Hello, 2015

This post feels really lame and pretentious of me, but I’m trying this new thing wherein I don’t delete old posts just ’cause they’re embarrassing AF. (Feb 2018 edit)

Hello, hi! 2015 for me is going to be super-productive — at least, that’s the plan — and I plan to blog about things I do more often this year.

I’m contemplating starting a physical product-related Etsy business. I’m also going to form an LLC so I can maybe start consulting people (blogging, communities, etc), as well as have my personal assets protected, and I’m hoping to complete my semi-allergy-free cookbook by the end of the year. (It’s a small one, and it’ll be an eBook, but I do have plans for the future to publish a physical copy of a cookbook.)

Toolkit

Inspired by Christine, I’m sharing the tools I’ll be using/I already use to help make my life easier.

  • Pretty Link — You might have seen it already. It “masks” or “cloaks” links, but really, I just use it because 1) going to get my affiliate links all the time gets time-consuming, and this was, the links are ready to go in my dashboard, and I can track total and unique clicks from my dashboard; 2) very rarely, companies change the program they use. CodeGuard recently did this. Instead of finding every place I linked to it, I can just change that one link with this plugin. It literally looks like 6birds.net/codeguard. Furthermore, I can set it to nofollow from the settings when I add the link. Easy-peasy, but not sleazy.~
    *I have the free version.
    (So in case you’ve been weary, it’s solely because of my laziness, not because I want to trick you. o.- )
  • Gramblr — I can upload pictures to Instagram from my desktop quickly and easily.
  • BlueStacks — My Android is an old version, and it can only take so many apps. Thankfully, this program acts like a phone, so I can install anything from Google Play into the program… including Instagram. I recently discovered this (as in 31st December 2014-recently), so I don’t know how much longer I will be using Gramblr. I downloaded this app player originally so I could have Instagram, because I need it since 1) my phone can’t do screenshots and 2) I want to stay logged into my personal Instagram on my phone. This app player will be/is logged into Project Z’s Instagram.
  • Duolingo — I am relearning Spanish. I took Spanish I in eighth grade, and Spanish II the following year. Like skating, I forgot it, because I didn’t practice/continuing using it. I’m relearning it so that I might be able to possibly help someone who doesn’t speak English, even if it’s just text-based, or so that I could translate various things for others to use. Whatever the case, I feel it’ll come in handy later on down the line. Now I just need to figure out where I can learn ASL…
  • Google Drive — This is where I store my shit. It works quite well, and I can upload and download things as needed if/when I need/have to work offline. Plus, I ran out of space on Dropbox. 🙁
  • AMPPS — I actually have Liz and Code on this, and it’s where/how I work on it without actually publishing posts to the entire world. I’m also able to work on different things live and without losing the progress, as well as when I am without Internet. c:
  • @dictionarycom — A new word a day allows me to expand my vocabulary! Ex.I have spent Christmastide being sick. For most people (me, for example), blogs are all a person reads. Therefore, I’m expanding my vocabulary not only for myself and to become a better writer, but to potentially assist in expanding the vocabulary of another’s.

Misc.

  • Relevant blogs I read: byRegina, Sarah Von Bargen’s Small Business Blog,
  • Member of: Aspies Central, DayDreamz, XenForo Community, Wispie (and the BBN, but you know… Project Z. :p)
  • Wishlist: EPIC BLOG: One-Year Editorial Planner, EPIC DAY Notepad for Creatives… There is more, but I’m too gfdjk to list it at the moment. :p

Projects/Challenges/etc. to do

  • Watch 100 movies in 2015 (tracking via Letterboxd)
  • 30-day vegan challenge as constructed by Yours Truly
  • Learn to love myself
  • Create a 101 in 1001 days list and actually do it. Or don’t. NBD.
    (I created a 101 in 1001 list.)

Tidbits

It’s actually really tempting to talk about Project Z to everyone rather than just Nancy, Harrison and Charlise, because I’m so excited, but I don’t want to deal with any potential feedback about it (because I know people hate change, and I’ve a feeling they’ll hate the name change), even if certain changes needed to happen to save my ass later.

What I can say is, I needn’t constantly edit Liz and Code posts to work without Project Z anymore, because it’s surprisingly going according to plan again/now. I wanted to have it happen by the new year, and it’s only being delayed for approximately a month… And I talked a lot about it in posts I wrote for Liz and Code[1. Aspies are like textbooks; we can store categories of information in our heads about our special interests, and I needed to get so much of what was in my head out, because it was just a lot, and this blog just needed to happen, okay.], and now that it’s actually happening, it’s like things are going to be okay… because somehow, things turned out the way they were supposed to, even with all that drama I dealt with.

In 2014, I spent a lot of time wishing I had some sort of entertainment blog, but I really neither need nor want yet another blog, especially when Project Z’s going to be consuming a lot of my time, and I’ve also been slacking with personal blogging (but my life’s been boring lately…). Thus, I’ve decided that here, I’m going to have what I want instead of making a new blog.~

DIYs and talk of television, movies and games are totes going to happen. I’m also going to start a series featuring desks, and I’ll post more info on that later. Because I’m picky, high-quality pictures are a must of the desks. Desks are cool, though, ya know? It’ll be like an interview series of sorts, but it’s about desks… and people can tell about their desks, and I can finally have a collection of desks on my own blog rather than on Tumblr and Pinterest and my bookmarks…!

