A Treatise On The Finer Details Of Cleaning, Volume IV
a year ago
Wow, four months since my last journal. Oof.
I'm still looking to do some personal travel throughout the year, but I'm done with performance stuff until late September/October. The Oregon Renaissance Faire was fun (aside from the days it was +85°F), and I really gave it my all. I'll have to think about if I want to do it again next year.
But that's a relatively long-term goal for me. Right now, I got other things I want to do, projects I want to focus on. I haven't rendered a lot lately, I've spent a little bit more time writing, and a lot more time gaming. But most importantly, I've spent a chunk of time doing chores; especially cleaning!
I've finally organized all my personal stuff—$150 at Lowes and I got ten big sized cargo containers to organize my belongings; gear, tools, supplies, etcetera. I've made some real progress on deep cleaning the home, and I need to finish that so I can organize a bit more, and then I will have a fully configured bachelor pad to be proud of again. Lessons learned:
► All it takes is a small amount of progress to start: if you can gather your things and see the results of even a little bit of cleaning, it can be a big motivation to keep things going.
► Little things add up, and big things are dismantled in sections. Cleaning the room is a big thing, but it's usually smaller belongings that contribute to clutter. I sort my stuff into categories: "clothing and accessories", "food and medicine", "technology and hardware", "hobby equipment and tools", and "miscellaneous odds and ends". I then get a container and carry it with me, walking around the room and focusing on gathering only one category at a time. All it takes is walking around the room five times, and suddenly it's looking a whole lot cleaner!! Now I just have to sort the container stuff (I prefer sorting by "most often used" first, and breaking it down from there).
► A lot of us get that peer-pressured "Oh snap someone's coming over today, I have 3 hours to completely clean the place/hide the mess" feeling, and that "last minute before it's due" approach can be both highly stressful, yet highly productive! If you get the impulse to do things like that, take advantage of it! Maybe plan ahead, too—even something like having a special music playlist ready to go to help motivate you might help. Or maybe you want a playlist that just makes you feel good, and takes away from the special "it's cleaning time" attitude, because you like your schedule to be normal and free-flowing and not be pressured by the feeling of a special occasion!
► Otherwise, remember it usually doesn't all have to be done at once. If the all-in-one-go vibe doesn't happen often, or if it just doesn't appeal to you, try segmenting the task: "I want a clean bathroom. Today: pull the towels and clothes for washing. Tomorrow, pick up any trash and put all bathroom utensils into a container for sorting. Next day, dust-down everything, and wipe down surfaces. Next day, take out the bathroom utensils most often used, and place them where they belong. Final day: Toss what isn't needed, or put it in a place for long-term storage."
► Minor maintenance and adjustments: sometimes after I finish cooking a meal, I just wanna sit down and eat—leaving dishes for later, and maybe forgetting to do them. Or, like this morning, I made some food in the pan, transferred it to the plate, and realized I still had to wait a minute on the toaster. But in that one minute, I was able to wash the pan and utensils I used for cooking, and even wiped down the counter real quick! It was a satisfying feeling turning to look at the kitchen and seeing it all clean—and made the meal all the better. You don't have to optimize every second of your day, but if you find you have even just a minute of time, look around for something small to take care of: clean a dirty dish, or put away a clean dish, wipe down the counter—little, tiny, momentary things that make a visible difference and contribute to an easier clean later on!
► Changing your environment can help change you. If you have goals you want to reach, or an image you want to maintain, it's true it all starts with internal changes, changing your mind in order to take actions that'll push you towards your goals—but it's also true that your environment plays a huge role in how you perceive things. So change up your environment so that when you see it, you're reminded of who you are, who you want to be, and what one-minute task you can do to help you reach that goal!
We all gotta do chores, and sometimes the day-to-day adds up. As it does, we're often left feeling unbalanced or unstable, and it can be hard getting back to a level foundation: being in a rush because you can't find a specific piece of clothing, seeing the stagnation reflected in a messy kitchen or other room, or feeling a sense of gloom because the literal curtains have been shut for weeks—all these moments are caused by a lack of foundation, or a foundation that's inherently uneven. While a messy workspace might be a sign indicating that you're deeply involved in a particular hobby, trade or interest, it does highlight that you prioritize that interest above others.
