After A Year And A Half Of Putting It Off, And Over Ten Years Since The Last Time It Was Tested...

after a year and a half of putting it off, and over ten years since the last time it was tested...

🎉🎉🎉 I FINALLY GOT MY BLOOD WORK DONE 🎉🎉🎉

the last time i had blood work, it hurt like HELL! it was so bad that i've had flashbacks every time i think about needles.

this time... it didn't hurt. at all! it was mildly uncomfortable at worst. i am SHOCKED that it was that easy!!

this is a massive step for my health for many reasons – i'm excited to see what comes of these lab results, of course, but also... i can breathe easier knowing that blood work isn't all that scary after all, and finally get other tests done that i have been in desperate need of. maybe even vaccines!

perhaps most importantly: this fear was my last barrier to getting HRT. i need it done through a doctor for health reasons, but the repeated blood work necessary for that was too high of a price to pay. if they're all as smooth as today's was, though... i might finally be able to handle it.

so yeah!! big things all around!!! i am very excited for the future of my health.

BIG STREAM ANNOUNCEMENT: next up on the streaming docket is The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, starting Sunday, October 1st at 3PM Central and continuing every Sunday thereafter!

i remember LOVING this game as a kid, but the internet has a much more... polarized outlook on its controls and dungeons. so we'll sail the open seas once more, with intent to answer an important question: is it still as good as i remember, or have i lost patience for the game's unique structure?

at about 20 hours, this is the longest game i've ever comitted to streaming... so i'm more than a little intimidated! i expect it'll be about two months of consistent Sunday streams before we're through. come hang out and we'll explore it together 💖

i am pleased as punch to report that phantom hourglass is just as good as i remember it – adventurous and FULL of charm! the islands are lively and full of fun secrets, while the sailing is so much more involved than in wind waker. today's stream was a VERY fun time 💖

…but i haven't yet made it to the parts that people weren't so fond of! next week and beyond, we'll see if the temple of the ocean king's repeated revisits start to grate on my patience. see you then!

new pre-stream archive – in which i talk about why i streamed anyway, even though i was having a rough one: when you practice at your worst, you get better at your best. i really need to immortalize that as a blog post sometime...

i hate doing this but i'm gonna have to postpone Phantom Hourglass until next week, due to a combination of strange health issues (why does vitamin B12 give me intense anxiety???) and unforseen circumstances. i'll see y'all at 3PM central on the 8th instead!

instead, i'm gonna use this opportunity to shout out my friends:

@qixils will be live with her partner at 3pm central for Minecraft Crowd Control! https://twitch.tv/lexikiq

@notquiteapex has a creepy platformer to kick off the month of October, starting at 5pm central! https://twitch.tv/notquiteapex

new pre-stream archive! in which i reminisce on games i loved as a kid and which ones i wasn't so hot on as an adult, as well as how much Phantom Hourglass made me excited for the future of touchscreen games!