#and likes to include them in things. and sometimes genuinely needs help to get unstuck from shit in ep1 lmao

[creative-robot]

Do y’all think it’s considered a promotion or a demotion for the Showfall employees to get assigned to be henchmen for cast members? Cause on one hand, they’re part of the show, They get the ‘honor’ of being a part of it! On the other hand the Puzzler likely accidentally fuckin blasted two off-screen henchrats off the face of the planet

[straight-into-the-animus]

Truth or Dare (French Fryes)

I’m writing the backlogged stuff but I had a dream about this scenario and had to get it out.

Read it on Ao3!

“Let’s play truth or dare.”

“Are we seven?” Arno asked even as Ezio tugged him over to sit in a circle. Coming to a party when he wanted to sleep for twelve hours after finals already wasn’t on his plans, but Ezio had insisted, and well… 

Some people had weak constitutions to Italian friends.

“Seven year olds can’t dare each other to do illegal shit.” Kassandra gleefully declared, and excitement shot through almost everyone at the manner of what they could all get into despite the protests of Altair and Bayek.

“Alright, nothing too illegal. But if you do it… Don’t film and post it.”

This was generally accepted and the game commenced.

It went by quickly, everyone content with trying to outdo the other. 

“Alexios has to switch pants with Evie.”

“Malik has to make out with a wall!”

“He already does, his name is Altair-”

Those who chose truth were generally heckled until they chose dare, but at the risk of sharing secrets -- no one wanted to, anyway -- dares were chosen almost always.

“Okay, okay, Jacob,” Ezio eventually called out once people had sufficiently calmed down after seeing Altair drink a mustard-based smoothie, “truth or dare?”

“You know me.” Jacob kicked back, leaning against the foot of the couch. “Dare.”

“I dare you to kiss the hottest person in the room.”

“There should be an exception against the coupled up, right?” Bayek asked, and Aya quickly hushed him with her interest to see how it would all play out.

Arno sipped his drink, watching eagerly. There was an unnecessary flutter in his heart as he watched Jacob consider, scratching the beginnings of his beard.

“Alexios-”

Oh.

“D’you mind moving so I can get to Arno?”

Oh.

Arno swore it was a miracle he didn’t die from choking on the vodka-cran mix as Jacob scooted past the ‘disgruntled’ Greek until he was a breath away from the Frenchman.

“Did you need me to move as well?” Arno asked, glancing from hazel eyes to lips that curled into the smallest, shiest smirk he’d ever seen.

“Not unless you really want to. I’ve made my choice, though.”

Arno refused -- refused -- to show he was melting in and out, and placed his cup next to him definitely before looking Jacob in the eye.

“Then do it.”

The first press of lips against his was softer than he thought it would be, but he wasn’t complaining at all. His hand went up to tangle in the back of Jacob’s hair as the other planted behind his back for leverage against Jacob’s gradually deepening push. He took the demands happily as they started to come, even as their friends began to talk about how it wasn’t Seven Minutes in Heaven and other people had to go.

“Think we can leave them be for a while?” Jacob pulled back just a bit, cheeks and neck showing their flush, and Arno smiled as he took it in.

“They’ll go on without us.” Arno took Jacob’s hand and they hurried off to find somewhere more secluded.

---------------

The first date ended up being one of the cheesiest and most classic; dinner and a movie. It had been Jacob’s idea, and he sounded so uncharacteristically nervous and unsure about it on the phone that Arno couldn’t help but grow fonder and accept it.

“Are you still nervous?” Arno asked, and Jacob looked up from across the booth at him.

“I’m not nervous.”

“You tore up your straw paper.” Arno pointedly looked at the flimsy white shreds scattering across the table like snow, and Jacob half-heartedly brushed them away.

“You’re gonna laugh.”

“Try me.” Arno said, fixing his gaze on the other, and Jacob averted meeting his eyes before changing his mind about it.

“I almost cancelled the date.”

“You didn’t want…?”

“It’s not you, I promise. I mean, not that I didn’t want to be on a date with you.” Jacob was quick to clear up. “I just… Didn’t think you wanted to come to a place like this.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Arno gestured around the restaurant slightly. It was a small family affair, had probably been around since after the second world war.

