Personal Digest Saturday: March 22 – March 28

Life news this week:

• Saturday I finally woke up when my neighbors started making loud-ass noise again. (They were Very Loud literally all day and into the night until about 1:30 AM. It's so annoying.) I got my blogging done early (blocking out the noise by listening to white noise on my headphones), and did my house redecorations during the day for the new season. I also got my new art piece put up in the living room and I think it looks nice. Been meaning to do that for a while. I did some music practice and put away dishes and finally did my dance game. Recorded a new video. Finally cranked out some words on the book project and recorded my voice-over work for the new project I got cast in. (It's just a one-time project.)
  
  
• Sunday I got up relatively early and did my Sunday chores (laundry and trash). Played ukulele a lot, did a Polo for Steve catching him up on everything, and folded some of my laundry. Kari came over and we got pizza and finally finished watching Steven Universe Future (we've been trying to get through the entire series for something like SIX YEARS so that was a huge milestone). Then we had time for lots of chatting so we caught up while eating too much pizza. It was lovely. After she left I finished taking out trash and practicing uke.
  
  
• Monday I had trouble getting up but managed to fulfill my obligations at work. I did have to go to a meeting and had a weird conversation with someone about an open position that didn't pan out, and then two more meetings. Had some computer trouble that interrupted them, which was super annoying. Sent out some teaming invites at work, and then after, I worked on my book, played ukulele, played DDR, put away laundry, and scanned some photos. Got a LOT done on the projects, hooray!
  
  
• Tuesday I had a morning meeting and took care of some follow-up work. Walked to the post office to send a poster to someone who bought it from me. Paid some bills. Cleaned up my computer getting rid of tons of temp files and video files I didn't need! Wrote some of my book. Polo'd Meg and did a voice-over audition. Answered some e-mails. Edited my short story "Karma Is Dead." Practiced ukulele. Took a couple of nice naps.
  
  
• Wednesday I went to a long meeting at work and a shorter marketing meeting. Later played DDR and did a Polo for Meg. Processed a video for my asexuality channel and worked on the short story more. Jeaux picked me up and we ate at Burger 21, and then did our shopping. I read him silly things from the internet. When he left my house he walked into a spiderweb and got a spider right on his chest. Yikes. I worked on my short story more but got too tired.
  
  
• Thursday I had a bunch of stuff to file in the morning but work got less busy in the afternoon. I wrote Negative One and finished the "Karma" edit, submitted some short stories, and submitted some queries. Very submitty day. Played games with my pals for Game Night and then relaxed a little. Listened to and documented a podcast interview with Rebecca Sugar and Ian Jones-Quartey from Steven Universe (regarding the tenth anniversary of the episode "Jailbreak").
  
  
• Friday I had to try several times to get out of bed. Urggh. I went to work and did my reports. Later I did my DDR exercise, drew the rest of my comic, and recorded my voice-over lines for the next episode of the audio drama. (I only had like 5 or 6 lines though.) I did some relaxing, which I really needed.

Words Written: 5,356.

Interviews, Articles, Mentions:

• My book The Invisible Orientation is one of the many cited references in the new article "Uncertain Belonging: Asexuality and Queer Nightlife" by Canton Winer, published in The Sociological Quarterly.

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: Saw a spike I didn't want this week and I assume it's because I had pizza (plus pizza for leftovers) and then a big veggie burger and fries on Wednesday. To be honest, that is really discouraging, I guess? That it makes such a big difference if I have a bigger meal here and there instead of mostly subsisting on fruit, vegetables, and an occasional fake meat sandwich? Maybe it is also the really disordered sleep I've had lately. I recorded a high of 115.6 and a low of 113.4.
  
  
• Nutrition stuff: Another successful week with fruits and vegetables at three servings or more per day EXCEPT Friday I didn't get around to the last fruit. Too bad. Last seven days:
  
  

  	Days High	Days On-Target	Days Low
  Carbs	3	0	4
  Fats	2	0	5
  Protein	5	1	1

  
  
  All right, so it looks like there were a couple high-carb and high-fat days this week, and one day when I didn't get up to the expected protein. Since I also saw a significant rise on the scale number, I'm going to guess that the carb highs are significant. I don't typically have a bunch of pizza in my everyday life so I think this will go down by itself. I am still regularly taking vitamins.
  
