25 HoliDays of Winter: Days 1-5

 This time of year typically you'll see 25 Days of Christmas on so many different channels.  I decided to try my hand at a personal 25 movies of the season.  Basically, I'm going to try to watch the equivalent of one movie or series of movies (like the 3 Santa Clause in one day) each day.  Since they are so common, Christmas movies and episodes will likely make up the majority of what I watch for these 25 days.  If you have suggestions that are for a different holiday set in December, let me know and I will try to watch it.  Just a warning - SPOILERS AHEAD!

So, the first movie I watched was Disney's 1961 Babes in Toyland.  The first thing I thought of when watching this was that I definitely want to watch the other one a bit more.  That doesn't mean it wasn't any good.  I've seen this movie before - when I was a kid.  There are things that even today, I still enjoy about it.  But at the same time, there are things that are an obvious sign of the time the movie was made in, like Mary's song regarding her situation.  Some of the special effects are pretty awesome, but the message of that song and the song she and Tom sing after the children go to bed in the toyshop are very much indicative of the societal perception of women.  Another thing highlighted in this particular movie is the thought of Industrialism as both good and bad.  It's amazing until it breaks down because people don't think either in its usage after creation or about why they are creating said invention in the first place.  It also kind of leaves a mystery open - where are the sheep?

Next, I chose to watch the first David Tennant Doctor Who Christmas special.  You'll note that I only watched the first one.  This isn't because the others aren't any good, but rather because watching any Doctor Who Christmas special is a unique thing for anyone who is going to watch.  This particular special introduces David Tennant as the tenth Doctor and really teaches new Whovians that while the reincarnation of the Doctor is hard on those who have to meet him after he's changed, it's hard on him as well.  It also reminds us that humans are idiots, especially humans in power.

So what was the third movie? 12 Christmas Wishes for My Dog.   The title is misleading.  While there a dog and a dog shelter are in the movie, they aren't huge focal points of the movie, but rather causes things to move along in the story.  For a Christmas story, it hits on the season's expectations for it quite well.  

Fourth ended up being Ernest Saves Christmas - a movie I haven't seen since I was a child.  Just the opening scenes make me laugh as a businessman talks to Santa who has decided to pass the job on to a new Santa.  And all the children in the airport note who he truly is and stare in wonder.  And then there's cab driver Ernest...definitely a movie to watch for laughs.

Finally on day 5, I watched The Night Before Christmas.  This turns out to start as the poem, but a mouse ends up correcting the narrator.   This leads to a bit of a different story than what we're used to for the poem.  Still, a nice heartwarming story to watch despite some of the sadness that it involves. 

So what's next?  I know I want to watch the Drew Barrymore Babes in Toyland and the Santa Claus trilogy. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman are classics.  I also want to see the Disney movie Noelle.  I know I watched it previously, but now I want to see it for the season!  I'm sure there are more, after all, there are more than 25 Christmas movies that have been created.  There are classics and modern movies, movies for children and for adults, and movies from all sorts of genres, even if romance tends to dominate them. 

NaNoWriMo 2020 Wrap-up

 So, I didn't complete this year's NaNoWriMo goal, but I did get one of the two projects I had planned to get done completed: my entry for the Harry Potter Fanfiction Club Discord Channel's Winter Writing Challenge.

I don't really want to get into all the details, but I did end up posting it on AO3.  So if you want you can read these short little gems over there.  In the meantime, I'm still working on a large number of various works - both fanfiction and original pieces.

That's it for the 2020 NaNoWriMo.  For those who managed to reach the 50K word goal, congratulations.  For those who like me, didn't reach that large number of words, congratulations on getting what work you managed to get done completed.  It wasn't easy, no matter what others may think.  Every word towards that goal is a success, even if you didn't get the big goal.

