Entry 5 - 1/20/2025

Hey. Happy new year.

With the new year comes new opportunities. There's... god, there's so much. I'm writing this at 12:34 AM (wow, how's that for a lucky time, huh?), which isn't the best time for putting thoughts together coherently... Oh, well.

No updates on the dad front, in case you were curious, reader. Either there's been massively good news that's so good, I don't need to be kept in the loop (shocking approval for surgery, something they missed, medicine they can try), or the news is exactly what we expected it to be (there's nothing they can do except make the end easier). I feel like if it was somehow worse than we thought, I'd know.

No news is par for the course. My parents are messes. Dad would like to pretend everything's fine and not "burden" anyone. Mom has the short-term memory of a goldfish.

My god, I really am like them, aren't I? Oh, sigh.

Anyways, not all is bleak. My partner and I are starting the process of house hunting! We're sick of renting. The rotation of neighbors in this place just get worse and worse every year, and rents are becoming higher than a monthly mortgage payment would be. It's ridiculous!!

So, we're looking. Getting pre-approved, touring places, making lists, the works. I'm excited to finally own the place I live in. We're hoping this is the last year we have to renew this god-forsaken lease. Fingers crossed.

I'm also starting up a new project series looking into dissecting advertisements and marketing schemes in the witchcraft community. We have a lot of problems with grifters, scams, fake listings, and assorted bad practices. Even genuine sellers are using underhanded, unethical, or just impractical methods to sell their wares! It's a problem!!!

The project is called Aese's Advertisement Adversaries (fuck yeah, alliteration). You can read more about that over here, if you want.

I already have a huge list of bogus listings to go through. I also have one very generous offer from a genuine seller allowing me to review their listings! They'll remain anonymous, but I've been given permission to really tear into it.

Genuine sellers will receive significantly kinder treatment than obvious scams and unethical listings. While my primary goal is educating people on what to look for and how to detect shitty products and services, I also want to empower genuine sellers. Folks who want to make a living (or just a little extra money on the side) from their crafts or their divination deserve to do so, as long as they're going about it in a fair, ethical manner. I want to help them identify ways that they can make their listings more unique, understandable, clear, and generally attractive to their target audience.

I'm really tapping into my marketing background for this project. It's been nice to return to it. I fucking hated the job when I had it, but not because of the work -- because of the two-faced bullshit I was dealing with within the company. I love helping people with their projects. If I can help someone improve their witchy business practices, the benefits go beyond lining their pockets. When genuine sellers' listings and wares go up in quality, it makes it significantly easier for even the unaware, untrained eye to spot scams and other bullshit.

Through all of this, I'm still streaming over on Twitch, too. Wednesdays have fallen off the schedule for now, but I'm still doing Monday afternoons and Thursday mornings. I've settled into the routine of an activity and then a video game on Mondays, then tarot readings on Thursdays. Sometimes, I'll do a tarot-related activity if I have something I need to get done on Thursday, but I kind of prefer doing a short, two-hour stream with just readings.

It's been really fun! I have a handful of regulars who come to hang out, which has been really nice. Knowing that at least one or two people will be lurking in the chat makes talking to air much easier and less awkward. Less nerve-wracking, too. I'm grateful.

It really does seem like I'm right on schedule. This is roughly when I get a burst of energy and start a bunch of new projects every year. It's nice to finally bounce back from the winter blues and the post-holiday malaise.

I did definitely fuck my wrist up the other day, though. I don't even know what I did! My joints are all wiggly. It could've been something as simple as stretching my pinky too far while typing. I don't know! It started hurting Saturday and still aches some today. And my knee hurts. I really don't know what I did to that... Then again, it might've been from when I twisted my ankle yesterday and had to pivot hard to keep myself from collapsing and possibly breaking my leg.

Bodies suck.

Anyhow. Like I said, lots going on. More even than I've listed here. I have new books to read, new recipes to try, new spell services I'm going to list, a whole new tarot technique I'm developing... so much stuff.

Never a dull moment! But I'd rather be busy than bored any day of the week.

Here's hoping 2025 treats us all kindly. This is the year I turn 30, a number I never thought I'd reach. I'm proud of myself. And above all, I'm happy to be alive. What a thing to be.

I sincerely hope that this year brings you all that you desire and all that you deserve. Keep fighting.

By Fate's Hand,

Aese.