September 2021
Thursday, 30 September 2021 18:41![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iguana
A pretty quiet month in the end, but with a few firsts and a few highlights! (Also, posting this on the last day of the month! I'm ahead of schedule!)AMPDG: Secret fanclub
An AMPDG adventure/challenge that I'd submitted myself turned up in this month's draw, one that I've wanted to do since much earlier this year: dressing up in what I now know is called "closet cosplay" and seeing if anyone spots it.
I picked Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, because once long ago, someone told me I had that sort of feel about me. I'm not sure I still do, but I've also been wanting to try dyeing my hair dark brown since forever ago (I tried it once, but misread the instructions and put it on after conditioner, so it didn't take) and generally try out styles that pushed my comfort zone out a little.
So one evening I tweeted this photo, along with the caption
Posting that photo was a little uncomfortable since I don't think it's a particularly good one of me (and I'm very not used to seeing myself with lipstick on) but I wanted to get the photoshoot done before work in the morning so I had a limited amount of time. A better one was here, but it didn't show the whole outfit
After work I cycled to my nearest park to read in the evening sun for a bit. I was going to wear the whole outfit but it was a particularly warm day, so I changed into a skirt and didn't use the arm warmers, so I can't really say I went out in the full outfit.
I got some nice comments in response to the tweet, but nobody picked up on the cosplay, which is about what I expected! However, Samathy spotted the tweet a day later, before I revealed it was for AMPDG, saying it looked like I was aiming for BtVS aesthetic ("Faith or early-mid show Willow") which really raised my spirits.
Overall the challenge helped me discover that: (a) I love my hair dark brown; I may get it professionally/permanently dyed at some point; (b) I can pull off a red vest quite well; (c) I can pull off bootcut jeans quite well; (d) I want to get a black denim jacket, which was my alternative idea to armwarmers.
An AMPDG adventure/challenge that I'd submitted myself turned up in this month's draw, one that I've wanted to do since much earlier this year: dressing up in what I now know is called "closet cosplay" and seeing if anyone spots it.
I picked Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, because once long ago, someone told me I had that sort of feel about me. I'm not sure I still do, but I've also been wanting to try dyeing my hair dark brown since forever ago (I tried it once, but misread the instructions and put it on after conditioner, so it didn't take) and generally try out styles that pushed my comfort zone out a little.
So one evening I tweeted this photo, along with the caption
Posting that photo was a little uncomfortable since I don't think it's a particularly good one of me (and I'm very not used to seeing myself with lipstick on) but I wanted to get the photoshoot done before work in the morning so I had a limited amount of time. A better one was here, but it didn't show the whole outfit
After work I cycled to my nearest park to read in the evening sun for a bit. I was going to wear the whole outfit but it was a particularly warm day, so I changed into a skirt and didn't use the arm warmers, so I can't really say I went out in the full outfit.
I got some nice comments in response to the tweet, but nobody picked up on the cosplay, which is about what I expected! However, Samathy spotted the tweet a day later, before I revealed it was for AMPDG, saying it looked like I was aiming for BtVS aesthetic ("Faith or early-mid show Willow") which really raised my spirits.
Overall the challenge helped me discover that: (a) I love my hair dark brown; I may get it professionally/permanently dyed at some point; (b) I can pull off a red vest quite well; (c) I can pull off bootcut jeans quite well; (d) I want to get a black denim jacket, which was my alternative idea to armwarmers.
Pride
I went to my first Pride this month, the local one in Nottingham town centre. I rather wish I could say I had a good time, but the crowds and noise got to me quite quickly, and I didn't really feel I fit in with the local group I was nominally attending with, so I bailed as soon as the parade finished and went back home. I don't think I'd really considered how being in a crowd for the first time since before the pandemic would affect me; in the end it took me out for a few days afterwards, emotionally/mentally.
On the plus side, I didn't have to travel for it. If I attend another one, I'll make sure I go with people I already know, and also make sure I take ear plugs or something like that to mitigate the noise at least.
I went to my first Pride this month, the local one in Nottingham town centre. I rather wish I could say I had a good time, but the crowds and noise got to me quite quickly, and I didn't really feel I fit in with the local group I was nominally attending with, so I bailed as soon as the parade finished and went back home. I don't think I'd really considered how being in a crowd for the first time since before the pandemic would affect me; in the end it took me out for a few days afterwards, emotionally/mentally.
On the plus side, I didn't have to travel for it. If I attend another one, I'll make sure I go with people I already know, and also make sure I take ear plugs or something like that to mitigate the noise at least.