  
• Activity stuff: I'm continuing to play my dance game every other day; I haven't done the aerobics lately and have been doing the DDR instead. It's more fun and I get more steps and it lasts longer, so I like it more, but maybe soon I will go back to switching. I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Thursday at 10,067 steps, and my high day was Wednesday at 11,517 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: Nothing this week.
  
  
• Currently Reading: Assholes: A Theory by Aaron James. I'm on page 65.

New singing performances:

None this week.

Stuff drawn:

My weekly fantasy webcomic, Negative One:

 

#1037: adele #254: personal matters.

Videos Made: 

Letters to an Asexual #124 (Lithromanticism!) is out! I talk about the definition of lithromanticism and answer a question that someone sent in about lithromanticism.

New photos:

None.

Social media counts:

YouTube subscribers: 5,481 for swankivy (2 new), 682 for JulieSondra (no change), 16 for v & V Vids (no change), 213 for Not-So-Giant Women (3 new), 66 for Tides of Time Band (no change). Twitter followers: 779 for swankivy (5 new), 3,522 for JulieSondra (lost 9). Facebook: 293 friends for swankivy (lost 1, do not know who), 638 likes for JulieSondra (no change), 81 followers for Negative One (lost 1), 250 followers for So You Write (no change), 100 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,422 (no change). Instagram followers: 283 (2 new). Threads followers: 76 (no change). Bluesky Social. Bluesky followers: 332 (4 new).

Personal Digest Saturday: March 15 – March 21

Life news this week:

• Saturday I slept super late like I have been doing lately. Got up in the afternoon. I had a pretty relaxed day of just doing my blogging, reading old posts, reviewing a book, and getting my steps in. I wrote a lot on my book in the evening but wasted a bunch of time playing silly geography games.
  
  
• Sunday was another long sleep. Another relatively relaxing day. I need them! Did some aerobics, took out the trash and did laundry, and worked on some ukulele stuff. I sent a Polo to my sister and finally processed a bunch of new items into my collections lists (Steven Universe merch and Copic markers). I ended up staying up all night again and going to work before going to bed.
  
  
• Monday morning was a continuation of the previous day for a while. I got some letters edited and sent for approval. After I took a nap, I got another letter edited and we turned them all in. Also got a lot of follow-ups done with teaming partners and utilities. Later I put away laundry and did some reading. Did some more auditions for voice acting too. Then I worked on my novel and got another big chapter done. And finally submitted a story to a market I've been waiting to open.
  
  
• Tuesday I got up for a meeting, dealt with a utility company, did some research, and entered some data for accounting, and then did my dance game and worked on my book. Also got some walking done and practiced music for the band and music for ukulele practice.
  
  
• Wednesday I did more data entry for my boss's accounting stuff. Recorded a couple auditions for voice acting. Jeaux came over and we got our grocery shopping done early, and then we got changed and went over to his side of town to go to a nice restaurant called Boulon to celebrate our twenty-fifth anniversary of being friends. I had a cauliflower steak and fries. Later we hung out at his place a while and then went home, got some walking done, and shared silly messages. I got the news that I was cast in another production! Though it is a small role in a student film, but still nice.
  
  
• Thursday I got the data entry done for my boss's accounting stuff. Also sent some teaming coordination out. I wrote my webcomic, and I got invited to submit to a specific project by another voice actor I know, so I reviewed the roles to decide what to go out for. After work I played DDR again and ran games with my friends because Meghan was out of town. After game night I recorded some parts for the production I was invited to, but it looks really challenging and competitive, so I'm not expecting much. And I got shortlisted on another project for voice acting. Got my walking in while reading. Submitted a short story and two queries, and got some photos processed.
  
