Personal Digest Saturday: July 8 – July 14

Life news this week:

• Saturday my family was still in town spending time together after my mom's death. I made coffee for the sisters and we hung out while I sorted through some stuff in boxes that I had been too tired for the day before. Lindsay's friend Amber came over and brought us bagels. (My sisters each have a friend named Amber!) At Patricia's suggestion, we did something funny and tried to draw each other without looking down at the drawing. It was a hoot. We all just hung out for a while and later in the afternoon my dad came over to treat us to sushi and spend time talking about our mom. I took care of some plants and Lindsay dealt with some long-distance drama with her poor doggie. After Dad left, I put away laundry and did more box searching, and P and I stayed up talking a bit after L went to bed. I developed a sore throat throughout the day.
  
  
• Sunday I still had a sore throat, and Patricia had me take a Covid test. I'd never done it before! But it was negative. I didn't have any other symptoms anyway. We had Fruity Pebbles for breakfast and I helped my sisters gather their things to leave. They were on the same flight back! (At least, one of them was going home and the other to transfer.) I updated some photos and our shared spreadsheet about Mom-related tasks. My sister got stranded after bumped flights and had to spend the night in Arizona, but at least she got a little solitary decompression time. I spent the rest of the day resting, updating some stuff relating to Mom, and trying to get through the night with my sore throat. It got really bad.
  
  
• Monday I was still sick and having trouble keeping my mind on work. But I managed to get through some updates and catching up. I got a message from my cousin about my mom's side of the family wanting to reach out and talk about what happened to her, since they weren't in touch. I ended up talking to my uncle on the phone and updating him. I also got a nice response from my financial adviser about who he recommended for a probate lawyer, and after I made contact with them, they decided to take our case. Things are moving! I was still really bad with my throat, though, so after consulting with my nurse BFF Meggie, I decided to see a doctor. They had an opening! So I went but they wouldn't let me in the building at first because my complaint is a Covid symptom. They came outside and took my temperature and then I got to come in. After examination, they decided I needed antibiotics. I walked to the grocery store pharmacy to get them but a storm started so I got rained on. Went home and did some editing for work late at night, took a nap, texted with my sisters, and coordinated with Meg's BF Adam about if he can help me move a victrola. I ate a bunch of pudding and went to bed.
  
  
• Tuesday I had to read letters most of the day. Also got some data searches done. My throat finally started feeling better in the late afternoon. I also found out my mom's roommate David had the same sore throat but he got it worse and couldn't swallow water, so he ended up in the hospital dehydrated. He was in the ICU (with the literal same staff that took care of Mom). Jeez! I talked to Jeaux once my throat was better and I straightened up the house. Got some more Mom stuff organized and practiced ukulele. I wrote an e-mail to Ronni.
  
  
• Wednesday I sent out three letters and spent the day on data entry. Did some more cleanup in the house and then Jeaux came over and we did some errands, including picking up plants from Mom's house. I will take care of them. We had Five Guys food and got groceries, and then just did some walking and hanging out.
  
  
• Thursday I did data entry all day. Also took care of my plants and returned to Poloing with Meghan (now that she is home from her cruise). I also felt like my throat was in shape enough again to do karaoke so I recorded one. Also practiced ukulele and took some nice naps because I have been exhausted.
  
  
• Friday at work involved timesheets and more data entry. After work I switched between drawing, walking, and playing ukulele. After the comic was posted, I prepared my convention costume for the next day (involved finding some of the parts, packing a bag, and ironing).

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: Just eating whatever's in the house honestly. Still a lot of weird food is here. High weight: 120.3 Low weight: 119.7.
  
• Nutrition stuff: I think I'm low on protein again. Still consistently taking the vitamins.
  
• Activity stuff: I met my walking goal every day this week except Saturday--was feeling under the weather and spending time sorting through the boxes that night and the night got away from me. My low day was Saturday at 8,348 steps, and my high day was Tuesday at 11,439 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: None.
  
  
• Currently Reading: Be Gay, Do Comics by Matt Bors. I'm on page 52.

New singing performances:

This week's karaoke song is "Imagine" by John Lennon.

Stuff drawn:

Webcomic Negative One Issue 0948: "Trust." 

Videos Made:

None.

