#and ive been trying to build a website for 4 days now

[stark-alchemy]

There is nothing stopping me from being super gay and feral at all times...

except my ADHD.

[impishcupid]

The newest IOS update is a HUGE win for the disabled community

this is gonna be like 90% infodumping, but I LOVE all the new accessibility features! IOS 17 is projected to be released at sometime in September, but I wanna get my grubby hands on it NOW

The General Stuff

They’re updating the phone app and messages, allowing fun banners to be added to contacts when they’re calling you! As well adding better search filters to messages, and a heap of other stuff! Check out this link for the full update notes and details

2. Live Voicemail

Apple is taking it back to the days of answering machines, now as people leave voicemails it will show a transcript on the caller interface, allowing you to pick up the phone mid-voicemail and accept the call! Perfect for users with social anxiety bunking new numbers!

3. Check In

Users will be able to set a list of contacts, as well as a location, and when they hit the location it will send a mass alert to everyone in the set list, detailing where you are, what time it is, and you can choose for it to even say your battery level! Of course this is useful even for able people, but as someone who faints and sometimes forgets to send check ins to my mom, I’m so excited for this!!

4. Audio Message Transcriptions

HUGE win for the deaf and HOH community!!! Now, voice messages will include a transcript directly underneath that will try its best to provide subtitles! The first of many wins for the deaf community!

5. Hand Gestures

There’s a bunch of new stuff for facetime, but this one is my favorite. You’ll be able to set on-screen reactions (the example they used was confetti) when your hands preform a certain action, which i’m 99% sure will have to be configured by the user. If that’s the case, those who use sign language will be able to create reactions to specific signs! I can’t wait to set mine to rain confetti when signing congratulations, or hearts when signing Love! Of course it’s available to both abled and disabled people, but the possibilities!!

6. Airdrop

WOW they added so much to airdrop! This feature alone may be what pushes me to get my mom an iPhone. In the new update, you’ll be able to share information by simply tapping your iphones together (Ive been calling it applepaying data)

You can tap a new friends phone to send them your contact, and fancy banner (mentioned above)! You can also now just tap phones together to share general data, like multiple photos from your camera roll or a link!

This is all done with end-to-end encryption, which makes it a bitch and a half for anyone malicious to try to decrypt

7. Journal

OKAY APPLE I SEE YOU! Journal is like the love child of the health app and siri suggestions- it uses machine learning to pinpoint what your average routine is; your jogging route, your work playlist, even your favorite reaction meme can be turned into suggestions to add to your entry in the journal app!

The idea is to help build routine- which myself as an autistic have so many issues trying to do- and promote better mental health. They’re doubling down in their health app update, but that’s coming up!

The best part of the journaling app, is that it’s TRULY private. Once you’ve set your password, not even apple can see the data you’ve stored. This data is not sold to anyone, because they can’t even read it.

8. Airpods

for the full tech jargon explanation, look at the apple website!

Airpods will now be adapting to different noise levels! If you’re wearing your airpods in a crowd, it will kick in with noise-cancelling (as best a small earbud can)! However if someone starts talking to you while noise cancelling is active, airpods will evaluate the best mix of noise-cancelling and media volume to ensure you can hear the person talking!

9. Maps

i’m unsure how this one may help the disabled community, but I figure it’s an honorable mention! Maps will now let you download a specific area TOTK style, and allow that map/route to be used offline! Perfect for hiking trails or roadtrips with dead zones! As well, Maps will now alert users where charging stations may be along their route!

10. THE GRAND SLAM BABY (Visual Lookup)

PEOPLE WITH VISION LOSS SUFFER NO MORE!

It’s unsure if this will be used with live camera, or if you have to take a photo of the Thing, but when IOS 14 drops they’re introducing Visual Lookup! This feature will read out any text selected (perfect for signs or small text), as well you can look up specific items in the photo! Plant enthusiasts can identify the plant in a youtube video, fungi fun-guys can look up if this mushroom will kill you or just make you see God! I’m excited to use this feature with my mom, who sometimes has difficulty reading small text but can get embarrassed when it’s read to her!

11. Sensitive content

Yes! Your very own Iphone blacklist! It’ll scan all incoming data for your set Sensitive content, and much like Tumblr will pop up a “are you sure?” window!

12. The Health App

Finally, the one that will help everyone everywhere. Health will now let you choose your current mood, your daily mood, and general mental state. The best part of this, is Apple will be adding legitimate mental health assessments into the app (taken at your convenience), making it the closest to a real diagnosis without a doctor! You’ll be able to save a PDF of your results to share with your care team/doctor!

As well, if you’re in crisis, apple will now send you articles and resources regarding your crisis!

And the cherry on top of this update, is med reminders! Apple will ping your phone, your watch, anything to tell you it’s medication time! You can log several medications with several times to take them!

that’s all folks!

In conclusion, despite apples cash grab approach and complete monopoly over the tech industry, these features will be life changing to some disabled iphone carriers! I know i’m over the moon for some of them, and I’m already babbling to everyone with apple about them!

[pbandjesse]

I have been exhausted all day. But for whatever reason I got a burst of energy like 2 hours ago and Ive been cleaning in the studio since then. I am trying really hard to get rid of some stuff. And I am excited that I have an entire box of things to donate now. Very proud of myself. 

But today was weird. I slept okay but I had some really intense dreams. I woke up around 930 and was alright but also. Not. I was just not great all day. 

I got washed and dressed and had a bagel. I got right to work on my styling. Spent about 2 hours doing that. James would get home while I was doing that work. It is an interesting job for the most part. The big issue is really the amount of options for specific things. Specifically vegan and larger sizes. Like one of the people I was styling today only had 13 options total! And they didnt want yellow or red so that took like 4 of those away. So its a challenge but I hope I did a good job and they are happy. 

Once I was done that I took my sleepy self to the couch to sit with James. They would eventually make us lunch. And I enjoyed my little flat bread pizza a lot. But I was just kind of feeling weird about food all day. So that was hard. I was like searching for the food that would wake me up but I never found it. 

I did not nap. But I did lay in the studio. Watched videos. Dad called and we made a plan about getting a good deal on the car. We went through the build on the website together so he could see what we wanted and stuff. So that was fun. And he helped me and James figure out who we needed to email. Very helpful. And I am excited that I have some direction at least now. 

I spent a lot of time just laying around today though. James would go for a bike ride and I would play video games. And then when James got home and was making us dinner we saw that there was a jazz concert in the park so we got to enjoy the music from our place. I hung out on the fire escape a little and watched them play music and it was just really beautiful. 

Around 730 I jumped into organizing and getting rid of. There wasnt a lot I wanted to get rid of in the living room. But I did a lot in the studio. GIt rud of just some clutter but also went through some of the boxes of stuff I have on the shelves. I also took all the recycling Ive been saving for camp out of the closet and once James was done talking on the phone with their friend, they would join me in organzing and putting all of the camp stuff in our wagon, while I sorted the closet a bit more. Which has so much extra space now and I am really pleased. 

It feels good in here. I still want to keep working on getting rid of, but progress has been made! 

I was surprised by how late it got. So now I am ready to take a shower and get in bed. I hope tomorrow is nice. And I get a lot done. Sleep well everyone! Goodnight! 

[rarebritney]

how do you listen to music usually?? you seem like a rly thoughtful and insightful "connisuer" (wow ok cant spell it..) of music! do you set time aside to like go through new music or do you just like do chores and have a playlist on and discocer new music that way? ive never been good with this. maybe ill hear a song in a movie and look it up but i've very rarely taken the time to go through an artist!!! im still listening to the abba 4 cd collection that i got as a child, thats the state of it

Thank you! I love music and I’ve always listened to lots of different genres. In the early 2000s, my dad used a website called emusic (which still exists) that allowed 100 mp3 downloads for $20 a month. the website works much differently now, but back then my dad used emusic to build upon an mp3 library which largely originated from his disc collection. I always listened to my dad’s discs as a kid on a walkman, but eventually he bought an ipod which I used to explore his vast collection of music during car trips.. he often downloaded things based on indie music charts and the recommendations of others, and a lot of the music I don’t think he himself has ever listened to. when i was older i had my own mp3 players which i synced to his computer, building my own mini collection of whatever he had that i liked! this is how I learned what I liked, and these days you have even better access to music through streaming services than I did.

i strongly believe that now is the best time ever to be a music fan. my taste has changed a lot throughout the years, but the way I listen/discover is the same.. i just let myself fall down genre rabbit holes. i always check out suggested “related artists” when I find things I love and try to stay omnivorous regarding genres. If you like ABBA, start there... have you listened to any other disco groups? what about motown? do you like girl groups from the 1960s? keep an open mind and if you’re easily bored, definitely put on new music while exercising or cleaning. sorry for the long answer but idk how else to answer this!

[kalebuchanan]

Studio V: Koha - Reflection on Action

I realise the importance this semester of showing the documentation of my project, Koha and the de-emphasis of the open studio artifact. For ease of access for the tutors as well myself and others interested in re visiting Koha in the future I thought it was best to re structure my individual documentation and my individual reflection into a blog post. What I have written below is mainly a reflection on my blog posts which I wrote throughout the semester, and I encourage you to read all of the linked post as well as this reflection to gain a full picture of my journey throughout Studio V.

Week 1:

Week 1 Blog Post: Studio V - Initial Ideas

https://kalebuchanan.tumblr.com/post/183201418611/studio-v-initial-ideas

In the first week of studio I didn’t begin working on Koha. I had thought of the idea in 2018 and originally planned on working on it for Studio IV. However, I went overseas on an exchange and never completed Studio IV so the idea was shelved. 

I knew that if I worked on Koha it would have to be by myself and after not having been in BCT since mid 2018 I thought it was safest to work with a group. After some talking to different people around studio I found I was interested in the studio idea that Sam Vea had. The first iteration of his idea was to create an app where potential tenants can rate landlords to help others find a house to rent which will be warm, safe and well maintained. At the time I said - 

“I’m interested in developing this idea further as such a service does not currently exist in New Zealand and I would want to use something like this myself.

This is mainly because in the first half of last year before I disappeared to Europe I was living in a flat which was not kept in good condition and hadn’t been inspected by the landlord for years, or even the property manager who was meant to oversee it. As a result there were vines growing through the windows, it was moldy damp and my bedroom had water come in every time it rained. Rats lived in the cupboards and I was constantly sick whilst I lived there. The house was bad, but with care from the landlord it could have and would have been a nice place to live”.

I connected to the idea personally and I thought that I could both have a good contribution to the idea and push myself to become closer to employment at the end of BCT. 

Week 2:

Week 2 Blog Post: Team Dynamics

https://kalebuchanan.tumblr.com/post/183254798456/team-dynamics

In the second week of studio I had formed a team with Hiren Patel, Sam Vea, Stephen Solis and Osamu Tajima. We’d created a base concept for the idea that Sam had thought of and it was named Slum Lords (now Renters). 

The service was for prospective tenants to use to see if the landlord or property manager in charge of their prospective house creates a positive environment and does a good service for them in their time there. 

At the time I said - 

“Our idea is promising and I hope we can expand on it further throughout the semester. I believe the group dynamic will work quite well as this semester I’ve expanded outside of my core group of friends to work with people based on their skill set. I hope that throughout the year I can think on a more professional level to ready myself for the workplace at the end of the year”.

I knew it was important to expand from the same group of people I had always worked with in BCT, despite these people having great skill sets. I knew there was many different skills throughout BCT and choosing a group outside of my friend group was a great decision professionally to improve my skills of working within a group. I explained this as well as how we would all contribute to the project throughout the semester in this blog post and at the time I thought it would be a great project to work on.

Whilst I was dedicating my time to helping with this project, I knew Koha was still in the back of my mind. While I could contribute to the group, all of the necessary skills within the group to complete this project were already there and I knew there was a potential of me riding in the project. I had set plans in place to ensure I would add my share of value to Slum Lords, but at the same time I was re gaining my confidence to perform in BCT as well as I had done in the past and realized my semester away had not set me back as much as I had thought.

Week 3:

Week 3 Blog Post: Team Dynamics

https://kalebuchanan.tumblr.com/post/183553882556/the-new-project

After heavy consideration in the first two weeks of Studio I knew that I needed to either commit to Slum Lords, or I needed to commit to building off my 2018 which I would soon re name from ‘Supply’ to Koha. In the end of this week was the week three pitch to Laurent and Donna and I knew to prove that I would be able to complete the project and to show it to them and my peers it was important to have decided by that day. I quickly created this logo and announced to my group that I would leaving to pursue my own project.

