Category: Done, Doing, Dreaming

The sun is shining, everyone (humans and animals alike) is healthy or nearly 100% recovered, and the weather is beautiful. I feel like I can finally breathe. Metaphorically, anyway. It is spring, and the hayfever is strong in this one…

*I’ve been working on updating all the pages here on the blog and making things less confusing. Spring cleaning. Check out the new About & FAQ page to clarify anything or pose a question of your own.
*The Zine Review Index is also now up to date. (At least, until Thursday. Haha.)
*One last reminder to let you know that you can now listen to me read Don’t Call Me Cupcake 1: Introductions on Bandcamp for free! Click here to check it out as well as other zine creators reading their work. <3

*This is a bit of a strange one, so bear with me. I am working on not self-sabotaging. Any time I start feeling like something is going really well, I start to get nervous. Whereas I was fine doing something before, I suddenly become nervous and feel like I can’t do it. Brain freezes happen regularly, and my self-confidence tanks. It’s happened before, and I’m trying very hard not to let it happen here.
*I am still working on spring cleaning the blog, so if you have any ideas for anything you’d like to see/read, feel free to let me know.
*I am more lurking than working at the moment, but I am still loving the whole concept that is ZineWriMo.
*I’m already incredibly behind with NaNoWriMo, but there’s still plenty of time to catch up. I think. Maybe. If you’d like to be my writing buddy (and very possibly feel a lot better about your word count), you can find me here.
*I am working on editing the audio versions of Don’t Call Me Cupcake 2 and 3. They should come out later this year.
*I’m currently working on Don’t Call Me Cupcake 6, which is about spring in Australia, zine projects, Wanderer being in hospital, and other fun stuff.
*Another last reminder: if you hadn’t already heard, We Make Zines – the place for all things zine – is closing down at the end of this month due to a dramatic rise in cost. I’m not able to do much, but if you know about coding and site migration, be sure to stop by this thread and let Quasifesto know that you’re willing to help out.

*I’m actually dreaming of moving away from Etsy as a shop front, as it’s looking like Etsy is one of the more expensive places to run a shop front…
*I’m also dreaming of Festival of the Photocopier (Melbourne’s zine fest in February)! It slipped my mind when I thought I’d be moving out of Victoria before February 2017, but
*Which means I need to prioritise the button/badge maker. Squee!

I hope you are all having a wonderful start to your week!

I know I put this picture up yesterday, but it’s sooo pretty here, and I am LOVING this sunshine. Aussies know what I’m talking about.

Expanding on what I mentioned yesterday, my friend Dodgy is off on holiday at the moment. I’ve been wanting to get some recording done for ages, but it’s way too noisy where I live. Dodgy happens to live in picturesque country Victoria where it’s so much quieter. So here I am, recording zines as well as my first novel.

I’ve already learned I’m horrible at doing voices.

*You can now listen to me read Don’t Call Me Cupcake 1: Introductions on Bandcamp for free! Click here to check it out as well as other zine creators reading their work. <3
*I've just finished up recording Don't Call Me Cupcake 3, so audio versions of 2 and 3 should come out later this year.

*I’m currently working on Don’t Call Me Cupcake 6, which is about spring in Australia, zine projects, Wanderer being in hospital, and other fun stuff.
*I am also working on getting ahead with zine reviews just in case I go ahead with NaNoWriMo. I’m not entirely convinced that I would be doing the sane thing by joining in, but I’m not one for always doing the sane thing… If you’d like to be my writing buddy, you can find me here.
*If you hadn’t already heard, We Make Zines – the place for all things zine – is closing down at the end of this month due to a dramatic rise in cost. I’m not able to do much, but if you know about coding and site migration, be sure to stop by this thread and let Quasifesto know that you’re willing to help out.

*I’m actually dreaming of moving away from Etsy as a shop front, as it’s looking like Etsy is one of the more expensive places to run a shop front…
*I’m also dreaming of Festival of the Photocopier (Melbourne’s zine fest in February)! It slipped my mind when I thought I’d be moving out of Victoria before February 2017, but
*Which means I need to prioritise the button/badge maker. Squee!