“It’s supposed to mean that a place like this is fine for me. I love coming here. But you’re used to… More.”

“I just wanted to go out with you, Jacob.” Arno reached over and held his hand. “I would’ve been happy with just a walk in the park for the night.”

“That’s a bit of a lie.”

“Maybe. But only cause it’s cold out there.”

Jacob laughed a bit and Arno smiled to hear it. They broke apart as the food and drinks came around for them, but even the emergence of that didn’t seem to completely quell whatever Jacob was feeling; Arno was sure he was even waiting to hear some sort of complaint about the pasta Arno had ordered, as if there was a way to mess it up. Eventually Arno came up with an idea.

“Hey. Truth or dare.”

“Huh?”

“Truth or dare.” Arno waited as Jacob furrowed his brow but answered all the same.

“Dare.”

“I dare you to have a good time and forget about anything except that I’m happy to be with you.”

Jacob’s confusion only grew until he understood, and he smiled; a slow, genuine thing spreading across his face.

“As you say, monsieur.”

And Jacob kept to that dare, never wanting to be shown up ever.

---------------

It wasn’t their first time, but it had to have been their best. Arno rested his head against Jacob’s shoulder as he came, a choked up sound spilling out from one of them. It went quiet save for their heavy breathing, and Arno hated to break it. Jacob had already come and made a mess of Arno’s front as a result, sticking to him even as Arno pulled out.

“If you’re getting a flannel, mind getting me some water?” Jacob sighed as Arno got off the bed, and Arno shook his head bemusedly.

“Swear I’ve spoiled you rotten.” He called out as he left, but did come back with a cup of water.

“How can I be rotten when I make things so sweet?” Jacob grinned as Arno quickly wiped them both off and discarded the flannel.

“You can carry yourself to the bathroom when you need to piss halfway through the night.” Arno noted before getting under the covers, Jacob quickly placing the cup away before grabbing him and pulling him close to act as the big spoon. A standard position despite the new environment.

“Think we’ve christened the new flat enough?” Jacob asked, kissing behind Arno’s ear, and he hummed in response.

“Perhaps. Wouldn’t be opposed to another round after a break.” 

“Sometimes you know exactly what to say.” Jacob smiled, and Arno felt it and returned it, even if he couldn’t see. “Hey… Truth or dare?”

“This again?” Both of them had made it a regular game to play with each other, something to pull out when they wanted. Sometimes it just happened when they couldn’t stand the silence, other times if they wanted to just cause a little trouble. Their friends still thought it was stupid to keep it up after two years, but everytime they tried to voice an opinion both men would just remind them that it had been what brought them together, thank you very much, and it would remain in their lives until it couldn’t anymore.

And they had decided to carry in the tradition even after Arno got his promotion and they decided to take the leap and move in together.

“Truth.”

“You happy?”

“More than anything.” Arno turned in Jacob’s arms and took him in, a hand closing the small distance between them to stroke his skin. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Do you love me?”

Jacob’s smile could be seen from space as he replied.

“More than anything.”

---------------

Arno came back only when it became dark enough that the lampposts were nearly unable to light up anything on the sidewalk. He was still tense as he stepped up the stairs with feet that barely wanted to make a sound. Half of him foolishly hoped that Jacob had been so pissed that he’d gone to bed and Arno could simply take the extra blankets from their little closet and spend the night on the couch, but he still saw the glow of yellow light spilling out from the crack under their flat door and heard the television still going. So Jacob was still up.

Arno braced himself, taking a deep breath as he pulled out his key and let himself in. The yellow light cast an uneasy shadow around everything in the flat, Jacob included. He was stretched out on the couch, face impassive as he took in something on the news.

“Took you long enough.” He greeted Arno as the man closed the door firmly behind him.

“If you’re staying on the couch, I’m taking the bed.”

“Oh, there’s the sensible shit coming out.” Jacob said, glancing over at him. “Seems about right.”