NaNoWriMo 2020 Part 3/3

 This should have been posted yesterday, so I am sorry about that.  Thankfully there's the rest of today to go yet because I think I only barely hit 5K in the total number of words for November so far.  Don't worry, I promise I'm ignoring most distractions to try to get that 50K minimum by tonight's midnight deadline.  I'd better get back to it, but I also am waiting to hear back about my car who is in the shop thanks to a lovely issue with the steering.  It seems that the power steering has gone out.  Wish me good fortune and I'll try to post again this upcoming weekend!

NaNoWriMo 2020 Part 2/3

 Okay, so it's been a week and I haven't made much progress.  I got the next drabble written for my Winter Challenge, and a bit more written on my story.  My word count right now is only 3,473 words towards that 50K.  The drabble I've finished is needed some massive paring done to it since I wrote twice the maximum number of words so, ouch.  As for the story, Duo has just been introduced as Percy's first cousin and Percy stole the scene to ramble on, again...I last left off with the other two about to be revealed.  And, boy, am I not looking forward to that!  It promises to have some major breakdowns because of it, but I need to get through the meeting to whatever is next for my story.

Anyway, happy writing, and good luck with those word counts!  Honestly, I'll be happy if I can reach 10K at this rate.

NaNoWriMo 2020 Part 1/3

 Okay, so I've been really lax on this blog.  This time however I wanted to let everyone know that yes I'm participating in NaNoWriMo 2020.  This is the first post for it and so I have to inform you of what I'm working on and what my current progress is.  My current progress, before I go any further, is only 2,026 words.  I know, I haven't written much.  But, I have a really good excuse - and yet is it an excuse and not a reason, because if I really put my mind to it and focus I know I could have written so much more by now!  Anyway, my excuse is this: I've been getting my teeth worked on.  It isn't fun, but I think it's better than to keep putting it off.

Okay, so that's out of the way.  Now it's time to gush about my project. I had originally decided to focus on a fanfic that I got an idea for where Duo Maxwell of Gundam Wing is the son of one of the Prewett brothers who'd been killed in the first war.  Percy was the one who would learn this as he was the only one to actually participate in the FRA (Family Reunion Act) that had been put into place by the muggles who'd just gotten out of their wars.  Harry and the Dursleys happen to learn that Harry's father and a cousin from his father's side had been found as well.  The cousin on his father's side also happens to be a cousin to Percy (Black blood, such a useful plot device.  I swear if they're a pureblood, they are related in some way to the magical Black family.) as well.  Now if I could just keep Duo, Harry, and Percy from derailing each bit of progression with their tangential conversation.

That's not all I've worked on, though.  I joined a Discord channel a while back called Harry Potter Fanfic Club (HPFF).  If you want a link to join, let me know! But anyway, in this we have a writing challenge.  The Winter Writing Challenge is to write 12 100-250 word drabbles using a word from a provided list of 12 for inspiration.  So I managed to get a few of those typed up.  And one of the said drabbles is definitely an outtake from the aforementioned project at a minimum.  A second drabble, however, decided it wanted me to be working on a much later chapter of a fic whose working title is Dursley in Time.  It's a bit annoying, but I reached almost 300 words, realized what was going on, saved that as a future in my fanfic folder, and then tried to basically summarize what I had typed up.  Then I had to pare that down.  It took me a bit of time.  Both of those base stories are told from Dudley's point of view.  Then I managed to write up two drabbles that are canon-complaint.  One was basically some Harry as a child's thoughts, though I think he might come off as older, and the other from Narcissa Malfoy after the Battle of Hogwarts.  

So, yeah, I've been a bit busy.  It's fun though and I keep getting distracted by the discord channel, so there's that.  Back to this post though.  I'll keep writing as much as possible, and hopefully, I'll manage to keep blogging.  I have a few drafts for other posts semi-started.  I just need to type them up, edit them, and schedule them to be posted.  Also. I need to remember to keep the NaNoWriMo updates accurate!

Good luck to other writers and have fun!

