#1

Apparently it's been exactly a year since I launched this site, which is a little hard to believe considering how long it sat untouched during the latter half 2024. I had that awful nerve issue in my left arm and wrist that made it painful to do literally anything that required stting in front of a desk, so you can imagine how well that went. For a while I couldn't even write by hand, which honestly might've been worse than not being able to type. I had to drop almost everything I loved - no League (F to my shitty support play), no writing, no designing, no messing around with the site. I couldn't even write silly little blog posts like this one. It was a weird and miserable time; I don't really do well with being still! Some updates under the cut.

I'm mostly fine now. There are still days when I have to treat myself to a lidocaine patch or pop acetaminophen like it's candy but, yeah. Mostly fine, and I've been easing back into things bit by bit. The first thing I fixed on the site was the blog section, which had been bothering me for ages. I hated how it looked and how clunky it felt, especially on mobile, so I did a full overhaul of the layout and styling. Now it finally feels like something I'm proud to show off again. I've even been thinking about doing a little write-up on the redesign process - not that it's anything revolutionary, but I know I always appreciate it when people document their site builds in detail.

The forced downtime also turned me into something I've never been before: a Person Who Watches TV. Like, actually sits down and watches shows and movies, not just "puts something on" while cooking or doing the dishes. I couldn't use my hands and there's only so much staring at the ceiling one girl can do, so, yeah. I ended up watching more shows and movies in six months than I had in probably the last decade. That included, to my surprise and my partner's delight, all of Seven Samurai. I'm being dramatic by calling it a feat (the longest movie I've ever sat through is Love Exposure, so my stamina and attention span are objectively proven), but still, I did it, and I liked it. My partner was also kind enough to massage my shoulder basically on demand without even sighing about it. I think they've earned some kind of government stipend or at least a very fancy snack.

When I wasn't melting into the couch watching TV, we were doing a lot of thrifting. That became our default weekend activity: dig through piles of clothes, pick up some weird old mugs, maybe a half-broken food processor we absolutely don't need, and then go sit in this Yemeni coffee shop we love where they do pistachio lattes and serve everything with the cutest, most delicious little squares of cake. Some of the best hours of my recovery were spent exactly like that. I keep meaning to do a post about some of my favorite finds (and maybe even show off some altered pieces?? if I ever get around to it...).

Life outside the site has been pretty great. I work in a steel mill now, which I realize does not sound appealing unless you are, like me, a person who finds molten metal kind of sexy. I genuinely love it. It's hot, loud, intense, and requires a kind of physical presence that academia never did - I don't miss the weird lab politics, or the passive-aggressive emails from PIs with undiagnosed ADHD. What I do miss is dressing up. Being a femme lesbian in head-to-toe flame resistant Carhartt is its own special kind of hell, but I've been trying to sneak some personality back into my workwear. I found these tortoiseshell ANSI-rated safety glasses that actually make me feel kind of cute, and I've been experimenting with work pants made for women - some of them are actually wearable! I've been toying with the idea of doing a little review roundup, maybe with photos. There's not a lot of info out there unless you're willing to wade through Reddit threads, so maybe it'd be helpful to someone (or at least mildly entertaining). I've also been eyeing a pair of Xena work boots, but the style I like doesn't come with a met guard, which is non-negotiable for my job. So for now, it's me and my beat-up HYTESTs. Sigh.

In slightly more tragic news: Gerrit Cole is out for the season. I don't want to talk about it too much because I might cry, but the TJS announcement ruined my week when I found out. He's my baseball crush and also my work computer wallpaper, so every time I boot up I feel like this -> u_u. The season itself has been fine so far, though. I was getting so antsy waiting for baseball to start that I was actually keeping up with spring training, much to my partner's amusement. Volpe's doing great, Weaver is still very competent and endearing, and Jazz continues to be cool as hell. I thought I was going to emotionally check out after last year - I loved the 2024 team even though Gleyber had a terrible OBP (I do miss him though) and I'll always have a soft spot for Rizzo - but the new lineup's been surprisingly endearing. Bellinger's cute even if his offense is hit-or-miss, Rice RAKES (let it be known I've been investing in the Ben Rice stocks since last year, even after everyone was doubting him), Fried seems to have what it takes to become our ace, and Goldschmidt's been solid. We'll revisit these opinions in October.

So yeah, that's kind of where things are right now. Happy birthday to this little website (maybe next year I'll bake it a cake or do some cursed JavaScript animation to celebrate) and thank you if you've been reading or lurking or even just scrolling by. I hope something in here makes you feel like building something, or watching something weird, or just writing your own rambling thoughts down somewhere. We need more of that!