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soysaucevictim · 4 years ago

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Week 4.

Apr. 3

I woke up around 10AM.

After a bit of time on the usual, I went along with brother out to a local Best Buy out of town. We wound up staying there a few hours to get the stuff we needed/wanted to from them.

Got a rather large but tasty burrito and some churros from a small/obscure Mexican food place afterward.

Spent several hours at home slowly eating it and waiting on that to digest...

The only exercise I got in today was the DD. 2′ balance hold (1′/1′, arms up, raised leg forward). A fun exercise determined by the time management and barely finishing digesting dinner... that that was the only exercise I was up for.

I got to bed a bit earlier than yesterday, but still in the red zone.

Apr. 4

I woke up after 1PM and one of the first things I did was start on today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 30 reverse angels with EC. Manageable, still awkward negotiating floor space and not

Second, Day 19 of the SOP. Level 3, no rest. No assist/chair for the “squats“ and calf raises. Seated for the leg raises and raised leg swings. Breezy.

Last, Day 19 of the RbP. Level 3, max rest. Had a few wobbly moments to maintain my balance for the calf raises. But manageable. I thought about shortening the rest - but I think my ankles were happier about that.

Hit the showers and went to the grandparents for Easter Dinner. Mostly was irritated at old computer because I wanted to get in a bit of writing done, maybe. Didn’t work. Despite that, I stayed away from aggravating convo topics.

Spent rest of night on the usual, when we got back home.

I got to bed around the same time as yesterday.

Apr. 5

I woke up after 11AM and updated some logs, preparing for my therapy appointment today.

Appointment went alright. Mostly service plan stuff... trying to get everything to jive with the assessment and whatnot. Did run out to convenience store again after that, having given the driver some lead-time.

I got going on my exercise pretty much as soon as I got home.

First, today’s DD. 20 jump squats with EC. Manageable.

Second, Day 20 of the SOP. Level 3, no rest, no drops. Arm stuff, modestly fatigued by the end of it, but still easy enough for me.

Last, Day 20 of the RbP. Level 3, max rest. Ab stuff, was a bit hesitant to get into this with food choices. But glad there wasn’t much protest there. I also made sure to keep the legs off the ground for all the knee-to-elbow crunches and hollow holds. Letter form was a tiny by sloppy., but I still felt mounting fatigue. Also just glad it was only 4 rep/count intervals.

After chatting and listening to music. I decided I needed to get a nap, my brain was pea soup at that point.

When I got back up, did get a bit of writing done, before heading back to bed, proper.

I got to bed around the same time as yesterday.

Apr. 6

I woke up around 11AM again. and one of the first things I did was start on today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 10 plank walk-outs, doable.

Second, Day 21 of the SOP. Level 3, no rest. A bit more on the flexibility and balance department - enjoyable.

Last, Day 21 of the RbP. Level 3, max rest. Did all the hidden burpees, I liked the jacks more than the up/downs, but c’est la vie. Got me pretty bushed by the end. Was tempted to do more bouncing/jacks afterward to chase a feeling - but I decided I’d ease up on the calves today.

Did some shopping and fic reading, before starting to get dad prepped for his appointment tomorrow.

Spent rest of night on the usual. I guess I was tired enough to get to bed in the yellow zone - just before 2AM.

Apr. 7

I woke up a bit before 8AM, today.

Had to help dad make preparation for an appointment today. Did some shopping had started on my exercise...

First, today’s DD. 2′ wall-sit with EC. This is giving me some second thoughts on placing that tapestry where I did, because I was worried about just how much tension I was applying whilst doing this. It stayed, but I felt like I was pushing my luck. Definitely felt the quads burning, too.

(After Seeking Safety Group, which was alright, getting home, and doing some of he usual shit...)

Second, Day 22 of the SOP. Level 3, no rest, no assist (only taking seat for the frontal leg raises... though I think the next time I need to do these, I’ll do slow front kicks, maybe). Breezy leg day stuff.

Last, Day 22 of the RbP. Level 3, 30″ rest. Given how taxing/draining today was... I’m happy that I had an easier day overall. More leg work, did try to make the side leg raises higher than waist. Liked the balance stuff involved here.

Decided to take some preliminary measurements of the jam jars for a planned sewing project I had for them. Spent rest of night on the usual.

I got to bed at an obscene hour again.

Apr. 8

I woke up around 1PM.

Pretty much immediately after waking up, I decided to start baking another batch of shortbread cookies with Roman’s jam. After a bit of the usual, did today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 50 knee strikes with EC (25/25). Doable and fun.

Second, Day 23 of the SOP. Level 3, no rest, no drops. Arm work - felt a bit of fatigue by the end of it, but happy I was able to tally my sets well enough.

Last, Day 23 of the RbP. Level 3, 1′ rest. More arm work, more fatiguing. But manageable work~

Did some dishes and then made today’s Hello Fresh meal. Spaghetti with Brussels sprouts & parm. I thought it was pretty tasty. A little bit involved shredding up all those sprouts, but it was an interesting way to eat them. Bro suggested cooking them whole (which would cut down some prep time, tho), dad said nah to that, i didn’t really have a prob with either idea.

Spent rest of night on the usual before earnestly started to draft the designs for the jars. Got a bit irritated about dad criticizing the endeavor... =_=

I guess I was tired enough to get to bed in the yellow zone - just before 2AM.

Apr. 9

I woke up around noon.

After some reading and the usual, I got going on today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 30 side-to-side lunges with EC. Manageable.

Second, Day 24 of the SOP. Level 3, no rest. Pretty breezy flexibility day again.

Last, Day 24 of the RbP. Level 3, max rest. Might’ve gotten away with shortening my rests - but stomach’s been a bit temperamental. so kinda glad I didn’t push it. This was bridges and leg raises, very manageable load.

Spent time on the usual stuff before spending more time to iterate on those bag designs, more to scale.

I got to bed obscenely late again.

#adventures with fitness #adventures with hello fresh

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fuck-customers · 5 years ago

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Happy New Year hope you like Heatstroke

Yeah so. Event Services binch back with a long and harrowing tale. Those two shift days in a row on 30th and 31st were nooooot good for me. This is pretty much a 'Fuck how shitty my boss gets when she's stressed and also just fuck 14 hour shifts in general'.

The 9hrs on Monday turned into 9.5 hours. In 30c+ heat (and just a reminder, Sydney is currently constantly covered in smoke haze, we are always breathing smoke), but a breeze came through early afternoon to save us some. There was 4 of us putting up park signange in prep for the NYE event. I ended up schleping the ladder around a lot, I was the only one on that team that actually does weights so i carried a lot. Not a problem really except the signs and ladder are awkward to carry. Only real issue that day was my dinner was in the fridge all day which... turned out hadn't been working for 2 days (why they hadn't fucking put a sign on it about that I DON'T KNOW). Lots of people's shit got thrown out. My food was only just edible after nuking in the microwave cause i keep it in a thermo lunch bag.

The worst was NYE. 13 hour shift (it actually became a 14 hour shift). Started at 12pm, set to finish at 1am (I finished at 2). The sun was not forgiving, we had way more signage to put up because we had to wait for barriers to be set up before we could add signage to them (like line barriers for rides, entry barriers for VIP areas, that kinda thing). Our instruction sheets were BAD. They had OLD pictures that were tiny so seeing what signs were supposed to go where was hard. There was only three of us, the weather was in the high 30's and I'm sure it hit 40 at one point.

I ate a small brunch at 10 that morning. I did not get a break by 5pm like we were supposed to (park was to open at 6:30). I was yelled at by my boss for all the signage being in the wrong places and wasting cable ties (none of that signage I put up, or signage i put up with someone else's instruction they had gotten from my boss btw, so why i got yelled at idk). I was told to go straight up to my box office shift, I did not realise the box office was located outside with no shade during NYE (there was a marquee but the sun was low and behind us so *shrug* no sun cover).

I had to share a locker because NYE be like that, but the person I was sharing with was a ditz, and she thought I had the key, and she either lost it or didn't look for it properly in her pockets. Either way, I had to frantically run around in 38c trying to find her to get in the locker to change into the long black uniform pants I have to wear for box shift.

By the time i found her, got my pants on, walked all the way out the front and up the stairs and up the hill and down the path to box i was nearly dead. The other girls there told me i could sit cause it wouldn't get busy for a while. So i sat on a bench and then became very aware of how hot i was and how much i was not cooling down and i felt nauseous. And I had had like 2 and a half litres of water at this point, I have a 1ltr bottle so it makes tracking that easy. It just wasn't doing enough.

One of the Guest relations people hanging out up there went 'yeah okay you need first aid' so she got me some hydrolyte and escorted me down once I'd shaken off enough dizziness to walk again. Was in First Aid for half an hour, they got me to drink more hydrolyte and put an ice pack on my neck and gave me a barley sugar lozenge to get my blood sugar up. Then i was finally given my half hour break on their insistence. Got to eat at last. Had to check in with FA before going back to my box shift, and thankfully by then, about 6:30, a wind change came through making the temp drop about 10 degrees.

But I basically spent the time between then and 11:30 recovering ( I was on guest list duty and also did ticket collect, it was pretty quiet tho). At 9:40 my boss called one of the shift leads up at Box to see if they could send me home, and I had to say no. I was scared they'd FORCE me to leave after the heatstroke thing, but i NEED the money, this is my ONLY job, and I'm not even getting the pay for it til two weeks into the new year (it fell into the next pay period and i had no shifts inside the previous pay period).

