i don’t have much to talk about today, but i hope ya’ll had a peaceful saturday
*⁀➷ i saw a skunk roaming around my apartment! i missed seeing him last night when my mom saw him, so i’m happy i got to see him tonight i love skunks sm (from a distance lol), they’re so cute c:
*⁀➷ i slept really well last night! me sleeping in turned into me not getting up until 2:30pm lol, but i’m grateful for the rest!
*⁀➷ another one of the fanfics that i’ve been reading was updated!
☾ Feeling much better today, thankfully! I felt like I was barely present for yesterday ahaha. But my headache's pretty much gone now and I've only had to deal with some mild sinus issues! ☾ Watched an episode of Fairy Tail with my family this morning! It was a really good one; I've been looking forward to getting to this part of the story for a while now. We also watched some Youtube later and caught up with fWhip's New Life series! ☾ I played... so much Jack Jeanne today oh my god, but it was a blast!! I really love this game,,, I can't believe I've already made it through the summer performance askljfdsgjskl ☾ I got a few more bromides for my collection today!! ☾ I also played a little Stardew Valley this evening! I've almost gathered enough Golden Walnuts to open the resort now. ^^
➣ I feel absolutely validated by my favorite person. She told me last night that even though she appears distant sometimes she still loves me. My mind will always think certain things but she knows when to reassure me. Plus, she’s been more than okay with all of my affection and even reciprocates 99% of the time. I’m happy she exists in my life. ➣ I picked up a few things I needed for my trip. I even discovered that baby AXE sprays exist. It’s not a fragrance I normally use, but I can get by using it for seven days. ➣ I received a compliment on my shirt. Not my usual style as it’s quite a busy design, but I honestly like this fit. I think my favorites are Bachira and Barou.
- I finished my Celebrating Diversity entry and it was accepted. I wish it had turned out better, but everyone has been so kind.
- I got to sleep in this morning.
- The weather was sunny and warm, just the way I like it.
- I saw two of the neighborhood dogs playing together and it was so cute.
- I got a couple of chores done in the afternoon.
- My twin nephews got their first cell phones. Their dad sent me their numbers but one of them texted me right away on his own. It's nice being able to communicate with them since I only get to see them a few times a year. And the fact that one of them reached out to me first really made my day.
- I had a really nice shower.
- My husband and I had a date night. We tried a new Mexican restaurant and it was really good. Then we went to see the Flash movie in theaters.
- We're home now just chilling before bed. My dog missed us so much, but now he's sleeping in between us on the couch.
- I'm looking forward to the next two days off.
i'm happy that my BT21 Baby Cooky Small USB Fan with Mood Light Feature that i bought recently worked and didn't crash the computer when i plugged it into the tower *i know nothing about BT21, Though*
- Did a 20 min HIIT last night which usually puts me in a good mood lol
- My dad seemed happy with his gift and card
- Felt pretty cosy today with the overcast weather and rain, a nice break from constant sun imo.
- Got a lot of laundry done!
- I made some vegan chicken fajita filling for tomorrow's dinner. I've been meal prepping and making food from scratch a lot more recently in an effort to eat healthier, homemade food
➣ I’m getting my phone battery replaced tomorrow. I told my dad I wanted to get a new one (battery) before I go on my trip to avoid any issues there. It’s at 84% now but I think it’s overdue anyway. My dad said he’d buy me a new battery. Also, the port is broken and maybe they’ll fix the port for free with the battery replacement? Maybe. It’s not a huge deal since I have magnetic chargers but it’s be nice to have more flexibility. ➣ I ended up getting some cute pictures of Keagan today. I swear he gains a few pounds every time I see him because of all the snacks he gets! He was being so good and gentle today.
★ I went out to get some much needed items earlier today, and I decided while I was out I would treat myself to a trip to Bath & Body Works! I've been wanting to get a new body mist spray for a while, so I figured it would be nice. they happen to have a sale going on right now, and I ended up getting one I really liked for $75% off, so instead of paying almost $19 I only paid $4.70, talk about a bargain! I also got a wallflower cart for half price, so overall I ended up saving about $18
the scent I got is called Beautiful Day, ofc it smells really nice but the bottle also has a pretty blue-green color scheme, which kinda reminded me of the mlm flag and brought up my euphoria again hehe
★ I'm so very happy with my entry for the Celebrating Diversity contest, I can easily add it to my list of favorite drawings that I've made
★ tomorrow is Juneteenth! I have the day off from work which will be nice. I'm a little surprised it took so long to create a federal holiday like Juneteenth but I'm really glad the govt did! better late than never I suppose!