“Jacob-”

“Obviously I don’t have it in me, thank fucking God Arno Dorian does-”

“Jacob-”

“How could we ever bloody survive without it?”

“It wasn’t what I meant!” Arno snapped, defense kicking in as it did just a few hours earlier.

“Oh, so saying I would be better off with ‘an ounce of sense’ isn’t what you meant?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Fucking unbelievable.”

“Now you know how I feel with you!” Arno finally unstuck his feet, brain muddled as he kicked off his shoes and stormed off to their bedroom. The bed wasn’t made and it only served to faintly set off the bells in Arno’s mind to get pissed again, but mostly he was trying to mask his hurt that he was going to bed alone.

It was stupid, so stupid, and Arno only wanted to go back in time and hit himself to stop himself from bringing it up. 

The door opened after a time Arno couldn’t figure out, but he heard Jacob softly enter and stop a few feet from the bed.

“You asleep?”

“Not at all.” Arno whispered, and after a few seconds of delay Jacob got into the bed as well, slow but deliberate as he came up behind Arno and wrapped an arm around his waist loosely.

“You still upset?”

“Yes. But… I’m sorry I took it out on you. I just saw the mess and got… Pissed.”

Jacob sighed. “I’m sorry I let it get bad. I got back from work and just wanted to sit for a bit.”

“So did I.”

“Your work is what’s fucking killing you. You’ve never done that before.”

“Jacob-” He tensed, but the other man continued, running his fingers through Arno’s hair. It was getting tangled, a result of stressed pulling and forgetting to take care of himself.

“Just answer me this. If you don’t like it -- and I know you don’t, cause I’ve heard you complaining to Elise when you think I’m not listening -- then why are you staying there?”

Arno thought a long time about what he wanted to say.

“What I’m making, you don’t… It’s what you don’t have to worry about. You don’t have to go out and get another job, or get more hours. It gives you something nice if I-”

“You’re telling me you’re working fucking forty-eight hours a week, with extra work at home that you like to do ‘for fun’ off the books, so that you think I’ll stay?”

There was silence, and Jacob tightened his grip around Arno’s waist to pull him back.

“You’re a fucking idiot. I’d rather you be home before dinner and be happy with me than out there and making yourself miserable.”

The tension started to leave Arno’s shoulders as he leaned back into his boyfriend.

“Jacob-”

“We don’t have to talk too much about it yet. Just… please. I mean it.”

Arno went silent again, feeling his mouth begin to twitch and eyes sting with tears. He swallowed and nodded a bit. His hand went down and rested over Jacob’s, intertwining their fingers.

“Jacob.”

“Hmm?”

“Truth or dare.”

It had been a while, and he almost thought Jacob wouldn’t answer, but he did anyway.

“Truth.”

“You still love me?”

Jacob nuzzled Arno’s neck before speaking.

“Never think I’ll stop.”

Arno felt if he tried to laugh in relief it’d turn into a sob, so he just kept quiet and tightened his grip on Jacob.

Things weren’t solved immediately. But for now… They were good. And they were in bed together, just together. That was enough for the night.

---------------

“You should’ve seen the other guy. He started it.”

“As you say.” Arno shook his head with a smile, fingers intertwined with Jacob’s as they walked together. It had been a few months since their talk, and for the first time in close to a year, Arno felt lighter, like he wasn’t dreading waking up tomorrow.

There had been a long discussion about what they were doing, their feelings about everything, and it boiled down to being able to find a better balance than they originally had. Arno agreed to take fewer hours or at least find a way to condense his workload, and Jacob would work to help out more at his job and around their place. It had taken some time, but they were better now, Arno thought. And there were times now, like with Jacob talking animatedly about how he had narrowly avoided the fistfight that had led to them skipping out the bar and coming to the park instead, that he liked to think Jacob thought so as well.

“It’s getting warmer.” Arno spoke genially as they continued to walk, after Jacob had stopped his tale of glory, and Jacob made a noise of vague agreement.

“‘Bout time. Way too cold even for winter.”

“You like winter.”

“I like some parts of winter. Like the holidays and all that. But even I get to a point where it overstays its welcome. Besides, you got all the flowers out blooming.” Jacob pointed over where some newly planted tulips were beginning to sprout.