D&D Changes and Why Some Aren't Fans

 So I've been finding a large number of D&D videos recently and then I found D&D Player's Stop Calling it the Matt Mercer Effect.  It surprised me because I liked Matt Mercer and listened to his DM tips as well as others.  I wondered what the video was referring to.  I have to admit I couldn't believe what they referencing and I'd have loved to have looked up more into this "Matt Mercer Effect", but a quick glance at the comments and listening to how Nerdarchy answered to it, I realized that I likely would agree with them in regards to what they were talking about, but I also realized that D&D in its popularity rise has changed.  

It's not a bad thing.  The game has been changing since Gary Gygax created it.  I've played D&D for more than 15 years, but always a player and always version 3/3.5.  It makes a difference when you look at all the different editions that are out there.  Personally, I love the ability to make a character that changes their class each level creating a savant that has access to so many things that others can't or sticking with a specialized character.  My characters have always changed with the campaign.  I created a character who was a tibbit dragon shaman originally.  The group was fairly large and had been playing 4.0 mixed with 3/3.5.  For those who don't know - 4 does not mix well with others.  The only reason 3/3.5 is referenced the way it is is because 3.5 was supposed to update 3.0.  It was not completed however before they went to the next edition.  You'll find, if you look in 3/3.5 books, that there are a few notable changes that are between the books.  Two very notable changes are the skills and boots of striding and springing in the magic items list.  The way my DMs have handled it is making greater and lesser boots of striding and springing and a ban on anything that has updated information in a 3.5 book.  If there isn't, then you have to work with the DM to figure out what changes need to be made to update it like removing Ambidextrous from the requirements list of a prestige class/feat or putting intuit direction in with survival just for a couple of other possibilities.  Trying to take a 3/3.5 creature into a 4.0 campaign or having people increase some of their stats because you're using a 4.0 creature doesn't work too well.  I've looked at the various earlier ones and even had some looks at 4 and 5.  

I don't like how 5 looks.  That's not to say it's bad.  I'm one of those people who manages to somehow create oddball combinations.  My husband has tried to create a goofball illusionist with MPD and made it OP.  I've managed to recreate Aerith in D&D 3/3.5 and an overpowered Blair from SoulEater.  I don't know how possible it would be to do the same in 5.  I do know it took a lot of research and DM rulings in each case.  In Blair's case it was could we use fireball and just have it look like pumpkins?  Since it didn't change anything except the look of the spell, yes, we could.  I should probably note at this point that when I agreed to make Blair (she was totally a tibbit!) my husband became determined to create Soul and, more importantly, and annoyingly, Excalibur.  He double-checked with both our closest thing to a psionics expert and myself as someone who was always willing to read through the information to see about any possible loopholes or missed information.  It's always good to have someone else read over something to ensure you're reading it correctly...Anyway, he found a way to do so.  When I return to my making characters series if I ever actually get it going.  I know, I know, I keep putting off my various sets of stories.  There's my cookbook/cooking series, my re-watching Charmed, and the previous campaign that I had started but didn't keep up with when life ran away from me.  I have a lot of things I'm working on and really need to just get things organized so I'm actually on top of everything...

As I said, 5 is not necessarily bad.  What little I've seen and heard about it makes it sound very similar to MMORPG's like WOW, NeverWinter, and Secret World, where you choose a race and class, but have a set of path choices after that determined by those options.  This means there's no chance of becoming some of the combinations my husband and I have played in the past.  Then when I click on a D&D article or video, if it's in regards to inner campaign workings, like character creations or world-building I have to check which edition it is before truly enjoying watching/reading/listening to it.  It's not bad, I just can't stand how condensed it is even if it may make it easier for new players.

Nimue's Story

There have been so many reiterations that when I learn of a new one, I think there can't possibly be any more different takes on the story of King Arthur, can there?  Apparently, there can.  We've forgotten that the story of King Arthur isn't just the love triangle surrounding Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot or the rise of Excalibur and Camelot.  We've forgotten that there were more magical people than just Merlin, Morgause, Morgana, and Morgan le Fey (even if those last three were in some iterations the same person.)  We've forgotten that the story of King Arthur is mostly just that.  It is a story and like any story, there are more characters than just those you remember and the bits of the story that you recall easily.  After all, Camelot, Merlin, and King Arthur have so many stories surrounding them that it could be just like a quest for the Holy Grail to find out the truth behind them all, couldn't it?

