Birchoparenthesis

I am feeling truly recovered after my recent procedure. By what I can only describe as pure luck or providence, it turns out it was stage zero cancer, meaning it was completely and successfully removed. I am so deeply grateful, even if the full weight of this incredible gift hasn't entirely dawned on me yet. Of course, there will be ongoing radiological CT scans—what the doctors call "surveillance"—over the next several years. Because cancer "usually" doesn't spread, this is mostly precautionary...

What Inspires Me: From High Fashion to the Streets We all need a spark to keep our creative gears turning. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the specific, sometimes unexpected things that fuel my own imagination. Here is a look inside my current notebook of inspirations. Expensive Fashion: The Shift at Gucci Demna is the new creative director at Gucci, and the pieces and marketing look pretty good. In my opinion, he is taking Gucci down to its bones with sleek and smoky pieces—styles that admit...

A Quick Check-In 🌿 the last 24 hours have been a bit of a wobble. ●My fitness has felt a bit stalled lately, and I didn't exactly help matters by diving into a mountain of ice cream last night. My stomach paid the price, leaving me pretty queasy and rough-feeling this morning. ●On a deeper note, I haven't been taking theanine lately, and the weight of daily, stifling responsibilities has been feeling extra heavy. Beneath the usual routine, there’s also the quiet, heavy work of processing a can...

A Quick Update: Health, Crafts, and Better Focus Some Reassuring News: I still haven’t heard back directly from the oncology department, but I ran the doctor's biopsy notes through an AI interpreter. It looks like the pre-cancer issue might finally be resolved. That reassurance has been a huge weight off my shoulders and is a major reason for my positive outlook today. Feeling Good: Today is a good day. A solid night of high-quality sleep and a steady dose of caffeine have done wonders for my ...

3-June-2026 Daily Check-In Health & Mindset: Still processing the pre-cancer news, which is heavy and bringing up a lot of fear, uncertainty, and negative thoughts about the future. Feeling a lack of motivation right now to focus on building up physical strength. Recognizing the need to schedule a consultation with an oncologist and adjust my diet. Stress is definitely playing a big role in my mood right now. Social & Community: Feeling the absence of real-life social interactions. M...

Fitness & Movement Fitness and endurance are currently a bit low. I took a breather from the vigorous walking plan today, but I’m keeping up a solid routine of walking every other day. On the plus side, I reached out and contacted the YMCA today! Outlook & Connection The future feels okay—nothing bad on the horizon. I’m really looking forward to seeing an out-of-state friend in a couple of weeks, which is a great anchor. Things are going well at home, and I’m feeling really good about...

So, a few updates...I tried putting an ingredients list into an AI tool, and it actually worked out great—made some awesome Italian lentils.Yesterday, I went out to Chinatown with a group from a local peer charity. We hit up a nice social spot, and I ended up coming home with an absolute mountain of delicious Chinese food. I’ve been happily eating the leftovers yesterday and today! Then today, I jumped onto a video conference with some more peers. It was super informative with a lot of great di...

Dear Friends, Just checking in with you all! Here are my current thoughts: 🙂 Fitness, 🙂 Future, 🫥 Friends, 😥 Faith, 🙂 Feelings, 🙂 Focus, 😥 Foundation, 🙂 Fun, 🙂 Finances. I'm grateful to have recovered after a medical procedure. I attended a mental health outreach group yesterday—it was okay. My outlook feels pretty good right now, and I plan to go out socially this morning. My housemate, who is on the autism spectrum, will probably be fine at home without someone to take care of them. Usual...

Monday: Why I’m Postponing My Morning Caffeine I’ve been sleeping significantly more lately, and it’s all thanks to one simple change: postponing my morning caffeine. The shift started when I overheard a video my housemate was playing. It mentioned the "cortisol bomb" that happens when you consume caffeine the second you wake up. For years, that was my exact habit—I’d even wake up in the middle of the night and reach for it. Theoretically, by delaying that first hit, I'm less stressed by extra ...

Recovery and Health I’m feeling about 90% recovered after my recent medical procedure. It was a straightforward day procedure, and the experience went well, especially since it came recommended by my regular doctor. I’ll be following up with the surgery department in a few weeks. I was released to my housemate’s care on the day of the operation, and the result has been improved health. However, I do need to be more mindful of my diet now—even more so than in the past. Creative Projects Betwe...

