Category: Slice of Life

  • Isolation Chronicles: Support Your Local Businesses

    I had posted earlier in the Isolation that I purchased a mystery book box from one of my favorite local bookshops The Book Loft. Since that purchase I have been trying very hard to support other local and small businesses in any way I can. Whether that is ordering food, buying products, or just providing support. Here are some of my favorite shops, stores that I could not recommend more.

    1. Elder Forest Soap – I call Katie and Nathan our soap people. Seth and I have almost exclusively used their soaps for the last several years. We have stalked them in a friendly “man I need soap” way to many a festival, and we think of them as friends. I also swear by their pain balm, their salves and their natural deodorant. Recommended soap scents: Rosemary, Patchouli Spice, Sandalwood Rose and Woodland.
    2. Brother’s Drake Meadery – One of the first local meaderies to open in Columbus Ohio. They make amazing meads and if you are local and no longer in lockdown you can take an awesome tour with them. They are also delivering locally and nationwide. Recommended meads: Strongarm and Battleaxe
    3. Blonde Swan Hats – I have owned many Blonde Swan hats in my life and I love them. Blonde Swan is based out of Northern Ohio and they make absolutely amazing leather and suede hats. I ordered a new hat for Ren Faire and an amazing feather piece to wear on it in the last week. My wedding hat was a Blonde Swan that cost more than my actual dress, lol. Seth’s wedding hat was also a Blonde swan. If you like Blonde Swan on facebook she is offering some amazing deals as Warehouse Wednesday too. Recommended Buys: Any and all Witch hats!
    4. Prologue Bookshop – Prologue is another amazing local bookstore in Columbus. I am a member of their LGBTQ+Allies book club, and I have been buying my books for that directly from them to support them because I have the funds available to do so.  This book club reads books written by LGBTQ authors and is a wonderful open group.
    5. Zen Bee Meadery – Yep, another meadery. I love mead. Zen Bee is a smaller part time local meadery that creates delicious session meads, which means they are lower ABV than some other meads. They are delicious and easy to drink. Recommended Meads: Braspberry, Karma Apple
    6. Witch Baby Soap – This is my favorite place to get bath bombs. They smell amazing, sometimes they have crystals and stones in them, and they are totally witchy. They offer quarterly spell boxes which give you one bomb a month for the quarter, plus soaps and extras. Recommended: Psychic Bath Bomb, Rune Stone Bath Bomb. and the Astrological Cake Bath Bombs.

    These are some of my favorite local/small businesses. Do you have some you are supporting right now? Share with me so I can check them out.

     

  • Isolation Chronicles: Making Moves Toward the Future

    Isolation Chronicles: Making Moves Toward the Future

    Last week I had a phone call meeting with the lovely and amazing Joanna DeVoe that I was lucky enough to win earlier in the month. We talked about ideas that I have been having and how to make them happen, developing my “brand” and how to find my tribe. It was enlightening, inspiring and kicked my creativity into high gear. I have so many thoughts and ideas percolating. I feel like I won so much more than just a phone call. Joanna is the bizwitch supreme and she gave me so much in an hour.

    Then last Wednesday I got a job notification on Linkdin that a position opened at my company that would use my degree and be an amazing move for me. I applied on Thursday and today I had a first call with a recruiter. This position would be an amazing move for my career and for me in general, so I am really excited to see where this goes.

    It is crazy how much I have moving and happening during a time when it seems like there is “nothing” happening. I have also hosted zoom meetings, played online D&D and watched far too much drag race.

    I am still letter writing as well and I am going to show off some of the gorgeous wax seals I sent out today. I am so happy with the marbling I achieved on these.

     

  • Isolation Chronicles: List Making

    Is anyone else making strange lists of things they want to do once the social isolation is over? Here are some of the strange lists I have found myself making in my head as the days move on.

    Songs I want to sing in Karaoke once I can: The Warrior by Scandal, Heartbreaker by Pat Benetar, Kiss me Deadly by Lita Ford, Man in the Box by Alice in Chains, Call Me by Blondie, Rock Lobster by The B-52s…

    This list is odd for a couple of reasons: one, while I love Karaoke I almost never go out to do it, and two while I love Karaoke I almost never go out to do it. So why am I suddenly curating lists of potential songs? I am guessing it is mostly because I no longer have the option and I hate that.

    I also have been making lists of places nearby that I will visit as soon as the option arises. I want to go to: The Columbus Museum of Art, The Book Loft, The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum (which I have never visited), Otherworld, The Perkins Observatory,  Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland…

    If I were to visit your area what is the list of places I should visit? Are there places near you that you have never visited that you would like to?

