#and weekly is hard for me to remember. daily is easy. i take plenty of other daily meds.

[sharkieboi]

i keep having to like fight for my life at the pharmacy to get prescriptions filled and I had a call with my T doctor that was supposed to be a few weeks follow up about switching to T gel, but I haven’t yet gotten the fucking gel because insurance sent it back for prior authorization and this guy is too fucking overbooked to remember to do that and/or this hospital just fucking sucks at communicating between doctors and the pharmacy.

so we had our call to check in and im desperately just like can you do the prior authorization so I can actually start this med like fucking PLEASE I’m so tired!! and he responded “are you okay you sound pretty distressed” and I was clenching my fists to try and respond cause YES. I AM DISTRESSED. I keep having to call and fight for every medicine I need to function as a basic human being and be the person I want to be! I’m so dysphoric right now I want to die but my hands shake like a fucking vibrator every time I try and stab myself so I need to switch my method of T to something not a needle! and I’m constantly fighting for my life to get my adhd meds filled and not to be a meth-head but i legit don’t know how I functioned for 27 fucking years and made it through GRAD SCHOOL without meds cause my brain is so much clearer and I function so much better when I can actually get my thoughts in order and focus for real.

so yeah!! I’m in distress!!! I want my brain to work and I want my body to look and function how I need it to!! and this doctor’s blasé attitude to not being able to get my prescriptions filled is going to be the death of me!!!

[sweetchotimochi]

tips for managing time (ɔ◔‿◔)ɔ ♥

Disclaimer: these tips worked for me and based on my own experiences. It’s okay if this doesn't work for you! 

Lets start with some methods;

Method 1 - Bullet Journaling: This is a great way/method to manage your time! I have used this method for a long time and it really has kept me consistent with how I manage my time. It is, however, annoying to bring your bullet journal everywhere or try to write in it all the time. The problem is about how much effort you put into your “journaling”. We all see online how pretty or aesthetic bullet journaling spreads are and when we look at our own journal we stop using it because it is not pretty enough. That doesn’t matter. Instead, look at how well it can help you manage time. If not, this is totally okay. Try switching to an online platform. 

Method 2 - Google Calendar/Calendar app: Another tried and true method. This helps in organizing your day. Great way to manage your time, especially because you can edit your tasks and time-block your day. It is also really good because calendars can be implemented in your computer, phone, and other devices so you can check out your tasks on the go. They also have components for tasks, reminders, events and more. I really recommend this for a lot of people because it is a game-changer, especially for people who need something easy to use for managing time. I guess the only problem for me is that I feel guilty, sometimes, if I see an empty part of my day which makes me feel unproductive. That’s totally okay! You don’t have to be busy all the time, take some time off for yourself. Nobody is productive 24/7. 

Method 3 - Notion: This is all the rage nowadays, so I checked it out for myself. It is a really great way to implement aesthetics and different parts of a journal. Unlike a calendar app, you can make lists, add other parts, add calendars and many other things. Its also accessible on many sites. Unfortunately, after making everything look very aesthetic, I didn’t use this platform as much except for keeping track of my anime and books. I do also use this to keep track of my classes and planning on-the-go, but it may work for you, so try it out! 

Method 4 - Diary with template/Planner: This is a great idea for people who want to use something on the go, but also easy to use and still have room for creativity. Daily, Weekly, and Monthly planners are all great ways to manage your time. The only problem is the template itself for me. Let’s say you might not be doing anything one day or slack off. Personally, seeing that one blank spot makes me feel guilty and then I can’t keep up. If you feel like you might feel like this, that's totally okay! Try managing time at your own pace, or use another method. 

There are plenty of other methods out there, but these are the ones I tried. I believe everyone should use something to help manage their time, because I have yet to meet someone who remembers everything they have to do in their head. Here are some quick-fire tips:

Try writing your tasks for every day the day before: Write out your tasks the day before. It helps you plan for the future and gives you a clearer head for the next day.

Use a reward system for completing tasks: Let's say you complete something big, make a reward system for that specific task! For example, if you complete a really hard chapter and do well on the quiz, that task deserves some reward! 

Keep some time for yourself each day: Even I have a hard time doing this, but keep some allocated time each day for yourself. Relax, watch some tv, do something fun and wholesome. You deserve it.

