Making Masks

Hey, folks. How's everyone holding up?

Sorry about missing last week's update. I had actually written something to go up, but last week was a but of a Murphy Week for me: things just could not go right.

I won't get into every tiny thing that piled up on me two weeks ago, but I will say the swing that hit this blog was the one about technical devices and their "love" for me. The programs I was using were slow and laggy, or I couldn't find the command I wanted/needed to use, or the thing would just crash. Happened to me with Zoom and my Zumba classes too. My laptop just wasn't having a good week. It wasn't just the laptop though. It was like all electronics in my house went on strike against me last week. All little things, but happening frequently enough to be a bother. Things like the TV projecting sound but not video, or the other way around, even though the wires were all properly plugged in, and it only happened when we were watching cable. A simple "power cycle" - a term I recently learned and LOVE - usually fixed the problems. Even my CAR started acting up with the radio cluster blinking off and on, and once my car wouldn't even start unless I first lowered then raised the driver's window... Thankfully the car's dash told me that's what I needed to do, but still....

I'm guessing that qualifies as "essential" enough to warrant taking the car into the shop? The radio thing has been going on more-or-less for a year now (but the mechanics never seem to find an issue while doing diagnostics), but this new "car won't start" thing miiiiight be too much of a problem to wait for this pandemic to ease up.

Anyway, that's why I didn't post last week. My battling with electronics just drained me too much. It was about 1pm and I wasn't even done writing what I was working on because of all the technical issues, so I ended up just waving the white flag.

Trust me, it wasn't much of a loss.

As you could probably guess, I didn't do, like, ANY writing yet. Instead, about 80% of my waking hours has been dedicated to, you guessed it: Animal Crossing: New Horizons. At least I'm not alone in this, considering the game has become quite the phenomenon. It's even outsold Nintendo "Mascot Games" such as Mario and Legend of Zelda! I think it is currently the best-selling Nintendo game since people started keeping records of that sort of thing.

Anyway, I'm not here to try to sell you on AC:NH or a Switch. Odds are, by now you either already have both, or you're waiting for a Switch to become restocked so you CAN have one, or you have no intention of ever getting either. My point is that I'm still in the same old slump/routine as I have been lately, with a few minor tweaks.

One being that I have taken some breaks from AC:NH in order to watch some of my shows, watch more of OutsideXbox and Outside Xtra's videos, I've expanded into watching the personal channels of the Outside Xtra cast, and I've broken up my console video gaming with some House Flipper on my computer... when the thing is acting properly.

Another thing I did to get away from video games for a spell, help out myself and my husband, AND chew through far too much time because I'm apparently trash at all domestic activities, was make us a few reusable masks.

I have neither the space for nor the possession of a sewing machine, so I've been hand-stitching these fabric masks using the SIMPLEST instruction I could find online: cut two 10"x6" rectangles out of fabric too dense to see light through, stitch them together - 1/4" hem along the two long sides, and a 1/2"-thick sleeve along the two short sides - and thread ear loops through the sleeves. You're SUPPOSED to use elastics so it's more comfortable on your ears while keeping the fabric flush against your cheeks. There were no elastic strips left when I hit up Walmart about 3 weeks ago - and I've been trying to avoid Amazon as much as possible right now for... reasons... so I've been using shoelaces and old apron strings. Yay, scavenging!

The trick though, is that I am NOT an advanced sewer in the slightest, and so the most secure stitch I know is the back-stitch. Also, for whatever reason, if I have a length of thread about as long as my arm, so that I don't have to re-thread as frequently, it almost always knots up on itself somehow, and almost always in the middle. So I have to re-thread semi-frequently in order to go with shorter lengths of thread to avoid those knots. Also, my vision has been getting a touch blurry lately, probably due to screen strain, but maybe also because I haven't had an eye exam in over a year now, so my prescription has probably changed as well. Maybe because of that screen strain.... AND, on top of all of that, in both sewing and crocheting, I tend to stitch too tightly, and it scrunches everything, so I have to purposefully move slower to make sure everything is a touch looser and flat, unless it's supposed to curve. I also grip pens/pencils too tightly which is why I prefer to type over hand-write things.... I might have a fine-motor issue I don't know about.....

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AAAAAANYWAY.... Point is, add all of that together, and also add in that the instructions don't QUITE work for Hubby or myself, so each new mask I'm slightly tweaking the instructions and, well... each mask takes me HOURS to complete...

With all of that taken into consideration, perhaps it wasn't the most brilliant idea to start off my project with one of Hubby's custom-request masks....