Arno felt his heart speed up for an unknown reason. Whether it was in the way Jacob admired a few flowers, or in how his hand tightened around Arno’s as he began to talk about all his plans for summer -- their plans for summer --, or the way the box in his coat pocket began to feel ever heavier than usual, that it left Arno’s mouth before he could stop.

“Truth or dare.”

“Seriously? Here?”

“It’s a real question.”

“Y’know what? I haven’t done dare in a while. Let’s go with that.”

Arno stopped them both and took a breath, hand slowly sliding into his coat and pulling the velvet box out. A million thoughts ran through his head as he shakily kneeled down, but looking up into Jacob’s wide eyes silenced them all until he spoke again.

“Marry me.”

---------------

The wedding ended up a lovely summer affair. Elise was only a bit upset that she couldn’t be Arno’s best woman in the way Evie was for Jacob, though Ezio ended up being pretty good about it and had people both laughing and sniffing by the end of his speech.

And all because of some stupid game, Ezio had been sure to mention at some point, and Arno and Jacob just shared some sort of smile at it.

And now here they were.

Arno woke up on top of Jacob, sprawled out in the huge hotel bed. The other was beginning to wake up as well, and they both smiled as their eyes met.

“Good morning, Mr. Dorian-Frye.”

“Good morning indeed.” Jacob rolled them over and Arno’s small yelp of protest at the action was silenced as Jacob began to kiss him in earnest, still smiling into it. They pulled apart eventually and Arno laughed.

“Not even letting me brush my teeth.”

“That doesn’t exactly matter right now.” Jacob tried to mouth lower at Arno’s neck, and Arno let him for a while before squirming.

“Call for the food first. Then you can continue making a mess of me.” Jacob pouted, and Arno smirked. “It’s not that bad. We do have all week, you know. Can’t spend all of it in a hotel room.”

“Just watch me.” Jacob challenged, but let Arno up anyway to stretch and get out of the bed and pull on loose sweat pants to cover himself up. Jacob had less grace and got out to simply pull on some boxers before calling it a day and going over to the Frenchman. He hugged him from behind, and Arno blushed, a smile still present on his face that threatened to stay there forever.

“Hey, Arno.”

“I’ll take waffles with fruit and cream, thanks.”

Jacob laughed, letting it take over before he calmed down enough to speak again.

“Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“You ever been happier?”

“Never.”

----------

I hope you enjoy! If you do I have a Masterpost here and more ideas for writings and prompts here, so feel free to request!  If you’d like to support me, I have a ko-fi here! Safety and peace!

[terrysacia-blog-blog]

How To Tell Your Spouse You’re Unhappy in the Marriage

How To Tell Your Spouse You’re Unhappy in the Marriage

Talking to your partner and sharing your level of life satisfaction can be risky, but if done in the right way, it can be the doorway to living a more fulfilled life.

Relationships are supposed to make you happy. So when you feel like it’s more of a burden among other unhappiness in marriage signs, it can confuse, frustrate, and weigh you down. And that’s where the dilemma of whether you should speak out or not comes in. Will going ahead say something cause an adverse response?

Most married people want to tell their husbands or wives about their dissatisfaction with the relationship but cannot do it unless they scream it out in a fight. Here are some reasons why people find it challenging to let it out.

You feel like they will play down your misery

You don’t want them to get hurt

You don’t want to start this topic as it may be the beginning of your relationship problems including separation or divorce

Your partner is used to shooting down any conversations about feelings

You don’t want to start a conflict

You’re secretly scared that your partner will confirm that you’re the actual problem in the relationship and you don’t want to hear that

You haven’t yet understood what the cause of your unhappiness is and you don’t know how to express it out

You feel too anxious to deal with the consequences of having such a discussion with your spouse

Such reasons and many others prevent people from airing out their dissatisfaction in the relationship, leaving them feeling lonely, alone and stuck. Such marriages often end up in a separation or divorce.

It’s impossible to know what someone else is thinking without them telling you. So if you are unhappy in your marriage, it’s best to create a healthy way of letting your spouse know how you feel.

