February 2022 Newsletter · 6:08am Feb 2nd, 2022
Happy February! Yesterday was Rainbow Dash Day, the start of the Lunar New Year, and the start of Black History Month. Talk about an awesome start to a month, huh?
Personal
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic seasons 5-8 did in fact leave Netflix in the US yesterday. I've glimpsed a date of February 16th for when the older seasons are leaving from time to time, but the notice is very sporadic. I can't get it to consistently come up. Despite my time and effort on The Master Mev, a season 8 based story, seasons 1-4 are actually my notably preferred seasons.
I took some time off for my birthday but sadly seem to have come down with a common cold since my husband got one. He tested for COVID and came back negative, both as a rapid test and a PCR test.
Revelation Into Mercury
Recordings are under way for this arc. I have received several for Chapters 12-15 from the actors. I took it upon myself in January to seriously consider buying a new microphone. I tried out two different ones, but they both picked up too much atmospheric noise, such as my computer hum. The one I have been using is actually a webcam, but I double-checked it against both the mics I tried. It was still better. As it turns out, my little webcam that I have had since 2009 has an automatic noise reduction, which is quite helpful.
So...after much finagling, trial and error, and thought, I eventually decided what I really needed was actually a proper mount. I did not have one and was instead hunching over a little while resting the webcam on top of a canvas bin. It was good enough at the time, but now that I have a mount that allows me to sit up straight, the better posture is helping me open up my airways and enunciate better more easily.
As such, I am doing the thing I hoped to avoid doing after all these months...re-recording narration. I could get by without doing so. It is good enough; it's just knowing that it could be better now that I have a better setup...it's hard to resist the chance to improve.
As of typing this newsletter, Chapter 12 has a lot done and is mainly pending retakes from actors. I am editing Chapter 13 but have to put off re-recording narration a bit longer because of my irksome cold.
Writing - The Master Mev
The Master Mev text version had only one update in January.
The Master Mev: Chapter 74 - Chrysalis
A cool thing that happened with that one update is the story hit the 200K mark. Woo-hoo!
I'm not saying it's back on hiatus, but I am admitting to giving up on even a 1-2 weeks goal. The updates will come when they are ready. Things just keep on happening that stall it as they require my attention or I simply have the energy for other things more than the writing or picture updates.
Mention - Austraeoh
I did attempt an audiobook recording the first chapter of Austraeoh and actually got very far but eventually had to simply give it up. With all the mic trial and error and the RIM stuff starting up, I had to simply let it go. Better luck some other time.
At least the attempt helped me learn that I was talking too close to the mic on the new mount before I got too far into re-recording TMM RIM narration.
Rainbow Dash Day
I did make a blog post to celebrate my favorite character ever yesterday:
Black History Month
Where to even start? I'd recommend reading Fatal Invention by Dorothy Roberts, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, and Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup.
Follow these people on Twitter:
- @BreeNewsome
- @blackgirlinmain
- @awkward_duck
- @jskylerinc
- @laurenhtexas
- @Karnythia
- @Tinu
- @DrChaEd
- @digitalsista
- @DaisyEin
- @blackswize
- @KashannKilson
- @Ebonyteach
- @RevDrBarber
- @Iron_Spike
- @amaditalks
- @Blackamazon
- @iSmashFizzle
- @FoxyJazzabelle
- @sassycrass
- @slb79
- @electricxlady
- @AngryBlackLady
- @prisonculture
- @PiaGlenn
There might be a few accounts that are not very active anymore, but I've got my reasons for giving the recommendation nonetheless.
We have day in the U.S. to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. yet voting rights in this country are most certainly in trouble, a significant part of his life's work.
Fictional books I've enjoyed by Black authors are The Color Purple by Alice Walker, the Fifth Season trilogy by N.K. Jemisin, and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandar Dumas. My pleasure reading is quite sporadic over the years, and those are just the ones I know off the top of my head. It was during a Black History Month when I learned Alexandar Dumas was Black.
Trudy is a writer I do not follow as closely as I used to, but she had a notable impact on me nonetheless and remains a strong influence in my understanding of Blackness. As such, I wish to link her site and encourage giving her support. Here is the link to her site: https://www.thetrudz.com/. One can support her by giving money directly or becoming a patron.
Closing
General near, future plans:
- Continue editing TMM audiobook chapters for the Revelation Into Mercury arc.
- Focus on some personal life things
That's a wrap for this month.