There are contradictions within contradictions and if you write fanfiction, you'll find it rather hard to cross something like The Sword In The Stone with BBC's Merlin, but not impossible.  Magic is in both these stories so it wouldn't necessarily be out of place for something like the multiverse theory to come into play.  Not only are there shows and movies devoted to the stories themselves but there are those that claim to be the reincarnation of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (Avalon High springs to mind) or that have an arc the references them (here's to Once Upon A Time...again.  They really played around for this particular show! Though DC's Legends of Tomorrow on Netflix have a few episodes that integrate King Arthur as well...)  You may be wondering why the hell I'm typing about this?

Netflix has a new series available.  You might have only heard its title or heard a little about it because of the show being on the Top 10 list on Netflix.  If you've heard anything about it's setting or time period, you might mistakenly think that this series extolls on the virtues of the white man and casts all or almost all women in a negative light.  You'd be wrong.  To be honest there wasn't a lot of information given or trailers that were seen before my husband and I decided to give it a shot.

The name of the series is Cursed.  And in this section, there may be a few spoilers.  Alright I can guarantee that there will be a few spoilers and I apologize for them, but this isn't a male-oriented King Arthur's beginnings or ending story.  It's not a story that focuses on the relationship between Merlin and Arthur or the sad love triangle of Guinevere, Arthur, and Lancelot.  No, this story, though obviously a Merlin/King Arthur story, revolves around a character that no one really knows but everyone subscribes to as evil and the downfall of Merlin.  Cursed follows the story of Nimue.  You will note familiar characters as the series is watched.  Yes, you get to meet Merlin, Uther, and Arthur all fairly early, but the story is not centered on them, but on Nimue and the plight of the fey.  It's a story that reminds viewers of the horrors that the church and those with power can be wrought over land that relies so heavily on things outside their control.  There are mysteries even in the start and there are changes made to what is widely accepted as the story of King Arthur, Camelot, and the Knights of the Round Table, but the changes make just as much sense as the information a person can find when they research their family history.  Vikings are introduced as well as the church's destructive army - the Red Paladins.  It's a show that you should pay attention to when the episodes end because it would be easy to binge it instead of making yourself wait to watch because you have to be up the next day.  They don't shy away from the horrors of the "witch burnings" that existed during Uther's reign, but they don't glorify it as a just sentence for those put to death either. 

Cursed is a show the portrays both the good and the evil in grey lighting.  For while killing is wrong, is saving your or another's life wrong?  Is harboring someone to protect them from a group that targets an entire species/race/group of people just because they are different right?  There is much to consider when watching and you'll find that much like any family research or scientific study that yields new information done, this show will make you question what has largely been accepted by the populace to be a part of the King Arthur and Merlin saga.

IKEA and Covid-19

My husband and I realized we needed a new bookshelf recently.  We were going to just move the location of one of our current ones - the one located in the living room - when it decided it would no longer have any kind of sturdiness to it.  To give you a bit more information, we bought the bookshelf more than ten years ago and it has been in two homes previous to our current one as well as a mini storage unit for several months.  We then bought a second bookshelf of the same exact kind.  Both were Walmart units.  We've also got a really small shelf that our DVDs are currently on.  Finding out we definitely needed at least one new bookshelf/case, we thought we'd look around for a decent shelving unit, though we first thought we'd just get another from Walmart.  The issue is that on Facebook someone else had, on the same day we found out that our current large living room bookshelf would no longer be usable, posted a question about where to find a good, sturdy, and cheap new bookshelf.  IKEA and Walmart were both mentioned. 

