Hiiii, blog people. I fell off the coding bandwagon, apologies to the highest degree. Let's see, since June I have: solidified that a lot of my pain is acutely attached to my period, went on another first date that told me we were not a pair, turned 26, finished a draft of one novella and started on a new novel, and also survived the holidays and new year. Yippee!

I also started posting on tiktok consistently about journaling, home decor, reading, thrifting, etc. It's been fun! It's also the most followers I've ever had anywhere, in more than a decade on the internet. It's only 1200 people, but it's been very interesting to build that sort of platform. I'll have more eloquent thoughts on it sometime, I'm sure. But it makes me yearn for my smaller outlets. Like this blog, which has one follower (I love you, Sophie) and just a couple kind folks from my writing group (I also love you Nikki and Elif and any others who visit!) I like having these spaces were I feel like I get to stand on stage and soliliquize. I don't think I have anything particularly gripping or interesting to say, especially today, but I'm here and it feels nice. I really enjoyed learning to code when I started this blog last April and I think it's important skill to hold onto. And with how many larger blogging platforms are starting to behave and the movements they are either supporting or turning a blind eye... It feels good to have a more indie platform where the limit is my own knowledge-- something I do have control over.

I'm ovulating from my left side. I dread the months I olvulate from the left side. She's the mean one, or more accurately the hurt one. I had a big scare a few months ago thinking I had a cyst rupturing, so now the left side months bring a little more fear. But I left the house today despite it and I'm really proud of that. I've started sewing more. I had a really big spring full of quilting last year but I've turned my sights away from blankets for now and have been ponying up on making smaller objects. I made a quilted cover for my morning pages book. Oh yeah! I started doing morning pages! It's been fun. It's not so different from the journaling practice I've held since I was 16, but it's more disciplined and that's good for me.

I also really fucked up my hair. I have been doing my own hair basically forever. I've never had a "professional" dye job. I've used the same dark brown box dye for years but I got cocky and tried something else. Have you heard of Hot Roots? I knew of them, but they finally came knocking. It's mostly fixed now, I just had to adjust my expectations of what I thought my hair was going to look like and accept that this is how it actually looks now. Lighter rosey roots, dark purple ends. I cried so hard over it, I felt ridiculous. But this is another part of the human experience that I had to feel firsthand to truly understand, and so for that I am grateful.

I'm glad to be back. If nothing else, my best friend said that my hair is Trill to a T. So maybe my alter ego is becoming my ego.

xoxo char/trill
January 9th, 2026