Apparently, I've Been a Robot This Whole Time
Life updates, words, and general chit chat from the week
What I’ve Been Up To
Last week was, to put it mildly, a lot. We still had two dogs in the house, breaking into random wrestling matches to punctuate the day, and life was happening.
Writing/Work
I spent most of the day Monday and Tuesday working on a lengthy article for a client who, while not paying me well, promised experience in a niche I’m trying to break into. I submitted the article with a sense of relief that it was over.
Then, they responded with the accusation that my hours of work were actually AI generated content. Which, of course they weren’t. I sat there at my desk and wrote it all with my own hands, chipped fingernail polish and all. So, unless I’ve secretly been a robot this entire time, the accusation made no sense.
Unfortunately, the client refused to even discuss why they were making this claim. Being the sort of anxious person I am, and also having very strong anti-AI opinions, I spent the next two days in a pent-up spiral of anger, frustration, and panic. I barely slept as I fumed over it all. In the end, I cancelled the contract, which means I will receive no payment for those hours of work.
On my bingo card of “things writers have to worry about with AI,” this wasn’t something I considered. But apparently, it’s a fun new way bad actors are trying to get out of paying freelancers. A quick search reveals that I’m not the first writer this has happened to, which is just… ugh.
Anyway, that was really only a small part of my week, even if emotionally it feels like the only thing that happened.
I also signed on to teach two sections of an intro to college course at the University where I used to work full time, which is exciting because a) stable income and b) getting to work with first year college students again!
This means I’ll be a little busier than anticipated in the fall, but in a good way. I think. At any rate I’ll be leaving the house, in human clothes, talking to other actual humans at least once a week, which is probably good for my mental health.
General Life Stuff
Dogsitting has been so much fun that I almost wish we had two dogs all the time. Almost. Azula is a jealous girl and a handful, so she and I both know we’re a one-pup household. Still, cute puppy cuddles have been nice while they lasted.
Yoga with Adriene has a great new series on the membership by a new-to-me teacher, Alia. It’s called Wake Up Yoga, and they’re all slower, low to the ground flows focused on flexibility with lots of props. I’ve really been enjoying her teaching style and the nice, easy flow to start my days. Azula does miss Benji, who doesn’t make any appearances here, but she’ll be okay.
Current Obsessions
TV
I started the third season of Only Murders in the Building, and I’m really glad its back. Maybe it’s an unpopular opinion, but I’m excited to see more shows doing weekly episode drops instead of launching a whole season at once. I like having something to look forward to. Waiting for things is good for us sometimes.
Don’t know if I’ve mentioned it, but I finally decided to watch Schitt’s Creek because I was tired of people telling me I’d really like it. It’s my sort of in the background, not fully paying attention watch of the moment, and I have to admit people were right. I do kind of like it.
Food
All of a sudden I realized Instagram has a lot of creators doing recipe content, and I am loving it. The algorithm has decided I am vegan, which isn’t actually true, but my husband and I do mostly make plant-based meals. I’ve discovered some great recipes for tofu and chickpea wraps that I’ve been making for lunch lately, and I am here for it.
Some of my favorite creators are @ PlantBasedRD , who introduced me to shredded tofu, and @ PlantYou, whose quick and easy peanut noodles are now in my steady rotation.
Gaming
I’m still playing cozy baking sim Lemon Cake and trying to unlock all the things. When I’m not doing that, I am sitting here bemoaning the fact that I’m not playing Baldur’s Gate 3, which came out for PC last week. Cozy games aside, I’ve never been a PC gamer. A girl has an old Lenovo Yoga and a tendency to develop carpal tunnel playing games with too much arrow key action (looking at you, A Short Hike).
My not-so-secret wish is to round out our console collection with a PS5 so I can play the game when it comes out for that system later this year. Alas, my husband thinks having his Xbox One and my Nintendo Switch is enough, which is rude. I welcome arguments against him in the comments, for the persuasive PowerPoint I plan to put together around Christmas time.
Words on the Web
Most of my writing energy went towards [redacted] this week, so not too much to share. The usual suspects went up on the book blog, though!
Furbaby Friday, featuring cute puppy pics and a roundup of the previous week’s book blog posts
Book News Corner, my weekly roundup of book-related news, including more AI nonsense because I guess that’s what we do now?
ALSO! (Drumroll please) I’m hosting my first readathon-ish-thingie on the blog! My personal tradition of Witchtober is going to a thing now, or at least, I’m trying to make it a thing. Details about how to take part and my very professional graphics are available on the blog now, here:
**Witchtober 2023 Announcement & Details**
Okay, that’s probably enough out of me this week. Let me know how your week has been and what you’re obsessed with lately in the comments. Or help me build the case for why we need another game console. Whichever.
A lot to unpack here! So sorry about the AI accusation. I would've felt exactly like you did (I loved the C-3PO comparison!). Perhaps you dodged a bullet tho: probably wouldn't have wanted to work with someone like that for very long.
I also am SO excited about the new season of Only Murders In The Building. Can't wait for your thoughts on Schitt's Creek. I adored that show.
Lastly, obviously you need a PS5. There's no such thing as too many systems. Andy is just being silly.
All my D&D friends are playing Baldur's Gate 3 right now on their PCs and I'm sitting here feeling like a second class citizen with my Xbox and Mac. I'm not going to spring for a new computer but I'm super tempted. It's supposed to drop on Mac in September. #sacrifices
I will be texting you about the Al. I just love how you write! Also, about the PS5, tell Andy because you want it should be good enough! 😉💕