Roller skating
Samathy and Lex invited me along to a roller skating session at the local skate rink, which I would never have thought of doing myself, so that was cool! There was a beginners session on Saturday morning so I turned up for that. The skate shoes I rented fit well (note to self: size 8) and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, staying for most of the two hour session. There's a nice photo of Samathy and me on Samathy's twitter. The rink, though inside, felt open enough that it didn't trigger covid worries for me, either. I will endeavour to go again, and the idea of going for some lessons is appealing, though the next batch straddles a weekend I won't be around for, so I'm looking into 2022 at this point.
Samathy and Lex invited me along to a roller skating session at the local skate rink, which I would never have thought of doing myself, so that was cool! There was a beginners session on Saturday morning so I turned up for that. The skate shoes I rented fit well (note to self: size 8) and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, staying for most of the two hour session. There's a nice photo of Samathy and me on Samathy's twitter. The rink, though inside, felt open enough that it didn't trigger covid worries for me, either. I will endeavour to go again, and the idea of going for some lessons is appealing, though the next batch straddles a weekend I won't be around for, so I'm looking into 2022 at this point.
Dragon fruit
A year ago I planted a little pitahaya cutting in a big pot and hoped for the best. I'd say it's doing rather well!
The main vine started branching very quickly after I took the top off last month. (Since doing this, I've learned that naturally, the vine would climb until something obstructed it or it started flopping over, which would likely cause fractures in the vine at the bend, triggering branching. Either way, I did the right thing.) At the start of the month I had six branches forming. I took the lowest one off at the bud stage, since it was below the canopy, and so far four of the others have grown on, which I'm pleased with.
On the 4th:
On the 18th:
I'm weighing down the branches at the moment to train them over the canopy more neatly; partly for looks and partly so that, if they fruit, they're quite securely held to support the extra weight.
The tip of the vine, I think, is dying in its new pot at the moment. I'm not particularly surprised; the vine had not grown very thick at that point and so I think just didn't have enough energy reserves to put down roots. I'll keep it in the pot for a bit, but the tip has started to brown.
I think the reason the tip was a bit straggly was either because the vine had grown so high that the midday sun wasn't actually reaching it, because the top of the window wasn't high enough, or because I'd either over- or under-fed and so it wasn't happy about that. I have remedied the first part at least by lowering the pot onto the floor; it was originally on a raised platform to favour the initial cutting.
A year ago I planted a little pitahaya cutting in a big pot and hoped for the best. I'd say it's doing rather well!
The main vine started branching very quickly after I took the top off last month. (Since doing this, I've learned that naturally, the vine would climb until something obstructed it or it started flopping over, which would likely cause fractures in the vine at the bend, triggering branching. Either way, I did the right thing.) At the start of the month I had six branches forming. I took the lowest one off at the bud stage, since it was below the canopy, and so far four of the others have grown on, which I'm pleased with.
On the 4th:
On the 18th:
I'm weighing down the branches at the moment to train them over the canopy more neatly; partly for looks and partly so that, if they fruit, they're quite securely held to support the extra weight.
The tip of the vine, I think, is dying in its new pot at the moment. I'm not particularly surprised; the vine had not grown very thick at that point and so I think just didn't have enough energy reserves to put down roots. I'll keep it in the pot for a bit, but the tip has started to brown.
I think the reason the tip was a bit straggly was either because the vine had grown so high that the midday sun wasn't actually reaching it, because the top of the window wasn't high enough, or because I'd either over- or under-fed and so it wasn't happy about that. I have remedied the first part at least by lowering the pot onto the floor; it was originally on a raised platform to favour the initial cutting.
Equinox
I went for an evening walk on the day of the equinox, so as to be out of the house and looking at the sky when the exact time (20:20) happened. It aligned well with sunset and the moon rise; I had a great view of the near-horizon when the moon was rising, and it was such a beautiful sunset orange colour. A lovely walk all in all.
I also made a hazelnut spread cake, using a recipe someone had linked to at work, and I dubbed it an equinox cake. I was quite pleased with how it turned out looks-wise, but wasn't keen on the flavour to begin with. It's grown on me since (it takes a while to eat a cake on my own!) which is just as well because I have enough leftover icing in the freezer to make another one!
I went for an evening walk on the day of the equinox, so as to be out of the house and looking at the sky when the exact time (20:20) happened. It aligned well with sunset and the moon rise; I had a great view of the near-horizon when the moon was rising, and it was such a beautiful sunset orange colour. A lovely walk all in all.
I also made a hazelnut spread cake, using a recipe someone had linked to at work, and I dubbed it an equinox cake. I was quite pleased with how it turned out looks-wise, but wasn't keen on the flavour to begin with. It's grown on me since (it takes a while to eat a cake on my own!) which is just as well because I have enough leftover icing in the freezer to make another one!
no subject
Date: 2021-09-30 18:36 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-10-03 07:18 (UTC)stakestent pegs in the bottom left of the portrait picture, but I think I went too subtle, nobody noticed them :D