  
• Friday I stopped in at work to work on timesheets, took a nap, and then did the reports I have to do on Fridays. Sent some follow-up e-mails and did maintenance. Then got some walking done while practicing singing, finished drawing my webcomic and posted it, and got annoyed at my loud neighbors. (They were outside screaming and making loud noise until after 1 AM. They are basically always partying, but recently someone else in the neighborhood got fed up and HOLLERED at them about their music, so now they seem to be doing it without music! It's still incredibly loud though!) I did get one karaoke song done. Finally I just took some down time to watch silly videos and chill.

Words Written: 6,769.

Interviews, Articles, Mentions:

• An article called Seeing the Invisible: Asexuality in the South was published in the journal Southern Cultures. It references my book but mistakenly cites my name as "Julia."

New Reviews:

• Akemichan gave The Invisible Orientation a three-star review on Goodreads (in Italian).

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: Well I guess it's moving in the direction I want again? I'm making some intentional choices about when and what I eat that I hadn't really been doing consistently before, and it looks like it's having some effect at least. I recorded a high of 114.6 and a low of 113.6.
  
  
• Nutrition stuff: Another successful week with fruits and vegetables at three servings or more per day. Last seven days:
  
  

  	Days High	Days On-Target	Days Low
  Carbs	0	0	7
  Fats	2	0	5
  Protein	5	1	1

  
  
  All right, based on that I am looking at a somewhat consistent low-carb/low-fat/high protein diet? Except there were a couple days that I had a lot of fat (one because of avocados that I didn't end up balancing out by the end of the day, and one because of eating a bunch of french fries in a restaurant, which is fine). Maybe, considering the fact that the scale is going in the right direction, this is what I should be aiming for for now? 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). I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Monday at 10,012 steps, and my high day was Saturday at 11,438 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: Nothing this week.
  
  
• Currently Reading: Assholes: A Theory by Aaron James. I'm on page 43.

New singing performances:

This week's karaoke song is Yoda by Weird Al Yankovic.

Stuff drawn:

My weekly fantasy webcomic, Negative One:

 

#1036: weaver #163: true things.

Videos Made: 

None.

New photos:

Jeauxversary at French restaurant Boulon!

Happy 25 years!

Social media counts:

YouTube subscribers: 5,479 for swankivy (lost 4), 682 for JulieSondra (lost 1), 16 for v & V Vids (no change), 213 for Not-So-Giant Women (3 new), 66 for Tides of Time Band (no change). Twitter followers: 774 for swankivy (lost 1), 3,531 for JulieSondra (8 new). Facebook: 294 friends for swankivy (lost 3, do not know who), 638 likes for JulieSondra (lost 1), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 250 followers for So You Write (no change), 100 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (1 new). Tumblr followers: 2,422 (lost 1). Instagram followers: 281 (1 new). Threads followers: 76 (1 new). Bluesky Social. Bluesky followers: 328 (1 new).

Personal Digest Saturday: March 8 – March 14

Life news this week:

• Saturday began another week of Totally Messed Up Sleep. When I finally got up on this nice weekend day, I worked on my writing early but didn't get much done. Got called into an impromptu voice acting meeting but then it took the creator a really long time to get the script ready for us and then it turned out I didn't have any lines in that episode so I didn't participate. Had a nice chat with someone else afterwards. I was annoyed at the situation but at least I got to work on my blog anyway while I was waiting. I wrapped the blogging up after, worked on my ukulele playing, got some walking done while talking to Jeaux, did some aerobics, and wrote more of my book.
  
  
• Sunday was another epic sleep, enhanced by daylight saving's. I decided my sleep schedule was just too messed up so I should try to stay up all night and see if I could kick it back into gear. I did my laundry, got a photo album done, learned a new ukulele song, recorded my lines for the voice-over project and sent them in, took out the trash, did the dishes, and recorded a couple new auditions. (And one of them has resulted in an early shortlisting, which is neat!) I cleaned my bathroom sink (I know, exciting), did some reading, did another photo album, and recorded a karaoke song. I did not go to bed.
  