So, here's the thing, as I mentioned above, about three weeks ago - a little less, but close enough - I hit up the local Walmart to gather materials to make reusable/washable/fabric masks because I didn't trust that the one Hubby's work gave him was as washable/reusable as they claimed. Plus, it's now state-mandated that I wear one while in public places where I cannot keep the social distancing of at least 6 feet. Places like the grocery store or the laundromat. Or... if I have to drop my car off with the mechanic....

I bought a few of those square-scraps of fabric Walmart's crafting section sells for like 97-cents each. I couldn't unwrap them quite enough to see how thick they were, but they seemed like fairly thin fabric, so I specifically bought two blue and two black - one patterned and one solid as a backing - in hopes that it would be thick enough once doubled up. Also, as I said before, I grabbed shoelaces for like $2 per pair to use as my mask loops.

I got home. I opened up the fabric to cut them into the 10x6 rectangles. I held them up back-to-back to the light aaaaand.... You can still see the light shine through them. Not. Good.

You see, this light check is to see if the fabric is good for the protection you are aiming for. If the light penetrates through the fabric it means the fibers are too far apart and won't properly filter the air. Now, fabric in and of itself won't fully filter anything, but the thicker it is - without suffocating you - the better.

Now, Hubby's work gives them t-shirts to wear for the summer months since they're lighter than the polos normally used for the uniforms. Each shirt is specific to that summer with that summer's promotions. Why they don't make a generic Summer Shirt so the company doesn't have to constantly replenish everyone's uniforms each year is beyond me, but the end result is that Hubby has 2 shirts that he could no longer wear into work past last August, and since they are plastered with work promotions, he never wishes to wear them outside of work. Perfect. I can chop those up and use THOSE as the backings instead! EXCEPT.... in January we did a purge. We kept like two of those shirts to use as Cleaning Shirts - clothes we don't care if we ruin while we're scrubbing down the apartment - and then trashed the rest.

I was about to wave the white flag when I remembered, "WAIT A MINUTE! I have free access to discontinued upholstery fabric samples that are going to be junked anyway!" I think my coworkers had a similar thought, because there seemed to have been fewer discontinued samples in the store than I remember there being when we closed....

Anyway, that problem was solved, hooray!


The upholstery fabric was definitely thick enough to do the job, but the fabrics that were left were a bit too rough to wear directly onto your face, and I wasn't the biggest fan of most of the color options either, so... they became "filter layers" between the two cotton fabrics I bought from Walmart.

Still... I spent less than $10 on enough fabric and shoelaces to make at LEAST 2 masks for each of us, and the way I've been making them, I'm actually capable of getting to 3 or 4 masks for each of us. So each mask will cost around $1.50 to make. Not too shabby.

NuaNia
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by PRANEAT

Now, back to Hubby's custom mask....

While MOST of the fabric I swiped from work was too course to have pressed against our mouths and noses for hours on end, there was ONE fabric that was from my personal "I'm swiping this disco'd fabric to use for projects later" stash at work. It's super soft, and Hubby liked the color/pattern of it as well. So not only did he wish for it to be one of the sides of his mask for work, but he also wondered if I could make his mask reversible: the soft fabric on one side, which will usually be against his face, and the blue patterned cotton fabric from Walmart on the other side. That way, as long as both sides are clean from the mask being freshly washed, he could switch out which side he wants facing out: the heavier upholstery fabric to switch up the look and have a thinner fabric against his face, or to have the blue facing outward and have the thicker, warmer fabric against his face.

Seemed doable... until I went to actually construct the darn thing. Again, I am trash at sewing. I should have known better.

I couldn't use the simple instructions I found online, aside from using them as a base guide to know what to tweak about it. I then had to more-or-less re-invent the wheel as I figured out where to hem and how in order to still have the sleeves needed for the loops and whatnot. Also, originally we were using old apron strings for Hubby's reversible mask, and he was going to tie them behind his head and neck. So I started constructing the mask with those sleeves along the top and bottom 10" sides. I also struggled to NOT stitch the strings in place as I closed up the sleeves. That way Hubby can then scrunch up the hem to better angle around his chin and nose/under eyes. The amount of times I had to completely undo a hem because I did it wrong, or the line wasn't straight, or I stitched the sleeve before flipping the mask to be right-side-out, or I stitched the apron string to the mask so it wouldn't be able to pull like a draw-string bag.....

And the best part is... I don't have a seam ripper! Or, at least, I can't find mine! So every time I screwed up I'm sitting there with my scissors and a straight pin trying to pop open the seams and try again. It was a nightmare, but I pushed through it. It needed to be done, and I was getting a sense of accomplishment in being able to conquer this problem. I could do this. I could make the mask the way Hubby wished.

All of this, only for Hubby to pull an audible and want ear loops instead because he realized it would be annoying to constantly tie and untie his mask. I COULD have followed those internet instructions a bit more accurately instead of trying to sort things out myself....

