#Mental Health Counselor Marin

[markchristiansomatics]

By going straight to the subconscious, Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery, or SMGI®, is a deep therapy approach that deals with trauma. It provides users with a visual platform to conceptualize, engage with, and navigate their subconscious in a way that is best defined as a fusion of hypnotherapy and Shamanic Journeying.

[newstfionline]

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Empty classrooms (NYT) A few years ago, a troubling phenomenon began to spread in U.S. education: Students were not showing up to school. Before the pandemic, about 15 percent of U.S. students were chronically absent, which typically means missing 18 days of the school year, for any reason. By the 2021-22 school year, that number had skyrocketed to 28 percent of students. Last school year, the most recent for which national estimates are available, it held stubbornly at 26 percent. In interviews, many educators say the problem is continuing this school year. I spoke with school leaders, counselors, researchers and parents. They offered many reasons for the absences: illness, mental health, transportation problems. But underlying it all is a fundamental shift in the value that families place on school, and in the culture of education during the pandemic. “Our relationship with school became optional,” said Katie Rosanbalm, a psychologist and associate research professor at Duke University.

Ministers aid seafarers caught in Baltimore bridge crisis (Religion News Service) Day in and day out, ministers to seafarers spend their times on the docks of Baltimore, delivering Bibles, magazines and a friendly face during a ship’s usually brief time in the busy port. But, with the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the mission of two ministries has shifted to longer-term aid for the crews of the Dali ship that struck the bridge and seven other large vessels stuck in the port for the foreseeable future. The leader of one of the ministries, the Rev. Joshua Messick, said he will be advocating for the rights of those crew members, including that they have adequate provisions and that their shore leave is not restricted. Andy Middleton, a lay Catholic ecumenical minister who directs the other ministry, the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Apostleship of the Sea, has been communicating via WhatsApp with a couple of the crew members on the Dali, which is still entangled with bridge debris. As the officials work to help the wider population affected by the crisis, Messick and Middleton say their teams continue to focus on the particular needs of those who are at its ground zero. The Baltimore ministries are are tied to larger organizations that have served men and women who work at sea for more than a century.

Biden’s $7.5 billion investment in EV charging has only produced 7 stations in two years (Washington Post) President Biden has long vowed to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations in the United States by 2030. Those stations, the White House said, would help Americans feel confident purchasing and driving electric cars, and help the country cut carbon pollution. But now, more than two years after Congress allocated $7.5 billion to help build out those stations, only 7 EV charging stations are operational across four states. And as the Biden administration rolls out its new rules for emissions from cars and trucks—which will require a lot more electric cars and hybrids on the road—the sluggish build-out could slow the transition to electric cars. “I think a lot of people who are watching this are getting concerned about the timeline,” said Alexander Laska, deputy director for transportation and innovation at the center-left think tank Third Way.

Preparing for a China war, the Marines are retooling how they’ll fight (Washington Post) The Marine gunner knelt on the rocky red soil of a 6,000-foot-high volcanic plain. He positioned the rocket launcher on his shoulder, focused the sights on his target, a rusted armored vehicle 400 yards away, and fired. Two seconds later a BANG. “Perfect hit,” said his platoon commander. The gunner is a member of the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, a new formation that reflects the military’s latest concept for fighting adversaries like China from remote, strategic islands in the western Pacific. Coming out of 20 years of land combat in the Middle East, the Marines are striving to adapt to a maritime fight that could play out across thousands of miles of islands and coastline in Asia. These new regiments are envisioned as one piece of a broader strategy to synchronize the operations of U.S. soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen, and in turn with the militaries of allies and partners in the Pacific. Their focus is a crucial stretch of territory sweeping from Japan to Indonesia. China sees this region, which encompasses an area about half the size of the contiguous United States, as within its sphere of influence.

Government agents raid Peruvian President Boluarte’s residence in luxury watch investigation (AP) Televised images swept Peru late Friday of government agents from an investigative team breaking into the president’s residence with a sledgehammer in a raid authorized by the judiciary at the request of the attorney general’s office. Dina Boluarte is being preliminarily investigated for possessing an undisclosed collection of luxury watches since she came to power in July 2021 as vice president and Social Inclusion minister, and then as president in December 2022. Initially, she claimed ownership of at least one Rolex as a long-held possession acquired through “personal gains” since the age of 18, urging the media not to delve into personal matters. Political turmoil is nothing new in Peru, which has seen six presidents in the last five years. But many see Boluarte’s recent statements as contradicting her earlier pledge to speak truthfully to prosecutors, exacerbating a political crisis stemming from her unexplained ownership of Rolex watches.

King Charles stresses importance of kindness as he skips pre-Easter service amid cancer treatment (AP) King Charles III on Thursday stressed the importance of friendship and acts of caring in a recorded message delivered to a traditional pre-Easter church service, which the monarch skipped as he continues to undergo cancer treatment. Charles said that Jesus set an “example of how we should serve and care for each other,” and how as a nation “we need and benefit greatly from those who extend the hand of friendship to us, especially in a time of need.” The service, which dates back to the year 600, commemorates the Last Supper, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples as an act of service and humility.

Russia ‘stockpiling Americans’ (BBC) It has been a year since Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia. He is the first American journalist to have been charged with espionage in the country since the Cold War. But his status as a bargaining chip for a Russian detainee in the West could hardly be more clear, writes our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg. “Russia is stockpiling Americans in its jails in order to be able to trade them at a later date,” says Mr Gershkovich’s boss, Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker. The journalist, still in pre-trial detention, has rarely appeared in court for the media to see him. This week, the Moscow City Courthouse released a six-second video of him in a glass box. But people who know him say he seems in good health.

Hong Kongers Are Purging the Evidence of Their Lost Freedom (NYT) “What should I do with those copies of Apple Daily?” Someone in Hong Kong I was chatting with on the phone recently had suddenly dropped her voice to ask that question, referring to the pro-democracy newspaper that the government forced to shut down in 2021. “Should I toss them or send them to you?” My conversations with Hong Kong friends are peppered with such whispers these days, since the city has enacted a draconian security law that criminalizes such vague behavior as the possession of information that is “directly or indirectly useful to an external force.” Hong Kong was once a place where people did not live in fear. Not anymore. Now Hong Kong people are quietly taking precautions, getting rid of books, T-shirts, film footage, computer files and other documents from the heady days when this international financial center was also known for its residents’ passionate desire for freedom.

Top UN court orders Israel to allow food and medical aid into Gaza (BBC) The UN’s top court has ordered Israel to enable the unhindered flow of aid into Gaza in order to avert a famine. In a unanimous decision, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said Israel had to act “without delay” to allow the “provision... of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance”. This follows warnings that famine could hit Gaza within weeks. Israel has called allegations it is blocking aid “wholly unfounded”. Giving its response to the court order, the Israeli foreign ministry said it was continuing “to promote new initiatives, and to expand existing ones” to allow a continuous flow of aid into Gaza “by land, air and sea”, working with the UN and others. It said that Hamas was to blame for the situation in Gaza and for starting the war. Although orders issued by the ICJ are legally binding, the court lacks the power to enforce them.