New photos:

Lindsay and Amber drawing each other

Dad came over for sushi

Sisters on a plane

Social Media Counts: 

YouTube subscribers: 5,441 for swankivy (2 new), 678 for JulieSondra (no change), 17 for v & V Vids (no change), 181 for Not-So-Giant Women (no change), 72 for Tides of Time Band (no change). Twitter followers: 863 for swankivy (lost 1), 3,897 for JulieSondra (3 new). Facebook: 296 friends for swankivy (no change), 646 likes for JulieSondra (no change), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 242 likes for So You Write (2 new), 95 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (1 new). Tumblr followers: 2,434 (1 new). Instagram followers: 255 (lost 1).

Personal Digest Saturday (but posted on Sunday!): July 1 – July 7

Life news this week:

• WELP. THIS IS A BIG ONE.
  
  
• Saturday involved practicing ukulele and other music, rewatching old Polos, and working on my blog. I updated some sites and got some help from Steve configuring my microphone and IT WORKS! Called my mom and found out she wasn't doing well again, though she had been somewhat improved earlier in the week. So I made plans to go visit her the next day. Practiced my ukulele more.
  
  
• Sunday I made my karaoke recording, which I was very proud of because I had to learn a very fast Spanish song to perform it, and then I trekked over to Mom's. I took out her trash, did her laundry, and washed her dishes as I have been since she got so ill. And also at her request I made some rice and we sat around eating it together. She yelled at me for moving too fast and offered to pay me to sit down, haha. We watched some TV while waiting for the laundry, and then I went home and practiced ukulele some more.
  
  
• Monday I got through three letters, but the July 4th holiday had bumped the due date to Wednesday instead of the usual Monday, so I just did the editing. Also sent some letters out to bother subconsultants. Then my mom's roommate called and said my mom had collapsed and he got her to agree to go to the hospital in an ambulance. Doctors began to call me throughout the day and told me she would be admitted and she was in very bad condition. I relayed the news to my sisters. Given the pretty grim prognosis, my sisters began looking at whether they should fly out to see her. In the evening I played some games with my friends (I had to run the game night since Meg was out of town). Then my sister Patricia called and told me her travel plans and we caught up.
  
  
• Tuesday I had planned to spend the holiday cleaning my mom's room up for whenever she got out of the hospital, but I was awakened by a very early phone call from the hospital saying my mother was in ICU and she had been diagnosed with end stage liver failure. Since it was a holiday, I didn't have to work, so I decided to spend the day at the hospital with her. Before I could get out I got several more calls from social workers and other medical people discussing Mom's living will. I gave them her wishes. I took a Lyft car and found my way to my mother's room. She was not conscious or responsive at all, but I was happy to see her nurses were very gentle and were taking good care of her. They were realistic with me about her prognosis and told me she most likely would not be going home. I exchanged messages with my sisters about the situation and coordinated with them about travel plans, and spent the day sitting beside Mom, singing to her and talking to her. While I was there a chest X-ray also came back saying she had COPD. Jeaux went grocery shopping for me to help me prepare for my sisters' stay. I chatted with Meg on the phone about the Mom situation and watched some distant fireworks.
  
  
• Wednesday at the crack of dawn I got a warning call from the hospital telling me they were losing her and there was nothing they could do. I said my sisters were on their way but they assured me it was too late. I got another call about half an hour later and they told me my mother had passed away. So . . . RIP Mom, September 12, 1954 – July 5, 2023.
  
  
• Obviously I couldn't go back to bed so I called my sister Lindsay and told her the news. Then I logged on to tell my workplace that I would be needing to take bereavement leave. (I also sent out two letters because they were due.) I was granted the leave. Then my other sister Patricia, who had been in the air when Mom passed, texted me saying she was already in a taxi, so I didn't want to call her and tell her in that situation. When she got to my door I told her Mom was gone. We made some initial plans, had coffee and breakfast, and later went to the hospital together to pick up our mom's things. We did some initial research as well about cremation and what we could do with her ashes.
  
  
• In the afternoon our other sister Lindsay got in and we decided to make arrangements to share a meal our mom would have liked--Italian food from Mandola's. We called our dad and told him the news and he said he'd like to see us, so we tentatively planned for Saturday. Then we got our food, hung out, and talked about our mother and looked at photos.
  