  • Isolation Chronicles: Zoom Parties, Trivia and Porch Visits

    Isolation Chronicles: Zoom Parties, Trivia and Porch Visits

    The Ohio stay at home order has been extended to May 1, so we are sitting tight at home for at least a few more weeks. I can say that I think my anxiety is either leveling out or I am just getting used to it. Neither is probably great, but…it is what it is. I am working from home 87.5% of my week I am working at home now (Seth helped me with that math. I go into work for 5 hours in the evening on Friday.) I still get my Wednesdays off though, so that is a positive.

    Last Wednesday I was part of an amazing event hosted by Joanna DeVoe, Molly Roberts, Cris Ashburn, Joey Morris and Jessi Huntenburg on Zoom. It was an April Fools Day Witchy Town Hall and we wore costumes (tiaras, ears, flower crowns and fun glasses), talked about books, and had witchy trivia contests. I was the lucky winner of a call with Joanna DeVoe and a prize from Joey at Starry Eyed Supplies. I also put an offer out to send more Snail Mail messages and got several replies, so I will be writing more letters on Wednesday.

    I am so excited about the call with Joanna. I have been watching her Youtube and listening to her podcast for a long time as well as supporting her Patreon and chatting with her on Twitter, so getting to have a coaching call with her is an amazing gift. Our call is set for the 15th and I am beyond excited to chat with her about where I am headed and how to get there. She is such an absolute ray of light in this world and I feel blessed to be connected to her.

    On Saturday my Mom and Sister dropped by and we maintained a safe distance on our porch to have a short visit. They dropped off Seth’s Birthday present (his birthday was March 30) and brought us Soppapillas from Soppapilla Express in Newark. That is absolutely one of my favorite foods in the world and secures my family as completely awesome. They got Seth a Fitbit Versa and the boardgame Pandemic, which we all got a good laugh at. That night Seth and I played Pandemic a couple of times and played through Castle Ravenloft once.

    We are staying sane and keeping ourselves entertained. How are you faring in the isolation? Doing anything fun?

     

  • Day 10: Pandemic Pen Pals

    In the light of social distancing and quarantines I have begun writing letters to many of my friends. Some are prearranged Pandemic Pen Pals and others are just me writing letters to let people know I am thinking of them.

    I got an idea that I might want to write letters differently just for fun so one of the ideas I came up with was writing on a library checkout card and pocket. I was able to find some easily and started sending them out today. I am actually quite happy with how they are turning out. Not every letter I send will look like this, but I am absolutely in love with them.

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    Now I am trying to think of other interesting ways to send/ write letters for my lovely new pen pals. I found some paper I had bought several years ago that is pieces of maps that were misprinted, so I think I may write some on those. I am thinking about playing with some origami stars as well. I have already broken out my various seals for the occasion and my myriad color of pens. Who knew letter writing could be so fun?

    I haven’t written this many letters since I was in middle school. I used to write so many letters and lists and intricately folded missives between myself and my friends. I wish I still had them. When I was a teenager in a fit of pique I threw them all away. I regret that now that I am older and would love to remember that awkward girl.

    Are you a letter writer? Do you enjoy receiving letters? Were you a crazy teenage letter writer? Can you fold a letter in about a dozen different ways?

  • Day 9 of the Hostage Situation: Divination

    I love tarot and oracle decks. I have been reading since I was 16 and I have loved them ever since. I think they are a divination tool of such beauty, and each deck is unique with new insights to share. I am a bit of a collector when it comes to decks and I have well 6 right here beside me and an additional 8-10 more. I may be underestimating that amount as well. I might have a problem (nah!). In the last month I received a new oracle deck as a gift and I received a tarot deck my husband kickstarted for me as well. I am awash in new divinatory tools and I love it. I thought I would share my first impressions of both decks in case you were looking at them, or so you might want to.

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    Deck 1: The Literary Witches Oracle written by Taisia Kitaiskaia and illustrated by Katy Horan – The artwork for this oracle is lovely. The cards are divided into two types: The Witches and The Witches’ Materials. There are 30 witch cards with portraits of famous literary women and 40 material cards which are common images found in literary work like wolf, cauldron, white dress, etc. The deck comes in a sturdy box and has a guidebook that has basic meanings for each card as well as sample spreads. Here is a quick look through the guidebook.