In hindsight, now that I have seen how successfully Renters was implemented without me, and how successful my exploration of developing Koha has gone this semester I am very glad that I chose to work on this project. 

In semester 1 of 2018 in the BCT Entrepreneurship & Innovation class I came up with a concept of an idea I called ‘Supply’. Supply was a “platform connecting, travelers, adventurers and their gear.” From the people I pitched this to in 2018 it was generally well received. As this idea began to further shape and iterate it became Koha. 

Week 4:

Week 4 Blog Post: What is Koha?

https://kalebuchanan.tumblr.com/post/183554263261/what-is-koha

After the week four pitch I listed what I wanted to achieve with Koha, and explained a basic concept of the app. In this post I listed what I wanted to achieve for the semester - 

“Right now I sit in the Initial Concept stage but I’m quickly moving into the Research stage which I then need to be into the Refined Concept and Market Research which then needs to evolve into the Design Prototyping phase.

My goal for the end of the semester is to have the UI/UX design completed, have the final concept completed and have the platform in suitable condition to be developed and launched. Ultimately, I want to do this with the goal of launching the platform creating an active user base. If I can do this, I can make life for backpackers easier in New Zealand, and keep the Earth somewhat less polluted”.

Looking back over the semester I did refine the concept through research, after which I conducted market research. I did this through looking for graphic design inspiration, conducting a comparative analysis to similar apps in the existing market as well as drawing data from my past market research done in 2018.

As shown in my open studio display I also had a completed UI and showed that to the public to receive further feedback on the idea.

Week 5:

Week 5 Blog Post: An in depth look into Koha’s original concept

https://kalebuchanan.tumblr.com/post/183576073946/an-in-depth-look-into-kohas-original-concept

To refine Koha’s concept it was important for me to document and properly reflect on Koha original concept from 2018. In this time it started out as Re-Supply, then evolved to Supply, then evolved to Koha. I wanted to give the service a name which reflected it’s New Zealand roots, and also showed its social side of having the foundation of encouraging people to donate for the good of the environment and not only purely for making money. 

That is how I came to the name ‘Koha’ meaning to gift or donate in Te Reo.

To see Koha explained in the form of a business plan, please see the link above for the concept blog post. 

Week 6:

Week 6 Blog Post: Decent: X Challenge Results

https://kalebuchanan.tumblr.com/post/184546972891/decent-x-challenge-results

I spent much of the time between the fifth week, and the days leading up the mid semester break finalizing the entry for Koha into the first stage of the X Challenge - the idea. 

The X Challenge team said -

Your idea ‘Koha’ has been chosen as one of the top 40 ideas and won $250!

We were blown away by the number and quality of entries and had a really hard time picking our winners so a big congratulations for making the cut.

Now that I have spent the semester exploring Koha, I’ve decided that I don’t want to continue working on it (explained later) but back in week six I said - 

“If I was to take Koha forward it would be essential to spend Studio VI building it as well as taking it through the next stage of the X Challenge. To bulid it I would make a studio team, but I have not decided on this yet.”

I knew from earlier I would have to dedicate the rest of BCT studio to Koha if I wanted it to materialize, but now I have decided it is best to focus on a new idea for Studio VI.   

Week 7:

Week 7 Blog Post: Koha - Market Research

https://kalebuchanan.tumblr.com/post/184677972381/koha-market-research

After the formative assessment where I was asked what research i’d done I realized there was room for a lot more. After receiving that feedback I did further research and explored effective ways to do so.

After my research I’ve come to realise that market research is crucial for the success of Koha and apps and websites in general. I took some advice from an article by (de Vries, 2017) which I have expanded on further in my original post.

One of the recommendations I gained from my research was to look into existing data on the internet rather than trying to make my own. To gain credible data I would have to have much more than the simple be convenience sampling available to me. I would have to use a reasonable statistical method, which would have taken either a lot of time, or a lot of money both of which I didn’t have and wouldn’t have been the best to develop Koha.

Week 8:

Week 8 Blog Post: Koha - Comparative Analysis

https://kalebuchanan.tumblr.com/post/185560708321/koha-comparative-analysis

After initial market research I began to look into how I wanted to prototype Koha. After considering multiple directions I could take I decided that using Adobe XD would be the simplest way to achieve my goals of showing a working prototype in Open Studio. 

Once I began to prototype, my research stage and my prototyping stage began to merge as I changed between the two, with my research building my prototype and concreting the idea that Koha could make a difference, and succeed as a service.

Comparative Analysis:

For an explanation of the analysis, please see the link above.

Weeks 9 - 11:

Week 9 - 11 Blog Posts - Post 1: Creating Koha for Open Studio

https://kalebuchanan.tumblr.com/post/185561129031/creating-koha-for-open-studio

Post 2:  Koha UI Inspiration

https://kalebuchanan.tumblr.com/post/185561303916/koha-ui-inspiration

Post 3:  Koha Inspiration from existing apps

https://kalebuchanan.tumblr.com/post/185561584396/koha-inspiration-from-existing-apps

Between the weeks 9 - 12 I didn’t have a lack of documentation, however it was easiest to combine all of these weeks into one summary as I spent the entire time prototyping, and researching to prototype. Koha was my first time creating the User Interface of an app and crafting the User Experience. I began to create Koha in Adobe XD so I could focus my learning on crafting the design rather than running into coding issues.

Once it was completed in XD it was fully intractable in XD, but the button mechanics were not reliable enough to showcase it through mobile in Open Studio. I’m glad I chose to show it in video format as this created a professional display, whilst also showing that my project was still in progress. At the time I said -

“Because of this my current plan is display the app in the form of a screen recording, on a large screen with a simple display which reflects the simplicity of the Apple interface”.

I created Koha to fit with iOS so I tried to make it fit the Apple aesthetic as much as possible. Even though I’ve decided to put Koha to rest for now, I would also design an Android port and a desktop and mobile website if I was going to launch it. 

As well as taking inspiration from iOS and trying to use its common design features I also built from apps which are similar to Koha. I built its marketplace from my favorite features of Trademe and Facebook Marketplace and built the rental marketplace with a similar feel whilst integrating the best features of AirBnB and Hostelworld. 

I found that whilst it is incredibly important in design to stay original and not copy others ideas, it is often hard to keep that balance with staying within trends and guidelines to give users a familiar experience. I wanted to make Koha as user friendly as possible. This way users wouldn’t have to learn the way I’d re-invented the wheel as a designer and instead get a smooth experience with Koha.

Week 12:

Week 12 Blog Post: Koha - What not to do

https://kalebuchanan.tumblr.com/post/185561790691/koha-what-not-to-do

As open studio grew closer and the XD prototype was completed, I needed to create my display for open studio and decide the best way to show Koha. I found the best way was going to be to show a video as I had considered earlier.

The video is purposely made silent, as it is made to succeed in a loud studio environment where the sounds of many other projects and stacks of people talking will be using the audio space.

Laurent showed me an example of a bad video, and I knew what to shy away from and felt I knew a good design to follow, by trying to keep the same aesthetic I had used throughout Koha. My studio outcome video is linked below and to see the bad example please see the linked blog post above.

Week 13:

Week 13 Blog Post: Koha - Open Studio & Feedback

https://kalebuchanan.tumblr.com/post/185562539076/koha-open-studio-feedback

In Open Studio I kept the display as simple as possible and created a space where it was easy to hold conversation with people interested in Koha. I did this by creating the display shown above, and looking back I see it as successful.

At the time I said - 

“The video I showed totaled to about 4 and a half minutes, and I had it playing on a loop. What I had not thought about at the time and wish I had implemented was actually a way to set the video back to the start! All throughout the night I had interested people approaching the installation and I had no way to go to the start of the app to show it to them”.

This meant I either had to explain to them the video was going to end soon and wait, or simply start explaining what was happening part way through which often left people confused. This took some level of professionalism away from my display but I was still able to share the idea of Koha with people and gain constructive feedback.

My summarized opinion of Open Studio and with Koha is that Koha is a good idea. Koha is grounded, innovative, unique and has potential to grow into an application which can prevent tonnes of rubbish from going into the landfill. 

If I continue Koha, I know that I will spend hundreds, probably thousands of hours working on an app that may only get 10 downloads in the app store. If it does succeed, I know my hours will be fruitful to well below minimum wage. 

Finally I will say, it has been great to explore Koha as an idea throughout the idea and bring it where it is today, it has taught me a lot and the skills I have applied this semester will help me throughout time. However, for now it’s time to lay Koha to rest and change direction in studio.

Week 14:

Week 14 Blog Post: AUT X Challenge - Stage 2 The Accelerator

https://kalebuchanan.tumblr.com/post/185562781566/aut-x-challenge-stage-2-the-accelerator

After Open Studio I began to reflect on my journey for the semester and made the decision to not continue developing Koha. I have a passion for making physical things in BCT and since I don’t have a particular direction of where I want to be after graduating I feel the most intelligent thing to do is do what I’m passionate about and enjoy as that often leads to positive things.

Last week I said -  “I have had high encouragement from the X challenge staff to continue Koha to the second stage of the X-Challenge. I know that this potentially reaps the great reward of $20,000 to put toward the service, as well as learning opportunities unparalleled to those in a classroom. However, if I was to continue Koha I would have to put in many, many unpaid hours for the chance at $20,000. I know that being an entrepreneur is a hard road, but I don’t see profitability out of Koha in the long run which is why I am leaving the idea behind”.

I’m very happy to have chosen Koha as a project this semester and bring it where it is now. However, I’m also glad that I know it is time to move on and know that I’m closer to the idea that will bring me success.

[moth-the-man]

God yes this is so fucking frustrating! I go to school for theatre technical design and production and pay like 8 grand a semester. Right now, between the hours I need to work, my classes, and my practical work in the scene shop (which is *paying to build the shows that the university uses to fund the theatre program* by the way), I'm working or on campus an average of 16 hours a day. They expect us to be able to pack up and move at the drop of a hat for any internship or summer stock position someone offers us, because if we don't already have paid experience in the field, we can't get hired for fucking *anything*.

Due to COVID, I haven't been able to make a single summer job in the industry work out, and compared to past graduates from the program, I have about a third of the experience, because instead of 7 or 8 full, mainstage productions a year, we did 3 or 4 minimalist shows a year for the past 2 years, often not even with an actual set in an outdoor space. I didn't get to learn how to lathe like the previous years, or to actually build flats. Everything Ive learned has been through coming in on my own time to the shop, or paying to work in the shop for credit. Even still, its been years since ive been able to brush up on the skills that I DID develop pre-pandemic, so now instead of building upon it to persue something new, I have to reteach myself everything. Luckily, I still have the resources at my disposal, and I'm not trying to learn to weld on my own for the first time.

One of the classes I'm taking this semester (its costs me about $3,000 to take this class mind you) is about understanding the industry, building a resume and website, and learning how to sell yourself and get jobs. A lot of them recommend grad school, but every single person they bring in for us to talk to says they only went because they needed to make connections. These days, unless you know someone, there's absolutely no way to get into the industry, and its absolutely insane. It's something that greatly affects where I plan to live after I graduate too - my only options for ins at jobs are places people in my program go, and although i would be frowned upon heavily for saying this, there are several of them that I hope I never see again! There are people in my program who some of us have talked about with the faculty, that they make their sole duty if anyone reaches out to them, to make sure those people never find work in the industry again. To be fair it was because they did a bunch of bad shit (a lot of white supremacy stuff and vandalism for example), but the fact is that it's the absolute easiest thing in the world to get blacklisted in the entertainment industry. Your entire life depends on your reputation, so if you fuck up, you're done for.

Every time I think about the entry level job paradox my head feels like it’s gonna explode.

Whenever I think about all the people that didn’t hire me to be a busser because I didn’t have any restaurant experience even though it’s the lowest ranking job in the restaurant I feel a dangerous urge to strangle a hiring manager.

[kosmicdream]

hey!!! i just read to the most recent update of ffak (my favorite webcomic ive ever read tbh) and i kinda wanna try making my own. did you have the whole story planned out before you started or is it an ongoing thing? also how did you make the website for it? thank you for making such a cool comic!