Yona from Yona of the Dawn anime
Manga created by Mizuho Kusanagi

Reworking a few things again, but, thankfully, figuring out how to adjust what I had already done instead of starting from scratch AGAIN, I was able to complete his request.


In the end, while I quadruple checked with Hubby that everything fit correctly, turns out the ear loops are too long. Probably doesn't help that we tried all of the fittings BEFORE Hubby shaved off his lumberjack beard... So we now safety-pin part of the strings along the side seams. It keeps the ear loops secure and the correct length, and keeps the mask reversible like he wanted. Plus, aside from it being a TOUCH hot on the warmer days we get sporadically right now, it is very comfortable for him to wear for hours on end.

So... win?

We'll just ignore that all the starts-and-stops, the figuring things out as I went, and my already trash sewing ability meant it kept me roughly ELEVEN nearly-straight hours to finish Hubby's mask.... To be fair, I did stop to eat, take potty breaks, and to start/switch over laundry.


It's still holding together and holding strong, so there's that. What do you guys think? It was a pain to make, and I probably won't make another reversible one, but, in the end, I am proud of how this one turned out.

Next was making MY mask.

This go around I was able to use the  mask pattern that I had found online, so that made life easier. However, having a third "filter" layer wasn't part of the pattern, and I could NOT get the thing to stay in the center despite me straight pinning it! What gives!?

Yeah... I'm just THAT trash at sewing....

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Also, as I mentioned: Murphy Week

Anyway, between trying for FAR too long to get the middle layer to stay put before FINALLY getting it to work, and my incredibly slow pace at hand-stitching a back-stitch... this still kept me roughly 5hrs total between two days.

Hacker Girl
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by Birdman, Inc

Faster than ELEVEN-FRIGGEN-HOURS though, so... progress. I'm also happy with what I was able to accomplish. After a wash that "filter layer" did clump up to one side - I must not have caught the opposite side like I thought - so I have to re-stitch to keep it in place now that Hubby flattened it out again, but otherwise I think it works.

How do I look? It doesn't pinch under the chin quite as much as it probably should, and I'll have to figure that out as I keep going, but it should at least slow things, right?

My second attempt does seem to fit better, but, in making it so snug, I think I made the shoelace ear-loops a bit TOO small. Next attempt, I think, I'll have to try pleating the sides a touch to get the angling right without putting so much strain on those ear-loops. Especially since, for both masks, those shoelace ear-loops are a touch uncomfortable after wearing it grocery shopping for about an hour. However, once I have access to elastic it should be easy enough to cut the shoelaces off and replace. In the meantime though....

Tada!

Following the internet directions as-written meant I had those hemmed over, but still-fraying-against-my-face edges, as shown with my blue mask. To try to help with that, this feather mask I stitched inside-out - like Hubby's mask - so that it has a cleaner hem. I also hemmed the short sides before folding them over into the loop sleeves and stitching closed. so the end product is a lot cleaner than the blue one was.

I also thought to do a second hem along the top and bottom of the mask - which is why you see it - in order to better hold that upholstery middle layer in place. See? I'm improving each time! Still kept me about 5hrs to make though.... To be fair... I also did a lot MORE stitching this go, so... I'm getting faster too????

I also managed to make a second mask for Hubby so he can rotate through them. In fact, I created HIS second mask before the above feathered one because, ya know... priorities....

Anyway, you know those apron strings I used for his reversible mask? Well, as we were trying to figure out strings long enough to tie behind Hubby's head - back when that's what he wanted - we remembered that I still had an old work apron from when I was at that grocery store. It was mostly in tact, and I had saved it so Hubby could use it as a backup. However, the pockets were falling apart and had been restitched and safety-pinned in, like, five different places. On top of that, Hubby already received spare aprons from work, he didn't need mine.

At least... he didn't need mine... as an apron.

Like I said, aside from the pockets, the apron was still in good condition. So we chopped off the strings and the neck strap to use for Hubby's other mask(s). Then we realized the angling of the apron to fit under arms would actually work awesomely for faces as well!

Plus, Hubby loved the idea of wearing a mask that had the company's logo on it, ya know, just for flavor of it all.

This mask was fairly easy. Three of the sides were already hemmed, so I didn't have to worry about frayed edges. The fabric was also thicker, so just folding and doubling up the thickness would work, which meant I didn't have to worry too much about lining up the fabrics. Simple fold. The hardest part was cutting down the lower half of the apron to follow the curve of the upper portion, and then stitching through those already very dense corners at the top where the neck strap originally was. It was a fun and fairly easy project.

Even so... it ALSO kept me roughly five hours to make.

At least I'm consistent.

