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Update #13 - May 2020
🕑 Added 2020-06-11 01:29:01 +0000 UTCNOTE: I'd drafted this post at the end of May, but was delayed in posting it by a week, as I was busy completing commissions for the donation drive I've been running.
Hello, Patrons!
Miracle of miracles, I am putting out an update on time. It’s only been a month since I last wrote to you! Incredible.
Before I start, thank you to everyone who has continued to support me, and thank you to my newest supporter, Mirabelle Rose.
Thank you all so much; it really means a lot to me to have your support!
WHAT HAVE I BEEN UP TO?
Here in Massachusetts, we’re in the process of reopening, which means I have returned to my janitorial job at a full five times per week, in addition to my PCA job, which has been continuing on as it has been.
In my free time, I’ve taken up roller skating as a hobby. I’d bought a pair of skates several years ago at a yard sale; the brand is indeterminate and they’re about two sizes too big for me, but they roll, and that’s all I need for now. I borrowed a helmet from my partner Aidan, squeezed into my old rollerblade pads from when I was a teenager, and cleared a section of floor in the basement.
I’ve also started an Instagram account chronicling my skating progress, which you can check up on here.
WHAT HAVE I BEEN WORKING ON?
I’m still working on my usual daily comics, of course, and I’ve continued writing the script for Gay Vampire Beach Romance, which I went into further depth about in the last update I posted; I’m currently drafting the beginning stages of the second act.
Some news that is exciting for me but fairly boring for everyone else is some upgrades to my filming equipment. After extensive research and debating, I’ve invested in a Snowball Ice microphone (along with an extendable arm) and an 18” Emart ringlight. So far, I’ve only gotten to try out each once, and separately.
I used the microphone to record the audio on a sketchbook tour video I’m currently editing; I think I will need to use it a bit more before my filming process with it becomes truly streamlined, but even with the editing only partway done, I’m already very pleased with the jump in audio quality. I hope in the future to be able to put it to other uses as well, such as recording songs with Lonely Riot (my two-piece folk punk band with Aidan, for those who don’t know of it) and creating podfic of some of my favorite Metalocalypse fanfics.
The ringlight, meanwhile, I’ve used once for a live stream on Instagram, but again, I was very impressed with the boost in lighting quality it gave me. According to attendees, the light was bright with no shadows, allowing them to see what I was doing well. Dark also fell during the course of the stream without the lighting being adversely affected, which means I’m going to have much more freedom in the future, especially in the winter months, with when I can stream, film, or take photos (such as of my rough drafts, which I post to my Instagram story).
WHAT HAVE I BEEN CONSUMING?
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel by Susanna Clarke
I’ve only just started listening to this audiobook, but I’m enjoying it so far! It has the kind of tongue-in-cheekness(?) I like from an omnipotent 3rd person narrator, and I’m very intrigued by the questions and possibilities the world building has posed. I’m also, it turns out, still a sucker for footnotes as a narrative device, and the audiobook has incorporated them into the reading well.
(I would be amiss not to note that there have been small incidents of racist or antisemetic remarks made in passing by the narration or the characters (eg: conflating Africa with lack of civilization, using the phrase “rich as a jew”). I can’t tell if this was an accident or purposefully born from a misguided attempt by the author to lend an antiquated feel to the text, but either way, I could honestly do without it.)
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW!
If you have any questions or stuff you've wanted to talk about to me, do leave a comment below!
Hope you're doing well!
<3,
Dave