U.S. signs off on more bombs, warplanes for Israel (Washington Post) The Biden administration in recent days quietly authorized the transfer of billions of dollars in bombs and fighter jets to Israel despite Washington’s concerns about an anticipated military offensive in southern Gaza that could threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians. The new arms packages include more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, according to Pentagon and State Department officials familiar with the matter. The 2,000 pound bombs have been linked to previous mass-casualty events throughout Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The development underscores that while rifts have emerged between the United States and Israel over the war’s conduct, the Biden administration views weapons transfers as off-limits when considering how to influence the actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We have continued to support Israel’s right to defend itself,” said a White House official. “Conditioning aid has not been our policy.” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called the move “obscene,” writing in a post on social media, “The U.S. cannot beg [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] to stop bombing civilians one day and the next send him thousands more 2,000 lb. bombs that can level entire city blocks.”

Girl, 8, Is Sole Survivor of Bus Plunge (NYT) Lauryn Siako is the rare 8-year-old who springs out of bed to get herself ready for church, her family said. She loves the singing, the dancing, the worshiping. So when leaders of her church announced that they were resuming the enormous annual Easter pilgrimage to church headquarters in South Africa this year, after a four-year hiatus for Covid-19, Lauryn pleaded with her mother to let her go for the first time. Lauryn and her grandmother boarded a bus in their home village of Molepolole, Botswana, on Wednesday night with 43 fellow members of the St. Engenas Zion Christian Church, excited for the experience of a lifetime. But by the following morning, Lauryn was the only one of the 45 passengers still alive. The driver lost control of the bus on a sharp turn, and it careened off a high overpass on Mmamatlakala Mountain in northeastern South Africa, plunging 165 feet into a rocky ravine and bursting into flames. The driver and all of his passengers perished, except, inexplicably, Lauren. She escaped with minor lacerations, South African health officials said. No one knows how she got out of the bus.

[atraining]

5 Types of First Aid Courses

Most professions nowadays require employees to undertake a first aid course as part of their training. However, not all employees have to enroll in the same type of course, as different workplaces may have different first aid training requirements. Read below to find out more about the various types of first aid courses that exist, as well as who should participate in them.

• Standard or Basic First Aid Course:

This type of course, sometimes referred to as Emergency First Aid, is especially created for the general public. It covers all the basic principles of first aid training, and it is meant for people who do not work in places where accidents are very likely to occur or in workplaces without specific first aid requirements. A standard first aid course is also suitable for pupils, students, stay at home parents, or elderly people.

• Advanced First Aid Course:

Apart from the standard principles of first aid, this type of course also deals with the use of oxygen and automated external defibrillators (AED) when taking care of victims. The Advanced First Aid Course, which is sometimes called Advanced Life Support, is most suitable for first aid employees or mangers of first aid facilities. This course is also useful for any employee working in a facility equipped with an oxygen tank and mask and an AED.

• Aquatic or Marine First Aid Course:

This is a specific type of first aid course, meant for people who work as lifeguards, sailors, rescue divers, or any other profession involving activities performed on or in the water. The aquatic first aid course deals with specific situations, such as pulling a victim out of the water or providing care for a victim that cannot reach a medical facility very fast (which can occur, for example, when a ship is stranded at sea).

• Wilderness First Aid Course:

Also called Remote or Outdoors First Aid, this course teaches participants how to provide first aid in remote locations, where the arrival professional medical help can be delayed and where there is no access to specialized equipment. Wilderness First aid courses Brisbane is fit for mountain rescue, professional hikers, or the average citizen who enjoys spending time in the great outdoors.

• Mental Health First Aid Course:

Not only physical ailments require first aid intervention. In a Mental Health First Aid Course, participants can learn how to provide support for people affected by mental illnesses or for someone who is undergoing a stressful situation. Participants will also have the opportunity to learn the first signs of a mental disease; in this way, the will be able to guide the person in question towards adequate medical help. This type of course is most appropriate for physiologists and school counselors

[best-idaho-falls]

Counseling in Idaho Falls

Counseling is a process in which a trained professional helps an individual, couple, or group explore and address their emotional, psychological, and social issues. The counselor provides a safe and confidential space for clients to express their thoughts and feelings and works collaboratively with them to identify goals and develop strategies to achieve them. Counseling can help individuals with a wide range of issues, such as anxiety, depression, relationship problems, career concerns, trauma, and addiction. If you need an expert in counseling Idaho Falls residents trust, go to Answers LLC. They use different therapeutic techniques and approaches based on the client's needs and preferences.

Therapy in Idaho Falls

Therapy is a process in which a trained mental health professional helps individuals, couples, or groups to overcome emotional, psychological, and behavioral difficulties. Therapy aims to provide support, facilitate change, and promote well-being. It may be used to address a wide range of mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, and relationship problems. Answers LLC offers individual, group, and family therapy in Idaho Falls. They use different techniques and approaches to help clients understand their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and develop strategies to cope with challenges and achieve their goals.

History of Idaho Falls, ID

Idaho Falls was founded in 1864 during the gold rush and was originally called Eagle Rock. The town was established along the Snake River and served as a hub for the surrounding agricultural communities. The name was later changed to Idaho Falls in 1891. During the early 1900s, Idaho Falls became a major center for the nuclear industry. The Idaho National Laboratory, which is located just outside the city, was established in 1949 as a nuclear reactor testing site. The laboratory became a major employer for the city and played a significant role in the development of nuclear energy technology. In 1984, the city was hit by a major flood that caused widespread damage and forced the evacuation of many residents. The flood was caused by heavy snowmelt and runoff from the surrounding mountains. The city has since taken steps to improve its flood control infrastructure to prevent future disasters.

East Idaho Aquarium

East Idaho Aquarium is a family-friendly attraction that showcases a variety of aquatic life from around the world. The aquarium is home to hundreds of species of fish, sharks, reptiles, and other marine life, with exhibits ranging from freshwater streams and ponds to coral reefs and deep-sea habitats. One of its highlights is its interactive exhibits, which allow visitors to get up close and personal with the animals. Visitors can touch and feed stingrays, turtles, and other creatures in the touch tank, and even swim with sharks in the aquarium's Shark Encounter exhibit (with a guide). In addition, the aquarium also offers educational programs and events for visitors of all ages as well as hosts school field trips, birthday parties, summer camps, and regular educational programs and workshops on marine biology, conservation, and animal care.

15 Free Things to Do in Idaho Falls, ID

Idaho is a great place to visit for those who love the outdoors, scenic views, and a relaxed pace of life. Known as the "Gem State," it is home to stunning natural landscapes, including mountains, lakes, rivers, and canyons. Summer (June-August) is a popular time to visit Idaho, especially for outdoor enthusiasts. The weather is warm and sunny, making it perfect for hiking, biking, fishing, and other outdoor activities. The rivers and lakes are also ideal for water sports such as kayaking and paddleboarding. Fall (September-November) is also a great time to visit the city for those who love fall colors and outdoor festivals. The foliage is at its peak, and several harvest festivals and cultural events occur throughout the state. Click here to read more about the fun things you can do in the city without having to spend money.

Link to maps

East Idaho Aquarium 570 E Anderson St, Idaho Falls, ID 83401, United States Take N Holmes Ave to Northgate Mile/Yellowstone Ave 2 min (0.4 mi) Slight right onto Northgate Mile/Yellowstone Ave Continue to follow Yellowstone Ave 2 min (0.9 mi) Follow F St to your destination 50 sec (0.2 mi) Answers LLC 855 N Capital Ave #1, Idaho Falls, ID 83402, United States

[drgreg]

Dr Greg Hough South Africa

Each person on such journeys becomes an envoy for life for the conservation of these birds. An superior distinctive experience of a lifetime to see endangered marine animals and sea birds and to make a contribution to conserve dr greg hough south africa the distinctive habitat. BLSA supplied a singular expertise for the ever-growing world broad birding fraternity to experience the privilege of seeing the sea-based group of birds.