★ I've been watching videos about the original Spyro trilogy lately and it's made me remember how much I really love those games. I haven't played them in a while, in fact I 100%ed Spyro 2 back in 2018! I'd like to go back to that one sometime soon, maybe also Spyro 3 (I don't actually own the first game but I have played through like 95% of it). I'm also reminded of how great the soundtrack is, Stewart Copeland adds a lot of charm and character to the games with his quirky and dissonant but fun music compositions. my favorites have to be the music from Lofty Castle, Zephyr, and Charmed Ridge!
★this part is kinda long so feel free to skip. if I may ramble for a little while, I want to talk about someone who is probably my favorite musician/pianist ever (lmao I think @/Shellzilla_515 knows where this one is going). it's Bruce Hornsby, I know I've talked about him here before but that's because I LOVE HIS MUSIC SO MUCH AHHHHHHH
I'll back up a bit. so undoubtedly his most popular song is "The Way It Is", and it still plays on the radio occasionally on 80s stations. I first heard it when I was a kid, around 2011-12, and I remember loving it so much that I recorded it on Flipnote Studio on my DSiXL. it's really his piano skills that draw me in, he's such a wonderful pianist.
In the next few years I would discover some more songs that he wrote, and performed with a group he was briefly a member of called The Range. these songs included "Mandolin Rain", "Every Little Kiss", and "The Valley Road". I have a recording of myself from 2015 where I'm singing sections from the second song I listed, so that's been a while ago.
Back in 2016 I discovered the song "The Show Goes On", and I remember listening to it for hours on loop while playing The Sims on my Windows XP computer. I have fond memories of that time, because I was struggling a lot in my senior year of high school and that really helped me get through the toughest months.
Fast forward to May 2021, I decided I would make myself a CD with a bunch of songs from Bruce Hornsby & the Range. I ended up discovering even more gems, like "I Will Walk With You", "Till The Dreaming's Done", and "The Red Plains". I listened to this CD easily a hundred times, probably way more.
Fast forward again to last month, May 2023, when I decided to revamp the CD a bit by removing a few tracks and adding in three that somehow didn't make it onto the original CD because I absolutely adore them. those would be "The Long Race", which is a song I deeply resonate with on a lyrical level (the chorus says "it's a long long race, if I try I will surely finish", really keeps me going tbh), "The Road Not Taken", which has the absolute loveliest piano solo I’ve ever heard in one of his songs, and “The River Runs Low” which is just the most heart wrenching thing ever and I’d be hard pressed to find literally any other song that makes me cry like this one does.
anyways, so now I've had this revamped CD for a month, and when I say I've literally been listening to it on loop for a MONTH while I'm driving, I mean it. There's something about his music that I simply never tire of. A few days ago I said something while driving home from work, I said “I would like to send him a letter and say God bless you, Mr Hornsby. Your music saved my life.” That might sound a little dramatic, and I guess to an extent it is, but for years his music has always made me feel so happy. The combination of persistent rhythm, the synthesizers, the pop and soft rock and country vibes, the lyrics and the story-like and colorful imagery they paint and the amazing piano parts? It’s simply wonderful, even magical. He’s definitely my favorite contemporary musician of all time. I want to seek out some more of his music, though now that I’ve listened to all his work with The Range, I’ll have to delve into his solo career. We shall see how that goes soon!
Also need to mention one last thing. So on June 6th I went to the record store south of my city before work, and they had a copy of Scenes from the Southside there. It’s an older copy, and it has a little notch taken out of it on the bottom right, though I think that’s better than the whole dang corner being taken off of my copy of The Way It Is. Anyways, I technically own the album already, but it’s a brand new copy that’s only been played once or twice so far. So I decided to take the older copy and stick it in a record frame that I’ve had for a few months now. It took forever to get it in there, like 15 min oops, but it’s now hanging on my wall near my desk, above my desk lamp. It makes me feel very happy! I think that might be my favorite album of all time now. Every song on there is simply lovely. The only way it could be better is if it also had “The River Runs Low”, but a man can dream.
it's nice and minimalistic too so it's not distracting or jarring, just a pleasant addition to my wall
I'd also like to add a few of my absolute favorite music tracks, in case anyone else is interested in hearing just how absolutely wonderful they are
okay this is more than just "a few" but they're all definitely worth a listen!!
The last one is "The River Runs Low", I can't put more than 5 videos in one post but I ADORE this one so it's absolutely worth listening to
lol ANYWAYS... ★ a few weeks ago I placed a hold at the library I work at for a copy of Paper Mario: the Origami King, and a few days ago it finally came! I haven't played it much today or yesterday because I've been so busy, but I've played up to Toad Town and I'm enjoying it quite a bit, especially the dialogue! I wasn't sure if I would like it because I've heard some pretty iffy things about Sticker Star and Color Splash, and I'm a big fan of the original and its RPG style battling system (which, thus far, Origami King lacks). but I am enjoying it, definitely! if by the time I have to return the game I still really enjoy it then I may just have to buy it for myself
★ after being busy and running around literally all day, I'm really looking forward to taking some time this evening to decompress and unwind
- I slept well last night and got to sleep in again this morning.