My husband and I looked around online for a bit before I decided that we would be better off going to the store to see if we liked any of them in person.  I couldn't find any shelving units I liked for our books, but I was finding what looked to be some pretty neat media/entertainment centers.  So we agreed.  We would go to the brick and mortar store in St. Louis and if we didn't find something there we'd stop at some other furniture stores.  So, we get to the store and there's a decent-sized line to enter the building.  There are also signs reminding people that masks are required to enter the store.  Thankfully, we had looked over the store's policies before going and we tend to keep a few masks in the car for when we go to stores.  This would be our first trip to IKEA.  Ever.

The night before going I made sure to record measurements for the possible locations of the new bookshelf as well as if we found a better unit for our TV and it's related items.  I'm glad I did.  We spent maybe a half-hour waiting in line to enter the building.  Once in, it should be noted that there are hand sanitizer stations all over the place.  Literally, every section has at least one hand sanitizer station to help keep you safe.  During these days of constantly staying home, not everyone is getting all the workouts in which they perhaps used to.  If you have an idea of what you definitely need and decide to browse a little just in case you find some other things, then you might make up some of those missed workouts.  We managed to pick up a new shelf for our TV, a new bookshelf, a can opener, garlic press, lampshade, and a cover for the seat of our car that our dog has claimed as hers.  We've been planning on doing some rearranging of our furniture anyway, so it works out.  The really nice thing about our trip to IKEA is that we spent less than $350 and got a decent workout.  Those pieces of furniture in their boxes were not light. 

So, I just wanted to basically admit that we're doing fine despite being stuck mostly at home.  We aren't letting it get us down as we find that we need to change things.  But we don't make random trips just to get out.  I have had my books sitting on the floor for over two months.  We make the trip because we're planning on some old friends coming over for the 4th of July.  So now I've got this week to get everything set up for this next weekend - and we're still waiting for our new grill to arrive!  Since the 4th is on Saturday, I hope you guys all manage to enjoy the holiday weekend and stay safe!

Some Song Fun

So this showed up on my Facebook feed and I decided to use it for a blog.  I did use the internet after coming up with a song title, mostly so I could find a YouTube video for the song for readers who maybe aren’t aware of the song.  While I was trying to come up with these, I was listening to a video regarding ancestry so that may have helped gear my answers or possibly not.  After all, it wasn’t talking about music.  I may even have taken a break to do other things when I hit a wall thinking of song titles since I have issues remembering titles.

OK music lovers! This is fun, but hard! Answer each category with a song title. No repeats and don’t use the internet (it's tempting, but try not to). Go with the first song that comes to mind or fill in your favorites. Copy/paste then change the answers to your own (can’t steal mine).

Something to wear – Blue Suede Shoes (Elvis Presley)

Something to drink – Whiskey Lullaby (Duet can’t remember the artists)

An Animal - Hound Dog (Elvis Presley)

A Number  –  9 to 5 (Dolly Parton)

A Color  –  Red (Taylor Swift)

A Girl’s Name  –  Boy Named Sue (can’t remember)

A Boy’s Name  –  Danny Boy (unknown)

A Profession  – The Gambler (Kenny Rogers)

A Flower- Edelweiss (unknown is in Sound of Music)

Day of the Week – Last Friday Night (Katy Perry)

So, it was definitely harder than I thought and I only got that last one because I started to listen to music videos on YouTube while trying to figure out what song I knew had a day of the week in it and at the same time of Last Friday Night, I thought of Rebecca Black’s Friday…I did happen to think of the country song IndependenceDay, but it calls for a day of the week, so I felt it wouldn’t actually count.  If you decide to give it an attempt, have fun.  I hope you come up with songs as random as mine.  After putting an answer down, I'll admit it, suddenly I was thinking of a large number of songs that would fit for each category.

COVID-19 Extensions

So, I know it's been a while.  Between coronavirus(COVID-19) and any number of other things - faucets not working, bank account getting closed, being furloughed, etc. - I've been exceedingly busy.  The problem, however, that I've noticed is the issue of people in general complaining and protesting about the Stay-at-Home orders.