They apparently were sending several peripheral staff home, I felt like I needed to find extra jobs to do just so they'd let me stay, but also, if i didn't stay past midnight i wouldn't get the public holiday bonus. I NEED THAT TOO. ESPECIALLY after all the work I'd done the day before, it felt like a fucking slap in the face even though i knew it was them trying to make sure I didn't end up getting sick and suing or some shit (As if i have the money to sue). Also I'd miss the Fireworks, which while not my main concern, still a bummer, because my dudes. Sydney Fireworks on NYE with a view from where I work. People pay more money than I currently have just to experience it. Honestly it's part of the payoff for the hell shift.

THANKFULLY my boss went 'ah right okay yeah just stay up there on guest list til the original end of shift'. I also made sure to stick my nose in on the sales end so i could use it as basic box office pre-training, since my boss has already said she wants to train me on box office. Somewhere around 10 I had my second break and wolfed down my food (they had a replacement staff fridge working that day thankfully) which i was glad i brought cause I never got given a staff wristband, brief sheet or token for a provided meal. Because I started before that sign in procedure was even set up for the rest of the staff. And then i went about taking down signage about 11:30, and then I did the running around taking signage down after 12, and like... the area we're in involves some steep hill walks to get to these outside sign placements (I'd put half of them up so it also made sense for me to go take them down).

And that's where MORE fuckery came in, because the shitty instructions didn't tell me where ALL the signs were, so i had to go HUNTING for the ones i HADN'T put up, and i swear either another department took them down and didn't relay that, or they'd been removed by council or something thinking they belonged to council. Either way i was up and down those fucking hills with horribly chaffed thighs, sore legs, sore arms, cut up hands from removing signs with cable ties too tight, and I couldn't find half the fucking signs. but at least I took one of the newbies with me to help look so I had a witness to not being able to find things.

So yeah. I had to go find my supervisor (no idea where boss was, prefer supervisor anyway, she's nicer under stress and poor thing was pulling a 19 hour shift) and let her know I was an hour over my finish time and which signs we hadn't been able to retrieve. She was fine with that, the rest of the people were scheduled for packdown to like 3:30 so she sent me to sign out.

And then i had to just sit for about 45 minutes back of house with some of the others who'd clocked off at 1 and who were waiting for the free leftovers from the VIP areas that came out at 3. I had a tiny tasty cake thing but that was it, then I left at 3 and got home about 4:45. Didn't get to sleep til about 5:30.

And I've spent yesterday and today trying to recover but now Iv'e got weird low-buzz tinnitus in my left ear that started yesterday and hasn't fucked off, several bruises, many muscle aches, and I'm kinda dreading facing my boss again even though she probably doesn't really care much about the signage thing, she just gets really shitty and yelly under stress. But of course I've been gaslit and mistreated in so many of my other jobs that the voice in the back of my head is constantly going 'watch out bitch you might get randomly terminated at any moment!!!' even though i know i probably won't.

I can just never be sure anymore. Can't trust anyone when it comes to work. Can never relax my guard, going to be stressing about it for a long time. I am never agreeing to a shift that long again though. And definitely not doing anymore outdoor setup shifts in Summer.

Honestly hoping this ear buzz shit goes away at some point. In the end for my 23.5 hours of work in 2 days I'll probably maybe get $500 after tax. Maybe. Which will only just be floating my account by the time i get it. Everyone else was talking about having that sweet NYE bonus cash and I'm like ;u; yeah. Sure. haha. Bonus cash. TnT I need a proper fucking career job already i am so tired.

#submissions #cashier problems #fuck retail #server problems #fuck managers #submission

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jess-abides · 5 years ago

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FMLS90 Catch-Up: Week 2

10/14 - Tell us about your planning process. Are you a planner or do you prefer to “roll with it” as things come at you? How do you deal with life’s unexpected challenges?

I love to plan and tend to get anxious when I don’t have a plan (enneagram 6 what’s up). But I also tend to abandon my plan when something with more instant gratification comes up (enneagram wing 7 what’s up). I go through phases where I am very scheduled and regimented and that works for me, and others where I sort of fly by the seat of my pants. These times are more stressful for me and my base level of anxiety is higher. I’ve been in a more “roll with it” phase for the last several months, but I can feel the tides turning back toward planning and I am grateful. I’d love to learn to take more control over these competing tendencies of mine, rather than letting them control me.

10/15 - What is one of your goals that you know in your heart, is going to be tough? What can you do today to make meeting that goal just a little easier?

One of my big goals outside of losing weight (which, obviously, is and has been tough for me) is paying off my debts (credit cards, car loan, student loans). I make enough money to get by, but I often feel like I don’t make enough to get ahead. I live in an extremely high COL area and make a very average salary (for the US, not the Bay Area), which makes me feel like I’m just treading water most of the time. So I tend to get into the mindset that the scope of my debt is so big that the money I would save by not ordering sushi is sort of irrelevant, you know? But I have gone through seasons where I am much more intentional about my spending and I know I really can make progress if I put my mind to it. So today, I will update my DailyBudget app with my current income and expenses, so I can get back to using that daily!

10/16 - Tell us about your experiences meal planning and or pre / freezer cooking.

I used to meal prep every Sunday and loved it. Then I started working a job that required me to work Sundays, and it really threw me off. I left that job this summer (🙌🏻) and am now trying to get back into the habit of using my Sundays for meal planning and prepping.

10/17 - Do you have a budget? How do you plan for and deal with unexpected expenses?

Currently, no. I try to keep a small chunk of money in my savings account to pay for car repairs or unexpected whatevers. But it’s definitely not enough and I am tired of the cycle I’m in now of depleting that fund and having to replenish it before making it bigger and/or paying down my debt.

10/18 - If you had to offer the group one tip about preparing for success, what would it be?

“You are not missing out on nothing when you are getting ya shit together” -Donte Colley (everyone please follow his instagram right now). Just don’t be afraid to turn down plans or bail on things if you’re making yourself a priority and getting shit done.

10/19 - What is one small step you can take in the next 24 hours to make 2020 better? Some examples - sign up for a race, make an appointment with a mental health professional, forgive someone. Do this and report back.

Figure out how to update my income information with Covered California. I’ve been underpaying on my health insurance, because I am making more money than I was when I first signed up and got my subsidized price, but it really fucked me over on my taxes this year and I spent more than half the year paying off my tax bill (also because my withholdings were wrong). I know I will owe money again this year, but I am going to spend the next several months saving up so it doesn’t hit me as hard. But updating my information now will make my life less stressful moving forward, because I’ll be paying the right amount and won’t be dreading getting fucked on my taxes again like I have been all of this year.

10/20 - That goal you mentioned on 10/15. Have you taken action on it? Tell us about it. If you haven’t - do it. Now :)

I’m gonna do it tonight, I swear!

#fmls90

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fursasaida · 5 years ago

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in a wild twist, instead of just to-do listing i am retroactively to-do listing because for some reason i feel a desire to lay out everything i’ve done in the past few weeks as well as what i still have to do. i assume this is a processing thing. go about your business as usual

between 8/8 and 9/4:

go to maine

allow myself to be celebrated by extended family

change travel plans to drive to boston with parents

work out plans with boston friends

return to NYC

email new student buddy

buy plane tickets to CA

buy train tickets to DC

buy some decent new clothes for the first time in like 9 years so that i might hope for a shred of credibility as a teacher

buy something to wear to wedding #1

phone call with advisor about exam

follow-up call with advisor about exam

finish spreadsheet of every single thing published in [journal name redacted] between january 2009 and august 2019

tally frequency of topics in said spreadsheet over that period

choose two “major debates” from the spreadsheet

turn those debates + tally observations into a 3000 word essay

go to new student buddy lunch

finish political geography syllabus

(this included reading or rereading a LOT of stuff)

write annotated bibliography of everything on geography syllabus (idk how many things this was but the bib is like 16 single spaced pages? eta: i did a rough ~calculation and i think there are 60 or 70 texts on this list, all of which i had to summarize, explain relevance for, and position in relation to the other things i grouped with them on the syllabus)

do final edits on memory lit review

have followup mtg with the TLC people

figure out what the fuck is going on with the class i’m TAing

when does it meet again? where?

how do i get to QC?

lead first section

have meeting with professor

start the process of getting admin shit sorted out at QC

get blackboard access

find the fucking building where IT even is

get IT/email account set up

activate said account

inquire with judy about what to do about canceled class

spend like an hour figuring out how to add WIUs because our university’s website is a hellbegotten warren

get judy to process overrides for this

file for state residency

download and print every single electric bill since i moved in here

download and print 2018 tax return

fill out form

clarify with HR that my current registration situation is not going to cost me money or cause other problems

travel to DC

attend wedding

make it back to NYC

find and download all the books for soc class

create decent file trees for this semester’s classwork and teaching

do reading for soc class week 1

prep overnight for leading section mtg #2

read 5 chapters

summarize 3

make a sheet for small group work

print 14 copies

lead section mtg

do reading for GIS class week 1

write response/questions for GIS class week 1

get access to GIS class’s TWO blackboard sites AND its wiki

find out what the rules are for reference materials during the oral exam

do some extra side reading in prep for said oral exam

answer something like 10 student emails about absences and homework

msg TF about little syria

to do, 9/5-9/6:

PAY RENT

update blackboard site for my section because the prof keeps fucking changing shit

go to thursday lecture if i wake up and feel up to it bc frankly while i should go there is just. there’s a lot going on

on the other hand i should really do this so i can go back to the dreaded IT building at QC to get a campus ID so that i can let my own students into my classroom next week, god

do final prep for oral exam

reread submitted documents

print submitted documents

print metadata tab of spreadsheet in case

reread selections from syllabus and read others all the way through for the first time

maybe make some notes about this??

maybe make some notes about the things i know for sure i’ll be asked about

have oral exam

get fucking hammered with RJ

to do, 9/7-9/11:

start the equally insane ID acquisition process at HC again bc they only give you IDs that last for one year so you have to redo it every time

go to the office to get letter

inevitably email whatsername when she’s not there to set an appointment

therefore inevitably make second trip to office

take letter to ID office

get a new library sticker on GC ID

go to little syria tour with or without OA, who is not answering my texts

check in with him again to make sure he’s doing ok

go to It with MD

dry cleaning, maybe also laundry

decide whether to put my name in for a committee this year (why couldn’t this happen like ONE week later PLEASE)

reading for soc class

go to monday lecture

fucking prep for discussion section #3 further in advance this time

eat a damn vegetable (i ought to go grocery shopping but i’m going out of town again on the 14th so like what is the point)

identify, buy, and ship belated wedding gift for wedding #1

figure out gift for wedding #2

lead section mtg #3

figure out what the fuck is up with AAG

clean this absolute raccoon nest of an apartment oh my god??