  
• Thursday we had a leisurely morning together, with one sister in the guestroom and one sister on the couch. We all went to a cremation appointment together and arranged for our mom's cremation, and then we got some donuts and snacks. After, we picked up some gifts for our mom's roommate and went to her house to tell him. We thanked him for helping her so much in her difficult years, and we went through some of her things. We found some boxes we took back to my house together so we could look through them, and some of her personal belongings and important papers we need to preserve. The rental car Lindsay got had a problem but my mom's roommate helped us. Then Patricia and Lindsay made eggs and French toast for dinner and we chatted and worked on our mother's obituary late into the night. I added some photos to her memorial page, staying up way too late.
  
  
• Friday we reached out to Mom's sisters to tell them she was gone, but we didn't get any replies yet. My sister Patricia's friend Amber came over (and later Amber's mom), and we enjoyed some fruit and some beans and rice and salad and stuff. We spent some time hanging out and then after they left we looked at some of my plants in the back yard and made some dinner (this time Chik patties and tater tots). I worked on my webcomic and posted it. Then we went through the first box of stuff we'd brought from Mom's house and found a lot of our old childhood papers. I started feeling really tired before everyone else and took a nap on the couch before going to bed.

Articles, Interviews, Mentions:

• Not really about me, but I am mentioned in my mother's obituary. (There is also a fundraiser, but we're not raising for any goal. My mom just liked to donate to St. Jude's.)

New Reviews:

• Han gave The Invisible Orientation a five-star review on Amazon.
  
• An unnamed Amazon Customer gave The Invisible Orientation a five-star review on Amazon.

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: The high weight is lower but the low weight is the same. I'm not watching anything right now and it seems obvious why! With all this food people have brought, I'll just be eating what's here. High weight: 120.8 Low weight: 119.7.
  
• Nutrition stuff: I've had a lot of relatively easy food this week, and have still managed to have some vegetables and fruit here and there. I think I've been low on protein. I haven't checked. Still consistently taking the vitamins.
  
• Activity stuff: I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Thursday at 10,028 steps, and my high day was Tuesday at 13,076 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: None.
  
  
• Currently Reading: Be Gay, Do Comics by Matt Bors. I'm on page 52.

New singing performances:

This week's karaoke song is "Aserejé" by Las Ketchup.

Stuff drawn:

Webcomic Negative One Issue 0947 "Project Manager." 

Videos Made:

None.

New photos:

New microphone!

With my sisters after Mom died

Sisters both wearing Steven Universe shirts

Looking through Mom's stuff

Mom's last cigarette

Patricia and Lindsay cooking breakfast for dinner

Linds holding Foxy, Amber's doggie

Amber giving Patricia a massage

Sorting through old boxes

Social Media Counts: 

YouTube subscribers: 5,439 for swankivy (lost 1), 678 for JulieSondra (lost 1), 17 for v & V Vids (no change), 181 for Not-So-Giant Women (1 new), 72 for Tides of Time Band (no change). Twitter followers: 864 for swankivy (lost 2), 3,894 for JulieSondra (43 new). Facebook: 296 friends for swankivy (no change), 646 likes for JulieSondra (2 new), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 240 likes for So You Write (no change), 94 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (lost 1). Tumblr followers: 2,433 (lost 2). Instagram followers: 256 (lost 1).

Personal Digest Saturday: June 24 – June 30

Life news this week:

• Saturday was pretty slow--did my blogging and Poloing and argued with someone on the internet about stuff I know thoroughly and they don't know at all (sounds pretty typical). Also managed to redecorate for the new season.
  
  
• Sunday I did my laundry in the morning and got some walking done and talked to Mom on the phone. In the evening my friend Kari came over and we got some pizza and finally watched the last few episodes of Steven Universe! Amazing! Finally I don't have to hide certain spoilers from her. We also got to catch up on each other's lives and hang out. After she left I finally took my trash out. :)
  
  
• Monday we just had one letter to go out. I practiced my uke and read some old comic issues. Played games with my friends in the evening and caught up on news. Sang a karaoke song.
  
  
• Tuesday was mostly spent inviting people to join teams we're forming for upcoming work. Then just spent the rest of the day practicing music and reading, and playing silly quiz games on the internet. Stayed up way too late. Like until 6 AM.
  
