Weekend Tings

This that post that makes it seem like I know what I am doing in this here thing called life.

Welcome to Fidgets and Fries. Somewhat free. Somewhat not. If you’d like to honor my writings with a monetary contribution, thank you. If you already have, thank you. Your support allows me to invest in my writing in a way I hadn’t thought possible as well as pay for my son’s communication lessons. And if you are still an unpaid subscriber, thank you. Cause in a world where everyone wants their eyes on their work, you still chose to put your gaze on mine. This newsletter rests at the intersection of the unserious ramblings of a woman full of buttered rice and dad jokes and the somewhat sophisticated stories and essays of someone who knows just enough “smart” words to sound super intelligent and insightful.

What will today’s newsletter be? Hmm…

Keep reading for this week’s photos of the week. We tried In-and-Out’s secret menu items.

Okay, jumping right into this:

Video: Aidan. Leaving what might be his last spelling session with someone we actually like for him when it comes to spelling (keep reading for why). We have been trying hoodies cause those giant blankets he rolls around with are upping the clumsy factor 500x. Seems to be “so far, so good” over here.

I almost run into the kid, my fault, I should have known he stops forty times a minute. It’s all good.

He’s been walking more. That’s the heart of this video. He has been taking more walks in public without his chair. Proud of him. Though I would be proud if he used his chair too. I’m just proud period.

It’s Friday, y’all. We made it. Unless you’re like hammy and tomorrow is a workday for you too. Then, I hope your off days are soon and you get lots of rest.

I’ll be creating content for an entire month this weekend (to include my newsletters and other offerings here), working on some homeschool things, tightening up my manuscript for my agent to run through, and cleaning my house. Oh, and spelling with the kid, building some things, planting these fly trap plants, grocery shopping…

Thought this was supposed to be a relaxing weekend? Guess that’s next weekend.

I will dive headfirst into some Bond 007 movies with the kid. Apparently, he wants to check those out. I thought we was gonna stick with the low budget, parody horror films (The Mean One is soooo bad, but I actually enjoyed it, lol), but nope.

Let me know what y’all are getting into so I can live through you. 🥹😂

Alright, other life tings.

Going Keto.

Lost 10 pounds in about 13 days. Not bad. I don’t think. I really don’t be keeping up with the acceptable rate of poundage shed within a month or whatever. My cardiologist suggested I intermittently fast.

Fine. I did that for like two weeks. Started with the 16:8 for a week and then moved into the 20:4 the second week. I was going strong here…lost about 8 pounds.

Then I went on tour to California. And the drive there was great, I stuck to the fast. And I even made it through one day sticking to the fast.

But then I saw tacos. In San Diego. I had to try a California taco. This turned into trying a Californian donut. Then Californian staples like Ghirardelli and In-and-Out. It was a mess. The In-and-Out burger, not me. Though I was also a mess.

I gained all that back and then some. Damn.

So, I had an appointment with a bariatric clinic. I am so serious about getting this extra person off my back y’all. I just sat there listening the whole time in this consultation and walked away from the appointment thinking, “this feels like a surgical fast.”

I am probably simplifying that shit, but hell…that’s what it feels like.

I ain’t giving up at this point but I do feel a bit defeated. Not at the surgical fast shit but the cost and insurance covering it only after a year of weigh-ins and even then they only cover half. I am still on the hook for the rest. But mostly feeling defeated because I just keep yo-yoing in weight. Feeling good and then sliding back into bad habits.

Something is going to stick and my world is going to change. I know it.

Enter this whole keto thing. I didn’t know much about it other than it was suggested for my husband when he was diagnosed as diabetic. I see that can be helpful for heart health as well, but honestly, I think losing weight period will be helpful for heart health.

Alright, so instead of just buying diet books and never looking at them, I decided to read a bit on it online and then download a few apps to help me out. I downloaded a fasting app and it helped me during that brief time period. So, I figured a keto app could do the same. And it does. I have been learning about macros and net carbs and all that good shit. Tracking the food has been so helpful. Plus, this is a diet that the fam can get behind since it’s high protein and good fat. Now, Aidan is an outlier with his carb loving behind. He doesn’t struggle with being prediabetic or overweight though. So, he still gets his fries fix from time to time. Though I will say he’s falling back on eating them as much.