Hubby's co-workers got a kick out of the re-purposing of the old apron

I'm slowly - oh, so painfully slowly - improving upon the construction every time I make a new mask, so there's that. But dear LORD, WHY DO THEY HAVE TO TAKE ME SO LONG TO COMPLETE!?!?!

It's no wonder we each only have the two masks thus far. Still, I have the fabric and time to keep going, so I shall. And I'm getting farther and farther along in the game, so I might EVENTUALLY get to the point where all I really have is maintenance work on my island, and I can begin to step away from AC:NH a bit.

Heck, Hubby plowed through island beautification and hit that coveted 5-star rank earlier this past week.

Yes, Hubby's island is named An Island.
Makes me chuckle every time still. XD

Also, the owner of the store I work at called me up at the end of not last week, but the week before. Seems I'm being tapped to be the marketing manager or whatever. He's having me touch base with the marketing company that is rebuilding our company website from scratch, and then remain the liaison, as it were, between them and the store to make sure it stays up-to-date. I'm also now going to be in charge of the social media accounts: Facebook, Instagram, and starting up a Twitter account. I have no clue how to promote a furniture store on these social media outlets, so I've been researching other companies, and the like. So that's probably going to be eating up non-gaming time.

Sad to say, as much as I'm loving seeing my stories getting more and more love lately, I probably won't be writing much for a little while yet.

I DID promise you a chance to meet my other villagers and to hear about my cheesy character shipping though. So, if I can get myself motivated and my computer to behave itself, I might do a few extra New Horizons themed posts throughout this week. It will be fun and stupid, and hopefully both brighten your day with my dorkiness, as well as make up for me skipping last week's update.

In the meantime, though - she's going to hate me for doing this, but screw it - can we all wish my mom a happy birthday? She hit the big 6-0 this past week.

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We're all doing well, and she hasn't murdered my sister - who still lives with her - yet, so I think we're off to a great start of the next decade of her life. Happy birthday, Mom. Please don't kill me for celebrating it.

Ya-Ya
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by Birdman, Inc

One of my aunts also had her birthday this past week, so a happy birthday to her as well.

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Finally, today is Taurus Pixie's birthday!

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We'll have to see if I can hop on AC:NH while she's also on so we can have a birthday party.

Maybe it will make up for the fact that I didn't write her a birthday gift this year....


And to the rest of you, please stay safe. Stay healthy. Try to help each other out the best you can. Try to maintain social distancing when possible. Be mindful of your mental health as well. And just take care.

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And Now For Something Completely Different

Happy Easter! And Happy Passover!

My AC:NH avatar with Zipper T. Bunny in the background for Bunny Day

I'm sure by now you know that this has somehow devolved into an Animal Crossing: New Horizons blog. I do take breaks from the game, I promise I do. However, those breaks are usually to watch TV shows that had enough pre-recorded material that they're still airing new episodes. Or to do chores. Or to Zumba. Or to watch more gaming streams or list videos on YouTube. Or to play House Flipper. Those breaks definitely have not been to work on my writing.

So much for April Camp NaNo...

I haven't even read anything despite the latest chapter of When Duty and Desire Meet by midnightstarlightwrites and EdenDaphne posting Sunday evening. To be fair though, Hubby was home that whole time - he had Easter afternoon/evening and then yesterday off - so I was spending time with him. Then I worked on this blog post this morning. Maybe I'll get to it during my AC:NH break later today. I also need to watch the latest episode of season 2 of Fruits Basket.

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Since I haven't really done anything other than play this game and try to stay healthy and away from people, I figured I'd use this week to show off my island a bit. This is my first time playing any games in the Animal Crossing franchise, and I have more time than I normally would to dedicate to this game, so come jump down the rabbit hole with me.

Or use this as your ripcord to get out now. Maybe I'll actually have something for you next week.

So, to start off, might as well show the evolution of my house in-game. I keep getting S-Rank on my weekly evaluations, so I'm kinda proud of it. Still not a house that explicitly says "me" like a lot of my friends have, but it's still cozy and I'm enjoying my slow shifting of new items to see what I like best and where. I have rearranged a little bit more since I took these screencaps, but you'll get the idea.

First, the game starts you off on an otherwise deserted island with Tom Nook and his... sons? Nephews? Random boys that happen to be the same species and have the same last name? What are Timmy and Tommy Nook? They call him Mr. Nook, so....??? Anyway, you're on this island with the Nooks and two others who also took the racoons/tanukis up on their "island paradise" offer. You're then tasked to make yourself at home on the island and slowly build it up into a village worthy of the popstar K.K. Slider showing up for performances. That's it. That's basically the game plot. Hubby has already hit that main goal, so now he's working on the "post-game" goal of a 5-star island rating and S-Rating on his house. Also, just to make the island exactly how he wants it.