    The cards are well made and solid, but a little large for my hands when it comes to shuffling. The imagery on the cards is gorgeous and lush for the Witches and beautiful but simple for the Materials. I love the idea of working with imagery as a divination tool and I look forward to using this deck. Here are some examples of my personal favorite Witches and some of the Materials I liked a lot.

    Deck 2: The Oriens Tarot by Ambi Sun – The imagery for this deck drew me right in when Seth showed it to me on Kickstarter and I knew I needed it. The artwork is stunning and comprised of animals and insects. The colors are lush. I have been waiting for this for a while. The deck came in a beautiful sturdy box, and I also got a reading cloth in the design from the back of the cards. The deck does not come with a physical book, but I was able to download a copy onto my computer and phone, and you can look at the meanings of the cards on the website.

    The sides of the cards are gilded in an amazing holographic silver that catches the light beautifully. The cards are of a nice thickness and fit really well in my hands. I could shuffle them all day if given half the chance. (I find shuffling super meditative and relaxing.) I am massively in love with the animal imagery and the beautiful colors. I am so excited to get into using this gorgeous deck. Here are some of my immediate favorite cards.

    Do you read tarot? Or do you collect them like me? What do you think makes a great deck? Do you enjoy oracle decks as well?

     

  • Day 4 of the Hostage Situation (Keeping calm in the world of Covid-19)

    Day 4 of the Hostage Situation (Keeping calm in the world of Covid-19)

    How are you all holding up? I will be honest I am alternating between being super anxious and being laissez faire. Thanks Anxiety and Depression. This is also proving to me exactly how extroverted I am. Truly it isn’t so bad currently, but the thought of how much longer this will last and how many things are being cancelled is daunting, disappointing and, well, depressing.

    On the positive side I have started a pen pal group for the Wenches. And will be writing to another lovely friend as well. I have so many books to read that I can work my way through, and I have a stationary bike I can use for exercise. Things are truly not all doom and despair but things are very different and it may take me a minute to adjust.

    I need to find the motivation to write and to make art, but currently my axiety is too high for that. Hopefully I can snap out soon.

    Stay sane my friends.

    If you would like to be a pen pal as well feel free to message me your address and I will gladly send a letter.

    The photo for this post is my new part time coworker, Samhain, helping me work. ❤

  • Fifty More Random Things!!

    This came up on Facebook, so I grabbed it and decided to do another one. 50 (Yes, fifty!!) Things You’ve Never Been Asked. 

    1. What is the color of your hairbrush? I have two main ones; one is brown and the other black.
    2. Name a food you never ever eat? There is no such food.
    3. Are you typically too warm or too cold ? At work too warm, at home cold.
    4. What were you doing 45 mins ago? Playing with one of my birthday gifts.
    5. What is your favorite candy bar? I don’t eat a lot of candy bars, but when I do I eat Mounds.
    6. Have you ever been to a professional sporting event? Yes. A bunch.
    7. What is the last thing you said out loud? “You just backed that ass up right onto my computer.” Said to my cat. 
    8. What is your favorite ice cream? Vanilla with nestle quick powder.
    9. What was the last thing you had to drink? Water with lemon
    10. Do you like your wallet? Yes, it is a floral Betsey Johnson.
    11. What was the last thing you ate? Mexican Rice Bowl ala Seth
    12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? Yes, I think so. 
    13. The last sporting event you watched? I think it was a UFC fight at a bar. 
    14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? I am happy with just salted popcorn. 
    15. Who is the last person you sent a message to? My sister in law Niki. Today is her birthday (3/15) 
    16. Ever go camping? Yes
    17. Do you take vitamins? Every Day
    18. Do you go to church every Sunday? Nope. 
    19. Do you have a tan? No, I am ungodly pale.
    20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza? I love both equally. 
    21. Do you drink your soda with a straw? Sometimes
    22. What color socks do you usually wear? All colors and patterns. I love crazy socks. 
    23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit? Yes
    24. What terrifies you? This whole virus thing has me fairly anxious. 
    25. Look to your left, what do you see? My birthday presents on the couch beside me. 
    26. What chore do you hate? Dusting
    27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? Aussie!! 
    28. What’s your favorite soda? Diet Dr Pepper
    29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? We don’t eat much fast food.
    30. What is your favorite number? 13
    31. Who’s the last person you talked to? Seth, my husband
    32. Favorite cut of beef? Umm…I don’t really have one. 
    33. Last song you listened to? Something sung by Jameson’s Folly. 
    34. Last book you read? I am reading the poetry book Great Goddeses by Nikita Gill
    35. Favorite day of the week? Wednesday
    36. Can you say the alphabet backwards? Yes
    37. How do you like your coffee? Black
    38. Favorite pair of shoes? Doc Marten Boots
    39. Time you normally go to bed? 10pm
    40. Time you normally get up? 4:30 am on work days, 8-ish on days off.
    41. What do you prefer, sunrise or sunset? Both are beautiful. 
    42. How many blankets on your bed? One Down Comforter
    43. Describe your kitchen plates? Gray
    44. Do you have a favorite alcoholic beverage? All of them. I don’t drink often but I can drink anything. 
    45. Do you play cards? I have been known to play euchre. 
    46. What color is your car? Cafe Latte
    47. Can you change a tire? Yes
    48. Your favorite state? Probably Ohio, but it is a cheat because I love here. 
    49. Favorite job? Haven’t found it yet. 
    50. How did you get your biggest scar?  Had a cyst removed from my bronchial tubes when I was a kid. 

