sick daze

Being sick is a heckuva way to kick off a new year. For two weeks I was on a rollercoaster of feeling better only to yartz half an hour later, or whatever. I kept thinking I was on the mend and then I'd have an evening of chills and nausea.

I can't rightly recall what I even did for some of these endless evenings where I felt too bad to really do anything much. Oddly I did some cleaning and organizing. I played a lot of merge games (I play almost no games on my phone other than Solitaire, usually), to the point where I was having merging-related dreams. Speaking of dreams, I had Stranger Things dreams even though I haven't finished ST5. And speaking of TV I haven't finished, I tried to watch Heated Rivalry, but got irritated when episode three abruptly switched focus to the other couple -- the juice bar guy and other hockey guy -- so I paused in the middle of the ep and haven't gotten back to it yet. I'm not sure that I even like it but I'll probably finish it up.

I'm officially on the mend now; I was able to attend band practice this week and knitting club this weekend.

Between holidays and illness I didn't have band practice for a month, so by the time I got to attend again, I was feeling really intimidated and nervous about the idea of playing and singing in front of people again. I am actually very shy, aha! Our drummer was out, so the practice was more low-key, and I ended up being really thrilled because I got to bring my Omnichord!

(These pictures are screencaps from video footage -- hence they're pretty grainy!)

I mainly wanted to demo it and get their thoughts on its usability as a keyboard/synth element for us. It was so cool to plug it in and hear it amped in this setting, and to play it along with other instruments being played. We ended up playing through "Daniel" by Elton John a few times and the Omnichord really filled in the sound of that song. I was actually completely stoked!!! I was also stoked because I was able to keep up fairly well. I did mess up here and there; I'm still in that phase of learning the instrument. Sometimes it's a lot to try and process in the moment, what note is needed and where that button is on the instrument, on top of perhaps singing the song. It becomes a pileup in my brain and I just fritz out and mess up. But, in my opinion it sounded great, and the band guys were very supportive. I was honestly elated at how well it works for "Daniel" and I think we'll hit that song again and polish it up more in future sessions.

I'm also kinda stoked because the gingham backpack I bought (which I featured in my last post) has ended up being the PERFECT size for my Omnichord. This was nothing I had in mind while buying it. But I can fit my band chord notebook, my Omnichord, and several smaller bags for my cameras and external batteries and a number of cords in the backpack with ease. It's nice because I don't want to tote the Omnichord around without some padded covering and I feel this backpack offers it better protection than me trying to chuck it into a tote or something.

To end this post: I took all the Christmas ornaments off my pink tree and put on some heart-shaped ornaments to make a Valentine's tree.

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haul out the haul-y

Ah, how I do hate to make another "look what I got!" post, but hey. It's that time of year, baby. And I seem to be closing out 2025 with a tummy bug, juuuudging by the amount of times I've vomited the last couple of days. Sorry for the TMI. But the concept of making this post cheered me up! And I always think appreciating the gifts you've been given and one's own savvy shopping is fun. So don't consider this so much a "what I got for Christmas"/haul post as a post I am making to enshrine and appreciate!

For myself, using gift cards/my own money, I have bought a) this cream-colored quilted jacket; b) this gingham backpack; and c) this rust-orange velvet weekender bag.

I have a rust orange jacket (it's my favorite color) but my mom and I are taking nightly neighborhood walks and try if we can to wear light-colored things so we can be seen by drivers. Our neighborhood is very busy. We use our phone flashlights to try and light us up but I just felt the need to get a white sweater or jacket so people can see me easier. This one looks really cute.

The backpack I got because I just need something other than the tote bag I've been using to pack up my music-making stuff (mini amp, wireless dongles, chord notebooks) whenever I bring it anywhere, and I liked this one!

And the weekender tote, well, I don't strictly need it for anything. But I was gifted the matching cosmetic pouch set from my little sister for Christmas! She said the color reminded her of me -- which of course is spot-on. And I really love the baggies. I haven't shopped at Target in a couple of years due to the boycott but I had a Target gift card from last Christmas and got another one this Christmas, so I said what the heck and got the matching weekender bag when I saw it. Matchy-matchy!!! Depending on the size of the weekender bag (I bought it online so I don't 100% know) I can use it as a camera/tech bag or a crochet project bag for knitting club.

Sisters really made the stockings GOOD this year!

One sister got me a crazy blind box and a coloring book (which is so cozy! Colored several pages in it already!) and the other got me this bag set and a couple of figurines relevant to my interests! As you know, I have a number of Stitch figures, many of them from this sister. She found a real cute one this year. But this series looks to be harder to collect. Seems to be from the D23 Expo? I have found a few on eBay but couldn't find a picture of this figure anywhere! So I did take it from an eBay listing, lol.

There's the guy that was in the blind box. Love his lace overalls!

In my family, Nephew aside, we mostly just do stockings now, instead of bigger wrapped gifts. But I still really got some good stuff, as you can see! I also wanted to feature this little thing that was in my stocking at my grandmother's:

It's a little strawberry stationery set?? Full of little mini supplies! A tiny stapler and staple remover, a hole punch, some small tape, scissors, binder clips. Soooo freaking cute and useful! Love it!

On the strawberry tip, I also just now acquired a few things I've been looking for since October!