So consider what you're prioritizing, and think about how you feel. If you find that you don't feel the way you want to, try looking around at external things you can change, to make changes on the inside just a little bit easier!
_____________________________________________
How do you feel about all that stuff I rambled above above? Do you feel it's helpful? Or do you feel like it's a injection of positivity as welcome as a sudden sneaky ad-read in a Youtube video? In any case, all that stuff up there is just a summary of how I feel, and some of the things I'm doing or thinking of to help me reach my own goals. But I know I'm not alone in doing that. There's a lot of self-help books out there, and I think it's easy to "feel above" reading any of them. But reading is important, and so if you don't want to read what others are offering, maybe try writing your own thoughts, reading them back to yourself, and getting to know yourself and your way of thinking a little better!
Oh, art—right, the thing this site is about.
Arkhan's Adventure: Comic, currently about 40% done.
Caught off-guard by his own desires, Orc Cleric Arkhan seeks help before venturing beyond the walls of the town he was raised in, traveling to parts unknown, and encountering others who motivate him to discover the true nature of his identity.
Rendering: 60%
Script: 100%
Post: 20%
Braunoir: Comic, currently about 50% done.
Braun is a modern Orc and street-level crime fighter living in a world of superheroes and supervillains. When he encounters an opponent with powers beyond what he can handle, he's forced to evaluate what his goals and interests really are...
Rendering: 75%
Script: 70%
Post: 30%
Of Might and Muscle: Comic, currently about lmao% done.
Brokul the Orc has traveled to the Western Lands on a mission both personal and professional, seeking to discover new races and cultures to enjoy the pleasure of wrestling with, while getting caught up in affairs far beyond his own reckoning...
Rendering: 8%
Script: 10%
Post: 1%
_____________________________________________
Other things:
• Gender Studies: I've made little profiles of many of my Fantasy characters, and shared them on Bluesky (@UndercoverBeast) and Twitter (@ScretAgentBeast) for Pride Month (June, 2024). If you're interested in learning a bit more about those characters, check them out! I also put out a short message for Pride Month you can read if you'd like.
• Solo Renders: With summer here and a shift in my goals, I've fallen in love with my character Gavin the Bigfoot. For the time being, he's my spirit animal, and I'd like to render him.
• Gaming: Been playing Street Fighter 6 during my down time—it's seriously an amazing game, and there's always something to learn and improve on every time I play it. Really enjoying re-playing World Tour and seeing just how much better I am compared to the first time I played through it. Also, the sheer aesthetics of the game are just so absolutely incredible to me—I've got music playlists on loop throughout my day. It just jives with me so damn much.
• Virtual Reality/VRChat: With the living room clean I'll be trying to hop on VRC again if anyone wanted to meet and chat or whatever. I gotta update Unity to upload a patched version of my avatars first though.
• Drawing: Got out my tablet, been practicing styles and perspective. Drawn stuff is more popular than 3D renders, and I've had some ideas that I'd love to draw anyway. Might share some of those.
• Music: I've got my hardware and software all set up, I can literally just hit record and start banging on the piano. We'll see if I upload anything though.
• Cosplay: Not until September/October. Tempted to put on the Wookiee cosplay and do a stream hangout playing Star Wars Squadrons or something, though.
• Conceptual Projects: I'm considering finishing a Street Fighter 6 themed Cook Book. If the cookbook reaches completion and actually works for me, I'll share it, but I'd really like to break it down to the point where an absolute beginner can cook the meals, for folks who don't have a lot of resources but still want to expand their cuisine and learn what their tastes might be.
Alright, that's a list of internet-relevant things my life is leaning towards. We'll see if I lean into them long and hard enough to translate actual progress...!
I'm still looking to do some personal travel throughout the year, but I'm done with performance stuff until late September/October. The Oregon Renaissance Faire was fun (aside from the days it was +85°F), and I really gave it my all. I'll have to think about if I want to do it again next year.