#to do listing #I AM TIRED

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lukefox24 · 5 years ago

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I worked at a chipotle in Brooklyn for 6 months and it was literally the worst job I've ever had. They refused to teach me anything and just had me clean and do dishes every day my whole shift. I had constant pain in my hands from washing dishes for hours and was told "that's the price you pay for working here". My last day there I was starting to make the vinaigrette (one of the prep things they let me do besides grate the cheese and run errands because they were constantly running out of everything) and the cup part of the mixer was up high and when I went to reach it, it fell and broke. Complete accident but they didnt care. One of the managers sent me to another location to make the vinaigrette but I had to bring them a giant 50lb block of cheese. I'm a 5"1' 125lb trans dude with noodle arms and had to carry that block of cheese 15 mins away across traffic to the next location. No cart. No buggy. No uber. Just me and myself and I. So I get to the other store. Make the stupid vinagrette, my arms shaking the whole time from exhaustion and go back to my store. They have me shred cheese for them. Normally I would do like 2 to 3 blocks of cheese at a time so I take that all out (arms still shaking) and then the manager is like "you just need to 1 block for now". I'm pissed and ask him why he didn't tell that before I got the cheese out, I'm exhausted and my arms wont stop shaking. He the proceeds to tell me that's my fault and that I shouldn't have broken the blender. Cuz you know I just wanted to do all that for fun. I quit right there on the spot and walked out. Not worth 8 to 16 hours a week at minimum wage ($11 an hr at the time which is basically nothing after taxes in NYC).

I could go on and on about shit that they did and said while I worked there. Assholes...

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behardonyourself · 6 years ago

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A Deadline Saved My Life

Never underestimate the power of a deadline. Just think about how much shit you are able to get done when the boss tells you that if something isn’t finished by 4:30pm then you’ll be working on the weekend. Or the things that your business is able to accomplish at the end of the year to meet a sales goal? That insane tax return that you’re able to figure out on April 15th at 11:59pm?

On December 12, 2018, I once again became serious about my health and fitness. I have mentioned it a million times here on this blog and in Social Media that I had a heart attack scare in June, 3 weeks before my daughter was born. Still, I kept making excuses of why I wasn’t doing anything to fix my shitty health. My doctor was getting even more frustrated with me, especially after he realized that I had a very extensive background in health, nutrition, and fitness, yet, I was accepting that I had to take cholesterol and blood pressure medicine daily, my liver was beat all to hell, and I was heading toward becoming a diabetic.

How in the hell could I have settled for being winded carrying the groceries in, nearly blacking out when I tied my shoes, and feeling like absolute trash every morning because of the structured diet of vodka, beer, and wings from the night before?

Back in December, I knew I needed to get really extreme. I was through fucking around. I was tired of being tired. I made a constant effort to find motivation from amazing people daily. I know this is typically short-lived, but I just needed to find that one thing to get off my ass on THAT day and do something. I started reading about the crazy things that ultra-athletes were doing and found it weirdly inspiring, but also conceded that it wasn’t ever going to be something that I was to partake in.

After the new year, an ad for a Spartan Race popped up in my Facebook feed. While I was familiar with Obstacle Course Racing (OCR), I had really never considered doing it. I so wanted to become a runner again - I would see runners on the side of the road and would often think “damn, I wish I could do that”. But after nearly collapsing after 1/4 of a mile in October, I would quickly have a thought that was usually along the lines of “Ah fuck that noise.”

Anyway, this Spartan Race was different. It was to be held INSIDE of AT&T Stadium on June 22, home of the local professional football team. Since I live in the Dallas area, that team happens to be the Dallas Cowboys. Holy shit - IN the stadium? On the field? JUST 3 miles and some change? I’m in and since my 14 year old is a huge Cowboys fan, I signed his ass up too. I sat down with him and we watched last year’s race and we both agreed that it looked really fucking cool.

By this time, I had worked my way up to a couple of miles and although it still hurt, it still sucked, and I still dreaded it, I had hope. With the race on the horizon, I had a specific goal. Finish this race with my son without dying, and not to look like a fucking idiot out there.

Then, something else happened. I started reading more and more about Spartan Racing. The videos looked amazing - playing outside in the dirt and mud? Holy shit how bad ass is that? I read absolutely everything Spartan related and realized that they had a “Trifecta”: an achievement given to those who complete the Sprint or Stadium race (3+ miles), the Super (8.5 miles), and the Beast (13.5+ miles) in one calendar year. The Beast can be exchanged for the Ultra Beast, a 50K plus OCR.

That would totally be bad ass, I thought. “Man, I need to do that next year. For now, let me focus on the race on June 22.”

I allowed that thought to last for less than one day before I realize that allowing myself to just settle for “good enough” was why I couldn’t walk up the stairs without breaking a sweat. Since Spartan has races all over the world, I found the 3 races that made sense in a time frame that was realistic:

June 22 in Dallas (3+) because I live here.

August 10 in Super in Boston because one of my friends lives there and at that time, I thought it would give me enough time to prep.

October 26 here in Dallas for the Beast - I live here, and I’d need every second of that to compete.

I signed up and paid for all of the races, including travel to Boston. I figured that level of finality and urgency would force me to get my shit together and to not be a pussy about it.

Now realizing that I had three races that were distances that I hadn’t run in a couple of decades and one that was a greater distance than I had ever run at one time, I decided to ratchet my training up a bit. Since running still hurt like a bitch for a few days after (I was still a fat ass), I was spending time on the Peloton to burn excess calories and get my cardio health stronger. I even started swimming once per week.

Now, don’t get me wrong: Sport specificity doesn’t transfer very much between different activities. Being a great cyclist doesn’t mean you can run, and being an amazing runner doesn’t mean you can swim, and vice versa. Those three sports are completely unique and to become decent at one, you must train specifically for that discipline.

My goal was not to become great or even very good at any of those things; I just wanted to stay active and ride my new found drive and discipline.

Then, seemingly overnight, it clicked. I didn’t suck too terribly at running. While running in the state park near my home, my planned 3 mile run turned into a 12 mile run and I felt I could go further. I had been known to ride the Peloton for 90-120 minutes at a time, but as far as running, I usually felt like I was dying at the 2-3 mile mark. But there I was, breathing normally, feeling “light”. I hadn’t felt this way in decades.

The swimming was coming along a bit, and I thought “Damn, I should do a sprint triathlon.” Well, like Spartan, that thought was in my head for all of a day before I made the decision to look at a full Ironman in a year. That didn’t even last a day before I decided to register for the full deal: 140.6 mile Ironman Triathlon in Tempe, Arizona on November 24, 2019.

I believe in having goals so big that they scare the absolute shit out of you.

To say this goal scared the shit out of me was an absolute understatement. I had run more than 10 miles exactly once since 2002. I had NEVER ridden a real road bike (only a mountain bike with road wheels and one road bike that was probably sized for a short 14 year old) and had never even thought of swimming more than a couple thousand yards. But I had actually committed to swim 2.4 miles, ride a bike 112 miles, run a full 26.2 mile marathon consecutively on the same day with 17 hours to finish. What in the fuck was I thinking?

Well, first thing was I needed a fucking bike. A close friend (same height) offered me his to test out and while it was uncomfortable as hell at first, once I figured everything out, I was hooked. I rode 30+ miles at once within a week, 50 in the first 3 weeks, and now 60-100 is a piece of cake. Aaaaand I typically ride after a swim or a run (or do one or the other after I ride these distances).

It’s crazy to explain, but I have already finished this race. My mind is convinced that I am already an Ironman. Actually going to Tempe in November and DOING the race is a foregone conclusion and is just a matter of ironing out the details. Funny thing? I have decided to do the Ultra Beast 50k in Dallas on October 26, less than a month before Ironman.

Make no mistake, my motivation and determination is higher than it has ever been, and like most, I don’t feel like training probably 50% of the time, but I do it. It is who I am. Now, being in that pool, on that bike, or running some insane distance is who I am.

The task of completing these races would’ve been unthinkable 6 months ago in the shape I was in (shirt is Dec 12, 2018, no shirt is May 12, 2019):

Hell, and Ironman is a task for anyone in ANY shape. But I’m dedicated and to me, it feels as if it is a spiritual quest and something that I am on this earth to do. Medication free since February, and completely plant-powered.