  
• Wednesday was mostly data searches for upcoming projects. I talked to my boss about a project that I don't have the expertise for and ended up bringing one of my friends into the fray because he has the background, and my boss asked him to do it! Yay. I practiced ukulele and went out with Jeaux to SoFresh. After he left I filmed a video.
  
  
• Thursday involved reports and coordination. Then I processed my new video and subtitled it. Sketched out my So You Write frames and colored them. Wrote a storyboard for Negative One as well. Managed to take a couple nice naps.
  
  
• Friday I worked on timesheets and some project tracking. Also prepared reports and coordinated on some internal issues. After work I practiced ukulele and worked on my comic. Got my steps in at night.

Articles, Interviews, Mentions:

• The Knot published a piece that relies primarily on quotes from me. Please read "Everything You Need to Know About Asexuality (But Didn't Want to Ask)".
  
• The Harris County Public Library included my book in an article about how LGBTQ-inclusive sex education can help everyone.
  
• eNotAlone recommends my book as a resource in exploring queerplatonic relationships.

New Reviews:

• An unnamed AmazonCustomer gave The Invisible Orientation a five-star review on Amazon.
  
• Ana Carolina gave The Invisible Orientation a four-star review on Goodreads, calling it a must-read.
  
• DC gave The Invisible Orientation a four-star review.

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: More progress. High was not as high, haha. But I think I need to do something else to figure out how to get past just not going up. I'll keep doing what I'm doing for a bit and see what happens. The spinach smoothies have not been in as high rotation as they were and I need to return to that, and maybe I should bring back oatmeal since that seemed to be very satisfying for a long time. High weight: 121.5 Low weight: 119.7.
  
• Nutrition stuff: Every day this week (except pizza day with Kari) I had a low-fat diet, which I was very happy about! I'm getting enough protein and have been pretty good about balance. I think I need some more vegetable content in my diet though. Still consistently taking the vitamins.
  
• Activity stuff: I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Tuesday at 10,007 steps, and my high day was Sunday at 12,702 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: None.
  
  
• Currently Reading: Be Gay, Do Comics by Matt Bors. I'm on page 52.

New singing performances:

This week's karaoke song is "Return to Me" by October Project.

Stuff drawn:

Webcomic So You Write Issue 0946 "Default." 

Webcomic Negative One Issue 0946 "Out Of Respect." 

Videos Made:

Letters to an Asexual #104 is out! This video involves a disingenuous, disrespectful commenter coming up with various dismissive explanations for asexuality, including that it is not genuine because asexuals are trying to make money or get attention, or that our orientation is a symptom of drugs in our drinking water. (???) This is an example of the type of detractor who dumps various totally unrelated "rebuttals" to asexuality, any one of which they're hoping will silence us and make us feel like it's not worth it to advocate for ourselves in activism.

New photos:

None.

Social Media Counts: 

YouTube subscribers: 5,440 for swankivy (4 new), 679 for JulieSondra (lost 1), 17 for v & V Vids (no change), 180 for Not-So-Giant Women (1 new), 72 for Tides of Time Band (1 new). Twitter followers: 866 for swankivy (lost 2), 3,851 for JulieSondra (lost 1). Facebook: 296 friends for swankivy (no change), 644 likes for JulieSondra (1 new), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 240 likes for So You Write (no change), 95 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,435 (lost 3). Instagram followers: 257 (no change).

Personal Digest Saturday: June 17 – June 23

Life news this week:

• Saturday I had to help with a short work task but otherwise had the day free. I worked on a Not-So-Giant Women podcast note document and did some blogging, got some walking done, and sat down with Daria to do another recording for two SU episodes ("Steven's Dream" and "Adventures in Light Distortion"). We did a lot of chatting before and after so it took up a BIG chunk of time, but I love it!
  
  
• Sunday I let myself sleep late and played around with the next Not-So-Giant Women episode and ukulele practice. Did some laundry, did dishes, called Mom, called Dad for Father's Day, and worried about Mom being sick.
  
  
• Monday, work involved sending out teaming invitations and three letters going out! Busy day. Also managed to do some research and attend what turned out to be our only practice for the upcoming interview. After work I practiced ukulele, walked, played games with the friends, and made Polos.
  