Divide up your tasks if they are really big: This is such a repeated method, however it is super effective. Let's say you are trying to study for a couple of chapters in a subject. Try dividing them up along the week into smaller tasks. It makes the whole thing as a whole less daunting. 

Try color-blocking your tasks: I use color-coding to divide my tasks on google calendar. For example, things for school/work are in green, and chores are in white. I think, at a glance, it really helps you think about how the day will go. 

This was a long one, I hope you’re still here. Again, these methods may not work for you, and that's okay. TLDR; Explore your methods and figure out what works best for you.

[haro-whumps]

Box Boy Pamphlet

(CW: slavery, brainwashing, kidnapping, creepy + intimate whumper, implied dubcon, codependent whumpee)

Tag list: @thatsthewhump @whump-it @ashintheairlikesnow @fairybean101 @finder-of-rings @comfortforthepain @shameless-whumper @that-one-thespian @burtlederp @castielamigos-whump-side-blog @raigash @im-not-rare-im-rarr @spiffythespook @whumps-the-word @frnkieroismydaddy

Masterlist

Soren didn’t remember before. Not really. But, from the vague… feeling, he got, the strange sensation, he was pretty sure he didn’t want to. All his training said he didn’t want to; he’d signed his life away in exchange for comfort, which he’d received, so. It meant his life before was bad. There were other products who had railed and screamed and swore they’d never signed up for this, but Soren… Soren knew he had. 

But there was something else, too. When Ren held him he… remembered, he was pretty sure. Not actual memories, but just. A sense. 

When he was in their arms, he would smell their scent and his heart would swell with a strange and heavy melancholy. It hardly lasted longer than a moment, when it happened, but he couldn’t help but feel that it wasn’t because of anything in living memory. He knew Ren, before. Some unsourced knowledge from his past informed him that scent held the most powerful memory of all the senses. And it was only ever when Soren was tucked up against Ren, his nose pressed into their shirt, that the strange and bittersweet heartache came to visit.

He pressed his nose into their shirt, curled around it like a child with a stuffed animal, and tried to force the “memory,” make the sensation happen on purpose.He never could, the shirt just smelled like Ren, kind, loving, perfect Ren, his Exalted, his everything. The smell made him feel warm and safe, not strangely sad. 

His life before was irrelevant. Ren had told him that, and he wanted to be good for them, wanted to obey them, in behavior and in thought. So he chased the warm-safe-home feeling that Ren’s scent gave him, shifting his grip on the cloth just a little. Before didn’t matter. The facility didn’t matter. All that mattered now was this. He was Ren’s, he was Soren, he was a pet, and he loved his owner. He freed his index and middle finger nearest his neck, the ring and pinky still twisted in the cloth, and hooked them around his collar, body relaxing into the simple comfort the collar always, always offered him.

“Angel, what are you doing?”

“I--” Soren yelped, startled, clutching the shirt to his chest. Obedient pets do not take from their masters. “I, um, I…”

“Pet, show me what you have,” Ren ordered a little more firmly, and Soren bowed his head and held out his hands, blushing hot. Ren took the shirt from him and he heard them snort.

“You get a sudden affection for gym clothes?” Ren was teasing him, their voice playful, and he jerked when they elbowed him in the ribs, sitting next to him.

“N-not, I, um,” Soren tried, unable to look his owner in the eye. “It smells like you…” he eventually mumbled out, shoulders hunched up to his ears. 

Ren laughed, a loud, happy sound, which made Soren’s heart flutter and his breathing go all funny for a second, and then they kissed him, then kissed him again, then pushed him down into the couch cushions with a third kiss.

“Aw, sweetheart,” Ren crooned, fingers shifting through Soren’s hair in a way that made him understand why those burning chemicals had been rubbed into his scalp in the facility, why Ren had insisted he use specialized products when he first arrived. It had all been for a purpose, to meet a glorious end. And now, now it was over, Soren had been good and done as he’d been told and he was reaping the rewards. Ren’s touch in his hair felt heavenly. Ren’s touch anywhere felt too good to be true, sating some deep, ever-thirsting need inside of Soren like only Ren could. “I’m right here, if you wanna put your nose against the real thing.”

