Currently August Pandemic Edition

The Currently Project is a super old blogging series in which bloggers would share what media they’re consuming, what projects they’re working on and what they’re into at the moment.

Watching:

Strangers playing video games. I’ve found Twitch is very good for background noise.  I’m also watching Critical Role now that is back in production, and when I need to laugh until my body hurts, I rewatch the first season of Narrative Telephone.

Reading:

I’ve honestly had a hard time focusing on anything long enough to read. I’ve been reading the Followers by Megan Angelo for the last four months. 

But! I’ve recently picked up Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer and I highly recommend it!

Kidding. It is a complete mess. But I am reading it for a good cause. For Snark Squad! Mari got the band back together for the very special occasion of Meyer republishing the same story a 3rd time! This time from the perspective of the abuser. We’re just getting started, so feel free to check out our recaps over on the Snark Squad blog.

Listening:

Sorry, but I am complete trash for Taylor Swift’s folklore. I feel those songs in my bones. 

I’m also listening to the Arkells’ latest tunes on repeat: People’s Champ, Years in the Making and Quitting You. I’m only listening to music that makes me feel all the feelings, apparently.

Creating: 

To cope with the global pandemic, like many others, I have taken up a new hobby. Sobbing into my tea or wine, while burrito-ing in my sherpa fleece blanket. While listening to folklore.

I’m kidding. I’ve been doing that for years. But I have taken up painting. I’ve wanted to try it out for a while, but I had zero confidence in my ability. But the pandemic has done some weird things to me and I decided to stop listening to the voice telling me I couldn’t. I found an artist on YouTube that had some really great tutorials. I’d highly recommend Emily Mackey’s YouTube channel. It’s so peaceful.

Planning:

I’m planning to enjoy the rest of my vacation and then slowly prepare myself to go back to work. I’m actively avoiding thinking about it right now, because returning to my physical office after working from home since March 13th is panic-inducing for many reasons. It feels like a waste of the past four-five months of social distancing, of being in lockdown, of having social bubbles when we’re going back to everything as normal, when we’re still in the middle of a global pandemic. lol, yolo, I guess.

Loving:

What I’m loving right now is all the things I’m using to distract myself from all of the garbage going on out there in the world. So in no particular order: FaceTiming with my niece and friends, watching the birds at my bird feeder, the feeling of the sun warming my skin, painting, playing Animal Crossing, getting my house ready sell.

What are you up to these days?

Currently: Autumn Edition

For the month of November, I am participating in #NaBloPoMo2019 (National Blog Posting Month). My goal for this year’s challenge is to post 10x in the month of November. This is post 3/10.

It’s not too late to join in the Nablopomo fun! Set your own goal for the month, post away and share using the hashtag #Nablopomo2019 so other people can find your posts.

The Currently Project is a super old blogging series in which bloggers would share what media they’re consuming, what projects they may be working on and what they’re into at the moment. As this year’s unofficial Nablopomo theme seems to be the resurrection of blogging, I thought I would bring back this series. Here’s

Watching:

I’ve turned into one of those millennials that doesn’t really watch live TV anymore. #Sorrynotsorry

I’m obsessed with Critical Role, a web series where a bunch of nerdy ass voice actors playing Dungeons and Dragons. I have been watching campaign 2 and I’m all caught up, so I watch their streams every week. We’ve also been watching the other content on their YouTube and Twitch channel: Travis Willingham’s Game Ranch, Pub Draw and the mini series Undeadwood. Undeadwood is so, so good.

Outside of that, we watch a lot of Taliesin & Evitel’s Twitch streams. And of course, it’s basketball season so I’ve been watching my WORLD CHAMPIONS play.

Reading:

I just finished Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane. It was a pretty good read, but it was a lot darker than I was anticipating.

I’m now reading These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling, a YA novel set in modern day Salem about Hannah, a teenage witch who is trying to keep her magic hidden from ‘regs’ and hide from her ex-girlfriend. When an apparent Blood Witch pops up in town, Hannah finds her summer is turning out to be a lot more complicated and dangerous than she was anticipating. So far, this has been a really fun read and it is the 37th book I’ve read so far this year.

You can find me on Goodreads, if you’re into that sort of thing!

Listening:

I mentioned that I have been watching a lot of Taliesin & Evitel’s Twitch stream and their stream is what introduced me to my newest favourite artist, Sigrid. Her music is all over their stream playlist, so I’ve had a bunch of her songs on my list.

Making:

I’ve been working on some new sticker designs and digitizing old pen and paper designs using my iPad and Procreate. The hardest part is remembering to charge my iPad and Apple pencil…

Planning:

I’ve been planning post ideas so I can actually finish Nablopomo this year! Not having prompts is often the hardest part of these challenges, but I am determined to finish this.

Loving:

Starbuck’s Honey Citrus Mint Teas, the Procreate App, drawing on my iPad Pro, Inkbox, time with my nieces, Autumn colours, sweater weather.

What have you been watching/reading/listening to/making/planning and loving this autumn?

I was gonna be a drummer in a metal band

I swore I was going to be a drummer in a metal band someday. It looks like a lot of fun. You get to sit in back of the band and rock out. You sit on a stool while you play, so you don’t risk falling over while you’re doing all that head-banging. Plus, I’m already a percussionist. (Pianists are percussionists, so let me stop you right there).

But as with a lot of crazy dreams, real life took over and it just wasn’t in the cards. It’s hard to dedicate your time to becoming a drummer in a metal band when you’ve got to work a 9-5 job to pay off your crippling student debt, make time for your friends and family, while killing mayonnaise, department stores, fabric softener, marriage, sex and bar soap like a good elder millennial.

I’d had almost forgotten about this dream. Until tonight! My partner and I were scrolling through YouTube (Oops, cable TV is also something we millennials have killed, sorry!) and stumbled across a metal cover of Toto’s Africa. And we couldn’t not watch it. I mean. Toto. Metal. Cover.

As it turns out, Leo Moracchioli‘s Frog Leap Studios has hundreds of metal covers on his YouTube channel. And he covers all kinds of tunes. We may or may not have been listening to these covers for hours now. Some of my favourites so far have been:

Let It Go

Ghostbusters Theme

 

Losing My Religion

It’s A Hark-Knock Life

Shape of You

Mmmbop

(Don’t Fear) The Reaper

Mamma Mia

Call Me Maybe

Baby Shark

So a list of ten may seem like a lot, but I was honestly restraining myself here. I didn’t post his Rick Astley cover. Or his Ace of Base Cover. Or his cover of the theme song of the Fresh Prince of Bell-Air.

Check out his channel and then tell me he hasn’t made you want to be a drummer in a metal band.

 

 

This month I’m participating in NaBloPoMo. Want to join us? Then visit my friend San’s post to link up!