I've added quite a bit to the site over the past couple of days and I'm happy with how it's turned out. I've also started an emoticon collection 
which is fun.
I've spent the last month working with new people, albeit temporarily, and it's been a bit stressful but overall I have enjoyed it. However, I am now completely and utterly socially drained, so I'm allowing myself a few days of recuperation to do whatever I want, before the stressful times resume again.
I've started a CD collection which I've written about on a dedicated page - it's hidden somewhere on my site but it shouldn't be too hard to find!
I've also been playing Hypnospace Outlaw on switch which is such a fun game, highly recommend.
Well, that's pretty much all I have to say for now. Think I'll journal a bit, maybe use my tarot cards since I haven't done a reading in a while and they're cat themed which is very cute, and maybe have something to eat cos I'm kinda hungry. Bye for now! 
SUNDAY 20TH JULY 2025 - 14:01
It's rainy today therefore it is a being horizontal, watching youtube videos, cuddling my cat kind of day. I have my 3rd and 4th tattoos booked - one is next Wednesday, one is a while away in October and will be my first 'big' one.
Today I've been journalling, last night I went for a run - interval training. Hard work! I keep an exercise journal too, and it's really motivating to look back to December last year when I first started running, and seeing how far I have come. When I started, I couldn't run for 60 seconds without stopping. But now, I can run for 40+ minutes and I actually enjoy it too. The hardest part is getting started - I think that applies to most things in life.
SUNDAY 25TH MAY 2025 - 14:05
Been so busy with work/study stuff - I'm actually exhausted. I have to keep reminding myself that this schedule is only for the next year or so, then I'll be qualified and I'll have a lot more control over the days and hours I work. I'm making sure to prioritise self-care stuff when I can - I got a couple of crafts to do over the weekend, I'm about 90% of the way done with my first crystal-by-numbers (think they're called 'diamond paintings'?) picture - it's nice to do something creative that doesn't actually require any mental effort on my part.
Haven't had much inspiration or energy for sketchbook/art journal/writing stuff recently, but hopefully that'll change when I'm less tired. Next I want to get some clay and make some little trinket bowl type things to paint.
Update - the finished article:
TUESDAY 22nd APRIL 2025 - 13:08
Yesterday, me and my partner went for a walk. It was sunny and I took my digital camera - I got some nice photos to put in my journal.
The apple trees were blooming and the air smelled sweet.
SUNDAY 20th APRIL 2025 - 22:05
Just checking in to document the fact that I have PASSED ALL MY EXAMS and I am mega proud of myself.
SATURDAY 29th MAR 2025 - 13:57
Hello again. Quite a lot has gone on in the past few weeks. I finally got my first tattoo - and I really love it. It's quite simple at the moment, just the line art but I already have plans to add some shading and a bit of extra detail, and an idea for a 2nd tattoo. The artist who did it was so lovely too, we had a conversation about cats and she made the whole experience a really positive one.
I've been at university a lot, and doing a lot of driving in the past few weeks which has me absolutely worn out. I've found that I have quite a low threshold for social exhaustion - being around people for any more than 2 or 3 hours is really quite difficult for me. I used to work full time and go out a lot and I never felt that way, but I think since getting sober and generally developing healthier coping mechanisms and listening to my body more, I've realised a lot of my apparent extraversion was actually just masking.
That's OK though - it just means I'm learning more about myself and what makes me happy. This weekend, for example, my plans mainly involve spending time with my cat, reading, journalling, and playing animal crossing. Ideal.
SATURDAY 08th MAR 2025 - 13:58
Yesterday I completed exam 2 of 2, and all being well, they are the last exams I'll have to sit for my degree, which is a bit surreal considering that when I started the five-year course in 2021 I couldn't even imagine being near the end of it. Mixed emotions. Mostly relief.
Today is international women's day. To be honest, the vast majority of the media I engage with tends to be created by women. It's not so much a conscious choice, as much as a natural progression as I've got older and I'm more selective about spending my time on things which I actually enjoy and which resonate with me.
In other news, I've made some quite big changes to this site - I now have the domain ellekay.net (again - I used to own it and linked it to a tumblr page at one point, then a cargocollective site after that). I've made some layout changes too, added new backgrounds and just generally been customising it. I'm happy with it. I didn't realise how much I'd missed having a personal site until I made this one. Especially now that I have no social media - it's good to have a creative digital outlet.
I have a week off now which is unheard of for me, so I'll probably be working on this site some more. I also want to make a start on a project which has been in the back of my mind for 15 years now. It started off as a screenplay, then changed into a novel, and now I'm not sure what form it will take, I just know that if something has stuck around for that long, it's probably worth writing. I'm thinking of making it more of a multimedia project - with its own site etc. When I was younger I was very fixated on the idea that I wanted to get a book published - and I think that's what stopped me from actually writing one.
Now my career path has ended up firmly based in science rather than the arts, but the urge to create still remains, and the most important thing regarding this idea that I've had for so many years is that I just want it to be out there in the world - not so I can make money from it or try to pursue a career as a writer. The act of sharing it will be more fulfilling than any grand ambitions for success. I'd be happy if even one person read something I'd written and got something from it. Or even if nobody read it at all, I'd be content knowing that I gave form to my ideas and gave them somewhere to live that isn't my subconscious mind.
SUNDAY 16TH FEB 2025 - 12:58
My first blog entry - how exciting. Simplicity is key for me, so I've made this nice straightforward page and I'm just going to add posts, photos, videos etc to it as and when I feel like it. The purpose of this blog is really to keep track of things I can't put in my IRL journals - mainly music, videos etc, but I will put the odd update on here too in more of a journal-entry style.
OK now I really need to revise for my exams which are in 2 weeks but here I am updating my site. Going to go and revise now for real.