Sunday, June 28, 2020

Writing Fanfiction For Charity...And A Link To My Poetry Page



It has been an honor and a privilege to contribute to the Love Always zine. I've had the opportunity to work with so many talented, gracious and kind people on this project, and for such a great cause; The Trevor Project! This last year has been an absolutely insane one, and in some ways, our current situation mirrors that of the world of The Arcana Game. Chaos, despots, The Literal Plague™... And a group of determined individuals, hell-bent on making the world a better place. May our interesting times lead to a better world for all. 💕 My fellow Arcananites (sounded better than anything else my head could come up with 😅), I hope you enjoy our hard work in this labor of love and remember... Love always wins. Zine releases in PDF format 30 June! I will post the link when it drops! 😁 (PS- my commissions are OPEN!)

https://m.facebook.com/AwkwardGirlPoetry/

Monday, June 8, 2020

Apocalypse Laundry (A Review)

Note: Please bear with me while I learn Blogger's new, derpy layout. Photos are at the bottom of the page for now. 

Salutations!

I'm giving my typewriter a break today and just writing this post on my phone. I'm really enjoying this product testing thing I'm doing, and will be doing another write up for just bath/body products soon, but today, I want to focus on something a little different.

I just bought a washer.

Maybe it'll speak to my station in life that I've only owned a couple of clothes washers, neither of them new, or maybe it's more ubiquitous than I'm imagining. But after tiring of keeping the ancient washer in the basement on life support, and struggling to do laundry through quarantine, I just bought a brand new clothes washer, and I love it! I'm sure you're picturing some space age looking automated thing in candy apple red (if you weren't, you are now!) but that's far from the washer I bought. No, this thing has no buttons, no bells and whistles, and more closely resembles...

... A cement mixer.

Or maybe a propane tank.

It's also a fun, retro mint green that fits in with our old appliances, and small enough to fit on the kitchen counter!

So let's get down to brass tacks, shall we?

I did some research before settling on the WonderWash from The Laundry Alternative. I'm always interested in lowering my carbon footprint and saving space, so on the surface, it was already appealing to me. I'd been looking at fully automatic and half and half apartment washers, but the next step up in price (at over two hundred dollars) was more than I wanted to spend. At $59.99 with free shipping, the WonderWash also appeals to my cheapskate side.

The WonderWash shipped quickly and was packed pretty well. Some assembly was required, but it went together easier than IKEA furniture, in about five minutes. The construction is mostly plastic, which helps keep the weight down, but it's long term durability remains to be seen.

Yesterday was my first time using it. It is completely manual, but very simple to use. Popped it on the counter, put in a small load and a little soap, filled it (about halfway) from the tap, secured the lid and got to work. It has a handle for manual agitation, and you can just spin it if you want to, but a side to side agitation works well. It also has a detachable drain spout. I did one wash and two rinses, agitating it except when it was actively draining. It's a bit of a forearm workout, but since I had to cut cardiac rehab short (that whole ordeal will be in another post, maybe), I've been looking for ways to incorporate workouts here and there throughout my day. It's also... Weirdly fun! Sounds like a train chugging along and I find it entertaining and amusing. I'm merely estimating, but I think the whole process took 30-45 minutes to complete. Then I dried my clothes as usual which took a little longer, since there's no real spin cycle, so more water was present than I'm used to.

My initial impressions are overwhelmingly positive. I like the size, ease of use, and Eco friendliness of the RetroWash. I also don't mind the hands on factor; it beats actually hand washing clothes, and gives me a little workout. Plus, it's fun! It's safe on delicates, too, because there is no agitator. It's too small to wash stuff like blankets and sheets, and I'd be hesitant to try to run some of my heavy winter clothes in it. I don't think it's something everyone would want to use all of the time, but would be great for camping or traveling, or for those like me who want to lessen their carbon footprint and get a little workout in.

The WonderWash is available from The Laundry Alternative. https://laundry-alternative.com

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Type-In Streams of Consciousness, Brought Back From the Dead



Things I did not put in typewritten post: It actually took me some digging to find out what I know about 'the young lawyer', Simon Conner Moesley. Thanks to his rather thorough sister, there were solid leads on his grave marker, which led me to the archives of his alma mater, and in the end, I learned quite a lot about the man. 

The 'magnate' is Frank Augustus Miller and more can be learned about his inn which is still in operation here.


  The scientist is Hrista Stamenkovic who was an engineer who made great advancements in structural reinforcement in earthquake-plagued regions. His research is still the standard and available for purchase.

Being so close to All Hallows and Dia De Los Muertos, I hope this doesn't creep too many of you out.

--Anna