And then, knowing him, he'll consider the game completed and never touch it again.


Anyway, this was my character the first night, in my widdle tent.

As I mentioned in past blog entries here, I started up the game fairly late that first night. Plus, you couldn't really do much until more things were established. I probably spent most of Day 2 in-game giving Tom Nook species samples to send to Blathers to entice him to build a museum, and finding ways to earn up the new additional in-game currency of Nook Miles. They're like Frequent Flier Miles that can be used to purchase things "off-island" in-game. The normal Animal Crossing currency of Bells is used for all other purchases. Anyway, the cost of you flying to this island and getting your starter kit of a tent and NookPhone (and other such expenses) gets paid off with those Nook Miles. It was fairly easy to do given the Nook Miles are like your Gamer Score for doing different activities, except you can spend them and have to rebuild your stockpile.

Point being, by the third day my character woke up to a house where her tent used to be!

Cute little cottage. It also comes with in-house storage, so I finally had somewhere to put my excess inventory that wouldn't fit in my character's pockets. Hence the messy front lawn... It was fun to build things my character learned how to craft in order to make the house look more like a home. I was also excited to use the dresser and standing mirror to change up my character's look a bit. I never once looked back, and I change her up multiple times a day! I also almost always have her dressed, and her hair done, to appear as close as possible to how I actually look that day.

Now that I'm a home owner, Tom Nook only accepts Bells to pay off my mortgage, and it doubles in cost (or just about doubles) each time I expand my home. You also can't expand until you've paid off the previous loan. It takes me a bit because I do more Nook Miles tasks - I have a TON of them stockpiled - than selling things for Bells. Hubby, on the other hand, is the exact opposite, sometimes struggling to build up enough Nook Miles to travel to one of the Mystery Islands. There's a reason he's already in the Post-Game content. Honestly, if he didn't have to wait until the literal next morning for his builds to be done and for a new villager to move in, he probably would have completed the whole Main-Plot game in about 3 or 4 days instead of 16.

Me, on the other hand? As I said, I'm kind of taking it slow. Really exploring and interacting with my villagers and rarely taking trips off-island, even with regards to visiting Hubby or my other friends' islands.

So it kept me until the morning of Day 5 for my first expansion: a literal expansion to a larger one-room home.

Shifted things around a touch, put more things in my expanded storage, and put up new wallpaper and flooring. I actually found that yellow wallpaper in the game's recycling bin, a place where villagers can dump items they don't want anymore. If you're a solo player then it randomly generates stuff that the animal villagers "didn't want" and it's usually stuff like cardboard boxes and rusted parts. However, on occasion you'll find a gem, and this was mine. It was in my Nook's Cranny - the game's general store - about a week later for 1880 bells, so... yay!

In my usual pattern of taking 2 days to build up my funds, the morning of Day 7 had me waking up to my newest extension: a back room I quickly turned into my character's bedroom.

I moved the flooring and wallpaper - and most of what I had in that first room - into the back for a bedroom, and then had fun rearranging the main room into an open-layout kitchen/dining/living room.

Also, yes, I even take down my character's hair and put her in PJs and slippers before going to bed most nights. What of it?

It's only slightly awkward since you start each game outside your house instead of inside of it, but whatever. I still like the aesthetic of it. Also gives me a blank slate until I can change her into what I'm wearing and how I'm wearing my hair that day.

Anyway, it kept a bit after that expansion for me to have the funds to expand again; considering that back room expansion was on April 3rd. I forgot to note when it actually happened, but I think it was something like April 7th that I got my first side room, which I turned into an actual kitchen.

Still trying to figure out what to do with the room, but I think it's kinda cozy right now. Also... random washing machine in the kitchen.... Oh, and side note, why on earth did the developers of this game have it programmed that you can use the refrigerator to get changed???? Why are my character's clothes in the fridge?

It kept another few days to earn the Bells I needed again to pay off the expansion and request another one. I did get my final side room on Saturday though. Now to save up for an upstairs room and basement....

Much like with my real-life apartment, this room is intended to be a den/writing room/library, but is currently my dumping ground for things I want to keep but won't fit in my storage.

This game is hitting too close to home, man! I wonder if I can convince my mom to buy the system and game so she can have her character come over and help me de-clutter in-game as well.

Yeah... probably not....

Also, since I used my LycoRogue handle in-game as well - because, ya know, online play and whatnot - I'm definitely trying to aim for my blue and yellow color scheme. Could you tell?

Well, now that you're caught up on my house, how about you meet some of my villagers?

I'll admit, when I first arrived and met Biff the Hippo and Fuchsia the Deer I wanted to hit the reset button. I was not a fan. Biff is the Jock personality, so he was a major lunk-head with the "I lift things up and put them down" Planet Fitness commercial vibes.

