Expert Dream Monster @cislyn@wandering.shop

#introduction Bi poly married speculative fiction writer. I mostly write short stories and poetry - long form stories are harder for me. I dabble in a lot of crafts, make messes, pet kitties, play games, and dither about how to introduce myself on social media sites (especially since I'll likely just lurk. It's what I do). I'm a submissions editor for Uncanny Magazine, and I read voraciously. Um... yeah, that's me.

I got a gift subscription to Marvel Unlimited and have been bingeing on comics for a few days now, specifically Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel. I love them both, though SG is my absolute favorite. I find that reading one comic is a great way to take a brief break from other things and works well as motivation when I have a case of the don't wannas. What should I put on my digital to-read pile next?

I think I have a new favorite lunch place. I got take-out from SoHo and everything was amazing. Super yummy Hong Kong curry with grilled chicken, delicious pork dumplings, and a really great sweet milk tea. It's basically right up the road from me, and I just never noticed it before. YUM.

Busy and productive day today. I wrote up a media review for my patreon, sent some emails, submitted a poem (and got a rejection a whole 12 minutes later, so uh, that's one decisive editor!), worked on bylaws research a bit and just generally Got Stuff Done. Whew!

Me folding a fitted sheet: Oh, there's a trick to this. I can be tidy! I'll just look it up!

Me, twenty minutes later, after having tried at least five different allegedly easy methods: orrrrr I could just shove the bundle of sheet in the hall closet like I always do. Yeah, that sounds good.

The upside to this quirk is that gosh, I get a lot done before I chill out. The downside is that gosh, now I'm tired and really NEED to chill. I think the downsides are outweighing the good stuff at this point.

I'm also working a bit on untangling my big ball of feelings around "productivity" in general (which things 'count'? Which things don't? Why? How much of a day can be spent with me Doing Stuff to feel properly productive? Why?). That might take a while, but it seems worth doing, too.

I spent a good portion of today doing bylaws research (heeeey hello I'm helping to start a new non-profit) and also doing all the myriad things I find it necessary to do before I can take a full day completely off and just relax, as is the plan for tomorrow. It's weird to me how very closely my sense of "I can relax" and my sense of "I was very productive recently" are intertwined. I should, um, maybe work on that.

This cat is keeping me happy today. #cats

WisCon was great! And tiring in a specific odd way for me - generally I get home and need to be in my cave for a bit because I'm tired of people. This time, I'm tired of communicating.

I'm tired of my face making expressions to be read, and my clothes making statements, and my body language saying things, and speaking oh gosh I'm tired of the sound of my voice. I was even mostly happy with the things I said in those modes but dang. I felt so noisy.

I might be quieter than usual for a bit.

I am at #WisCon! Feel free to say hi if you see me. I am friendly but shy, so unlikely to say hi myself unless we pre-arranged to meet. This is going to be a great con. :)

In other news, I have lost a button that I intended to sew back onto a favorite top. ARGH.

PastMe: Surely I will remember where I put this small, easily losable object in this very cluttered house. Surely.

PresentMe: WELP. That's gone forever now.

FutureMe: Could you... maybe... not do that again?

PresentMe: I make no guarantees. After all, SURELY I will remember that I put this other small, losable object right over here. It's right there! I'll wander off now. Stuff to do.

FutureMe: Sigh.

I can't stop petting the poetry book. I swear, every time I get something physical that has my work & words in it, I just want to freaking cuddle it. It's so niiiiiice.

In other news, I'm getting ready for WisCon. Wheeee! I'll be reading my weird surrealist dictionary story at the "Snuggles, Rainbows, and World Destruction" reading on Sunday. I will also be on a panel that day - "Re-Enchanting Your Muse, Or How to Write When the Thrill Is Gone." Come see me if you're going to be there! Just, uh, don't expect me not to be shy and awkward. That's kinda what I do.

It's a good mail day! I just received the spiffy business cards Claire designed for me AND my copy of this year's Rhysling Anthology. This is a beautiful book, y'all, filled with beautiful poems. My little dragon poem is in good company.

I finally saw Annihilation tonight. I really enjoyed it, though the ScareBear moments were perhaps a bit much. It was well done, though a very different experience from the book.

I'm helping to create an awesome new contest for beginning writers of science fiction and fantasy. We've got big dreams and schemes. Think this sounds nifty? There's lots of room to help! Read about it here and then join us. :)

https://anaealay.com/2018/04/26/project-fad-lets-make-something-wonderful/

Presented for your consideration: space kitties.

Blizzara and Bonus are really into the new duvet cover.

I just got unreasonably cross with a post else-internet claiming that nobody is really allergic or sensitive to MSG (hi, it's a migraine trigger for me, and yes, I've tested this in multiple ways). It's a good reminder to me that authoritative declarations run the risk of contradicting someone's lived experiences.

Everytime I glance in there they are squished closer and looking so happy.
💕

Chores finished, I wander upstairs. Where Blizzara and Bonus are being the cutest. Life is pretty good. #cats

Update: she got frightened off by an egg. Oh, kitty.

This is pretty OK. She's a lousy supervisor, always interrupting with some higher priority task (like scritches).