Christmas came and went, and once again I was reminded that my family does not believe in the concept of moderation.
This is not a complaint. This is simply how things are.
Most of what I got was straight off my wishlist, which honestly makes the whole thing feel even more surreal. It’s one thing to be surprised with gifts. It’s another to open things and think, oh yeah, I very deliberately asked for this, and then immediately feel grateful that people actually listened. There were no random filler gifts, no “we didn’t know what to get you” energy. Just a pile of things I wanted, needed, or had been thinking about for months.
iFixit stuff (keyboard building & console crimes edition)
I genuinely think this is the best tool I have ever owned.
I got a full iFixit setup for small electronics repair, which I specifically wanted for keyboard building, console mods, and general small electronic nonsense. Seeing it in person somehow made it even better than I expected. The magnetic screw compartments alone would have justified it, but then there’s the magnetic board, the organizers at the top, and the fact that you can write directly on the board to label where screws came from so you don’t lose track halfway through a build.
This thing feels like it was designed by someone who has personally taken apart a device at 1am and sworn never to do it again. The entire iFixit lineup for small electronics repair is dangerously appealing, and now that I own one piece of it, I understand the hype completely.
The additional tools
As if the iFixit setup wasn’t already enough, I also got a digital tire pressure gauge, portable tire inflator, digital calipers, and pliers, some of which were also on my wishlist.
There was a brief moment where I realized I now own tools specifically meant for precise measurement and mechanical tasks, and that felt like crossing an invisible adulthood threshold. The calipers in particular activated something in my brain. I don’t know what I’m going to measure yet, but I will measure it correctly.
The non-tool gifts
Outside of tools, I also got a fancy pencil, some very nice soap, a few books, Persona 5 tarot cards that immediately lit up my entire brain, a new umbrella, a dashcam, and an electric toothbrush.
All of it was either straight from my wishlist or things so adjacent to it that it felt intentional. Everything felt chosen with a clear understanding of what I actually like and use.
The fish game
June got me Finspan, which is the fish version of Wingspan, and I loved it immediately.
It’s more complicated, more strategic, and vertical instead of horizontal. Eggs hatch into spawn, spawn turn into schools, schools take up entire tiles, and suddenly I’m planning several turns ahead trying to optimize an underwater ecosystem. There are placement restrictions, size rules for eating other fish, and a lot more thinking involved overall.
It scratches the same part of my brain as Wingspan, but in a way that feels denser and more demanding, which I really enjoy. I was fully locked in. I am glad I got to play it
The Vocaloid situation (code red)
Somewhere in the middle of all this, my Vocaloid autism has very clearly resurfaced.
I started playing Project Sekai again, and apparently that was all it took. I tried to make a “short” playlist of only my current absolute favorite Vocaloid songs, and it still ended up being three hours long. This is significantly better than the 24-hour monster my other playlist is, but still deeply unserious.
I don’t think it ever really went away. It just went dormant. And now it’s back. Stronger. Louder. Spreading. Code red.
The pet-sitting arc
In between all of this, I am also completely alone until January 2nd and currently responsible for approximately three other people’s pets until the 30th.
It’s a weird kind of quiet where the house is empty but I’m still on a schedule because several animals depend on me. I’ve been doing rounds of feeding, walking, and general supervision, living off leftovers, and mentally putting off the fact that I need to go grocery shopping and meal plan. That’s a problem for future me.
At least I’m getting paid for it. Roughly three hundred dollars, which makes the whole thing feel significantly more worth it, even if it does mean I’m in full caretaker mode through the holidays. Shit thats like 3 dispensary runs!
The tinned fish
There is also what can only be described as a year’s supply of tinned fish.
This is technically “for the family,” but that feels more like a guideline than a rule.
Overall, Christmas was really good. Not just because I got things, but because everything I got felt intentional and wanted. Being able to make a wishlist and have it actually respected feels incredibly lucky, and I don’t take that lightly.
Now I’m in the post-holiday haze, organizing screws, measuring things that don’t need to be measured, playing fish games, listening to too much Vocaloid, and enjoying the brief moment where nothing is immediately demanding my attention. Idk if i wanna smoke a blunt and draw or smoke a blunt and play games. Decisions decisions…