So what is the Stay-at-Home order and what is it preventing you from doing?  The Stay-at-Home Order is meant for the general public's safety.  Yes, it does infringe a bit on our right to assembly as described in the Bill of Rights, however, we have various ways of meeting up with each other and it doesn't state that you must stay at home.  In fact, just glimpsing over and highlighting the order isn't going to do it justice.  There are a lot of things that one can argue infringes on our way of life, but is our way of life so important we cannot take a step back to say "Maybe it would be better for everyone if I only go out for the necessary things?"

I mentioned that I was furloughed.  This was a choice I made after discussing with both my husband (who was put to working from home) and my supervisor the drawbacks and benefits, and after having had to work one day with a mask on.  For my safety, and that of those who would be working near me, I felt the benefits of being furloughed would be better than having to keep going to work and possibly having to hunt down new things for me to do.  There is only so much one can do in a practically empty building that everyone knows won't be back at full capacity for at least 2 months and has been empty for the last month and a half.  Is it weird? Yes, but overall this is better.

Times have changed and we look like we all belong in gangs so long as everyone is following the rules of wearing masks.  We don't keep to just one person to go shopping at a time, but that doesn't mean we're going shopping daily either.  In fact, we try to keep to only one shopper at a time, but I can't ever seem to find anything to buy when I'm hungry and I can't be sure that what I do end up buying, whether hungry or not, will be eaten.  Because our income is less do to everything that is going on, I can't be sure that we'll have the money for bills.  It's a possibility that we won't and that worries me constantly.  Because of this, yes, I want to get out more, especially on the nice days.  I hate that we have to worry about getting sick because people don't take common-sense measures such as washing your hands regularly, staying home when sick, etc, and that people who are healthy or at least feel healthy, are being penalized.

I live in a county of Illinois that hasn't had a large number of positive cases. In fact, less than 10% of tests have turned out positive, but that doesn't mean I don't understand some of the issues that revolve in not staying at home.  First, there are tourists.  We're coming up on the summer months which for the midwest means two things.  One, the high chance of going elsewhere (this also occurs in the winter, as in just before and during the first stirrings of COVID-19 making the news as a major issue.)  Two, and this is really the more important for most of the midwest, this tourist season is usually relied on to bring in outside money to help the economy.  We have festivals and fairs that bring family and friends from around the country.  You can see on the news and hear on the radio about the graduating classes not getting to celebrate, but for several craftsmen who rely on fairs and festivals to make money and spread the word of their wares, this will cause issues.  The restaurants and small eateries who have not been able to adapt to the changes being forced through will lose even more revenue as they lose those extra sales from tourists and travelers.

There are so many other things that are seriously affected in the midwest that other areas aren't aware of unless they've lived in the midwest that it'd be funny if it weren't for the fact that it's a matter of life or death for a number of people.  Am I happy about being unable to go watch a movie in theaters or realizing that the pool won't be opened for the summer?  No.  This doesn't mean, however, that I won't find ways around the cabin fever that is determined to set in.  There are numerous other ways to keep busy without having to go out other than my yard or a walk around the area - both of which are allowed even in the Stay-at-Home orders.  In fact, the only thing that Stay-at-Home orders are telling people to not do are gather in groups over a certain number (which could be argued violates our first amendment right to assembly,) to work in jobs that are not considered essential  (but this does allow for the exception of working at home,) and going out when unnecessary to stores and various other places that would allow for large groups to gather.  The things people are not realizing: THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS!!!

In fact, one of the largest of the exceptions is to perform social distancing which means to keep at least six feet away from each other when out in public. There are suggestions made to keep to only one person in the household to go shopping.  It is people not using common sense that keeps causing issues.  I stay home as much as possible since I've been furloughed, but I have to go to the laundromat since we don't have a washer or dryer, though I likely could just hang dry the washed clothes when I get them home; there are other reasons to get out and about, including ways to prevent cabin fever.  Don't worry.  When I'm out, I double-check the signs the stores have placed around and I wear my mask to keep others safe, not that I have the symptoms of COVID-19.  I keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in my car, but we've done that for years.  My husband did once work at a gas station so he has those stories of knowing drivers who used the restroom, didn't wash their hands, and then filled their tanks.  For our own safety, we keep it to use there and at the laundromat if absolutely needed because our laundromat does not regularly provide hand soap in their restroom.

