Spring Cleaning! 2023

[Gelquie]

A day late, but here we go!

I've done some more reading up, here and there. Yesterday I examined atmospheric circulation patterns in more detail in order to better understand climatologies. So I can try to apply them to a Neo fic. Keyword is 'try.' Last night it got so bad I went "am I even going to be able to justify this plot?? ;_; "

I finally got the nerve to call a car place I had in mind, and they were able to get me in same day. Turns out ice issues had caused some damage to an engine heat management thing, so while it'd have been bad to leave it as is, it was also an easy fix. Got my car checked on various things too, so it's nice to have that up to date.

While I was out, I dropped off my ballot (filled out a few days earlier) at a ballot drop box, so I can cross that off my list too.

This week, I need to finish Making Those Decisions. No exceptions; there's a hard deadline. At least it helped me do more programming practice. (Python subplots (with multiple plots) with datetime is a nightmare, though. =< Every time I fix one thing, I break another. So that's fun.)

My motivation has been very low lately, so we'll see. But I got some things done, and that's a fact.

[Lizica]

This past week, I finished the card for M as well as my Headless fanart! =DD Am noticing places where the latter's shading could've been better, but it's too late now. XD
Also called both the doctor and the insurance and such.

And now I gotta try to finish N's card so I can scan it in and pack up and drive tomorrow, aaaahhh *dives out of thread*

[Twillie]

On a whim I finished and posted part one of Blossoms Arc 10, so that's been crossed off the list \o/

I finally took that framed art print into work today to decorate my office, as there was no good spot in my bedroom for it. One less thing cluttering my room now.

The online form for my car is also crossed off, although technically it's not completely done. It's just as finished as i can make it right now, as it turns out I won't be able to use it until next year lol. Nothing more I can do for it in the meantime.

[Killix]

Oops, forgot to post but I indeed got my art done in time for April 1st!

My first time ever posting NSFW content!


I've also finished some art for CT #18!
Two scenes that I know will be in the final story at this point in the WIP.

I didn't clean my desk yet (I'll get to it, I promise!), but I did finally end procrastination on cleaning out my embarrassingly full recycling bin that had been gathering cans and plastics since last year. Now it's empty again and my room instantly feels 70% cleaner! This wasn't on my list, but really should've been. XD

So that's two items checked off and one bonus. I'm on fire! It has been a very productive week.

[June Scarlet]

I crossed out a successfully run Microfic challenge (though people still welcome to post their stories there!). I feel it is an event that could be run more than once, maybe once or twice a month? I think it'd be cool if people took turns being the host too. I went ahead and crossed it off, though, as I achieved the goal I had in mind when I wrote it down in the first place.

Finished my Crime Show comic for the weekend. I'll likely skip this upcoming weekend, as it will probably be a busy one. Also so that my Instagram posts are synced with my website and this forum, it's a week behind right now.

In keeping with having three active items on my list, I added the short story I've been working on. I have the first draft done, but it's about three hundred words short of a NT short story, and also a bit of a mess. I want to submit it end of May, though, so I still have some time.

And I see you there, ttrpg, don't think I forgot you. I did some mockups this past weekend.

[Gelquie]

Another week! I have made the predictions, including the required reading for them.

I really haven't done anything else.

[Killix]

Oh boy, it's been a week already.
I've been trying to work on things, but I feel that I haven't done enough work on the three remaining list items to consider them checkmark-able. (My desk is about 70% tidied. X'D)

Been having some health related problems lately that have prevented me from really being able to concentrate. x_x

[Twillie]

I've gotten a few NT reviews done, slowly chipping away at those~

I've also been working on part two of the current Blossoms arc, and I'm about halfway through the line art right now! Assuming I have the time and motivation tomorrow, I may get it done in the next day or two.

[June Scarlet]

Okay, new plan. Pin Banner, inspired by Breakingchains's wall hanging.



Will probably change once I get into it, but that's the basic idea. I don't think I have those exact ribbons, so I'll either have to buy the ribbon, or change it to ribbon I have.

[Huntress]

oop, I seem to have ignored last week's updating time.

Okay, well, the balcony got Officially Done on Monday and my druid skills got duly exercised that same evening. Planted all the seeds I had lined up. A lot of them are strangely experimental, so either they'll turn into a diary post sometime, or they don't go anywhere and I'll quietly pretend I never said anything about them. Also started the repotting, which is a lengthy, messy and time-consuming undertaking because different things are repotted at different times and most years I haven't really bothered.

Clearly I was the true winner of the Tomato Games.

There was also a spot of painting-by-numbers over those past weeks, but in all honesty my creative endeavors have also been stuck behind the balcony renovations. Maybe this'll change now.

[June Scarlet]

I really wanted to work on the wall hanging, and I still haven't been able to get to the store to get the proper ribbon, so I made do with what I had at home.