Thank you so much!! And let me try to figure out a way to answer this properly. My process is a bit complicated to explain because it is very organic. Its almost like I am never done writing it, because I am always letting it grow/stretch and explore as I think about ffak every day, and every night before sleeping I’ll try to brainstorm things I havent thought of. So spending that much mental energy on something, you never really get ‘done’ with writing a story. Even when i eventually finish ffak, im sure i will be still working on it (or things I would have wanted to do.)

However!! Before i started working on ffak, when it was just called HELP! i established many things narratively that I stuck to and have not changed about the story. So I think the process of this comic, in a simple way, could have been broken down like this in.. stages?

1) I laid down the basic framework of the world, such as the functions of king worms specifically, the aiguille family, helpers, several characters (some havent even appeared in the comic yet!), king leadman, as well as antony/rome’s narrative arc/dynamic. that way their character arc was already figured out before the comic started and I knew it would be the central ‘root’ of the story. I knew how i wanted Rome to be introduced, and how he would meet canary, not knowing the connection between canary and his brother. I had a rough idea, even from here, how their character arc would come to a point (and basically what sorts of things the story would likely eventually close on) I also knew the general setting was on moons and how the humans got there, and how advanced society was, and what the red lights “really" were and what they meant..i figured out what ‘vein’ was here.. ect.. many worldbuilding things!!!It might sound intimidating, but this process happened very quickly. I basically figured this out in the.. day? before i started working. I have had a lot of experience with roleplaying so i think that helps with me making quick decisions. I knew i had enough to work with that I didn’t feel intimidated to start actually drawing it out-- especially because i had the rome/antony thing already set down. 2) Then when I actually started to work, things started to develop very quickly. I knew basically all i needed to for Hekatons before i got to introduce knife (their origins, history, involvement in present day politics) and before ch6 i also wrote all of the “supporting cast” (at the time) which included dylan, fork/spoon/knife, paper/scissor/rock. So i ws able to write Thumb and Heel, and set up the overall dynamic of what the world was like in the present day. (also Spoon/Scissor’s connection.) Cash was actually written in the first batch of characters oops, but her design really became more detailed during this stage because of scissor. 3) then things got more complicated as i dug deeper into the past, and wanted to include crimson. So!! I fleshed out the origin and true history of this world. basically as soon as crimson appeared I had everything in place and felt comfortable enough to include crimson, who borrowed many things narratively from a character i roleplayed for years. Anyway, i figured out all of the deep past of the world and decided to draw it out since it was so interesting in ch 9/10. I think this was around in the 2nd chapter when i figured this out, but my memory is fuzzy. I know by the time i did the flash forward scene in ch2 i had decided many things and so all i had to do was get to them in the comic to cement it in. 4) I forget when exactly (maybe around in chapter 5 or 6) , but i decided to bring in a very old story i wrote in 2009 for good leadman’s origin story-- as i thought it would be cool to make good leadman the protagonist for this old comic i wanted to do, and that helped make the background for heel and thumb more “believable” to me because they were already symbolizing this old story i had written the entire thing of. Oh that’s something else to mention, because that world was part of a collection of stories- i was able to develop DMTIA that way because i already had this cast and just decided to merge the stories into the FFAK setting. I think when i did this, it pretty much was the final big thing to make me understand everything i needed to know about this world. All the story arcs felt pretty realized and I could see how the ending could go at this point.

I guess to summarize, is that i let things grow but also had things planned from the start and once i commit to an idea, it doesnt change. Even if it might appear somewhat frustrating to work with, i like to use them to make my next decision. sometimes that means i dont get to do all i want to do, but i still have a lot of flexibility in this setting like i wanted to have from the beginning.

Even now when i feel like pretty confident that I’ve explored every nook and cranny, I’ll decide to revisit a older storyline or facet of the world and strengthen or build on that. That’s why i ended up with so many fucking side characters because I’ll brainstorm for them for a day or two and suddenly have a lot of material i know wont even “technically” go into the story even though its there. (like, Spot for example was not meant to be so interesting, but i wrote a huge fucking story for him that obviously wont get really any attention.)

So.. its ongoing and it is also not ongoing and hasnt been for quite a long time now? (after two years of constant work it felt.. really complete and done in a lot of ways. we are now currently on year three, moving to year four!) I think the best thing to do is to keep in mind what kinds of methods for writing make you feel comfortable and is your natural brain-pace. I like working with an aspect of fluidity and room for growth and flexibility because i don’t like being boxed in or “outgrowing” my project too fast. So keeping that in mind, i designed ffak to be a comic where it could grow with me and change. that’s pretty much why i decided worms would be a great subject and theme to work with because they are characters that naturally, evolve and change based on what they eat and absorb. plus the themes in ffak just are so fun to work with i will never be bored of it. structuring a project with these things in mind for when i run into walls or feel unmotivated have kept me engaged. I think that is part of why i cannot let it go because I still feel really excited to write and contribute ideas to it.

However, Chapter 12 really feels like I’m settling back down to my original plans and taking my time and patience to communicating all the structured planning ive put into it. I’m not letting it grow the same way anymore because it doesnt need to. I feel comfortable with understanding its voice/style and pacing and im no longer recovering from the uhh.. shock of it existing? I promise that once you actually start making a comic, its a wholly different experience than just it being in your head. and it will sound, look, and feel different than what you thought it would be-- that in itself has influenced a lot of change in ffak because honestly at first i was not expecting to draw it so explicit. that was difficult to get used to but im happy to have embraced that aspect of my work.

So HMM.. I made a strong spine or foundational backbone in the beginning before i started, then fleshed it out as i was in the process of making it, and i always continue to leave room for it to grow. just not grow in EVERY aspect anymore. i also dont chop down branches, but i try to hone in on specific things to make them more clear. i think chopping stuff down and removing things is generally not the best to do because its easier to build up and work with what you have than make big retcons after youve already started or established. also the challenge of working with limitations makes you feel that needed bit of pressure to really commit to your work in the moment of making it and i feel like its helped make me more serious and confident about what i write about. I never feel lost on what to do because if I cover and figure out something, that’s how it is. I make it work regardless! 

everything is done with careful consciousness to the overall balance and product of the story, while also not suffocating it in a box of limitations of what it could be. i treat it like a living thing in my mind and heart and that means i work to have thoughtful conversations with it and myself about what its needs are, what my needs are, what i want to do with it and what it wants to be.. ect. its almost a spiritual thing really. i feel like its important to always reflect and engage with your art and art process to feel a stronger connection and purpose behind what you are deciding to do and what it means to you. i am probably repeating myself a little here but!!!!!! its worth saying!!!!!!!!! 

I also really think it adds to the interesting and fun “layers” to the story, as there has been different stages to its development and it brings in different feelings with each layer. But then the older or more ‘’foundational’’ ones pop in and they seem to give off a different atmosphere (antony and rome) vrs some of the newer additions (like jacket) who are more for shallow, fun decoration or an interesting potential to explore in the future. Like, Jacket is not a character that has a lot of foundational plot connected to him, but he’s an interesting development in terms of the potential of a worm and symbolizes that early-ffak-mindset of growth and experimentation. so i think it makes him a really unique and fun character because he embodies a lot of new and old aspects of ffak’s narrative and my journey with working on the comic.

I could go on and on, but I hope this sort of gives some insight to my process and how I write/work. because in a lot of ways, it isn’t linear. just like how my comic is! sometimes this makes ffak very disorienting for people to read, but if you keep in mind that ffak is very organic and personally tailored to my mannerisms  and with that in mind, it makes a lot more sense why it is how it is and the patterns in it become much more apparent. Anyway! thank you for reading and good luck working on your own stories! it can be challenging but i think it is absolutely worth the effort. 

Also i did not make the website, my good friend Tegan did. :3 i do not know anything about websites.

[edwad]

If you had to choose 10 marxian econ books for someone who has only read marx, what would you recommend

by “marx” i have to assume you mean capital because that really is the root of “marxian econ”. it won’t suffice to just have read the manifesto or something like that and i don’t want to recommend books that will be saying things that you’re totally unfamiliar with because you’re skipping straight into the secondary literature which already largely assumes a reader which is familiar with capital. anyway, heres a list, which isnt in any particular order and which includes a few things that i’m still working through for myself:

1. essays on marxs theory of value - isaak rubin 

hugely important book which essentially all value-form theory derives from. written by an extremely knowledgeable marx scholar who had a much better idea of what marx was doing in capital than most marxists today. last month brill published a book called “responses to marxs capital” which includes some of rubin’s other writings, most of them being published in english for the first time. hes a huge figure in the literature and definitely worth looking in to. 

2. marx, capital, and the madness of economic reason - david harvey

i was obviously going to put something of harvey’s in here and i think his last book is a fairly good summary of the best of what hes done up to this point with some welcome additions (the visualization of capital, the stuff on anti-value, etc). not perfect but he definitely provides a good framework for how to understand the geography of capital which doesnt require necessarily agreeing with him on everything. honestly, if you keep up with harvey at all you’ll be able to tell that its mostly just typical harveyisms with the inclusion of some stuff from his recent talks (which have all been almost exactly the same). 

3. in the long run we are all dead - geoff mann

maybe this looks more like a book on keynesian rather than marxian econ, but its real argument is that keynesianism as a long historical project (meaning long before and after keynes himself) has been an immanent critique of liberalism and revolution and that keynes is to us what hegel was to marx. a really great book that covers a lot of ground which isnt always explicitly economic, but definitely worth the read if you have the patience. if you want a longer review, i left a pretty lengthy one on amazon a few months ago where you can get a better idea of what i got from this book, what its limitations are, and why i think its so important. 

4. monopoly capital - paul baran & paul sweezy 

an older book which hasnt exactly aged well, but its thesis has become extremely popular again since the crisis. written by baran and sweezy, the fathers of “the monthly review school” of economics, its played a huge role in the direction of marxian debates from the 1960s up until today. the authors were both tending in the same intellectual direction in their earlier works (sweezy’s theory of capitalist development and baran’s political economy of growth, the former still being considered one of the best introductions to marxs work and its relevance to the 20th century, with much controversy of course) and this was the result of them coming together to talk about what they saw as a monopoly capitalism which was fairly different in character than the “competitive capitalism” of marx’s day and therefore had to be dealt with differently. 

5. capitalism - anwar shaikh

probably the most ambitious work the left has seen in a long time which tries to thoroughly critique neoclassical theory and develop an alternative economics which is rooted in what shaikh calls the “classical” school (”classical-marxian” would probably be more appropriate but i think hes trying to downplay his reliance on marx). in it, shaikh takes a good look at many of the competing schools of thought (neoclassical, post-keynesian, sraffian/neo-ricardian, etc) and sees how they stand up analytically and empirically, taking issue with their underlying assumptions and the inevitable problems which arise from building a theory on false foundations. 

one of his bigger points is that the neoclassical theory of “perfect competition” is nonsensical but wasnt thoroughly combatted by heterodox economists, who only made it so far as asserting the “imperfect” nature of competition, which, in shaikh’s eyes, is to simply add imperfections after the fact into the theory which necessarily begins with the absurd assumption of perfection. the book’s argument is that the theorists of “imperfect competition” still rely on the theory of “perfect competition” as their starting point and never really manage to escape the latter because they havent actually created an alternative way of thinking about competition, they’ve just inserted a complication into a theory which was a completely unrealistic assumption to begin with. much of his attack is directed at the monthly review school and the idea of a “monopoly capitalism” which is supposedly different in form than the allegedly “perfect competition” of capitalism during marxs life. in this sense, this book serves as a counterbalance to the MR approach and is also probably the most successful attempt at situating marxs TRPF within an empirical study of kondratiev waves. 

hes also got a website with a bunch of resources and a lecture series from a course he did on the material in the book which is pretty interesting, but it assumes a good deal of familiarity with economics. 

6. a history of marxian economics - michael howard & john king (2 volumes)

this is a pretty thorough history of the internal debates among marxian economists ever since the death of marx all the way up to 1990. it covers a lot of ground and doesnt shy away from controversies where marx didnt come out on top. of course, a good amount of this is subject to the interpretation of the authors and they definitely have a great deal of input, but its a very impressive work which i frequently use as a marxian encyclopedia of sorts. 