Five Below has these fashion sets inspired by the '80s Strawberry Shortcake. When I saw them in August I thought, "That looks like it might fit Blythe!" So I got the cutest set of the three available then and tried it out on Aury and Fey.

Not every item fits and not every item is, like, one I want. BUT, for $4 a set, that's such a great price for some little t-shirts and dresses! I freaking love the sunflower dress and the cute Orange Blossom tee. IMO the shoes and bags and hats are better for, like, scene-setting props. So I went back and got the other two sets, which were Blueberry Muffin and Lemon Merengue.

Since then I've been on the lookout for the other sets, which I saw online circa October. But my local Five Below didn't get them until, like, RIGHT NOW! I checked a few times and they were never on the shelves... UNTIL TODAY! YAY!

I'm really excited to have completed the collection and excited to open these up when I'm feeling a little better and see which pieces are the best. Been meaning to do a post all about these sets, and hopefully I will also do that in 2026. I have never been super into getting, say, Skipper or Barbie or Bratz or random other doll items for my Blythes. I prefer the bespoke handmade stuff, I guess. But these sets are an exception. Cheap items, yes, but also really colorful and fun.

The holidays this year were really busy. Craft market; band; lots of singing with family and friends and dinking around on my Omnichord; nightly walks; family coming into town. It is definitely a bummer to end it feeling run-down with this bug, whatever it is. But I enjoyed making this post, even if it is very consumerist.

See y'all in 2026!!!

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I got an Omnichord! :,)

I AM SO ELATED! As I mentioned in my craft market post, I have been saving up for an instrument! I've been saving up since spring. Prior, I had been saving up to buy Time After Alice. I used part of what I'd been saving up to scoop her, and put the remainder immediately towards this, a Suzuki Omnichord OM-108, which is a really cool (and also really twee) synthesizer.

I first saw this instrument on Instagram when @blackforager posted a story of her playing and singing with her Omnichord; I'm not sure when it was because I believe the story's not been archived. If I recall correctly, the Omnichord wasn't much in-frame so I couldn't really see what it was. I was like, "That is so pretty." I scrolled away... Then I scrolled back, all, "What is that, though??" And Alexis mentioned in either a caption or a comment that it was an Omnichord. And I immediately looked up Omnichords to see how much they cost!

A lot, is the answer! ($500-1000, depending on if you are getting a vintage one from the 80s or the newer model, and whether it's new or used. It can also depend on the condition of a specific Omnichord and its location and the seller from whom you purchase it and whether it's an auction or direct purchase... I'm sure you can imagine the variation.)

For a while I talked myself in and out of saving up for an Omnichord. "It's so expensive. Do I really need it?" After I joined the band during the summer, I really started noticing which songs would benefit from a touch of synth, and this was really what made me feel more enabled in my desire.

It is a big purchase for me and feels pretty frivolous. It took me seven months to save up. Doing the craft market finally put me in the black, soooo I went ahead and bought it, and aaah!!! It was scheduled to arrive on December 22, but it arrived on the 16th! Way sooner than expected. I have been in absolute HEAVEN playing it! Like, I can hardly stop playing it!!

Here's a little video I took to send to my great-aunt:

It basically makes everything sound like sparkly fairy music!! (Pardon my voice, though. I wasn't warmed up! Do you recognize this song? It's from the Rankin Bass Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and is sung by Clarice.)

I would say that the Omnichord is very easy to play. It's nigh impossible for it to sound bad. Just developing that muscle memory regarding the placement of each button is going to take a bit of time yet. I still don't know what absolutely every button does in order to manipulate what I am doing in a timely fashion. But I've been playing it constantly. Especially Christmas music. It's perfect for Christmas music, since it has that bell-like tinkly magic-y sound, and often Christmas songs are fairly easy. Right now I prefer playing without any tempo or chorus accompaniment. I just want the strumpad flourishes for what I am doing.

Playing Christmas songs on both the guitar and Omnichord and decorating our tree recently has really made the season feel like, well, the season. I also have a small pink tree (which you may remember from past years) which I decorated and which looks real cozy at night. My mom and I take walks every day at 8 P.M., regardless of cold and rain, and have been enjoying the holiday lights so much.

To close out this post, some selfies. I attended church with my mom this past weekend and got maybeeee the most compliments I have ever received in my life?

So many people said, "I love your hat." Approached me specifically to say so! (And I love this, because while people have complimented my berets on rare occasions, I have moreso felt somewhat teased about them, and like I am somehow dressing in an eccentric way even though I don't think I am.) I also got compliments on my dress and shoes. One lady said, sentimentally, "You look so beautiful." WHAT??? I mean, dang. Make my day, why don't you! Validate my desire to wear berets even in the face of Prince references and being spoken to in French!!!

And then I posted one of these pics on my Instagram stories to be like, "wow I got so many compliments," and I got yet more compliments, on the clips in my hair and my mitts? Hahah!

Okay, I peaked for the year! It's all fug and slug from here on out.

No, but really: I feel really self-conscious about my silver hairs that stick up everywhere so I'm taking all the compliments about my beret to heart, so that I may gird myself against the self-consciousness I feel about that feature specifically.

And: Getting to make this big purchase, and it arriving early, and being able to enjoy it so much right out of the box really puts a gentle and soothing yet bright cap on what has been a challenging year for me. I want to recognize the moments of enjoyment I've had, remember the compliments and the gingerbread cake and the time spent with my mom this month.

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