Embracing my Inner Karen

Ok, brace yourself.

I’ve got some SERIOUS fan girl flailing to do.

Ok, so I read a book on Tuesday, Witch of the Wolves, and was FURIOUS because it ripped off sooooooooo many things from Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, and Kelley Armstrong is one of my absolute FAVORITE authors. So I’m talking, I was HELLA heated.

So, when I got home, I emailed Kelley Armstrong about it, saying if she hasn't read it, she should. And then gave her like 8 bullet points of the biggest rip offs I came across.  Yes, I went full Karen here.  ::laughs::

Well, SHE emailed me back.

And said, it was her writing, just under a pen name. And it's a Victorian spin off of the Otherworld series.

She was expecting people to figure it out once the book was published, but I was the first person to email her since the book was released, 3 months ago.

She apologized for it making me feel like someone was taking advantage of her work. And then said, since you are the first person to reach out to me, you deserve a prize. Any one of her books, she'll sign and send to me.

::alllllll the fan girl flailing::

So yeah, I was flailing soooooo fucking hard about it.  So I’ve requested a copy of the Witch of the Wolves to be my signed book.  I thought about going with one of the Otherworld series books, but realized, it makes for a better story, if I got the book that made me contact Kelley Armstrong in the first place, as my autographed book.

Expect more fan girl flailing to occur when said book arrives and it is in my hands.

Day 1

So here we are, in 2026. Gotta do the traditional “Word” and “Spirit” of the year entry.

Word: Assess
verb
1. to judge the worth, importance, etc, of; evaluate

I’ve been doing quite a bit of assessing various things in my life here recently. Somehow, I picked up various lil “rules” on how things SHOULD be done, and when I can’t meet that stupid standards, I would tear myself apart.

But here’s the kicker....I’m the only one enforcing said “rules”. And they are fucking stupid. So, I’m really looking hard at things I “suck” at, and seeing what I can do to make them easier for me to get done. It doesn’t have to all get done at once.

I’m neurodivergent. I’m just now realizing how much I don’t function in a purely neurotypical world. So it’s time to adjust MY world to better suit me.

Spirit: Black Leopard
- harness your inner power
- can represent courage, beauty, grace, protection, femininity, death, rebirth, cunningness, viciousness, reclamation of power, and ability to know the dark
- need to be more flexible
- teaches grace in silence
- evaluate when to speak up and when to sit with silence
- embrace your passions
- helps you to understand your inner powers often hidden without in the dark
- encourages you to use that power to remove any fears you have of the unknown
- have courage when you need to stand alone, or whenever you feel alone
- helps you discover your personal truth
- represents hidden pleasures
- you are ready to face the darkness that has been holding you back

This year’s Spirit chose me in a very potent dream.
Let’s see what 2026 has in store.

Don't Punish

Don't punish the behavior you want to see.

If someone is making serious strides in something....don't shit all over it because it isn't up to your standards.

Nothing is more demoralizing that putting in that effort...only to have someone be all "eh" about it. 

Because, why would they want to continue putting in the effort?

Cougar Puberty

I saw someone refer to perimenopause as “cougar puberty” and laughed so hard.

Seriously, if reincarnation is real and I had a choice?  I definitely would NOT come back as female.  All these various puberty things suck so much ass.

All of that to say, Hi.  I’m going hella feral.  Consider this you only warning.  ::chuckles::

Mood’s been all over the place today.  Doesn’t help that it’s friggin 30 degrees here in TX at the moment, and my brain meats are definitely making their displeasure at the deep temperature drop KNOWN.

In less dramatic topics, I’ve got my birthday goals set AND re-did my 101 goals in 1001 days.  And I’m pledging right now to adhere to said goal lists and not just toss them and completely rewrite them nine hundred times (like I’ve done ALL year).  Wish me luck!

Fun.....for me

The MOST FABULOUS interaction I had today at PetsMart when I stopped in to purchase mice for Leviathan (my 19 year old corn snake)

So I get up to the counter with my box of frozen mice.
Lady: Oh, so do you have a snake?
Me: Naw. These are better than shrimp on the bbq.
I swear to god, her brain straight up Blue Screened.
Me: I’m kidding. I’m kidding! I know it says NoT fOr HuMaN cOnSuMpTiOn.
Her: Wait, WHAT?
Me: Yeah, it’s not even the first thing listed!
Her (horrified) : Wait…what IS the first thing listed???
Me: Do not microwave.
Her horror increases: Why?
Me: Oh they explode
Her 😳
Me: But yeah, to circle back to your question....yes I do have a snake.

Culling of the Inks Continues

Nearing the end of the Ink Saga.  I just have 9 or so left to do and I’ve swatched ALL the inks I currently have.  And I think I’ve passed 45+ inks on to Alfredo – good mix of samples and then smaller bottles from the Diamine Inkvent & Colorverse Colorvent 2024. 

Speaking of which, I think my 2025 Diamine Inkvent should be arriving soon.  And I’ve ordered the 2025 Colorverse Colorvent.  So yeah, something like 50 bottles of ink between them.

My LONG awaited pen from Just Turnings in Australia is finally stateside.  It’s currently in Chicago, so hopefully, I’ll have that pen by the end of the week.

Other than that, I’ve got shit else to talk about.  ::chuckles::

INK

Ink, ink, and guess what?  MORE ink.  ::laughs::

I have decided (in my infinite wisdom) that I need to do a proper ink compendium of all my inks, based off color families.  Which is a great idea, honestly.  Keeps me from buying similar colors and all that jazz.

But that means, I’m going through my ENTIRE ink collection.  We’re talking a good 175 or so inks.  And some inks?  They are a mixture of two color families, so they get swatched in both sections.  Some are purple and blue.  Some are pinks and browns.  Etc., etc., etc.

Which, in all honesty, is a good thing.  It’ll help me use up some of the samples that I have the TINIEST bit left.  Will also allow me to stop and evaluate every ink as I swatch it.  Do I wish to keep the ink? Does it just need to be rinsed out of the sample vial (if only the tiniest amount remains)?  Or is there enough of the ink, that I can pass it on to Alfredo.  Thus getting it out of MY collection, and dumping it on him.  ::laughs::