What’s next? I’m already looking at other seemingly crazy challenges: 100+ mile runs, Ultra Man, Epic 5. I don’t know what I’ll find, but I know it’s going to be some epic shit, and, man, the journey is going to be so fucking amazing.

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thoughtsofprocrastinator · 7 years ago

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Want to be Happy; Streaming Ideas/Wants

I want to say that it's been one long ass and hard few weeks. I was depressed and so stressed out from work and parents that I just literally lived in my bed once I got home from work. I hardly did much of anything. The only good day I had was the day I streamed Splatoon2 and I had a fun time. But, it seems that things are starting to turn up a bit. Streaming has become a relaxing thing, even though I still need to learn audio. I'm also taking back about streaming on Twitch. I rather just stream on Youtube because I feel it's just nice to enjoy talking to the subs that come and just want to chill and have a good time. It's nice to see old faces in them, and also see new faces and possible new regulars. It's kinda fun. But, I feel that I will need to make a schedule for streaming soon as well as learn that I can't stream for a long time like I usually do. At most the longest streams will be like...3 hours. The reason is that, we (parental units and myself) were SUPPOSED to live with my sister and her family into a big house. I was excited since I planned out how to handle my new room with getting new furniture and stuff. However, the backfire happened where mom told my sister that their family can live in the basement of our current house since it isn't being used and save up more money to get a much better house and have better monthly rates and all that jazz. So now, with the kids at play and the floor and walls are paperthin, streaming will be a challenge but I still an willing to give it a try to do it; Even if I have to stream for only 3 hours at a time to do so. I don't think people will mind. Afterall, people have been getting mad at my 10 hour streams LMAO. I just enjoy it. It's nice and I like to see others enjoying themselves. Another issue is what games to stream. I already have some ideas; LoZ: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2 here and there, I got a request for Princess Maker series (thanks Anise for the game to be streamed once I can stream again), another request for YGO: Duelist of the Roses, and I thought of doing small games in general. However, I do wish to play some Otome games, and I'm not sure if people will DIG such things. Otome games are a huge hit or miss with me in general. I love ones that CARE about plot and don't fuck up with characters and add stupid BS into them (aka about 90% of mobile otome games). I like ones that make me enjoy the plot and make me go "HOLY SHIT" at points and whatever. I think it's because Amnesia: Memories totally set the bar HIGH for me and my choice of them. But, I still wish to do them. Maybe I'll make a few strawpolls or whatever regarding this sort of stuff of games to stream. For now, I'll keep doing what I am doing. I'll plan out a schedule HOPEFULLY by the end of September and try to stick with it and not stop. I want to get back on the horse and just go, y'know? At the moment though, I'm tired as fuck. I've been grinding skill cards in Persona 4 Golden to prep for Margaret fight and I still need to set myself up for the twins in Persona 5. And with all the stress from work and feeling depressed for two weeks and living on my bed....it's just hard to relax. And I know with the kids here it will be even more taxing. So, with streaming, let's hope it will make me feel better and enjoy the time I spend with friends in calls and in the chatroom to make it less painful for my mind to handle. Now....time to sleep. =_=;

#Kourine Narumi #KourineNarumi #Streaming #Sleep Drunk Writing #Help Me I Feel Dead Inside #CanisSkye

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zydrateacademy · 8 years ago

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Retrospective Review: The Entire Mass Effect Franchise

Andromeda is coming out in a week (as of this writing) and I feel like I want to revisit the franchise. I’ve done a post like this a few years ago when my blog was new but didn’t really settle in on a style and it was kind of garbage with a lot of pointless paragraph breaks. First, some quick insight. I was born in ‘89. That means I was too late to life to be considered an “80’s” kid, and the 90’s were half over before I was able to form real likes, dislikes, or memories. It’s a strange bit of flux because most of my “Nostalgia” is usually in the form of Legos as opposed to comics, games, movies, etc.

It’s a flux that’s kind of leaked into my daily life. My family is not, and never has been particularly affluent. Every extra ten dollars we find, we think “YES. A few days of gas” or “YES. Lunch money.” We’re not poor, we’ve never had a lot of room for amenities. We update our computers basically once every 5-10 years based primarily around income tax returns. Whatever hand-me-down I get from person who was able to afford their new computer, it was always better than what I had. A problem that has recently been remedied when I was employed for two and a half years as a part-time cashier still gave me enough to buy my own completely up to date computer that will last me the next five years on its own. Stick with me, I’m getting to the point. As a result of all of that, I tend to not be able to get games as they come out. Especially not games that turn into these huge franchises. A few games hold special places in my heart BECAUSE of the very fact that I was able to start with them. Mass Effect is one of those series. I started with it on the Xbox, probably borrowing it from a friend initially and playing it in bite-sized chunks before getting it used (likely bought for me like everything else was). The story starts out well. Your character (do I even really need to name them at this point?) is on the track to becoming a Spectre, a sort of special service agent for the entire alien government. During the screening process, another Spectre goes rogue and the entire game is building up a sort of power base against him while discovering a secret of the universe that may lead to the death of everyone in it. Damn. Ramped way the hell up, didn’t it? I suppose that’s fine, as studios don’t exactly expect all their games to shoot off the way they do sometimes. Mass Effect was good for its time. A fairly basic shooter with some RPG elements, in the older days where putting a point in your skills increased damage by 4%, and other things like that. It was incremental, but it had a cool idea based around a boring mechanic. Every few levels in the huge variety of skills you had at your disposal, you’d get a new ability or some kind of boost. Put enough points in “Fitness” and you’d unlock an ability called Immunity, an active ability that reduced taken damage by a flat rate for a few seconds. It’s interesting how the following two games basically dropped that idea, gave you the same 4-5 abilities (that vary per class), called it a day, and just built everything around those. It made the second game a certain kind of boring because every playthrough was effectively the same. You hotkey your main one or two attacks and just shoot stuff when it’s on cooldown. The second game’s story went sideways rather than forward, a point against its favor when looking back at the series as a whole. It continues, presumably a few months after the events of the first game and your ship gets shot out of space and Shepard literally dies immediately. In the introductory sequence establishes that you were picked up by the Cerberus organization and basically rebuilt like goddamn Robocop. I was expecting a “We have the technology!” type dialog but alas, we were deprived. Cerberus was an organization briefly mentioned in some tiny fetch quest in ME1 when you discover a small outpost had been husk-ified. To their credit, this definitely tied into what they would end up doing en masse in ME3 but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. They come to ME2 full force as Shepard is more or less forced to work with them when the mere association makes the alien council backpedal their support for Shepard, whom they presumed dead. As a result, you don’t see a lot of them in ME2. The whole story culminates in fighting a sort of human-based reaper that the collectors (who you later discover were reaper-possessed Protheans. Christ this series is weird) have been building by harvesting human colonies just on the edge of the government’s jurisdiction. Because of this they refuse to respond to the abductions and Shepard joins Cerberus to figure out this mystery and solve it. With bullets. Or whatever the hell comes out of guns in this universe. Something something mass effect fields. The entire game is basically the Dragon Age 2 problem all over again. It feels like it takes place in a single setting even though it doesn’t. It’s mostly padding. Half the game is loyalty missions as you run around to make sure your minions are happy enough with their lot in life, so they’re suicidal enough to do the suicide mission at the end but not suicidal enough to shoot themselves on the Normandy because they’re just not quite sure their father is still alive or not. I never liked this aspect of the game. Every where I turned, someone on my team was whining about something that barely mattered in the grand scheme of things. You could argue that settling their business gives them enough drive and morality to survive the mission at the end. If they didn’t have the morale, maybe they would be too sad to move out of the way of certain bullets. I get that, morale is a huge thing and I suffer from the gain and drain of it on competitive multiplayer games. I feel it, but it’s exhausting to try and manage it across a 20 to 40 hour game. Especially since the mechanics were dumbed down as I alluded to earlier. In the end, ME2 barely matters on a story standpoint and mostly served to update the graphics, systems, and mechanics from the first. To that end, they did fine. ME2 looks fine, even by today’s standards. In a more combat-oriented game, ME2 functions as a successor. This brings up to ME3. It opens up about a full year after the events of the second game, where Shepard is being punished for their actions in the Arrival DLC of ME2. Never got around to doing that DLC? Tough shit, as they reference it throughout the entire first act of the game and even later when you meet a Batarian on his deathbed. I played through it maybe once and I still don’t really understand what happened or why it was my fault, but there you go. Basically, in the second scene the reapers attack and fucking finally, the goverment lets Shephard get their best murder on and fly out to kick some actual ass. This is even lampshaded by Legion (a Geth teammate you acquire in late-game ME2) who told their own people that the reapers were coming and were believed immediately and began prepping. “Must be nice”, Shepard says. Indeed. The entire game is spent gathering war assets for the finale of the series. The more you have, the better it goes on a story standpoint. If you scrape for every asset you are capable of, there will be less loss of life. More soldiers on the field, more field assistance, and generally a slightly less bleak atmosphere (which is still pretty goddamn bleak). The mechanics are a crisper version of ME2′s. You still only have 4-5 main abilities to use per class but the leveling system is a bit more nuanced and more in-depth than before, which edged towards ME1′s style without being too stupidly gratuitous like adding 4% to damage. They saved that for actual gun modifications. The cover system has remained through the entire franchise (As it will continue in Andromeda) and it mostly serves to give you shield recharge while reloading your gun and not much else. Mass Effect 3 is probably my favorite of the entire franchise. Some are beholden to the first game as classic nostalgia, and I don’t know many who talk about 2 very much. However mostly decry the third game for its flawed ending and I chalk that up to a PR misunderstanding, or just bad wording on Bioware’s part. See, the sting mostly comes from when they claimed that “Oh the ending won’t be a simple A, B, C matter...” That’s exactly what it became. In the end you had the choice between destroying ALL synthetic life, taking control of the reapers for yourself and effectively fusing your consciousness with them, or if you gathered enough assets, full on synthesis. This basically fuses organic life with synthetic code, making everyone a sort of hybrid and thus rendering the Reaper’s flawed logic completely moot, and they fuck off into the void of space all over again. However for those who actually watched the endings, with the help of the extended cut, there’s a lot of nuances that that simple choice does not immediately seem apparent. In the extended cut you can see the multitude of your choices play out. Did you cure the genophage? You witness the rebirth of Tuchanka and see it get rebuilt in grand buildings with Krogan mothers celebrating their children. What did you do about the Geth/Quarian conflict? You see the results of that as well. Yes, the ending decision did boil down to an ABC choice but the ramifications of a few choices that you made since the first game still absolutely had an effect. A mass effect, if you will (please kill me). Ultimately I feel like there’s a lot more to do in ME3. I’ve played it for a few hundred hours, changing something big every time I do it. I take on a different lover, I switch sides and sabotage the genophage (which I will never ever do again because holy shit). I hop between Paragon and Renegade because it’s fun to watch the world change before my eyes as I decide to murder people that I would not otherwise have done. I do run out of things to do however as the level cap is 60, and if you’ve imported a ME2 save you’re probably already level 25-30 so it takes a single playthrough to max out. After that point, doing NG+’s only change a bonus power and maybe you can fiddle around with different weapon types and adjust playstyles. Which I did often. While I wrap this up with a sort of game-by-game summary, I want to give an honorable mention to ME3′s DLC, The Citadel. It’s often considered the ‘true’ ending to the series and is my personal headcanon post-final battle regardless of lives lost. It takes place on the Citadel (obviously) while most of your crew is on shore leave while the Normany gets cleaned up as it presumably does every time you dock anywhere across the franchise. Shepard’s life is never simple as it turns out there’s a plot against their life and must scramble to figure out another mystery. It’s an incredibly funny DLC with a ton of humor and mostly acts as a tone-shifting breather for the general “We’re all fucked” aura the game mostly gives you. It even ends on a “We’re all in this together” high note with most of your crew (And some from ME2 come back!) overlook a beautiful view while in the titular Citadel. So. We’ve reached the conclusion with my overarching thoughts on the franchise as a whole. It’s good. It’s an experience, and I highly recommend playing through it because there’s a lot to talk about. I’ll give a basic rundown. Mass Effect 1: Fine game, but has not aged well on a visual standpoint. Story is perfectly solid and moderately self-contained without originally relying on a whole franchise to carry it. RPG elements are excessive and each individual upgrade doesn’t feel like it does much until the higher levels. Mass Effect 2: Basically sidesteps its predecessor. Weak story that takes the plot nowhere but with crisper, actionized mechanics and less inventory menus to worry about. Mass Effect 3: Is the culmination of everything they learned from the last two games. More nuanced RPG systems that seem like a middleground between 1 and 2. Story comes to a solid conclusion, and I don’t agree with all the constant whining about how the endings ruined the entire game for some people. Grow up. I’m sure the game has some kind of anthology pack you can buy on sale at this point and I’d recommend giving it a go. If you’re a newcomer to the franchise, be prepared to set aside anywhere from 50 to 200 hours between the three games. If not, Andromeda takes place between the events of 2 and 3 while taking place in a completely different galaxy and will very likely only slightly reference the previous games. There’s the occasional nod, like you meet a sibling of the Turian female in Omega. Other little nods like that but it won’t be necessary to go through all three to enjoy the full experience of Andromeda. Can’t wait!