But that's a relatively long-term goal for me. Right now, I got other things I want to do, projects I want to focus on. I haven't rendered a lot lately, I've spent a little bit more time writing, and a lot more time gaming. But most importantly, I've spent a chunk of time doing chores; especially cleaning!
I've finally organized all my personal stuff—$150 at Lowes and I got ten big sized cargo containers to organize my belongings; gear, tools, supplies, etcetera. I've made some real progress on deep cleaning the home, and I need to finish that so I can organize a bit more, and then I will have a fully configured bachelor pad to be proud of again. Lessons learned:
► All it takes is a small amount of progress to start: if you can gather your things and see the results of even a little bit of cleaning, it can be a big motivation to keep things going.
► Little things add up, and big things are dismantled in sections. Cleaning the room is a big thing, but it's usually smaller belongings that contribute to clutter. I sort my stuff into categories: "clothing and accessories", "food and medicine", "technology and hardware", "hobby equipment and tools", and "miscellaneous odds and ends". I then get a container and carry it with me, walking around the room and focusing on gathering only one category at a time. All it takes is walking around the room five times, and suddenly it's looking a whole lot cleaner!! Now I just have to sort the container stuff (I prefer sorting by "most often used" first, and breaking it down from there).
► A lot of us get that peer-pressured "Oh snap someone's coming over today, I have 3 hours to completely clean the place/hide the mess" feeling, and that "last minute before it's due" approach can be both highly stressful, yet highly productive! If you get the impulse to do things like that, take advantage of it! Maybe plan ahead, too—even something like having a special music playlist ready to go to help motivate you might help. Or maybe you want a playlist that just makes you feel good, and takes away from the special "it's cleaning time" attitude, because you like your schedule to be normal and free-flowing and not be pressured by the feeling of a special occasion!
► Otherwise, remember it usually doesn't all have to be done at once. If the all-in-one-go vibe doesn't happen often, or if it just doesn't appeal to you, try segmenting the task: "I want a clean bathroom. Today: pull the towels and clothes for washing. Tomorrow, pick up any trash and put all bathroom utensils into a container for sorting. Next day, dust-down everything, and wipe down surfaces. Next day, take out the bathroom utensils most often used, and place them where they belong. Final day: Toss what isn't needed, or put it in a place for long-term storage."
► Minor maintenance and adjustments: sometimes after I finish cooking a meal, I just wanna sit down and eat—leaving dishes for later, and maybe forgetting to do them. Or, like this morning, I made some food in the pan, transferred it to the plate, and realized I still had to wait a minute on the toaster. But in that one minute, I was able to wash the pan and utensils I used for cooking, and even wiped down the counter real quick! It was a satisfying feeling turning to look at the kitchen and seeing it all clean—and made the meal all the better. You don't have to optimize every second of your day, but if you find you have even just a minute of time, look around for something small to take care of: clean a dirty dish, or put away a clean dish, wipe down the counter—little, tiny, momentary things that make a visible difference and contribute to an easier clean later on!
► Changing your environment can help change you. If you have goals you want to reach, or an image you want to maintain, it's true it all starts with internal changes, changing your mind in order to take actions that'll push you towards your goals—but it's also true that your environment plays a huge role in how you perceive things. So change up your environment so that when you see it, you're reminded of who you are, who you want to be, and what one-minute task you can do to help you reach that goal!
We all gotta do chores, and sometimes the day-to-day adds up. As it does, we're often left feeling unbalanced or unstable, and it can be hard getting back to a level foundation: being in a rush because you can't find a specific piece of clothing, seeing the stagnation reflected in a messy kitchen or other room, or feeling a sense of gloom because the literal curtains have been shut for weeks—all these moments are caused by a lack of foundation, or a foundation that's inherently uneven. While a messy workspace might be a sign indicating that you're deeply involved in a particular hobby, trade or interest, it does highlight that you prioritize that interest above others.