7. the making of marx’s capital - roman rosdolsky

despite some problems, rosdolsky’s classic book on the development of marx’s critique of political economy is easily one of the most important marxological works ever written and it still holds a lot of sway. taking the grundrisse as its starting point, the author unpacks marx’s project and constantly asserts marx’s method and in particular his explicit reliance on hegel’s logic, pitting marx (as he was in his drafts) against the then contemporary thinkers and critics which were prone to misusing or misunderstanding the arguments in capital. as a disclaimer and partial criticism of rosdolsky’s portrait of marx, i dont believe that we can simply say that marx in the late 50s was identical to the marx of the 60s and 70s that wrote and published capital, but i also dont think that means we necessarily have to discount the grundrisse (or theories of surplus value, etc) simply because they werent written at precisely the right time for marxs thinking. 

i only just got my own copy a couple of weeks ago so i cant say too much more but i have skimmed through chunks of the pdf and its totally unavoidable in the secondary literature so im not totally unfamiliar. its one i plan on tackling in full very soon.

8. moneybags must be so lucky - robert paul wolff

another marxological one, this tiny book is a literary analysis of capital and in particular the first part of volume 1. wolff does a great job of deconstructing the arguments in chapter 1 to try and clarify what marx is doing and why with a lot of humor and philosophical tangents. one of his biggest points is that marxs heavy reliance on irony was the only adequate way of capturing the contradictory nature of capitalism and is therefore part of the theory itself, rather than simply being a way to dress up the theory and make it more palatable to readers. i approached this book after id already “read marx” too, but it was extremely useful because it wasnt until i read it that i finally started to actually understand marx. for that reason, i dont feel particularly bad about recommending it to anyone thats already familiar with capital because it does a great job of making the most difficult part of volume 1 infinitely more exciting and comprehensible – especially since its never enough to just read capital once. 

9. the production of commodities by means of commodities - piero sraffa

against my better judgement, i’m putting this on the list knowing full-well that i’m going to be harassed by an anon which has been on my ass for about a year now ever since i first recommended sraffa’s book in a reading list despite the fact that ive never finished it (barely even read it to be more precise). i do, however, know that its had a huge influence on the trajectory of marxian thought since 1960 and that many of the thinkers are still trying to recover from the theoretical displacement implicit in sraffa’s thesis. 

its a math-heavy book (which is why i havent been able to wade through it) and its status as a work coming from the “marxian” approach is hotly contested, but its certainly had its way with the marxian school (not to mention the neoclassical school, which has an easier time simply ignoring sraffa entirely), generating countless debates among scholars, many of whom simply wish that this book had never been written. for a short summary of the debate and whats apparently at stake, ive got an old post where i worked out some of the initial responses to sraffa and how this has snowballed into the controversy that it is today. ive got it on this list because of how unavoidable it is. you cant go into the secondary literature at anything resembling an intermediate level without knowing sraffa’s name and why everyone feels so strongly about him.

10. an introduction to the three volumes of karl marxs capital - michael heinrich

i dont quite like that im ending this list with a book that presents itself as an “introduction” when we’ve already established that this is a bunch of recommendations for someone thats already acquainted with capital, but sadly this is the only full-length book that heinrich has in the english language and its reading of capital is so unorthodox that it feels totally alien against all the traditional interpretations of marx. honestly, it doesnt feel like an introduction in the first place, reading more like a challenge and an intervention into the secondary debates about what marx is saying in capital which derives from the german debates which constitute the parameters for the “neue marx-lekture”, or “the new reading of marx”, which sits uncomfortably among the more typical marxisms that surround it on all sides, especially among non-german theorists/readers. 

as far as the dominant reading of marx goes, nearly everything this book says betrays marx’s project, but heinrich knows marx very well, better than most of us (as even his biggest critics readily admit). this may be considered reflective of a “new reading”, but that doesnt mean the old ones are any better or that this one is necessarily a “revisionist” project as many claim (or at least, i wouldnt consider it to be revising marx even if its guilty of revising “marxism”, which is by no means necessarily a bad thing). on the contrary, i think heinrich has the best understanding of marx out of pretty much everyone else right now and thats why i wanted to end with this one. yes, you should read all of the others, especially since you cant understand the way we read and think about marx without coming across the work of people like sraffa and sweezy, but that doesnt really change the fact that heinrich points to a big problem with the way we read and think about marx, that the debates have been getting it wrong all along and largely misunderstanding marxs actual project, miscontextualizing it and falling into dogmatism for various political or academic reasons. 

what heinrich does is to show how the way marx is read and interpreted often misses or downplays the most crucial elements of what marx is actually trying to get across. marxs critique of political economy simply gets converted into a newer, more correct political economy which simply builds on the classical school (shaikh), or it suffers in the hands of those that believe its foundations need to be updated as if it isnt all that relevant anymore (sweezy and baran), or that many of its categories are lacking utility and can simply be done away with (sraffa). rubin’s work plays a big part in establishing the NML reading and harvey draws on heinrich’s scholarship a lot, but nobody really does it as well as heinrich himself and i genuinely think hes lightyears ahead of everyone else. a lot of people are starting to agree and i was one of the most recent converts on the heinrich hype train which has been growing for the last couple of years. 

any day now, we should be getting one of his older books, the science of value, in english and i plan on devouring it as fast as i can, but sadly its been in limbo for several years, with its initial release scheduled for 2014 (if i remember correctly). in the mean time though, we’ve only got his introduction to capital and a bunch of shorter pieces/videos.  

so i guess thats my list of 10 things to read after marx with some explanations on why i think theyre important, culminating in ideologically correct heinrich-worship. this was sorta fun and if you have any other questions feel free to ask. 

[haeroniel-doliet]

gah another 5 am post eh fellas

fuck i really wanna do ballet. i really rarely become obsessed (if ever) with anything, but for once i’m so so so so soso wanting to do ballet. so bad. i know i might hate it bc im fucing not musical at all, so not in shape, so not comfortable or etc. but at least im 18,(wait fuck 19 now)  and not 45 trying to get in it all stiff and stuck and i think based on all the sweet positivity to adult ballet starters beginners and sure i wont perform professionally but fuck man i dont think i need that. i just want that grace and flexibility and elegance and gah itd be fabulous. i mean even now im pretending to look for turn out and walk around the house like they do in point shoes and i try fix my posture tothe advice by a ballet dancer youtuber who ive been watching so much of. i just i really wanna do it. 

saddest fucking thing is guys, that i could’ve had the chance to go to the fucking royal ballets adult absolute beginner classes. in london. i could have. fuck. u wanna know what happened? i found out about it like a month or two ago and was fucking psyched bc its one of those things that just is too good to be true. the best company in uk?? w adult classes? while im in london?? yeah id have to miss a few weeks bc. whoops i gotta go back up to do my exams,but i couldve at least done a few weeks, come back and done a few last so i’d have had the best opportunity to give this a go in the best environment and then have a kindling to go off with to other available ballets. and not start with some barely managing person in a shitty studio thing. idk. sure so i tell my parents so fuckin excited bc look! its possible! but yeah its expensive, wouldve been abt 90 pound w me being a student and id have to miss 3/10 classes. but still! thin of it gah its making me so sad happy. sad bc guess its now sold out. of fuckin course it is. i told my mom and she just was uhmm ohh i dunno i dunno, oh its adults i could do it, and thinking that maybe getting her involved would mean i have a better chance of going, dont care much for her company but if shed take it as a bonding thing hell, i’ll probably do better than her in class and minor confidence boost as well as if they all others are old old i wont be alone. and she could pass over what they learned when im up in scotland. Guess that was a fuckin mistake. she got all nervous and self concious and put it off with a we’ll see we’ll see about it im thinking. and making it a whole thing like instead of me wanting to go so bad and offering for fun that shed join me, as if im trying to pressure her into doing it and would only go along to make her feel better. uh.... fucking wrong! im so mad actually. bc of course, no matter how often i mentioned it she wouldnt take it seriously to even consider booking me in! no no of course not we’ll see. and then i check before im coming back, dreading and being right that yep. theyre fucing sold out. of course they are its such a fanstastic opportunity! my only fucking opportunity! when ever again am i going to live in london with weeks free to go participate in that? when ever again? never. theyre moving out of london this summer and fuck. just doing some research and the scottish ballet is in fucking glasgow. yes i was supposed to get there if i hadnt been so shit with studying for my exams. (sure i wouldnt be doing archery and wouldnt have all the other wonderful things i now enjoy in aberdeen but fuck its frustrating) and ofc. aberdeen seems to have: one shady dance company that offers ballet fusion. not adult ballet classes. another shady school that practices at robert gordons that have no website nothing. no info how to sign up or if they have adult classes or when its so stupid and weird. maybe ill have to contact them directly idk. sure my uni has a what seems to be a thriving dance society that i have a glitched out membership for. (its 50 pound a year and i have cerrainly not paid that) and i guess they do ballet on the side. but again from a glance around, looks its only intermediate. not beginners. dont think theres that many uni age girls who just wanna start ballet now. 

so it looks bleary. even in finland, i cant understand body parts in finnish so that might just be frustrating if i could even find a place that offers it. not that i’ll have long at all in finland. ill be there barely a month before heading back to uni and i come back holidays. if i wanted to take one of these eleven week courses, i think id have to geta fuckin liscence and a car and drive to glasgow 3 hrs both ways for a class once a week and that sjust stupid. im so fucking mad about this missed opportunity. like my muscles are itching and aching to do it. my legs want to work out in ballet positions. they just rly do. yeah maybe ill have to start doing barre at home from videos to try ease that, but its not gonna be the same and ill do it all wrong bc i have no teacher to direct me or anything. correct either. sure if i had done it and loved it i might still be mad that i have no opportunities to continue like i want to, but at least id have that expereince and could keep practicing at home based off of it.  i am genuinely upset okay. upset betrayed disappointed sad twitchy and ugh. sure tickets go on sale today to swan lake after exams. and by fuck will i go see it. and ill get all the background before it and know it inside and out before i see it (already kinda do) and i will love it. ill bemaybe more upset and more twitchy that i cant do it, that i cant be lie them and that rly sucks. i really really wish by some miracle the school would offer summer courses so that i could just, get myself after exams into one. also another frustrating thing not quite so pressing on my mind is how my dad wants me to get summer jobs, maybe even two. one here and one in finland. sure it should theoretically be easier getting it here, esp. since im 19 now and yeah. i could work in a cafe or store just to get money and have smth to put on a cv thats not 2 weeks. but i dunno i dont particularly want to, i was hoping in london i could get the most of it culturaly (considering ive been a pouting and sad whailer whos not done anything for the last two years) then again i have p much no friends here so if i did go work somewhere theres a slight chance thered be someone i get along with and could hang out w. or visit if i needa back in london. i dunno. things are weird. sure i could try get an admin job w nhs like some lady suggested but its one of those too much responsibilty things, consdiering im shit with work i kinda would prefer to do some physical job like stacking shelves in a shop bc im good at that. but thats not gonna help me in the future. money yes, but cv building or careers wise? nah. i should owrk in hospitality or smth i dunno even i can barely get thru my work to pass rn so  i dunno about job searching. im jsut a mess am i not. regardless maybe i should look if theres other ballet schoolsin london. be desperate, get a job and a ballet class going over summer and do art on the free time i guess. 

okay so fer now ive found a course for like fucking 156 pound thats a 2 day full days course that looks mad cool for having different classes to learn vocab and etc and then a bit of fucking swanlake like yooo.. best thing its in like july but thats also possibly bad bc its july 28-29 and july 30 we move out. man it could be cool tho. then they offer there as well a taster session p much every other week and then a full 8 weeks of class p near by to me. sure this is specifically taught by a man and id prefer a woman but, i guess. since its ideal timing and place. and i got wondering why thats 150 and the national ballet wouldve been abt 90 and i guess there i get concession and it wouldve been only 6 classes considering the dates they had off. i should rly ask if they do do concession bc 150 is a bit steep still. for 8 classes thats almost 20 pound for 75 mins. its kinda insane. theres probably more companies i havent looked at but there is one other thats like a drop in thing 10 pound cash each class and thats a 90 mins so it might be better. ofc. obv. fault being that its drop in so being an absolute beginner w likely a lot older adults idk how id fit in or keep up or get hte most of it. i think ill go try it once regardless. then when back in abdn ask around for taster sessions and beginner ballet. worst comes to worst i wait another 4 years till i get to a big enough city that they have a nice ballet company and somewhere i can live like an adult but also get in on adult ballet and enjoy myself. maybe my industrial placement city will have  a ballet company idk. 

all i know is that im a bit obsessed and everyone says to go for your dreams etc. and as much as i enjoy archery (slowly gonna dedicate to it) and aikido (though training can be frustrating and training with old men isnt that fun) and ice skating is another less of a dream but in the same realm as ballet. that im gonan get new skates for and give it a better try. i just think ballet could  be so fucking rad and im sad that its not so easy rn. and that my mom fucked me over. for that one course that couldve been cheap and amazing and mindchanging. to go to the ballet knowing what some of it feels like would be great. sure id love  a chance to do some after as well u know. ofc it sucks it might cost a couple hundred over summer to these hobbies and i feel iffy spending 180 on a quality waterproof jacket. sure. they spend it but, im v concientious and dont wanna spend much of their money esp cus im not making my own. i guess logically, i should put a bunch of effort to getting thru this term rly well without lies and get a sumemr job. that way, i could theoretically take loan from my parents  and pay back with summer job money w some left over to do as i like with (yeah i should save it for sensible shit but idk) also considering how nice i am my dad might not even want me to pay back. look i dunno. thats an idea. be good, be rewarded w ballet classes and an unstrained relationship w my parents, joyously move back to finland and start next term w a clean slate, hopefully more help and new determination into hobbies. maybe i wanna do 4 sports since i never did much as i was younger. tho sure, i did aikidos cousin taekwondo. ive shot a bow and arrow whenever i had a chance. ive skated since literally like 3 yrs old. and i used to take a form of dance a alot younger. sure no musicality but i think the exercises would be great for my knees and legs and butt and torso and posture. htese are fun sports since i dont like to work out. and since im not comfortable enough in myself to go swim. 

