I’ve been trying to keep things minimal / useful when it comes to what I carry around in my pockets or bag. Recently I’ve re-done my keys.

I have 3 little command hooks stuck on the wall in my kitchen. The first hook has my front door key attached a Nite Ize Cinch-A-Lot Mini Stretch Strap. If I’m just going for a walk, that’s the only key I would need so I just grab that and put it in my pocket

The next hook has my car key fob on a tiny splitring. The last hook has a slightly bigger split ring with my back door key and keys for my Mam’s and sister’s houses.

So some of the time I just need my house key if I’m just walking somewhere. Sometimes I’ll be driving, so I take the car key and attach it to the little S-carabiner on the Cinch-a-lot. If I need to let myself into a family member’s house for whatever reason, I can add that larger keyring on that odd occasion.

So I get to just carry around the smallest keychain that I need, without making things too complex with regards to swapping things in and out.

The cinch-a-lot has an elastic loop which is big enough to get a couple of fingers through so it’s nice to use to be able to get your keys out of your pocket, or I could potentially fasten it around a belt loop. Because it has the little metal slider I could potentially use it to attach something else to the keys, like my Airpods or something, although I can’t really imagine wanting to do that. Some of the reviews of the cinch-a-lot said that the locking thingy on the s-biner was a bit fiddly to use, I don’t find that to be the case but I have tiny hands so maybe that’s why I don’t have an issue.

I am liking this new setup though. Takes up the minimum amount of space in my pocket and it’s very slim so there’s as little bulk as possible, and it’s easy to swap keys in and out as needed

In the spirit of being more gentle with myself: none of that business with the GPs was my fault. It's annoying but I've done well to keep things going at least. And I went to work afterwards and survived that so that's something too

GP appointment cancelled this morning. Originally called to make appointment in mid-December because I didn't think my Sertraline was working. Rescheduled to the 18th. I tell them my medication will have run out by then. Receptionist says she'll see the GP about it.

I check on the NHS app and the prescription is there but it's dated 01/01/1900. I can't get to the pharmacy until Monday. Will they actually fill it I wonder?🤔

Very helpful to my anxiety on what was also my first day back at work!

Recently been trying to keep things simple and since I bought an iPhone 13 a while back to go with my iPad I’m more and more sold on using Apple stuff so there’s a bit of a theme here!

I think some of this will change soon as I do want to get a bit more into blogging and that will involve trying different things out, and it’s been on my mind for months that I kind of want to buy a macbook. Not exactly pocket money that though, is it?

Music: Apple Music

Podcasts: Apple Podcasts

Password Management: Bitwarden

• If I ever manage to go all-Apple I would interested in moving to Apple’s Keychain

Books: Kindle

• Prefer using my actual Kindle Paperwhile but the Kindle app on my phone sees some use too

Todo: Apple Reminders

• Only if it’s very time-sensitive, otherwise it would just go in the notebook
• Shopping list goes here too. Love having it on my watch as I go around the supermarket

Calendar: Apple Calendar

• Trying this out as a way to remind myself when it’s time to eat and time to unplug and read or journal at the end of the day
• Owaves is an app that’s built for this exact usage but I found it clunky somehow

Mastodon: Ivory

• Unsure if I’ll keep paying for Ivory once the subscription runs out. It IS a very nice app but I should really be limiting the mindless scrolling on my phone

Blogging: Micro.blog and Epilogue for micro.blog

• The default Micro.blog apps seem fairly basic but I’m sure I will find some workflows that help me get stuff onto my blog more effectively with them

Notes: Bear

• Just using the free version at the moment on the iPad but will be happy to subscribe to be able to use across devices

Journaling: DayOne

• I have the ‘Plus’ version which is the grandfathered one, since I guess I bought the app shortly before they moved to the subscription model. I get most of the stuff from the Premium version but not everything. Wouldn’t mind subscribing because it’s just such a nice app and I’ve used it (off an on) for about 10 years I think

Not apps:

Bullet journaling: Scribbles That Matter B6 hardcover dotted notebook.

• I try to keep things short and snappy in the notebook, and if I want to expand on something it can go in DayOne or Bear

Meal planning: whiteboard on my kitchen wall

• I try to update this every weekend with evening meals for the week
• Also try to keep an inventory of frozen meals in the freezer. I live on my own so it’s convenient to cook enough food for four and then freeze individual portions

Going to try and read 25 books this year. One book a fortnight seems to be about right when I'm in a half-decent habit. Want to try tracking and writing a little bit about them on micro.blog too, instead of GoodReads

Tree, decorations and lights all put away. House is back to normal. Don’t get me wrong, I like having the space back and of course you’d be fed up if things didn’t change back but it always feels like New Year just dumps you like ‘that’s it, show’s over’ into the long, cold dark beginning of the year

Does anyone happen to know where in the UK you can get B6 hardcover #notebooks? Either dot grid or squared. I've got a nice Scribbles That Matter one at the moment but they don't seem to do B6 any more and that seems like such a nice size to me

#BulletJournal

I started my current #BulletJournal on the 1st of January 2023, and I'm about two thirds of the way through it, so I'm just going to keep going with it. I estimate it will last me until around March.

Seems like a bit of a shame to not get that nice fresh start like last time in the new year but at the same time, good chunk of it not used, plus I can't seem to find any notebooks like this one any more and I like it

First attempt at making an ambigram. This was pretty fun!

Currently reading: A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers 📚

Read book 1 a couple of times. Really liked it the first time, thought there was something a bit off about it the second time. Still made me feel quite cosy so I’m hoping book 2 will be similar in that regard.

