Personal Digest Saturday - February 14 – February 20

Life news this week:

• Saturday I spent the day working on my book mostly. Eventually I got around to blogging, walking, reading, and sorting my high school planner stuff. Sent a video message to Meggie, ordered a CD, read through some feedback, and worked on the book some more.
  
  
• Sunday I worked on my book, played DDR, started laundry (did three loads!), and spent most of my day on my memory box organization. A tree fell in my back yard. The wind was nuts. I also got some really pretty flowers on a plant that I've had for EIGHT YEARS AT LEAST and it never had flowers. Wow! Weird. I took out my trash and worked on my book some more and did a Polo for my sister.
  
  
• Monday we didn't have letters to send because a lot of government places are closed. I did a bunch of research for upcoming projects instead. Listened to some draft versions of a show I did voice acting in which is getting pretty close to being released. Digested more feedback from test readers. Worked on my book more, sorted memory box stuff, and sent a Polo to Ben.
  
  
• Tuesday I went to an early meeting and processed two letters. Randomly thought of a new idea for a short story and wrote the first half. Gave some feedback to the director of the science fiction show that I had listened to drafts for on Monday. Did some DDR, put away laundry, incorporated more book feedback, and read some old notes from high school days from the memory boxes.
  
  
• Wednesday I sent out teaming invitations for our upcoming work. Tidied up the house, did some reading, sent Polos, created a response to some book feedback, submitted a query, talked to Tony outside, and sorted through memory box stuff. Jeaux was early because he had the day off for school. We ate at a new place, Plaza Tapatia, and encountered a really weird situation where their vegetarian burrito was listed as containing "beans, cheese, spinach, mushroom" but they told me I had to pick one of those things. Are you telling me if I order a spinach burrito it will just be a tortilla filled with spinach and NO beans or cheese? THE SERVER SAID YES, THAT IS WHAT IT IS. And gave me the same choice for the enchilada, saying I could only either have beans or cheese. (????) I'm thinking they're confused. We didn't really like the food though. Afterwards we went shopping and did our usual exchange of silly content. After he left I scanned some artifacts from my memory box.
  
  
• Thursday I worked on timesheet data entry at work. After work I wrote my comic, avoided eating moldy bread, played DDR, worked on my book, read letters from high school, and submitted a short story. The tree people came and dealt with my fallen tree. Played the usual Game Night stuff with friends. Drew some of the comic. Got a new test reader who gave me near-immediate feedback. Cool! Took a weird nap. Recorded my pickups for the science fiction show.
  
  
• Friday the pest control guy woke me up (good thing). Worked on my reports at the office. Did some drawing, talked to Jeremy on Facebook, and discussed more of the book with the new test reader. Finished drawing my comic pretty early and posted it. Did some updates with the SU figures that finally came from Mexico! Met with Kari and took a walk. Did some karaoke. Read some of a book. Tried to buy more stuff I'm missing. Prepared eBay sales for shipment.

Interviews, Articles, Mentions:

• You Don't Need Romance to Be Whole: Understanding Aromanticism on RCREW mentions my book.
  
• Bookriot's list of aromantic books includes an upcoming book I wrote the introduction to: Being Aro, out in May.

Health Plan Update:

• Nutrition stuff: I got my three servings of fruits and veggies every day this week (so far I have not missed that a single day this YEAR), and met my protein goals every day except restaurant day (I guess I had a lot of salsa and chips). I am still taking Vitamin D, Red Yeast Rice, CoQ10 Enzyme, Biotin, and a multivitamin.
  
  
• Activity stuff: I'm continuing to do DDR or aerobics every other day. I made my 10,000-step walking goal every day this week. Based on my phone's app, my low day was Tuesday at 10,156 steps, and my high day was Sunday at 14,414 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: Nothing this week.
  
  
• Currently Reading: The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee. I'm on page 312.

New singing performances:

"Rocky Top" by the Osborne Brothers.

Stuff drawn:

My weekly fantasy webcomic, Negative One:

   

#1084: meri lin #145: a little stranger.

Videos Made: 

None.

New photos:

New flowers on my Amaryllis plant

The tree that fell in my back yard

I tried to do pigtails but my hair is still a bit too short.

Social media counts:

YouTube subscribers: 5,431 for swankivy (2 new), 675 for JulieSondra (no change), 17 for v & V Vids (no change), 215 for Not-So-Giant Women (no change), 66 for Tides of Time Band (no change). Twitter followers: 749 for swankivy (no change), 3,391 for JulieSondra (lost 2). Facebook: 289 friends for swankivy (no change), 625 likes for JulieSondra (no change), 79 followers for Negative One (no change), 245 followers for So You Write (no change), 102 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,414 (lost 1). Instagram followers: 302 (2 new). Threads followers: 85 (no change). Bluesky Social. Bluesky followers: 442 (5 new).