Divorce Mistakes Network has brought on board some professionals, and done research to come up with some ways of letting your spouse know about your unhappiness.

Remember It’s Not Important to Pinpoint the Cause of Your Unhappiness

The first thing you should always remember is that it isn’t critical for you to understand your unhappiness. The human brain tries to find answers for underlying problems. But this is not the time to hide from the world, feeling depressed and wanting to fight your feelings.

While feeling unhappy in marriage isn’t a great place to be, you need allies who’ll help you through the journey. Your biggest ally would be your spouse and it’s imperative to have them on your side.

How Do You Start The Topic?

It is highly likely that your spouse will get defensive once you bring up this issue. It’s only natural for them to behave this way and the best you can do is to be aware that they can become mean and defensive for the sake of protecting their ego and not instantly taking the blame for your unhappiness. While this isn’t automatic, be prepared for such an eventuality.

Tips on How to Tell Your Spouse That You Are Unhappy In the Marriage

Use “I” Statements

The best way of speaking out your feelings is by using statements that use the “I” statements rather than “You” that feels like you’re attacking your spouse. Remember that this conversation isn’t about blaming your spouse for the predicament you’re in (they may have played a role, but blaming doesn’t help at this moment).

You could say something like, “I feel lonely at night when we don’t talk but just sit and watch TV” or, “I get angry when I get home from work and have to do all the house chores.” Your spouse won’t feel attacked if you take this approach.

Don’t Use Global Character Traits

You should avoid describing your partner using general words like “lazy,” but instead use observable traits. You’d rather say, “When you don’t do the utensils.” Generalizing and calling your spouse a bad person will only make things worse as compared to pointing out a specific behavior that you dislike.

Genuinely Ask Your Spouse What They Feel

Ask your spouse with compassion what their feelings are regarding the relationship and be ready to listen to your partner’s thoughts on your contributions to the issues in your marriage. No relationship problem is ever the doing of one party even when the marriage has been hit by infidelity.

It’s difficult to notice your own flaws unless someone else points them out. You’ll know yourself better in the process and discover better ways of relating with your spouse. Remember that it isn’t your spouse’s responsibility to fix your problem, but what you’re doing is seeking support to get the help you need.

Try and Figure It Out

Sometimes the best way to understand the reason for our unhappiness is to think about what we want. This means taking some time and understanding why you’re feeling that way. You can start asking yourself questions like:

When did I start feeling this way?

Are there times I feel more or less like this?

What would make me happier?

It might not be an easy process, but this will be useful information when you finally speak to your spouse about it.

Clearly Articulate Your Contribution to the Problem

It always helps when you own up your contribution to the problem. You may not understand it too well, but it does help when coming up with solutions. So you could say something like, “I know I’m sometimes cold and I know it does make things worse.”

You’ll be acknowledging that you don’t know all the reasons for your unhappiness, but at least you understand your own contributions.

These are proper first steps. Keep them in mind when you want to start a conversation on your unhappiness in the marriage. The good thing is that you’ll be stopping the cycle of regret and avoidance.

You can always try to find help from someone who’ll help you break down your feelings and unstuck you from understanding your current state. You can begin your own counseling, get a life coach, therapist, or even suggest marital counseling for both of you. This is if you’re not comfortable starting this kind of conversation with your spouse.

[itsyourturnblog]

Usually, sometime around their second or third session, my coaching clients realize that all this Unstuck Leadership stuff I’ve been going on about on this blog and in The Unstuck Leader is hard. Really hard.

It’s hard to manage our needs for certainty and significance. It’s hard to continually prioritize truth over comfort. It’s hard to identify the maladaptive systems at play in ourselves, as well as in our organization. It’s hard to let go of what’s not working. And, it’s hard to create an environment where co-creation happens around us, in spite of us and occasionally through us.

That’s why it takes daily commitment. Leadership is a practice.

It’s up to us to create the circumstances in which we are most likely to commit to doing all the things we need to do to be great leaders. For some of us, it’s mindfulness, in the form of meditation, or yoga, or cooking, or running, or knitting, or whatever it is that quiets our minds and propels us to a singular focus. For others, it’s a morning routine. For others, it’s visualization.