She knows she hasn’t been eating proper or managing her situation well. Using one of many tablet computer systems in the hub, she learns extra about managing her situation and downloads a cell meditation app for reminders and tips about managing stress on the go. She additionally indicators up for a digital session with the in-house diet counselor. Over two-thirds of today’s Medicaid beneficiaries are served by MCOs, which states contract to manage the well being care of their beneficiaries.

Liam Lacey will get Honours Awards for Water Polo. Dwayne Pharo will get Honours Awards for Athletics. Jenna Wright will get Honours Awards for Tennis. Aidan Chamberlain gets dr greg hough south africa Honours Awards for Water Polo. On Thursday morning, 18 March 2021, the annual Neil Aggett Memorial Lecture was delivered at Kingswood College.

All I’ve heard about is how awesome the journey was and all of the Bird guides were nice. I adopted the trip and will certainly be on the subsequent on. An unusual and once in a lifetime experience. From the preparation for this voyage of a lifetime to the precise expertise on board the MSC Orchestra, very professional is all we will say.

For this week’s #ThrowbackThursday we go back 26 years to our centenary year celebration in 1994 when an artistic impression of our college campus was carried out to commemorate that yr. Our #WellnessWednesday weblog this week comes from our college psychologist Mrs Teresa Yell. Teresa looks at ways during which we can find parts of happiness in our daily lives. Although we're nonetheless in the midst of a pandemic, it's important that we always remember to pursue what makes us happy. Dr Lizle Oosthuizen is a health care provider in reproductive drugs. After acquiring certificates in abdominal and gynaecological ultrasound, she returned to complete her specialist degree in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Cape Town in 2015.

Secondly, the household displays the primary socialisation and supervision establishment in the lives of people. Lastly, household and group ties have an result on the flexibility of the family to collectively establish casual social control. The final clarification draws heavily on Hirshi’s24 influential social control theory which posits that strong social bonds to household, faculty and peers deter individuals from committing crime. The concept of informal social control on the particular person level is, nonetheless, most often operationalised to social disorganisation perspectives on the macro-level. As a geographical focus area, the area under consideration is the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, located within the Gauteng province of South Africa.

These embody community well being centers, migrant well being facilities, well being take care of the homeless, and health centers for residents of public housing—currently serving greater than 27 million individuals within the United States. They provide care in addition to employment to native communities. In addition to physicians and nurses, they're additionally staffed with social employees and mental well being professionals to provide holistic care. They are already built-in into the group today and in the future, with digital well being capabilities, can turn out to be extra dynamic. For instance, routine monitoring for hypertension, diabetes, and obesity will be conducted via smart medical devices in the house. Relevant knowledge shall be transferred to a patient’s primary care clinician, who will do any needed follow-ups.

[lifetutorsd]

Support our veterans, fellow military service members and their families. End the Stigma of Mental and Behavioral health in the military! #lifetutorofsandiego #military #airforce #navy #marines #army #coastguard #militarysupport #grateful #sandiego #sandiegocoach #sandiegolifecoach #lifecoachsandiego #veterans #reservist #guard #militaryspouse #activedutymilitary #mindsetcoaching #lifecoach #coach #counselor #mentor (at San Diego, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/COK7Uh7jiJT/?igshid=1rb6zilysvc3i

[boreal-sea]

Life is complicated

I’ve made this post before, but since it’s been a few years, it deserves an update!

Your childhood is largely outside your control, so this story starts with me headed to college at age 18:

18-23: Earned my first degree, a BFA in Graphic Design. 

23-26: Discover I hate working for commissions. Earn a teaching degree from the state of FL in one summer. Get hired as a teacher but downgraded to a paraprofessional right before school starts. Work under a woman who would eventually throw me under the bus. Self-esteem destroyed. Work as a camp counselor, self-esteem slightly restored.

26: Decide to get out of the toxic work environment at the school and go back to college for a degree in marine biology. Fail college algebra. Self-esteem dashed again.

27: Say fuck it and join the god damned Navy because what the fuck else do I have left to do with myself at this point?

27-31: Serve in the Navy, learn and grow a lot. Self-esteem restored. Overall amazing experience. Get officially diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and migraines. Decide for my own mental health that 4 years is enough.

31-35: Go back to undergrad, this time for a degree in geology. The initial goal is to go to grad school to study planetary geology. Do NOT fail college algebra; ace it instead. Get to do real hands-on research. Feel burnt out during last year, start searching for jobs, but then go to a geology conference and get all fired up again. Professor from Rutgers hears about me from the conference, invites me to apply to be her grad student.

35 to now (almost 36!): Now a PhD student at Rutgers. Rutgers. Holy. Shit. This is a caliber of school I only ever dreamed about attending as a kid. I’m studying under two professors, both published experts in their fields. My studies are fascinating. Despite COVID-19, good things are happening. 

[lexa-maxwell]

The Art of Perfection

When: Throughout Lexa’s life 

Where: Santa Monica

Major Warnings: Suicide Attempt, Mental Illness tw. 

Featuring: Maverick Maxwell, Izzy Maxwell, Nate Maxwell, Victoria Maxwell 

Victoria Maxwell’s pregnancies weren’t easy, but Lexa’s was a treacherous run between severe morning sickness, dizzy spells, not to mention the fact the woman was high risk and still decided to power through her pregnancy like a champion. However, because of all that, once Lexa was born, you’d think…it would be the most joyous time of your life, but instead, with many tears, frustration, and detachment. Postpartum depression became Victoria Maxwell’s best friend and Lexa’s worst enemy. She tried to pretend it didn’t bother her, often times, she and Nate got into arguments about whether or not she should go to therapy for her own mental health. It was at that moment, she felt less than perfect, and that infuriated her. 

“I’m fine, Nathaniel!” Her voice would echo through the hall. Nate, dejected, and hurt, left the matter alone. 

It was hard to stomach, hard to see. Nate grew up in a warm, loving, and successful family, whereas Victoria grew up in a—much more frigid environment, for lack of better words. This is why he thought therapy would be the best way. To heal the past wounds and prevent the matter from repeating itself. But Victoria…was stubborn, and even though he could see in her eyes that she was in pain, he could only do so much as a husband. 

Meanwhile Victoria returned nearly immediately back to work, the roles switched, and he became a doting father to Lexa, making sure that she would be nurtured and not neglected. He wanted his daughter to feel like she was loved by someone as he could see the cycle between Victoria and her mother, both cold and dejected from one another. 

Lexa grew up being her father’s right hand man, and a nuisance to her mother, most times. She was outspoken, loud, playful, and always had a smile on her face. She often envied Isabelle and Maverick who could easily win over her affection and warm smile, while Victoria often frowned upon many of the things that Lexa did. She didn’t understand why her mom hated her so much. She was planned, after all. 

The Carson cycle would continue as Victoria taught Lexa one thing after she witnessed Lexa bawling her eyes out over her destroyed cake at her 10th birthday party and she wasn’t allowed to beat the shit out of a then, 8 year old Benji. 

“Alexandra, princesses don’t cry,” She said in a rather firm voice. 

“But mom—“ She objected. 

“Wipe those tears and put on your happy face and thank everyone for coming, okay? You can go with Izzy to wash your face,” She said coldly. 