Personal Digest Saturday - February 7 – February 13

Life news this week:

• Saturday I worked on my blog slowly while distracting myself with various silliness and washing the new blankets for my collection. Played Dance Dance Revolution, posted the blogs, worked on music, and recorded an audition I was asked to read for. Dug into my first feedback from my novel which is now in the beta reading stage and drafted a reply. Got my Comfy out of the dryer and crawled into it and immediately fell asleep because it was so warm and nice.
  
  
• Sunday Dad picked me up for band practice, and we got to practice at Music Compound instead of in the small music room at his house. We did some work on our less polished songs and worked out some kinks. After he took me back I filled my water tank, did laundry, took out trash, and spent the evening talking to a Steven Universe fan about Peridot merchandise. I updated my collection lists.
  
  
• Monday I got up early, went to work, attended a meeting, and edited a letter. Paid some bills, played DDR, sent a Polo to Meg and listened to a Polo from Steve, and incorporated feedback from my beta readers' observations. It sucks that so much of what they say makes me want to add words when I shouldn't.
  
  
• Tuesday I made a staffing chart for a presentation. Walked to the post office to drop off an eBay package, then dove into meetings. Did some more laundry. Worked on my book incorporating feedback. Wrote back to an e-mail from Josh. Listened to a newly released episode of an audio drama I'm in and listened to my character seduce a guy. Haha.
  
  
• Wednesday I worked on the presentation at work some more. Sent out a query. Did DDR. Worked on my book. Wrangled a Mexican shipment situation for the toys I'm still trying to get from there. Worked on sorting mementos from memory boxes. Found out I got the role for the show I tried out for on Saturday. Jeaux came and we shopped at Box Lunch and Hot Topic and ate at Red Robin, then did our grocery shopping. At home we just shared silly content with each other.
  
  
• Thursday I worked on the presentation more at work. We did some practices. Walked to the post office to drop off an eBay package again. Worked on sorting memory boxes some more. The stuff I'm finding is even more informative for my photo project than I thought! Went to Game Night. Everyone was there! Fun night and then later I submitted a short story and set up my Zoom software on my laptop for a presentation.
  
  
• Friday I attended the presentation remotely and it seemed to go well. After, I did aerobics and went to the doctor for my follow-up. He was not concerned about the elevated liver enzymes I had on my bloodwork but he said I could do bloodwork again in a month and if they were still high I could get an ultrasound. He wrote me up for other referrals for stuff I need. I took a walk after the doctor to check my post office box, buy paper and candy at Walgreens, and hike to the pool store to get more chlorine. Came home and finished a bunch of work stuff (had to stay late), then finished my comic and worked on my book. I also sorted mementos and sang a song on SingSnap.

Health Plan Update:

• Nutrition stuff: I got my three servings of fruits and veggies every day this week, and MADE MY PROTEIN GOALS EVERY DAY THIS WEEK. Even on restaurant day (probably because I had an Impossible Burger, but still usually the high fat content from french fries offsets that, and this time it didn't). I am still taking Vitamin D, Red Yeast Rice, CoQ10 Enzyme, Biotin, and a multivitamin.
  
  
• Activity stuff: I'm continuing to do DDR or aerobics every other day. I made my 10,000-step walking goal every day this week. Based on my phone's app, my low day was Wednesday at 10,066 steps, and my high day was Tuesday at 13,607 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: Nothing this week.
  
  
• Currently Reading: The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee. I'm on page 239.

New singing performances:

"Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters.

Stuff drawn:

My weekly fantasy webcomic, Negative One:

   

#1083: ivy #352: on the map.

Videos Made: 

None.

New photos:

Glenn with the tiny drums at Music Compound

Me with the tiny drums!

Glenn and Dennis at band practice

Social media counts:

YouTube subscribers: 5,429 for swankivy (lost 3), 675 for JulieSondra (lost 2), 17 for v & V Vids (no change), 215 for Not-So-Giant Women (no change), 66 for Tides of Time Band (no change). Twitter followers: 749 for swankivy (lost 2), 3,393 for JulieSondra (lost 2). Facebook: 289 friends for swankivy (no change), 625 likes for JulieSondra (lost 2), 79 followers for Negative One (lost 1), 245 followers for So You Write (no change), 102 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (lost 1). Tumblr followers: 2,415 (no change). Instagram followers: 300 (no change). Threads followers: 85 (1 new). Bluesky Social. Bluesky followers: 437 (1 new).