Linwood Butterfly Webapp Powerful and inscrutable—virtually at no cost; Butterfly is an exemplary, platform-agnostic solution compared to Apple Notes and S-Note, which enhances my appreciation. Due to the apparent malfunction of the Apple Journal app's export feature, which is unable to handle my approximately 160,000 words stored within, itrusted Apple. this writer's opinion is that's Journal is an ongoing development project. Similarly, Butterfly by Linwood is also under active development. ...

Today was pretty chill; I mostly stayed home. I enjoyed some tasty food and soaking up the warm sunlight. My housemate was glued to the internet news most of the day, and some of it caught my interest. I spent time researching French luggage and catching up on gossip about Demna’s future at Gucci. I only managed about half my usual morning pages today — but honestly, all of that was a good way to keep grounded while hanging out at home with my housemate. My housemate isn’t really aware of thei...

Pinterest site can feel like social media and then it works like a drug. It seems like something you need, but it can backfire because you get stuck in an endless cycle of scrolling through countless images. Many links lead to sites that want to sell you something or make money off the images. Still, it’s full of shiny, eye-catching pictures. Some of them inspire me, but occasionally I come across something disturbing. People usually don’t interact or chat there, which I prefer because I’m socia...

I enjoyed playing games, especially simulation games. However, I haven't played them in a while, since they don't feel very exciting anymore. When it comes to puzzles, I usually don't feel motivated to keep going. I like puzzles for about an hour, like the Ynth puzzle video game—it was fun. I'm not someone who must do everything in a game, often called a "completionist." I just enjoy the initial experience of learning how to play. Once I figure out the mechanics, I get bored quickly. That said,...

Luxury items ... I’ve been thinking about the used Gucci B bag from 2025. It’s on the secondhand market for \$1,200, which seems crazy. But it’s still on my mind. I also want an iPhone Air. Even though it hasn’t been a big hit for Apple, I love its beautiful display and fast processor. I also want to replace my old Galaxy S22 with a Google Pixel 10. I don’t have many ways to enjoy myself right now, and that’s been on my mind. I even started thinking about investing in cryptocurrencies, but that ...

The "Human Prop" Problem What’s the deal with people and their iPhone cameras lately? Today, I watched tourists just snapping away at random customers like they were at a zoo. It’s a huge pet peeve of mine and, honestly, a little alarming. I actually called out a group once, telling them, "It’s rude." It ended up being super awkward—they just stared at me, and I felt like I'd made a scene. But seriously, even if we’re basically under 24/7 surveillance anyway, does that mean manners just don't e...

Cafe Observations My housemate and I visited a trendy cafe, trying to step away from our usual neighborhood routine. As we sat there, a couple arrived carrying baggage. I’m trying to write everything down as it happens. There was a pretty customer nearby, an Asian woman in bell-bottom jeans. Taking a deep breath, I managed to smile and hug my housemate. We drank light roast coffee—it was okay—and talked about the word "sonorous," meaning deep, rich sounds. I considered buying house-made cookie...

Navigating Life Lately, things have felt quite heavy. I’ve been navigating the constant stress of managing a demanding situation, where simply keeping up with daily tasks feels like a full-time job just to stay “above water.” Health and Perspective While there isn’t anything “bad” on the horizon, I am managing a medical condition that requires consistent attention and an upcoming hospital procedure. It’s a lot to manage, and it highlights a real need for more recreation in my life. Redefining...

I tried a different type of Korean food for the first time. It was pork bone soup with pork and noodles. The soup was rich, and the flavor was gentle, which surprised me. I enjoyed the meal. There was a lot of food, so now I feel like lying down for the rest of the afternoon. After eating, we walked about half a mile to our parked car. Overall, I feel good about the experience, although I have a hospital appointment coming up. After that, I don’t plan to eat pork bone soup or pork anymore. I'...

I got confused with my passwords and couldn’t find my Listed.to key. But then it became clear, and I figured it out. It was a bit of an up-and-down afternoon. At least that confusing search ended well and showed me that I can focus on tasks, even with my brain illness. Other things I can do well include cooking a simple meal, writing for about 40 minutes straight, and making a sweatshirt out of yarn. Today, I skipped writing my Morning Pages and instead worked on the yarn sweatshirt. I just go...

