Chit-Chat and Recommendations Post: August 2022! (Patreon)

Hi! Welcome to August's chit-chat and recommendation post, a cozy little  space to update each other on what we’ve been doing and all the things  we’ve enjoyed during the month!

I can't believe we've been doing these little posts for six whole months! Time sure flew by, didn't it?

My August was really busy, but in that sort of stable way life goes sometimes. It was a long, sustained hum of activity that never quite let up, rather than my usual fits and starts with a little breathing room in between bouts. I'm still feeling a bit burnt out from it all tbh, but I'm recovering!

The biggest news of the month I have, aside from all the Patreon/Youtube stuff you all already know about, is health stuff. Boring, I know! 

But I’m notoriously bad at taking care of myself and I was feeling extra lousy, so after being poked and prodded by friends and family a bunch I got a check-up. I was like, “Hey doc, I’m like...tired all the time? More than usual?” 

And she ran a bunch of tests and was like, “You have a vitamin deficiency, you simple bitch. I’m prescribing a steady diet of Stay Alive Juice.”

I’m paraphrasing, of course. It was a bit more complex than that. But it turns out when you feel like crap, sometimes doctors can do? Something?? About it??? Wild. Do you think scientists know about this?

After a few months on the aforementioned Stay Alive Juice, I should feel much less like a wrung out rag all the time. So that's nice! I am very much looking forward to having my own energy instead of sucking the life force from random passersby. It's a good thing, too! The locals are starting to get suspicious.

Anyway, here's the best stuff I gorged my brain on this month!

Best Article(s) I Read: In Defense of Pigeons, which is just what it says on the tin. I have a peculiar soft spot for pigeons--they fall under my nebulous definition of forbidden cats, like raccoons and possums or basically anything I might find hiding near a dumpster down a dark alley--and they definitely get a bum rap. It was nice to see an argument for compassion toward my favorite flying underdogs.

A Frustrating History of the Claw Machine Kitschy amusements and weird laws! Two of my favorite things to learn about. Did you know claw machines were regulated by the FBI at one point in history?! Nutty!

A librarian collects all the things left in books — from love letters to old photos: Ephemera, my beloved. Is there anything more uniquely, mundanely magical than finding someone else's photo or bookmark in a tome you picked up at a thrift shop? The experience of touching a stranger's life from across a gulf of time? 💖

Evolution Only Cares About One Thing and It's Crabs: Time for crab. No but seriously, I already knew about the biological tendency for some life forms to evolve toward crabdom (and the accompanying memes!) but I still enjoyed this article about it. ^^

Short Fiction: Macbeth and Macduff Get Into an Argument Over Semantics, a silly old piece for Shakespeare nerds by the writer of Bojack Horseman before he was famous. It's definitely "ho, ho" funny instead of my usual plank comedy, but it was too cute not to share after I stumbled on it.

TV:  I finished Better Call Saul (😭😭😭)  9.5/10. There are only a few things I'd change, but that's the writer in me talking. Ignore her, she's just a buzzkill who wanted the sad middle aged criminal lawyer show to end in sunshine and rainbows and is grumpy she didn't get her way.

I also totally caught up with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and What We Do in the Shadows. Truly, these are my three favorite shows about Garbage Humans (and Vampires) though fair warning: they are Garbage People who do Garbage Things so if your taste in characters trends toward lawful goodness...ah, maybe skip 'em. ^^;

I know it looks like a lot, but I've been chipping away at these for a looong time. Now I'm all caught up to the latest episodes! AND SO WE BEGIN THE WAITING GAME.

Games: I have had virtually no time to game all month. However, I made time for Donut Dodo, an infuriatingly old school cross between Donkey Kong and Burger Time. Here's a life hack for you: whenever you're stressed, hop onto steam, play a couple of levels, and suddenly you'll be stressed about something completely different! 🤭

Other Neat Things: I recently stumbled across the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and basically camped out there for a day. I anticipate spending much more time there in the future, too!

So, that's my month! How was August for all of you? Watch/read/do anything fun?