#Mass Effect #mass effect: andromeda #Andromeda #Bioware #EA Games #Electronic Arts

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gamesception · 8 years ago

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to do list - 2017/01/25

* breakfast/lunch/dinner * work/leave work * laundry/clean room * EDIT: don’t pay bills, it’s too soon

Why do I keep thinking this month is more over than it is? Wishful thinking?

*allowed to get breakfast, don’t spend otherwise

I fell off the wagon. Hard. Don’t really want to get into it right now. Maybe later.

Gonna take it easy today getting back on.

............................

work tasks:

* take messages/return messages * confirm friday * some filing

...............................

Alright, so, Friday my life. A post-mortem review.

This is going to sound so stupid. Please feel free to skip the percipitous freefall of whiny self hatred/self pity that follows. I’m mostly just writing it out to crystallize the mental concept of it in my head, in the hopes of being better at recognizing the warning signs of this behavior in the future.

Anyway, there I was, friday, after more or less a whole week of not sucking, and I arrive at work pretty much on time, and... Ok. So, I used to work the front desk? And now I mostly work back room (in our case basement) filing and such. So I have a lot of time to myself. And I’m on salary, so apart from needing to be in the office during our official hours to take calls, it doesn’t really matter exactly when or how long I’m there, so long as all my work gets done, which mostly consists of:

taking messages returning the messages / passing them along as needed calling to confirm appointments a few days in advance pulling & prepping patient charts for the next days’ appointments putting away the charts from the previous days appointments filing paperwork into patient charts as necessary.

It’s not all that much, and I’m basically paid (and officially scheduled) for part time work. However, again apart from having to be there to answer phones, the lack of direct oversight (I’m in the basement while everyone else is upstairs) and the fact that it doesn’t technically matter how long it takes me to do shit so long as the shit gets done (again, I’m on salary, so it’s not like I’m stealing hours or anything), creates this environment that very much enables my worse tendencies in terms of time management. I can get in this funk, where I waste a lot of time at work, usually on the internet (tumblr, game forums, whatever), sometimes other ways (reading a book, playing pokemon, just spacing the fuck out), and I end up dragging on and on until finally I snap out of it and call my people and throw the next days charts together, and finally leave the office after spending 8 to 12 hours when I was only supposed to be there for 4 to 6.

And then my entire day is gone. And I’m tired and starving so I end up stopping and eating like 2 to 3 meals worth of fast food garbage on the way home, and then feel sick to my stomach in the morning so I don’t eat breakfast and end up eating even more when I leave late the next day.

Worse, it actually does affect my work, because while answering messages and confirming appointments and pulling charts absolutely has to happen on time, the same can’t really be said about the filing. Like, nobody notices if the filing lags behind unless they’re looking for a specific thing in someone’s chart.

So.... yeah. On the one hand, this is the best (only?) job for me, because I don’t get fired for meing out every once in a while. On the other hand, it’s the worst job for me, because when I start to me out, there’s no immediate repercussions to stop me from falling entirely off the deep end.

Hence why ‘actually go the fuck home from work’ has consistently featured on my to-do list, even though one wouldn’t generally think someone would have to put that there. At least, not someone as lazy as myself. It has, if anything, been the most critical item on the to do list.

That’s also how there got to be a filing backlog that I’ve mentioned once or twice.

...................

So, that’s my lousy, all consuming work spiral, and the typical form my terribleness takes now that I’m no longer in classes for it to manifest in more flagrant ways. It is also the main reasons why I end up flaking out on so much else that I attempt to do, particularly on the blogging front, but also when it comes to studying, doing any sort of side projects, going out with friends, keeping up with family, job hunting, or just... just any of the many, many things that I should have had all the time in the world to do ever since I finished classes and only have a part time job’s worth of actual weekly obligations to fill.

And that’s the spiral I was making some good progress digging myself out of last week, albeit with less than the desired amount of progress made on the filing backlog. Until Friday. And apparently I had just over-taxed my self-management wires, because I fell right back in.

.......................

EDIT: you know what, I don’t need to dig into exactly how things went on Friday, or what stupid thing knocked me back in the hole, but in the hole I went.

...............................................

And then, feeling bad about myself on Saturday, I didn’t make a list or pay attention to anything I did and ended up eating way too many brownies and buffalo wings at the weekly D&D gathering, and I don’t know if it was the wings or the brownies, but one of the two turned my guts fucking inside out all through sunday and monday.

And then I caught a head cold that’s been going around, so had stuffiness & a sore throat on top of guts that were convinced I has swallowed a bunch of barbed wire instead of piles of delicious brownies and spicy chicken bits slathered in blue cheese dip.

The roommate, who I was so unfairly complaining about just last week, thinks I have been suffering from heart burn, and gave me some omeprazole. And to thank him for that, my sick ass ended up skipping his birthday party yesterday to stay home and play Skyrim, even though I wasn’t that sick yesterday, and probably could have gone if I had just pushed myself to go.

Which makes me a fucking ass hole on top of being a lazy git.

So, anyway, that’s what I’ve been up to, a lot of feeling sick and miserable, most of it over entirely self-inflicted hassles that hardly even qualify as serious damage, since the only thing that suffered as a result was my own self image. It left me utterly worthless for like a week, and I’m still sick, but fortunately the Doc’s been out of town this week, so work’s been more or less frozen, and my worthlessness hasn’t resulted in any real world harm to myself or anyone else.

..................

I’m trying to start getting back on track today, even though I still feel like shit. Although, because I still feel like shit, I didn’t even try to do a lot, other than just make a list in the first place. I’ll have to go into work on what is otherwise my day off tomorrow to finish getting things ready for Friday, and maybe, maybe, make some progress on that filing.

In the long scheme of things, it wasn’t that terrible a meltdown, but if I’m going to make any long term progress on not being a colossal sack of garbage, I’m going to have to do a lot better than ‘one week on, one week off’.

