Looking Back at November 2022

This month I decided to take a break from body painting after doing so many looks in October and reacquaint myself with video games since I really didn’t play anything in October. The goal was to play a bunch of shorter games, or rather, games I was excited to play that came out in November. And I enjoyed the heck out of it. Most of them I played on Twitch, but I also played Persona 5 Royal offline.

Other than playing a bunch of games, I did a bunch of stuff with my teeth.

As I mentioned last month, I broke one of my teeth on a soft taco. I was supposed to get the permanent crown at the beginning of the month, but it wasn’t right. The color was too dark compared to my other teeth, so it got sent back. So, I had a temporary crown that wasn’t smooth or pretty-looking for two weeks before I got the final crown, which unfortunately broke when they went to cement it in. I can’t fault the dentist for that as they weren’t the ones who made the crown, but still, what the hell? At least, it broke on the dentist (right near the gum line where the crown was the thinnest) when he was putting it in and not when I was eating later, so it was free for them to send it back to the place. But that meant waiting another two whole weeks for the permanent crown—actually longer, technically, with the way the date worked out. So, I went through the entire month of November without one of my front teeth (I mean, I had temporary crowns), but those you can’t really eat with. So, every meal was a struggle bus for the month. I’m hoping crown number three works when I get it in December.

In addition, I had the last set of my top teeth fixed for cavities. Now, the only ones remaining are on my bottom teeth. That’s going to be a 2023 project, though I’m probably going to hold off on anything that’s not mostly covered by insurance as I need to save up to move in July or August, and my car needs to be replaced sometime soon. So, not sure when I’m planning on doing those but I know I can’t wait for ages on them. And I’m not sure if I’m going to look for a new dentist after the whole mess with my crown. The crowns weren’t made by them, so it’s not really on them for that. But it’s still insanely annoying. And I have other crowns that I’m going to need regardless, so I don’t want to have to go through this whole ordeal again if the lab they outsource to continues to have the same issues. But in all likelihood I’ll be moved by that time, and who knows if I’ll be in the area so I might need a different dentist regardless.

I also finished all my training at work. Or, more specifically, all of the training that would take place this year. So, I started feeling like I’m really working again. I mean, I’m still learning things, but there are no training sessions or demonstrations that I have to give back at the moment. So, my day is filled with projects and tasks.

Twitch

Games played this month:

• Slime Rancher
• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• Poppy Playtime (Chapter 1-2)
• The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me
• Pokémon Violet

Another thing I did was create my own VTuber for Twitch. I loved the one my friend, Senry, created for me. But I was feeling off not using my own art. People are not a subject I’m usually good at drawing. So, I did use Senry’s tuber as a reference. I ended up coming up with this version, which I’m super happy about as it looks very similar to me with the tattoo, beauty mark, and nose ring. Not only that but it has clothes I literally wear. The hat and shirt are items in my merch shop. And I wear them often outside of work. So, it feels like me. Which I love. I know a lot of people favor vtubers that are different from them, but honestly, I like it when it’s me. Stylized, sure, but it’s me.

I’m probably going to adjust things slightly as time goes on or make holiday versions. But I like having control over it. If I want to change my hairstyle, I can. As much as I love streaming, a lot of days I’m not in the mood to switch clothes after work or be on camera. So, using a vtuber has been amazing and freeing.

Books I Managed to Read this Month

If they have a ♥ next to them, they are available on Kindle Unlimited. If I did a review, I’ll link it outside I decided to include quick reviews of books or series. If it’s a series, the mini-review is at the end of all the books. Mostly it’s just a quick blurb about what the book/series was about.