SPOILER: Click to show

I used to use the rod as a wand, but I decided I don't really use it for that anymore anyway, so this would be a nice way to repurpose it. I had picked up the ribbon on clearance early this year, so I used that. I actually ran out of the wide patterned ribbon, which is why the banner is the width it is and not wider. I still have some of the thinner solid ribbon left.

I also got out my sewing kit for this. Used my sewing scissors to cut the ribbon, and sewing pins to hold the ribbon in place, and needle and thread to sew the ribbon at the top. I also sewed the knots for the hanging ribbon tight, so hopefully it won't fall apart.

These aren't even all my pins, just my big Neopet/Geekify character pins. I could add more later, but I think I'll leave it as is for now.

[Gelquie]

I feel like I'm in the middle of my productivity ride, but here I go anyway.

I tried to sew the Aytal socks, and even had a patch ready for it. However, I realized when I was getting started that given the bulk and dimensions of the sock, not to mention another hole that I didn't recognize, I started to realize that I was not going to be able to sew that via machine. And if I'm not gonna sew it via machine, then quite frankly, I'm probably not gonna sew it at all. So I'm abandoning that item. Goodbye, Aytal socks. (Well, the other one's fine.)

So instead I turned my attention to sewing the hole in one of my pairs of pants. I got started, but ran into a technical difficulty with the sewing machine, and ended up needing to undo the entire job because of it. I figured out the problem, but it's just sitting there and I just haven't gotten back to it yet, despite everything being set up.

It's a bit of a tough job because I need to keep my fabrics as flat as possible even though I'm trying to do a patch. I got a roller for the little things, though it mostly helps with keeping seams. As for everything else, well. I don't have an iron, so I need to be very careful. Especially since this is a vintage sewing machine, so it can't do all the fancy stuff like zig-zag stitches or the like. (I looked for attachments and even bought one. They don't fit the machine. I think there could be some presser foots that fit the machine better, but I wonder if it's worth it.

Anyway, I did send off a job application. Woo. Momentum, I guess. I basically have no confidence about any of this anymore.

I got back into programming, though. Decided to keep working on some files I needed for predictions but didn't finish in time. I have too many unfinished programming projects, so I've decided to power through them and try to ignore the fact that I'm not very good at this.
Spent the last few days working on the values for SOI. Tunrs out I couldn't use my go-to reader for this, and I didn't want to manually change the data file because I need to practice with less accessible data files. Found another reader, but I got stuck on it for a few days until I realized I made several typos that still gave an output because Python is a bit too forgiving sometimes. (Alas, not one where Fortran's Implicit None would work, because they do technically do their own thing.)

Today, I forced myself to stick through it and not give in to frustration, and I finally got it to read the file properly! But then I realized that the dataframe is not in the format I need for the plots I want to make, so I had to reshape the data. Turns out a simple stack() command would do the trick. Except that made the output into a multiindex, and it won't plot as is. While I could stand to learn to plot multi-indexes for a later thing, it wouldn't be appropriate for this plot as there's no purpose to having the year and month separate. So as of this moment I'm trying to flatten the multiindex and turn its values into datetime, and then I think I'll be able to finally plot the series. So once I get to the plotting point and maybe play with that a while, I'll call that task good and be able to work on another project.

I guess I just think in projects for programming things. If I go "I need to practice I/O," I'm more likely to go "eh." But if I practice a project, that's a tangible goal that'll force me to use those things anyway, so that works better for me. It's why I made a list of programming projects to add to my Spring Cleaning list. I think that'll help my momentum.

More to do, but I'll leave the update there.

[Twillie]

Finished part three of Blossoms arc 10, and I've started cleaning up the corner of my room that inspired at least two task items lol. It involved some furniture rearranging that created more space in general, so I will consider those items crossed off as well.

I also picked up a book from the library today, so I've added a new item of reading and finishing it.

[Killix]

Worked on the things!
Got some good progress in on CT #18, and also managed to force out a new sketch on the character sheet for my "Nameless" OCs... which I feel I've lost all steam for lately. If I keep trying to force it, I'll get nowhere, so I'm gonna set that particular OC stuff aside for now. (It's been going through a big story revision, and I'll pick it all up again later when I have the inspiration!)

Desk is still in a state of half-tidied. X'D

[Lizica]

Updates, updates~

I did finish N's card in time! I feel like I simultaneously cheated and was smart about it. XD I only did black outline lineart, and had the character asking to be colored in. Unfortunately, I didn't get to color it together with Nieceling before we left, though--maybe next time!

Didn't do any writing for my story WIP, but I got a good brainstorm for a thing! I'd been putting off developing this sci-fi thing better for awhile because I knew it would require Research. And I realized if I wanted to make it work and be something I liked (and it's MY STORY, I MAKE THE RULES), it should be something I already find interesting and cool, so I'd actually be excited to research it. Obviously, further study req'd, but I thiiiink I thought of a super neat thing to do for the sci-fi thing. 8D

Also, I made a bunch more phone calls today, which were not on my list, but I still feel I deserve the little Spring Cleaning Good Job Sticker I get by bragging about it here. XD