Month: February 2022

Orilium The Novice Path: Readathon

Sarah the Social Worker

Due to the wedding I missed the Orilium The Novice Path during the initial scheduling so I have added these reads as a “make up” prior to the mini readathon next week.

Entrance- Read a book with a map- The Ancient Magus’ Bride Official Guide Book Merkmal by Kore Yamazaki

Ashton Tree- Read a book that keeps tempting you- Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

The Mist of Solitude- Read a standalone- Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Ruin of the Skye- Read a book with ghosts/haunted house/supernatural- Disney Manga Stitch Volume 1 by Yumi Tsukirino

Obsidian Falls- Read a thriller or mystery book- Shades of Simon Gray by Joyce McDonald

Tower of rumination- read a five star prediction- Daughter of the Pirate King Tricia Levenseller

Orillium Academy- Read a book with a school setting- The Last Graduate by Naomi NoviK

Bonus Post: Surviving Overtime Shifts

Sarah the Social Worker

1. BB-8 Bluetooth speaker

My BB-8 speaker was a present from my family the Christmas after moving into my first apartment (that was not student housing). BB-8 still works and is keeping me from going crazy in a ghost town office.

2. Pandora “Castle Channel”

Punk rock is keeping my sanity. I am listening to Halsey, Fall Out Boys, and Bishop Briggs are currently giving me the energy to keep going

3. Coffee

It would not be a work day if I did not have coffee, I have even gotten myself in the habit of eating a light breakfast.

4. Comfy Sweater

Recently I bought myself an 8XL sweater off the King Size website. As a plus size girl I cannot wear my husbands’ shirts so this gives me the “boy friend shirt” feel. Additionally, it is cable knit so it feels like I am surrounded by a comfy blanket.

Bonus: I am using my phone to set alarms, so I do not miss any important meeting times.

My Valentines Day

Sarah the Social Worker

My husband and I have come up with our own Valentine’s day Traditions, they are not for everyone, but they are great for us.

  1. We have take away or pick up for Valentines day, cooking is too much like work and going out requires dealing with crowds, waits, and a lot of people. To keep from having hangry outbursts, or taxing our social batteries, we have come up with the tradition of ordering sushi and peach bubble tea. This year I had a yummy sticky rice and mango dessert!
  2. We watch TV together, typically anime. What else would a nerdy couple watch?
  3. During the day we play board games and try not to bog ourselves down with chores. My current favorite is Ticket to Ride with the 1910 expansion pack and rules! We tend to break even on who wins this game, there is some strategy, and my inner child loves trains. We also played a game of Happy Dinosaur, but I think it would be better with more people.
    In the past we have played Monopoly but we were both taught the game differently. My house rules included $500 dollars when you land on free parking and we did not build hotels. My husbands family loves hotels.
  4. We exchange sweets. My husband buys my favorite chocolate truffles and I mail order his favorite fudge and one new flavor.
  5. We exchange gifts as well. This year I bought hubby a season of his favorite anime and I received a nice ring with a heart shaped stone and a mini stuffed unicorn.

This may be an odd date night for some, but it is good for recharging our relationship. I am an introvert and my husband is an ambivert. We spend time together daily, but we focus on our relationship during holidays.

Self Care using my senses

Sarah the Social Worker
  1. Sight- I keep pictures of my pets in an album on my phone and will scroll through them for a pick me up
  2. Sound- The Pandora app is loaded onto my phone and I have many different channels so I have options for any mood
  3. Touch- I keep a stress ball or fidget in my purse and several in my desk at work
  4. Taste- Chimes Ginger candies are my go-to for a spicy/sweet candy to settle my stomach or ground
  5. Smell- I have an essential oil roller in my purse and one in my desk. My favorite scent is peppermint oil.

Wishes for the USA

Sarah the Social Worker

I wish we had many things and here are just a few I have discussed in recent weeks with my social work supervisor. Often times universal programs would benefit many of my clients, but they do not exist because these topics have be politicized.

  1. Why are taxes not taken out of our paycheck when we receive our pay rather than guessing how much we should withhold? I would love to know how much I owe from the start without having to wonder if I will owe money or receive a tax refund at the end of the year.
  2. Why do we not have universal health care? Many times procedures, medications, diagnostics, ect come down to not what would be best for this person but what does this person’s health plan cover and what can they cover out of pocket? It frustrates me that human beings are not prioritized above profit.
  3. Why do many jobs not have a cost of living or inflation raise? In my current employment, the cost of living, tax increases, and inflation outstrip my small 2% a year raise, even a bonus is taxed to oblivion.
  4. Why are vision and dental considered add ons and not part of health insurance? your eyes and mouth are part of your body, therefore these should be covered under health plans.

