⛤ March Q&A (Patreon)

Spring is dancing a tentative dance outside, seeing everything illuminated by the warm rays of the sun makes you long for a stroll in the park, better yet, a glass of home made lemon tea - but winter won't go quietly and the cold air and wind keep you indoors, tempted by the tentatively budding trees outside the window. I am on a non-consensual break from recording while the gardeners mow all the lawns in the neighborhood, dreaming of a quiet day where everything conspires in favor of my productivity instead of against it. But, as one must, I roll with the punches life keeps throwing at me every day. Perhaps I shall invite the cat to mooch precious body heat off of me while I see about answering the questions you posted this month...

What kind of ingredients do you usually use while cooking? I cook with very basic ingredients, focusing on plenty of fresh vegetables and some affordable sources of meat and fish. Though I like to splurge on things like fresh herbs and exotic spices sometimes, most often I just try to feed my family as well as possible on a budget. I do go through a lot of flour for homemade bread every week, as that is one of Jack's favorite foods. Other staples include ground beef and pork, as they are both affordable and versatile. As are eggs, milk, rice, potatoes, pasta and seasonal fruits and vegetables. I do like to bake, too, so I go through quite a bit of butter every week for cookies, cakes, pies and what have you. Making sweet treats is my creative outlet - nothing is more satisfying than creating something delicious. Though I think what I like about it is how quick the process is from start to finish as opposed to most of my videos. To have a complete finished video in a matter of a few hours from set design to editing and rendering would be a dream!

Do you like to bake bread? Yes, as I have mentioned before, I have become an avid home baker. Ever since I've learned how easy it is to make bread at home, I have never looked back. There are so many great recipes that require next to no equipment, and flour and yeast are some of the cheapest things you can buy at the store. The result always tastes so much better than store bought bread, too! It's as easy as mixing together the ingredients and leaving it in the fridge overnight sometimes. I am slowly working my way up to more demanding recipes, always looking for the right texture and flavor balance, but for the most part, no-knead and overnight loaves are perfectly satisfactory.

With Spring coming up. Are there any spring festivals I need to check out in Germany? Unfortunately I do not know of any spring festivals. Where I'm from we simply didn't have any seasonal festivals that I know of. The fair would come through every May but that was very samesy and not very enjoyable every year. Most people go there to get wasted on €5 beer and listen to shit music while gorging on hilariously oversalted fish. If you're lucky the town you live in has its own yearly festival with live music and lots of concessions and, my favorite, new age vendors selling shit like crystal jewelry and incense. The only festival I really recommend going to is renaissance fairs because at least you get to see fun shows and pretend you're a strange mystic from another time just passing through a medieval settlement looking to drive a bargain on local wares. Maybe that's just me.  But the renaissance fair are superior to any other fairs I've been to. 

Ally do you have any advice on how to cope with interfering family members that enjoys bossing you around and not respecting your right to decide for yourself despite the fact that  the person in question have been living on his one own for quite a long time by now? For instance when I decided to quit riding horses my mother became a bit shocked and started questioning my decision instead of respecting it and said I should find a new activity without bothering to ask what I wanted. Funny you should ask, because I have definitely been through my fair share of being bossed around and belittled and treated like every decision I make in life is wrong. People are usually well meaning, yet way out of line. This kind of unsolicited advice usually comes from people in our lives who don't see us as capable adults, but helpless children who would inevitably ruin their lives and burn the house down if left to their own devices. Depending on their level of narcissism, you could probably pull them aside and talk to them. Explain how you feel and that you're fine and just grew out of the equestrian life and want to explore other areas of life. I think in your case, your mother is worried about you because you've been pulling away from family (whenever your father is around) and now you're quitting your hobbies and she's not sure if you're ok. Her suggestion of finding a new activity is likely her way of ensuring you stay healthy and don't isolate too much. Humans are social creatures and some of us have higher social needs than others but everyone needs someone, sometimes. It's good for our mental and physical well-being to maintain activities outside of the house. Even Jack and I, two seasoned introverts, make an effort to see our friends every week and go on walks to stay healthy. So in your case, I would talk to your mother and explain that you'd like her to treat you like an adult because that's what you are - and have been for a while. If she won't hear it, then unfortunately there's nothing you can do except to go about your own life and be ok. Maybe after seeing you be ok on your own long enough she will get the memo, maybe not. It took my mother a decade to acknowledge that not only am I ok on my own, but I'm actually healthier without her in my life entirely. Only you know your own mother, but from what you shared, she sounds a lot more reasonable than mine. Good luck with your grown-up talk. 