  
• Monday when morning came I logged in at work super early and got two letters read for our marketing efforts. I started to get tired after that so I took a nap. Then when I got up I applied some approval stamps on stuff for my boss and read one more letter, plus bothered some teaming partners and went to a meeting. After work, I dove into working on my book, and it was one of those epic chapters that took all day. (I've been dreading writing this one. Finally I did it.) Also practiced ukulele, did several more auditions, played DDR, and read a webcomic (it's the work of the artist who shortlisted me for their project). I like it and hope I get to voice the character.
  
  
• Tuesday I found that staying up all night and sleeping intermittently on Monday did not help and my sleep schedule is still all screwy. I got up early for a meeting, then had to go back to bed for a while. I didn't even get to my coffee until 2 PM. Finally got up after a neighbor was making too much noise with power tools. I got ready for a meeting but it got moved so I spent the afternoon doing project research. Chatted with my friend Steve on Polo about some really gross political stuff that affected him. And ended up writing ANOTHER epic chapter that I didn't know was coming. Oh and I learned one more ukulele song and sent in another audition.
  
  
• Wednesday I stuck to my to-do list majestically even though it was massive. I did a couple check-ins at work and did some project research, cleaned the house, did my aerobics, scanned a photo album, sent another Polo to Steve, did a voice over audition, and in between all those things I practiced a bunch of ukulele songs. Then Jeaux came and took me to Saki, where we got stuck for a long time after our meal was done because they got slammed and we just couldn't get out. We were late to grocery shopping but got it done. We did our usual chatting and talkinga bout annoying people, and then after he left I finished my epic ukulele practice, put away laundry, and submitted two short stories to magazines. Also got notified that someone wanted to interview me so I sent a time slot that worked.
  
  
• Thursday I had a meeting at work, and after that I got notified that I would need to reschedule the interview and it ended up being the same day! I went to the interview but it turned out we weren't right for each other. So that was over fast. Spent the day at work entering credit card entries. Sent a Polo to Meg and worked on Negative One. Learned a new ukulele song. Did more auditions. Read a book. Went to game night with my friends and got more drawings done. And afterwards I submitted some queries.
  
  
• Friday I dozed into the morning but got up and wrangled subconsultants for my teams. Then worked on project reports all day. Had to take a couple naps. Then I had to hustle to get my comic done and my walking done in the time I had left. Oh, and I also played DDR.

Words Written: 7,928.

New Reviews:

• Lo gave The Invisible Orientation a four-star review on Goodreads.
• Kassy gave The Invisible Orientation a five-star review on Goodreads (in French).

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: There was a weird spike at the beginning of the week followed by a slow downward trend, and I'm happy with that. I recorded a high of 116.4 and a low of 114.7.
  
• Nutrition stuff: Another successful week with fruits and vegetables at three servings or more per day. Let's see if I can summarize the app-generated balance in a more organized way: I'll show it as # of days high/# of days on target/# of days low out of 7 for each category.
  Carbs: 0/0/7.
  Fats: 1/0/6.
  Protein: 7/0/0.
  Wow, okay. Every day this week I was above recommendations in proteins and below recommendations in carbs, with one day I was above recommendations for fats and every other day I was below. Didn't know it was that consistent! Most of my carbs come from fruits but I do usually have a sandwich every day. A lot of my protein comes from fake vegetarian products and yogurt. 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). I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Friday at 10,204 steps, and my high day was Wednesday at 12,353 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: Marcy's Journal by Matt Braly. Four-star review.
  
  
• Currently Reading: Assholes: A Theory by Aaron James. I'm just getting started.

New singing performances:

This week's karaoke song is Forever Young by Alphaville.

Stuff drawn:

My weekly fantasy webcomic, Negative One:

 

#1035: ivy #324: a chance to talk.

Videos Made: 

None.

New photos:

Boba at Saki. I hate when packages have faces on them.