Back in Action

Sarah the Social Worker

Hello All, after an eventful few weeks I am back to blogging! A week and a half of no internet due to issues with XFINITY and a week with no hot water, due to a broken water heater I and my apartment are back to full working order. In addition to my utility issues I am fighting an ear infection, and picked up some overtime, self care has been of high importance.

I have spent an hour each night, at the minimum reading. This has served the purpose of clearing my shelves of unread titles and gives me time to unwind after my husband goes to bed. I have focused on the titles for the readathon, and reading the Ancient Magus’ bride series as I love the depth of thought the writer has put into her world.

Now that I have hot water back, I have made sure to enjoy the time I use to relax and enjoy the heat.

What have you been doing to take care of yourself? Drop a comment below!

Trek Athon Character

Sarah the Social Worker

Some people may ask why I chose an Android of all the possible alien races portrayed in the star trek universe for my character. To that I must say have you seen Next Generation? I love Data, yes data the Android.

He does not always get things right, even though he has huge stores of knowledge, but he is certainly adorable. He tries his best to be a good friend, a good officer, and he pushes for his own rights, even though his one shot at being like humans is destroyed by his brother, Lore.

I have always wished there were more androids around in the Star Trek universe, and I’ve always had a dislike of the Borg for the way it seems to take away from the charm of droids. However, given my desire to see more Data, I was inspired to take a leap with my star fleet officer.

January Reading Wrap-Up

Sarah the Social Worker

This past month I challenged myself to read manga and light novels. A lovely friend let me read 9 of their manga volumes, three Barnes and Nobles trips, lucking into a deal on ebay and I read so much! By mid month I decided to double down on my challenge and try for a Manga a day!

Well, I was victorious! I read 42 books, which puts me ahead in my goal to read 115 books this year. I will be doing this review by manga series, since going by volume would make this a pretty repetitive blog.

Spy X Family Volumes 1-6 by Tatsuya Endo: I loved diving into this new world! I laughed out loud to the various social faux pas and interesting character developments. Their doggo is such a good boy! I cannot wait for volume 7.

Vampire Knight Volumes 4-19;Last Night Vampire Knight Illustrations; Vampire Knight official Fan Book by Matsuri Hino: Being able to finish this series after starting in 2012 was a dream come true. It has been hard to find some volumes of manga since the pandemic, but I managed to score the second box set on e-bay at a reasonable price!

The Ancient Magus’ Bride Volumes 1-3 by Kore Yamazaki: This sometimes confusing, but always intriguing fantasy manga pulled me in from the first volume. I have added the two spin off series and all the companion light novels to my long list of books I need to pick up! I love the interactions between the “Buggy girl” and her Magus.

Uncle from another world Volumes 1-3 by Hotondoshindeiru: This is a book written for masculine Manga readers, but the RPG and Game playing aspects have me hooked. I spoke about the books so much, my husband has the anime release date pinned in his browser can we can see how the pages come to life.

Magical Apocalypse girl volume 2 by Kentaro Sato: I picked up the first volume of this manga thinking it would be about Magical girls as I am interested in that sub-genre of Anime in Manga. I did not expect a Zombie book or I might not have picked it up. I liked volume 1 enough to ask for the sequel at christmas and my mother in law picked it up for me. While the first manga was enough to draw me in, the second book show’s a side of society where men are perverts who just want to assault women since the world is ending. I am not sure if I will continue the series.

High School DXD volumes 1-5 by Ichiei Ishibumi: I picked up these books as soon as I saw them on the shelf because the Anime was so good. I love the Fallen Angels, Demons, Angels, and Sacred Gears from the anime and was not disappointed in the manga. The anime follows the first four books pretty closely, so it was a recap for me, but book 5 is where the two diverge. Since they have gone two different directions, I am excited for where the Anime and Light novel take me! I get two have two adventures with Issei and his harem.

Huda F are you? and That can be arranged by Huda Fahmy: Huda Fahmy is now one of my auto add authors. The first book I read had me laughing and these two were funny, relatable, and heartwarming with a side of snark. I love it and I will be picking up anything else she writes!

Wild animals of The United States by Dev Ross: This was one of the books that my husband and I picked up while on our honeymoon. I like reading some children’s books, but feel guilty paying full price for them when I am no longer a child and do not have children of my own. This book gave me a look at local fluffy animals and a bit of childhood fun.

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe: This book stirred up so much emotion for me. Maia’s confusion during puberty and college made me think of my own confusion trying to find myself when I left my parent’s home. Their struggle with figuring out where they belong also resonated. I recommend this book for all Allies, gender queer folx, questioning folx, or anyone with a loved one who is gender queer.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Occult Edition by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa: I have always loved Sabrina from the Sitcom that aired when I was younger to the current iteration on Netflix, so it was only natural I picked up the graphic novel edition while I was at Barnes and Nobles. While each Sabrina is very different, all of them are looking to find who they are, and that is a message I seem to have needed this month.

Stay Tuned for My February Goals!