May 2021
Hello everyone! This May got really summer-y really fast, huh? It’s been a nice month for me, and I think most people would agree. Since (mostly) everyone has their vaccines in full, things are starting to go back to “normal”. Of course there are people that still refuse to get their vaccine…I’m hoping enough people get it that we don’t have to treat Covid like how we treat the flu.
Either way, I’m excited to see what Summer 2021 has in store! Before we get there, though, we’ve got to talk about May…
Mamma’s Day
I saw my mom for the first time in forever on Mother’s Day! Yay! She came from Indiana to spend the weekend with my sister Allison and I, and lemme tell ya…it was so much fun. I was worried about not getting my second vaccine in time to see her, but it all worked out just in time.
For the weekend, my mom surprised us with a stay at the Hilton! The three of us had a fancy sleepover. The Hilton we stayed at was the one at Easton, so we got to go shopping as well! I don’t know about the other two for sure, but I hadn’t been to the mall since the pandemic started. It was kind of nerve wracking to be around that many people, but the fear of going out in public didn’t last too long…I DID get to go shopping, after all!
It was nice to see my mom after going so long without. Before Mother’s Day, the three of us always Zoom’d (or FaceTimed) on Sundays. Being able to “see” my mom has been one thing, but actually being able to hug her and see her in person was a completely different happiness! Now that everyone involved has been vaccinated (I believe so, anyway), I really want to go visit my mom and the rest of the fam soon. Hopefully I’ll be able to make it happen!
Mary the Catsitter
If you don’t know that I love cats, you must not know me in real life at all! I have always had cats in my life. My parents have always kept pets, and cats were always around as I grew up. Now that I’m an adult, the idea of not having a cat in my house at all times sounds ludicrous. I really like all animals, but I 100% consider myself a cat person.
I catsit for one of my friends over the past few weeks. The Cat Dad lives close to where I live now, so I offered to catsit for him while he went on his first vacation since the pandemic began. Every year, he goes on a birthday trip. From what I remember of him telling me about it, he is trying to go to the 50 states by his 50th birthday. I offered to catsit for him so he could make up for last year’s canceled trip and still go to his 40-something-th state.
His cat, Bob Gray, is a sweet old man. I love his little crooked ear that he has! Below is an approximate drawing of what this guy looks like:
I made it over to Bob Gray twice a day for a week or two, so I got to learn about his little cat habits. It’s always interesting to meet new cats, if only to compare them to my own. Freya and MJ both have distinct personalities. Freya is a cranky middle aged cat, and MJ is the goofy, zoomy baby…It gets tense in my house sometimes because they fight a lot! That being said, they’re both very loving and sweet cats to humans.
Bob Gray, in comparison, is pretty similar to Freya when it comes to smelling other cats. I noticed that he wouldn’t get too close to me the entire time I catsit, and I realized after a few visits that he could smell my cats on my clothes. I decided to only pet him when he came to me, mostly because I was still a new person, and also because I didn’t want to upset him if he could smell my girls!
He’s a sweet cat, despite not wanting too many scritches and pets from yours truly. He is older, and reminds me of my dad’s cat Reuben from when I was a kid…but maybe without Reuben’s temper! I enjoyed hanging out on the couch with him when he allowed it, as all cats truly do. I know he had to be excited when his Dad came home, though…the cat sitter just doesn’t cut it when the parents are missed!
Novel Ideas
I’ve been in the same routine for a few months now. I’ll come home from work, do some sort of chore, eat dinner, then go to the couch and play video games while listening to YouTube videos until it’s time to go to sleep. Is it the healthiest thing? Hell no. Do I do it anyway? Of course.
Only in this month did I realize that I’ve stopped writing my novel. Well, not completely. I’ve been making notes about how to make the first draft better without…actually…finishing the first draft.
I realized that the story I’m trying to tell will be more than one book can hold. Which, in theory, is exciting! More than one book to share and possibly sell sounds great! Actually making that dream a reality, mapping out the steps it takes to get to the finished draft, and actually getting that process going? Sounds impossible!
Trying to formulate and streamline all my ideas and thoughts into one document is very hard what with my ADHD and such. But! Unlike my other unfinished stories, it will be completed. I’ve fallen in love with every character I’ve put into this world so far, and making sure I tell Luke Grange’s story right means more to me than I thought it would when I first started writing it. His character is so unlike anyone I’ve tried to write before, and I think if I hold onto him and his story like the rest of my discarded main characters, I will be unhappy that I didn’t just write it out and share it with the world.