- I had a good, relaxing day at home.
- I played some games, watched an episode of The Crown and watched some anime.
- My dog was happy we stayed home today. He cuddled with me on the couch.
- Tomorrow is Juneteenth and I have the day off work. Even though the past several years have seen a lot of struggles, conflicts, and horrifying acts of violence in the US, I am glad that at the very least there is now more awareness for the underrepresented groups in our society. It is a start, a small step, but a step in the right direction nonetheless.
i’ve been struggling with intense muscle spasms in my neck that have kept me from doing almost anything. my parents and partner have been very active and supportive in helping me heal and rest. i am so thankful for them.
my partner ordered me a massager thing that’s supposed to come in tomorrow!
i’ve been chatting with some friends i miss, and it’s good to be in communication with them again.
i made my mom a giant veggie salad that she enjoyed. it makes me happy that she loves my salads that much!
my dad and i finished the new season of black mirror! didn’t like the season, did like spending quality time with my dad.
been having a chill time playing acnh and some 3ds games – acnl and style savvy: trendsetters! one of my cousins is also 3ds obsessed so we’ve been bonding over our addiction.
i told my dad that i was gonna get back to working and studying tomorrow, and he told me to prioritize resting and healing. my parents have always pushed me to accomplish as much as possible so it was kind of him to encourage me to focus on myself. :’)
found a new horror fiction podcast that’s literally just a guy telling scary stories (no jump scares or crazy sound effects or multiple voice actors. just… a single person. my favorite genre!) the stories are pretty mid, which is even better. an excellent sleep aid
i’ve really enjoyed reading the diversity contest entries, and i appreciate everyone who liked mine! it’s fun to see how everyone interpreted the theme of “diversity” and how they implemented that in their art. everyone here is so creative and generous. hope y’all are having a great day wherever you are
☾ My dad seemed to like the t-shirts I picked out for him for Father's Day! One actually made him laugh out loud, so I'd call that a success. ☾ Caught the latest episode of One Piece this morning! It was just another recap episode this week, but they usually follow these up with a good one, so I'm looking forward to next time! ☾ TheOrionSound posted his Empires SMP series finale!! His videos are such a wild ride, they're always well worth the wait ahahah. My family and I also watched a few other short videos together! ☾ I got to play some Stardew Valley today too! I opened the resort, and I've also started trying to make my farm a bit prettier/better organized than it's been so far. I also got my first Junimo Hut and I don't even know why these weird little apple things are as cute as they are to me but I LOVE THEM ;v;
- I'm going to channel @/Shellzilla_515 for a minute. I saw a dark blue Corvette C6 and it was gorgeous! I see lots of Corvettes; they're not terribly uncommon where I live, but this make and color combination is one I've never seen before in person.
Hey, that's really awesome, LadyDestani! Blue is my favourite colour and I'd love that Corvette just as much as you did! I'm still holding out on spotting the C1 someday...
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Time for a weekend recap!
June 17, 2023
Feel free to skip this point. I saw the ol' mighty Honda S2000 again, but this time in a burgundy colour! It's my first time spotting it with that colour scheme.
I ate some pizza from Domino's!
I watched qualifying for the 2023 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix that took place this weekend. It was pretty interesting with the wet conditions thrown into the mix.
I played a bit of Gran Turismo 7 again after not doing so in the past few days.
Catching up on reading the lovely entries from people for the celebrating diversity event. Speaking of which...
I'm very glad to have finished my entry for the event and loved the outcome of my drawing!
You probably know this already just looking at my current aesthetic, but it feels nice finally coming out on TBT that I'm panromantic (and demiromantic too). I know this community is supportive of LGBTQ+ people, but I still had to build up courage and comfort despite that. It's actually been over a month since accepting my romantic orientation (started questioning it back in mid-February actually) and it's great that I'm being more honest to myself while also having more self love. For pretty much my whole life, I always thought I was straight. Turns out that's not the case, and it's okay.
Since then, it makes me really happy on the inside whenever I see a pan flag. Last month, I was at a Michael's arts and crafts store where they had some pride stuff. When I saw that flag, I smiled so much but tried my best not to blow my cover to my family (it's a little complicated and I don't want to get into it). I actually took a picture of it back then!
