Every few years, I crave the beach. This is one of the reasons why. #ocmd

Met some prehistoric critters at the beach.

Gave up on the "trying" part of dating. Socio-political state of the world aside, I need established friendship first. The actual dating scene for my age group feels like the fourth round of job interviews. It gives me anxiety.

I want to learn Blender, but my aging computer's struggling oh so badly ...

You are your own best advocate.

Lovebug and Barker. #gerbils

Copper. #gerbils

Leo. #gerbils

Scooby. #gerbils

2025 Goals:

- learn Blender basics and associated texture painting
- complete several scripts and self-publish a novel(la)
- get back into watercolors
- take one road trip (destination to be determined)

Looking forward to a year of diving back into adventure and the arts.

Why do so many people take acts of kindness towards them as meaning they now owe you something (transactional)? The mismatch in expectations is frustrating.

The contrast in who has a safety net (and who does not) is so much more pronounced in your 30s. Those who have it, see it pay off, and drift from those without. Because even if you have found your own footing, how can they understand how high the barriers to stability and success are?

"Your body, my choice" is what Trump will say to all the men when they are drafted into WWIII. They are not exempt from this upheaval.

There are many good comments others have made in this grieving of what should have been. The only other point I would like to declare is that, though I still wish I could be a mum, I will not bring a child into this world if they are to have less rights than I did when I was born. Never going back.

I am disappointed, but not surprised, by white women voting red this election. Not all of us break free of the echo chamber that teaches us to fawn to people and policies that are to our detriment. I get it: isolation is an immense burden and scary. But I hope you're still able to escape when ready.

NGL, what Twitter / Artstation / A.I. did, has sucked out the desire to contribute any heavy originality to any platform or portfolio that is not my own.

Anthology rejections sting. But, it's a part of the process!

I have been deep into sci-fi and fantasy for so long that I am out of touch with horror; does anyone have horror novel recommendations published in the past five years?

I could only see the partial eclipse where I live but this was amazing.