A couple of weeks ago my partner & I went to Disney World for the first time since 2019!! I worked at WDW while I was in college, and we both love theme park & attractiosn design, so we had a really fun time looking at the changes Disney has made since we last visited. Some good, some bad (getting rid of Dinoland soon.....HORRIBLE I can't talk about it)

Anyways! 5 big rides have opened up since our last visit, so we made it a priority to try them all! Here's my lil ranking fo the 5 newest attractions (from least fave to most fave) at Walt Disney World :)

5. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (2021)

So. Remy. I was excited for this one, even though Ratatouille isn’t a favorite of mine. This ride opened in Disneyland Paris about a decade ago, so it’s been around for a bit. I was very underwhelmed by it. The trackless ride system is great, but the ride itself felt old. It FELT like a Universal ride, where 90% of the attraction is movie clips on a large projected screen. Some of it was cute, I liked the sets that they had, but they leaned wayyyy too heavily into large screens. I do think it’s a nice addition to Epcot, but I would rathe pride Spaceship Earth a second time before going on it again. (To be fair, I love Spaceship Earth)

4. TRON Lightcycle Run (2023)

Ahh. Okay, let me start by saying I went into this one with a very negative bias. This mostly revolves around the fact that I hate the direct they’re trying to push Tomorrowland into, and I’ve never seen Iron nor appreciate the visuals of the IP. This ride opened up years ago in Disneyland Shanghai, and let me tell you, the hype why this ride opened was unreal. Lightcycle run particularly gained attention because of the unique ride cars, they’re structured to mimic you riding a motorcycle. The first time I rode this, I had a very bad time. I hated the seat structure, I was uncomfortable, and more than anything…. it felt very, very short.

This ride clocks in at sixty seconds, which to me, is criminal. For reference, most of the other rollercoasters in Magic Kingdom like Space Mountain or Big Thunder are around three minutes each. It felt very unfulfilling to me, and the actual track itself is surrounded by screens that seem to try and show a story but fail to do so. The second time I rode it I liked it marginally more, I had gotten used to the seat, but I still found the length aggregious My partner, who like me is against the lazy overuse of screens on attractions, said that this might be the only ride that benefitted from more screens. Overall just… not my favorite. If you like TRON, or like the new direction Tomorrowland is taking, you would probably love it though

3. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (2020)

Oh boy oh boy! Fellas, I wanted to hate this one so badly because it replaced the Great Movie Ride, a Disney World cult classic. To those of you who aren’t familiar with it, the great movie ride was a 22 minute ride at Hollywood studios that took you through 12 different famous movie scenes from history. The ride included an insane amount of sets, animatronics, and live actors & sequences that even included the cast member sitting in your ride car. it was extremely beloved, and it was closed in 2017 to make way for this ride.

THAT BEING SAID, lads, I did like it. Just shy of 5 minutes, this trackless ride car attraction was everything that Remy’s failed to be. A great integration of animatronics, physical sets ,& projection mapping mixed with a hint of screens really made the ride balance out. Was it worth sacrificing the Great Movie Ride for? No, I don’t think so. Would I ride it again given the chance? Absolutely.

2. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (2024)

TIANA THEY COULD NEVER MAKE ME HATE YOU. If you’ve ever been to Disney, you probably remember Splash Mountain, one of the park’s only water rides. However, what you might now know is that the movie this ride was based on was racist af. I’m not going to get into it here, because I have toooo much to say, but suffice to say I was all for a change. And when they announced it would be rethemed to Tiana? FUCK. YES. Usually I hate a reskin, but this one was done so so well. Wonderful storyline and the animatronics were SERVING. No ugly ass projected faces like on the frozen ride here!!!

Two small criticisms- one was that were a few hallways that felt pretty empty, which just some foliage. It’s like they ran out of budget, but adding some small animatronics or statues would improve it easily. Two, and I agree with my girlfriend here, the final sequence is so lovely but you go through it incredibly fast. Now, I don’t remember getting through this room so quickly on Splah even though it’s the same track, I think there was just less of a build up of boats since the standby line wasn’t open. Overall tho, exceeded my expectations. I did get SOAKED.