In case you're wondering, no, I didn't buy it because my safety is more important to me. In a more uplifting mood, I vibe with these colours a lot haha.
June 18, 2023
I had a really tasty breakfast.
I chatted for a bit with @/Roxxy! It was a pleasant surprise seeing her message in the morning telling me a few things and how much she liked my drawing for the celebrating diversity event. I also go to know a little more about her in the process and I appreciate her kindness. Amazing how 2021 TBTWC formed our friendship because of it, and that was my first time ever participating in a forum event!
I did some laundry.
I played a lot of Tears of the Kingdom and did some adventuring while unlocking more cutscenes in the process. I won't get into details because of spoilers but wow, what a reveal of events!
I watched the 2023 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix!.. Or at least the 30 minute highlights of it. Regardless, it turned out to be quite an eventful race with some battles throughout. I find it hilarious how Lance Stroll robbed Valtteri Bottas for 10th place (which eventually turned into 9th place after a time penalty from Lando Norris up ahead rip) right at the finish line with a gap of 0.030 seconds. I guess that was payback for Baku back in 2017 where the roles were reversed lol.
➣ My phone’s battery was replaced today, and my charging port was also cleaned. There was quite a bit of lint up in there, but now it’s charging without any issues. ➣ I had a slice of pineapple pizza with some pink lemonade while waiting for my phone to be finished. Longest two hours of my life that I had to kill without a phone, lmao. ➣ My favorite person exists in my life and that in itself is comforting. I love her so much. ➣ I went to the dollar store to get a few things and found a bag of mini carnival pops! ➣ I’m off work tomorrow, so I’ll have lots of time to play Mario Kart. Looking forward to it.
So we picked up this old pop up shed frame from my father in law that was destroyed in a storm and straightened it out, and altered it a little. We got it up and we have some bug netting draped on it now so my pitiful little veggies won't get attacked by June bugs and Japanese beetles when they come through soon. (And I won't have to worry about picking them off so much.) My potatoes recently got attacked by potato hoppers but I scared them away with cinnamon powder. They will be moved into this tent thing we made tomorrow.
My spouse found a deal on a mini pc and it works better than my old computer. We got things I cared about transferred over and it is all working now. And since I have my Steam Deck for games, this new pc will be alot cleaner and I will be immensely picky about what will be on it so it stays clean and organized. The only down side, is that I have to rebuild my project I made in the game engine I am using because they also upgraded and the project isn't really compatible due to gdscript changes... but the game engine should be more powerful than before and hopefully some more ease to it too. If nothing else, it is more practice for me I suppose. Something I can always use. (Even if I don't like the way it is coming )
It has been a cloudy breezy day which I like and it just feels like a good day beyond being angry with my mom today and her nonsense.
*⁀➷ i completed and submitted my last culminating assignment???? my last assignment ever????? I’M FREE
*⁀➷ my mom and i took some carrots and acorns out for the squirrels, rabbits, and other critters who roam around the area!
*⁀➷ i finally booked an appointment with my doctor to talk to her about going back on anti-anxiety medication! i’ve been wanting to do this for a while, but i was waiting until i got the results from my psychiatry assessment. my appt is next week; i’m nervous, but i’m also excited!
i love skunks sm (from a distance lol), they’re so cute c: 
But my headache's pretty much gone now and I've only had to deal with some mild sinus issues!
*i know nothing about BT21, Though*
:
i’ve been struggling with intense muscle spasms in my neck that have kept me from doing almost anything. my parents and partner have been very active and supportive in helping me heal and rest. i am so thankful for them.
my partner ordered me a massager thing that’s supposed to come in tomorrow!
i’ve been chatting with some friends i miss, and it’s good to be in communication with them again.
i made my mom a giant veggie salad that she enjoyed. it makes me happy that she loves my salads that much!
my dad and i finished the new season of black mirror! didn’t like the season, did like spending quality time with my dad.
been having a chill time playing acnh and some 3ds games – acnl and style savvy: trendsetters! one of my cousins is also 3ds obsessed so we’ve been bonding over our addiction.
i told my dad that i was gonna get back to working and studying tomorrow, and he told me to prioritize resting and healing. my parents have always pushed me to accomplish as much as possible so it was kind of him to encourage me to focus on myself. :’)
found a new horror fiction podcast that’s literally just a guy telling scary stories (no jump scares or crazy sound effects or multiple voice actors. just… a single person. my favorite genre!) the stories are pretty mid, which is even better. an excellent sleep aid 
i’ve really enjoyed reading the diversity contest entries, and i appreciate everyone who liked mine! it’s fun to see how everyone interpreted the theme of “diversity” and how they implemented that in their art. everyone here is so creative and generous. hope y’all are having a great day wherever you are 
)
