So I wasn’t tagged by anybody to do this (WHAT A PLOT TWIST), but I saw it floating by on my dash (from tumblr user cafecliche, WHO HAS SOME STELLAR CONTENT PLEASE CHECK THEM OUT), and I’ve actually enjoyed interacting with people on here lately—SO I’M COMMANDEERING THIS ASK/TAG GAME FOR MY OWN
Here we go!
5 things you’ll find in my bag:
headphones (the JVC “Marshmallow” ones, because my ear canals are criminally tiny and regular earbuds don’t stay in/rub them raw)
chapstick (I LOVE BURT’S BEES)
organic/vegan throat pastilles (because the vocal damage is real, but so is my desire to sing anywhere & everywhere. THIS IS THE COMPROMISE: THROAT LOZENGES THAT TASTE LIKE EXPIRED BOUILLON CUBES. The lesson here? ALWAYS DO YOUR VOCAL WARMUPS KIDS AND NEVER TRY TO “PUSH THROUGH” A VOCAL INJURY)
pads (AND NOT FOR YOUR SHOULDERS)
wallet (where all of my not money goes)
5 things you’ll find in my bedroom:
Tchotchkes from my many adventures (including, but not limited to: a 2-lb. pink crayon; a giant customized Hershey’s chocolate bar, MANY MANY MANY ears from Disneyland/WDW; a miniature planter that looks like an Easter Island head; and many more)
My new pink Polaroid camera (WHICH I HAVE BEEN DYING TO GET EVER SINCE I HEARD THAT POLAROID CAMERAS WERE ACTUALLY BACK IN PRODUCTION BC I LIVE AND DIE BY POLAROID PHOTOS YOU BEST BELIEVE)
Cubbies with SWAMPS OF BOOKS
Windowseat/bench (for reading said SWAMPS OF BOOKS)
Laptop (#meta)
5 things that make me feel happy:
Yuri!!! on Ice
When people say to / do things for me that let me know that they’re actually thinking of me (completely unprompted), and genuinely care about my happiness & wellbeing
Getting clean bills of health after an emergency doctor’s appointment (…don’t ask)
Musical theatre that doesn’t pull its punches when it comes to difficult material, but still handles it with a lot of gentle, careful thoughtfulness & honesty (and leaves you crying when it’s all over)
When I write something that feels true to myself/what I’m trying to say, all while still feeling well-written (but not overly-edited or too weighed-down with ten-dollar words just because I know them)—and when people respond favorably to it
5 things I’m currently into:
Yuri!!! on Ice
Anastasia on Broadway (because IT’S THE FIRST BROADWAY SHOW I EVER SAW and it’s been two months AND I STILL HAVEN’T CAUGHT MY BREATH. Granted, it has its flaws, BUT IT WAS A VERY GOOD FIRST SHOW TO SEE and for that reason I’LL BE FOREVER ENAMOURED WITH IT)
Polaroid photos (because #hi)
The special crafting project I’m currently doing (…I’LL TELL Y’ALL LATER)
The Sandbox app (which is basically “21st century color-by-number pictures”)
5 things on my to do list:
Finish my crafting project
Legitimately find a therapist
Drop off that one thing from one friend to that other friend (like you said you would do TWO MONTHS AGO)
Mail that other one thing to that other friend (like you said you would do THREE MONTHS AGO)
Actually get out of bed and do something, for the love of God
TAGGING THE FOLLOWING 5 PEOPLE (no obligation to reply, of course): @trashalot @nicodoublele @exemplarybehaviour @theexitgarden @jollysailorswan
Itsss Tender asks tiiime!! Angelhood, Box Office, Tiger, and Metal 👀
ANY TIME IS MY FAVORITE TIME WHEN GABBY’S INVOLVED
Here we go!
Angelhood - What is one of your favorite memories?
I’ll be honest: I’ve been in A Mood™️ (code for “stunningly-bad mental health”) for the past week or so, and it’s left me in need of some Prime Comfort, so the memories I’ve been holding close in that time are some of the ones that calm me the most—ones like getting those really good, long hugs from people without asking, because they can tell that you need one; cuddling with all of the babies/kids that I know, because they’re all lovebugs and I am #blessedt; even times when people have said nice things about my writing, or stuff like that. I need reassurance and tranquility, and good memories are some of the best balms I have at my disposal. Lucky for me, I have a ton to fall back on.
Box office - What is your favorite film?
It’s Disney’s Pocahontas (1995). It probably shouldn’t be, given how #problematic the film is (and it really is, guys, there’s no way around it)—but it is. I love the themes of wonder, internal conflict, and justice that it openly explores, and I love the vibrant colors and lively spirit that’s found in every corner of it. (I also love that the film doesn’t end in a marriage, but that it ends in a levelheaded evaluation of both love and obligation, and making a decision that, while not easy, is ultimately right. It’s an ending that I could identify with, even as a kid—because she always listened with her heart, even if that didn’t always mean romantic love, and had the courage to follow where it lead her.) I learned a lot from that movie, and it’s played a large part in shaping who I became as a person. That’s another one of those comforting things that I rely on when I’m in A Mood™️.
SO GUESS WHAT I’M GONNA BE WATCHING AFTER I POST THIS ASK LOLOLOLOL
Tiger - What is your bravest moment?
Easy: when I switched to insulin pump therapy.
For context, I’ve had Type 1 Diabetes for 18 years now (!!!!!), and I spent the first 13 of those taking three shots a day, all because I was TERRIFIED of the pump. (I mean, it was an understandable fear—just look at THIS.) Finally, though, I mustered up the courage, went to my endocrinologist, and said, “BALLS TO THE WALL FAM LEGGO,” and the rest is history.
(…by which I mean “I filled out the paperwork and did the trial basis and went to pump training sessions and did a week-long dummy trial and finally went live on pump therapy roughly 6 months after I started the entire process AND I WAS STILL SCARED OUTTA MY MIND THE DAY I STARTED—but the second I realized that I didn’t have to take shots anymore, or that I could go to a restaurant and eat whatever I wanted and however much of it I wanted, I knew I’d made the right decision, and I’d never even think of looking back.)
To cop a line from FDR, “courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something is more important than fear.” For me, that “something else” was my health, and a freedom I didn’t know I didn’t have. There aren’t many decisions where I can look back with pride and know unequivocally that I did the right thing, but this is certainly one of them. It took a lot of bravery to make that jump, but I’m so glad I did.
Metal - Do you have any piercings?
WE’RE MOVING FROM “BRAVERY” TO “WUSSERY” SO FAST I THINK I JUST BROKE A LAND SPEED RECORD 😂😂😂😂😂
Yeah, so right now, I have your standard earlobe piercings, nothing big. If I weren’t a BIG OL’ CHICKEN, though, I’d love to get a stud in my nose, and maybe a helix piercing, just so I could rock some KILLER EAR JACKETS (and you KNOW I WOULD TOO). I don’t really know if I’d get anything else pierced, tbh (although if you liquored me up enough you could really do anything BUT I GUESS WE’LL NEVER KNOW HUH).