Why have I ranted about this?  Because politicians and stores have given in in some places to popular demand about not wearing masks, in part thanks to threats of violence.  Remember, a place of commerce has the right to refuse service so long as they do so for a reason that is not illegal - basically, certain discriminations.  This means they have the right to refuse service because you chose to endanger their employees by not wearing a mask.  Just as many have signs that say "NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO SERVICE," I have seen signs that require masks on customers that intend to enter the store.  This is a perfectly reasonable addition and most stores have on those same signs that this requirement will eventually be lifted.

Hibernation to Deal

So if you haven't heard, then you must have been hibernating.  Covid-19.  Coronavirus.  Pandemic.  It's sad, but we have a global crisis that is affecting people right now instead of trying to prevent the long-range effects of other global problems.  In a year when we look back at this, we'll likely be surprised at just how little we were prepared and how many cases there were before people realized that just a little common sense could have prevented some of them.  Not all of them, but those who are healthy to begin with and with all the issues with salmonella and the Ebola virus, you'd think people would have gotten the hint to take better personal hygiene measures.  I know there are people who likely think it wastes their time to wash their hands after using the restroom before returning to work or that because their pet is an indoor pet they don't need to wash their hands before eating, but guess what.  The circumstances DON'T MATTER!  It's just common sense to wash your hands after working in the garden, taking out the trash, using the restroom, or playing with your pets.  If you regularly deal with folks who are more susceptible to illness, you should be even more conscientious about it. 

But that's not what I wanted to talk about in this post.  We've learned more about the virus, though not as much as we maybe think we should have learned.  No, what I wanted to talk about was ways to stave off boredom if you have to stay at home 24/7.  I'm sure you can think of some, but you'll likely get on the family's nerves if you're someone who needs social interaction.  To that, all I can say is that the internet is your friend.  It may not be skin to skin or in the type of interaction you feel you need, but as little as 20 years ago, this wouldn't have been possible.  In fact, I know that the introverts would be beyond ready to strangle the extrovert by the end of the first day - try being grounded with your more extroverted siblings.  Trust me if I wasn't wearing myself out trying to fit in with the extroverts, I was trying not to physically attack them, partly because I knew I'd lose!  For many introverts, this is a dream come true.  Forced isolation with limited outside interaction.  For some, it's a way to recharge the social batteries without stepping on anyone's feelings of rejection.

So, catch up on shows that you've been putting off.  Read books or fanfiction that interests you.  Write those stories or poems or songs that keep running through your head.  Get back to the gaming that you were forced to stop because you had to work.  Stop putting off those DIY projects that you keep putting off because you're too tired.  Clean up your garden.  I could probably keep listing things off.  If you have Mistplay, Coin Pop, or another app that earns you money by playing other games, take advantage of them while you might be stuck at home.  Put together some new music videos or parodies.  You'll get some views just because it's something different.  Use up the items you've been freezing but forgetting to thaw. 

But as I mentioned, I'm sure you're already finding these things out for yourself.  Dusting off the board games and pulling out cards to play some Solitaire, Crazy Eights, Monopoly, etc.  I hope you aren't forgetting to keep an eye out for others who might need some encouragement through these times.  I'm not really talking to those who were hardcore gamers before this happened since most of them were likely aware of how to keep themselves occupied even if they happen to be extroverts; the same is true of the bookworms and authors out there.  So remember in these times there are plenty of ways to reach out if you need to.  Also, try to keep yourself safe and healthy!