#to do list #2017-01-25 #ok #last week was going pretty well #kind of fell off the deep end over the weekend #gotta get back on track

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indianangel01 · 4 years ago

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A Corona Warrior's Tale of Woe

This is a guest post Day 75 of lockdown: More than 2 months of lockdown have passed by in a haze. On 21st March, our PM declared a nationwide lockdown. The next 10 days resident doctors spent in a limbo wherein we wondered about the upsurge of cases, what measures would be taken to contain them, and when would the public healthcare system be hit. What we didn't anticipate is how badly it would be hit and how fast it would crumble. I'm an exam going resident who got relieved of my duties as a resident on 1st February of this year. I was expected to give my International Council of Ophthalmology examination on 20th April and my M.S. Ophthalmology theory exam on 15th of May. By June end I was supposed to be a free bird. Cut to 1st April, all exam going residents who were neck deep in exam prep were recalled back for duties. Specifically covid duties. All exam leaves were declared cancelled until further notice. ICO flashed status of our exam as postponed to 3 months later. Shit was about to hit the fan. Those of us who were in the same city rejoined immediately, others from different cities and states scrambled to find transport to rejoin as the lockdown was in full swing and all trains and flights and cabs were suspended. We were given circulars saying legal action would be taken against anyone who didnt rejoin work. Our degrees were already at stake. A friend of mine spent 25000 and hired a car to come from Bangalore to Mumbai. There would be no mercy shown to those who couldn't show up. I work at Sion Hospital, one of the busiest in Mumbai. There was buzz that Nair hospital would soon be converted into a COVID designated hospital. Sion was referring positives to Seven Hills, Kasturbha. We were managing the workload quite efficiently. The first danger started when Dharavi got its first COVID positive case. Dharavi, last recorded population of over 8 lakhs, is situated exactly behind Sion Hospital, and its residents form a major chunk of our patient load. When cases started emerging from Dharavi, initially in single digits, then rapidly in double and triple digits, we knew Sion Hospital was about to go under the COVID wave. It was days before the State Government finally accepted that community spread had occurred in Mumbai. Community spread is spread basically which cannot be contact traced, direct contacts are already traced and tested; it's very difficult to contain a disease once community spread occurs. By the time the government declared community spread, Sion hospital was already receiving enough COVID cases that it could no longer refer to any other hospital. We had become a covid and non covid hospital now fighting to strike a work balance. Residents were shunted from departments to work in COVID wards in shifts. The Category A residents of specialties like Chest Medicine, General Medicine, Anesthesia would lead the fight; specialties like Obstetrics and Gynecology, Radiology, ENT and Ophthalmology were to struggle alongside. Ophthalmology as a specialty doesnt equip us to deal with either respiratory distress or cardiac arrest. Systemically unstable patients are encountered by an ophthalmic surgeon as frequently as chilly weather is encountered in Mumbai. Once in a blue moon. I was petrified of what I would even do in such a scenario. I hadn't declared a single death in three years of residency. More precisely, none of my patients had died in three years because systemically unstable patients are always stabilised before we operate on them. Thrust into an unending vortex of community screening, ward duty which was putting angiocatheters, catheterizations, blood collections, vital monitoring, paperwork with alternate managing of department duties- casualties, OPD and OT it started looking like residency would never really be over. Exams or no exams, this was war and everyone had to participate. Everyday we would get some new protocol from the authorities; some change in the period of quarantine we would be offered- which decreased from 7 day work and 7 day quarantine to 5 day work and 2 day quarantine to 9 days of work and 6 days of quarantine to 14 days of work and 9 days of quarantine and so on. Apex institutions disagreed with the Municipal Corporation which disagreed with institutes which disagreed with departments. The result? Residents were testing positive by the dozens. Within a couple of weeks, 61 residents at Sion Hospital had tested positive, some were critical, all were stressed and overburdened. Meanwhile Nair was declared COVID only and referrals of non covid patients to Sion had of course increased substantially. Sion was crumbling under the weight but apparently nobody except residents could see the cracks. One afternoon a video from Sion became viral. It was shot by the relative of one of the COVID positive patients and showed body bags on beds next to living patients. It didnt take long for everyone from civilians to the media to the government to raise questions about how Sion hospital was being managed so badly. They questioned the humanity of the doctors and the delay in transportation of dead bodies. What they didnt question was the reason behind it. They didn't question the lack of goverment investment in public healthcare since decades. They didn't question why noone bothered to rectify this when shortage of beds and manpower has been an issue way before this pandemic. And they definitely didn't question whether the government had let doctors down by sending them to battle ill equipped and underprepared. Residents were being made to work inhumane hours but noone had the energy to really speak against it because things were getting worse by the day. We lay in wait for the new resident batch to join so that we could get some respite. New circulars kept popping every day - "Residents will receive COVID work benefits of rupees 300 per say", "residents will receive a pay hike". Meanwhile our salaries were credited late, with a 10% tax cut, no COVID benefit and definitely no stipend hike. A stay order on the state merit list of new incoming resident batch was finally lifted a week ago, which gave us some hope. Hope that was immediately squashed by the administration which issued a circular saying no matter when the new residents joined, we would not be relieved of our duties till 31st July at the earliest. No word about our exams or if we would get a preparatory leave period. Meanwhile residents were thrust to the forefront while everyone else cowered conveniently behind us. We were being called "corona warriors" but we felt nothing more than a scapegoat. There is no glory in working a PPE suit so impervious your sweat forms puddles around your feet or taking swabs going from house to house in 40 degrees in a PPE suit. I wont even get into how worried our families were during this ordeal. My mother lives in Nagpur and with every phone call she was becoming increasingly worried and upset and I was becoming increasingly quiet. She asked me to leave everything and just come home. Nothing is more important than staying healthy, she said. Of course, I didn't listen to her. Though none of us had signed up for this, this was a price we would all have to pay, whether we liked it or not. What was awful to watch was not the fact that we all were being coerced into work, but the fact that not only were the people of Mumbai doing nothing to abide by the lockdown, but our administration wasn't supporting us with a well formulated protocol either. There was complete chaos in the way the pandemic was managed, right from availability of PPE and masks, to overlapping duty schedules, lack of facilities to isolate positive asymptomatic resident doctors and symptomatic ones, lack of facilities to keep asymptomatic positive patients and lack of tests. The government was refusing to let us test anyone asymptomatic, even those who had known contact with someone who had turned positive. Because of this, asymptomatic carriers were running rampant, and there was no way to identify who would be positive next until a 60+ person landed in respiratory distress in the emergency services. Instead of focusing on things like getting adequate PPE for residents, making sure they got salaries and other covid benefits for their services, their food needs were taken care of; airplanes were busy showering petals from the sky. Policeman had by this time given up on checking ID cards. Essential and non essential people were out on the streets. We were getting the usual trauma like assault when everyone was supposed to be maintaining social distancing and staying indoors. Some routine complaints like watering of eyes and refractive error were resurfacing. Clearly the pandemic seriousness had not permeated to all sections of the society, and even if it had, not even was being done to mitigate it. Amidst the chaos, the fear and frequent blasts of depressing bulletins, residents were waging a war against the virus that had left life as they knew it in shreds. Managing to treat patients to the best of their abilities, bringing smiles to cured patients, delivering babies, operating tumors and saving lives. All while praying they wouldn't contract the illness, praying they would be able to survive this pandemic with only emotional scars and nothing more. Now here we are, still exam going, still very much working, still frustrated, overburdened and exhausted. With no end of the pandemic in sight (the peak is yet to come) and monsoon around the corner, which itself brings a tidal wave of dengue, malaria and leptospirosis and no manpower nor hospital facilities to deal with the upcoming doom. Read the full article

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fuck-customers · 6 years ago

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Stingy boomer alert & other fuck you moments.

This is a mix of tmshit that has happened at my job. (I'm the one who works in a rural casino in the PNW. Hey all)

So as I stated before my casino is in the middle of like phase 2 remodels, because some spaces desperately need it & others had to be reworked from phase 1. Ok fine.

On 3/30/19 I am told that myself & 2 volunteers have to clear out a bar area for renovation & that I am to continue that action on 3/31. Which is a Sunday (the day I am supposed to get the extra work done from doing 2 other peoples jobs done) AND an inventory day! AND we are open & somewhat busy & short staffed! Fun!

We get a good start 3/30, but then we are told on 3/31 that we moved things to a wrong area. So we had to move all that shit again & finish the project. All the while, I came in at 4pm and still had to put in our alcohol order for the week. AND finish inventory (5 restaurants worth, between 3 people ON TOP OF tearing down and moving a bar).

We got it done, but my ass was still there at 8am the next day (yes. Yes. 16. Fucking. Hours) when 2 of my bosses came in for their shifts. & I had a 3pm shift later that day. (4/1. And no: this is not a joke). And I get snarked at for not having inventory done sooner. My boss kindly overlooked the fact that I cussed at her as I was leaving. But I was still expected to be there at 3. (I asked the AM relief supervisor if she could cover til 4 and she was like "oh but...I have plans..." ME TOO LINDA* LIKE SLEEP SO I DON'T MURDER ANYONE YOU WAFFLE IRON!!) I make it in at 3pm by the skin of mybteeth to find: we still jad to inventory the bar we tore apart. I talked to the inventory queen & was like "that isn't happening but all the alcohol is in the other bar that we *did* inventory so its just paper products & those are now X place want me to just count that off?" And she agrees but Mondays are Hella busy so I don't leave(again) until nearly 1am. Cue 2 days off, half spent just recuperating and being in general physical pain. FUCK my BoH director he was the one who INSISTED that we start the bar remodel now GRR.