1. Cosmic Rewind (2022)

Now THIS is a rollercoaster. Goddamn, I did NOT expect to like this one so much, but it’s now one of my all time favorites. Amazing integration of screens, music, & an interesting fucking track. Unique ride structure because while it’s a rollercoaster, the ride cars can break apart and rotate 360 degrees on the track. An actually good use of IP- there’s a couple different songs that the ride rotates through apparently to refresh the experience. Also had a great * engaging reshow, just really really well do

EEEEEEEEE. I finally did my first market!!!!!!! I was a vendor at a local(ish) zine fest this weekend, and I had an absolute blast.

I was really fucking nervous going in. I had a lot of shit to prep. Luckily I keep a ton of stock in my house becuase of my Etsy shop, so that wasn't a problem, but I had to gather a lot of display pieces, get a card reader, make signs, etc. I also wanted to keep my expectations low. I was sort of using this outing as a test to see if I'd want to do more in the future, and damn it if I don't want to do more!

It was only a five hour event, which I think was a great starting point for me. My beloved partner, who has been encouraging me to try a market for ages, was my table buddy for the day. I'm very very glad she was there, I honestly don't know how I would have done it alone. it was especially nice becuase I really wanted to check out the other tables, and she was easily able to cover for me for a half hour as I wandered around.

It was a really, really phenonmenal time. The idea of tabling has always been exciting but nervewracking- having people looking at all my work and talking about it? Scary AF. But I had a lot of really great conversations with folks, and honestly it really boosted my confidence. I also got to connect with a lot of other local artists, which is awesome!!

I would say that for me, the market was a total success. I didn't have any major issues arise. I was well stocked, payments went smoothly, and I met really really cool people. In the back of my head I had a goal amount that I wanted to hit, and I ended up doubling it. A huge holy shit moment for me, haha.

Anyways, it was a really fucking good day. I think I'm going to try to table more in the future! I'll have to do some research :) Maybe next year my goal will be to table at a con somewhere, but I'll have to work my way up to that one, haha.

Pics of my booth!!!

I literally cannot believe that it's nearly August. AUGUST!!!!! Time is slipping through my fingers people!!!

This month has been a time in a half, mostly in good ways! I was away from home and/or traveling for 16 days this month, in three separate parts. Friends, i’m fucking exhausted. I got to visit my family twice, once from a family reunion, and then my partner and I almost immediately got home & turned south to travel to her family’s yearly reunion/trip.

I am socialized out. My partner and I are so fucking excited to get through the work week & do what we want this weekend. Saturday morning we’re going to an estate sale (it seems like it’s been eons….) & probably our favorite bookstore, and that evening we’re seeing Mamma Mia live, which will be a treat. But we’ve made a pact that day not to socialize with anyone we know. I’m tired !!!!

Since we’ve been doing so much traveling, I feel like I haven’t gotten a chance to do a lot of art this month, which is a bummer, but I did get a lot of reading done! My partner & I both read the Haunting of Hill House and now we’ve been changed as people.

Other cool things: I got promoted at work!! Which is awesome and scary!!!! I was hoping I would get promoted in December, but it was a nice surprise. Scary af to have a career y’all.

Life is, overall, pretty good!! I was sick this month but I'm pushing through (damn my sinuses and migraines), my cat is a beloved cuddly demon (getting his balls chopped TOMORROW, can I get a hell yeah?), and I can taste halloween on the horizon. My partner and I are headed to Disney next month, and at some point are going ring shopping, which is fabulous :) yeah, things are pretty good

Journal at least once a week (in my physical book)

-> I was doing really, really well on this one. Then a small cat wandered into my home and ate up my free time! Hoping to get back into the habit soon, but still pretty proud of myself.

Wear more lipstick

-> We are slaying this one. The year of lipstick is going EXCELLENT. I even started charting my lipsticks in a page here!

Table at least once at a market or comiccon

-> I am officially doing my first table next month at a zine fest!! Super nervous, super excited.

