Accident-Prone {Week 16}

Good evening, readers. At least good evening in my timezone, and good anything you want in yours. As usual, I've made an involuntary creative decision to be late to everything! Yes, for anyone who's also been reading on my fashion blog, the A-Z challenge has been a total bust. More on that on the fashion blog. New job has been a time. You know I'm a material girl and my favourite material is cold, hard cash so in those terms work has been good. Well... I actually get paid in checks. And I'm working minimum wage. Who am I fooling...

Week 16.

Had a meeting with my social worker on Monday, everything is seemingly on track. My temporary insurance document came in so I can go to the dentist when I want to (when there is a free slot sometime this year if I'm lucky). However, I still don't have my carte vitale and there's no news about that. Thanks a lot, Macron! You dick.

On Tuesday we went back to work and I gave myself another sunburn. We had a new task for the whole day. Deceptively simple. We had to clip these little hooks onto a metal line and later pop on a hose that would supply the irrigation system with water. Easy, right? Hell no! Those clips were so damn tight we had blisters and bleeds all over our hands within the first half of the day. I also managed to sprain my shoulder and trip over nothing, injuring my knee. That's right, a few weeks of digging and driving heavy equipment ended without any injuries but some plastic nearly obliterated me. I still haven't recovered.

Cute pics of grass.

At home I finally finished The Godfather, it is after all the national holiday of Al Pacino April. Don't fact check me. And I followed that up with The Verdict because it also happens to be Attorney April, another important worldwide celebration. Don't look it up. 

Things got worse on Wednesday because I had my period. Hurray! It was hot and gross and somehow in a combination of despair and sweat I managed to give myself practically second-degree burns on my belly via hot water bottle. Second-degree? Surely you fib, is what you're probably thinking. Nope! I will not assault you with medical photography but I earned some blisters filled with that weird liquid that popped and left raw skin right beneath. Oh yeah, and it hurt. Like a bitch. 

Took the time to finally watch No Country For Old Men. I know, it's weird I still haven't seen it and I know that I'm a fake movie fan. I know! I was too lazy to get up, and now littered with self-inflicted wounds so I decided to tune into another movie, Serpico. Some of the most unhinged fashion moments of all time. And ACAB. Fantastic.

Recovering continued on Thursday and not much of note happened. I was normal-ish by Friday and at work again. The boss said it's the last day for awhile on the account of he needs more kiwi trees that are apparently being imported. But they can't be imported due to, and I quote, 'fucking Trump'. I feel you, man. The motherfucker has me feeling bad for an employer.

On Saturday I dropped by the outlet store to see if they had any good snacks. They did not. I bought regular store stuff, I actually bought too much, I think. But Tom was coming over on Sunday and we haven't seen him in weeks! We've been watching Storage Wars: Texas recently too. It started as a joke but now everyone's kind of invested in the low-stakes drama caused by the meddler, Victor. Here's some dumb shit I saw at the store:

Possibly the ugliest hat I've ever seen...

Tween mags are back?

Sunday was a great day, I was fully healed up and we left bright and early to Monique's house because there was a flea market right next to her house. Spring and France is a thrifter's wet dream. Er, it's a good time! Okay, I'll do this without innuendo: all the brocantes are sparse in the cold seasons but they happen left and right as soon as it warms up. The summer is even better what with everyone being on vacation and such. 

I picked up some really cute stuff, you can check it out on the fashion blog if you're curious. I did a whole post about a lotta different stuff I found in the past few months. My sister picked up some good stuff too. I also saw Maria! She was in my class all of the autumn of last year. She's actually moving to our town it turns out which is neat.

Experienced cheapskates.

What a ride!

We were ready to head back home but Monique invited us for lunch so we had some nice and Cordon Bleus and watched her favourite game show. I can tell my French has improved because I got like half the answers right! She was nice enough to drop us off at home in time for Tom to show up. 

Cat outside Monique's house.