Could this be the beginning of the end? Will I need to change my name? What would it be if not for the fries? Stay tuned to find out on Chronicles of Tiffy.

Okay, so two weeks Keto. Well, a little longer but I slipped a tiny bit, and I don’t want to count that time period. So, two weeks consistently on Keto I have lost 10 pounds. I don’t know how much in inches, but I feel and see the difference. I can tell my body wants them damn carbs. It is craving that sugar. But I am staying the course. I have to. After having done two weeks and seeing my eating habits. I think I am going to combine it with a 16:8 fast.

And some damn physical activity. I have been moving slow on doing that because of my knee. But I will ease my way into it. I will keep the class posted on my journey here.

What I am watching.

Y’all I ain’t been on my Fall TV like I have been in the past, so I haven’t had many movie and show updates. But I am going to get back to it. I am binging SWAT on Netflix. It’s a good show but also unrealistic, but it’s also television and we like to be entertained so, of course it’s unrealistic. I will share a more in-depth thing on this show, not because I feel it’s one of the best things out or that people would care to learn more about, but because I love the way the writers have handled some really delicate topics such as sexuality, religion, police brutality, disability, etc. annnnnd, it’s so fucking unrealistic and this must be talked about even though I said this is to be expected. But hell, this SWAT team out there investigating the crimes like they detectives and shit, and I want to know where they do that at? But then again, the show wouldn’t be nearly as fun to watch if they was just riding around in an armored truck for 43 minutes.

I am also getting my yearly low-budget movie watching on. Lately, it has been all about parody horror films. I just finished up “The Mean One” and that one was RIDICULOUS. It was about the Grin- wait, you cannot say his name. And they never say his name in the movie, but they get close to doing it and then something or someone does something and it cuts of them saying it. They refer to him as a Grouch in the description, but in the movie, he is “The Mean One.” He just out there killing any and everything if it has any kind of Christmas cheer, joy, decor, etc. on display. You can’t sing no songs, you can’t decorate, you can’t even accidentally get an order of jingle bells instead of bell peppers at your diner…

The Mean One gonna kill you dead.

I can’t give no rating on this one. It was bad. Like Cindy out here decking the halls with her weapons bad. She decorated her firearms as if they were candy canes. She used them Christmas balls you put on your tree as grenades. Y’all, it was hella bad. And yet, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.

Watch it if you like this sort of stuff. I know my weird ass does.

Patreon.

I know what you are thinking, you’re on Substack promoting a Patreon.

Fuck yeah, I am. They both serve me well. And I enjoy both. So, I am using both. However, I am only offering certain things in each space. Just makes better sense to me. Now, on my Patreon, its tiered memberships, ranging from free to a 50/month general support tier.

Okay, so a sneak peak at a few of the new benefits there: 

1.  a short 15 minute podcast. My attention span is short as fuck, but honestly I don't want to do longer ones. And maybe I will do longer ones in the future but I am getting my feet wet here. I am excited about it. I thought about calling it "Fidgets and Fries" but "The Illuminating and Engaging Podcast" sounds appropriate after having been told I couldn't read for my own book because they wanted someone "illuminating and engaging". Whatever the name, it'll be there. This will talk about advocacy, but also life things, art things, movie things, etc. 

2.  Hammy will be making his presence known in this space with a Dad and Husband series. Two separate ones. He will share about being a dad to our boys. And he will share about being a husband to me. Together we will share about being parents. He will also share about cooking and whatnot. 

3.  The Writing Club (TWC). This is for those who want to take their writing to the next level (including myself). One thing I have learned is that writers always feel they could be better. And much of the time I don’t find that to be true but…writers, ya know?

I wanted the space to commune with other writers. There’s no skill requirement here. Whether you just picked up a pen two hours ago or you’ve been writing since birth, it doesn't matter. This is a space for the writer who wants to do something with their words. This could be turning their pieces into rallying cries for a cause, to build community, to complete and publish a book, to journal in a way that helps them get through the toughest of times, to make sense of the world around them… It doesn’t matter what you want to do with your work, I want us to help each other achieve whatever it is we want to do with what we create.

That’s what TWC is for.

This is going to be one of my most favorite benefits here.