3D Printing

I know, I had meant for this to be a post about the Descendants trilogy from Disney, but like I mentioned last weekend, my husband got a new toy - 3D printer.  It's actually pretty neat and eventually, I'll do a post using his permission to post pics of some of the completed pieces and possibly of the printer in work and the different stages of work that have gone in to what's been printed - mostly figurines.  We plan to paint them as well, so there's that.

Trust me, if you get a 3D printer it won't be easy going.  You'll have to figure out what you can do based on the dimensions of your printer and if your printer works on the metric system or not.  You'll have to figure out how to set things to print for various set-ups.  Supports are needed for parts that "hang" such as archery bows or claws.  We've tried making a set of dice three or four times now, and only just figured out the supports and other bits that go into it - all my husband's doing, of course.  Before you even get to this point you have to decide either resin or filament.  We went with resin so if you decide to use a filament printer, what I'm about to mention likely won't matter much.

When it comes to resin printers, you have to decide on the base resin.  There are a rather large number of colors and durabilities to them.  We've decided to use a rather durable gray for most things with a slightly more durable transparent blue for dice at the very minimum.  Then we had to find everything necessary for a curing station set-up.  I won't get too much into that.  Suffice to say, it was neither cheap nor easy to find everything we needed and we started at Walmart and finished with orders on Amazon.

After we finally got the bulk of things figured out in regards to the actual printing, we looked into painting them.  We haven't started on that yet, but we went to Michaels yesterday to get some base supplies that will be used.  We researched and found that most apparently used an airbrush.  Neither my husband nor I wish to use one.  We've decided to hand paint.  So we bought some spray paint primer and finish for before and after painting the figurines and a 36 count box of Craftsman paints and a small box of hair paintbrushes (at the moment I can't remember what type of hair they were) to get us started.  We will likely get most of our supplies there.

If you do decide to get into 3D printing, be aware to start with a large figure.  Work your way down to learn the system and its idiosyncrasies.  We got advice from a co-worker who went through 3 bottles of resin because he started with the smaller figurines.  We only went through 2 and started by printing a tarrasque.  Our printer can't put it at its full size for the D&D mat, but we already printed off a figure and it's pretty decent.  Having figured out what our printer can handle, we've decided on some back-up ideas for the figures that we are likely to need for our campaigns.  Hopefully next weekend we'll have actually started to paint the figurines we've printed off!

Time Gets Away

Okay, so between my last post and this one, time has gotten away from me.  I am sorry.  It wasn't done on purpose, I promise.  I know a new year has started and we're already on the first weekend of February, but honestly, I just allowed things to get away from me.  There were a rather large number of holiday parties and we had car issues and our home furnace go out within only a couple of days of each other with the following weekend culminating in our oven's bottom coils no longer heating up.  The stove portion works just fine though.

Now, my husband has gotten a 3-D printer and as I type this he is delving into the rabbit hole of 3D printing designs so he can hopefully figure things out so we might actually cosplay at the 2020 Gateway Comic-Con.  What would we go as?  I haven't a clue so far, and we have so many other things to take care of that it's not exactly a priority at the moment.

Seeing as this is the first post of February 2020 (the first post of 2020, period) I guess I ought to give out the month's plan.  Obviously, this is the February 2nd post.  For next Sunday I hope to get a post about the Descendants trilogy and its musical numbers.  I know, it may not seem a big deal, but I have my thoughts on the musical numbers within that trilogy and the release of those pieces that I've been wanting to give.  Since my husband isn't into them at the moment (he doesn't even know what they are!) I figured this was the best option for getting my thoughts on them out there and perhaps getting some feedback about them!  Anyway, after that maybe I can do a Valentine's-based post since Valentine's Day is on a Friday?  Then for the last post of the year - the first Charmed episode rewatching (hopefully and finally!)

At least that's my hope for this month.  I cannot guarantee anything since there are innumerable other things that are going on and taking me away from my writing, but I promise I'm trying!  So until next week hopefully you had fun over the holidays and aren't swamped with things going wrong!