Writer and entrepreneur James Altucher realized that there are four things that if done consistently, help him weather any storm, up to and including losing several million dollars in a single day (here’s Altucher’s terrific interview with Chase Jarvis where he talks about that million-dollar loss). With this knowledge, he created a check-box system. Each day, he just checks the boxes:

Am I doing something for my physical health?

Am I doing something for my personal relationships?

Am I doing something creative?

Am I practicing gratitude?

Just doing those four simple things every day has given James exceptional resilience. And if an Unstuck Leader is anything, it’s resilient.

I have a system not unlike James’s four simple things. I like to remind myself of four simple truths.

First, I remind myself that I am brave. I start with that one because as Maya Angelou said, “Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because it allows you to practice the others with consistency.”

Next, I remind myself that I’m grateful. For my husband, my family, my friends and my clients as well as the times the streetcar shows up just as I get to the stop.

I remind myself that I am kind. Not nice. Nice is superficial. I mean genuinely kind.

And, I remind myself that I’m doing my best. And I am.

Take a moment to think of four things (or three or five) that if committed to daily, might help you practice your leadership with more calm and grace. What would your life be like if you simply did them? How would you feel differently? How would you show up for your employees, colleagues and bosses? How would you show up for your family and friends? What would become possible for you?

There is one more secret to leadership as a practice. And we’ll talk about that next week.

Hey there! If you’d like to learn more about getting and staying unstuck, sign-up for my weekly newsletter (green box at top right of your screen on desktop, or under this post on mobile) so you’ll never miss a post. I promise I’m not a spammy nightmare. One per week, and that’s it.

Leadership is Really Hard. That’s Why You Have to Make It a Practice was originally published in It's Your Turn on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

by Judy Sims 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

[sinasbodyextension-blog]

REFLECTION DOCUMENT FINAL

***The following in brackets will not be part of the final document that I send to teachers.***

( Honestly, I would have liked to return to the document several times had I had more time. However it does feel good to have a starting point today, and that I had the week to at least think about some questions and also to collect the feedback from Floor and Rixt. I choose to not include my remarks towards that feedback in the final document, as it only asks to place the answers. All the same, these reflections remain available on my tumblr.)

Anthropology reflection questions


Please reflect on the anthropological input of this trimester and how it has influenced your design by elaborating on these questions: 1. Please describe the essence of the ‘anthropological perspective’ in the design process. The range of topics covered by anthropology all have something in common: they relate to humans. Thus the anthropological perspective is strongly based on understanding humans and the complexity of the issues that we face. Moreover it is cross-cultural in that it relates to the differences and similarities in cultures, in order for people from different backgrounds to better understand each other (this is where being aware of ethnocentrism comes in). It also recognises the multiple truths that can exist in given complexity and therefore strives to understand by questioning and critical thinking. As a social science, it entails qualitative research- meaning field research, interviews etc. Therefore in the design process, the anthropological perspective is not a solitary one, but one that connects you to people outside of your bubble.

2. In what ways has the anthropological approach given you deeper insights into your research topic? To begin with, the anthropological approach has brought to me the necessity to be critical of my own work and identify any misdirected assumptions. Through the lectures I find I have gained a greater sensitivity around topics of inclusion: just because it is true for me, is it true for others? Moreover it has driven home the idea, that almost any topic can be connected to those big topics that we have spoken about in class- identity, citizenship, Sex& Gender etc. I was weary of that in the beginning, but the dots aligned later on in the process and I got a lot of use for my project out of past lectures and my conversation with Anna. 3. What were the most interesting and relevant lecture topics? I particularly enjoyed the Sex& Gender lecture, because I once had a project about the prostitution law in Germany and am genuinely interested/ worried about the stigma surrounding sex work and what it may mean for people’s safety. Identity was relevant to my project as I am interested in ‘behavioural autonomy’. I also remember the citizenship lecture as broadening my horizon by bringing up a lot of points that I was previously unaware of. 4. What do you think about incorporating other fields such as anthropology into your future design processes?  I love research and discussion-based situations, so I think it is highly likely that I will include anthropology or other fields in my future design processes. Furthermore it has driven home the idea of critical thinking and uncovering bias. I can imagine that deriving knowledge from several fields of knowledge can aid in increasing awareness around preconceptions and bias, as well as move one closer to accepting that there is no ultimate truth. This in turn will make my designs more founded on a broad research and more inclusive. 