    Some of these were repeats, or close to others I had answered but it was still fun. 🙂 

     

  • My Birthday in a Post.

    My Birthday in a Post.

    Yesterday was my birthday. I am officially 39. I spent most of early yesterday with curlers in my hair getting ready for the Fancy Dress Party at the Forge Tavern later in the day. My husband, Seth, surprise d me at midnight while I was putting my curlers in with my birthday present from him: Dungeons and Dragons Castle Ravenloft the Board Game. It is a stand alone version of the Curse of Strahd which is a module for D&D that I am planning to Dungeon Master later this year. We can play it to prepare, and also use the figurines from the game when running my game later. I am super excited.

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    Once we were ready we met my mom and sister for dinner at Tomatillo’s in Worthington for dinner. They gave me my present from them then. They got me a new Fitbit Versa, the game Punderdome and The Literary Witches Oracle. They also got me a unicorn hand sanitizer holder, which my mom bought before all the chaos really started, but it is super handy now.

    Then we all headed to The Forge Tavern for the Fancy Dress Party. Jameson’s Folly, which is made up of the Wenches a’ Wailing from the Renaissance Festival and their friends, was performing as a St. Patrick’s Day celebration.  The Forge made the decision not to cancel in spite of the covid-19 restrictions and instead to limit the number of people who are allowed to attend. I would say there were about 50 of us in attendance in the end, but it was a lovely night. I was gifted a lovely unicorn music box from my friend Carol, an adorable birthday wineglass from my friend Mary, and my friend Susan made me a necklace based on the book The Starless Sea. I will absolutely admit to having far too much to drink, but in spite of that it was a lovely night. Jameson’s Folly even wished me a happy birthday in a bunch of languages, did a toast to me and sang an encore song just for me.

    All in all it was an absolutely amazing birthday. Today they have officially closed all the restaurants and bars, and I am so thankful that I was able to have one more night of fun before that hit. I am 39 and the world feels like chaos, but last night I was surrounded by my favorite people so it is all okay.

  • 50 Dig A Little Deeper Questions

    50 Dig A Little Deeper Questions

    I found this on Pinterest and thought the questions were fun and interesting. So…

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    1) Do you prefer writing with black or blue pen? – I prefer black, and my favorite pen is Unibal Signo Impact 207

    2) Would you prefer to live in the country or the city? – I am an active person so I am best in a city, but I love the idea of living in the country.

    3)If you could learn a new skill, what would it be? – I would love to learn another language. Currently I speak almost no Spanish and French and I would love to be at least mildly conversational in one.

    4) Do you drink your tea or coffee with sugar? – Nope. I drink both black.

    5) What was your favorite book as a child? – The Pobble Who Has No Toes by Edward Lear, and The Light In The Attic by Shel Silverstein

    6) Do you prefer baths or showers? – I love both, but I love baths.

    7) If you could be a mythical creature, which would you choose? – Well, my myth for the Wenches is the Banshee and I am becoming very attached to her, so probably that.

    8) Do you prefer reading paper or electronic books? – I prefer paper, but for travel electronic is by far better.

    9) What is your favorite item of clothing? – My leather jacket and my favorite jean jacket.

    10) Do you like your name? Would you ever change it? – I love my name. I would never change my first name but I have joked about changing my middle name to Snow (It is legally Jo) so my name would be Betsy Snow White.

    11) Who is a mentor to you? – My mom, she is an amazing person. My fellow lady gangers and wenches. I am surrounded by some of the most amazing women.