So this weekend! (4/7) I come in at 1pm on Sunday to do orders & run one of our restaurants. Someone mentions that one of our renovated areas is to open the following day and I laugh thinking its a joke as it opens on 4/16.

Not a joke! They decided to soft open for the tribe! No one has stocked it except for soda! A fridge, a low boy & a freezer arent working! No one but me knows how to work the smoothie machine! There is no water connected! And best of all: THERE IS NO UPPER MANAGEMENT ON SITE TODAY.

The other supervisors/chefs who have been here for YEARS are like "hurr durr what do?" And I am like OMG GET MAINTENANCE R U KIDDING ME? Omg we have to stock it! OMG ITS EMPTY.

Thankfully AM supervisor #2 (lets call her Rachel) is like

Meanwhile my ass is like

And the 2 veteran chefs are like:

Agdjdkalkdyuejalkdhsyifh

I did have to connect w/ department director (.gif chosen very specifically cause she is kind and a badass but can absolutely challenge you)

& she gave me an attaboy b/c I Handled It & didn't panic & got my important shit done but!

GDI! I SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO MAKE UNILATERAL DECISIONS LIKE I DID. THIS IS LITERALLY ABOVE MY PAY GRADE.

My ass left at fucking 2am I worked a 13 hr day & I was STILL FIELDING CALLS THE NEXT DAY.

I WANNA KNOW WHO DECIDED TO OPEN UP A WEEK EARLY AND NOT FUCKING SCHEDULE ANYONE TO STOCK OR PREP? Cause it wasn't Director! UGH CAN WE STOP PLEASE ASSHATS??

And now! The title cunt of this long ass post: THE BOOMER.

So! Our buffet (all the rvcs really) has an 18% gratuity in parties of 8 or more policy. Have had it since I started. This SAME DAY that we are having to scramble to get this rvc stocked and opening ready, an 8top comes in and is charged gratuity. I have been to exactly nowhere in this state that does NOT do this when faced w/ a large party. 8 is the normal cutoff point.

I get a call from my host saying I may wanna talk to the table b/c they said it was forced (if you say no we can't add it, but most people don't say no, they ask 'why') and are being really shitty to the server.

So I ask cashiers: did they day no? No? Ok.

Get to table & one lady is like " this girl is getting 40 dollars of a tip this is ridiculous! Its not like she is BRINGING me my food! I shouldnt have to tip! At ALL." And stuff like "entitled little girl! We are BIG TIPPERS we don't need to be Forced to tip!" And other bullshit like that.

And I exolain its a standard industry policy & if she goes to other local buffet itd haooen there too, amd also clarify that the server is getting 18 something and then ask "Do you have your receipts? *she shoves all 4 at me* OK I can refund your tip, oh hhey who had the credit card & who had x? I can fix all of these..." And everyone else at her table glared at her & were like "No no its fine! We don't need a refund on the tip!"

SHE still insisted though, so I told her I would take care of it & I did. I made sure to ask if everyone else was surr but they declined firmly.

As I walk away I hear them start to argue w/ her & shes just being nasty a.f. & she was nasty when I returned her 3.21 (taxes incl) to her table too & made a point to put all of it but 2 pennies in her purse.

Her entire table kinda stopped talking to her & I assigned a busser to finish out that particular ladies service (drinks, bussing plates etc) b/c even after it was over and done she was making my server uncomfortable.

Tell you what though, every table near hers in my servers section was *appalled* and my server still walked out well compensated but seriously: FUCK that lady. She had no cause to be rude a.f. the server in question is a sweetheart & one of the best.

I hope that bitter twat chokes on a prune.

When it comes down to it: can't or won't tip? Don't eat out!!! Jfc.

#tw #trigger warning #submissions #fuck customers #cashier problems #fuck co-workers #server problems #fuck coworkers #fuck managers #retail justice #retail law #fuck that scrubby bitch #fuck foodservice #submission

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southerensydney-blog · 7 years ago

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1/16/18

Hello, lovelies!

Well, last week was actually a pretty good week! It was hopeful and the start of this week sucked. The Jags won against the Steelers which just makes my world go round. The boyfriend was pretty good besides some petty petty bull shit! SOOooooo real quick. This nigga..... legit didn’t see him for 3 days because I worked 3 days straight. 13 hours and would come home dead. This dumb ass was legit having a shit fit asking if we were still dating after that. It was legit 3 days 2 nights that we didn’t see each other. So that was annoying. But hey it must have worked because he was pretty sweet to me this weekend. We actually went out to eat on Sunday. I did ask him if he would still like me after football season and he said he doesn’t plan on not liking me sooooo we shall see lol.

Fitness,,,,,, OMG Y'all I’m trying! Getting to the gym is so fucking difficult lately and for how much I pay for that shit it really should not be! I went 3 times last week and did an extra body class so not bad. My nutrition is so fucking fucked it’s like I won’t eat anything all day because I forget or just don’t feel like it then I just eat shit! It’s so annoying I need to prep again but I’m so poor! Like OMG why God why. The fucking ER job was a bust so back on the hunt. Butttt I’ve fallen in love with the new girl at work like she makes it so much easier to get through the day she’s so positive and happy she make me happy too! And with fucking Egore for a boyfriend, God knows I need that shit! Hopefully, I can find another center I can just pick up hours at again and tax returns are coming so please god give me money! I’m drowning in credit card debt. Y’all I’ve resulted in selling my pills. Which I mean I hate taking them so whatever but I just hate being that person but hey girls gotta eat right? Oh just had to buy another fit bit that sucked. But that last Dr visit backed fired hard that mother fucker was so expensive I definitely lost a hell of a lot more money then I’ll ever make.

Holding my breath until the end of this stupid lease, makes me hate my ex even more. Today I actually stopped and thought about it and legit the reason I ended things was that he was and is a quitter. He just quit when anything got hard always.... When he lost his job the first time it was we had to hop up and move out he never tried to get another job. When we tried for the townhouse he bailed out the first no we got not even letting me try and work it out. Then ultimately us. I know that I told him to leave but he never even tried to fight for me I just rolled up to emptiness. Don’t get me wrong I’m so glad that we are over we needed to be. We were never meant for each other just two completely people on far different levels. I actually texted his brother Sunday he’s a Pats fan and I was drunk and wanted to talk shit but it was good knowing Logan was okay. I’ll always have a love for Jason but I can never love him again. He broke me. And I’m still not together.

#poor girl help me pray for me heartbroken

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youreghanamissme · 7 years ago

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2018, Eat My Harmattan Dust!

We did it! We survived 2017! Hoo-Boy, was it a tough year. It's been a positively transformative experience, but there were chunks of time where I felt like I was drowning in a lasagna of my own anxiety, trauma, and depression. But y'know what? It's a new year, and I have plenty to look forward to. I'm probably the happiest and most content now than I've been in the last two to three years, so Cheers!/ Mabuhay!/ La Chaim! to that!!

I'm off to my COS (Close of Service) conference in a few days, and in a few months, I'll be leaving Ghana. You'll read it across the plethora of PCV blogs that exist on the internet: “two years has flown by.” It sounds a little contrived, but it's one of the truisms of service. Most folks, myself being one of them, don't really hit their stride until the one year mark, and then you're just rollin' rollin' rollin' trying to be as productive as possible while still maintaining your sanity and taking in the beauty of everything—all the cultural nuances, the environmental overhaul, the punchline in the joke—happening around you. Sometimes I feel like I just got off the plane last month. It's hard to accept that this journey is almost finished.

I was re-reading some of my old blog entries, and I was struck at how doe-eyed I was! And how many of the circumstances that perplexed me no longer seem as big of a deal. Here are some of the changes I have witnessed for myself over the past two years:

1. Time. Time is a social construct. We give it value in America. Punctuality is a virtue to possess after all. But in Ghana, time is just time. Things will figure themselves out eventually, so why rush? It's a big deal when I need to catch a tro out of my community or when it's call to prayer, but otherwise, I don't pay much attention to it. I go by the heat of the day or the movement of the sun. That being said, I do feel like my life has been on pause while I've been here. I'm a little uneasy to go back to America where I feel like I'm behind the times culturally and professionally, but things will figure themselves out somehow ;)

2. Little pleasures. Reveling in a smile. A greeting. A goodbye. The sunset. The feel of the ocean against my legs. The kiss of the equatorial sun on my face. A productive day with my community members. The excitement of students. An old friend. A new friend. The breeze. The rain. The smell of wet earth. The buzz from a drink. The euphoria of good company. A platonic “I love you.”

3. Noise. I had a hard time adjusting to the perpetual din in the background (or, sometimes, assaulting me in the face). Much like waiting hours for your tro (bus) to fill, you'll never get completely used to the bangarang, but the rooster crowing at odd hours, the 4:30am call to prayer, someone's repetitive chanting to sell something, etc... they get drowned out a little after a while. Especially if there is a much louder noise accosting you, i.e. honking of a horn around every corner, the vibrating boom of Ghanaian high-life music, or the heart-jolting shot of a musket across the village.

4. Jogging-ish. I mentioned my somehow-running journey a few times in previous posts, but that's because it's had a pretty big impact on my sense of self. Before I came to Ghana, I detested running. Absolutely hated it with vitriol. I still don't love it, but I've learned to enjoy it somehow. It has less to do with weight loss (because I haven't lost any) and more to do with transformation. I presented myself with a challenge, and I succeeded on my own terms. I ran a race in Ghana, and I've adopted a healthy habit. That makes me happy; I'm proud of myself.