We tried out a bunch of games, obviously starting with some classic Modern Warfae 3. We also tried Brute Force but I think only me and Mo enjoyed it. Then we moved on to Deathrow. Hidden gem! It's such an absurd game: sci-fi death Frisbee set in a cyberpunk nightmare world. But it's so great for couch co-op which the superior type of co-op. 

Somehow we always start getting toxic when we play OG Xbox games because even when he had fun with Deathrow, complaining about who's being a team player and who wasn't' started up just like during Battlefront II. Something about the OG Xbox games possess us to be little shits, perhaps the soul of an eternally angry 12 year old still stuck in 2004?

As much edge as advertised.

I totally missed the premiere of the Witch Hat Atelier anime that happened on my birthday of all days! Work has really been kicking my ass. I won't lie, I'm not as excited about it because I feel like the style of the manga didn't totally transfer to the anime but I'm sure I'll still enjoy it so I will be catching up to it in the coming weeks.  

Take me away...!

And that was the week. Pretty wack. Check did not bounce. Life is sort of good, you know?

This Week I'm Excited For...

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn beta will be live next Wednesday and we are all excited. Me, my brother, his friend, that friend's friend, his roommate, some random hackers, our FBI agent... basically everyone who's sharing my brother's account to eventually play this game because we are too cheap to each get a copy. It's gonna be great. Yam seng!

Song Of The Week... 

Been listening to a lot of Lo-Pro's debut and self-titled 2003 album. It rocks a lot, basically no misses at all. Lo-Pro is so underrated. My top song has to be Oblivion, though you can't go wrong with pretty much any other track either.

Birthday Week {Week 15}

A whole second birthday on the blog. Woohoo! Yes, this Monday I turned 27. So old! Or so young? Who gives a shit! Getting older has become meaningless to me. I no longer feel shame, ambition, drive, or despair. No rat race, no career plan, no inconceivable get-rich-quick schemes, and bigger than life missions.

The inevitability of death has reached total saturation and cannot be anymore inevitable than it is now. This calls for celebration. Have a fizzy beverage of your choice in my honor, please.

Week 15.

I had a pretty excellent week. It started with the aforementioned birthday. I got a raspberry pie first thing in the morning with some coffee. Because of Easter, everything was closed so we decided to stay home and have some burgers. I saw that Taskmaster was coming back for another season so I wanted to watch some of the earlier seasons with my mum and brother. For lunch we had burgers and my fave lemonade. The only thing I wish I did was watch a movie because it's been a bit of a tradition for a while but by the end of the day I was too tired. No gifts, we're all saving for that damn Huion.

Got lovely messages from friends, family, and even Neo mutuals and neighbors! You are all the sweetest people in the world. 

Shigeo who lives at Gran's.

On Tuesday it was borderline impossible to get up for work. Still, I did and we went out into the field only this day was not like the others... the sun was beating us down. We had maybe two hours of relative cool before it was at it's peak and blistering out of nowhere. We are... not built for this kind of weather. My brother was on edge since the morning and we were sniping and bitching at each other all day. Like non-stop. Anyway once we got home it was pretty easy to deduce what it was likely because of heatstroke or something. I am 100% the fat kid that dies first in a Lord of the Flies situation, like I cannot stand the heat at all and will become paranoid and insane. We were both acting completely deranged and paranoid and taking any comment as if it was a slight... until we cooled off, literally.

Better prepared for Wednesday, we actually brought our hats, me and Mo realized way too many days in that we can listen to the same stuff with his shitty earpods. We listened to a bunch of the GTAV stations, with ads of course. The day went much better. It got even better when I got home and settled in for a movie. For a few years now I was meaning to watch Dog Day Afternoon and finally I did.

Holy shit! It's a masterpiece. If ya haven't seen it, go in blind right now and watch it, I beg of you. I don't even wanna say anything. Wow, a perfect movie for me. Just a perfect movie, all in all.

Me lying at the job interview.