Social media counts:

YouTube subscribers: 5,483 for swankivy (lost 1), 683 for JulieSondra (1 new), 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: 778 for swankivy (lost 4), 3,523 for JulieSondra (lost 10). Facebook: 297 friends for swankivy (lost 1, do not know who), 639 likes for JulieSondra (lost 2), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 250 followers for So You Write (no change), 99 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,423 (no change). Instagram followers: 280 (lost 1). Threads followers: 75 (lost 1). Bluesky Social. Bluesky followers: 327 (5 new).

Personal Digest Saturday: March 1 – March 7

Life news this week:

• Saturday I slept sooooo late and it was nice. Had kind of a headache most of the day for some reason but it went away. I worked on my blog, watched some reactions to relax, did some Polos, and got my February update and blogging done by the end of the night. I did a teeny bit of writing but barely got started before I was tired, so I went ahead and bumped it to the next day.
  
  
• Sunday I got up a little earlier but still really late. Enjoyed some Dance Dance Revolution for my exercise and then dove into chores (laundry, dishes, trash). Worked on the novel finally. Did another audition. Wrote more. Practiced ukulele.
  
  
• Monday I was super tired. I checked in at work and did some utility stuff and project research. Later I got more writing done and got some uke practice in, as well as Poloing with my friends.
  
  
• Tuesday I did more research on projects at work. After work I dove into the epic project of refilling my Copic markers and ordering more ink for those that needed refill colors I didn't have. I got ink all over the sink and had to clean it. Haha. Talked to Tony outside when he came to do my lawn. Did my aerobics video and finally made it through one of the exercises I hadn't been able to do until now. Finally I did more writing on the novel and took a long ridiculous nap. Did some reading too.
  
  
• Wednesday I was again weirdly tired all morning. Went to work, had a meeting, wrangled some questions, and chatted with my sisters. Learned a new song on ukulele. Cleaned up the house a little. Scanned some photos. Jeaux was late to pick me up because he got out of work late and then got stuck behind an accident. But he finally made it! We went out to eat at Little Greek and then grocery shopped, and at home we took a walk and did our usual sharing of silly things from the internet. After he left I finished my photo scanning and submitted some short stories.
  
  
• Thursday I had to get up early for a meeting, followed by another breakout session meeting. Also outlined two proposals for my boss. After work I yelled at a person for being wrong on the internet and chatted with people. I played ukulele, played DDR, wrote Negative One, and played games with my friends online. After games I played uke some more, sent in some queries, recorded a karaoke song, and read some old writing.
  
  
• Friday I had a long, sleepy day. I bothered people for timesheets and did some reports, and invited two sets of teaming partners to team with us. Also had another meeting. After work I dove into my webcomic drawings and I hung around to see if a table read was going to happen for the voice-over project but the creator again couldn't get it together. I finished my comic and posted it and then did some reading while walking inside so I could meet my step quota. (Sitting for most of the day meant I had a lot to make up for at the end of the day.) Then I finally got around to playing ukulele and relaxing.

Words Written: 4,821.

New Reviews:

• Brina gave The Invisible Orientation a three-star review on Goodreads.

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: Not seeing anything huge either way, but unfortunately this week is not quite as good as last week? My sleep has been so weird all week that I am not too surprised seeing a disruption, though--it affects when I want to eat and when I actually get on the scale. I recorded a high of 115.7 and a low of 115.0.
  
• Nutrition stuff: Another successful week with fruits and vegetables at three servings or more per day. Looking at the app-generated balance, I had three high-protein/low-fat/low-carb days, one low-protein/low-fat/high-carb day, one high-protein/low-fat/on-target-carb day, one high-protein/low-fat/high-carb day, and one low-protein/high-fat/low-carb day (the restaurant day). 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). One strength exercise that I never completed before I finally was able to do. And I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Tuesday at 10,034 steps, and my high day was Thursday at 10,961 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: Nothing this week.
  
  
• Currently Reading: Marcy's Journal by Matt Braly. I'm on Entry 74 (it does not have page numbers).

New singing performances:

This week's karaoke song is Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Stuff drawn:

My weekly fantasy webcomic, Negative One:

 

#1034: ivy #323: small towns.

Videos Made: 

None.

New photos:

None.