Soren’s arms wrapped around Ren and he pressed his face to the crook of their neck, inhaling deeply and then sighing contentedly. Ren nudged his legs apart and settled in on top of him, and he squirmed happily because he liked this, too. He liked when they used him, and it always felt good. Didn’t even really feel like he was being used, if he was allowed to think like that.

Ren had never punished him, had always pet him and crooned at him and praised him, so he thought, maybe, he was. 

Ren had never, ever, ever hurt him. Ren had always been kind and giving and generous. Ren was the most wonderful, amazing person Soren had ever known, and would ever know. He was trained to do anything they wanted him to, but he wanted to do everything he could to make them happy. 

He sat on the balcony, out in the warm sun, wanting for nothing beyond the balustrade. Ren was so cautious with him, knowing that he was delicate, and they got him lotion that doubled as sunscreen, so he got tan and freckled but never burned. Never, as long as he remembered to rub the lotion over himself every day, like Ren had told him to. It protected his skin from the sun, which he needed, and knew that he needed because Ren had told him he was fragile (and he was, he was, he wanted to be handled carefully so, so badly). It made his skin soft and pleasant to touch, and Soren wanted Ren to like touching him. He loved it when they touched him.

Soren sat on the settee in his room and carefully painted his nails. He was getting good at this, almost professional--if he even knew what professional was. It had to be one of those memories from before, information he knew, but couldn’t source. That was fine, he didn’t need the source. He layered a lot of paint, and changed it up every couple of days, wanting to look pretty for his owner. He painted the bases alternating, glittering colors, and had glittering gold paint “dripping” down from the ends of his nails, streaking over the rainbow. He matched his toenails to it, though he changed those up less frequently. 

He was getting good at applying makeup. He wasn’t allowed to use foundation or powder--he’d learned that Ren really, really liked his freckles--but eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick were given to him in abundance, with a couple different eye shadows he was allowed to play with, and he had fun with that, too. 

As far as Soren knew or was concerned, his whole purpose--the reason he was born--was to look pretty and obey. And Ren was so easy to obey, it let Soren focus all of his effort into looking pretty. He applied the hair products Ren was so generous to buy him, he kept himself well fed and well-rested (which was a generosity in and of itself), he let himself soak in the perfumed water of the truly extravagant bath. 

The bath was a special place, for Soren. It was smaller than the other things Ren had given him. He loved the bed, it was so comfortable, but he had been kennel-trained for his box, so sometimes the wide mattress and extravagant room seemed so vast. The bath was smaller (still larger than his box, but) and cozier, and helped Soren feel secure.

He didn’t really have any reason to not feel secure. Ren took such good care of him, and nothing hurt here, and he didn’t ever have to worry about Ren sending him back to the facility, and even if he did feel nervous he could always just reach up and touch his collar to comfort himself. So he really didn’t have any reason to not feel secure. But sometimes he just felt small and timid and, well, fragile, as fragile as Ren so patiently and generously pointed out. The bath wasn’t small enough to really-really evoke the memories of his box, but it was about as close as he’d get.

He didn’t want to ask Ren if he could go into his actual box. He didn’t know if they’d even kept it. He might give them the wrong idea, like he missed the facility (he didn’t) or that he might be implying he wanted to leave (which he didn’t), and really, it would just be Soren being greedy, at that point, after everything else Ren had done for him, and he didn’t want to be greedy. He’d been trained not to be, but he also genuinely didn’t want to.

Sometimes he wasn’t sure where his training stopped and his own impulses started.

Sometimes he had to remind himself not to think about it.

He stretched daily, and went over his forms for dancing. It was… not the easiest, learning three different dance forms at once, but he had plenty of time to practice while Ren was at work, and the weekly classes made sure he kept up with it. He also carved time to practice harp daily, stumbling as he plucked out the chords and messed up note after note. That, he only practiced while Ren wasn’t home. He wouldn’t want to bother them with his faltering attempts.

Though he was getting better. A month into his harp lessons and a month plus a few weeks of dance, and he was showing marked improvement from when he started. 

