Things I've Figured Out

Here are some snippets of random things that occurred to me the past month or so. I have some more posts in the works (and a queue! yay!) but what I've been gearing up for is next month's NaPoWriMo. I have a lot of material to work from...

The Niche and Narrow

Actually, this is a Project Post. It should be over here on my Ko-Fi page by now. Which, I need to be updating a lot more. And please support me on Ko-Fi if you love what I'm doing! Besides rambling on this blog (and rambling, in general), I also have two online communities I maintain.

Oh, I Use Voice Memos Now

And not just for sending to people, tho I do also do that (on request, or when I can't or won't type on a damn screen keyboard).

I take a lot of notes, and note things I see while I'm running around. I also get a lot of little sparks of ideas from time to time. Sometimes, not much comes from it and never grows past a sentence. Other times they can spin out into a whole thing.

As my commute changes, I've been depending on voice memos a lot more. You can't exactly pull out the notebook to jot things down while you're driving.

It is handy. It is nice.

Why Instant Messaging Annoys Me

Because it's not Instant anymore. It's still instant in a literal technical sense, but it doesn't have the same "mindset" of Instant. I've noticed how I've shifted from "IM me" to "DM [Direct Message] me" to reflect this. Messaging apps haven't been like that for me in a while, not since my Trillian or Pidgin days.

I just stick with one protocol (XMPP– and I've since dropped Matrix, because Reasons). I have it on my phone, too, because that's how things roll nowadays. But when I'm on my desktop or laptop computer I do have it open and I poke at people, understanding that they may be busy. It's like texting, in that way.

I cannot find this article or blog post that finally made it click for me, but the gist is: when you were on AIM, you deliberately logged in, and deliberately carved out time to actually sit and talk with people. If you were busy (Even if it was bouncing between coding and reading tuts), you put Busy on there.

I need to set aside time to just talk to people. Phone for on-the-go, but it is nice to have some people in the foreground as you catch up, or the background as y'all do your things.

Obligatory Hate-On for Notifications

Discord is, A Lot. It's to the point where I have all notifications disabled unless it's a DM or friend request. Without that deluge, I did find myself actively looking for servers and people to interact with (even tho most times it's a casual glance). So that was an unexpected bonus.

And unless it's some sort of communication or reminder (meds, calendar, tasks, high/critical FYI) I don't need a damn notification. Why does my photo gallery organizer need notifications? Shut up!

RTFM* Shouldn't Be A Requirement

*Read the Fucking Manual and yes, there is a comic for that.

I don't communicate enough.

I'm pretty taciturn and keep a lot of things inside. But I wasn't aware just how much until I was, point-blank, told this on no uncertain terms (and even then it needed repeating; I'm not the brightest crayon in the shed sometimes).

Meanwhile, my blog and journals are pouring with feeling... and I forget to, like, say some of this shit out loud to people that need to hear it. I unload and go "ok im good now done processing."

I should tell them what I am feeling in the moment, even if it is "I don't know right now."

Petamours are Awesome

For the uninitiated (and probably monogamous): the pets of your metamour (which in turn, are like, the partner of your partner). The feeling is the same when I talk about my partner's pets, tho:

I get all the fun without the stress.

I'm basically the pet's cool UncleAuntThing. It's akin to babysitting your friend's kids– again, all the fun. Until you also have to deal with their destruction, but eh, that's what duct tape and spot mops are for. It does take a village and all that.

Everything Else

• daydreaming is fun
• fanfiction helps me dislodge and write other stuff
• I really should put together that journaling and blogging 101
• we love opening bands!
• BLACKS RULE but unironically and said way better
• I looked around my room yesterday and thought, "this is lovely." we keep on keeping on.