Alright, TWC offerings:

Dedicated group chats so that you can be in constant communication with not only myself but other members of the writing club

Weekly writing prompts as well as the opportunity to share pieces weekly

Opportunity to feature work on my social media channels

Discounts on any writing workshops outside of the TWC

Exclusive posts and content

4. Weekly creative chronicles. Short videos about what is going on in my life. Tips about writing, my process, behind the scenes, and more. 

5. Of course the exclusive posts and content (to include a private Instagram account). It'll just be more on the creative side of things. Writing, photography, tapping into that part of ourselves that the other parts of us inform but we don't always listen to. For me, Autism informs my creativity, but I don't share a fraction of what I create because I am supposed to be an advocate. I am adding an private IG account to membership there because I want to share some other things of my life in a setting that is more controlled and freer to be me. And I want to offer it in a space where most of you know me from.

6. Poetry workshop discounts. I will be doing more poetry/creative writing workshops outside of all my online spaces. Patrons will get discounts for those. The higher tier you are, the bigger the discount. 

There will be more offerings. 

I HAVE FREE MEMBERSHIP ON PATREON NOW. So, please join and check the space out. I am in the process of turning it into what I want it to be.

Why my son’s last Spelling was last week.

So, she will sometimes drop little hints in conversation that she is more than likely conservative. No biggie, this is Texas. I mean, it's stuff I wouldn't believe in but I am there for my son to learn, so I just push that stuff to the side. We came to this last session wearing masks. Some of the clinics are now requiring them again and we honestly still wear them, we just didn't during the sessions with her. I kept telling myself we were going to wear them even more, but kept leaving them at home in the rush to get to her office early morning. We get to her office and the first thing she does is go, "wait, hold on, why the masks? Is someone sick?" So, part of me is like, "perhaps she is concerned? Cause I would want to know if someone close to someone I was about to work with was sick."

But the other part of me screamed louder, and that part was focused on her tone when she said it. It felt laced with anger. And a bit of a debate undertone. So, I tell her we just left a neurology appointment, and they required masks. We are going to leave them on. She follows this up with, "I am just gonna let you know, I AM NEVER EVER GONNA WEAR A MASK."

I am like, ok. Then she goes tells us we are more than welcome to. I am like, thanks for the permission. What is bothering me is that this further confirms the suspicions I held in the past about her being pretty out there and not concerned about this virus or others. Aidan relies on me for whole health support. He is just in her office touching on everything, bringin it to his mouth, she has to touch him, they have to sit so close together, and on and on. I mean I felt she looked at us funny when we pulled out hand sanitizer during the other sessions. She is so good with him on spelling, but this is bothering me.

Just as she has the right not wear one, we have the right to not be in spaces that won’t. Or so close with people that won’t. Short periods of time I can somewhat tolerate. Most of the things we do we can distance ourselves, but those times when we have to be in close constant contact with someone, I would prefer to keep myself and my family safer. This is my doing that for them.

I share this for information, not for debate.

Photos of the week.

You’ve already seen my video for the week earlier.

This first photo of yours truly wasn’t from this week but was found this week, lol. I like it. I don’t know what the hell I was doing in it, but my nails are POPPIN’. That white is gorgeous against my brown skin yall. And my makeup was on point. My eyes be looking off white and faded, but guess that’s aging for you. My kids have some bright ass eyes. I am jealous as hell. Fro was a 10. I just looked good that day. Don’t remember what day that was, but I looked good.

Those next two photos were from a few days ago. Now, Californians swear by In-and-Out. They have a few in Texas. We finally tried one and I ain’t like it like that. I couldn’t justify the lines. Food was edible. But it wasn’t grand. When we went to California, the lines wrapped around the restaurant, twice. I said let’s try this again. And same thing. It was edible. But it wasn’t grand.

Either y’all Californians tastes bud manufactured differently, or I am just stuck in my Whataburger ways.

So, several people have told me about their secret menu items, and you order from there. Fine. Let’s try this again. I text a friend and she helped me to order from the secret menu. I order the burgers animal style. And the fries. I can’t eat shit in these pics but the meat, cheese, and veggies. So, what animal style is is the patty is smothered in mustard then cooked, then grilled onions are added to it while it cooks and then smashed into it, like a damn smashed burger. And then a hearty helping of their sauce is dropped by the gallon on top. The same is done to their fries.

This tasted better than the regular menu items but still, not grand.