[theonceoverthinker]

My Journey with Once Upon a Time

Once Upon a Time first appeared in my life in June of 2014. I had just gotten ankle surgery and had been told that while I could walk, I’d need to wear a PIC line (A long-term IV needle) all summer. My activities were limited, but a little after I was able to walk again, my mom took me to the library to see if there were any good movies or TV shows.

And that’s when I saw it.

The DVD for Once Upon a Time: Season 1.

I made a friend about a year ago by this point in my life, one who was quickly becoming one of my closest companions, and this show was something she frequently talked about. Three aspects that she spoke of stood out to me: Rumpelstiltskin and Belle being a couple, Captain Hook failing at everything, and a speech about the messed up family tree that had me in stitches in a Burgerfi.

So I thought it would be worth it to give the show a try.

Friends, I’m pretty sure I binged that season in two days, max. Emma’s story wowed me, and the supporting cast had me intrigued to the point where I just couldn’t stop.

From there on, I had to hunt Season 2 down on my own. I may not have met Hook yet, but let’s just say I found that there was more than just a little pirate in me.

Long story short: I loved it, and was eager for more.

I started Season 3...then I stopped, and if you asked me why, I’d say I had no idea. I still loved the episodes. The Neverland arc is now my favorite arc of the series due to its focus on character development. But following “Good Form,” I took a break. Looking back, I think it was all about the location. Or rather, mine. I was in a hospital, and friends, nothing can make me, even in my most enthused state, happy when I’m in a hospital. That’s actually the same way I fell out of The Walking Dead.

But let’s jump forward, to when I got back into the show, and for good.

September 27, 2014. The Season 4 premiere was one day away, and I really wanted to be caught up for it. So I bunkered down in my College’s Student Government office and binged, from “Ariel” to “There’s No Place Like Home” over the following day and a half.

And I loved every fucking second of it.

OUaT and I were reunited, and it felt so good.

From then on, my love for Once Upon a Time only grew, like an apple tree in New York. I did everything I could to watch the episodes live as they came out, and if I couldn’t for whatever reason, I was on the ABC website at 6am the next morning to catch up. While I was already a big fan by the season premiere, “White Out” set my love aflame. That still remains my favorite episode of Season 4, if not the entire series.

I started writing fanfiction for the series in March of 2015. Golden Hook grew to be my favorite crack ship and my second OTP next to Captain Swan, and to this day, the series still inspires me and helps me get better at being a writer. Nearly three years later, and I’m still working on my fic, “Marital Bliss” at least once a day.

That summer, I bought the DVD’s and I pre-ordered the Emma, Hook, and Rumple Funkos the day they were announced. I squealed as they came in the mail, and I’ve been building my collection over the years. My merchandise for the series expanded, and now encompasses several pieces of clothes, models of Graham, Emma, and Rogers’ cars, nearly all of the Funkos, two chipped cups, and Rumple’s dagger, as well as all of the DVD’s.

Over the past year, I’ve been trying to become part of the Once community, and to much success. The people I’ve met - they’ve been incredible, both friends I made back in Season 6 and those I’ve just made now in Season 7. The pinnacle of my fandom life happened in October, when I went to the Creation Once Upon a Time Convention in New Jersey, where I got to meet some of my favorite Tumblr users and ask the stars that I’ve loved for years now questions. It’s a convention I loved and will be returning to for the final time this year.

Once Upon a Time is so special. This is a show where hope is not only promised, but delivered upon. Sometimes, it’s not in the ways we expect, and it’s not without its complications, but it’s there more often than its not. And just as important, Once Upon a Time embraces silliness while still having heart. I can feel the depths of Charming’s desperation in the same episode where I can see Little Bo Peep as a freakin’ warlord!

More importantly, Once Upon a Time gave me something that few parts of my life do: Passion. I’m not an ambitious person, not by a long shot. However, I felt myself change the more I got into it. The show gave me something to look forward to, something to be inspired by, goals to work towards through the various fan projects I joined (And am now trying to put one on myself!), and an adoration for a cast and writing staff. On my darkest days, I could escape into the Captain Swan love story, Regina and Killian’s redemptions, Rumple’s dastardly schemes and deep backstory, Snowing’s iconic dynamic, Belle’s strength, Zelena’s wit, Henry’s faith, and most recently, the kinship of Knight Rook and the journey of Curious Archer.

I want to thank everyone involved who made this fantastic show what it was: Adam and Eddy, our entire cast and crew, and my friends on Tumblr. At the end of the day, we all came together, and through our belief, and we made magic real. I don’t know when or even if I’m ever going to have another love like this again, and I plan to spend a great deal of time in this fandom, and hopefully not alone. But whatever my future fandoms may involve, I am so thankful for the three and a half years I’ve spent fawning over these fairy tales brought to life. Once Upon a Time will always be my True Love.

[ltsaint-a]

IMPORTANT

i.  this is a roleplay blog for SHAUNDI of SAINTS ROW. she very much follows canon but is also very headcanon based as well.

ii.  any mention of shaundi from saints row 2 or even just past shaundi in saints row 4 will be tagged with FUN SHAUNDI.

iii.  the only trigger that will come up on this blog is in reference to her drug habits back in saints row 2. if there is mention, it will be tagged accordingly: DRUG MENTION /

BASICS

i.   this is basically going to cover the basics. keep in mind, i do have a job and i will be going back to school soon for my bachelor’s degree. with that being said, i don’t spend all of my time on this blog or on tumblr as it is. my time is divided up to where i see it fits best. 

ii.   i really, REALLY,  really, try and stay out of drama. it does nobody any good and honestly it ruins the whole writing experience for me. i’ve been on tumblr long enough to see the rise and fall of roleplaying and i don’t wish to see my writing career on this website come to a screeching halt. keep it away from me and we’ll be alright. 

iii.   do not send me hate. do not send the people i write with hate. just don’t do it.

iv.   i queue all of my replies and i usually have one reply post a day in order to keep up with everything. i work during the week and don’t have a lot of time to write during the week so queuing my replies allow me to keep everything under control and help me not to become too overwhelmed.

v.   I USE SMALL FOR MY FORMATTING, AND DOUBLE SPACED. if that’s not your style, then i would suggest possibly not following me. this is how i like to write my replies and asks, i like the way it looks and small font has always helped me to write more than i normally would. i’ve been using small font since my gaiaonline days and that’s not going to change anytime soon.

FOLLOWING & UNFOLLOWING

i.   this is a MUTUALS ONLY blog. now, you’re probably sitting there like “but eris, what does that mean?” and i’m here to tell you. if you follow me and i choose to follow you back, that means we are mutuals. it means you have every right to respond to my open starters & to like my starter calls. 

ii.   I DO NOT FOLLOW MINORS, NOR DO I WISH ANY TO FOLLOW ME. sorry, but i gotta look out for myself. while my blog doesn’t feature smut and i normally don’t write any, there is the occasional nsfw on my blog. along with that, i do post stuff that is 18+ in general due to the nature of the muses i tend to write. i wanna keep you all protected so i would ask that you don’t follow me.

iii.   as for who i choose to follow, it’s all based on whether i find that our characters will write well together. if i don’t see any way for me to have my characters  interact with your character, then sadly, i won’t give you a follow back. i’m pretty chill though when it comes to following and pretty much follow everyone back. 

v.   now for the dreaded rule about unfollowing. what will bring me to unfollow you? this is something i’m still very lenient on because i’m big on the whole “it’s your blog, do what you want” but if i see you posting a lot of drama and like really excessive ooc, i will sadly unfollow your blog. i like to keep my dash clean so i can easily navigate it.

vi.   let’s talk about softblocking. if i wish to break mutuals with you, i am going to softblock you because i only feel that it’s right. i don’t want people to get confused because i know a lot of people sometimes don’t check their followers to see who is still mutuals with them. along with that, i will utilize softblocking if you start to post stuff i don’t agree.. it’s better that way, i promise. 

INTERACTION

i.   once again, MUTUALS ONLY. only people that i follow back will i interact with. meaning only those people are allowed to like my starter calls, only they can reblog open starters, etc. if you’re a non - mutual and you try, you will be ignored and if this happens multiple times, i will soft block you.

ii.   I LIKE TO START OFF SMALL WITH MY STARTERS AND THEN EVENTUALLY BUILD UP AS WE PROGRESS THE THREAD ALONG so don’t be alarmed if i start off with just a paragraph in our starter. unless i’m already comfortable writing with you and i know how we vibe, we’re going to start off slow because i want to get a feel for how our characters mesh and how we, as partners, will write together. you’ll end up noticing an increase in content as we continue to write because now i know what i’m working with.

iii.   asks are always the biggest thing. Basically, non - mutuals can send asks but only if they are sentence starters / sentence memes, any sorta “tell me how i��m doing” memes or the like. I WON’T ANSWER UNSOLICITED RP ASKS FROM NON - MUTUALS.  they’ll get ignored or deleted. this is more for my sanity and the fact that in the past, i’ve had non - mutuals hound me about stuff like this and i’d rather just not let that anxiety overwhelms me again. if you are a non - mutual and send me sentence memes and the like, please know it won’t go further than the answered ask.

SHIPPING

i.   i ship based on chemistry for the most part and i am up for shipping with multiple characters. please do not try and force your character upon mine. that’s grounds for immediate removal from my blog and it’s like really uncomfortable as it is. 

ii.   as for shipping, everything will be set in it’s own little universe. meaning no ships shall overlap unless you’re totally cool with that. i love to incorporate my character’s past and their relationships wherever i can but if it makes you comfortable to have no mention of prior relationships in any of my character’s lives, we can separate them.

MISCELLANEOUS

i.   all of the icons that are featured on this blog were made by me. meaning i took the time out of my day to sit in photoshop and edit them. same for any graphics & photosets i decide to post to this blog. i spent the time making said items so i don’t take too kindly to theft. 

ii.   please try and have fun while writing with me. i don’t care if you take a million years, i don’t care if you take two seconds. all i care about is that you enjoy what we’re writing. 

iii.   you are always allowed to message me via IM and discord is available to those i have begun to feel comfortable with. i’m pretty easy going so don’t be shy. 

iv. seriously though, have fun.

