Already In Progress

After taking yesterday for myself, we now return to our regular posting schedule already in progress.

Monday was a good day. Continuing the fun activities of the weekend, I enjoyed the strawberry-rhubarb pie immensely. Would I try to pass it off as homemade? Absolutely not. Would I buy it again or even take it to a party? Absolutely yes. For a frozen dessert this is a home run and well worth the $7 it cost me. I will be buying it again.

As Iced Tea Day, Monday was also a smashing success as folks shared their favorite cold tea recipes with me, many of which involved vast amounts of sugar, though there were a few that preferred (or required) the unsweetened version. 

I continued to receive so many compliments on my weekend outfit! I got things like

• iconic
• slay
• love
• you ate
• my god I felt things
• f*ckin badass  

I even had a friend reach out to me, saying they showed their partner my photos and seeing me so happy made them decide to choose happiness for themselves as well, ordering new outfits and asking me to call them by a different name. And I tell you what, that made me feel so warm and bubbly inside I practically did a little dance. OK, I definitely did a little dance. 

I don’t wear earrings and don’t really have a desire to – though I have done clip on earrings for some cosplays, I’m not against them; they’re not just me. Anyway, this photo a friend made for me makes me happy; I particularly like the scarf.

We had a cast meeting for a short intimacy workshop. This was my first one of that sort but I felt very much seen as the coordinator talked about how to check in with your acting partners because the way he described those communications is how I handle my own personal space every day. The short version: please do not touch me without asking. There are only 2-5 people excepted from that rule. Then at the end it was time for measurements and I didn’t even have to look uncomfortable or ask which line I should be in. Our director said something like “Gentlemen, see Person X; Ladies, see Person Y; Nonbinary Folks, get in a line with a friend and we’ll take all your measurements.” 

Monday was a day for all the good vibrations!

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Tuesday was Pizza Margherita Day, and it proved to be a bit more divisive than I expected. I asked if pizza margherita – made with crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil – was “regular pizza” and a vast majority of people said yes, it was.

This was just on Instagram; I also asked this in person and across several social media accounts and got the same results. This surprised me, because to me “regular pizza” is a cheese pizza made with tomato sauce (not crushed tomatoes), shredded mozzarella (not necessarily fresh), and lacks basil. I even checked around with some local pizza places and the few that could do pizza margherita had it listed as a specialty pizza separate from their cheese pizza.

Back a few months ago we had a pizza-making teambuilding exercise and I suggested doing a pizza margherita because sometimes less is more and at the end we all agreed it was the best one we’d made. Sadly, I did not get a pizza margherita on pizza margherita day, but that’s all right. 

Also on Tuesday we got our official pictures from the weekend. I really struggled to get them; downloading required me to sign in, which I had the information, but every time I logged in it just cycled me back to the log in screen. I think on the fourth or fifth time it let me in, and then for whatever reason the images were extremely pixilated and I had to download them again and the second time it all worked. I will admit I look somewhat angry or unhappy but also it fits the goth/emo look I was going for in my Helena x Black Parade mashup. Behold my nonexistent collage making skills!

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On Tuesday and Wednesday this week got to introduce a coworker to the strawberry-rhubarb flavor combination, first with a bite of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made with strawberry-rhubarb jam, and then when they ended up loving the flavor I brought in some pie for them. I do love getting people to try my mom’s jam; in fact just today I had another acquaintance express an interest. 

Wednesday evening was both my first scene rehearsal and D&D night.  The rehearsal went really well and being able to sit down and discuss the director’s vision for the scene (it’s very much inspired by Monty Python) and work with the other actors in the scene has helped me envision it when practicing at home. Of course, this might be old hat to some folks, but it’s brand new to me. I’m getting very excited about this production – and Krystal is the stage manager! Good thing our cosplay hobby has given me lots of practice in taking direction from her (I say in all good fun and humor).

For now, my Wednesday practice hasn’t interfered with D&D, though those will come soon enough in the next couple weeks. But I’ve made almost every session since April 2020, so a few months of coming in a littler later but still making session should be okay, so long as I don’t keep us from tackling the Big Bad or anything like that. Anyway, this week saw us go underground in what I’ve named Session Sixteen: The Only Difference Between Archaeology and Grave Robbing Is Time.

For those that might be new here, I am a Notetaker for our D&D campaign, which is both a Legacy campaign and a Curse of Strahd campaign within a larger homebrew campaign. I update my character wikia with our goings-on and you can read/follow along! 

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On Friday one of my best friends spent a significant amount of time around a cat for the first time. With permission to share and with names redacted, here’s how that went: 

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On Thursday night or Friday morning I received a box from my mom with some things in it, some of them related to my dad who passed away in 2021. Among those things was this bear, which I believe is made from one of his shirts and is dressed up to look like a hunter. There is a bit of his handkerchief in the pocket.

With all that, my brain decided that Friday would be a good day to process some Thoughts and Emotions and you know what? For once, my brain was right about that. But it also meant that Friday was A Day so I made myself some evening coffee and enjoyed the last of the strawberry-rhubarb pie while watching the first John Wick movie. 

Full disclosure and a spoiler if you haven’t seen or know very little of the film: I skip the minute or two in the first movie where the dog dies, but I am convinced that the first John Wick is exactly what a great action movie should be AND it’s a very well-shot and edited movie overall. But that’s just my opinion as a movie-enjoyer. 

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Saturday was megalodon day, which I survived because megalodons are extinct as far as we know and I do not visit bodies of water where they would be present anyway. 

Sunday was Father’s Day and I woke up early with more Thoughts and Emotions and realizing the day would be complicated for many people I lit a candle for all who might need one.

I made BLT’s for lunch and continued my Office re-watch. I’m in season five which means Andy Bernard is a regular character and has been for some time. By all accounts Ed Helms is a great person, so it’s rather unfortunate that my introduction and only reference for his work was, for the longest time, as my absolute least favorite character on The Office. It’s even more unfortunate that his character is around for six seasons. Suffice to say that Andy Bernard has likely ruined Ed Helms for me. 

Sunday afternoon is also when I typed up my D&D notes, made a brand-new playlist for my Paladin, and worked on some of his backstory, too.

Sunday was also my sister’s birthday; in fact, one of my brothers had a birthday last week too – and because my siblings are all older than me by at least eight years I am closer to some than to other others. Not out of malice or anything, that’s just the way life is, right? (If you’re here reading this: love y’all!) Anyway, this week I called them and we had good conversations and laughed and joked and got caught up and I’ll count that as a win.

I know I usually type up a weekend roundup type thing every Sunday, but my brain wasn’t in the right space and I just needed some time, you know what I mean? But I’m here now, and I’m glad you are, too.

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Well that’s about it for me; what have you been up to?