hello! I hope you're doing well, and wanted to tell you that I sincerely appreciate your Tumblr presence and the journal entries that contribute to it -- I myself have been very intermittent about journaling, and seeing the way you revisit your journals from years and decades ago definitely encourages me to be more consistent about mine :)
I wanted to ask what the inspiration was for your username "remembertheplunge", if it's something that you'd be comfortable sharing.
Thank you for your kind words about my journal based blog. I love the fact that you journal and that my journaling over the years inspires you to continue on. My hope with the blog is that you use my journal entries as a point of reference for you yo do the same thing. My reviewing of the journal entries is a great gift. It's giving me my life back. Who gets that?
Regarding the blog user name, I'm an attorney. When I was exploring starting my blog in early February 2023 my secretary recommended Tumblr. She had a blog on Tumblr and she said she would help me get mine up and going. She and a friend of hers came up with a list of possible names for my blog. One of these names was Remember the Plunge. I swam from Alcatraz to San Fransisco in September 2022 and that was the inspiration for their suggestion. I went on to do the Alcatraz to San Fransisco swim again in 2023 and now often open water swim in the ocean.
First two weeks on my new A6 journal-[Stalogy 365 Days]
Journal thoughts:
At first I was hesitant about how small the journal is (about the size of my hand), but as I wanted a one-day-one-page type journal as someone who doesn’t write much, this is perfect.
I can fit 1-4 days on two pages with enough space to decorate and having less visual space to work with helps the task of journaling seem less daunting, encouraging me to journal more consistently.
The pages are very thin but I love the feel of them, and the ghosting doesn’t bother me as it has no bleed through. My gel pen does take slightly more time to dry, though resulting in obnoxious smudging if I’m not careful.
I love it, overall. I think the A6 is my favorite size now for deco journaling! 📖💛
To all the characters I've loved before - Mabel Zhao
All about fan fiction and fictional crushes, and how safe feeling attraction to these characters is. After all, for most people engaging with this space, no real people are being crushed on, as it's not the actor but their character which hooks the audience. this article also touches on asexual engagement in fan fiction and how queer representation appears in the space.
Chiara's Confessions: I went on a blind date - Chiara Wallace
An anecdotal recount of a blind date, how funny it is to be thrust into a potentially romantic encounter with a total, or partial, stranger, and how the author go lucky with such a nice and polite date.
Dancing bare under the Blue light - Mikaila Kimball
The story of a local stripper at The Bad Bunny Club, how she enjoys her work, but it's not her long term career plan. She discusses how to manage romance while in this industry, and how best to build reliable clientele for consistent profit.
To swipe or not to swipe: The modern-day digital dilemma - Anna Jagga
On the topic of dating sites and how many people are trying to get away from them, given how they gamify and remove personal stakes from romantic pursuits. Making note of how the industry works as a gimmick, just another thing you can do one your phone now, and how for others it's a necessity,with the queer community specifically.
'If they wanted to, they would' is toxic - Paniz Vedavarz
Critiquing the TikTok famous dating advice for putting a expected type of romance on display, that is, if they don't do affection in the way you expect them to, then they don't care. Instead, this article argues it is forcing partners to judge each other based on actions rather than intent, and disregarding things like finances, time, and types of romance.
Kiss me thru the phone: Falling in love with AI - Arisia Qarri & Eshal Naqvi
Everyone want's connection, and with the priority on AI to be more human as to make people more comfortable engaging with it, it's no surprise people find it easy to grow deep connections with digital programs. In this current era of high loneliness, and the lack of third spaces for connecting with people, the computer becomes a safe place to find companionship, romantic or otherwise. With the current increase in AI and advancements in robotics to house said systems, the risk of becoming romantic with a computer ever grows, but the future is still yet to be seen.
How to break up with someone - Sophia Schiefler
A satirical series of ways to break up, all painfully cringe inducing and just awful to imagine.
Vanity reflects: The life of a London drag queen - Madeleine McColl
The largest single article in this issue, a retrospective on London Ontario's own Vanity Fair, a drag queen who's been preforming since 2019. Working to create more LGBTQ2S+ safe spaces in London since 2021, along side husband Bengelina Jolie, and working as a school nurse, She's doing an immense amount of good for the London community as a whole.
Who pays on queer dates? - Om Shanbhag
The answer changes based on the pair going out, but the common answer was whoever asked for the date. A through discussion of gender politics and expectations on dates, and how much of the decision comes down to vibes and case by case preferences.