On Thursday my mum and Mo went to help a family friend with some stuff while I went to Monique's to set up her new printer. It sort of worked at first until it randomly disconnected and wouldn't print. I restarted her laptop and it went into a loop of rebooting and crashing for up to an hour. Mission failed, we'll get them next time. She'll probably have to take it to a repair shop sadly.

Friday was even better. The tablet pen came in. Victory, at last! 

Look who's back...

I also had a day off and decided to watch another movie with Al Pacino because he was fucking phenomenal in Dog Day Afternoon. And guess where else he was amazing? ...And Justice For All. With Christine Lahti too, who I loved so much in Housekeeping. I think about that movie often. Now this one too. The ending is so cathartic. The parking lot scene... man, I had tears in my eyes, I laughed, I fucking got so mad. Please, if you've seen this movie email me, message me, comment here, send me a letter, meet me at the corner store: we need to talk, and a lot.

I'm at my fucking limit.

On my mum's and Mo's way back from the friend's house they stopped by at a thrift store and my brother got himself the ugliest piece of decor known to man. I like Che Guevara and Cuba a lot but... graphic design was their passion it seems. 

I hate this.

On Saturday we went into work again, we've mostly been doing fertilizers this week. With little shot glasses and a 600 kilo bag of ammonium nitrate leaning like the tower of Pisa at the back of the tractor. All I'm saying is I feel like there's probably been some technological advancements in the past few decades that could have made this task a little bit more practical but since this is the south of France why bother? Yeah, we're doing it very old school here.

Way home.

It was all worth it in the end because I actually did get one present for my birthday. A full-body Thai massage with hot oil! I love massages, it's probably the only time I'm not averse to strangers touching me. I met Madame Kess after work and she did my massage for an hour at the local parlor/Thai restaurant. I think I saw God and she may be an angel. I got home and finally dropped onto the couch at around 6PM.

Because I'm insane and can watch the same movie basically the following day again, I put Dog Day Afternoon on for everyone in the evening time. I got the usual... 'it's the 70s? Like when they didn't have cars yet?' spiel from the two idiots born after the year 2000 (says me, hah!) but even my chronically online sister was into the movie. Didn't stop her from dropping a sarcastic 'wow, look at that, no one's on their phones' in the opening scene but we'll forgive it. 

On Sunday I was watching the Godfather. I'm officially making it Al Pacino April, friends. I have these very bizarre memories of my dad making me watch this as a kid for some reason and apparently he did that to my brother too. Don't really know what that's about. Instructions on what to do if he gets shot at? What? I didn't finish it because everyone wanted to watch a movie together. And so I put on ... And Justice For All on for everyone and watched it again. I know it may seem psychotic to just loop stuff like that right after you've seen it but me and movies have a very weird relationship like that. It doesn't feel like a waste, or repetitive, or the same thing. It always feels new in some way. I can't explain it. I just know that I need to come back, and soon.

And so the week ended. I've got more work and some meetings come next week. Not excited, not excited. But living.

The end!

This Week I'm Excited For...

To get paid. We got our first paycheck on Sunday. Like, a literal check. I have to bring it into the bank and do all that and then wait ages for it to actually be deposited into my account. Why rush, right? Thank fuck for welfare!

Song Of The Week... 

Since it was my birthday I've decided to pick one of the most meaningful songs from my favourite artist of all time, Jason Molina. A song that's quite morbid with an unbreakable undercurrent of hope. Blue Chicago Moon is one of my top Jason Molina (Songs:Ohia in this case) songs and although it's quite a dark pick for what should be a time for something a little more fun, when I'm at my worst there's not much that can dig me out quite like this one. 

Trying Not To Say {Week 14}

Terrible week for the photo part of the photo blog because I have literally no photos. Not a thing. Well... I do have one pic of my sunburnt face that I have no memory of taking but that isn't exactly very interesting or new. 

Just another daunting precursor of a summer that is to come. Sure, I wanna go to the pool and make fun drinks but I also don't want it to be 40 degrees all day every day.

Week 14.