So consider what you're prioritizing, and think about how you feel. If you find that you don't feel the way you want to, try looking around at external things you can change, to make changes on the inside just a little bit easier!
_____________________________________________
How do you feel about all that stuff I rambled above above? Do you feel it's helpful? Or do you feel like it's a injection of positivity as welcome as a sudden sneaky ad-read in a Youtube video? In any case, all that stuff up there is just a summary of how I feel, and some of the things I'm doing or thinking of to help me reach my own goals. But I know I'm not alone in doing that. There's a lot of self-help books out there, and I think it's easy to "feel above" reading any of them. But reading is important, and so if you don't want to read what others are offering, maybe try writing your own thoughts, reading them back to yourself, and getting to know yourself and your way of thinking a little better!
Oh, art—right, the thing this site is about.
Arkhan's Adventure: Comic, currently about 40% done.
Caught off-guard by his own desires, Orc Cleric Arkhan seeks help before venturing beyond the walls of the town he was raised in, traveling to parts unknown, and encountering others who motivate him to discover the true nature of his identity.
Rendering: 60%
Script: 100%
Post: 20%
Braunoir: Comic, currently about 50% done.
Braun is a modern Orc and street-level crime fighter living in a world of superheroes and supervillains. When he encounters an opponent with powers beyond what he can handle, he's forced to evaluate what his goals and interests really are...
Rendering: 75%
Script: 70%
Post: 30%
Of Might and Muscle: Comic, currently about lmao% done.
Brokul the Orc has traveled to the Western Lands on a mission both personal and professional, seeking to discover new races and cultures to enjoy the pleasure of wrestling with, while getting caught up in affairs far beyond his own reckoning...
Rendering: 8%
Script: 10%
Post: 1%
_____________________________________________
Other things:
• Gender Studies: I've made little profiles of many of my Fantasy characters, and shared them on Bluesky (@UndercoverBeast) and Twitter (@ScretAgentBeast) for Pride Month (June, 2024). If you're interested in learning a bit more about those characters, check them out! I also put out a short message for Pride Month you can read if you'd like.
• Solo Renders: With summer here and a shift in my goals, I've fallen in love with my character Gavin the Bigfoot. For the time being, he's my spirit animal, and I'd like to render him.
• Gaming: Been playing Street Fighter 6 during my down time—it's seriously an amazing game, and there's always something to learn and improve on every time I play it. Really enjoying re-playing World Tour and seeing just how much better I am compared to the first time I played through it. Also, the sheer aesthetics of the game are just so absolutely incredible to me—I've got music playlists on loop throughout my day. It just jives with me so damn much.
• Virtual Reality/VRChat: With the living room clean I'll be trying to hop on VRC again if anyone wanted to meet and chat or whatever. I gotta update Unity to upload a patched version of my avatars first though.
• Drawing: Got out my tablet, been practicing styles and perspective. Drawn stuff is more popular than 3D renders, and I've had some ideas that I'd love to draw anyway. Might share some of those.
• Music: I've got my hardware and software all set up, I can literally just hit record and start banging on the piano. We'll see if I upload anything though.
• Cosplay: Not until September/October. Tempted to put on the Wookiee cosplay and do a stream hangout playing Star Wars Squadrons or something, though.
• Conceptual Projects: I'm considering finishing a Street Fighter 6 themed Cook Book. If the cookbook reaches completion and actually works for me, I'll share it, but I'd really like to break it down to the point where an absolute beginner can cook the meals, for folks who don't have a lot of resources but still want to expand their cuisine and learn what their tastes might be.
Alright, that's a list of internet-relevant things my life is leaning towards. We'll see if I lean into them long and hard enough to translate actual progress...!

Mook
~arterian21
I'm very happy to hear you're finding ways that work for you and help you achieve your goals!

Undercover Beast
~undercoverbeast
OP
It's definitely something I'm happy about, but I'm always hoping other people are finding things to be happy about too—if anything I share can help other people find their own ways, then I'd say I'm surpassing my goals!

Mook
~arterian21
Keep up with the super sexy beefy hunks and orcs too man! B3