Cut down time on tiktok & social media

-> Haven’t done this one as much as I like all around, but I have been cutting down tiktok which is important

Write more fiction

-> Not doing so great on this one, BUT I have written a few times this year, so it’s not hopeless! I’m planning on writing another book in November tho, since I like the challenge, so I still have time

Make a game... I've gotten halfway through SO many attempts but I want to commit this year

-> Alright, i’m gonna change this one to just completing a big personal project. While I do want to do a game, The legal shit with my work would just be exhausting, even with a mini game. But I do want to start & finish a big creative project, maybe an oracle deck, we’ll see.

Just be weirder in general

6.2.24. HOLY CAT DISTRUBUTION SYSTEM BATMAN

I have always been allergic to cats. Definitely and absolutely. They make my eyes itch and my nose sneezy. I've always loved cats, though. I was a BIG warrior cats kid, if you can't tell that from the everything about me. In the back of my head I always thought, well, maybe one day I could spring for a fancy more-hypoallergenic one. My longtime partner grew up with cats and adores them, and always lowkeymourned the fact that they made me feel like shit, so we were thinking of getting a house rabbit instead. I even considered taking a cat off of my longtime vision board.

Of course, that's when the universe throws a curveball at ya, huh.

Meet Sir Parzival "Percy" Winslow. My sweet baby demon boy.

I woke from home, and about a month ago when I was making tea in the kitchen I heard meowing outside! I thought it was my neighbor's cat who looks just like Firestar, so I went outside to try and take a photo for my girlfriend. To my surprise to found this little guy, and he came right up to me and was so cuddly and friendly that I truly thought he msut belong to someone. He followed me to my door and when I opened it he came in, and that was that. I gave him some tuna and started panicking about a ca tbeing in my house, hahaha. But he was such a sweet boy, when I went back to work he jumped up on my lap and fell asleep. I had never had a cat fall asleep on my lap before. He got me good.

We spent about 3 weeks putting up posters and posting on lost pet pages to see if he belonged to anyone, but the vet says he's around 6 months old, not fixed, and not chipped, so we think he's just a street cat wiht a very nice temperment. I've moved my plants out of reach, i'm taking allergy pills religiously, and I'm starting him on some food that's supposed to reduce cat allergens by 50% (reccomended by a coworker and the vet assistant, fingers crossed!).

We got him a collar, so he's offically ours now. The only bad thing about him is that he's in his playful era, and keeps chomping at us when he's keyed up to play lol. We'll figure it out.

Enjoy some Percy pics!!!!!

So, I'm 26 now! Another year around the sun, and not much has changed since last year... but for some reason I do feel older. Maybe it's because when I reminded my friend a few months ago that I was going to turn 26 she started referring to me as being in my "late 20s." I firmly believe that 24-16 is all mid twenties!! But anyways, I'm trying to lean into it instead of being fearful. I'm quite hopeful!

My actual birthday was on a Friday, so I did work in the morning, but I took most of the afternoon off. Originally I wanted to work on some projects around the house, but I ended up taking myself to my favorite coffee shop, getting a snack, and just coding & chilling for a few hours. Very low key but exactly what I wanted. My partner took me to dinner after work & I gorged myself on delicious rolls, a total win.

On Saturday we started nice & early at an estate sale where I treated myself just a tad more than I should have, but hey, it was my birthday!! Walked away with a lot of vintage photos, valentines, & a milk blue glass ceramic hen on a nest that I've been wanting for literally ages. After that we met up with some close friends for brunch & went to the art museum! My theme this year was ~art~ and everyone dressed up as a famous painting. I went as The Scream (okay, a hotter scream. ALSO I wanted a bald cap so bad but the local costume shop totally failed me there) and I looked amazing. In the evening we went out for drinks, went back to my place to watch Meet The Robinsons, and we all promptly fell asleep 30 minutes in, lol. Maybe we are old. But it was lovely.

Birthdays have a tendency to make one introspective. I had an amazing last year, but at the same time I felt a little stagnant. My partner would point out all the things I've accomplished, but I don't know. I feel like I need something of a change- maybe it's time to change up my hair again & spend more time crafting my outfits. Any small change ideas would be fully appreciated. I also really think I need to work on a big personal project this year. I'm content & happy, but honestly, It's in my nature to always push for more. I'm happier when I'm working towards something. I've spent the past year trying a lot of different things, and I think it's time for me to hone in again on an idea I really enjoy. We'll see where the road takes me!