This is basically Biff. Hubby had a Jock character as well, and his was Tank the Rhino. Basically just a reskinned Biff (or is Biff a reskinned Tank?).

Spoiler Alert: Biff and Tank are actually lovable dorks and Biff quickly became my favorite villager. I interact with him so much he was the one who taught my character reactions, and he's CONSTANTLY sprinting towards me to chat. I love him!

I mean, look at this dork!

Biff trying to be tactful when I talked to him after getting stung by wasps.

I caught Biff passed out against his wall one night. He had tuckered himself out by exercising and just fell asleep there. Poor glorious dork! The second I caught him he cracked open a soda and pretended nothing happened. But he constantly passes out from exercise exhaustion....

Precious babe.

And Biff had to add to Zipper T. Bunny's complex by also implying the Bunny Day mascot was actually someone in a yellow bunny costume due to the large zipper down his back. I mean, I feel ya, Biff. Also, he didn't seem impressed in my outfit in that first shot.

HE WAS INSPIRED TO CREATE A LEAF TO CHEW ON WHILE OUT FOR A JOG, AND LOOK AT HOW PROUD OF HIMSELF HE LOOKS!!!!?? PRECIOUS! MUST PROTECT! 

Also, I didn't realize how much I gifted to Biff until I noticed how much of his house is made up my presents. He's wearing the new shirt I got him - the dumbbell one - he has up the speedbag I gave him - which ended up replacing the pull-up bars that were the first gift I gave him - and he has the golden exercise ball and common bluebottle butterfly I gave him.

I actually gave that butterfly to all five villagers I have. They all have them as pets.

Out of the 9 reactions/emotes I know, Biff taught me over half of them: learning reactions unlocks the first 4, then I got 3 more from him. Although, perhaps someone should explain the coronavirus crisis to him.... especially because he sneezed on me to teach me that reaction....


I did start dressing my character with a facial mask after that though, just to be smart and topical.

To be fair to Biff though, it's not like Hubby and I practice social distancing despite living on separate islands....

Meh. At least I'm wearing the mask, right? 

Wow, actually, chatting about my house and Biff took up a LOT more space than I thought it would. Silly pictures. So I'm going to stop there. Next week I'll introduce everyone to my other villagers, because I really don't foresee me writing anything anytime soon. However, I HAVE been coming up with Ships for my villagers.

So there IS some storytelling that way... and I'll go into more of that next time.

Thanks for indulging me. Take care, friends.

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Life in Isolation

Hey, folks. How's everyone holding up? Have you been doing your part to Social Distance (although, I do prefer one governor calling it Physical Distancing because we can still be social in other ways)? Have you done your best to try to slow the spread this week?

It's in my normal Bitmoji style instead of my LycoRogue persona, but I have this as my current Facebook cover picture. Felt fitting to share it here too.

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Banner edited together by LycoRogue

I truly hope you are all doing well. How are you de-stressing in this time of crisis?

Me? Well... it's still not writing. Sorry about that, everyone. Guess Camp NaNo hasn't really helped motivate me after all.

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I've been using this analogy all week, so I might as well use it here too. I'm like a puppy with too many toys spread out on the floor. There's just so much I want to do and play with, and I currently have seemingly unlimited time to enjoy myself. I get so overwhelmed with what I should attack first that I end up not doing.... anything... really.