I hope you are all having a wonderful start to your week!

Spring is trying to happen here in Victoria…

*I’ve set up a Zine Events Calendar page for all sorts of zine fests and other zine-related events around the world. It’s very basic right now and is definitely a ‘when I have time’ project. That being said, if you have anything that you’d like to be added to the page, please let me know.
*I’ve also set up a Zine Resources page that has things like links to zine distros, zine libraries, other zine makers, etc. The same goes for this page in terms of how often it’ll be updated (for the time being), and I appreciate any suggestions.
*I’m now finally caught up on emails, comments, etc up to about this past weekend. (So I’m about as behind as I usually am.)

*I’m getting caught up on the snail mail side of things. I am truly sorry to anyone I owe anything to. It’s long enough a wait for things without having to wait on me as well.
*You know that blog post series that I mentioned a while back? Well, I can never do things by halves, and it’s turning out to be a huge project. So I’m still working on it, but it will turn out to be a good resource for beginners.
*If you hadn’t already heard, We Make Zines – the place for all things zine – is closing down at the end of this month due to a dramatic rise in cost. I’m not able to do much, but if you know about coding and site migration, be sure to stop by this thread and let Quasifesto know that you’re willing to help out.

*I’m actually dreaming of moving away from Etsy as a shop front, as it’s looking like Etsy is one of the more expensive places to run a shop front…

Wanderer has been home for nearly a week, and the sunshine has broken through here and there. You can bet I keep shuffling him outside to sit in the sun when it’s there. The dogs – particularly my sunbather dog, Zenna – are loving it, too.

*I now have a ‘guest’ section in the Zine Review Index. I’m thinking some more may be in order (in non-emergency circumstances).
*I’ve finally sorted out the problem of images not showing up on the blog until you clicked on the individual post. Of course, if you don’t visit the blog itself, then you may have never noticed. 😉

*I’ve been collecting statistics on the blog and whatnot because I love numbers, but I also want to do my best here. Of course, that involves more than numbers, but numbers are a start.
*Now that I’ve fallen WAY behind, it’s time to catch up on emails and reading lovely blogs.
*If you hadn’t already heard, We Make Zines – the place for all things zine – is closing down at the end of this month due to a dramatic rise in cost. I’m not able to do much, but if you know about coding and site migration, be sure to stop by this thread and let Quasifesto know that you’re willing to help out.

*All I’m dreaming of right now is a calm week.

I had most of this typed up before everything happened with Wanderer, hence any potentially confusing references. Any positive thoughts are appreciated. He’s made it through surgery but is experiencing complications, so it’s a very tense time.

***

The weather is ever so slowly improving here, and I am eagerly soaking up whatever sunshine I’m able to. Wanderer and I have been running plenty of errands, too, and I can’t resist showing you some gorgeous street art we happened to pass by.

*I’ve updated the Zine Review Index as well as my Zine Wishlist. A little early (as I usually do it at the end of the month/beginning of the next), but I was in an energetic mood. (SPRING!)
*I’ve also taken a heap of pictures to go with my upcoming post series on zines – from idea to sale. More cleanup in Photoshop to do.

A lot of the ‘doing’ stuff is a repeat from last week because Everything that has hit the fan.

*Dear Anonymous 5, DCMC 5, and DAFUQ aren’t listed on Etsy yet, but they will be soon.
*If you hadn’t already heard, We Make Zines – the place for all things zine – is closing down at the end of this month due to a dramatic rise in cost. I’m not able to do much, but if you know about coding and site migration, be sure to stop by this thread and let Quasifesto know that you’re willing to help out.
*I’m doing the maths on the badge machine as I get closer to being able to afford it. At $380AUD, if I sold badges at $2AUD a pop, I’d have to sell 190 badges to break even. Then there’s breaking even on the cost of materials above that. Usually I’m such a dreamer and would just jump in, but I’m getting more cautious these days. Hm.

*This week I’m dreaming up ways to bring in some extra cash here and there. Such is life.