Lexa was hurt by the coldness of her mother’s demeanor and her voice and wiped her own tears away and stormed off. She never asked why her mother didn’t hug her and soothe her tears like her younger siblings, but the question often did cartwheels in her mind. She then realized the only way she could ever make her mother proud was fitting all the criteria of the perfect oldest daughter. She needed to be an example for Isabelle and Maverick. She needed to smile less in front of the camera, and provide a more clean cut look, even though her father approved and loved her for who she was…she vied for her mother’s approval. 

So, she practiced. She learned to dull her excitement down to a mere smirk, rather than jumping up and down and squealing. She learned to compartmentalize and rationalize every sour thought and emotion, saying things like, 

“I have no time to be angry.” 

“To be sad means I actually have to care.” 

“Why worry, if I can just execute it to the best of my ability?” 

All of these reasons got her to power through, but as Lexa grew into adolescence, it began to trigger a burst of rapid fire thoughts, sleepless nights, and agitation, followed by a period of severe self-loathing, often dark thoughts, that she, through tears, would fight to compartmentalize in the privacy of her room before walking out and pretending that everything was fine with her. 

So she threw herself into a slew of activities. Dance, cheer, volleyball, class president, editor in chief of the yearbook, theatre, marine biology volunteer, camp counselor. You name the activity, and Alexandra Maxwell’s name was most likely written down. In those years, she made a thousand acquaintances and only kept a very small group of friends. She hardly saw her siblings except for evenings and Sundays. Yet still, it wasn’t good enough for Victoria. 

“It’s like you’re purposely trying to avoid your family, Alexandra,” Victoria sighed in annoyance. 

“Vic, that’s not fair to her and you know it,” Nate challenged. 

“But look at her! Always out and about with her friends, never spending any time with the family. We need to schedule a family pap walk or something because the whole town will think Lexa’s gone rogue!” She complained. 

“She’s a teenager! We were all like that. You can’t tell me that you weren’t out and about in just to let your mind escape,” He sighed, shaking his head. “You need to take it easy on her like you do with Izzy and Maverick.” 

“What are you saying that I’m purposely hard on her?!” She scoffed. 

“Yes, yes I am!” Nate fired back.

Lexa, already hurt, and even more worried that her parents were arguing because of her, walked out of their office with her head held high, despite the feeling of dread she felt in the pit of her stomach. She had already felt dreadful since the last day of school and this was the cherry on top. As soon as she got into her car, she could feel the tears just threatening to fall, but once again, she pushed it all down until she got home and sobbed her eyes out. 

It didn’t get any better, even though it seemed that Lexa’s mood had done a complete 360. Throughout the first two weeks of June, Lexa spent more time at home with her family, even braving through some of her mother’s Friday brunches with the stuffiest women in the Santa Monica area. No one would suspect that anything was wrong with Lexa. She managed to balance out everything in her life. 

That was until she was left alone. Her parents were at Sonoma Wine Garden for a charity gala, Izzy and Mav were out with friends. Lexa lost it that day as every emotion in her resurfaced and she couldn’t stop crying. It was an ache that consumed her that she didn’t think she’d make it through another day of being put under so much pressure. She wasn’t the perfect sibling, daughter, friend, coworker, or student body president. She was a failure. A nobody and she’d never amount to anything in life because she wasn’t good enough. 

So, she took matters into her own hands with a bottle of pills and made sure she stashed them somewhere before she collapsed in her bathroom. 

All she could remember was Maverick screaming for Izzy. 

Then, she woke up to her siblings in tears, both parents completely stressed out and clearly sleep deprived, and even some of her friends. Everyone was kicked out the room with the exception of her beloved father, who held her hand in his and shook his head as tears fell down his face. 

“I’m so sorry, Lexa,” He sobbed out. 

The feeling of guilt that washed over her caused her own tears to fall as she shook her head. 

“No daddy, it was me. I’m sorry. I’m just, I’m so tired and I don’t think I’ll ever be good enough for mom,” She sobbed out as he pulled her into a tight hug. Little did she know, that Victoria was simply around the corner, tears streaming down her own face. The detachment, the guilt she had, that her daughter nearly took her own life because of her own struggles ate at her…and she refused to let it happen any further. 

“Lexa,” Victoria croaked. It was very rare for Victoria to call Lexa by her nickname. It was always her full name with sternness. Now, she could feel the softness, the vulnerability. 

“Oh, my sweet Lexa,” She sobbed out as she went to climb into the bed and wrap her arms tightly around her daughter. 

“I put you through so much pain and I’m so sorry, my baby,” She cried. “I’m so sorry.” 

Lexa couldn’t help but sob into her mother’s arms as she was held tightly by the two of them. “Please don’t send me away, please,” She whispered. 

Both parents pulled away and wiped Lexa’s tears and shook their heads. 

“You’re under watch right now. I told Izzy and Maverick you’re just sick with a bad bug, but, we’re going to have an action plan, and it starts with therapy,” Nate responded with a soft voice. 

“And I, will be going with you. We’re doing this, together,” She responded, squeezing Lexa’s hand lightly. 

— 

Since then, Lexa would say that her relationship with her mother’s improved somewhat. Sure, Victoria’s still hard on her, but it wasn’t as bad as it used to be and it’s still a work in progress. Now that she’s opened up to Izzy and Maverick about her attempt, she sighs to herself about the next move. With her mother’s surgery and recovery, things have been pretty touch and go with the Maxwells. Everything, has been high stakes when it comes to them. 

The last thing she’d want is to lose her mom as they’re beginning to catch up on the many years they missed out together. Lexa’s discovered that, while she takes after her father in looks and temperament, she does share some of her mom’s quirks. Like laughing and snorting and their cold and professional demeanor. 

The art of perfection, is impossible for anyone to truly achieve and often times it’s learned the hard way. Lexa put her life in danger to attempt to achieve near perfection and still often copes with making sure she’s not pushing herself too hard. Slowly, she’s beginning to embrace her imperfections as she continues to call out her friends for attempting their own achievement for perfection.

[markchristiansomatics]

Mark Christian Somatics offers expert Psychotherapy Marin that goes beyond conventional talk therapy. The practice believes in a holistic approach to mental health, addressing the mind and body as a whole. Clients benefit from personalized therapy sessions that help them gain insight into their challenges, explore their emotions, and develop practical strategies for healing and growth.

[violetsandshrikes]

Hey, I’m a marine biologist in training of a similar age to you, and I was just wondering how you keep anxiety about the future from being immobilizing? Sometimes I just feel hopeless from the rate at which we are hurtling to environmental collapse

Hi! This has been sitting in my inbox a little while, because I wanted to make sure I was in the right head space to respond to it.

The reason for that is that sometimes it is really really hard not to feel anxious, hopeless, or otherwise depressed, and I most definitely go through those periods. Frankly, I don’t know anyone in biology-based scientific fields who doesn’t struggle with this issue, and especially in the last year I would say that it has been worsening for a lot of people.

My key advice would be to make sure you have support around you. A lot of people find that working through these worries and fears with a counselor or someone similar is really beneficial and helps them deal with a work-life balance and not sliding into environmental despair. They can also help you refine techniques to help you cope with these feelings: I personally journal, but I know people who have a range of different ways of helping them alleviate stress healthily, usually some form of creative outlet! It’s really important to stay on top of any feelings like that you get, and tackling it early tends to mean that you end up feeling more confident and stable in your field overall.

Lifestyle choices can be really important too, because I know a lot of people who have dealt with feelings like this and in response their self care tended to decline. Work on a morning routine or ritual, try and get yourself some nourishing food at least once a day, ask your doctor for blood tests if you’re worried about vitamin levels - please physically take care of yourself as well as mentally!