Social media counts:

YouTube subscribers: 5,484 for swankivy (lost 1), 682 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: 782 for swankivy (lost 3), 3,533 for JulieSondra (no change). Facebook: 298 friends for swankivy (lost 1, do not know who), 641 likes for JulieSondra (1 new), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 250 followers for So You Write (no change), 99 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (lost 1). Tumblr followers: 2,423 (no change). Instagram followers: 281 (1 new). Threads followers: 76 (no change). Bluesky Social. Bluesky followers: 322 (6 new).

February Goals Update

The year's short month for 2025 is all over with, so here I am again. 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 still going quite well with the routine I established last year. Fruits and veggies are an everyday part of the diet still; I've diversified JUST a little; and I've continued hydrating and taking vitamins with no problem. The addition of aerobic exercise every other day has been workable with no dropouts. This is my calendar of progress:

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

PERSONAL PROJECT GOALS:

Summary: Writing is going GREAT with my setting aside time to write three times a week, and I'm consistently submitting as well for multiple projects. It is so nice to see that robustly filled calendar, and I'm trying to be kind to myself on being okay with it if sometimes the writing sessions are very light word counts because at least I did something! (Way better than last year.) The only bad thing is that I tend to push the writing sessions until the very last thing of the day, and in my head the logic is that if I do that, I can relax and do it for as long as I need to with no other obligations hanging over me, but what ends up happening realistically is that I'm sometimes writing when I'm tired and I end up staying up too late to get it done sometimes. I don't love that. Still looking for the best balance.

Writing Progress:

I have also continued making progress scanning in physical photo albums, but it's slowed down this month. And the ukulele goal is going very well; I've relearned the songs I forgot and I'm ready to move on to new material. Last month I completed my one voice acting role that I was cast for, while sending in several other auditions for small projects, and I got cast in another one that's in progress now. Here's the Projects Calendar:

READING GOALS: 

Summary: This goal has consistently been the one that "gives" in favor of the other goals sometimes. I'd really like to get back to reading twice a week at least but this is something I let slide so I can do it when I have time. Sometimes I just don't. But I've still gotten through two books this month and that's something.

Progress:

RELATIONSHIP AND COMMUNICATION GOALS: 

Summary: My time as balanced between projects and social life is still good. Online communication is OK and I have no e-mails waiting. The documentation goals are still super eh. I again only made one non-update post so far this year. I am still taking notes to get this in gear though. I will do it.

Progress:

OTHER GOALS:

Summary: I still need to sand and paint the plaster pillar that is sitting outside. I went to a doctor's appointment and had an additional procedure on my toe. I still have a TV show I want to watch. I did list my garage items on eBay. I grew my nails after kicking my habit of biting them, but I don't like them long, so I have cut them and they aren't very long anymore. I need to catch up on photographing and cataloging some new Steven Universe collection items that are sitting in my floor and I need to hang a couple pieces of art. Next month!

Personal Digest Saturday: February 22 – February 28

Life news this week:

• Saturday I was awakened by proselytizing weirdos so that wasn't fun. My toe was still bandaged so I was limping around until I did my first soaking treatment and took the original dressing off. I had a lot of pain overnight but once the bandage was off I was happier. I did my blogging in the early part of the day and then wrote my comic so I'd have something to do during table read down time. (Glad I did that, because there was in fact a lot of down time.) The table read did involve some random chatting with the other actors before reading through the first episode's script. I really only had involvement at the beginning so a lot of it was just listening to the rest of the plot. After the meeting I played DDR even though I had just gotten my toenail taken off the day before. I did my second foot bath after a shower and am feeling much better. I stayed up late working on my book and playing ukulele.
  
  
• Sunday I did some relaxing and working on my short story edit and sent it to a critique partner friend. Did my laundry and trash chores. I was limping a little less by this point. Practiced ukulele, sent a Polo to Steve, and sent some queries. Found out someone in my sister's social circle passed away after a long cancer battle and it made me really sad. Right before bed I tripped getting ready for bed and fell down. (My toe is still bandaged and I had trouble changing my pants and I lost my balance.) I escaped a really bad injury super narrowly and am feeling very fortunate to be okay.
  
