State of The Snells: October Edition ๐ŸŽƒ ๐ŸŒ

If I had to say one thing that makes me a bit sad about having snails is… theyโ€™ll never know how much I love them. I donโ€™t think snails are capable of affection and the love I feel for some of them is just so deep. Itโ€™s all I could think about when taking these photos:

Itโ€™s not that I find them interesting or fascinating (at least itโ€™s certainly not just that.) Itโ€™s love like I felt for my rats or feel for my cats. Maybe thereโ€™s a slight level of detachment due to being so aware of their fragility, as a way of protecting my heart. But I adore them. I literally love them. They canโ€™t hear me, they canโ€™t blink. If they feel the vibration of my voice, they tend to hide. They donโ€™t even have a brain, at least not in the normal sense that youโ€™d think of a brain. They are so different from me. But I love them.

I think rats and cats can understand affection. They know, on some level, that I feel love for them. At least I think they do. But even I canโ€™t fool myself into thinking that my snails love me or even that they care for each other. Theyโ€™re snails. So it does bum me out that they can never process me as a being that cares about them not even in the most basic of senses. But I guess thatโ€™s alright.

In other news, knock HARD on wood, but I havenโ€™t seen mites in my Roman snails in some time (maybe two weeks?) and the baby milk snails are growing really well. Their parents seem to continue on the road to recovery, moving a little bit every day, and you know, not dying. So thatโ€™s promising.

In addition to this Iโ€™m carefully looking after the clutch of Roman snail eggs. Iโ€™m so excited for them to hatch.

Here is a video of one of my Roman snails being dumb the other day:

His mouth is open, if you can zoom in. A real winner of a gastropod. ๐Ÿ˜…

Last video, from a month ago. I forgot to upload it:

Early Birthday Sheep ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿ‚

A little something for my friend Drake whose birthday is just a few days away!

๐Ÿ„ Artwork is ยฉ 2023 by Marina Neira. You may NOT copy, color, reference, repost or use this artwork in any way or claim it as your own. Only the commissioner/giveaway winner & those featured in the artwork may repost with credit and following my Terms of Use.

State of The Squelf: Mid-October Edition ๐Ÿ‘ป

I canโ€™t believe itโ€™s already Monday again. I canโ€™t believe itโ€™s already almost 6pm. Today flew by, yet it also dragged on. I donโ€™t feel well overall.

Last week, Akumin called again to reschedule my cervical MRI: in spite of all the problems, my insurance approved it and it was moved to Tuesday. That was a relief. So I got that done.

Unfortunately, I goofed and forgot about my blood test appointment. So that added a week of time to that. Iโ€™ll be getting the blood drawn this Friday. I felt very stupid.

Last Thursday I had another headache. The difference here was that it was the first time that it happened when my husband and I were intimate. Up until now, it had only been a โ€œby myselfโ€ problem. So that put a temporary damper on the evening. It wasnโ€™t terrible, as I stopped in time, but it left me with a burning in the area of what I now know is my occipital nerves under my right ear. Itโ€™s a pressure, an ache, an annoying warmth. And that remained for days, varying in intensity, and I feel it even now. Itโ€™s deeply annoying, and coupled with my PMS and with physical needs that I cannot take care of for the foreseeable future, I am literally crawling up the walls. Itโ€™s the freaking worst.

CW: TMI ahead.

Sometimes I wish Iโ€™d never discovered orgasms. A little over a couple of months ago, I didnโ€™t need them, and I was fine. Maybe I wasnโ€™t always, but I didnโ€™t know that it was a problem. Now I know what they are, and how to have them. And I canโ€™t. I canโ€™t because if I do it I feel like someone is torturing me with an ice pick, hammer and vice to the head, all in one. All of that โ€”and not taking care of myself is STILL HARD. The frustration Iโ€™m feeling physically is so horrible, that if a solution to my headaches cannot be found, Iโ€™ll gladly take a pill to at least temporarily kill my libido. Because this is a horrible way to feel. Itโ€™s horrible.

Aaaaanyway…

I meant to introduce you all to Punkim. As far as Charlie Bears go, Punkim is very basic looking, but heโ€™s big and fluffy. I think heโ€™s my most down-to-earth bear. I like him lots and lots.

Hereโ€™s a couple of photos of Punkim before his outfit was complete. You can see his face (and his cute little bear pants) better:

And here he is in his full outfit:

Lately, Christopher and I have been playing a little of Ever17 every day. Itโ€™s a game thatโ€™s really important to him, and as we play, I can see why. Itโ€™s been a wonderful routine especially on the days he is home earlier, or on the weekends, to play together for an hour while having a snack.

Iโ€™ve been eating crushed dry ramen while playing which makes me feel like an absolute beast, but to tell the truth itโ€™s one of the most delicious things Iโ€™ve ever had. You smash the ramen, pour it in a bowl, and then mix it with the powder. Try it! I discovered it after seeing itโ€™s sold as a dry snack in Asian stores and itโ€™s 100% the same thing as normal dry ramen.

(And yes, this is completely safe to eat, though you have to be careful with your teeth, and I can only vouch for Nissin brand as being safe to eat like this, but I do believe most ramen is pre-cooked. Youโ€™re just hydrating it.)

On Saturday night Christopher surprised me by taking me to our favorite ramen place. I was sure it had closed down. It really made my night!

Iโ€™m doing my best to push through commission work. But to tell the truth I have no motivation for anything… not drawing, writing, reading, gaming… nothing… ๐Ÿ˜ž

Maybe tomorrow Iโ€™ll concentrate on giving the house a good cleaning. I think that has been bothering me. Maybe it will help, if only I can muster the motivation.

Oh, yeah. I want to deeply, deeply thank everyone who got slots for the Winter Friends YCH. While Iโ€™m still returning and reordering stuff from Amazon, overall my setup is improving daily. Getting used to some changes in my setup presents a challenge of its own, but Iโ€™m doing my best. Once Iโ€™m 100% all done, Iโ€™ll post photos of both completed setups.

Iโ€™m most excited to get my Redbubble stickers for my desk. I canโ€™t wait to cover the desk in new stickers. โœจ ๐ŸŒˆ