Given my bad habit of putting off projects (especially writing) indefinitely while fretting on the best way to start, we're kicking off this new blogging venture by skipping right past friendly hellos or working out a marketing hook. Please accept this incredibly blunt opening as a personalized greeting, and let's get into what we're here for!

I am starting this blog for a couple reasons. One, having a dated, written record of when I did something helps to keep me on track... or at least notice how long it's been since I last touched a particular project. ADHD time blindness combined with a very busy schedule mean if I'm not careful, weeks or months can go by without my noticing. Two, writing things down helps me organize my thoughts, and for more technical items and studying, repetition and re-organizing the material to explain it helps my retention considerably.

I dabble in and will likely post about the following topics at some point:

• Medieval reinactment and research: I'm an active member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (or SCA); I joined up originally with the intent of studying the hows and whys of historical armor development to design more realistic medieval fantasy, discovered the sheer breadth of topics folks are studying, and have staked out quite a few rabbitholes for exploration at this point.
  • Current projects:
    • Elbow cops (currently working on shaping the lames)
    • Late period brigandine (canvas shell is cut out, needs to be sewn together so I can measure and plan out the metal plates)
    • Recreating a specific neckpiece Louis I, Duke of Orléans, was depicted wearing in a Christine de Pizan book (Research: searching for a second source on this specific neckpiece, or information to infer materials from)
    • Recreating the pink and white houppeland depicted in Horae ad usum Parisiensem (Le départ pour pélérinage) (Backburner, a friend has offered to share one of her houppeland patterns to start with)
    • I've been interested in scribal work (illustrating SCA award scrolls) for a while but have no specific projects planned out at this time; it will definitely make an appearance at some point
• Medical science/pre-medical studies: I've discovered a strong interest in medical science and research, and am working towards applying to MD/PhD programs with a focus in genomics. I'm just beginning to take post-baccalaureate classes while working full-time; I'm also dipping my toes into scientific research. Due to various circumstances, I can afford nothing less than a 4.0 from here out. That means I'm doing a lot of studying, but it's also a lot of very cool topics, so I'm likely to be posting both as a study tool and to share neat stuff I'm encountering!
  • Current projects:
    • Finished General Chemistry I last spring and starting part II next week; I've been studying in preparation and have a handful of chemistry topics I'd like to discuss in a "Let's Learn Together" style series
    • Two potential research topics (related to transcriptomics and inflammation, respectively), still very early phase & researching related data/literature
    • May share noteworthy news or fun facts from time to time? I might be a little shy of this one until I feel more confident in my ability to talk about current research topics.
• Tabletop RPGs (or TTRPGs) and game design: I dabble in TTRPG design, and have a big interest in dissecting how things work - including game design and player motivation! I'm not the most prolific in this area, but I'm also the lead moderator on the TTRPG Rising Tide admin team, so it's likely I'll be discussing topics beyond my own work from time to time.
  • Current project:
    • Working on a cupcake-themed rogue-like TTRPG, as in you bake cupcakes to play. Inspired by this video from Zee Bashew poking fun at indie TTRPGs 
• Artwork and other topics: I'm a fine arts dropout with an interest in illustration, character design, and storytelling. Art isn't my career, so it can't be a higher priority than my studies, but you will definitely see new pieces from time to time (and you'll find being raised by an art historian has made me opinionated). I also am a huge fan of Final Fantasy XIV (or FFXIV), one of the Final Fantasy MMOs, so it's quite likely I'll wind up posting about the game and/or works inspired by it! Additionally, while I'm not much of a speedgamer, I volunteer in the speedrunning community from time to time, so you can expect to hear about speedrunning events when they pop up.