goal is easily reachable, and though adding the aerobic activity every other day has been a bit of a time crunch some days, I managed it this month. This is my calendar of progress:

(Click these calendars and they will expand so you can actually read them!)

PERSONAL PROJECT GOALS:

Summary: Writing exploded this month with my new goal of setting aside time to write three times a week. I'm so happy with that and my increase in submissions for short stories and queries! (Multiple projects.)

Writing Progress:

I have also made huge progress getting through all my digitized photos and some physical albums, and it's full speed ahead on sorting them. When I finish the photos we'll see what website item calls my name next. I have also picked up the ukulele goal again and have made really good progress with frequent practice! Weekly and monthly comics have been on schedule. My video-making schedule was met. And I completed my one voice acting role that I was cast for, while sending in several other auditions for small projects (none decided yet).

I have created a new calendar to help assign myself the various tasks so none get left behind, and it's been AMAZING for my productivity. So, introducing the new PROJECTS CALENDAR!

Isn't it cool? I kinda make it as I go and sometimes don't complete tasks on the day they're assigned, but I always try to go back and do them or reassign to a later day. I don't adhere to it religiously but I do keep to it relatively tightly and it really helps me visualize how much time I have to devote to projects every day! (If you see blank blocks, and then you compare them with the social calendar, you might see why no projects happened on some of those days.)

READING GOALS: 

Summary: If you notice how well the previous calendars went, maybe you'll be thinking "something's gotta give," right? Well . . . it "gave" here. I did not make time for reading the entire second half of the month. I regret this. But things happen.

Progress:

RELATIONSHIP AND COMMUNICATION GOALS: 

Summary: My time as balanced between projects and social life seems pretty sweet! I HAVE managed to keep up with my communication online (except I think I have some OKCupid messages I abandoned like a jerk). But I have NOT managed to kick myself in the face and get my documentation goals back up to speed. I really only made one non-update post so far this year. I REALLY WANT TO WORK ON THIS. But I suck sometimes.

Progress:

OTHER GOALS:

Summary: I still need to sand and paint the plaster pillar that is sitting outside. I went to a bloodwork appointment and have a doctor's appointment scheduled next month. I still have a TV show I want to watch. I need to list some garage items on eBay. I have managed to stop biting my nails entirely since the day I decided to and now have nice enough nails that I was able to get a manicure for my birthday. Yay!

Back next month with awesome news.