Do you like pulled pork? I've only had pulled pork once or twice, but it was ok, nothing special.

Do you like lasagne? Funny you should ask that because that's actually my least favorite pasta. I won't refuse it when put in front of me, but I won't go out of my way to make/order it.

Do you like fireworks? I like them on July 4th and New Year's Eve. They are undeniably pretty to watch if you have the privilege. I don't like them a month before and a month after said holidays at random intervals during the day. Unfortunately that's all kids seem to want to do as soon as they start selling fireworks out here. Listen, I like to blow shit up as much as the next person, but there's a time and a place and my work hours ain't it. 

Do you like to draw? I don't really have much interest in drawing - I'm more of a painter. I used to draw a lot in school, but I feel like that was more a hobby of convenience. After all, they wouldn't let me just whip out a canvas and watercolors in the middle of class. That woulda been pushing it. 

Do you like bears? I think bears are super cute and deceptively fuzzy. I have a weakness for fuzzy animals and want to pet every bear I see. But I have to bridle my natural instinct to pet anything with long hair and toe beans because I don't feel like dying anytime soon. I think their deadliness is very misleading, though, given they just look like chubby doggos most of the time. 

Do you like smoothies? Yes, who doesn't like the fruity goodness of a colorful smoothie? If you have a blender at home (even immersion blender), they're incredibly easy to pull together. I keep a good stock of frozen fruit for smoothies and cocktails and like to supplement our diet with some vitamin packed fruity drinks. I also like to add greek yogurt, makes it extra refreshing. 

Do you like teacakes? I had to google tea cakes cause that's the kinda professional I am. The results pointed me in three different directions. One came out as what appears to be just a plain sugar cookie from the US. Another resembled a raisin bun, apparently native to northern Europe/Scandinavia? And, of course, Russian Tea cakes - the OG snowball cookies. I will say that I have never tried the first one, but they're a cookie, so how bad can they really be? I do like both raisin buns and snowball cookies and have made both since moving here. In Germany, raisin buns were one of my favorite treats, second only to buttered pretzels. If you've never had a pretzel sliced in half and slathered in butter, you truly are missing out in life. 

How long does it usually take to write a script for your videos? It depends on the video and how easy the ideas flow. Could be anywhere from a day to actual months. I have written one script for a bonus video (coming soon) in just a few hours, but that was because I already had a vague idea where I was going with it and had already recorded most of the clips and only needed to tie it together. The latest hypnotherapy script took me about a week to write, as I got hung up on the old "wtf do I say in a situation like this I'm not a therapist" dilemma. And the script for blood banquet - liaison I've been sitting on for a month and a half, unsure how to just have a conversation with someone. Though this script is also going to define the story development for future blood banquet videos and eventually I'm going to tie several of the videos I made together into one fantasy universe that you didn't even know you were part of. So it requires careful discernment for what to say and what not to say in this particular video. Some scripts are just more complicated than others. I never did think of myself as a writer until the complexity of my work began to demand it. But by now I have accepted that writing is now permanently a part of my job.

How long did it take to record Drinks by the river ASMR Hangout Session video? Recording the video took about as long as the video itself, though finding the location took a few hours of hiking through stinging nettle as tall as myself. I do enjoy the lapping water sounds of the river, especially with boats passing by. Water sounds in general are incredibly relaxing. We bought Ash a fountain and I love the water sounds from it so much I really want to incorporate them in the next video. I actually included them in the hypnotherapy script. Did a test recording at 2AM on a Tuesday and we will see when I edit it if it's worth using this recording or just getting one from soundsnap. I even looked for a free stock video of an indoor fountain to loop as a background, but no dice. There's a big gap in the market there lol. That's how y'all got stuck with a homemade candle background again.

Before I ramble on too much, I want to say thank you for asking a bunch of questions again this month. I never take it for granted because I know you're busy - I'm busy - everyone's busy. I hope this was worth your time to read and there will be a questions post again next month. Remind me to post one if I forget. As much as I try to stay on top of everything, one person can only focus on so many things. And I'm currently getting ready to show more of myself again and finish up all the projects I started so I have a lot on my mind. I hope April treats you all well and remember to take care of your health as it gets warmer.