Introducing: The Monthly Magpie

Hello everyone!

I am working on expanding my idea of what Mentally? A Magpie will be. This is my fun, free time project, but I do want to grow it and see what happens. Starting with, a monthly subscription. This is free content. I have the option for paid in the future, but I don't want to add that layer yet.

The first week of each month I will post and send out an overview of what has been happening for me and Magpie. Here's our first one! You can click one of the little "Subscribe" buttons on this page to get it right to your email the first week of every month.

Personal Things:

I have no qualms talking about the fact that I have lived with anxiety and depression for over ten years. Partially this is PTSD-related (I won't talk about that) and partially genetic (it's important to talk about that).

Last week my anxiety spiked to a level I have not experienced in over five years. This is due to the General State of the World and a couple of other things that have happened in the last few months. To help myself, I've taken a large step back from social media. Mainly Twitter. I realized I was spending more time staring at Twitter than actually being productive and well...me? I've reduced my app time. Find me on Instagram at IamKeelinIt. I want to develop my audience over there for the time being.

This also means I'm trying different methods of finding podcasts, as the bird app was my main flow. Just two of my favorites are Great Pods and Podyssey Podcasts. If you have more newsletters/ways you love to find new podcasts - let me know!

Podcast Things:

This month I reviewed Blind Landing: Out on the Ice and Chameleon: Wild Boys two different podcasts with a lot of juicy information. Both are highly recommended. They are of excellent quality, with wonderful story-stelling. You can tell the hosts care and do a great job with the content. Blind Landing sits about 25-30 minutes an episode, and Chamelon: Wild Boys about 45.

Over on Twitter, I asked people for Podcasts Under 20 Minutes. I got a really great number of responses and I'm digging into the list slowly. I want to remind people of the fact that I don't review podcasts I don't like.  Some podcasts are just watermelon to me (I don't like watermelon).  

I may have some really exciting things to show you all in the next few months, so be on the lookout!

Fun Things:

January 28th was the release of Pokemon Legends: Arceus. If this is the new wave of Pokemon, I am more than excited about it. The open-world and new design is relaxing and exciting at the same time. It feels a bit like Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild visually but I don't mind. I'm really enjoying it. The Other and I have also managed to get my old gaming computer working- so I've taken up The Sims again.

I am on a book buying ban until I get through my 100+ books on my Kindle. This means I actually have to read the books I've bought on my Kindle. Picking the books is harder than buying them. I tried a wheel spinner once and I couldn't manage it.  So to avoid picking I started re-reading some comfort material. Lore Olympus this week, for anyone who might be curious.

The Other and I have started gardening! We are currently using a hydroponics kit from Aerogarden to grow some herbs, and we've ordered a second one to start growing some salad greens. My partner definitely has more of a green thumb than I do, but I can't tell you how awesome it is to watch our plants grow- and now I want to tackle more than succulents.

That's all I have!

I want to keep these short and sweet for the most part, while also letting people get to know a little bit more of me as a person. Disclaimer: I'm a work in progress.