If I weren’t living it, I simply would not believe that one person could get sick so often. I mean, really. This is ridiculous. This could also just be karma for strutting around like hot stuff when everyone around me got the flu.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

*There were a heap of Calls for Submissions category over the weekend, so definitely check it out and see if there is something you’d like to submit to.
*I’m done with sewing! For now, anyway. I’ve been wanting to have a good stock of all my zines on hand for ages. Now that it’s done, I’m a bit stunned.

A lot of the ‘doing’ stuff is a repeat from last week because of the huge gobs of time I’ve spent sleeping. Le sigh.

*Dear Anonymous 5, DCMC 5, and DAFUQ aren’t listed on Etsy yet, but they will be soon.
*I’m still working on a post series all about the basics of making zines. If you have any questions, let me know!
*If you hadn’t already heard, We Make Zines – the place for all things zine – is closing down at the end of this month due to a dramatic rise in cost. I’m not able to do much, but if you know about coding and site migration, be sure to stop by this thread and let Quasifesto know that you’re willing to help out.

*I’m dreaming about where to take things from here. I’m dreaming of how I can make this the best resource it can be for zine things. Any thoughts on what you would like to see here are most welcome.

*My interview with Zine Nation is up right here! Just in case you missed it.
*The Zine Review Index is now up to date.
*The Calls for Submissions category has and will have a lot of new calls coming out, so be sure to check it out. Calls go up on Saturdays and Sundays (Oz time).
*I am so done with winter. Is it possible for me to just say that, and spring will magically begin in Australia? That would be lovely.

*Dear Anonymous 5, DCMC 5, and DAFUQ aren’t listed on Etsy yet, but they will be soon.
*I’m still working on a post series all about the basics of becoming a zinemaker. If you have any questions, let me know!
*Don’t forget the Zine Videos page. I am adding to it whenever I find new zine videos, so be sure to call out if you find any.
*If you hadn’t already heard, We Make Zines – the place for all things zine – is closing down at the end of this month due to a dramatic rise in cost. I’m not able to do much, but if you know about coding and site migration, be sure to stop by this thread and let Quasifesto know that you’re willing to help out.

*I’m still dreaming of the same things. At this point, I feel mostly stuck, but I do have my handy dandy notebook for things that I want to make into reality.
*I have my little can for coins and notes in the effort to save up for my badge machine. I’m getting nervous that it’s not a good investment… but sometimes one must leap, yes?
*I’m also dreaming of the possibilities of videos, podcasts, so on and so forth. If you have a preference for a specific kind of media (YouTube, Vimeo, podcasting on the wide variety of sites, Snapchatting, something) feel free to start up a chat about it. Tell me who/where your favourites are.
*I’ve started dreaming about typewriters, but I’m not sure if the reality will be as awesome as the dream due to upkeep…

I am not a healthy person. I am pretty much stressed 100% of the time, so I get ALL the colds, flu viruses, etc, etc. So you can imagine my surprise (and my wondering if I’ve been booted to an alternate universe) over the past two weeks with both Wanderer and Boggin being sick and me having nary a sniffle. Not only that, I was at Wing Nut’s house along with Kickass, and they both have the flu, too! Yikes.

*knock on wood*

The poor guys are in a rough way today, so I’m stepping up to play carer for our strange little trio, which involves a lot of tissues and running errands. Please bear with me, as I’m a bit all over the place. (And anxious. So much driving!)

*Don’t Call Me Cupcake 5 is done. It’s another stranger one, but perzines are like that sometimes. They can be good for working things out.
*I also have a brand new zine called DAFUQ You Say? (Wanderer really wanted to name it that. Hehe.) It’s a mini-zine that’s all quotes I’ve overheard and written down with no context.
*I am done with the interview questions from Zine Nation. I’ll let you know when the interview goes up.