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Comments on this post

Although I’ve yet to consider starting an Etsy shop, I do like the idea of starting small businesses [with whatever product deemed suitable]. Regardless of the long-term goal, it’s always a good practice. For better or for worse, we’ll learn from the experience of the process.

Thanks for sharing your list of tools that you use. I’ve heard of Duolingo. I only tried it for a day or so, so I don’t know much about its efficacy. But I’ll assume that it’ll be a good tool to help you refresh your memory. Good luck!

Here’s to me and you and to everyone who wishes 2015 to be the year. Cheers! Thanks for sharing those tools, Liz. Some of them might get handy with me. Also, I wanted to do your challenges if you don’t mind. The most difficult one would be going vegan for 30 days. I plan to be a pescetarian the whole year though. I probably start next week.

Anyways, Happy New Year Liz!

🙂 When I do do the food-related challenges, I’ll also have recipes to go with them, so maybe that will make it a little easier? They’re sort of a way for me to knock out my major allergies and see the difference, if any (like an experiment), and these little challenges are my little way of conducting it. c:

Good luck!

Gosh I hope you were using hyperbole when you said blogs are the only things you read, what an incredibly scary thought. Especially when the internet is so full of information & news articles. Reddit for fun & serious subject matter, CNN, BBC, etc. I mean, if those count as “blogs” then sure. But what a scary thought that personal journals would be all anyone would read…yikes…

Hope you get your goals done this year. I’m toying with the idea of opening up a physical Etsy shop myself, but I go to school full time so I don’t know if I could even balance that. Sooooo good luck with that on your side if you’re not in school full time! Surely it’s manageable if it’s a low key project.

I have no idea what Project Z is so that whole section on your blog blew right over my head. I suppose you wrote it more for yourself than others though, I do that sometimes.

Also…desks…? I never really thought of desks as being “cool” or worth creating a series for, but hey if you can find a bunch of orderly & neat looking desks, go for it.

Project Z is what I’m calling the remodeling of the BBN, because I don’t want/need too many people stalking the progress, heh. It’s an online community for blogging that I took over last year, and due to legal purposes and personal preferences, I’ve had to change the name. There are about 800 members, give or take.

A few know a little about it, though, so I mentioned it for myself, but also for them, because it’s kind of easier than copying and pasting text in emails every time they ask. There’s also a tag with the new name that can be followed, it just takes knowing it. (But it’s actually easy to find it, as my portfolio has it.)

I read blogs, some news, Wikias, and “tags”, or replies, on a forum-based RPG I’m a member of. It’s writing-focused, and it’s quite fun. I try to stay away from certain news, like CNN, because I can’t watch the news anymore (due to depression, etc.). I used to read books all the time, but I don’t read them as much anymore, because a side effect of PTSD and a symptom of Asperger’s is sometimes the inability to comprehend/store information that is being read. Blogs and the RPG tags are not only good practice to get back to that point, but they’re not as large as books. With books, I’m good for only a few pages until I have to literally go back and read what happened. It’s really exhausting, and I just can’t do it anymore. I am working on it, though.

I also should have reworded it better, but I’ve been groggy as I’ve been coming off meds. D; I don’t even know where I was going/meant to go with that point anymore.

I read a lot of business, community, craft and food blogs, though… not just personal journals. :p

Thanks. :3 I’m not sure if I’ll go through with the Etsy thing, mostly because of how time-consuming it really is, and also because I feel it might be a lot of maintenance. I didn’t think of it potentially being low-key, though. c:

I like desks, yes. c: I wanted to have some kind of interview series that was more interesting than just questions, and I sit around on Pinterest looking at desks a lot, and yeah. 😡

Haha, featuring desks? That sounds like the “What’s in your purse?” segment people are into, except it sounds more creative! Maybe I should clean my desk now …

I hope you will have a productive year, and I know I am so behind on blogs I don’t know what Project Z is. (Do enlighten me if you want but I understand if you aren’t going to talk about it to everyone.) For me, maybe this year will be the one where my ideas will become reality. 🙂

I really like the interface of Letterboxed. so much better than Backloggery for game tracking.

Anyways, happy New Year!

I like Letterboxd, too c: I’ve started using it because Tvtag, formerly GetGlue, shut down. 🙁 Blah.

I explained a little about Project Z in my reply to Tiffany. c:

Yes, desks. c: I’m still working about the kinks. Good luck on your idea(s) becoming a reality. c: (If it does. :p)

I hope you do have a really productive year, and a good one as well. 🙂

The idea of having an Etsy shop sounds great! I have thought about it, but I have trouble with doubting my ability to create things, so I usually give up again. But, I thought I could try selling digital goods there, can’t hurt anything. 😀

I hope everything works out well with the project. It’s great when things do fall into place. 😀