I find sometimes the best option for me is to have set periods where I switch off. I don’t interact with media where I’m going to see glaring environmental deadlines, I don’t work on my work for an evening, I take some time to give myself a breather from my field and growing global concerns. It’s like resting a muscle you’ve been straining - you give it time to recover so you can come back stronger.

Finding little ways to contribute can sometimes help ease stress for people. A bunch of classmates as well as myself often join in on local tree plantings, local community gardens, clean ups, gardening/wildlife triage/ecofriendly workshops, donating to causes we strongly support. This can help chip away at the overall big feeling of doom and gloom, just by contributing even a little.

I also advise actively seeking out good environmental news. There are news websites dedicated to happy/positive things that usually have an environmental section. See what projects are going well, see which animal is no longer endangered, see who is doing their best. Sometimes the best thing we can do for our mental health is to see that there are other people out there who are passionate and involved too.

Also, don’t be afraid to reach out on here. There’s plenty of lovely marine biologists, zoologists, ecologists and more who would most likely be happy to talk to you, let you work through your concerns and give tips on how to deal with the overwhelming stuff. Don’t ever be afraid to reach out for support!

I hope you’re well and you’re enjoying your training/study ❤️ I’m really proud of you!

[ripvanwinkl-e]

•I hear voices as a schizophrenic male

I grew up as a regular kid I suppose . My dad was an alcholic not to abusive luckily . My mom is and was very egotistical with an addictive personality . My dad was a marine that suffers from mental illness and ptsd . I was raised very strictly and I was very depressed as a young man. I was fat from the ages 9to about 16. Growing up my mom hit me over anything that could possibly make her mad and I thought eating would fill the empty spaces where I thought the love would be. I have lesbian sister who doesn’t really care about what anyone thinks and I think that is very toxic about her. When I was 16 I learned how to skate I found I gues a therapeutic thing about it I lost a lot of weight doing that. I found out about Alex when I was 14 I wished I hadn’t found out about it at such an early age . The girl I was dating at the time was a a lier that like to lie for fun . So we didn’t last long . We had sex on and off also wish I didn’t do that. I met a girl after her that I thought I was gonna marry one day. She had a very strange and close relationship with her brother so I left her for that. Soon after I found out about skating from a friend of mine . I found peace I. It staying away from relationships with women for a while . I was very heavy into weed at the time a very bad choice in my life. Once I left high school I went to trade school where I met a women I was only 19 she was however older than me taking advantage of me as a young man I thought I was gonna marry one day maybe she ended just being a user of cocaine and hung out with her other man or whatever he was who she introduced me too I was taking electrical classes and she was becoming a drug and alchohol abuse counselor . Don’t really want to know how that went. When she left me and I started to peice everything together and realized what was happening. It was to much for my brain and I started hearing voices and I thought it was some kind of magical feat but I was just going insane . I by passed it thinking it was just a faze.so I quit the school and got right to work. My first full time job was at a warehouse where the stress levels are high and the day where long . Men and women working together and me hearing voices of all sorts women voices men voices my own voice in my head. That job didn’t work to well for me I left the second day I believe crying in my car. I did that quite a few times and carouse jobs. I finally got some help after trying to set my house on fire on 2017 I was meds that I got addicted to and dropped cold turkey going back to weed and booze . Still hearing voices I started to Harrass women beacause my life was becoming a load of problems for my brain to process. So I went to another mental health institute to get more help. Got addicted to more pills and dropped them cold turner ass well. That happend two more times . And after all that everything is almost the same . I still hear voices . I don’t abuse weed or drug as anymore nor alcohol . I still have problems creating true love. I exercise I play guitar and play video games I have problems keeping jobs at places where men and women work together due to hearing these voices . Just recently I left a job crying after trying to talk to a women and getting ignored. I felt so depressed after she turned away from me after all I said was “hey it’s you!” I tried working the next day and couldn’t do it anymore. I hopethings change soon I don’t know how long I can do this . I have goals in life. I want property one day where I can build a beautiful family and teach my children right from wrong , bad from good. I might have to do it alone . It scares me that I might break one day and leave my children alone without a father wanting them to teach them a path not many take anymore. The end

[tvmoviechristmas]

A Welcome Home Christmas (Lifetime, 2020)

Are you married?

Starring: Jana Kramer, Brandon Quinn, Charlene Tilton, Tim Reid

Plot Synopsis: When a returning soldier needs help adapting back into civilian life, Army counselor Chloe Marquee welcomes him home, only to be swept off her feet just in time for Christmas. (x)

In My Humble Opinion: It’s been a year where television’s glorification of cops has come under rightful scrutiny by media outlets by and large. How the media’s portrayal of cops as heroes who can do anything leads to them being overfunded and underscrutinized to the detriment of many, especially Black people.

I believe that we need to do the same for the many productions that do the same for the military. We are at a time in history where our military involvement has become less about protecting our rights for freedom and more about intervening and imposing our will on countries who do not ask for it. So much of our money is poured into defense programs that mainly exist to enforce American imperialism, while welfare programs languish and face increasing cuts. Not to mention the soldiers that do come home from war face a huge amount of challenges from homelessness to mental health issues and so on, and how the American government has never been able to care for those veterans responsibly (I spent a summer working in a veteran’s legal clinic when I was in college and there was a whole day spent learning about how bad the VA is at their jobs. A whole day).

It’s a quietly despicable thing, but the movies and TV we watch keep telling us their is no more honorable and fulfilling career path than being a soldier. It’s something that frustrates me and this year it feels like it has gotten worse. As if we needed a reminder that even though there’s increased diversity in the casting of made-for-TV Christmas movies, at its heart the genre is aimed at the most conservative among us.

A Welcome Home Christmas is an egregious example of this trend. Practically ever character in this film is either in the military or has been honorably (always honorably) discharged from military service. They talk lovingly of growing up in military families. They pretend that the Army cares about returning servicemembers and want to make sure the transition to normal life goes smoothly for all soldiers. They servicemembers are all charitable and cheerful and just so happy to help. There’s long speeches about how fulfilling it was to bring schools and infrastructure to poor, poor Afghanistan. There’s no mentions of the darker side of combat, of the unnecessary aspects of the United State’s current military goals. It’s just cheeriness and patriotism until a Schrodinger’s Santa comes in to tell us once and for all that the military and those who help them are the best of us.

A Welcome Home Christmas won’t be the last Christmas movie this year to glorify the military. It might not even be the most egregious (Hallmark’s military themed movie is weeks away!). But it is a potent reminder of just how propaganda works, and how it always helps to be aware when it is happening.

Being an informed viewer of made-for-TV Christmas movies who is willing to watch them with a critical eye makes you braver than any US Marine. At least, in my opinion. And that’s the one that matters here on my blog.

Watch If: You look like the kind of person who works at a soup kitchen, if you have mentally disabled the receptors in your brain that make you open to love or if a man who can recognize spices in hot cocoa is a man after your own heart.

Skip If: You buy your cocoa beans at the supermarket, if you actually don’t have time for a boyfriend or if you share a name with Lawrence of Arabia star Peter O’Toole and it has caused you strife in your life.

Final Rating: ★ (★) ☆ ☆ ☆

If you like this blog, please consider donating to my Kofi page! You can also donate money to kbange@gmail.com through either Venmo or CashApp. Thank you!