Self Evaluation Friday Project

Read these questions, think them over and answer honestly. Answers should be roughly 5-10 lines per question: 1. Please assess yourself this trimester Now I will say that I always take responsibility to bring good energy to the room. This shows not only in a positive attitude towards the day, but also my engagement during the anthropology lectures, as well as me encouraging my group members, listening actively and discussing to find interesting angles to approach their topic from. It is in this class that I got to value team work at another level, because it was my group members (teachers too of course) who, now I see, emboldened me to really open up and develop a more explorative mindset towards my topic. Fair to say my whole opening up could have happened earlier on. However looking back I really see progress not only in how my topic evolved, but also in terms of personal growth and how I approach situations.

2. What was the most important learning moment of your process? It was week 6, that I had the GREAT REVELATION. Initially sparked from my artistic research in philosophy and then backed up by the expert talks I really changed my focal point to something that I could not have expected in the beginning. I was positively surprised by the research and connected topics that couple with that field of interest and got renewed excitement to complete the project well. That is when I learned that I really need to dedicate the time to critically think by myself, be open to the viewpoints of my peers, and that I’m a research-driven person. 3. What have you learned about the different ways of working? A lesson where I learned a lot was when we had the group talks and before we spoke about the different roles that one can have within a group and how to create an overall positive group dynamic. This really made me hyper aware and I felt like I could contribute with my strengths, but also paid more attention to my weaknesses in order not to override anyone and make sure everyone is heard. A lot of the creativity techniques, the acronym word creator, drawing in quick pace etc where out of my comfort zone, but I can see how they can help me get ‘unstuck’ in the future. This project also helped me make the connection to other classes this whole year, as I now perceive them as different methodologies in my tool belt as a designer. Lastly, I got to value the tumblr over the course of the trimester, because I found it really beneficial to have a central archive of my progress, as it allows me to reexamine the steps that I have taken. 4. Ask a fellow student about your strong points and what you still need to learn [And place their answer here]. Fellow student 1: In general I would describe Sina as smart, strong-minded, reflective, outspoken, engaged, helpful, critical and very fun. When I encounter her during class or outside of school she is always happy, energetic, involved and smart without being annoying. This is hard and is probably a testament to her self-awareness.There are instances during her work where I wonder if she does herself any favours by acting a certain way. These “ways of acting” I am talking about are really just the flip side of most of the characteristics mentioned above. Sometimes she is too critical to the point of holding back others in their creative process or holding back herself in her own creative process. The fact that she is outspoken sometimes blows up in her face when it is not appreciated in the situation, I think this has happened a few times during this year. Basically what I would say about this is for her to learn to pick her battles, not everything is worth fighting for. As far as engagement goes (I have personal experience with this) watch out that you don’t become too engaged. Leave some space for others for the sake of them but especially for your own sake. Sina has a lot of good qualities that just need to be trained the right way. If this happens, she can go really far in life. Fellow student 2: Strengths: I see you as a hardworking, serious, passionate, engaging, opinionated (In a good way ;)), motivated person. You aim for a certain standard and will achieve this even though it means you have to work twice as hard. You will keep on challenging yourself in every way possible. You are eager to learn, if you have to work with a topic that isn’t familiar you will do an extensive research and try to get as much as information as possible. I think this attitude will give you a lot as a future designer. To learn: All though you are trying to challenge yourself, it is sometimes good to take one step back and try to challenge yourself in a way that it is still manageable. By trying to be more realistic on how things go in practice. 5. How can we improve the Friday program for the next students? Besides more time, which of course was just the holidays… I really liked the energy of working in our groups in the beginning, so I would have appreciated a moment each class, where we update each other about our progress. For me personally it would have been nice to create a research document, because it would have helped me zero-in. However I don’t know whether that tends towards every student and in some ways both philosophy and writing also encourage that, so I’m also happy to take the initiative and do that for myself. :-) 