[ms-marmar]

quarantine relapse

hey y’all! i hope you’re safe and healthy. with the state of things around the world, it’s hard not to feel distress, hopelessness, anxiety, pain, and a whole lot of other negative feelings. 

for one thing, quarantine has been difficult, to say the least. ive come to notice that many (myself included) have created expectations for themselves to practice certain behaviors during this pandemic in efforts to try to carry on as if things were normal, minimize the effects that this shift in environment has on us, and prevent ourselves from becoming “lazy.” ppl have set out to try to be more productive (from home), follow a schedule, dabble into new hobbies, work out from home, try new recipes and diets, etc. 

unfortunately, many face even more struggles with this pandemic than just a shift from their daily routine. many of you are facing insecurities regarding your health, employment, finances, and much more. such pressures can trigger increased anxieties and lead to the unhealthy coping mechanisms (ie. self harm, restricting, binging, purging, etc) that you’ve built up over time.

i struggled (and still struggle) to commit to a routine, often feeling guilty for failing to do so. i thought about how i was lucky to be in the comfort of my financially stable household, seemingly separated from the outside world and personally unaffected by the coronavirus. i have so much privilege in this moment that i shouldn’t be feeling such despair and instability. im stuck at home, with nothing to do but sit around on my laptop to attend online classes and try to find some hobbies to pass the time. even though everything else going in the world hangs in my mind like a grey cloud of concern, the biggest worry constantly invading my mind was just about what i had to eat. im sure youve heard ppl despair over the possibility of gaining weight by staying cooped up at home, unable to go outside or to the gym. in a house full of food, many of which are “fear foods” with long shelf lives, ive been battling the temptation to mindlessly binge on snacks all day. it’s also easy to opt out for restricting. for instance, when supplies are low at the store, you decide NOT to get that last loaf of bread, thinking someone else could use it more than you. by justifying that you dont need that food, it can become a cycle of justifying that you dont need any food. there’s also that feeling of guilt that arises when you do get the food, knowing full well it’s something that’ll just get purged. there are numerous experiences y’all have gone through and are (re)facing right now as a result of our present day. the pandemic has created circumstances in which new thoughts and anxieties provide a gateway to practicing disordered eating behaviors as a source of relief.

as a result of this quarantine climate, all these thoughts and expectations, many of which have resurfaced from the shame and guilt ive already felt for years, continued to build up. my concern over weight gain turned into fear, and i fell back into the vicious cycle of binging and purging. 

thing is, nothing right now is normal. the moment we’re living in is beyond control. it’s natural to feel helpless. however, we can’t let that take over our lives. the “little” things we can contribute every day to help the cause (ie. social distancing, limiting going outside, being hygienic, showing appreciation to essential workers, keeping yourself and others informed, donating to groups, etc) can go a long way. you’re not helpless if you can do something to show your support. additionally, we don’t need to punish ourselves for the changes we’re experiencing. staying at home might mean we don’t move around as often, and that’s okay. you being hungry after sitting all day? also okay! all these are natural as we adjust to these lifestyle changes. 

apologies i am late with this. for some, quarantine restrictions are easing up. however, pls continue to limit your outside excursions,practice social distancing and hygiene, and wear masks. times are ambiguous and cases are still very much present (and numbers continue to rise). in addition, social justice movements have experienced a recent surge. pls be safe and support your families, friends, and communities. we all deserve to be treated equally and need to stand up to oppressive systems in whatever ways we can. take time to educate yourselves and others, while maintaining a balance in order to not overwhelm yourselves and create more stress/anxiety. i know these ideas seem contradictory, but i know each of us have different thresholds for stress. find yours and develop healthy mechanisms to cope with them. reaching out is always the best option. 

takeaways n important things to keep in mind or try (some of which you may have already heard before; however, sometimes we need a reminder):

-its okay to relapse. recovery is full of ups n downs, its not linear

-u dont have to earn the right to eat. ur body is communicating to you what it needs. if you’re confused over your hunger and satiety levels, which often happens due to changes in brain chemistry, maybe this guideline is helpful. it’s from one of my lectures in an eating disorders class i took last quarter. act according to your body’s physiological responses. if you’re hungry, please eat. if you’re about to go over your fullness levels, please stop yourself and do something else to distract you. maybe call a friend to hold yourself accountable. ik everything is easier said than done, and i struggle with this myself, but every thought and effort counts:

-limit your media use. sometimes watching the news all day or watching how others seem to be doing great in quarantine can trigger anxiety and disappointment. opt for enjoyable activities, learn something new, or meditate. 

-try to eat regularly. 2-3 meals a day, with some snacks between. do not ignore your hunger cues. you might then become very hungry, which increases the likelihood of binging then purging. 

-you’re not alone. many articles have been written about how quarantine has made a hard blow to everyone, especially those with need insecurities and/or mental illness. i encourage you to please reach out to any trusted individual in some way if you’re experiencing any challenges. refer to the bottom of this post for some links about having ed’s during the pandemic. seek covid relief and emergency funds if you are in need (here’s an informational website with grant resources in the US link)

-having said that, seek out a support system. therapists, support groups, etc have moved online. now is the time to join them, especially if you haven’t had time in the past. talk to friends and/or family when you can. be transparent with your needs. 

-feel free to reblog with or comment any resources you may find helpful for others

there are definitely some viewpoints that i’ve missed, and i apologize if through this post i haven’t made you feel a part of this struggle when it’s something you also experience. i just want to say that every experience is valid, and they vary widely. eating disorders affect ANYONE. i wrote this mainly with my own experiences and observations in mind, and i’d love for you all to share your own stories. i want you to keep fighting through. i want you to see the end of this pandemic, to be able to go outside again and experience life to its fullest. all those plans you had but were forced to cancel? you can do them when things have become okay again. didnt have plans? make some so you have something to look forward to when this is over. you have to conquer this battle by putting your health first and realizing the danger you’re putting your body in when you engage in disordered eating. there’s so much waiting for you in the future. recovery is a long, hard journey that we’re reluctant to embark on at first. but i promise that nothing will feel as beautiful and relieving than when you live free from this toxic mindset. pls stay safe everyone. my heart goes out to you and all the different struggles you’re facing. we’re in this together. 

thank you if you’ve read this and made it this far. 

articles about ed’s during quarantine:

1 2 3 4 5 

ms-marmar xx

[itsyourturnblog]

What I’ve learned: running during quarantine

Three lessons from running and using guided run coaching as a way to think about life in general

Photo by Jenny Hill on Unsplash

There’s a Chinese proverb that asks the question, When’s the best time to plant a tree? And there are two answers — the first one, Twenty years ago. The second one, If not 20 years ago, then today. Today’s the best time to plant a tree.

Thinking about that, I’ve run on and off my whole adult life — and over the past few years, I’ve fallen away from it. A couple of years ago, I won a coveted spot in the New York City Marathon lottery but I didn’t run the qualifying races or volunteer to help because my life felt too busy. My life was happening all around me, happening to me. I didn’t have time. I wanted to but… Always that pesky but. I didn’t make the space and that opportunity went unused.

Then, last year my family moved to San Francisco from NYC in late summer — which seemed like a good time as any to make other life changes. Weather permitting, I would ride a bike (some of the way) to work in SoMa, we took regular family walks, I even meditated here and there. And then, the novel coronavirus comes on the scene earlier this year. COVID-19 and quarantine ensue, causing everything to be thrown into a swirl, including work, school, habits, even the construct of time itself.

And so what to do in a time of great change and uncertainty? You guessed it, plant a tree. I planted a tree two months ago. I started running again. I mean, why not? And I began with the Nike+ Run Club app using the guided runs feature.

I promise this isn’t a commercial for Nike, I only own one pair of Nike shoes, but the guided runs really have been a lifesaver for me. Previously, when I would run, I would have company — friends, family, and people who might have signed up for the same race later in the year, my dog, some other kind of motivation — but nowadays, these things are near impossible. And so this is how coach Chris Bennett, NRC Global Head Coach, and others — including Sally McCrae, Cory Wharton-Malcolm, Shalane Flanagan — inhabited my headphones as I ran 50,000 meters (a bit over 31 miles) this month. And here’s the evidence:

Screenshots from my Strava (left) and Nike+ Run Club (right) apps — Strava’s a bit lower than NRC because some of the segments I initially logged as hikes so they don’t count as run distances

🎉🙌 🎉🙌 🎉🙌 🎉🙌 🎉🙌 🎉🙌 🎉🙌 🎉🙌 🎉🙌 🎉🙌 🎉🙌 🎉🙌 🎉🙌 🎉🙌

So, let’s get into it. Let’s cross that proverbial starting line and get going. What are three things that I’ve learned from my time running that can apply more broadly to my life and my work?

Start slowly, or go slowly

We’re all in a hurry — we’ve all got to-do lists a mile long, someone’s waiting on something, there’s that email, has the kid eaten lunch?, that thing took longer than we thought and now we’re behind, has the dog been fed?, did you reply to that message from your uncle?— but we all have time. It is something that exists for all of us. Though it does have value, it doesn’t cost any money. And whether it feels like it or not, you are in control of the next 30 minutes, the next hour, all of it. You are in control. And whether you’re running on a trail or you’re staring down a deadline or about ready to begin a design sprint with a client team, you control the cadence. You don’t have to drink from a firehose. And in order to not drive yourself into the ground, you need to start slow. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement, heart-pounding, trip over the hype, the blood rushing in our ears, to say yes, and jump in.

On the flip side, it takes strength, resolve, and focus to start slow. Because it’s tough to sit in that tension, it’s hard to say no, to really consider the whole effort — especially when it’s in-flight, you don’t know exactly what that entails. How can you know how much fuel you’ll use if you don’t know everything about the journey of which you’re in the middle?

True, you can pick up the pace later, that’s always an option but warm up first. Prep as much as you can. Stretch. Shake it out. Keep your arms loose, keep your legs limber. Then, do the icebreaker before you plow straight in. Start smart. And start slow.

Recovery is important, be easy

Be easy on yourself, even in the middle of a run. That goes for after a run, between runs, before a run. The same goes for life. Life can be hard, it will get hectic, it is crazy at times so be easy on yourself. Being easy doesn’t mean lowering your standards, it doesn’t always mean running slow. But set those things for what you need. There’s a guided run on NRC called Tough Day, Easy Run, it’s been one of my favorites because it speaks to that.

During a speed run, you may run fast, but not too fast. Or try to be the fastest. If you’re running with someone, how are they doing? Are they able to answer simple questions, maintain a conversation? Are you trying to run faster than they are? Are they trying to run faster than you? Are you able to talk to them? How are you feeling? You should feel good. If you’re feeling something else, you’re not being easy. Running should feel good.

Coach Bennett talks about how an easy run should feel, how a recovery run should feel. He says something like:

And easy doesn’t mean slow; it means just that — easy. And easy, when it comes to running, easy doesn’t mean slow. And remember we talked about slow — starting slow doesn’t mean that that’s the pace for the whole route. Taking something easy isn’t a slow run. It’s an easy run. It’s your normal, everyday run. Because if it’s not an interval run, a long run, or a speed run, it’s an easy run. It’s a recovery run. Easy is not a pace or a distance; easy is a level of effort. So go easy.

I remember one of the NRC trainers pointed out — don’t recall who it was— that runners typically have slower paces the third and last quarter of a run. And that’s not necessarily a good thing, it probably means that runner has exhausted themselves — it means I’ve been running too hard for the first half. That means I wasn’t running slow, really pacing myself, and I didn’t make it easy for myself. I’m making it harder than it needs to be. That’s me, making it hard.

How many times have we complicated something in our lives? If you’re anything like me, a lot. Whew, it’s easy to lose count. And many times, I make things in my life and my family’s life a lot harder. Why? Any number of reasons — pride, ego, stubbornness, some rigid idea that something has to be a very specific way, not accepting help, not asking for help, all sorts of reasons. If we’re easy about these things, even just a bit more, it won’t be so hard.

It’s okay to fail

The intention at the start of the run isn’t always how it plays out. Like how the best-laid plans for some Tuesday lunch or a family bingo game night or a client retro not turning out the way it was intended. What is the joke — do you want proof that god/God has a sense of humor? Make a plan.

You might start out on a run and think, I’m going to run 10K today and I’m going to crush it, but if you listen to your body and listen to what’s going on with you, that may not be the best way to run. Sure, you can dig deep and pull something out in the last quarter and thug it out but you should still start slow and be easy with yourself. Digging out that low gear, keep that in your back pocket. There’s always time for that.

In 2007, Arianna Huffington woke up in a pool of blood with a broken cheekbone and a cut over her eye. She had been at home on the phone and was checking emails when she passed out and fell. Huffington had been working 18-hour days building the Huffington Post website. She didn’t know what had happened and after weeks of medical tests, doctors came back with a simple answer: she was exhausted.

Arianna Huffington attending the premiere of The Union at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, photo by David Shankbone

Huffington took personal steps to stop this from happening again in her own life. And then, she became a champion for getting more sleep, urging others that instead of bragging about our sleep deficits to see how we can do more with more sleep. She did one of the most popular TED talks in 2010 on the subject— it’s been watched over 5 million times — and wrote Sleep Revolution in 2017.