  
• Monday was busy at work with three meetings and a lot of project research and teaming coordination. After work I worked on my novel, practiced ukulele, did an aerobics video, and planned a video. Did a karaoke recording and some Polos. Saw Birdle! Talked about fatphobia on Tumblr.
  
  
• Tuesday I paid all my bills and slept late. Went to a work meeting and prepared a meeting agenda for my utility meeting. Practiced ukulele. Did dishes. Got featured on the front page of SingSnap for some reason. (Whenever that happens it seems like it's never for one of my best performances.) Chatted on the Discord with other voice actors. Wrote more of my book. Submitted some short stories, including a short story that's never been sent out before. Made a new asexuality video and did some reading.
  
  
• Wednesday I slept in again. Work was less eventful but I got some updates done. I drew my writing comic, played DDR, chatted on Discord, and practiced ukulele. Jeaux picked me up and we ate at IHOP. I got Impossible sausage there and it was good! After grocery shopping, we talked about silly internet stuff and after he left I practiced my uke more.
  
  
• Thursday I had to get up early to host my utility meeting. It is one of the things I dislike most about my job, the one big utility meeting I have to do for every project, and this was it, but it wasn't too bad and I spent the rest of the day coordinating with others, updating my meeting minutes, and doing research. I talked to Tony outside, played ukulele, and printed out my tax forms. I went to my game night and played with friends while coloring So You Write. After work I finished reading a book and submitted two queries.
  
  
• Friday I went to the tax guy before work. He did my taxes and I found out what I owe. Boo. I went to work and got my reports done by the end of the day. Then there was another table read I was supposed to go to but it seems like the whole thing is pretty disorganized and the creator had to cancel. I still got to chat with a couple other actors again and it was nice getting to know them. We all have a lot in common (even though I'm, like, a LOT older than them). I finished drawing my webcomic, posted it, got my aerobics video in, and played my ukulele again. I'm happy that I've relearned all the Steven Universe songs through the end of the original series again.

Words Written: 3,659.

Interviews, Articles, Mentions:

• My book was added as a resource to General Ace Resources at asexuality sf.

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: Another small victory, I guess--there's a little more stability going on and my low is lower. I recorded a high of 115.8 and a low of 114.4.
  
• Nutrition stuff: Veggies and fruits were nicely distributed this week, and I feel like I did very well even on eating-out day. Looking at the app-generated balance, I had four high-protein/low-fat/on-target carb days, one high-protein/low-fat/low-carb day, one high-protein/low-fat/high-carb day, and one high-protein, high-fat, low-carb day (the restaurant day). 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). I was not interrupted by the toe procedure. And I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Tuesday at 10,016 steps, and my high day was Wednesday at 14,644 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: How to Be Ace by Rebecca Burgess. Four-star review.
  
  
• Currently Reading: Marcy's Journal by Matt Braly. I'm on Entry 6 (it does not have page numbers).

New singing performances:

This week's karaoke song is For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her by Simon and Garfunkel.

Stuff drawn:

My monthly writing webcomic, So You Write:

#165: your strategy.

My weekly fantasy webcomic, Negative One:

 

#1033: weaver #162: friendly.

Videos Made: 

Letters to an Asexual #123 (Why do people deny asexuality?) is out!  In this video, a reader asks me why people object to asexuality so much, and I share some theories and motivations.

New photos:

None.

Social media counts:

YouTube subscribers: 5,485 for swankivy (7 new), 682 for JulieSondra (lost 1), 16 for v & V Vids (no change), 210 for Not-So-Giant Women (no change), 66 for Tides of Time Band (1 new). Twitter followers: 785 for swankivy (lost 1), 3,533 for JulieSondra (lost 11). Facebook: 299 friends for swankivy (no change), 640 likes for JulieSondra (lost 2), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 250 followers for So You Write (lost 1), 100 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,423 (no change). Instagram followers: 280 (no change). Threads followers: 76 (no change). Bluesky Social. Bluesky followers: 316 (no change).

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).