[ralphmorgan-blog1]

Firefighters Left Furious After YouTube ‘Prankster’ Cements His Own Head In A Microwave

We are all guilty of doing stupid things, it’s part of evolving as a human. For a majority of the population, these mistakes teach us valuable lessons about how to behave in the future. For others, there is no sense of rhyme or reason as to why they do the things they do.

We all know someone who falls into the latter category. No matter how hard they fall, it’s impossible to knock any sense into them. In this modern world, it seems that a majority of these people pursue a career as a prankster. Inspired by the likes of the Jackass cast, these people (read: idiots) put their life on the line for other people’s entertainment. However, the difference between professional pranksters, such as Steve-O and those who film themselves performing deranged acts in their bedroom, is a vague awareness of what the repercussions may be. With a team on standby to help them if the situation becomes stricken, professional pranksters are less accountable for their actions when it all goes wrong. Meanwhile, those who do it themselves regularly find themselves in trouble, just a little too late. Take, for example, Jay Swingler and Romell Henry, the duo behind the YouTube channel TGFbro. The British duo caused huge controversy earlier this week when they released a video of Jay immersing his head in a microwave filled with quick-set concrete.  The stunt was part of their interactive advent calendar for their three million subscribers, in which the ‘treat’ is a video of them performing dangerous acts for 12 days in the build-up to Christmas. Other stunts in the series have included burying their whole bodies in expanding foam, setting themselves in jello, spending the night with their bodies buried in concrete and setting a firework off from their bare hands. Deciphering which of these pranks was the most idiotic would be a challenge if they hadn’t followed them up by experimenting with concrete and a microwave… When 22-year-old Jay committed his head to the concrete, he was under the assumption that he could be easily set free by trusting his loyal partner to use a hairdryer to heat the cement and break him free. However, as any rational person will already know, it isn’t that easy. Just before you totally give up hope on the entire human race, it’s worth noting that the pair had managed to devise a technique to assist Jay’s breathing – by putting a plastic bag over his head, with a hole cut in it to accommodate a breathing tube. Genius. After lying upside down with his head submerged in concrete, Jay’s friend tried to help free him, to no avail. After one and a half hours imprisoned in his microwave tomb, his friend conceded to phone the emergency services, who arrived promptly to set Jay free. However, they were not amused by the scene they found. “We’re seriously unimpressed,” tweeted the fire brigade responsible for rescuing Jay. “Five of our firefighters were tied up for an hour this afternoon, freeing a YouTube pranker whose head had been ‘cemented’ inside a microwave oven,” they angrily explained. “As funny as this sounds, this young man could quite easily have suffocated or have been seriously injured.” “Taking the microwave apart was tricky, because a lot of it was welded,” they added. “We video-called our technical rescue colleagues for advice and eventually managed to get him unstuck.

“He was very relieved when we removed a large chunk of the Polyfilla with a screwdriver, allowing him to breathe more easily. But we had to be extremely careful with the screwdriver, working so closely to his head. It took us nearly an hour to free him. All of the group involved were very apologetic, but this was clearly a call-out which might have prevented us from helping someone else in genuine, accidental need.” The pair filmed the whole incident for their YouTube channel, with Jay even admitting that the stunt they’re about to pull is very dangerous and may result in his death. Now, angry people have taken to the comments to condemn them for their actions. “You’re a complete idiot,” wrote one angry user, while another fan typed: “Usually I love your videos, but wasting emergency services time is just such a dick move.” “For being such a dick, and putting yourself in this situation, you should donating all money made off this video to charity/emergency services,” wrote another. The boys are yet to comment on their own stupidity. But, it appears they gained the attention they were clearly desperately seeking. Sadly, this is not the first time pranksters have taken their joke a little too far. Although, sometimes they get just what they deserve. Check out this ‘killer clown’ who met his match…



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