I've been waiting for this opportunity for years. Time to watch all of those shows on my queue; I have about 60 items in my Watch List on Netflix, another 15 or so animes on Crunchyroll, and one or two shows on Amazon Prime, AND I would love to re-watch some movies/shows I haven't seen in a while. There's also the, like, A FULL MONTH'S WORTH of Critical Role on YouTube that Hubby and I can FINALLY start watching. I have time to clean my home! I can re-organize the pantry again, and sort though the dishes/utensils/containers/pots and pans/etc to figure out what should stay in the kitchen and what should be tossed/passed along to someone else. I can sift through the MOUND of "organize later" boxes I have on our closed-in back porch. I can finally attack the no-man's-land that is my spare room; formerly the library, now my Catch-All space when I need to "quick clean" so people can find a place to sit. I can reorganize Hubby's like 100-some tabletop/board/card games that is just this precarious tower on a sofa table in our living room. I can sift through mine and Hubby's clothes as I switch from cold-weather to warm-weather clothes. I can frame and hang wall art. I can organize my computer; empty out files I don't use all the time onto externals, check my backups and re-organize them, etc. I can update this blog! I haven't touched that Aspiring Writers tab in years. I could start transferring the old X-Future posts to the new forum that Hubby set up, or at least find a way to archive them and write SHORT recaps of what happened so everyone is on the same page. I can finally set up the HDMI splitter Hubby bought me last year so we can set up more consoles for the TV, allowing me to still play things on our WiiU or bring out his SNES or Gamecube. I can FINALLY do a craft I had on the back burner for 2 years even though I have all the items I need for it. I could get started on crocheting Christmas gifts, because I KNOW I'll forget to do so until about November or so and then not get any done by Christmas. I could read the book I've had since the fall and haven't picked up yet. Alternatively, I could read the hundreds of fanfics I have on my To Read list, and/or are pouring into the fandom daily. Heck, I could even use the time to finally get into the longer works of fiction that Taurus Pixie has but I haven't previously had the time to tackle yet. Of course, I could try to write my OWN fanfiction - be it finishing the Fluff Week stories, FINALLY finishing One and the Same, working on When Love Matters to help fill the void between seasons, or something completely different - or I could work on my original works - such as finishing world building for Gyateara or Glitches, or finishing Jolene's story Lost Loves and Paramores, or see if I can evolve Blame Fate for This into a more complete novel idea - or even just do more of my Meet My OCs write-ups for Tumblr. I also have TONS of video games I haven't played/completed yet, including a small handful of Legend of Zelda games despite it being my favorite game franchise. Yes, Breath of the Wild is on the list of LoZ games I haven't even started!!!! I could even just stalk Tumblr and Discord in order to fully immerse myself in the fandom, replying and reblogging all the time, and adding my own theories and other content. Really get my name SEEN within the fandom in order to better help build my base.

That's not even my full list, but you get the idea. I don't really get people who are already bored and stir-crazy. Like... I've got my retirement all set already. There is ALWAYS something more to do. Another task, another project, another activity, and more keep getting released as well.

Instead, I'm that poor puppy with an entire basket of toys out and I just nibble on each of them without ever fully taking the time to play and enjoy one. Can someone get situational ADHD?

I have only done the most basic of cleaning to keep us healthy, and I did organize ONE cupboard...

Hubby and I have gone through THREE of the shows on the list: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the latest season of HunterxHunter on Netflix, and the 2nd season of Altered Carbon. Later today I'm going to track down the premiere of season 2 of Fruits Basket on Crunchyroll. I'm also keeping up-to-date with the gaming livestreams and listicles by OutsideXbox and Outside Xtra, and animated video uploads by Overly Sarcastic Productions, all on YouTube.

I haven't read a single thing since I stopped working. Same with crafts. I just don't have the motivation/energy to get started.

I've barely touched social media outside of Facebook, and that's largely to just keep track of what's going on with my relatives and IRL friends. It's not even because of a flood of depressing COVID-19 news on those sites. It's because nearly everyone is home and EVERYONE is on Tumblr and Discord now, and if I'm not just planted in my seat, I cannot keep up. And if I try to catch up on what I've missed, I end up sitting there for HOURS. Meanwhile, that little ticker of new posts climbs up to double-digits that tend to hover around the 30s or so. I just can't. So if you've posted something the past month that you think I'd enjoy, please go back and tag me so I can see it. I'm literally just jumping on Tumblr long enough to see if I'm tagged in anything and if my posts are reblogged, then off again I run. Same with the Discord server I was invited to. I have alerts set up for the introductions thread for new members, and if I'm ever tagged in a comment.

Even the video games thing. I started off with trying to go further in Super Mario Odyssey, but since Hubby bought me my own Switch my video gaming life has more-or-less circled around Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Even so, I'm not on THAT nearly as much as I thought/feared. There's even been a day or two where I noticed it was past 10pm and I went "Whoops. I didn't do nearly everything I meant to today. Guess most of these tasks aren't getting finished...."

There was a Steam sale this past weekend for one of the games OutsideXbox showcased on a gaming stream, so I ended up picking up House Flipper. It's a chill and relaxing game. It's so weird, having a list of tasks/chores is fun for me in games like Animal Crossing and House Flipper, but having one in real life is daunting and boring.... Maybe it's because I can't just wave a magical mop at the hard water stains in my tub and they'll disappear in 3 seconds... Or maybe because I don't get paid for weeding or redecorating my own place. If only Game Logic worked in the real world.

That being said, I think the games I'm playing mean I'm craving structure again. I've had my fun. This is Day 17 of not having to work. Originally, I was supposed to be going back to work either this week or next one. Now, who the heck knows when it will be safe to go back, but I'm quickly burning through oil with the silly mindset that I AM retired and have truly unlimited time to do everything I want.