  
• Tuesday was more teaming arrangements and research. I had some drama with tree branches across the street--a dead tree keeps dropping them in the street right in front of my house and even in my driveway, so I keep having to go out there and drag these giant branches out of the road so people don't get hurt. I called the golf course that owns the tree to tell them something needs to be done. People are going to get hurt. Finally finished the book I was reading and reviewed it. Wrote out a script for the interview and packed my stuff for the journey, and went to bed early.
  
  
• Wednesday I had to get up at 5 AM and my boss picked me up at 5:30 to go to Fort Myers. We attended our interview for this project in District One. It went fine as far as we can tell. And then we drove back. I was back before lunchtime! I had a little nap and did a small amount of other research work at the office but it was mostly the interview. Then I went out with Jeaux to Saki (where we had a coupon) and had some delicious tofu. We grocery shopped and went home and told each other silly internet stories.
  
  
• Thursday I had to do some training all day in the hopes that I can help with a traffic count project but I don't know if I will be able to help. After work I talked to Mom and she's still sick so I went over there and took out her trash again, did her dishes, did her laundry, and sat around eating ice cream with her. Then I went home and went to sleep.
  
  
• Friday I worked on a storyboard that was really difficult to get through for some reason, and at work I did my usual upcoming project research and other miscellaneous tasks. I drew all of the webcomic after work and managed to get my steps in too. Later I just read old issues of the comic for fun.

New Reviews:

• An unnamed "Client d'Amazon" gave the French version of The Invisible Orientation a five-star review on Amazon.
  
• Abby Omlor gave The Invisible Orientation an unrated review on Goodreads noting they did not finish, indicating that it's too basic for their understanding.
  
• Emily gave The Invisible Orientation a three-star review saying they wished it had more on demisexuality.

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: Finally making some progress here. Doing two things differently: One, cut out the chips and dip, and two, made an effort to pay attention to when I just want to eat something versus when I'm actually hungry (and drank some decaf instead when I wasn't hungry). High weight: 123.1 Low weight: 119.7.
  
• Nutrition stuff: I was eating a pretty low-fat diet this week (except one day when I ate from a restaurant). Did very well with the protein this week too. Trying to pay attention a little more. I ran out of spinach early in the week so I couldn't have my smoothies, but I had several earlier in the week which is good for the green leafy vegetable goals. Still consistently taking the vitamins.
  
• Activity stuff: I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Tuesday at 10,058 steps, and my high day was Sunday at 11,911 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: Refusing Compulsory Sexuality by Sherronda J. Brown. Five-star review.
  
  
• Currently Reading: Be Gay, Do Comics by Matt Bors.

New singing performances:

This week's karaoke song is "Rain" by Madonna.

Stuff drawn:

Webcomic Negative One Issue 0945 "I Have Questions." 

Videos Made:

None.

New photos:

None.

Social Media Counts: 

YouTube subscribers: 5,436 for swankivy (1 new), 680 for JulieSondra (no change), 17 for v & V Vids (no change), 179 for Not-So-Giant Women (4 new), 71 for Tides of Time Band (no change). Twitter followers: 868 for swankivy (no change), 3,852 for JulieSondra (lost 8). Facebook: 296 friends for swankivy (1 new, added new Steven Universe friend Tanner), 643 likes for JulieSondra (no change), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 240 likes for So You Write (no change), 95 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,438 (no change). Instagram followers: 257 (no change).

Personal Digest Saturday: June 10 – June 16

Life news this week:

• Saturday I asked if my mom wanted to hang out but she didn't answer so I ended up sorta accidentally spending the entire day watching a charity stream for the Chattanooga Trans Liberation Collective. FOR TWELVE HOURS. I did my blogging and walking in between listening to the music and watching the panels. There were awesome interviews and cool music and discussions, and of course the highlights were "Love Like You" with the Gem Choir (I was one of the 92 members in the choir!) and Rebecca Sugar's performance.
  
  
• Sunday I got up early and went to see Across the Spider-Verse with Jeaux. We enjoyed the movie! Then we picked up lunch at Zaxby's and ate it at my house. My mom called and said she was sick and wanted to know if we could pick her up some supplies, and Jeaux volunteered to take me on the errand since he was still there! We picked up the stuff she asked for (including medicine) and then after all that and he'd left, I did my chores (trash and laundry) and called my friend Sarah. Followed up with Polos for others, karaoke recording, and working on my podcast.
  