1. Legendary (Caraval, Book 2) by Stephanie Garber – 4 stars
2. Finale (Caraval, Book 3) by Stephanie Garber – 4 stars
   • See my review for my thoughts.
3. Princess and the Player by Ilsa Madden-Mills – 3.5 stars ♥
   • I think it says something that I can read a book about an unexpected pregnancy and enjoy it. This standalone book follows NHL Wide Receiver Tuck Avery, who on his birthday was taken to a masquerade sex club. He ends up hooking up with Francesa, who was there trying to get over a cheating ex-fiance. Despite her implant and condoms, she got pregnant. This story explores the two of them trying to navigate life. Tuck is dealing with mental issues due to a bad childhood, a mother who hates him, and the end of his football career. Francesa, other than being pregnant, is navigating trying to find a new job after losing hers due to the fact her ex is with the manager of the place she works at. Not only that but she’s trying to figure out where she came from as she grew up in the foster system. The pregnancy isn’t revealed to both parties, so most of their relationship exists outside of that. And it seems they have been around each other for years, but never truly ran into each other until the sex club. It’s a cute, short read.
4. When She’s Pregnant (Risdaverse Novella) by Ruby Dixon – 3.25 stars ♥
   • A short read that takes place on the farm planet, Risda, in the Ruby Dixon universe. It focuses on Naomi who wants a baby in the worst way and after being stood up by her donor, she ends up getting help from the local law enforcement (Ainar). The two end up falling in love, and it’s a cute novella. Ainar is serious golden retriever/puppy energy that is slightly clueless but I loved him.
5. Dukes of Peril (Royals of Forsyth University, Book 6) by Angel Lawson and Samantha Rue – 3.5 stars ♥
   • The final book in the Duke section of this series. It was a good way to wrap up their tale and there wasn’t an extremely love epilogue like the Lord section had. Everyone got a good ending to their individual character arcs that fit them. Plus, things are shaking up in the Royal system with the conclusion of this book (no spoilers on what happens there). So, I’m curious about where the rest of the books are going to go. The next one is going to be the Princes, which will be interesting considering their primary goal is to produce heirs. Leading up to the Dukes, we knew the guys, this time we know the Princess is going to be Verity, the Duchess who would’ve been if Nick hadn’t rescued Lavinia.
6. Beautiful Devils (Filthy Wicked Psychos, Book 2) by Eva Ashwood – 3.5 stars ♥
   • This book keeps up where the last one left off with Willow being kidnapped. She manages to escape and discovers that she has a grandmother who has been looking for her ever since the fire that killed Willow’s mother. This results in Willow being pulled into the world of the elite, but she still feels drawn to the brothers, especially after she learns they were only trying to protect her from X. The book focuses on those two sides of Willow’s life and the identity of X, who is revealed at the end of the book.
     Spoiler

     Honestly, I was kind of right that the individual is related to Willow, just not the right individual. I thought it was going to be her father (but no, he really is dead) but it was actually her grandma. Well, originally it was Willow’s grandpa but when he passed away the grandmother took over and is using the arrangement to avoid bankruptcy. She gives Willow two options. 1. Marry whoever her grandma says or 2. Malice goes back to jail along with Ransom and Victor. So, Willow agrees to save the brothers. I’m curious how that’s going to play out in the next book. As her grandma picks a guy Willow doesn’t like (Troy) instead of the one that wasn’t all that bad (Joseph).
7. Blood and Reign (Blood and Ruin, Book 3) by Rumer Hale – 3.5 stars ♥
   • The final book in the Blood & Ruin series, the debut series by Rumer Hale. It follows Kiarra, Luka, Jax, Axel, Rion, and Kai as they finally defeat King in order to save the world. Each of them also deals with their trauma from those six years they were apart in order to become stronger. There is plenty of spice throughout without feeling like it was literally the driving factor as it almost was in the second book. I enjoyed the book and how everything wrapped up.
8. A Light in the Flame (Flesh and Fire, Book 2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout – 4.25 stars
   • See my review for my thoughts.
9. Wicked Wonderland (The Looking Glass Curse, Book 1) by Eva Chase – 3.25 stars ♥
10. Wrathful Wonderland (The Looking Glass Curse, Book 2) by Eva Chase – 3.25 stars ♥
11. Wanton Wonderland (The Looking Glass Curse, Book 3) by Eva Chase – 3.25 stars ♥
    • A series that follows Lyssa after she inherited the looking glass (and the rest of her Victorian-style house) from her Grand-Aunt Alicia. She ends up in Wonderland where she runs into and falls for Chess (Cheshire), Theo (the White Knight), and Hatter. They have to fight against the Queen of Hearts in order to save the world of Wonderland.

My Rating System

Check out this post to see how my rating scale works, but the quick version is:

• 5 stars = Masterpiece. Nothing can literally be better than this. Not to mention, a major book slump happens afterward where I am unable to pick up another book for quite some time.
• 4 stars = One of the best books I’ve ever read, I couldn’t put it down and found little fault in it.
• 3 stars = A good book but there were some flaws, from editing to plot to you name it.
• 2 stars = Liked the book, but wouldn’t say it was something that was memorable.
• 1 star = Book wasn’t for me.

I almost never give a 5-star rating. Some books have come close, but something always held me back from giving it to those books. I also use .25 increments with the ratings, so there’s a range in each of those levels.

Love ya,

Mae Polzine

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