    12) Would you ever want to be famous? – If so, what for? Well…I am a writer so being acknowledged for that would be nice.

    13) Are you a restless sleeper? – Generally, no. But when I get anxiety I can

    14) Do you consider yourself to be a romantic? – I do.

    15) Which element best represents you? – I am a water sign through and through (Pisces sun and Cancer moon)

    16) Who do you want to be closer to? – I would love to establish a relationship with my half-sister Chelli. I don’t know if it will ever happen, but…

    17) Do you miss someone at the moment? – I have really been missing my grandparents lately. My grandma died when I was 15 and my grandpa when I was 20.

    18) Tell us about an early childhood memory. – Some of my favorite early memories are swinging with my grandma in her backyard on a spring day. She would sing a little song and you could hear the turtle doves cooing. I still love to swing.

    19) What is the strangest thing you have eaten? – Probably alligator. I am not picky at all, so I will eat anything, but I think that is the strangest.

    20) What can you see outside your bedroom window? – My backyard from one side, and my driveway from the other side.

    21) What are you most thankful for? – My husband, family and friends.

    22) Do you like spicy food? – I love spicy food. When my husband and I got together 13 years ago I was absolutely not, but he slowly introduced me to more spice and now I love it.

    23) Have you ever met someone famous? – I have met Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione of the Dresden Dolls several times at signings. I met Voltaire, Puddles Pity Party, David Sedaris and Ron Funches in the same way.

    24) Do you keep a diary or journal? – I do.

    25) Do you prefer to use pen or pencil? – It depends on the application. In my journals I write in pen, but when I am prewriting etc. I prefer pencil.

    26) What is your star sign? – I am a Pisces with an Aquarius rising and a Cancer moon.

    27) Do you like your cereal crunchy or soggy? – Crunchy please.

    28) What would you want your legacy to be? – I feel like I am working on that. I hope that my work with the Wenches Guild will last and build beyond our work.

    29) Do you like reading? What was the last thing you read? – I love to read. Scythe by Neal Shusterman, Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom and I just started I Am God by Giacomo Sartori.

    30) How do you show someone you love them? – I will just straight up tell them, but I also like to buy very selective and specific gifts that play to what they love.

    31) Do you like ice in your drinks? – Water, yes. Alcohol, not necessary. Soda, maybe.

    32) What are you afraid of? – The dark and I am not a fan of thunderstorms.

    33) What is your favorite scent? – Sandalwood, lavender, rosemary, lemon and mint

    34) Do you address older people by their first or last name? – It depends. At first by their last name, but if they request then I will use their first name.

    35) If money was not a factor, how would you live your life? – I would own my own business, but otherwise my life would be pretty much the same. I would renovate my house.

    36) Do you prefer swimming in pools or the ocean? – I am not a great swimmer, so pools all the way. I only wade in the ocean.

    37) What would you do if you found $50 on the ground? – If I could locate an owner I would return it. If not I might report it somewhere.

    38) Have you ever seen a shooting star? Did you make a wish? – I have seen many shooting stars and I have wished on many of them.

    39) What is one thing you would want to teach your children?  – Well I don’t have any children, but I like to think I am helping to teach my nieces and nephew to be open, honest and inclusionary.

    40) If you had to have a tattoo, what would it be and where would you get it? – I already have several, but some of the ones I am planning are the word Wench on my left arm, and a quote and maybe some artwork from the book The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern “We are all stardust and stories.”

    41) What can you hear right now? – Archer playing on the TV.

    42) Where do you feel safest? – With my husband, family and friends.

    43) What is one thing you want to overcome/conquer? – I would love to better deal with my anxiety. I am already working on self-love, but my anxiety will always come back to bite me.

    44) If you could travel back to any era, which would you choose? – Maybe ancient Egypt, the past was kinda shitty for women, so it is hard to think of going back to those times.

    45) What is your most used emoji? hearts

    46) What is your favorite season? Why? – Autumn, though with climate change it isn’t much of a thing anymore.

    47) How would you spend your ideal day? – Go to Tommy’s Diner for breakfast, then go shopping on high street and to the Book Loft, hit a Mexican place for lunch, catch a show at a local theatre and then go out to dinner for drinks and maybe dancing later.

    48) Describe yourself using one word. – Creative.

    49) What do you regret the most? – Not going after my dreams when I was younger. Now I am just trying to make up for lost time.

    50) Invent your own word. What does it mean? – Somesense: It is more than sense and a direct opposite to nonsense.

     

    There you go! 50 more things about me. Are you getting tired of me yet?