It was also a little after a month since the photoshoot that Ren came bouncing home, one day, and pulled Soren in by the hair so hard that he yelped. But it was just because Ren was excited, so it didn’t count as actually hurting him.

“Soren, angel, look!” Ren said, nearly shouting, holding out a pamphlet. Soren was on its cover. It was a demure shot of him sitting posed on his settee, hair looking like actual, literal spun gold (that had to be edited, right? He never looked like that in mirrors), his eyes shyly downcast, sunlight bathing him and his surroundings in warm light. Across the top of the paper, “Why YOU should be a pet” was printed in scrawling, looping font, adding to the ethereal feeling.

“Open it up, read inside,” Ren urged, and Soren was glad that he’d been allowed to regain his reading privileges. He’d relearned how to read fast, like the only thing suppressing the memories of how was a flimsy soap bubble layer that popped with Ren’s permission. Soren opened it, and there was another photograph, the last one, the one Ren had taken with him, their lips pressed against his face, his smile all squinty-eyed and cheerful and Ren looking positively radiant. The pamphlet boasted the perks of being a pet, all of which Soren could attest to, and he noticed a couple of his quotes throughout the trisections. A few lines, he wasn’t quite sure if he had said them, or if they were sourced from other pets (there was a Box Babe splayed out on a bed with rose petals all around her, which made Soren feel...strange). Soren thoroughly examined the pamphlet, flipping it over to read the back, but his eyes kept returning to the first two pictures, the image of himself, actually looking like the angel Ren was always calling him, and the picture of them kissing him. He touched his fingers over that one, heart fluttering.

“You can keep that copy,” Ren said airily after they’d tired of watching Soren read over it. “I have one of my own. But oh, also, look at this,” they said, pulling out their phone. An online ad was pulled up, another picture of Soren, then Ren flipped tabs and there was another picture of Soren, this one with him on his bed, half-hidden and looking… enticing. Was that a weird thing to think about himself? The enticing one was an ad targeted towards pet owners, though, asking them if their pet looked like this. It made Soren blush. He was… he was being used to his owner’s benefit. Ren was the pinnacle of a good pet owner, and Soren was the proof.

It made him a little giddy.

“Aren’t you just so lovely?” Ren murmured, pulling up a third tab, an article with another picture of Soren halfway down. “These ads are running almost-globally. It’s Whumpee’s-R-Us’ primary campaign at the moment. Baby, your pretty face is a worldwide phenomenon!”

“O-Only thanks to you,” Soren said happily, sliding his hand over their belly to settle on their hip. He giggled, feeling brave and bold, and went up on tiptoe to press a kiss to their cheek, right on the corner of their lips. “All because of you, and how, you take such good care of me.”

Soren pressed up against them, telling them how he wanted to take care of them too, and the crick he got in his back from being bent over the kitchen counter wasn’t even worth mentioning. It felt good, to be a pampered pet, to be able to love his owner like how he loved Ren, to be useful and pretty.

It was three days after that the bad thing happened.

“Exalted?” he asked softly, waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of his door being unlocked. They never let him out into the house at night. His bed, bathroom, and balcony were his whole world until the sun was rising and Ren was ready to start their day. And the next morning would be Saturday, and Ren always slept in. And they never spent so long unlocking the door.

The person who entered wasn’t Ren. The people who entered behind her also weren’t Ren. None of them were Ren.

“Exalted!” Soren shouted, high, as loud as he could get, his voice cracking. He rushed back in his bed, his back hitting the wall with a loud thud, legs scrambling and kicking away the blankets in an attempt to gain purchase

“No, Soren, shush, we’re here to help,” one of the people said urgently, approaching fast, and Soren screamed. Where was Ren?! They always came when he had nightmares, always, why weren’t they coming now, when he was yelling? Was this another nightmare? Please, please let it be another nightmare, please, Soren did not want real hands to be gripping his wrists, did not want a real rag to be forced over his mouth and nose, a vile and chemical scent filling his head before everything went woozy and sideways.

He didn’t want to be waking up in someone’s car, which smelled like french fries and dog hair (Soren had never met a dog, that was knowledge from before). He immediately started crying, curling in tightly on himself, his eyes pinging with pressure and some sort of headache.

