unexpeced busyness!

[0dense]

like, a good sort of busy! but August kinda slipped away all of a sudden there lol. some things what have done lately: 

• new coworker at the job! they're nice, but I don't think we'll have much overlap, as the schedule stands. But good to have another set of hands on deck :)
• got the boss's official approval of my extra work on the new menus! I've been staying late after closing to chip away at them as a project,. And even got the commission for another two covers! these ones with a few different tech specs, which make total sense as a v2, but I'm a little worried I'll run out of matching material for the front covers - but if comes to shove, I did just find a shop in the area that has the stuff I'm using as cover material, in bulk albeit not in their usual sale stock, so maybe I can work something out with them.
• a lovely regular at the shop asked me to quick-edit a short story! it was so touching she let me in on the process, we've only ever spoken before on either side of the counter. But she let me see a draft and we had a great talk about genre conventions and her creative process.
• and in turn, she inspired me to share some of my current main work-in-progress! I got about 85% through a draft and ran into a wall, so instead of just bottling it up and getting frustrated and dropping the project, I got my feet together to ask for help (!!!) and folks had great points!
• actually I've got two sets of irons in the fire right now, both for challenges due at the top of October. One has no word count specified, so I have a good 2k in hand, and the other has a minimum of 1k so I have. about 600 words so far :_D but I got some very very helpful cultural feedback on the currently-shorter one too, so that's keeping the wheels turning!
• as exciting as all of that is though I haven't gotten more writing in for the past few days, for reasons including but not limited to: finishing our first MotW spin! we're a table of three and it's so much fun :D I'm playing a crooked with a bonded grimoire who's accidentally on the run from her home dimension, and it also turns out she's the table's tank! She's also turning out to be pretty darn competent at this ghost-busting business, and I've got a level-up bonus to pick before we meet up again, but I've got the requisite angst in wait too >:)
• and today! I gave blood! for the first time since getting diagnosed with and surgery for a tumor and starting T and waiting for my labs to clear. but my endocrinologist took me off her active patient list and my gp said I could sign up, so I got to finally donate again. it has been. a weird fucking medical year. I am so, so very thankful to be stable again. if you have any questions about your health, if you can, go in and get things checked. If that means a particular lab, PLEASE feel free to use me as an excuse - 'this guy I know was having weird symptoms, so he had them check [insert the lab you want done here] and they ended up finding a tumor? like he had to get a resection, even, so if we could just rule that out' or whatever script works for your doctors. make the appointment, you're worth it.
• and this weekend is a wedding! it's for a family friend we've known since he and I were born, AND it's the first formal event I've been invited to since coming out, and they sent the invite to Eric Lastname for it. friends. romans. countrymen. I love being out. I love being trans. I'm a little intimidated because it's a bunch of people I don't know but that's how every single social event is! trans-wise, I am so very happy.

in other news, because I am a parody of myself, today at the bookstore I picked up one bullet away, the man in the high castle and philosophy, and body politics: power, sex, and nonverbal communication. beyond parody. I don't have a used books problem! I could stop any time I wanted to, I tell you!