-
Hmmm
[ at the urgent care reception ]
Receptionist: Now please sign here on the pad.
Me: …sorry, what am I signing for?
Receptionist: Just saying that we can bill your insurance for today’s care.
Me: [ notices that they don’t plan to give me corresponding paperwork, but signs semi-reluctantly ]
Receptionist: Now sign again.
Me: ??? And what is this now?
Receptionist: It’s about HIPPA.
Me: Shouldn’t I have…a copy of this?
Receptionist: It’s DIGITAL.
Me: Yes, so can I view it on my phone or through email or something?
Receptionist: [ barely holding back their annoyance ] If you SIGN IT, I can try to get you a printed copy after.
Me: [ gives up and signs, even though I know full well that this is not standard medical practice, but also I don’t want to give receptionists at urgent care too hard a time, especially at the end of the day ]Anyway. I still need to be scheduled for my ultrasound, but all the tests are currently pointing to: yes, I may once again have a kidney stone.
Also, note to myself: sometimes your brain fog is because you’re running a light fever and your oxygen level is slightly low, and not just because of chronic fatigue.
May 27 update: I passed the kidney stone with the help of Flomax and collected it for analysis. Somehow, the test ordered did the bare minimum and only gave me results of it being tiny, irregular, and gray, instead of what I expected (a chemical composition breakdown).
-
Together, We Mask
Together, We Mask 8.5x11” poster
Together, We Mask is a declaration for anyone invested in community care, public health, or disability solidarity. Let’s protect each other from COVID and airborne diseases as a whole.
Last August, I made signs for Disabled And Here’s Together, We Mask shoot. I realized since then that people might be interested in downloading and printing their own versions, but wasn’t sure where to submit the poster until I came across justseed’s graphics library / activist toolbox.
-
Please please pick up this pilot
The animatic pilot for I Don’t Want to be a Magical Girl just dropped this morning, and without spoiling the plot, I’m so on board for the protagonist’s brand of quick and practical problem-solving. Plus, it’s by a Black and Japanese creator, Kiana Khansmith!
-
Year of the Snake
Illustration with snake written in Chinese and “year of the snake” in cursive English. An abstract snake is in the background, behind the text. If you like behind the scenes, here’s the time-lapse lettering video:
-
2024 partial recap
2024 was a year of Dealing With Things, and I’m skipping Affect & world events to keep this shorter. This is not a thoughtful post with takeaways; it’s more simple documentation.
A partial 2024 recap
- Feb-Mar: Found out about Tonya’s passing; attended her memorial. I don’t have any eloquent words about this. I can only add to the chorus of: fuck cancer.
- Mar-Apr: Optometrist discovered that I have convergence insufficiency. Things mid-distance look squiggly and wavy to me these days, similar to a heat haze. I had to ditch contacts and switch full-time to glasses with prism lenses. Because of my vision issues and slowly declining physical stamina (yay chronic illness), I only drive short distances now.
- Mar-May: Fingol1’s left cheek swelled up so badly that he could only see out of one eye. It turned out to be a dental issue and he needed multiple extractions (expensive!).
- Apr-May: Tired of having gender dysphoria when I looked in the mirror, I chopped my hair short (just below ear length) and dyed it blue ombré on one side and pink ombré on the other. I love it!
- May: Discovered I have low Vitamin D levels, which may explain some of the extra brain fog and sluggishness. Started taking vitamin gummies and they’ve helped a lot!
- May: Corey and I took Pecan2 with us on a beach trip to Manzanita. That’s where I first got to listen to my favorite album of the year, [Dall] by ARTMS3.
- Aug: Got to spend some rejuvenating times with visiting friends who still regularly mask. Volunteered to puppy-sit a silken windhound, thinking it’d be fun, but exhausting. That backfired a bit, because the puppy was so delightful that I now really want a second dog (but no, because we have senior cats).
- Nov-ongoing: Pecan’s paw issues galore. It seems to be a mix of him getting something stuck in his paw and getting badly infected plus food allergies (so far, I’ve identified sensitivities to chicken, pumpkin, and lamb). After 3 vet visits and a visit to the orthopedic surgeon, we’re still waiting to see if he’s fully recovering or if he’ll need surgery.
- Dec: while watching over Pecan, I got into crafting YouTube and started making things with air dry clay.
I also spent a lot of 2024 continuing to learn ASL online. With the opening of Woodstock Sign Language Cafe, I got to practice it (awkwardly) in person too.
Since Lunar New Year isn’t until Wed, I’ll say this 2024 recap post is on time.
-
[link] orienting
A Brutal Beginning: Orienting Ourselves Amid the Shock and Awe
We must be willing to act & refuse to act on the basis of what we know is right. We must build a rebellious culture of care in defiance of a death-making culture of greed. We must reject the disposal of our fellow human beings.
-
Seal ring holder
This seal ring holder took weeks. I used foil as the inner structure, covered it with air dry clay, covered it with more clay after I slightly oversanded, messed up painting the whisker & nose 10x, and finally finished with generous coats of glossy sealant for water resistance.
Foil armature for seal ring holder. 
Seal in its newly formed, pre-drying stage. 
Front view of seal ring holder after being sanded. 
Side view of seal ring holder post-sanding. 
Seal ring holder on bathroom shelf, all painted and glossed up. Rings hang off its tail and earrings are in the jar on its back. -
New hobby
Somehow, I picked up a new hobby in the last couple weeks of 2024. It took a lot of attempts, but this is the first air dry clay thing I’ve finished that I like (for now).
Behold the (purposely loosey goosey in scale) toast earring holder!
Toast earring holder in its pre-drying stage 
Close-up of toast earring holder as its paint dries 
Toast earring holder, now glazed and holding various gold studs