Ailana’s Journal—2026-04-13 (Patreon)

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GOOD MORNING

Today feels like a big day. Not as big as my messy hair feels, but big.

I’m blaming the weather for the hair. Or maybe it was something else. Or maybe I’m just imagining things—which I’m pretty good at doing.

I’m doing what most of you are doing today—working. I’ve got another section of that new novel project to work on. I’ll try to share some with you.

Do you recall that sandal shoot we did when we had to go to Corpus Christi, buy the shoes, get the shots, and send them to the client all in one day? Well, they want some follow-up close-up shots.

After lunch, Jason and I are going to the studio for that. Not much to it, so I don’t plan to post any pictures.

I said the other day that a lot of things happen that don’t make it to the Journal. A few of you acknowledged how that made sense.

For example, Geoni will be editing for the tech journals today—as she does most days. Josh and Clay will start the day looking at portfolios. Josh does that most days. Clay would say he focuses on it at least weekly, but tries to keep his radar going every day.

Jasmine, Clay, and Sasha are starting the marketing process for SwimFit. My sympathies go out to them. The idea of cold-calling shops that sell swimwear for hours on end does not sound fun to me.

Micah will be across the causeway today, meeting the factory workers and getting them ready to start. He said today will be about meeting, greeting, and getting to know each other.

He’s calling tomorrow an “unboxing day” as they tear into all of the equipment and start setting it up. The woman they hired to manage the production line, Sofia, wants to call Thursday “first stitch” day—Micah asked if Geoni and I could come with cameras to make it special.

So, my point is…

There’s always a lot going on, even if it looks like I’m just sitting at my desk all day.

See you soon and be your best you!

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All characters in this story are fictional characters, their images generated with AI for AGI Stories. They do not represent any real person, nor is their appearance based on any real human.

MONDAY WORK

I’m stretching my legs as I transition from writer to art director. I gotta say… I like having a variety of hats to wear!

Jason texted and said he’d like to blast off for the studio in about ten minutes. “And we should grab lunch from Kirina’s shop… what do you think?”

I agreed, so that’s the plan.

Meanwhile, I thought I’d share a little more from the sci-fi project I’m working on.

Luke cycled through a few more video feeds, then sighed. “Well, we have a job to do, but…”

“But what?” Sienna asked.

“But we need to eat lunch before we go on patrol.”

Sienna smiled. “I like how you think. Do you want synth, or should we splurge and get something from the downland?”

“How about we go to Potatoes Real? Downland baked potatoes and synth toppings?”

Sienna nodded. “They have downland tea, too.”

Sienna wished she could afford to buy all downland food, imperfect or not. Most in the medical field argued that food grown on the planet’s surface had subtly better nutritional value. They pointed to trace elements in the soil that hydroponic synth varieties didn’t have.

Most foodies insisted that the taste was better.

“I might splurge today,” Luke said, “and get downland cheese.”

“Why not?” Sienna smiled. “We can afford to splurge once in a while.”

“We could save a lot if we had a double pod, you know…”

Sienna closed her eyes and shook her head. “Haven’t we put this discussion to rest already?”

Luke nodded. “Yeah… but when we get married…”

Sienna smiled and laughed. “There’s a lot of steps between where we are and a double pod. Have you even asked me to make our relationship official?”

Luke punched up a different view from outside the pod tower. “I’m working on that. You know… perfect moment… perfect lighting… perfect mood. I want it to be something you’ll tell our kids about.”

“Our kids? Luke Vargas, you’ve got your thoughts latched onto the future.”

“Better than dwelling on the past, if you ask me.”

Sienna smiled. “Probably. Learn from the past, plan for the future…”

Luke nodded. “You got that right. And live in the present. Meaning I’m thinking about baked potatoes.”

MONDAY LUNCH by Isabela Martinez

Today, Min and I worked out having lunch at the same time. Times like this make working at Shoreline Health and Wellness Clinic even better.

I grew up in a busy family with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents always coming and going. But, I have no siblings. I think I saved a space in my mind for Min to fill where a sister would have been.

Ricky brought our sandwiches to the table and said, “It’s good to see you two having some down time.”

I nodded. “She’s my hermana del alma.”

Ricky smiled. “If you ask me, it’s a double blessing.”

Ricky headed back to the counter, and Min said, “Okay, secret codes are not allowed. What did you call me?”

“My soul sister. I could have said you are como una hermana, but it feels stronger than that.”

“Como una?”

“Like a…” I translated. “Like a sister…”

Min was beaming. “I feel the same. Don’t tell Anika I know this—I have my rebel child reputation to preserve—but in India, they say behen jaisi hai (बहन जैसी है). It means ‘she’s like a sister.’”

I smiled. “I really feel like it.”

Min nodded. “I do, too. I’m glad Ricky and Elias get along. That makes things easier when time permits.”

“Now that Dr. Herrera is on board, you won’t have to cover the clinic as much. We’ll have more time.”

“True. As he builds his GP practice, we’ll add more doctors. The clinic staff will grow as the clinic does.”

I sipped my iced tea, then asked, “When does Dr. Chen start?”

“Monday, I think. Pretty sure… She’s moving down from Houston on Wednesday.”

“And we have two more nurses hired,” I added.

“Two more to go. But I feel the breathing room already. Vanessa and I will soon be ready to start Shoreline Outreach—get the wheels on the mobile unit turning.”

“I checked the tracking on that supply order. It’s en route.”

“We’ve got some time…” Then Min changed the subject. “What’s up with you and Ricky moving to Port Isabel?”

“Let’s say it’s still pending… I’ll tell you all about it later.”

GOOD NIGHT

I’m ending the day with my head full of thoughts. I’ll start with a question, though.

Do you like me sharing the segments of my fiction work here? It’s kinda fun, and I’d like to know what you think about it. Please comment if you feel strongly one way or the other.

Jason and I had a good session in the studio. I didn’t wear the shoes—they were just posed on our gray backdrop. We shot closeups of the stitching, buckles, and other details.

Then, we headed over to Sea Glass, where Kirina introduced us to Ricky—who helps her run the shop. His wife and a nurse from the clinic were wrapping up their lunch, and she introduced us to them—Isabela, Ricky’s wife, and Min.

We talked a little and I learned a lot about the plans for the clinic. I think it’s a great project.

I spoke to Kirina about the wedding date changing. Though we’ve been becoming friends gradually, she asked a question that opened up a new part of my past to her.

“Will all of your family be able to adjust?”

I explained that it was just Dad, Grammy, and me. “Dad’s an only child. So am I. And my mom bailed out in 2009 when I was twelve.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know about that,” Kirina replied.

I shrugged. “Except for the financial disaster she left, I honestly think we were better off. We made it, and things are pretty good now.”

She smiled. “You and Jason seem very happy.”

“We are,” Jason replied. “And we’re planning a long, happy life together.”

I asked about Eli, the man she’s been seeing.

“We’re steady. He rented a house down the block from me on the same street. We take turns with where we have dinner when I’m off. We are very happy.”

I’ll close with a few of my thoughts: Happiness is what we feel when life exceeds what we expect. Contentment—sometimes harder—is accepting what you have. Sometimes, contentment and happiness hold hands and walk with you.

That’s my hope for you all tonight.

Good night.

Be your best you!

Be your best you!

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