*Dear Anonymous 5, DCMC 5, and DAFUQ aren’t listed on Etsy yet, but they will be soon.
*As it’s a new month, I’ll be updating the Zine Review Index as well as a few other pages.
*I’m working on a post series all about the basics of becoming a zinemaker. If you have any questions, let me know!
*I’m also working on a happy mail post for later today. This wouldn’t usually make it on the list, but things are crazy enough around here that I might need the reminder…

*I have my little can for coins and notes in the effort to save up for my badge machine. I’m getting nervous that it’s not a good investment… but sometimes one must leap, yes?
*I’m also dreaming of the possibilities of videos, podcasts, so on and so forth. If you have a preference for a specific kind of media (YouTube, Vimeo, podcasting on the wide variety of sites, Snapchatting, something) feel free to start up a chat about it. Tell me who/where your favourites are.
*I’ve started dreaming about typewriters, but I’m not sure if the reality will be as awesome as the dream due to upkeep…

*I’ve finally got my technology working *knock on wood* so here is a picture of my mic that I didn’t get to post last DDD:

*I updated the Zine Review Index, but not it needs updating again because I’ve slipped into once-a-month updating. Le sigh.
*In case you missed the post, I also put up a Zine Videos page.
*I’ve finally finished the audio for DCMC 1. I will let you know as soon as it’s up in Billy’s Bunny Ears Audio Zine Distro.

*I also donned my too-small pink tiara and celebrated my 30th birthday. Thank you all for the birthday wishes.

*I am working on answering interview questions that came from Zine Nation!I am genuinely excited that anyone thinks I know enough about about anything to interview me. Haha.
*Dear Anonymous 5 and DCMC 5 are still in the works because I am very possibly incapable of getting organised…

*I’m still dreaming of and saving up for a badge machine. I have so many ideas.
*I’m also dreaming of the possibilities of videos, podcasts, so on and so forth. If you have a preference for a specific kind of media (YouTube, Vimeo, podcasting on the wide variety of sites, Snapchatting, something) feel free to start up a chat about it. Tell me who/where your favourites are.
*I’ve started dreaming about typewriters, but I’m not sure if the reality will be as awesome as the dream due to upkeep…

Before I get into any of this, I want to say a the most heartfelt thank you to everyone who read and responded to Love From Adelaide Part Two.

When I wrote that, I was utterly exhausted, completely stressed with all the numbers, signatures, and such needed just to get things started in the hopes of building a house, and simply feeling overwhelmed with the world. I am unashamed to say that I am a sensitive soul, and there was a lot going on in Adelaide.

Being tired might as well be the same as drunk for me subtract the fun and flirting. So while Wanderer already snoozed away in the hotel bed, I typed that post with the ‘not good enough’ cloud surrounding my head. My childhood taught me that I don’t deserve the basics, let alone anything so wonderful as a home to truly call my own. So my not-yet-untrained childhood mind decided to rant at me about being a failure when it comes to consistency here.

Thankfully, I was able to get some sleep and read some wonderful comments to remind me that no one around here is expecting perfection of me – except for me.

So many thanks to everyone. I feel like I could use a few solid days sleep still, but I’m already back in my less stimulating bubble so I can calm down for a while.

*I’m done posting about Adelaide! Though I loved it there. I’m excited to know that, next year, I’ll be a shorter train ride away from Adelaide than I am from Melbourne now.

*My beautiful microphone arrived while I was away! Only when I saw it did it occur to me that my enthusiasm may have overshot the more practical timeline for podcasting… However, I do still have zines to record, so it’s still of use.
*I also finished my mini-zine. Pictures will be in my IZM post to come soon…

*Another week, another email catch up. If you’ve emailed me, I will get back to you within the next 48 hours.
*I am loving the wonderful happy mail that has come in while I was away. I want to take proper pictures, hence the slight delay.

*I am still working on editing the audio for DCMC 1. I really need to learn to delegate…
*Dear Anonymous 5 is still in the works, so feel free to send those letters.
*I’m working on a special issue of Don’t Call Me Cupcake for #5…
*New zine submission calls to come soon!
*I’m also working on what I hope will be an awesome new page here on the website. More details soon, because I’m secretive that way. 😉

*It’s August! How is it August already? I still don’t know what to do for a birthday celebration thing. Suggestions?
*I’m still dreaming of saving up for a badge machine, but it’s definitely on the back burner for now.