  
• Monday we didn't have ANY letters due, which is very weird for a Monday! Did some research and teaming arrangements. Also made a new friend on Facebook and we talked off and on all day about Steven Universe merchandise we are looking for. I let him buy a couple of my things and packaged them up for taking to the post office. In the evening it was Monday Night Game Night, and after that I practiced ukulele and did the dishes. Stayed up late answering work e-mails weirdly.
  
  
• Tuesday I did my upcoming project research and worked on forms for our submittal. Also took a walk to the post office to drop off the Steven Universe package for my new friend. Later I talked to Tony in the yard and he told me about a health app he's using which sounded interesting. Talked to Mom to check on her and she still wasn't doing any better. Did some podcast planning and took some photos of cups for my collections pages.
  
  
• Wednesday I had a bunch of organization to do with subconsultants at work. Later did some Polos and podcast plans, and called my mom. She asked if Jeaux and I would bring her a hot meal so we got her one of her favorites and stopped at her house before starting our evening. I did her dishes while I was there. Jeaux and I then ate at Mandola's and watched some fun videos.
  
  
• Thursday we started preparing hardcore for our upcoming interview at work. I'm being asked to be part of the interview team so next week I get to go to Fort Myers with the guys. I worked on some question transcriptions and some documents for our proposal package. Also did some unrelated project manager research. After a nap, I did some online shopping and worked on my webcomic. Also updated an old project with a visual illustration of a bunch of Steven Universe characters on a color wheel.
  
  
• Friday was more interview preparation, and we turned in our package too. I had to do timesheets and reports also. After work I finished my webcomic and took my walks. Also heard from my ex-coworker Suma and we caught up chatting on the phone! Very nice to hear from her.

Interviews, Articles, Mentions:

• I used an online fan/blogging name instead of my real name here, but I got to be in this Gem Choir accompanying "Love Like You" on aivi & surasshu's charity stream.

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: I think my stats were the same as last week but didn't skew high for as many days? I dunno. High weight: 123.1 Low weight: 121.5.
  
• Nutrition stuff: I haven't honestly been paying much attention to my stats lately and have been eating a lot of the same foods. Usually I use choices I've made earlier in the day to help balance out daily intakes by the end of the day, but this week most days I just didn't do it. Every day except one ended up a little on the high-fat side, but at least I'm doing okay on protein. Still consistently taking the vitamins.
  
• Activity stuff: I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Friday at 10,014 steps, and my high day was Sunday at 16,610 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: Nothing this week.
  
  
• Currently Reading: Refusing Compulsory Sexuality by Sherronda J. Brown. I'm on page 180.

New singing performances:

This week's karaoke song is "Always Something There to Remind Me" by Naked Eyes.

Stuff drawn:

Webcomic Negative One Issue 0944 "Right For You." 

Videos Made:

Not-So-Giant Women Episode 61 is out. Join Daria and Ivy as they watch and talk about "We Need to Talk" and cover such topics as what Rose meant when she said she's not a real person, a first examination of Rose's flaws, Garnet's bro moments with Greg, Pearl's jealousy, Rose's method of loving others, the mic drop, whether Amethyst or Garnet has ever fused with Rose, what we think of Rainbow Quartz and what she might have been thinking about her own motivation, what Connie's parents might think of their daughter's fusion, to what extent Steven "is" his mom, censorship on the episode, and Garnet's savvy advice.

New photos:

None.

Social Media Counts: 

YouTube subscribers: 5,435 for swankivy (no change), 680 for JulieSondra (no change), 17 for v & V Vids (no change), 175 for Not-So-Giant Women (4 new), 71 for Tides of Time Band (1 new). Twitter followers: 868 for swankivy (lost 1), 3,860 for JulieSondra (12 new). Facebook: 296 friends for swankivy (1 new, added new Steven Universe friend Tanner), 643 likes for JulieSondra (no change), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 240 likes for So You Write (lost 1), 95 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,438 (lost 1). Instagram followers: 257 (lost 1).