5. Wholesome eating. I eat beans, maize, and a way too much oil almost every day in Ghana. And while I gorge on processed candy and biscuits whenever I can, I also crave spinach, cheeses, fresh vegetables and fruits. I'm anticipating the day when I don't have to pay a premium to eat olives or butter! The variety in Ghana is seasonal, and I'd like to maintain that commitment to support local farmers in America. I'm considering joining a CSA and am honestly gleeful at the thought of cooking and prepping most of my meals myself when I go home (but also... Hot Cheetos. They are a non-issue).

6. Friendship. The best kind of ‘ships. Without my friends I wouldn't have made it this far. Some have left the country prematurely, finished up and having a hoot at home, or got lucky and transferred to a bigger community for work, but many are still here, striving and thriving. This year I vow to commit more of myself and my time investing in my friendships. I've realized that my time is the most important and valuable artifact I can offer. If I haven't been a good friend, I'm sorry. I'll do better, be better. But know that I cherish each and every one of you, even if the last time we talked was yesterday or twelve months ago.

7. Adventure-seeking. Traveling the world is a privilege. I know there are many articles on the internet that tout “You Can Easily Travel If You Do These 10 Tips” or something along those lines. That's a load of tone-deaf shit. Not everyone can afford to travel, even if they try to put away a fraction of their paycheck for a year. Some people have responsibilities/ barriers / circumstances that prevent them from taking even a week off to see the world, to feed their soul, and amaze their wonder. Life is hard, and the economy and political climate isn't helping. But life is short, and I want to make it a priority of mine to try to see and experience as much as I can. Ghana isn't the first country I've visited, but it certainly has had a profound impact on my wanderlust. I plan to do a solo COS-trip. I'm a little scared to do it alone, but it's also part of the thrill.

8. Reading. We all read a lot, but I didn't read as many books as I did articles or op-ed's until I came to Ghana and committed to the idea of finishing a book (and then some). I've read many that affected me on more levels than I can articulate; have altered my perception of seeming truths; have educated me; made me laugh, cry, cringe; given me book hangovers. I've rekindled (:P) my love for books, the printed book industry hasn't died, and I can't wait to get my hands on some Ta-Nehisi Coates.

9. Self-understanding. I've alluded to a lot of emo, angsty shit that went down this past year. Yeeeah, I'm not going to deep dive into that on this blog. That being said, life wasn't great for a good while. I was pretty lost and acted out a lot, and I needed a lot of extra emotional support because I couldn't bear all weight on my own. I relied heavily on my friends (My undying gratitude. You lovely humans know who you are) and introspection to climb out of the pit. Sometimes I trip and fall back in, but y'know, that's gonna happen. Since then, I've gotten to know myself a lot better. I've been growing into a fuller version of my best self all the while discovering my wants, goals, bad habits, and how far I can extend beyond what I believed was a limitation. I think this is what the young people call, a “glow up”!

10. Appreciation for this Earth, My Life. I've developed a greater appreciation for our natural resources and my personal circumstances so much more. Clean drinking water, access to education and health services, the beauty in the landscape. I hope to continue reducing my waste and creating positive change in the world. And also call my parents. I'm lucky to have been born and raised in America. They're refugees and naturalized American citizens, but life for them wasn't as peachy-keen. I forget that when I'm all wrapped up in my own life, neglecting that my life is an echo of their life too.

TBT to A little nugget at the nutrition IST

There were moments in service where I contemplated extending, especially if I landed a position that worked with girls empowerment and youth development... but there were also moments where I screamed to myself, “I need to GTFO of here!” And then I ruminate on the goings on in America: FCC votes against net neutrality (I hope that it gets overturned), the tax reform that will decimate the middle class, the increasing rent and crippling job market in the Bay Area, California, and I wonder: Should I extend? Should I attempt WOOF'ing across South America? Can I just be a vagabond until 2020? The next step is daunting AF.

I'm trying to embrace the strong probability of moving back in with my parents which is utterly—complete and without qualification—soul crushing. When I moved out of the house at seventeen, I never settled back in. I would visit, but I always maintained my own living arrangements, even when I was preparing to move to Ghana. Committing the ultimate millennial move is not beneath me. They're lovely people. We just can't cohabitate. But the one truth is: I'm excited to go back and start some semblance of a career, a decision that will give my mum some relief.

I've somehow committed to the idea of finally applying to nursing school, something I've grappled with for the last three to four years. I'm going to take the plunge... I think! I'm frightened, but that kind of fear is overrated. I'm also excited to...

Do cool things! Like enroll in a class for cooking, Spanish, drawing/painting, pottery, car mechanics, yoga, boxing (I still have those gloves...). It all sounds really expensive, but I want to invest in myself more.

Clear the physical detritus of my life. I have a lot of junk. A good ½ of it was donated to Good Will when I came back for my sister's wedding, but I think I can downsize some more (coughthoseboxingglovescough ??). I'm eager to live minimally.

Move. Living with my ma and pa is a real contender for practicality's sake, but I'm anxious to see more of America. Maybe the east coast? California is a marvelous, endearing, magical bubble filled with the chillest people, the best food, and the diversity and creativity that I need and crave... and that's why I need to leave to thrive (at least for a little bit)

Hike. So many sights to see! I want to be stunned—become weak in the knees, physically and figuratively!—by the natural beauty that I often neglect by living in a city for as long as I have.

Learn how to swim. Because it's a life skill... and because all my friends are hanging over there, in the deep end of the pool :(

Live my best life! That includes continuing to grow, eating good food, reading, learning, hanging out with my favorite people, trying new things, meeting new people, and so much more!

It’s my last Harmattan, hurray!

youtube

#pcghana #peacecorps #howiseepc #ghana #harmattan #glowup #2018

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swordarkeereon · 7 years ago

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A Matter of Ducks

In a lot of ways, ducks are like cats. They’re hard to herd because they tend to go where they want to go. Every so often one has to sit down and gather up his or her ducks and put them in a row, or a huddle, in preparation for synchronized duck swimming (i.e. getting one’s shit together).

For me this happens two to three times a year. It’s that time again to regroup and reconfigure. Those of you who have been reading my blog for some time know that I sit down and revise my goal lists and, in turn, my schedule at regular intervals. I take some time to reflect and see where I succeeded and where I failed (and why). Writing things down has always been how I sort myself (and my schedule) out, and stay organized.

That said, here are some of the things that fell off to the side this year (unfortunately). I think I was too ambitious, and I shall watch for this pitfall in the future if I find myself with more ambition than time:

Monthly Fiction Serial: I love the Haunted Cottage series, but for now, I think I’ll only be writing 4 chapters a year, more if I have time. I don’t think I can commit to more at the moment. There will be at least one more chapter before the end of the year.

BDSM Bookclub: I managed one, and I have another one about 2/3’s finished. I think two a year for this one is about all I’ll manage. I will release the second one before the end of the year.

Daemonolater’s Guides: These are temporarily on the back burner. I wrote these little guides to answer the most common questions I get in my inbox. There are eight of them, and they’ve done the exact job I hoped they would – cleaning out my inbox. In the meantime, I’ve decided to do a monthly blog post over on demonolatry.org to address the most common inboxed questions each month.

Over the past two months I have allowed marketing and administrative work to take up the bulk of my time when my first priority should be working on the next book, story, etc. This cannot happen! So I am going to streamline that where I deal with marketing one day a month (on a Saturday) – where I schedule everything I can (blogs, Patreon, social media), and get back to writing. Administrative work (answering emails) will happen Sunday mornings, readings will happen Sunday afternoons, and dealing with Sephira Alchemy orders will happen on Sunday nights. I may need to add half a day for things like doing royalty reports, taxes, etc… I may also need to schedule one Saturday a month (or every other month) for videos.

I have also added some new things to my plate.

I am co-hosting the Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole podcast once a month. While scheduling guests can take a little time, the prep for this is minimal (reading books, which I enjoy, and formulating questions for guests). It only takes up an hour one Tuesday night a month (plus the reading, which isn’t really work since I enjoy that part).

I am possibly teaching a class on Goetia that will require me to do a few hours worth of videos. I can set aside a Saturday for that. I still need to make my intro video. Plus I might check up on students during the duration of the class once a week. Note to self – take pic with Anthology of Sorcery!

I am the membership director of Temple of Atem. I will deal with this on Sundays (which I deem my Daemonolatry day).

I am the new representative for RMFW’s Independent Published Authors League. I will take care of those inquiries as needed until I get a feel for the job and can work in regularly scheduled “office hours” for that.

I know, it’s a lot, but I can do this.

Now I just need to remind myself that my first priority is writing the next book. The only books I’ve managed to keep on schedule are the Thirteen Covens. However, I’ve really dropped the ball on the non-fiction, Eagle’s Talon Gray, Emily Ever After, and Falling from Grace this year. That’s NOT a good thing. The second priority is making sure my website is regularly updated. Finally, I’ll deal with public appearances. I might slow down on those as we near the end of the year and early next year, then pick up again next spring/summer. If I have time – I’ll deal with social media, but I am going to cut that down to half an hour per day, and any posts I can schedule ahead of time will happen during my monthly marketing post scheduling. Hopefully this new plan will keep me focused enough to finish the projects I want to finish. I will be using Dragon on blog posts, emails, readings, and possibly writing to speed up my process. I type fast, but sometimes it’s just easier to say it, you know?

So that’s my update for mid-September! Oh – AND I have the #DoMagick challenge to start over. LOL Thank goodness that doesn’t happen every month. Catch you all on the flipside! I’m off!

#ducks

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