Personal Digest Saturday - January 31 – February 6

Life news this week:

• Saturday I went to the post office so I could drop off packages by noon, narrowly missing rain. I worked on my So You Write comic and procrastinated somewhat. I got asked to take a new voice acting role by someone I've already been on a project with, so I checked out the info and decided to say yes. Then I did my blogging, did some reading, and worked on editing In Bloom. We did not get any snow even though the possibility was predicted.
  
  
• Sunday I got up late because I was cold. Did a little belated cleaning up in the house and did three loads of laundry. Worked on my calendars and updates for my monthly goals post. Recorded sample lines for the new audio drama I was asked to participate in so I could receive coaching and feedback for how to play the character. Argued with Hot Topic about using store credit and got what I wanted. Edited my book. Kari declined to come over for a planned hangout because my heat doesn't work and it's too cold, and I can't say I blame her.
  
  
• Monday I had to go get my blood taken for annual bloodwork. I scheduled maintenance for my heater, but when they came they said "we can't fix it because it's working; it's just that that's as good as it works." So apparently it's just typical and acceptable for it be in the high 50s inside my house, cool, cool. At work I went to a meeting, put away my laundry, did some data entry, and finished my fourth edit of In Bloom at just under 129,000 words. Got my bloodwork results back in the portal and there were some levels that were flagged, so I guess I get to have fun talking about that to the doctor next week. Read some more of a book.
  
  
• Tuesday I went to the foot therapy place and got measurements and did exercises. They decided to recommend I discontinue therapy since I am not any better, and asked me to go back to my doctor for a referral or opinions. I did get some exercises to do at home anyway. Went to work and did a meeting and edited a letter. Did some crash data and some data entry. Took a weird nap and then did another meeting. After work, I redecorated my place for the next season, played DDR, talked to my sister on Polo, and packed up some more packages for eBay. I ate a giant artichoke.
  
  
• Wednesday I was up early for a meeting but at least I didn't have to go outside. After, I worked on data entry and coordinated with some readers about my book, hoping to get some test readers. (If you read this and you want to beta-read, let me know!) Talked to Tony outside before heading off to the post office. Did some reading. Did more data entry, submitted a query, and went to Mel's Hot Dogs with Jeaux (yes, they have veggie dogs). We did our usual grocery run and sharing of silliness.
  
  
• Thursday I finally got to get up relatively late for a work day. Got asked by a different creator that I'm already working with to read for another role in another one of their audio dramas. (That keeps happening with different people! I guess it's a good sign that they like my work?) I will read for the show but it's not a guarantee that I have the role yet. I did find out that the other role I read for is what the director wanted and I don't have to change my take on the character or do it again. Nice. After work (which involved timesheet data entry, research, and stamps), I played DDR, wrote a storyboard, and went to game night. Afterward I did more work on my book and submitted a short story.
  
  
• Friday I worked on reports and preparing materials for a submittal. Then I drew my comic in between walking and reading. I got the comic up and later got TWO responses from people who read my first three chapters on the book already in the test audience. One person had a discussion with me about it on Discord and the other just sent me prepared reports. (The Discord person wanted more chapters. I haven't checked with the other person yet but the initial impression is really good.)

New Reviews:

• Sara L. Uckelman of sffreviews.com has posted a review of my short story "Everyone's Gay in Space." (Verdict: reviewer didn't really like the story because everyone in the story is a dick and it's heavy-handed. Spoiler: Everyone in the story IS, in fact, kind of a dick.)

Health Plan Update:

• Nutrition stuff: I got my three servings of fruits and veggies every day this week, and guess what? I met my protein goal 6 days out of 7. The only day I didn't was my restaurant day. My efforts paid off! I also decided to stop taking B vitamins because I'm worried they contributed to weird readings in my bloodwork (though I will ask my doctor).
  
  
• Activity stuff: I'm continuing to do DDR every other day. I made my 10,000-step walking goal every day this week. Based on my phone's app, my low day was Monday at 10,042 steps, and my high day was Wednesday at 11,512 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: Nothing this week.
  
  
• Currently Reading: The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee. I'm on page 143.

New singing performances:

"Celebrity Skin" by Hole.

Stuff drawn:

My weekly fantasy webcomic, So You Write:

   

#176: allowed to be wrong.

My weekly fantasy webcomic, Negative One:

   

#1082: adele #264: humoring him.

Videos Made: 

None.