Monday through Thursday were normal and full work days. We met a kid who's also been hired to help out. He's going to Singapore this summer to do something... it was some Zoomer business plan I didn't really understand, I'll be honest. Man, I feel so fucking old...He's great though. He forgot lunch on the first day so we shared ours with him and he's 'forgotten' it every day now too so we just always make extra. Anything for some worker solidarity.

We found out lunch is not paid however, so we basically take only 15 minute lunches now so that we don't have to stay a half-hour after work to make up the time. Can't even bitch about it or anything. See, if I was fully committed to working in agriculture or the service sector or as a teacher or whatever I'd join a fucking union. And you know what? I will. In the future, I'll be in a fucking union, hold me to it. 

I was going to prank my brother on Wednesday, on April Fool's, by telling him that work was called off and that he could sleep in only to crush his dreams in the next moment. But it felt so cruel! I was actually unpranked most of the day until my mum pulled the classic 'there's a wasp in your hair'. It was bullshit though because there really are wasps that make nests on the kiwi plants!

I took a day off on Friday because I thought I had a meeting but turns out it was on a different day. Dammit! Cats are giving us more problems meanwhile, they've found a gap between the second-floor ceiling and third-floor floor and are crawling around above us like cryptids. They come out completely soot-covered and gross too. Don't like the sound of something creeping above me where I can't see it. 

You know it!

On Saturday I dropped by the thrift store and picked up some cute shoes and a simple long-sleeve. I've been doing really badly this A-Z blogging event, much like the one last year. I already feel like I'm gonna have to quit before complete disaster strikes but I'd like to at least go beyond 'D' which is where I fell over last year. 

And Sunday was quite uneventful. I don't even know when it happened but I got so crispy. I will absolutely never have the flawless skin all the skin-care girlies are chasing because the amount of times I've been sizzled is beyond counting. Ah well, wrinkles, scarier in theory than in practice. 

Finally, a little colour. Bright red!

And so, a very busy but actually quite uneventful week. I did manage to finally order the replacement pen for my tablet for which I am so terribly excited. I'm anxiously waiting. Give it to me!

The end.

This Week I'm Excited For...

My birthday! It's on April 6th, Monday next. Easter Monday? I don't know. I'll be turning 27. It's a good thing I'm no famous rock star or movie actor, that could mean very bad things for my life expectancy. No plans to be honest, probably staying in, hopefully watching a movie or something. And hopefully cake!

Song Of The Week... 

I've been ensnared by the Weakerthans this week. I've had their entire disco on my player for a while but taking more time to listen to some albums back to back. Many amazing songs but all week I have been catching myself singing 'I...hate...Winnipeg!' as if it's a place I've ever been to or will ever go. Well, perhaps when me and Alice finally go on our tour of Canada to see national landmarks such as the Rivoli we may drop by Winnipeg but that's all TBD. I guess the best part about One Great City beside the mournful guitar melody is that it doesn't have to be Winnipeg. Think of any mid-sized town you've lived through and hated and sing it with me: 'I...hate...Winnipeg!'.

{April 2026 Start}

We have reached the second month of spring and one of my faves. Totally biased pick, because it is my birthday month! Yes, soon I will be turning the dangerous age of 27 (if I was famous, which I'm not, phew). I can't believe the luck that this monthly spread fell on April for me, it's got a cake and a cat, and what else does one need? Anyway, here's to a month of better things, I hope.

Goals 

 1. A-Z Blogging

2. Go to all my meetings

3. Kiwi planting work

4. Draft 2 of Marmoris comic

5. Pen! Pen! Pen!

6. FINALLY mail letter

7. Turn 27, don't die 

{March 2026 End}

Hey everyone. Doing something new starting this month. I'll be slowly phasing out my media blog on the account of I realized it's not really the way I want to do media analysis and reviews. I'd rather have dedicated pages on my site for really in-depth stuff in the future and I don't really need a blog for the short stuff cuz I can just drop it here and on the media log. As such, there's gonna be the usual rundown of my monthly goals, accomplished and not, and the best stuff I watched/read/played/listened to during the month. Without further ado...