Personal Digest Saturday: June 3 – June 9

Life news this week:

• Saturday I went to Sarasota with Jeaux and met up with my dad, Connie, and their friend Jimmy to see Man of La Mancha. Great performance and it was neat to compare it to what I remembered from other versions I've seen. We ate at Spice Station afterwards (I had tofu pad thai). Jeaux and I went back to Tampa and I took a nap, and then got up just in time to do my walking and my blogging, then spent some time on Reddit.
  
  
• Sunday, as usual, involved trash and laundry chores. Did some Polos and spent most of the day on processing the next video for Not-So-Giant Women. Did my karaoke too and took a lot of naps.
  
  
• Monday I went back to work. Just dealt with timesheets and a letter to edit. Also did an outline for a project. Had an argument on Reddit with an extremely disingenuous person I ended up blocking. Practiced ukulele and played games with friends. Did some walking and reading.
  
  
• Tuesday I had to throw together teaming requests and info research. Practiced uke after work and then went to the Trans Town Hall at the MCC. Jeaux met me there and we got to watch an excellent explanation of laws that affect trans people in Florida and what action is being taken. They also had some yummy treats for us. Afterwards, Jeaux and I talked about the event while getting Five Guys food. We took a walk and after he left I went to bed early.
  
  
• Wednesday I had to work on teaming arrangements, a proposal, and some data entry. After work Jeaux and I shopped, got Moe's food, and watched a little bit of The Dragon Prince. We took a walk and after he left I answered some e-mail.
  
  
• Thursday was mostly organizing and teaming stuff. Did some ukulele practice and wrote Negative One and worked on it a bit. Worked on my photos page. Followed the indictment news.
  
  
• Friday just involved follow-ups to teaming partners, wrapping up a proposal submission, and reports. Got my comic done early and did some walking and Polo-ing. Practiced ukulele and consumed news.

New Reviews:

• Amanda gave The Invisible Orientation a three-star review on Goodreads.
  
• Seolhe gave The Invisible Orientation an unrated review on Goodreads, unrated because they did not want to finish it due to being too much of an introductory book.
  
• Capercaillie gave The Invisible Orientation a three-star review on Goodreads.

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: I had quite a few surprise meals and other strange occurrences with food, but I was still surprised by how high my high was! We'll see what happens. I still intend to work on seeing this number go down a bit. High weight: 123.1 Low weight: 121.5.
  
• Nutrition stuff: I had a not-too-bad nutrition week but except for the restaurant meals, I had a lot of the same stuff over and over. We all have weeks like this. Still consistently taking the vitamins.
  
• Activity stuff: I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Saturday at 10,024 steps, and my high day was Wednesday at 11,387 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: Nothing this week.
  
  
• Currently Reading: Refusing Compulsory Sexuality by Sherronda J. Brown. I'm on page 158.

New singing performances:

This week's karaoke song is "When You're Strange" by the Doors.

Stuff drawn:

Webcomic Negative One Issue 0943 "Your Own Choices." 

Videos Made:

Not-So-Giant Women Episode 60 is out. Join Daria and Ivy as they watch and talk about "Keeping It Together" and cover such topics as the horrific Fusion experiments, Garnet's reactions, Peridot's status as a villain, whether this is the most Garnet has ever spoken in an episode, Steven's concern and curiosity about Ruby and Sapphire, the terrible experience the forced Fusions must be having, Ruby and Sapphire's traumatic conversation, the physical acting of the characters, the nuanced discussion of consent and the importance of broad metaphors, whether Gem shards are conscious, indicators of time passing in the show, Peridot's insult "clod," and Homeworld's position on the Crystal Gems.

New photos:

Food at Trans Town Hall

Trans Town Hall

MCC Sign - "Say GAY!"

Social Media Counts: 

YouTube subscribers: 5,435 for swankivy (3 new), 680 for JulieSondra (1 new), 17 for v & V Vids (no change), 171 for Not-So-Giant Women (lost 1), 70 for Tides of Time Band (lost 1). Twitter followers: 869 for swankivy (no change), 3,848 for JulieSondra (2 new). Facebook: 295 friends for swankivy (no change), 643 likes for JulieSondra (no change), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 241 likes for So You Write (no change), 95 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,439 (no change). Instagram followers: 258 (no change).