So you got an STI - Angwara Nilanont
A much needed, direct article about where to find and how to access help for sexual health. Prioritizing safety, this article makes clear that checking in with health professionals and doing testing is nothing to be ashamed of, and that medical professionals who may assist you will be without judgement around your sexual proclivities. My personal favorite article from this issue, as even with our advancements in sexual education stigmas of shame will circulate, especially around contracting STD's & STI's.
Diving deep into the erotic reads at Weldon Library - Madeleine McColl
For record keeping and research, the most popular library on Western campus houses hundreds of erotic and kinky texts in various library sections. The Pride Library 'Kink collection' is not in circulation but provide contemporary and historical queer and kink related stories for educational purposes. The special collections house hundreds of Playboy magazines, stored in temperature controlled rooms for the integrity of the pages, most donated by a generous comic collector in London.
You shouldn't be friends with your ex - Editorial Board
A final piece of advice from the issue, recommending readers avoid staying friends with their ex's. Partially for the comfort of future potential partners, and partially for the difficulty of making romantic feelings fit into the tight box of friendship instead.
We organize entertainment (drag events) throughout Southwestern Ontario. We are based in London, ON. Queens include: Vanity Affair, Laissez
I picked up a new journal at a Dot Dot Bang store! I did not realize they sold illustrated journals and now I'm so obsessed...
This is the Fragrance of Roses journal by Miss Time. I tried so hard to find this online but I could not. I am so in love with the whole thing though!
Images of the blank journal pages are below as well as some of my thoughts!
The journal has a cushiony, PLU leather cover with sublimation and metallic finishes. There is a magnetic strap on the back cover that snaps to the front cover.
There's 16 different two-page spreads, some reusing the same illustration but with a different graphic layout. The print quality of each page is gorgeous, I am truly mesmerized by the art. The pages themselves have a lower GSM so sharpies will bleed through, but I have not yet tested other materials. The binding looks sturdy and the whole journal is very well made.
I have no clue what I'm gonna write in this journal but this was such an amazing find. As someone who wants to design their own journals in the future this will be a great reference. If you have a Dot Dot Bang near you I definitely recommend checking them out if you want a similar journal!
I picked up this journal with illustrated pages last year, and after 4 months of use I have to say that I am impressed. It's gorgeous, it can hold most pens fairly well, and there are so many pages that it will easily last me 9+ months. I added jewellery to the ribbons because they were too thin, though.
Decided to try out a new brand of journal and thought I'd post a lil review. I didn't find one when I was ordering it, so maybe someone else will find this helpful (:
I bought a Karst A5 dot notebook. Mostly because it was the only really good color red notebook I would find and I was looking for red. Also though, I was really interested in it because the paper is not made from trees. It's made from sustainably recycled stone! I thought it was super cool and ya know, save the environment.
I did a light sketch using a Blackwing pearl pencil. Even with very light pressure, the pencil goes on suuuuper dark. Extremely smooth, zero drag. My pencil was super sharp, and you can tell. There's a lot of raised through on the other side of the page, though it does taper off later in the drawing as my pencil dulled, so if you don't go in with a freshly sharpened, or if you aren't a pencil person, you'd be alright.
Now, my biggest complaint. (And probably a deal breaker for its intended purpose as my daily journal, still trying to decide.)
I tried to erase my sketch to go over it in pen, and it will not erase. Not even with ole betsy Staedtler Mars. I eventually gave up trying and just started inking because I was like whelp might as well make this a test subject instead of a sketch in a journal I use every day, at this point.
Ink goes on really well. Honestly, surprisingly well given how much smeared lead it was going over. You can see the ink through the other side, but there is zero bleed through to the other side.
So if you're ink only, and don't care about being able to erase or use a sharp pencil, this could be the journal for you. But I wouldn't recommend it to a pencil artist or someone wanting to be able to edit their to-do list.
My latest YouTube video is up A brew & review: daily mindfulness journal [CC] If you enjoy it don't forget to share & subscribe https://youtu.be/6kV2mrh6PPg
Here’s the notebook that will serve faithfully as my sixth bullet journal!
It’s a maroon Tekukor, 192 pages of 100gsm 5mm dot grid paper. The dots are super duper light on a slightly creamy page color and fade into the background immediately! The notebook also comes with three bookmarks (maroon, white, and yellow/gold), and a back pocket. The closing elastic is extra wide which I like, and I tend to tuck a pen under the elastic when I need to because the notebook does not come with a pen loop.
I used Tekukor black notebooks for my second and third volumes, and really enjoyed them! I wanted to come back to them but was feeling done with black for the time being, so I was really happy to discover that they came out with a whole line of colored covers, including this beautiful maroon.