I say all of that as an example of what it means to reset your expectations. Listen to yourself, listen to others, the thing that you had in mind might not be the best thing or the right thing to do just now.

There’s a ton more I could say. There are things I’ve missed, sure— running on narrow trails in this time of COVID-19 precautions puts a whole new spin on politeness, how, and when to yield (bikes, runners, walkers, horses, etc.), a lesson is there to be learned in kindness. For sure. Or staying focused on the path in front of you as a metaphor for remaining present. Because there’s always a crack in the sidewalk or an exposed root that’s visible after the fact. But I’ll stop here and appreciate the fledgling tree.

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think.

You can find the Strava and the Nike+ Run Club app on the web, in the iOS store, and in the Android store. Maybe other platforms, though I couldn’t find any others. You can find Arianna Huffington’s book, Sleep Revolution, in any major book retailer, but I would suggest getting it from your favorite local bookstore.

What I’ve Learned: Running During Quarantine was originally published in It's Your Turn on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

by Skipper Chong Warson via It's Your Turn - Medium #itsyourturn #altMBA #SethGodin #quotes #inspiration #stories #change #transformation #writers #writing #self #shipping #personaldevelopment #growth #education #marketing #entrepreneurship #leadership #personaldev #wellness #medium #blogging #quoteoftheday #inspirationoftheday

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How to Start a Blog on a Budget - SAVE $100’s!

I’ve started several blog websites over the past few years using many of the top website builders. I have found Wordpress to be the best option, but my first try setting up a website with Wordpress was my most expensive. With the tips and tricks I include in this article you can probably avoid my mistakes and save a couple hundred dollars a year on your new blog website. A few of the things I will be discussing are my Wordpress.com mistake, comparing hosting providers, my recommendation for a premium theme that will save you a ton of time getting your website design set up and increase your websites speed. I will tell you where I get my content outsourced from for 1/5 the price of a normal outsourced Blog post content. Now before I get into the nitty-gritty details of setting up your blog website I want to let you know that when I set up my first Wordpress blog website I spent way too much money. That is why I am writing this blog post so that other people do not make the same mistake I did. I hope that by sharing my personal experience and this information with you that you are able to set up your blog website on a budget.

Getting started with Wordpress

First of all I want to make this very clear because it can be kind of confusing. If you want to save money setting up a blog website I recommend staying away from Wordpress.com. You can use the WordPress software for free. Wordpress.com is a separate company that will charge you much more than the average hosting company to host your website. I totally understand the confusion. I made the same mistake myself. I heard people say well if you’re going to start a blog website you better use Wordpress. So what did I do? I went straight to Wordpress.com and started building my website. I am certain I’m not the only one who has fallen into this trap. I will try and clarify throughout this blog post how you can avoid making the same mistake I did. The main idea I want you to walk away with is that Wordpress.com charges much more than the average hosting company. You can easily set up a Wordpress blog website without using Wordpress.com.

What is Wordpress?

If you’re going to start a blog website my number one recommendation to build it on is Wordpress. Wordpress is an open source software that a good majority of blog website to use to help them create more professional and beautiful websites. You should know the difference between the Wordpress software and Wordpress.com. This is where a lot of people get into trouble and I myself got into trouble. The Wordpress software itself is open source. This means anyone can download, alter and use it. What Wordpress.com does is offer hosting and other services that are built onto the Wordpress software. However, Wordpress.com has payment tiers that each offer more options for your website.

Understanding Website Hosting

If you were to get your hosting somewhere else it would be cheaper than Wordpress.com and all the the options, features and plugins that Wordpress.com would charge you for are free to use from the get go. You see, when I started my first Wordpress website I went to Wordpress.com which seems like the thing you should do, it is not. Wordpress.com does have a free plan but the limitations on that plan or so detrimental to your website that it makes you look unprofessional. As this is what I did with my first website I quickly found that the free option just wasn’t going to cut it so I slowly worked my way up to their payment options to the highest. This ended up costing me hundreds of dollars a year. If I had known I could have had so much more freedom creating my website from the start if I had just taken some time to understand website hosting, I would have saved a lot of time and money.

My Recommended Website Host

At this time I think one of the best website hosting providers is SiteGround. I heard about his website host through a forum. I am a huge fan. I tend to use customer support more than the average guy and SiteGround crushes it every time. Often my problems are solved quickly and professional using their chat support. SiteGround also makes it very easy to set up your new Wordpress blog website. You can check out SiteGround through my affiliate link below. This affiliate link does pay me commissions if sales are make through it. https://www.siteground.com/index.htm?afcode=396e6bef564936572a09158dc1fa4373 SiteGround Vs. Wordpress.com (Price Plans) Wordpress.com PlansMonthly CostYearly CostFree$0$0Personal$4$48Premium$8$96Business$25$300eCommerce$45$540 There are a lot of short comings to the free Wordpress.com plan. I will list a few below. You can not have a custom domainYou will have the full date in every URLYou can not contact or use supportYou can not use pluginsYou are limited in theme optionsYou can not connect Google Analytics If you want to use your own domain you have to upgrade to the next plan, The Personal Plan. This plan also gives you access to support but not live support. Below are some short comings of this plan. You can not contact live supportYou can not use pluginsYou are limited in theme optionsYou can not connect Google Analytics If you want to connect Google Analytics to your website you will need to upgrade to the next plan, The Premium plan. This plan also allows you to have access to more design tools and custom CSS. Below are some short comings of this plan. You can not contact live supportYou can not use pluginsYou are limited in theme options If you want to use Wordpress plugins you will need to upgrade to the next plan. This is the plan I ended up on. It is quite a price jump from $8 a month to $25, just so I could use plugins! This plan also gives you access to more themes and live support but at what price!

SiteGround Perks

When I found out that if only I had found my own website hosting provider I would have had none of these limitations. With SiteGround from day one you have the following. Your custom domainAccess to all themesAccess to all Wordpress pluginsThe ability to connect Google Analytics Live Support ChatEasy Wordpress website set up That is the way it should be. SiteGround PlansStarting Price Per MonthRegular Price Per MonthStartUp$3.95$11.95GrowBig$5.95$19.95GoGeek$11.95$34.95 I recommend two things when picking a SiteGround hosting plan. The first recommendation is if you plan on creating more than one website go with the GrowBig plan. It allows you to create unlimited websites. The second recommendation is pay for as much as you can up front. SiteGround offers a special starting price and lets you pay for 3 different options. These options are 1 year, 2 years or 3 years. If you can, paying for the 3 years at the introductory price would save you quite a bit of money. About $15 a month for 3 years. Thats $540 if my math is right.

My Recommended Wordpress Theme - Acabado

There are tons of Wordpress themes out there. Finding the one that is just right can take tons of time and then you have to spend a ton more time editing it. I have found a Wordpress theme that lets me quickly set up my website and then get to work creating content. Not only is this theme simple to set up and use it looks great and loads stupid fast. Not only do I use the Acabado theme on this website, I use it on all my websites. I simply have not found a better, faster, or easier to use Wordpress theme. You can get the Acabado theme by clicking on my affiliate link below. This affiliate link does pay me commissions when sales are made using it. Acabado

Low Cost Blog Content

Not long ago I did a case study on several Fiverr blog content writers. If you would like to read this post you can do so by clicking the link below. https://yourhelpfulaffiliate.com/paid-blog-content-writer-case-study-fiverr/

Best Blogging Course On the Internet

There are a lot of online courses out there. I have never found one like Project 24. Project 24 teaches you how to create blog websites that can earn real money. If you follow the course you should be able to create a full time income in 24 months. I am a member of this course and it has totally changed the game for me. The guys behind Project 24, Jim and Ricky, have made 1000's of blog post, received over a million total page views and made a ton of money along the way. Now they are teaching others, step by step, how to do the same. With Jim and Ricky as my guides I have been able to take my future into my own hands on my terms creating content I care about. It really is amazing what these guys are teaching. I have created a blog post about Project 24 which I will link to below. https://yourhelpfulaffiliate.com/what-the-heck-is-project-24-the-best-make-money-online-course-ive-ever-found/ If you would like to sign up for Project 24 you can do so though my affiliate link below. This affiliate link does pay me commissions when sales are made through it. https://incomeschool.com/yourhelpfulaffiliate/P24

Conclusion

I have my recommendations will save you some time, headaches and money. Have a great day and best of luck with your new blog! Read the full article

[arplis]

Arplis - News: My 22 Goals for 2019 Week 49 of 52

My 22 Goals for 2019

Goal #1 Spend More Time Doing What I Love

Red alert people, RED ALERT. It was 6 degrees this morning when I woke up. SIX!!! That.Is.Chilly. The Girl and I were going to walk Lucy on the beach this morning but those plans have been scraped. Gaaaa. I think if its 6 degrees outside, all bets are off and you can most certainly declare it a pajama day. Whos with me on this?

Goal #2 Garden, Garden, Garden

Garden are done for the year. Yipee!

Goal #3 Plant an Orchard {Calling it Quits on this one.}

Lemon baby #3 is on the way and we are patiently awaiting her arrival.

Goal #4 Gussy Up the Potting Shed Done!

I gussied up the potting shed at our old house, but I would like to add some sort of potting station to the backyard here somewhere, but Im not sure where I would put it yet.

I did come across this photo on Author Susan Branchs Instagram page though of a picture she tooth at Colonial Williamsburg. Isnt it cute? I think I need one of those.

Goal #5 Grow Enough Extra Vegetables, Eggs and Flowers to Earn $1500 at my little roadside vegetable stand.

It was totally my intention to grow a ton of fruits and vegetables to sell at the farm-stand when I made my list of goals for 2019 last winter, but then we moved. So, that whole goal was sort of a bust. I do miss it though.

Goal #6 Finish Every Single Unfinished Rug Hooking Project in My Pattern Bin + 10 Things from back Issues of Magazines/Books Ive Been Meaning to Make.

While I didnt add any new finished hooked rug pieces in my Etsy shop this past week, I did hook 4 totally new rugs {1 of which will become a kit and 2 will be offered as patterns} as well as hand dyed a bunch of wool {that I was able to get listed in my Etsy shop}.

I have decided to go back to my old schedule of only listing new hooked rugs items on the first Friday of every month for next year as it seems less stressful to me. It allows me more time to hook, rather than stopping every few days to take photo, write up description and then post a single piece online. Doing it all in one big swoop seems less chaotic to me.

73 rugs in my pattern bin {now down to 16} < SO CLOSE!

183 hooked flowers {finished 150, now down to 33}

10 things from back issues of magazines {finished 0}

Goal #7 Create 12 New Rug Hooking Patterns {with at least half of them being large ones} DONE!

So far this year Ive added 12 new rug hooking patterns and 14 beginner rug hooking kits to my Etsy shop. I just added Santa and Rudy 1892 yesterday and am hoping to squeeze one more kit in before the end of the year.

New rug hooking patterns Ive created and added to My Etsy Shop this year:

Santa and Rudy 1892

Tullia and Thomas Turkey

Double Nantucket Whale Runner

Miss Henny and Penny

Miss Penny

Simple Kitty

Primitive Flowers

2 Fat Cats

Annabells Big Day

Old Fashioned Double Tulip

Fat Brown Hen

Busy Little Bee

Queen Bee

Rug Hooking Kits

Busy Little Bee {in 2 different colors}

Folk Art Heart

Small Nantucket Whale

Primitive Crow

Miss Robin {in 2 different colors}

Simple Kitty

Primitive Flowers

Sunflowers

A Basket of Spring Posies

Fat Brown Hen

Chickys Garden

Goal #8 Split and Stack 2 Cords of Wood for Next Winter

All that firewood! We sold it.

Goal #9 Do Something with the 5,002 Photos on My Phone

Currently at 2415 Back up to 2565.

Goal #10 -Lose the Muffin Top Done!

Sweet digity!

Goal #11 Run, Walk or Crawl a 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon

As long as its not pouring rain tomorrow. The Girl and I are on for the Half Marathon. Wish us luck!

Goal #12 Read or Listen to 26 New Books {21 down, 5 to go}

No new books this week but we are planning a trip to the library later this week.