New photos:

Waking up the stroopwafel

Waking up the stroopwafel

Waking up the stroopwafel

Trying to stay warm

Social media counts:

YouTube subscribers: 5,432 for swankivy (lost 2), 675 for JulieSondra (lost 2), 17 for v & V Vids (1 new), 215 for Not-So-Giant Women (lost 1), 66 for Tides of Time Band (no change). Twitter followers: 751 for swankivy (1 new), 3,395 for JulieSondra (lost 4). Facebook: 289 friends for swankivy (lost 1 again! Is it all the political content I'm posting? Yikes), 627 likes for JulieSondra (lost 1), 80 followers for Negative One (no change), 245 followers for So You Write (no change), 103 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,415 (no change). Instagram followers: 300 (1 new). Threads followers: 84 (no change). Bluesky Social. Bluesky followers: 436 (no change).

January Goals Update

The first month of 2026 is complete, and it was eventful! So here is how January worked out for me with my new 2026 goals.

1. Health Goals: Four glasses of water per day; three servings of fruits and veggies; taking vitamins; walking 10,000 steps a day plus an aerobic activity every other day; visiting health professionals on an appropriate schedule.

2. Personal Project Goals: Complete editing on In Bloom, share with test audience, collect and incorporate feedback, develop pitch materials, start querying it; start another book; write two more short stories; submit queries and short stories; finish the photo project and start the SU site, autobio site, and essays/rants site; practice music; post regular webcomics; post ace videos; submit voice-over auditions and complete assigned voice-over work.

3. Reading Goals: Read at least every other day.

4. Relationship and Communication Goals: Document more consistently; keep up with e-mail and online messages; keep social life active.

5. Other Goals: Get rid of garage items; clean the house; watch TV shows; plant herbs; wear pajamas/have a night routine; use a new coffee cup every day; do something cool with my hair.

Progress Update:

HEALTH GOALS:

Summary: Water goal was perfect. Fruits and veggies were perfect. Vitamins were perfect. Walking and exercise goals were perfect. I've had a lot of doctor's visits this month including physical therapy, but yearly physical is next week, and still on the agenda will be the recommended screenings (dermatology, mammogram, dental cleaning). The only thing I haven't done well on with health is that my protein goals weren't met the majority of the time, so I'll work on it in February.

Here is my Health calendar of progress:

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

PERSONAL PROJECT GOALS:

Summary:

EDITING: The book is in its fourth edit and almost done. I have succeeded in getting it below 130,000 words. Next stop: test audience. (Comment if you want to be on it.)

WRITING: I've done some brainstorming about one of the short stories I've had on the back burner for a long time.

SUBMISSIONS: I've kept up submissions of queries and short stories. One statement of interest outstanding but I haven't closed the deal yet; we'll see what happens.

Writing Progress:

PHOTO PROJECT: Completed through the year 2000. Going backwards from there will be more difficult because I no longer have daily journals before that point. I will dive into more sporadic records like planners and diaries, and will take guesses if I have to. We're getting close here.

VOICE ACTING: I got cast in one new show in January from an audition, and was asked to be on another project with someone I was already working with. The announcements section of my VO site has the latest. I have one pending shortlisted show as well. I wrapped up recording for one show and did initial recording for another one.

REGULAR CONTENT: I have posted my Negative One webcomic every Friday; my So You Write webcomic on the last day of the month; and a new asexuality video for the month.

MUSIC: My band is working on new music and practicing to get a good couple of sets under our belt. We have not had our first gig yet, but we have finally succeeded in naming the band.

Here's the Projects Calendar:

READING GOALS:

Summary: This goal has worked out nicely--I aim to read on the days I don't have exercise scheduled, and managed to do so every day. That said, sometimes I haven't been reading very much in a day, though that might have to do with not liking the book I was reading, so it took me a while to get through it. I completed one book and started another.

Progress:

RELATIONSHIP AND COMMUNICATION GOALS:

Summary: I've been doing Jeaux Day, Game Night, band practice, and hanging out with Kari here and there, and have increased the posts about everyday stuff just slightly (but still not really where I want to be). I do have some outstanding messages to respond to (one e-mail, a few social media items).

Progress:

OTHER GOALS:

Summary: I haven't yet gotten a plan together to get rid of the garage items. If I'm honest, my house's organization and cleanliness has suffered lately. I have not caught up with the intended TV shows. It is not the season yet to plant the herbs I have planned. I have mostly been doing really well with the night routine--changing into pajamas and doing a reasonable skin-care and hair-care regimen that's new (but I have messed it up a few times by falling asleep early in my clothes). I have indeed enjoyed using a new coffee cup every day. And I did do something cool with my hair; shortest haircut of my life with pink streaks, but the pink wasn't done very well and was VERY short-lived, so I am going to try again when it's time for a trim in a couple months.