If you're still reading, thanks for sticking with me! I hope the next year is kind to both of us <3

February was not my greatest month. The weather was bad & I was really, really stressed out from work for a lot of it. But there were some good things too!

celebated my partner's bday in many ways! brunch with friends, a trip to a new antiques mall, fancy dinner, presents, & I attempted to make a blackberry cobbler

made a heart shaped cake with my partner to celebrate vday

journaled pretty consistantly! I also signed up for a little monthly sticker subscription that really brightened up my month & are great for decoations

finished a roll of film that I've been trying to use up

finished a big solo project at work

daytona day!! nascar is back

my partner & i played more fortnite than ever before, lol. enough that I got shredder in the tmnt event!!!

lots of work stress this month

didn't draw or read as much as I wanted to

my birthday!! I need to pick a fun theme

seeing my family for easter

snufkin game release

warmer weather, spending more time outside

make a zine

finish reading fellowship of the ring

make a fancy cocktail at home

play a game that I own but haven't started

finish a new roll of film

make pixel art again

not a no-buy year or a use-it-all-up year but a secret third thing

I tend to be known as the friend who always says yes to buying things. You want someone to convince you to buy a sweater you don't need? I'm your gal. You need someone to convince you that you deserve a sweet treat at the coffee shop? I'm there.

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about how much money I spend on things I don't really need or use. Actually, a huge wake up call for me was when I was browsing my end of the year report for my credit card, and I learned that I spent $758 at my favorite used bookstore last year. HOLY SHIT, right?? Additonally, I live in a townhouse with my partner, and while it's well sized we definitely don't have infinite room. I think it would make both of us feel better if we went through everything and got rid of a bunch of stuff we don't use.

Now, cutting my spending entirely is... just not realistic. For one thing, I love buying things. And when I say I love buying things, I mean a lot of my hobbies come from shopping! Estate sales, thrift stores, and used bookstores are precious to me. I love the challenge of finding something unique and interesting that I wouldn't find anywhere else, and I love the history of bits and bobs passed down over generations. I don't want to stop doing that! So I won't. I feel pretty comfortable with this aspect, becuase most of the things I tend to collect are small & easy to store (ex: postcards & old photos).

Secondly, although I love to buy things, I only do so when I have the funds. I'm not an overspender by any means (Okay yeah I spent an outrageous amount on used books last year but lets move on from that). I'm lucky that right now I'm in a financial situation that can support my habits. Becuase of this, I don't feel a great pressure to stop buying everything.

However, this year I would like to put effort into appreciating the objects that I already have instead of immediately jumping to buy things when I don't need them. There's so much that I have that I was excited to get buy haven't really used yet!

Cut down on buying things that will only give me fleeting joy & then will be ignored (example: almost anything in the $5 section at target)

Stop thrifting clothes that I'll never wear

Only buy books that I feel like I'm going to read over the next year

Instead of buying new craft supplies utilize the things that I already have

Video games like Knights of the Old Republic

A ton of solo TTRPGs that I haven't gotten around to yet

SO MANY BOOKS. But I'll make a sperate list on my reading page.

My at home screenprinting kit

Finally make a rug with the tufter my mom got me

Essentially, this year I want to be more intentional about the things that I buy & I want to be more appreciative of the things that I have :)

Welcome to my new journal page! I've been thinking about staring one for awhile, and what better time to start something new than New Years?

Went on a cruise with two of my favorite people

Moved to a bigger place that I love

Started learning HTMl again & exploring the indie web

Went on an amazing trip to to Italy & Germany with my family

Fell in love with pottery

Completed nanowrimo for the first time EVER and wrote a 50k word book in a month

Went to the Ren Faire & Comic Con and made costumes for both

Hit 2600 sales on my etsy shop

Made so much banana bread

Celebrated another year with my beloved

Read 43 new books & short stories

Made a lot of art that I am proud of

Journal at least once a week (in my physical book)

Wear more lipstick

Table at least once at a market or comiccon

Cut down time on tiktok & social media

Write more fiction

Make a game... I've gotten halfway through SO many attempts but I want to commit this year