Monthly reviews recaps blog post activity on “A Lesbian and Her Laptop,” personal updates, and what’s coming up for the blog next month.

This October on AL&HL

This month surpassed 1,500 views, but it did not perform as high as September. Remember, the best way to help support the blog is simply by sharing the posts to any social media platforms and telling your friends to read!

This month saw many additions to ongoing series, including the queer book review for The Female Man by Joanna Russ (finally), an LGBTQ Spotlight review for the Netflix show, Trinkets, a Movie Club Sungay analysis on The Haunting, and the return of our advice series, J&J Chats. This post focused on how to soothe and provide help for a long-distance partner or friend when they are going through a difficult time. This Chat was sponsored by my friend and patron, Hope, whose advice request had me thinking more about the specifics of the reassurance in my relationship and finding a balance of this.

There were also three standalone pieces this October. The first is a guest post from my girlfriend discussing her experiences living with borderline personality disorder (BPD) for World Mental Health Day. Last week, the Liebster Award visited my blog, in which I answered some fun questions, talked about what motivates me in life, and passed the award onto other bloggers. Lastly, I wrote a piece titled “Are you sisters? And other hetrifying reactions to WLW relationships.” A recent interaction with my hygienist who refused to say the word “girlfriend” to refer to my girlfriend inspired a post recalling my encounters with straight people who didn’t know how to react to queer couples in public.

The Ko-Fi page for AL&HL is now nearing 75% to the goal of $1,000 to replace my dying laptop! Every month draws us a little closer to this goal. Luckily, my six-year-old laptop has been hanging in there in the meantime. AL&HL’s Patreon page now has 8 patrons for $22/month, whose contributions help greatly with monthly expenses. I cannot overstate how important it is for creators to have some kind of reliable monthly income, even at $22. If you are interested in becoming a patron, perks start at just $1/month, which grants you access to a monthly exclusive “How I Met My Girlfriend” post and updates on my book.

My book—Yes, I have plans to eventually transform and revise the main content of this blog into an actual book. To get more updates and participate in polls that will help influence my creative decisions with the book, become a patron member for $1/month. (I’ll be releasing the working title there soon!)

Personal updates

Only half a month more awaits until Jas’ arrival in the US! I get butterflies and a racing heart every time I think about it. On November 15, I will be traveling to Grand Rapids to stay with my friend for the night before we get up the next day to pick up Jas from Chicago. Jas and I will stay in Grand Rapids another night to spare Jas 7 hours-worth of driving after her 9-hour flight before going back to my home on the east side of Michigan. I’m!! Excited!!

My lesbian blanket is making huge progress! I’m on the second-to-last color in the flag, a pink shade. It’s kind of a race now to see if I can finish the blanket before Jas gets into town. The garden is officially out of season after pulling all the potatoes. We planted garlic a few weeks ago (it’s an autumn planting crop!), and now we wait for next spring!

During September, I started looking for freelance writing jobs on Upwork, and this month I landed a job! A woman is writing a creative nonfiction book in the political sphere, and I will be working with her as a beta-reader and proofreader, catching errors and providing feedback chapter by chapter. It’s a small job with a max of 2 hours/week, but I’ve really enjoyed working for her so far. And after I get a good review from my first client, it may be easier for me to find work on the platform.

I’ve also been trying to market my service for reviewing writing and helping writers strengthen their work in terms of both content and grammar. To do so, I’ve made a Fiverr account, but I’ve helped a few people on Twitter with course essays, literature reviews, and fanfics. If you need feedback on an essay, I can be that person! I will correct all your grammar/typo errors and provide a page write-up addressing organization, development, style, etc. Right now, I’m charging $1 per 250 words. Message me on Twitter or Instagram if you are interested!

Coming up November on AL&HL

Soon, I will be posting a queer book review for Ain’t Gonna Be the Same Fool Twice by April Sinclair. The film for November’s Movie Club Sungay is to be announced, but the post will come out on the 30^th. Since Jas is coming back next month (WOW! NEXT MONTH!), I will likely be doing an update for HIMMGF. November also has a day dedicated to tolerance, so I am thinking about writing a post about tolerance in relation to the LGBTQ community.

If you enjoyed any of the blog posts during October, consider making a one-time $3 donation to my Ko-Fi, or becoming a patron for exclusive blog content (starting at $1/month). And remember to share your favorite posts to get more people reading!