Personal Digest Saturday: May 27 – June 2

Life news this week:

• Saturday I got some nice sleep! It's good that some of my weekends have been restful lately. Spent the day updating my blog, taking walks while reading, talking on Reddit, reading through some more recent chapters of my in-progress book, and talking to Jeaux on the phone. I took some updated pictures of comics and practiced ukulele.
  
  
• Sunday I didn't have to take the trash out because Monday was a holiday and there would be no pickup. Worked on my book, did some reading, did laundry, took some photos of socks, took a nap, and made a karaoke recording.
  
  
• Monday I had the day off work. I slept late, made a video for my asexuality channel about a fellow who joked about "asexual reproduction" and then got really aggressive when I told him why the joke wasn't funny, planned and sketched my So You Write comic, practiced ukulele, played games online with my friends, and worked on Chapter 36 in my book.
  
  
• Tuesday was a pretty low-key first day back to work after a holiday and I only had one letter to read and get out. Just did some data entry and teaming arrangements otherwise. Took a nap, put away laundry while talking to my sister, talked to my lawn guy Tony, practiced ukulele, and made some pumpkin donuts.
  
  
• Wednesday I got up late and spent the day looking up research for upcoming projects. I finished drawing So You Write and posted it. Went to Vallarta's with Jeaux and talked with him a lot about music.
  
  
• Thursday brought the first of June. Happy Pride month! I outlined a proposal at work and did some crash analysis, and then a little more project research. After work, wrote a storyboard, texted with Yasmin and Ben, made a Polo for my sister, and took some photos of shirts. Updated my online collections where applicable.
  
  
• Friday there was an internet outage at work that delayed me by about an hour. Then I got to do timesheets and reports. Had an annoying argument online where someone kept being super petty about something I debunked, demanding I go into details while insinuating that I wouldn't have any, and when I dumped what they asked for all over them, they blocked me. Ah, internet. After a nap, I drew my comic and posted it, posted some silly collection pictures, and finished my walking.

Interviews, Articles, Mentions:

• The Washington Post shared "Let's talk about sex — and about asexuality, too," crediting my book with inspiring more books in the digital age.

New Reviews:

• Heidi gave The Invisible Orientation a four-star review on Goodreads.
  
• Arayr gave The Invisible Orientation a two-star review on Goodreads (in French). Mainly the low review seems to be because the person would have preferred a book with personal perspectives for people who already know they're asexual instead of what the book was.

Health Plan Update:

• Weight stuff: Had some kind of disordered eating this week--got busy with things and didn't eat, then ate really late and overcompensated. It probably wasn't very helpful for my goals. My high is higher and my low is lower than last week. Weird. High weight: 122.0 Low weight: 119.5.
  
• Nutrition stuff: Too much salt, not enough protein this week, and not enough consistently eaten vegetables. We all have weeks like this. Still consistently taking the vitamins.
  
• Activity stuff: I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Monday at 10,024 steps, and my high day was Saturday at 12,749 steps.

Books Read: 

• Finished Reading: Nothing this week.
  
  
• Currently Reading: Refusing Compulsory Sexuality by Sherronda J. Brown. I'm on page 123.

New singing performances:

This week's karaoke song is "Russians" by Sting.

Stuff drawn:

Webcomic So You Write Issue 144 "Flowing." 

Webcomic Negative One Issue 0942 "Personal Experience." 

Videos Made:

Letters to an Asexual #103 is out. This video features a man who claimed "asexual" is only for reproduction and explained what terms he believed we should use instead, to avoid confusion. When I responded comprehensively about why that isn't appropriate, he told me I was rude and also that I must have been homeschooled, didn't have cable TV growing up, and live with my mother. (???)

New photos:

Pumpkin donuts

Social Media Counts: 

YouTube subscribers: 5,432 for swankivy (1 new), 679 for JulieSondra (1 new), 17 for v & V Vids (no change), 171 for Not-So-Giant Women (lost 1), 71 for Tides of Time Band (no change). Twitter followers: 869 for swankivy (1 new), 3,846 for JulieSondra (2 new). Facebook: 295 friends for swankivy (no change), 643 likes for JulieSondra (no change), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 241 likes for So You Write (no change), 95 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,439 (1 new). Instagram followers: 258 (2 new).