[thefroglesbian]

Every time someone asks me what i want to do with my future I lowkey wanna cry bc I don't know what I want anymore

[back-and-totheleft]

A test for ‘Platoon’

In January 1987, the Chicago Tribune invited a group of Vietnam veterans, then in treatment for PTSD, to privately screen Platoon and provide their reactions. They were accompanied by a mental health professional for safety and support. As the article notes, “Most of the veterans were visibly shaken or in tears, well after the movie had ended.”

The critics have embraced it; audiences across the country are now flocking to see it. Indeed, the national opening of the Vietnam war film ''Platoon'' was pushed up two weeks in response to intense media coverage of it as a special event.

But the one audience reaction that hasn`t been heard from yet, as Ted Koppel said on a recent ''Nightline'' program devoted to the film, is the Vietnam veteran himself. What do combat veterans think of the film that claims to be the first fiction film to truthfully portray ground fighting in Vietnam?

To find out, we enlisted the help of the Chicago chapter of the Veterans Bedside Network, which assembled a group of six Vietnam combat veterans to watch a private screening of ''Platoon.'' Five men, all of whom saw front-line duty as Marines, were accompanied by a social worker-vet who has been treating them recently for post-traumatic stress disorder, which can strike anyone suffering from trauma.

Warning for frank discussions of violence, combat and mental illness.

Most of the men are 40 years old now, which meant they were about 20 when they saw battle. Each had resentment about how the war was conducted at the command level and how he was treated when he got back home.

More subtle, in some cases, was the barely hidden pain caused by having participated in or at least witnessed the killing of Vietnamese civilians. That nightmare is recalled in ''Platoon'' by a My Lai-style massacre sequence that makes such hideous violence seem reasonable.

For those who have yet to see ''Platoon,'' the movie was written and directed by Oliver Stone, a college dropout, who like the film`s young hero, played by Charlie Sheen, volunteered for infantry action in Vietnam to prove his manhood.

The film follows his bloody tour of duty with a platoon near the Cambodian border in 1967. And Stone`s film did its job extremely well, according to the veterans in our group, providing an eye-popping portrait of what Vietnam combat was all about: the heat, filth, confusion, fear and rotting bodies -- white, black, and yellow.

The veterans watching the movie were told very little about the film before it started. They were simply asked to take notes and to keep their reactions to themselves for a series of individual post-film interviews that would avoid any influence of ''group think.'' Then, they were told, they would reassemble as a unit to discuss the film and just how true-to-life any war film can be.

What follows, first, are the individual reactions of veterans and their counselor. Most of the veterans were visibly shaken or in tears, well after the movie had ended.

THOMAS WILLIAMS

''I served in Vietnam in 1966. I was a scout. And that scene of [the American platoon] being overrun, I've experienced that. The pain and the killing is shown right -- there`s no mercy.

'Having to kill like that and then having to come back here and having to pretend like nothing happened because you can`t tell anyone the horror of what it was like: This is what Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome is all about.

You get flashes of scenes like the ones in this movie, which is the closest I`ve ever seen to the real thing.

It was hell, man. And the first thing they had written on screen before the movie began -- that quote from Ecclesiastes about `losing your youth and becoming old` -- that`s very deep. That`s what happened over there.''

Williams, 39, with tears in his eyes, said he saw combat for 9 1/2 months in Vietnam. The most brutal battle he was involved in was called Operation Hastings.

''We fought the 324th B Division of the North Vietnamese. We fought them for 4 1/2 hours. They cut off our platoon from the rest of the battalion. Thirty-two of us killed approximately 1,000 men. That scene at the very end of the movie with [the overhead shot] all of the dead bodies in the valley -- it was exactly like that. Exactly.''

Tears were running down Williams` face.

''I thought I was going to die [in that battle]. The guy next to me, a round went through his head and blew the left side of his brains and skull onto the right side of my face. The guy carrying the [Vietnamese] flag, I hit him, and the guy next to him I unloaded a magazine [of bullets] in him and he still didn`t want to drop. I reloaded and I threw grenades, and that`s the only way that I made it. Out of 32 Marines, only five lived.

It hurts, man. It hurts. `Cause a lot of guys died for nothing. For nothing. Nothing."

FRANK KAUZLARICH

''The character portrayals were outstanding; they didn't `Hollywood it up,` '' said Kauzlarich, 40, who served in 1968-9 as a helicopter crew chief. ''They had the details right about the leeches--and the dust everywhere when [the college kid] arrived in Vietnam in the very first scene. I saw the same dust and the body bags when I first got there, and I thought to myself, `What the hell am I getting into?`

''The characters were all right on: the good, the bad, and the ugly, you might say. Also it showed the things you had to do -- the people you had to leave behind. As a helicopter crew chief, I saw areas I simply couldn't get into, and we had to leave people behind.''

Kauzlarich was different from the rest of the group in two ways. He didn't want his photograph taken, and he appeared to be the most composed after the movie. His self control, he intimated, grew out of his job in Vietnam.

''As a crew chief, I lived in my chopper. I had to maintain the chopper and make sure I was always ready to take off and get our guys who usually were in deep [shit].

''But my eyes were watered up during the movie. 'I just had a little more time to get myself together. I`ll be keyed up for a couple of days. It`s a good movie. He portrayed it all very well: the noise, the dust, the crap.

He did a good job, but no one could ever tell you about Vietnam in a movie. They can`t show the pain, the absurdities, the horror. You end up being an animal yourself in order to survive. You don`t have time to register the horror, until it just wells up in you. It was 13 years before I began reliving the thing. I got flashbacks of sounds and smells.''

TERRY TIDD

''That`s the most realistic movie I've ever seen,'' said Tidd, a burly, bearded man, who has just turned 40. ''I`m shaking inside."

''One thing that was good about it is that they didn't glamorize the killing and dying. Some of the other movies about Vietnam made it look like it was too much fun.

I just want people to know that [American soldiers] did go back and kill [Vietnamese] people in villages like that. But the people that did it,'' Tidd said, his voice cracking, ''weren`t rotten people. But if you go into a village, and there are no VC, and all you see are women and children, and you step outside of that village and you saw your buddies getting killed, and they`re screaming, well, some guys went back to the village.

''And this film showed it was that kind of a dirty war. I just wish people could know that we weren`t just a bunch of baby killers. We really thought we were fighting for our country and to stop the spread of Communism. And people who died over there, maybe they have an advantage over us who lived through it. Because we know it was a lost cause. They died not knowing it.

''I want to get my ma and dad to see this movie. I got a 13-year-old boy I might want to take. It may be too heavy, but he`s asked me a lot about Vietnam, and I probably should take him to see this.''

Tidd served in 1966 with the Marine I Corps near Da Nang.

''If anyone wants to know what the war is like, this would be a good one for them.''

LARRY BRIMM

"It can`t be fully felt unless you`ve been there. [The taste of death] just stays in your throat. I brush my tongue every morning, but I can`t get rid of it."

Brimm, 40, a 1965-6 Marine Corp veteran, also seemed composed as he stepped out of the screening room to talk. But then he opened his hands. His palms were full of sweat and creases formed by dug-in nails.

''As far as the technical end of the movie is concerned, it was good. It showed that for each man, it really was their own private little war of staying alive. There weren`t a lot of massive sweeps of men.

''When [order] broke down, you counted on your buddy to the left and your buddy to the right, and that was it. There wasn`t another squad, another platoon. There was just you and what was happening within three feet of you. And I got that in this film.''

Brimm also said he found the emotional transitions of some of the characters to be accurate.

''For me in 1965, I went over there idealistic. After a while though, I realized there was no point about fighting Communism. It was all a matter of simply staying alive. And then you start hating yourself for the things you have to do to stay alive -- like killing civilians.