I think I'm gonna try doing #DryJanuary next month

Time for a new #introduction post now that chosen a new instance for my account.

Hiya, I'm a 30-something shy nerdy gay lass from the north-east of England. I also suspect that I am autistic and at the moment I'm dealing with the mental health that comes with... well... all of the above. I'm here for nice stuff, I won't be talking about politics or anything like that.

Things I like:
#books
#journaling including #bulletjournal
#videogames recently #Zelda, before that #Factorio
#ukulele
#drawing

This is what I’ve spent a very pleasant chunk of my day today doing. I haven’t had Lego since I was little and I’ve really enjoyed building this. The finished product looks good on my shelf too!

The box The pot for the tree built The main trunk built. I missed a step right after this because this is the part where you're supposed to add the 'pebbles'. It's a little more awkward to do after the leaves are on! The base that the pot stands on Completed Lego bonsai tree!

This was definitely the coolest Christmas present I got this year and I’m going to love having this on display in the house. I might have to look into getting more Lego some time 🤔

Currently reading: You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney 📚

Trying out an Apple One subscription. I’ve used up all my free iCloud storage so I had to do something. Already use apple music. Will I waste all my time on Apple Arcade and regret subscribing? Maybe!

Currently reading: Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff 📚

I think I should try and get back into blogging again. I used to like that a lot when I was at uni. I never put a huge amount of effort into it and it was just a stupid little personal blog, but I think that might actually be just what I want at the moment. A chance to sit quietly and put some things together, an excuse to draw or add a photo, and then a central place to have all of this anonymously stored. It sounds like a really nice idea and a nice hobby. I’m already paying for micro.blog and I like it well enough so I think this will be where I put it. The few times I’ve posted already I had a nice time doing so. I should start considering this a proper hobby again.

I suppose on the opposite side of this, I’ve been enjoying reading RSS on NetNewsWire, maybe browsing through it during a quiet few minutes and saving the ones that look interesting to my Reading List. Then, when I’m on my iPad, going through my Reading List and enjoying reading through the articles. It seems like a nice relaxed sort of flow and I think I prefer this to scrolling through Mastodon or whatever (although I do still like doing that now and again). I like how I get to have a ton of control over what I read this way and that I get to have a quick browse during just a couple of minutes, and then a ‘real’ reading session that I’ve already curated when I actually want to sit down and do that.

🎮

Not surprised to see Tears of the Kingdom the top but I AM a little surprised that Vampire Survivors got in the top 3. I must have really binge-played that. Not surprising though, it’s way more addictive than it has any right to be.

Actually, that’s true of all of my top 3, holding them to varying standards (high expectations from Zelda, low for VS and somewhere in the middle for Pokémon). Good year for my little Switch!

🎮 Been getting caught up reading some Factorio Fact Friday blogs. Factorio 2.0 looks like it’s going to be amazing, I can’t wait!

I bought this bag a few weeks ago. I think I’ve just had a bit of a ‘thing’ about being organised and having a place to put stuff recently, and I saw this on the internet, watched a load of videos, and ordered it. I really like this bag.

A lot of the reviews and videos I watched were by men who described the size of the bag as ‘upgraded pockets’. I think as an average-sized woman it’s actually a good bit bigger than that, and to me more in the realm of ‘small backpack’. It fits nicely on my back, it certainly doesn’t look tiny, just a good size, and it doesn’t stick out to much. I really like that when I swing it round to the front it’s nicely horizontal and I can get at the pockets easily, but when it’s on my back it’s a little more vertical and feels very ‘out of the way’.

I like the little key leash thing in the small pocket. I didn’t think I would bother with something like this but after trying it out, actually it’s really handy. It’s a good length so that you can actually unlock a door while it’s still attached to your bag. And I like being able to literally drop the key once I’m finished using it and let it just dangle there, get in the house and then sort everything out. I spend less time stood outside fiddling with my key.

The main compartment and the ‘secret’ back compartment are both quite padded so I feel alright putting my phone or my Kindle in there. In general I like to keep some Chapstick, a hankie, a box of Tictacs and my swiss army knife in the front compartment. When I add my keys to the key leash I don’t need to think about which sub-pocket they’re going in, because they’re already attached to the leash so I can just shove them in. I might also put my Airpods in this compartment. The main compartment I try to keep empty-ish so I end up bringing something small back it will fit straight in there, but otherwise I do tend to keep a little packable tote bag in there. So I can walk to the shop with just my sling bag, but once I’ve bought some things I have the tote bag to carry stuff back. That feels quite useful to me. If I’m going somewhere where I feel I might be sitting or waiting around, I might put my Kindle and my glasses in this compartment. If I was going out for the day, I might put my water bottle in here so that I won’t get dehydrated and give myself a headache, although if I do this I won’t have much room for anything else in there. I keep the back pocket empty but that’s where I’d put my phone if I didn’t want it in my pocket.

I also bought a Heroclip at the same time and attached this to one of the loops on the side of the bag. I’m not entirely convinced that the Heroclip does anything that a normal carabiner wouldn’t do but it’s a fun novelty I suppose and it does look nice. I’ve got the blue and silver Heroclip and my bag is the grey and orange one, and the colours kind of remind me of the video game Portal. I like having the clip there though as I think it’s a neater way to hang the bag up compared to letting it dangle from the long strap. It also comes in handy because I wear a baseball cap a lot when I’m out and when I’m indoors I think it’s a bit impolite to wear it, and I can just clip it there, it’s no bother and I know I’m not going to lose it. It’s also fun to show the clip to people, they are impressed when you show off the hooky thing.

I liked this bag enough that I also bought another, bigger, sling bag from Tomtoc that I use for work. I might write about that some other time.