So! Part of my plan for this summer is to become more disciplined in my life in the general sense. I am admittedly lazy, but I find myself getting overwhelmed with how many things I let pile up as a result of both my laziness and my executive dysfunction (thanks, ADHD!). I always feel like I’m running out of time, so I think some structure is much-needed in my life! I’m hoping I can start by making a point to write every day, even if it’s just a couple of words. I’ve kept myself going on this blog because I love writing, so translating that passion into actually focusing on my novel sounds natural to me.
Special Visits Call For Special Trips
One of my best friends from high school came back to town over this past weekend! Kara and I have been friends for a while. I honestly can’t remember when we started being friends, but now I can’t imagine her not in my life! She’s the kind of friend that no matter how long we go without talking, I know we’re still good. Everyone needs friends like that! Plus, our music taste is so similar, we are happily each other’s concert buddy.
Kara moved to Boston right before the pandemic, so we haven’t been able to visit each other for quite a while. When she texted the group about visiting over Memorial Day Weekend, we jumped at the chance to see her! We used to go out a lot when she lived in Columbus, so we went out just like old times.
This outing marked my official first time at the bar since the pandemic started. It was very strange to be back in a bar setting, especially the bar we chose. Usually this bar is packed to the brim, everyone squeezed in like sardines…but they did a great job at keeping Covid protocol while I was there paying attention to it. Of course, once the girls get together and drinks start flowing, I forgot about my anxiety and enjoyed the time with friends.
I’m hoping now that things are starting to ease up, I’ll be able to visit Kara in Boston sometime soon! I’ve never been, but I loved hearing the stories from when my dad went to school there. I also loved listening to Kara talk about all the different places she’s fallen in love with there too. It’s only a matter of time before I can make my way over to her!!
Music Obsessions
I will admit, I have been listening to a LOT of video game soundtracks. So much, in fact, that I kind of forgot about the new music that came out this month. That being said, I could never forget about Hayley Kiyoko and Lil Nas X, who both dropped new singles this month. Billie Eilish and Katy Perry also dropped new singles, the latter for Pokémon’s anniversary celebration.
Because I’ve been listening to so many video game soundtracks, I have been exploring the cover albums of various artists who want to take on different video game melodies. The Versions caught my attention with their harp and piano arraignments, and I included their cover of the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild song “Riding (Night)” because of their slightly spooky take on it.
I didn’t put it on the playlist, but I wanted to give an honorary mention to Franco Albertini’s cover of Divine Beast Vah Medoh’s music. That boss is one of my favorite parts from the game, as well as one of my favorite parts of the game’s soundtrack. In BotW’s soundtrack, there are musical Easter eggs in all of the Divine Beast’s songs. This explanation is very Zelda Lore heavy, so I apologize in advance if you don’t care…but I do!! And if you eventually want to discover this fun fact yourself, just skip the next paragraph.
In BotW, the Champions (Lady Urbosa, Princess Midna, Chief Daruk, and Warrior Revali) all fell thanks to the Divine Beasts’s corruption by Ganon. A distress signal was sent by each Champion as they fell, and in each Divine Beast, you can hear this signal woven within with the song. This is notable because Revali, the stubborn Champion of the Rito Tribe, was the last Champion to send out an SOS. In Albertini’s arrangement, the distress signal is the last thing you hear…it gives me chills!!!
Anyway, I didn’t put the song on there because I figured I could give myself the excuse to geek out about Zelda Lore. If you’re interested in the song, here it is! And if you want to hear what else I’ve been listening to this month, click here!
Well, that’s it for May. As far as I can tell, summer may be the beginning of going back to normal. Restaurants and bars are loosening their restrictions, more people are allowed inside places without masks, and even more people are getting vaccinated. I’m excited to see how June will turn out! June is normally the busiest month of the year for me, but last year’s Covid restrictions prevented that trend. I wonder if this year will see my June going back to normal?
Either way, thanks for reading this monthly wrap up! I love writing these, so hopefully y’all will keep reading them! To keep up with my day to day life, feel free to follow me on Twitter! I also have a ko-fi, if you’d like to help me save money to publish my novel (when it eventually gets finished, anyway!). See you next week with something new!