I can really empathize with that scene where [the Americans] burned that village because of all that had gone on before. In 1965, it was more of a booby trap, sniper war of not being able to see the enemy. So to retaliate, you just didn`t care. But now I have to live with that.''

BILL BURTON

"In Vietnam there wasn`t the racism I find here. We called each other names, but we were there for each other when it counted. All of our blood was red."

''It was almost real,'' said Burton, a Marine who fought in a variety of locations in 1968-9. ''There were some things I saw in the film that I did.'' He began shaking his head.

''No, I`d rather not say,'' he said, taking out his handkerchief. ''It affects me to this day.''

Was he glad he saw the picture? ''Oh, yes,'' he said, ''it might help me. I`ve never seen anything since I`ve been back to compare to this. I could identify with a lot of it. For example, the scene where the [American soldier] shot the [Vietnamese] woman. It happened, man. You saw it happening all around you, and it was scary that it started to make sense.''

RAY BLANFORD

"The emotional side of the experience can never be communicated. If you fought and lived through that war, you were damaged."

Ray Blanford, who served two tours of army duty in Vietnam, now serves as a therapist in the Stress Disorder program at the North Chicago Veterans Hospital.

''I have heard the exact stories that were up on that screen--everything from the blood on the soldier`s face [when his buddy bashes a Vietnamese man`s skull] to the loss of control, the hate, the fear, and finally the killing of the [Vietnamese] guy with one leg. It was so real. The emotions in this film could have been taken right out of what we get in the Stress Disorder unit."

Blanford, 52, said he handled the stress in Vietnam because he was older than the average soldier. ''Most of the guys that fought were pretty young. We`re talking about, in many cases, mere high school kids. Forget the real war, if you simply subjected them to what you saw in this movie, you would have a bunch of traumatized kids.''

Along with the other vets, Blanford took special note of the film`s opening scene. ''I could almost smell the fuel of the C-135 [aircraft] and the dust, as well recall the confusion of the body bags going out and the men coming in.''

--

Now the men were brought together, and they were first asked to react to the final line in the movie in which actor Sheen, in voice-over narration, speaks, in effect to all veterans, saying that they, as survivors, ''have an obligation to build again, to find a goodness and meaning in this life.''

To a man, the veterans said such noble sentiments were a pipe dream. One exception is a cause promoted by Thomas Williams.

''The goodness and meaning that we`ve found on the ward is to try to find housing for the many homeless Vietnam veterans. Through our own illness and strength we`re trying to help them through an organization called Veterans for Housing, Inc."

But in general the mood of the vets turned dark when they were asked about their chances of ''building again.''

''I find a lot of irony in that,'' said Frank Kauzlarich, ''in that our society doesn`t want to give us a chance to build again. They just want to forget the mistakes that we and our government made over there. We`ve been looked down on since we`ve come back, and consequently we look down on ourselves.''

Bill Burton had a more specific complaint. ''I`ve only been able to hold onto a job for two years since I`ve been back. I just need a chance. I need a job. I live on the North Side, and it really gets me, man, to see these Vietnamese with jobs, but I can`t get one myself."

''It`s funny,'' said Burton, who is black, ''in Vietnam there wasn`t the racism I find here. I mean, we may have called each other names, but we were there for each other when it counted. All of our blood was red.''

At that point, Burton grabbed the hand of Terry Tidd, who was sitting next to him.

''That last line makes me angry,'' said Thomas Williams. ''They don`t try to understand us. They never tried. There were no parades -- everybody knows that. But what they don`t know is the sense of powerlessness we feel.

''I mean there`s a real power you have in `Nam when you have a gun and you`re killing. Then you come back, and you`ve got nothing. You`ve given up your flesh, your blood, and your mind. So that bit about coming up with a new life is bullshit. People just don`t care about us. The government doesn`t have the money to treat us. Thousands of vets are going without help.

''Hell yes I`m angry. Many of us lost our families `cause we couldn`t handle life when we came back. Build again? That`s a joke.''

''You get your ass blown up, they want to give you peanuts,'' said Terry Tidd. ''I got hit twice in my legs, they give me 10 per cent of my pay -- 126 dollars a month -- the absolute minimum for legs that are filled with metal. When I get X-rayed, they ask if I was in a car accident. I`m supposed to build a new life on that?!''

''On a job application,'' said Frank Kauzlarich, ''it`s not too smart to put down that you`re a Vietnam veteran. You`re better off putting down that you`re an alcoholic. Chances are the boss drinks, too.''

''The damage done to the warriors does not always go away,'' said Ray Blanford, the social worker.

The anger of the vets was a surprising turn of events, considering that their praise of the movie had been so effusive.

Some might say the group we interviewed was heavily battle-scarred. That may be true, but realize that only a small fraction of the people who served in Vietnam saw combat, and that combat soldiers is what ''Platoon'' is all about.

As it turned out, the veterans` anger was also rooted in their treatment at home, today. It became apparent when the vets were asked to complete the following thought: ''It`s a terrific movie but, even so, it doesn`t communicate...''

''It can be accurately portrayed on film,'' said Larry Brimm, ''but it can`t be fully felt unless you’ve been there.''

''The movie is missing the taste of death,'' said Bill Burton.

''It just stays in your throat,'' said Larry Brimm. ''I brush my tongue every morning, but I can`t get rid of it.''

''It was so hot in `Nam,'' said Thomas Williams.''The movie didn`t show people tying T-shirts over their face to cut the smell of death. But the smell you can never get rid of. It will always be with you.''

It was up to Ray Blanford to sum up.

''I say to all the veterans: See the movie, but be with somebody you care about so you can talk about the emotions the movie brings back. And if you need help, call us.

'As for the public: See the movie, but know that the emotional side of the real experience can never be communicated. A movie can`t communicate the terror or the lasting damage. If you fought and lived through that war, you were damaged. And I want every kid who sees this picture and thinks that war is exciting to know that.''

-Gene Siskel, “A Test for Platoon,” Chicago Tribune, January 4 1987 [x]

[modernmythos-hq-blog]

Possible occupations

9-1-1 dispatcher

Abortion clinic worker

Actor

Aeronautical engineer brother (once tested fighter jet windshields by shooting dead turkeys at them which had to be sanctioned by PETA)

Airplane mechanic

Amusement park worker

Answering service employee

Apartment maintenance. (And it's kind of a cool job cause people leave things behind all the time when they move.)

App developer

Appliance store sales clerk

Architect

Architectural lighting designer

Army criminal investigator

Art professor

Artist

Attorney

Auto parts clerk

B&B owner

Bakery worker

Ballet dancer

Banker,

Barrista

Bartender

Bead store clerk/stocker

Bee Keeper

Bicycle shop employee

Biofeedback therapist

Biogas plant builder

Biomedical engineer (Interesting side note, you can kill an entire surgical suite of medical professionals with a faulty anesthesia machine. Quite the murder weapon.)

Black Jack dealer

Blackhawk pilot

Boat canvases maker

Book collator (assembling books page by page)

Bookstore clerk

Border patrol

Bridge painter

Bus driver

Business/Financial News network reporter/producer/anchor

College baseball director of operations

Cabinet maker

Cake decorator

Cannery worker

Car wash attendant

Carpenter

Carpet layer

Cartoonist

Caterer’s assistant

Cello maker

CEO of a high tech company

Chain restaurant pre-employment/set-up team (they travel from town to town to help 'set-up', stock and hire the employees that will ultimately work there. After a month of two, they go onto the next franchisee location and get THAT restaurant set-up, etc.)

