Chit Chat and Recommendation Post: March 2024! (Patreon)

Hello, hello, Patrons! It's time for our monthly Chit Chat and Recommendation post: A lil space to update each other on what we've been doing lately and all the things we’ve enjoyed during the month!

Happy Easter to all those who celebrate, and a belated happy Spring equinox! 🐇💐 I can't believe March is already over and spring is here. It feels like January was a split second ago! I got to spend Easter with my nearest and dearest, and it's been lovely.

My March has been full, but in a good way rather than a particularly stressful way. I hope that trend continues! Channel-wise, I did a lot of things behind the scenes: commissioning a lot of art (8 pieces so far, I think I'll get another 2 in April!), updating things, planning what to do on Patreon during my summer break from Youtube, all kinds of stuff like that.

But I also did hit some more personal goals that I've been quietly aiming toward. I--

wait for it

--started lifting weights! 💪

Back in 2022, I was still going to the gym semi-regularly, but I've sort of tapered off on that since all my ADHD medication kerfuffles started in 2023. I find it extremely hard to plan and stick to things when my brain isn't working at full capacity, so as you can imagine a lot of stuff has fallen by the wayside while I'm trying to keep my everyday life afloat under these sub-optimal conditions. I've kinda had to pick and choose what to prioritize because I only have so much focus to put into everything, and with health stuff being sucky besides, I've been neglecting exercise way more than I should.

But I started focusing on lifting on March 1st and I've miraculously stuck to it all month long! My skills are kind of crap right now (I have weak little noodle arms after several years of neglecting strength training!) and I'm lifting pretty light, but I'm proud of myself nonetheless. I've been using these adjustable dumbbells that have been gathering dust at my place for the past couple of years, taking a rest day every five days. (Wait for those to go on sale again and you can snag them for $30-$40! As always, no affiliate links here!)

It's been really satisfying to feel myself getting stronger every workout. When I started, even five pounds was a huge struggle, but I've recently bumped up to ten and I'm doing better than okay. I used to be able to lift a lot more, but...baby steps! All progress is progress!

As a result of taking muscle building a lot more seriously, I fell into a research hole and found Renaissance Periodization and Darebee, which have both been fantastic resources for trying to optimize my gains without breaking myself like the delicate little porcelain doll I am these days.

Aaaand, I guess that's enough for personal updates. On to the other cool things I've engaged with this month!

TV, Movies and Such!

X-Men '97 just hit Disney+, and while everyone I know is binging the episodes, I decided to go brush up on the original series myself. I've seen a few episodes over the years, but never the whole thing (I love it but I was more of an X-Men: Evolution kinda kid); it's been my workout buddy for the past few days, so...maybe by next month I'll have made my way through it and I can catch up with my fellow nerds? We'll see!

Gruff: I've been waiting for what feels like foreeever for this stop-motion animated short film to come out, and it finally did! It's great, and even has a follow-up: Bonita and the Bandit. They're both beautiful.

Silver Scenes: technically a youtube channel rather than a movie, but Silver Scenes has recently joined my list of places to get a classic movie fix, alongside my old favorites Cult Cinema Classics and Midnight Pulp. Sure, I may be falling asleep halfway through movies after work, but dang it, I'm trying to get more cultured! ^^

Games!

Two Point Hospital: A hospital management sim with lots of terrible puns, so you know I'm into that! It's the only thing I've really played this month, but it's been a good time.

Articles, Weird Stuff and Websites!

The Story of Mrs. Chippy: I stumbled on a post about the grave of Mrs. Chippy, a ship's cat that accompanied Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, and I wound up doing a deep dive. It's not a happy story, arctic expeditions that go horribly wrong never are, but it is an interesting one!

Dr. Leitman’s Waiting Room of Weirdness: I've never been to New Jersey, but like...maybe I should go? To see the weird? I could go for some weird.

Heraldic Lion Positions & Terminology Explained: I got SUPER into medieval Heraldry for about a second at the beginning of the month, and now I'm full of useless information about a niche interest. (What else is new? ^^;)

Aaaand...that's about it for me! What have you all been doing lately? Read/watch/play anything fun?