First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs: An Overview First Presbyterian Church (often styled as First Pres) is a historic, multi-generational congregation located in downtown Colorado Springs. As a conservative-leaning "megachurch," it maintains a significant presence both locally and through its digital outreach. Why I Engage with First Pres The church is a large-scale operation with a multi-million dollar budget, which translates into high accessibility. I can interface with them in s...

AI. Engine Killed the Smartpen for me ​I used to appreciate Moleskine’s handwriting recognition tech, but these days, it just feels expensive and cumbersome. In my current workflow, using plain paper and a standard pen paired with an AI recognition engine easily beats the Moleskine Smartpen. ​The main draw of the Smartpen is privacy: your notes stay on your phone, the pen’s local memory, or the proprietary notebooks. But those notebooks and pens aren't cheap. ​Honestly, my writing doesn't rea...

Monster Process and I like it Lately, I’ve found that my writing process tends to get away from me, especially since it still heavily involves handwriting. In the distant past, I was content to simply fill notebook after notebook with my "scratches and lines," but today, the goal is a permanent digital record. The bottleneck of transitioning from ink to digital format has become my primary obstacle. ​My current process is undeniably cumbersome. I write with liquid ink on paper, then snap images...

Meh outlook Everything is okay—or at least, I’m getting by. Honestly, the future feels a bit bleak with this medical procedure hanging over me indefinitely. It’s hard to plan anything fun or lighthearted when things feel this heavy. ​On the bright side, things at home are mostly peaceful. My older housemate is content just staying in, which helps. I even managed to avoid an hour of doomscrolling on the online flea market this morning! Instead, I took a moment to give thanks to my Higher Power ...

Ended Subscriptions Over the last three days, it was easy to end the unnecessary digital subscriptions that were sapping my bank account. Consequently, I am now spending \$60 less per month. ​My Xbox subscription was due to renew for \$30, but I caught it in time. I discovered that it is not enough to simply remove the bank card; there is an additional required step of turning off recurring billing. It made me a bit angry to realize I could have been billed for another month if I hadn't nav...

Kitchen Conflict So, my housemate’s friend is staying next door, and I’m currently bracing for impact. I need to send out a "polite warning" to make sure they don't just wander into our place unannounced, though I’m not entirely sure how well that’s going to go over. Here’s the thing: we live in this friend’s ancestral home. Because of that history, they feel perfectly entitled to stroll in and make themselves right at home in our kitchen. It’s one of those classic "shared living" headaches ...

Snapshot: SERVICE DO I USE THIS 3 TIMES WEEKLY IS THERE A SINGLE PAY OPTION COST OF SUBSCRIPTION MONTHLY, USD. MY VERDICT Amzn Prime y y $ 15 KEEP Walmart Plus n y $ 13 AXE Xbox Ultimate n n $ 30 AXE creativebug n n $ 5 AXE sidedeal.com n y $ 6 AXE Google Play y y $ 5 KEEP Youtube Premium Lite y n $ 8 KEEP Paramount plus n ? $ 9 AXE So, I sat down to write tonight and considering the metaphorical drain on my bank statement. Specifically, that is my subscriptions. Let’s be...

I often find myself gravitating toward my favorite local convenience store to write. It is a striking space, defined by a soaring wall of windows that invites the steady, soft glow of northern light. The atmosphere is intentionally austere: the furniture is unforgivingly hard, and the playlist is a rotation of the unusual and unpredictable. The clientele consists mostly of what passes for neighbors in this city—familiar faces who generally respect the unspoken rule of solitude. However, the expe...

aspect SMALL TOWN METROPOLIS Subject of greeting Anyone No one as a rule energy level exuberant half smile at most Social occasion stop and interact Don't stop trust level high low It’s always obvious when a friend from a small town comes to visit the big city. My friend from back home greets literally everyone he passes, which—as a city local—honestly makes me a little self-conscious. For instance, if he sees a dog he likes, he’ll stop the owner right on the sidewalk. He’ll blurt ...

Comparing Global News vs. Pet Content I’ve been bouncing between mainstream cable news and YouTube channels like Tousi TV and Decoding China lately. It’s a wild contrast: cable is obsessed with the abduction case in Tucson, while YouTube is diving deep into the crises in Iran and China. Independent Media: A Mixed Bag Both YouTube channels claim to be "independent," but they feel very different: Decoding China: To be honest, this one often feels like science fiction. Their funding and ori...