So my task this week is to set up a firm time structure to create some semblance of normalcy again. Also, that way I know I have time for everything I want to accomplish, at least, in part. I'll know I have time to clean, separate time to organize and rearrange, time to play video games, time to play AC:NH specifically - usually with the Hubby - time to check on social media, time to watch shows/movies, time to watch YT videos, time to read, etc. And, most importantly, time to focus on writing again.

Watch, once I get into this new rhythm will be when work re-opens and it all falls apart again... But at least I'd have tried....

Speaking of trying to set up some normalcy again, I want to give a shout out to three people who all had birthdays on the 5th:

First of all, here's to an...er... eventful?... big 5-0 to my one aunt.

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Thankfully, she and the whole family are well and safe. What a way to "celebrate" though, huh? At least she was able to get her surprise party at the end of February, before everything hit hard. Plus, her kids are still all living at home, so she had family to celebrate with her on Sunday as well.

Another Happy Birthday to one of my IRL friends CelestialTyrant, whom I got to reconnect with a bit more last night as he showed off his and his wife's joint island on AC:NH

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He and his wife also seem to be in good health and equally good spirits. I hope we can chat a bit more, especially with us being able to play Animal Crossing together. I'm telling you guys, this game is a godsend for extroverts. I think I've socialized MORE, and with more people ever, since I got this game. I'm hanging out with people nearly daily!

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Last, but certainly not least, a happy 7th birthday to my niece!

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She had a mermaid-themed birthday with her parents and brother, but Bitmoji doesn't have any mermaid images, so we'll go with the equally magical unicorn. Just like everyone else, my sister-in-law and her clan are all in good health, and the kids certainly are still in high spirits even though they haven't left their secluded property in the mountains since mid-March. That's right, they aren't even brought off-property to go to the grocery store or visit their cousins one house - and about an acre - over. That's because my in-laws know how to Social Distance. So round of applause to them!

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I'm glad that, even with circumstances being what they are, and my social butterfly of a niece being denied a party outside of immediate family, she still seemed to enjoy herself and love the love she was showered with all day regardless. Also, while not quite the Zoom Invader we've been warned about for Zumba, my nephew did "infiltrate" our session by poking his head in while his mom was exercising. So it was fun to see him also in a good mood, chocolate-covered face and all.

I hope all of you are equally in good spirits, and if not, I hope this blog helped you out a bit more. If you're like me, know it's okay to be a lump at home during this crisis.

• If you're a Creative, it's okay to not be creative right now. You don't owe anyone any new stories, or artwork, or crafted projects, or videos, or music, or any other form of creativity right now simply because you have "free time" to do them.
• If your house is disorganized, but it's clean in a hygienic sense, that's fine. Who's coming over to see it now anyway? If it's more stress to organize it than to sit among it, then just take a time-out. You don't have to organize simply because you "have time" now. However, if the chaos is stressing you out more, please try to find time to organize to the point where you're less stressed.
• If social media is overwhelming you for any reason, you don't have to stay on it. Find other ways of letting people know you're still alright, and let everything else wash away. There was content you missed before you joined, and you were alright with that, right? Once you feel comfortable to re-join social media just pretend it is your first day on the site and forget about all the content you missed. And, just like with the Creatives, you do not owe anyone more content on your end. If you don't feel like adding content your followers will find it elsewhere. If you lose people because of that decision, then it's their loss.
• If you don't feel like watching anything, or you want to watch something that isn't already on your list, that's fine. Maybe you need a change of pace now that the world is different. You don't HAVE to attack that To Watch list now that you have the time to do so. Your current attitude is different, so why shouldn't your entertainment tastes not also change?
• Same goes for reading. If you can't concentrate long enough to absorb the written word (first of all, sorry about these posts then), and/or the stuff on your To Read list isn't the style/theme/mood you want to consume right now that's fine. I love Pixie, but one of her longer stories that I still need to read is a realistic depiction of depression, and I also think PTSD???? NOT something I really want to touch right now when all I want is to lighten the emotional weight on my shoulders.
• If everyone else is telling you that you HAVE to join the AC:NH wave and/or play Doom Eternal or jump on the Final Fantasy VII Remake train, but you don't feel like playing any of those games, or even games in general, that's fine too. 

The take away here should be that, during this time of crisis, social distancing, and quarantines, you are not obligated to do anything you don't wish to do, as long as it isn't effecting others. So, as long as you aren't potentially contaminating others - remember, COVID-19 can be transmitted asymptomaticly - and you're not hoarding products that others also need, and you're not spreading misinformation about the disease, then you're good. You are not obligated to do anything else.

Except maybe changing your underwear... Make sure you're still doing that.


Take care, Friends. To try to leave you in a better mood, I'll send you off with yet another serene sky-gazing shot from my game of Animal Crossing. Man, I love taking these pictures....

Star gazing from my bamboo forest on Ghetta Way