Goals 

 1. Nanoreno project

Well, it was going very well until my tablet pen decided to die and the Parblo shop decided to make ordering a replacement borderline impossible. I'm still trying to get that damn pen. 

2. Job search continued

Worked for 5 days at the end of the farm planting kiwi fruit. Also went to the job fair and gave my CV to three job-search groups. They always have a laugh about the fact that I'm an illustrator in the Lot-et-Garonne region. That's like saying you came to Ohio to pursue your dream of becoming a movie star. Maybe it's possible? 

3. Apply for titre de voyage

Actually totally forgot to do this... need to get on that. 

4. Portfolio website

Done. Not happy with it but it's done. 

5. A-Z blogging prep

Sorta. 

6. Prepare for driving test 

Put that away for now as I've had some work to do. But I did learn to drive a tractor!

Best Of: March

 

 Movies

Terrible month for movies, I barely watched anything. But I did enjoy something very late into the month and that was One False Move. Bill Paxton is always a pleasure, don't think there's ever been a performance of his I wasn't totally riveted by. But everyone else didn't lag far behind, I was especially taken with Cynda Williams who plays a girl who both permits and commits horrific acts but you can't help but understand, she's dealt a shit hand like no other. It's a crime thriller with a horror-movie opening scene and before you know it it's become an exploration of some really dark shit at the interpersonal, class, and race level between two characters. Billy Bob Thornton's hairstyle is intriguing and evil at the same time.

TV Shows

Another re-watch but damn if it isn't one of the best TV shows to ever exist. You may say... is vulgarity really so funny? First of all, yes. But that's not what this is about. It's another excellent work on the failure of the justice system that starts all the way back in school. I love this show both from Peter's relentless need to find the truth, even when it ends in him in flailing between moderate but sudden fame and alienating nearly everyone he knows and Dylan's jumping from wanting to be better and giving up at every turn, because of himself but also because of how the world treats him. This shit is so serious. I wasn't Dylan-level of burnout in school but I 100% had a sign high above my head placed there by teachers and students alike: anger issues, stupid, a level below everyone else.

Games

Everything comes to your life at the right time. Probably. My brother has been shilling GTA anything at me for a while now and as a kid I liked San Andreas and the PSP games well enough but something always held me back from playing V. We literally had it on our old 360, I even remember trying the North Yankton prologue and just not caring... it seemed so low-brow to 14 year old me, who somehow had such high standards? I'm joking, I thought Assassin's Creed was like deep as fuck and I still love the pre-Origins games but I will absolutely not stay on that hill that it has superior 'substance' to GTA or something. I was a real snob as a pre-teen. Whatever, it was a dumb boy game. Probably good that I only played it now because with a whole lotta more crime-movie trivia under my belt, this was a fucking ride! I love shitty scheming dudes, they are the best. Yeah, this game is still totally stuck on my mind.

Books

Started the Westing Game but have not gotten far. It's not been a great book month for me, I barely read anything. Not even some recent leftie nonfiction. Things are dire. Had a chat with Alice and she gave me some good advice that when you're in a slump, go with a highly rated classic cuz it's probably gonna be good. Gotta agree, and if it's not you can lord it over other people that you read it anyway and everyone's opinions are wrong. 

Music

Listened to a lot of indie bullshit from the GTAV radio. However, from albums, I really loved Helmet's Aftertaste and Number One Gun's Promises for the Imperfect. Not similar at all but both pretty excellent albums. Here's two great tracks:

 

Animation 

Finished my season 2 re-watch of Venture Bros. I remember getting super into the characters and story much later, maybe sometime in Season 4 but it's taken me much faster this time. Weird what time does to the brain! I shouldn't be surprised but I didn't know Chris Prynoski had a hand in this too. Makes sense, he makes no mistakes. Should probably list some of my fave episodes of the season: Assassinanny 911, Fallen Arches, Victor. Echo. November., and I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills. 

Full Log: March 2026