Charter/private airline flight attendant.

Chef

Chemical engineer (does research on paper recycling, bioenergy, and fungi that digest wood)

Chemical scientist

Childcare worker

Chimney sweep

Chinook Helicopter Mechanic US Army

Chiropractor

Christmas Around the World sales person

Civil/structural engineer.

Clerk at candy store

Closet organizer

Coat check girl

College admissions counselor

College professor

Computer guy for a wine company

Computer programmer

Computer repair person

Consumer columnist.

Contract analyst

Cook

Copywriter

Counselor in the Juvenile Detention Center

Couture cat collar maker sold through Internet boutique

Crab shaker/crab cooker

Custom hat embroidery business owner

Custom racing bicycles designer and airbrusher.

Cytogenetic technologist

Dairy farmer

Dam operator

Data analyst

Deli worker

Dental assistant

Dental office practice manager

Development work for an art and history museum

Dialysis technician

Dietary aide at a nursing home,

Director of study abroad program

Disc jockey

Dishwasher

DJ

DMV clerk

Dog breeder/trainer

Dog walker

Drafting work for architecture firms

Egg farm worker

EMT

ESL teacher

Event specialist (sets up events at hotels)

Excavator bulldozer & crane operator

Executive assistant

Exterminator

Extreme sports videographer

FAA tower controller.

Factory assembly line

Field biologist specializing in insectivores. (Shrews are insane.)

Financial advisor

Fire chaplain

Firefighter

Fish physiologist

Fisheries biologist

Flight attendant

Florist

Foreclosure/default analyst/investigator.

Freelance wedding/event/aerial photographer/videographer

Funeral director

Game creator

Geek squad

General contractor

General counsel for a phone company

Geologist

Geophysicist

Glass blower

Golf pro shop employee

Grant writer

Graphic designer

Graphic novelist

Green building consultant

Grocery store cashier

Groundskeeper at a major league ball park

Group home worker

Guard at an art museum

Guy who cleans out the vacuum tubes once a year at the bank/hospital/Costco.

Hair stylist

Handyman

Head Start Teacher.

Heath care aide

Herbarium archivist

High school history teacher

High school teacher at an alternative school for near-dropouts.

Highway flag person

Historical remodeler (carpenter)

Home help for families with special needs children. (help out around the house, help out with the kids, babysit when the parents need time to themselves.

Horse groomer (in the competitive horse world the equivalent of a golfer's caddy)

Horticulturist

Hostess at a café.

Hot tub sales person

Hotel employee

House inspector.

House painter

Housekeeper.

Human resources

Human resources for the research and marketing arm of a pet food company

Information (411) operator

Instructor at a college

Insurance adjuster

Insurance salesman

Interior designer

Investigate allegations of abuse and neglect of people with disabilities

IRS worker

Jail Commander

Jewelry design/repair

Journalist

Judo instructor

Juvenile Detention worker

Kindergarten teacher

Landscape architect

Lawn service/snowplow operator

Librarian

Life guard

Logger

Magazine editor

Mail carrier (mail carriers know A LOT about the people on their streets.)

Management consultant

Map editor/producer for a navigation systems company.

Marine biologist

Math professor

Mechanic

Mechanic

Mechanical designer

Mechanical engineer

Mediator

Medical examiner

Medical information sales

Medical records scanner

Medical social worker

Mental health therapist

Microbiologist

Mill worker

Model

Montessori teacher

Morgue attendant

Motel clerk

Movie critic

Nail technician

Nanny

Neon sign repair in the LED age

Night club worker "working door"

Nighttime office maintenance/property manager (which gives access to all kinds of offices!)

Nonprofit administrator

Nurse

Nursery owner

Nursing home worker

Occupational therapist

Office building cleaner

Office Manager/Bookkeeper

Oncology nurse

Organic farmer

Otter tech for the Department of Conservation

Pastor

Patient finances at hospital

Personal trainer business owner

Pet shop worker

Pet transport business (takes puppies to and from the vet or groomers, or gets rescue dogs to new families across the country.)

Pharmaceutical salesman (we affectionately say "drug dealer" haha),

Phone banker

Phone nurse

Photographer

Physicist

Pizza chef

Planer operator at a mill

Police Academy cadet trainer

Police dispatcher

Pool maintenance person

Preloader for long haul trucks

Preschool dance teacher

Preschool teacher

Printers

Prison guard

Professional genealogist

Proofreader

Psychiatric nurse

Psychic

Psychologist

Public radio producer

Quality control inspector for commercial construction

Ranch hand,

Real estate agenT

Real estate management.

Receptionist at a naturopathic (or any) clinic

Recycling equipment engineer.

Reporter

Research assistant

Retired radio on-air personality.

Road crew supervisor

Roofer

Sand pit owner/operator

Sandblaster

School secretary

Scientists that work on lab animals

Seamstress

Security officer

Senior Theatre materials publisher

Shelving assembler (assembling and disassembling shelves in a warehouse as stock changed)

Shoe store employee

Sides of beef and other freezer meat seller

Singer in small clubs

Ski lift repair tech

Social worker

Software analyst

Software engineer

Soldier

Songwriter

Spanish teacher

Speech language pathologist

Spider researcher (extracts venom from deadly spiders)

State safety radio network monitor

Stock market trader

Stock photographer

Storage facility owner

Submarine engineer

Substitute teacher

Summer camp counselor

Surgeon

Systems programmer

Tattoo artist

Tea shop owner

Teach art to very senior citizens at a residential retirement home. (fascinating mix of humor and pathos)

Teach teachers how to use technology in their classrooms

Tech writer

Teflon coater

Telephony installer

Therapist

Tie-dye artist.

Tile setter

Time share seller

Tour director

Toy inventor

Translator

Trouble shooter for a college

Truck driver

TV weatherman

Urban planner

Usher for the Opera

Varsity soccer coach

Veterinarian assistant,

Volunteer reader for SMART

Warehouse worker

Warehouse worker (forklift operator)

Water therapy swimming for injured dogs.

Waterfront engineer who also does wind power

Web designer

Weight Watchers Weigher

Welder in residential home construction (does design work, like railings and structural pieces for houses built into rocks on a mountain.)

Wildlife photographer

Window trimmer (designed windows for shoe stores)

Women’s clothes sales person

Wood worker

Yoga instructor

[xfimperial]

- ̗̀ (she/her) is that NINA DOBREV coming off the private jet? oh no that’s TEAGAN DRACULESTI the TWENTY FIVE year old PRINCESS OF ROMANIA people often say they remind them of A BATH FULL OF ROSE PETALS, FRESH SNOW, STAR GAZING. they are arranged to marry Crown Prince Filip Přemyslid ( jasmine ) *

i may expand on this but i’m gonna be really honest, i may not lmao. i’ve got to convene with each royal family muns respectively so give me some time!!!

she really wants people to like her. i can’t compare her to any characters from super popular shows bc my brain is fried rn.

she loves love. favorite color is coral. her hair is always curled and she always has a coffee in her hand.

graduated with a degree in art history.

she keeps on track with marine conservation and environmentalist efforts. the bulk of her charity work involves children, addiction and mental health. she spends a lot of her time in romania going to orphanages. sis wants to save the world.

she was a counselor for hearts across romania, and is currently an art curator at the national museum of art of romania.

a vegan legend. the girl loves to cook too.

definitely not naive but she’s naturally curious.

right now i need every plot you could ever think of so pls hmu in the discord!