Books Ive Read or Listened to So Far This Year:

Marilla of Green Gables #1 Still my favorite

The Great Alone #2

The Aviators Wife #3

Before We Were Yours #4

Secrets of a Charmed Life #5

Whered You Go, Bernadette #6

Carnegies Maid #7

The Gown #8

Unbroken #9

Drama#10

The Alice Network #11

The Shape of Mercy #12

Wills Red Coat #13

Big Little Lies #14

Mr. Churchills Secretary

Born to Run

I Feel Bad About My Neck

Bunny Mellon {Doesnt count because it was my second time}

On Writing {Doesnt count because it was my third time}

Walden

Finders Keepers

Delicious!

50 Things to Do in Maine Before You Die

Following Atticus

Goal #13 Try 52 New Recipes.

39 down, 13 recipes to go. We tried 2 new recipes this week. 1 was a dud and the other I will share on Tuesday. And its a good one!

Goal #14 Clean Up 52 Old Recipes on the Blog

9 down, 44 to go. Why did I make this goal? Note to self: Make fewer goals for next year.

Goal #15 Fill 100 Canning Jars 72 down, 28 to go.

I made a batch of Christmas Jam for gift giving PLUS I tried a new recipe {that was inspired by Mrs. HB} this past week and the HH and I loved it so much, that Ill be making another batch {or maybe 2} of it today {Ill share the recipe on Tuesday}.

So far this year Ive I canned:

9 Jars of..

6 jars Christmas Jam

7 jars Spiced Pomegranate Jelly

7 jars Peach Jam

7 jars of Strawberry Jam

15 jars of Carrot Cake Jam

15 jars of Spiced Pear Jam

4 jars of Almond Pears.

Goal #16 Finish Furnishing Our House

We finished the roman shades for the kitchen nook and kitchen window. I plan on taking a break from making roman shades for the next month so I can finish making kits for my Etsy shop and paint out the entire kitchen area as well as finish a couple of art projects for the walls.

Goal #17 52 Dates with the HH {44 down, 8 to go}

The HH and I went on 2 date days this past week and one of them was to the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village for their Shaker Christmas Fair and it was so overwhelming, we left after 5 minutes.

Overwhelming in the sense that although we could tell there was going to be a lot of people at the event by the distance we had to walk to the village, what we werent expecting was that once we walked in the doors of the trustees office {where the craft fair was being held}, it was SHOULDER to SHOULDER.

Like, being at a rock concert crowded. The HH didnt even make it 2 feet in before walking out and it took me nearly 5 minutes to get from the entrance and through 3 rooms and back out the door again without even being able to look or pick up anything it was so crowded. It was nuts. And totally not in the calm, welcoming Shaker spirit and all we wanted to do was leave. And so we did.

I do want to go back though at some point to visit the museum, but it will have to be an ordinary weekday with nothing on the event calendar, thats for sure.

Goal #18 Take One Adult Education Class Done {Ive taken 3!}

Block Printing Class with my neighbor.

Spoon Carving Classwith Heather.

Mini pottery lesson {I loved it! and now I want to sign up for a full class}

Goal #19 Secret Holiday Project{s}

Block print towels

Seed packet wreaths

Tea Bag Trees

Goal #20 Create 12 Wowie Zowie Party Platters

8 down, 4 to go. We are planning on making #9 tonight!

Goal #21 Visit 12 General Stores

10 down 2 to go. We visited a new country store yesterday!! The kind that offers human made {and local} baskets to customers to do their shopping with. Ill tell you all about it next week.

H.B. Provisions in Kennebunk, Maine

Chases Daily {I think it should count}

Squam Lake Marketplace

Harrisville General Store

Dodges Store in New Boston, New Hampshire

Zebs General Store in North Conway, New Hampshire

Dan and Whits in Norwich, Vermont

Husseys General Store in Windsor, Maine

Goal #22 Compete with Carole.. Get on My Front Door Game On

Would you believe not a single person walking by {or even a neighbor} has made a comment about the leg lamp in the window? I think theyre showing restraint, while my husband keeps telling me that they are in such awe of it, they just dont know what to say.

Ummmm Okay.

Front Door Bling Ive Made So Far This Year to Compete with Carole:

Late January : Valentine Heart

Late February : Shamrock

Late March : Giant Carrot

May: White wave petunia hanging basket

June/July: Tin Star and Flag Bunting

August : Sunflower

September: Indian corn and pumpkins

October: Pumpkins and spinner do hickeys

November: Indian corn and big pumpkins

December: Leg lamp and nutcrackers in the window and giant Christmas balls on the porch

**************

How about YOU? What are your goals for 2019? If you told us about them HERE, check in! We want to know how you are doing. Because seriously, its so much easier to get those goals checked off your list when you have people rooting for you!

Have a great day everyone,

Mavis

P.S. If you are looking for a last minute gift for neighbor or a friend, I still have a few ornaments left in my Etsy shop and you can find them all HERE. UPDATE: The barred rock chicken is sold out but there are a few more chicken ornaments HERE.

You can read more about my 22 goals for 2019 HERE.

Have a Great Day!

The post My 22 Goals for 2019 Week 49 of 52 appeared first on One Hundred Dollars a Month.

This content was original published at One Hundred Dollars a Month and is copyrighted material. If you are reading this on another website it is being published without consent.

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My 22 Goals for 2019 Week 48 of 52

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Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/my-22-goals-for-2019-week-49-of-52

[torontotravelblog]

8 Things That Prove Toronto Is the Coolest City

"When did Toronto get so great?" That's the question BBC Travel presented lately, questioning when this Canadian city became the cultural center it suddenly seems to be. The fact is, Toronto has been cool for a long time. It's simply that Toronto never speaks about exactly how great Toronto is. Yet with its indie coffee shops and also artistic bars, with every street edge birthing some yummy morsel or micro-roasted coffee, and also with independent style labels, roof restaurants, and also a bar that serves brunch with a side of fatality steel, the truth is that Toronto has a little bit of every little thing.

Wish to prepare a see to this un-self-consciously amazing city? Below are 8 picks to obtain you began.

Kensington Market

Modern and also lively: These are the best words to define Kensington Market, a must-experience neighborhood in the heart of midtown. Formally a National Historic Website of Canada and also a safeguarded area, Kensington was as soon as an immigrant territory in the bustling city. Currently it's a center for the still-thriving counterculture of Toronto (think Haight-Ashbury, however much cooler than San Francisco). In the cramped but neat roads, you'll discover vintage shops, document stores, independent coffee shops, ethnic grocers, and head stores. Pedestrians mill on the sidewalks as well as in the streets throughout festivals, consisting of a vivid Kensington Karnival to supplant the winter solstice.

Some of my picks in this amazing neighborhood are Guts My Love (high-grade vintage clothing for all sexes), Moonbean Coffee Business (a mini roastery and hangout), Graffiti's (a small rock bar with a black-metal brunch), and Sanagan's Meat Storage locker (hipster butcher extraordinaire).

Canadian Cuisine

Toronto is indisputably diverse, and also its cooking scene reflects the impact of hundreds of immigrant teams who brought inexpensive, passionate, as well as tasty fare to the cool continent. Yet, like many various other places I've traveled to recently, Toronto seems to be in the midst of uncovering its domestic active ingredients and culinary roots-- past maple syrup and poutine, obviously. The city's cooks have actually required to local produce, fish, as well as game, checking out ancient methods like fermenting and also smoking while updating Canada's distinct heritage recipes.

The fine-dining scene is dominated by restaurants like Canoe, with sampling menus that concentrate on one particular regional food and attribute parts like Lake Manitoba trout, Saskatoon winter berries, and also Northern Woods mushrooms. Likewise, contemporary Marben, with its bespoke alcoholic drinks and also local components in a diverse around-the-world menu, is right on pattern. Both deserve a go to.

And if you wish to go means down-market, the Slide carousel Bakery at St. Lawrence Market is the only area to experience a real Toronto original: a peameal bacon sandwich. Get in line early, choose a mustard, and delight in.

Toronto Islands

In spite of the cold weather condition, Torontonians are an outdoorsy number, and they take to the Toronto Islands, a tiny chain just offshore, to experience a few of the most effective metropolitan eco-friendly spaces in North America. These public islands have amazing views of the shining city sky line on one side as well as the similarly glittery Lake Ontario on the various other. Centre Island, the largest, is just an affordable ferry ride away from downtown. From the dock, visitors can rent out bicycles to discover the island's several routes; in summer, canoes and also kayaks are available to lease for paddling the surrounding lake. On the island, you'll discover a small theme park, coastlines, picnic locations with fire pits, as well as cafes. (Note that Hanlan's Factor Coastline is clothing-optional!) If you're not feeling the outdoors, a little musicians' area at Gibraltar Point houses workshops for painters, carvers, and also other imaginative kinds; it creates an enjoyable social side trip.

Distillery District

This neighborhood of Victorian commercial stockrooms as well as charming street indicators looks flat-out Dickensian-- yet completely updated. Given that being called a National Historic Website in 1988, the Distillery District has actually ended up being a shopping-and-nightlife hub for hip locals. It's now home to Toronto's relaxing Xmas Market, at which customers can drink mulled white wine, surf artisans' stands, as well as gather around for carols. Year-round, a collection of stores and restaurants brings site visitors day and night (I suggest Block Street Bakeshop's sweet and also savory bread or Mill Street Mixture Pub's prize-winning beers and patio area). Gallery area and also performance movie theaters contribute to the artsy however un-self-conscious vibe. Bring your best skinny denims.

Chinatown( s).

Several cities assert a Chinatown, yet the higher Toronto location has seven. The district on Spadina Avenue around Dundas Road West, frequently referred to as Old Chinatown, is among the best locations worldwide to experience Thai, Vietnamese, and also plenty of Chinese regional foods all at once.

Insiders say the very best times to try out Chinatown are late at night, after the bars close as well as when your tummy is craving affordable as well as delicious eats, and also early weekend breaks for first-rate dark sum. Any time, Toronto's dumplings and soup buns (xiao lengthy bao, or XLBs) are legendary, with areas like Mom's Dumplings, Rol San, and Asian Legend serving up exemplary resilient buns full of hot brew. (Pro idea: Poke the leading with a chopstick to slurp out the soup.) Family member newbie Rosewood Chinese Food gets my pick for the adhering to magical words: all-day dim sum. Each dish sets you back just $2.20 CAD on weekdays, making this set of the best dining sell an expensive community.

Bloor-Yorkville.

This glam Toronto community continually ranks among the globe's best for shopping, so if you're seeking to blow your spending plan (or if you do not have one), Bloor-Yorkville is the place to go. Right here you'll discover premium resorts like the 4 Seasons, the city's best medical spas and hair salons, as well as stores from Chanel, Michael Kors, and also Louis Vuitton. You can go shopping Canadian tags like Holt Renfrew and Harry Rosen, take a look at neighborhood and also international art at snazzy galleries, or sip alcoholic drinks at a roof bar. I assume the most effective method to experience this swank area is complimentary: Just park it on a bench and also people-and-Maserati-watch at your leisure.

Queen West.

Both Style as well as Lonely Planet called Queen West Toronto's coolest community in 2014, and it's hard to argue that this one-mile stretch could be anything however. Neat rows of art galleries, studios, style houses, stores, dining establishments, and bakeshops line Queen West, a former industrial neighborhood that's taken well to its newly found fame. Street-art addicts will certainly love Graffiti Street, where spray-painted murals are totally lawful. The fashionable collection will enjoy the material shops, bead as well as button shops, and also indie-label stores. As well as everyone can appreciate the artistic resort The Drake, where a rooftop bar supplies some of the city's finest sights and also night life-- as well as where you may spot a star or 2.

Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).

The engineer Frank Gehry is a Toronto native, so it only makes sense that when this city organization needed a refresh, Gehry pertained to the rescue. A $276 million remodelling later on, as well as AGO is now renowned not just for the art it has however, for its very own modern, airy design. Numerous professionals compete that its wide-open areas are among the globe's finest for watching imaginative work of arts, with a billowing glass outside as well as a sculptural wood staircase that Gehry really hoped would certainly inspire visitors to fall in love. The museum's collection absolutely motivates interest, from its irreversible Canadian jobs by the Team of 7 to turning exhibitions by Basquiat, Michelangelo, and so forth. If you visit, prepare a complete day and also build in a coffee break at the fifth-level Emporium Italia coffee bar (the sights of the city from the undulating wood-framed windows are magnificent).

The post “ 8 Things That Prove Toronto Is the Coolest City “ was originally seen on Smarter Travel by Dara Continenza

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