“Oh, hey,” said a voice, feminine and not, not cruel sounding. But Soren had interacted with Processors who only sounded nice, before. They used it to mock him. It stung worse, when they pretended to be kind. “Hey, he’s awake. Easy, buddy, it’s alright, we’ve got you.”

Calloused hands (baseball, his brain supplied, even though he had no way of knowing that) made him sit up, and he found himself in the backseat next to the woman who’d entered his room first. He pulled his knees up close, wedging himself against the car door, aware that he was only wearing his nightshirt. He couldn’t stop crying. He wasn’t trying particularly hard.

“P-please,” he begged, “please, stop, please, let me go home, I want to go home, why are you doing this, please!”

“Soren, Soren, calm down!” she urged. How did she know his name? “Do you remember us? At all?”

“No!” he cried, the sound raw and wet. He glanced out the car window. If he opened the door and jumped, he would almost definitely break something--he was fragile--so he had to shove down thoughts of escaping right then and there. He needed to go back to Ren. Why hadn’t they come? “What, what did you do to Ren?”

“We just knocked them out,” one of the men in the front seat said, turning so he could look at Soren. “They’re a psycho and a freak, but we weren’t actually gonna, like, do anything bad. We’re not terrible people.”

The implication that Ren was a terrible person, and calling them such awful names, made rage swell up in Soren. But he didn’t know how to process or express that, so he just let out another harsh, loud sob. 

“That, and they were our friend, once!” the woman said, giving the man a hard look. He snorted derisively. She turned back. “Look, Soren, I know everything is scary and confusing right now, but I promise, we’re here to help. When you went missing we all were freaking out, we never knew you’d been kidnapped and…” she gestured at him, and he hiccupped on a sob, “turned into this.”

“Seriously, if we knew that nutcase had you, we would’ve come sooner,” said the man, and Soren keened, fury he couldn’t translate swelling up in him again.

“Both of you, chill,” said the driver firmly, “He’s freaking out. Give him space. Soren, Lydia’s right: We’re here to help.”

“Help me get home then!” Soren said around his sobs, hard to get the words out. Hard to breathe.

“We are, believe it or not,” the driver said, pulling into a small wooded area, and parking shortly after. This wasn’t home. There was a weird metal door, surrounded by concrete. It was terrifying. It looked like something out of a scary movie.

Breathing became even harder.

“Soren,” Lydia said, “No screaming, okay, or we’re gonna have to knock you out again. Come inside with us, and we’ll get all of this explained and figured out. It’ll be okay.”

It most assuredly would not. Soren was going to be dragged down there and tortured. Or, worse, he was going to be taken in there and he’d never come back out, never allowed to go see Ren again.

“Nnnnooooo, no, please,” Soren begged, knowing he wouldn’t be listened to. The driver opened his door and his hands flew to his collar, desperately seeking some kind of comfort--

His collar was gone.

Breathing became impossible.

His collar was gone. His painted fingernails dug into bare skin, flying up and scratching down, searching his neck, like he somehow could have missed it, like it had shifted with the movement and he only needed to find it. No, no, no no no no no, please, no, no! His fingernails dug in hard, his breath coming out fast, too fast, but it didn’t matter, because his collar was gone, and Ren was far away, and he’d been stolen, and his collar was gone and that was the proof, the physical proof that Soren was owned, and kept, and cared for, and it was missing, and his fingernails hurt where they dug into himself, his blood seeping into the collar of his nightshirt, and he could hear the whispered shouts of the thieves, telling him to cut it out, their hands grabbing roughly at his wrists and dragging him out of the car. Another car pulled up next to the first, the rest of the band of thieves exiting that one.

Begging wasn’t working, of course it wouldn’t work, begging didn’t work on anyone except Ren, Ren, who took care of him, and indulged him, and was the only merciful person in the world. So Soren tried to run.

He didn’t get far, stumbling on an unseen branch, slicing open his right foot, and when those hands clamped down around him again, dragging him back, the rude man’s elbow caught him in the temple, making his world disoriented, pain lighting up his too-sensitive nerves like it hadn’t since before Ren. Hands clamped over his mouth, muffling his crying, his begging, and the metal door creaked open, the squeal of it as loud as Soren’s sobbing, and when he was dragged through, the soft skin of his heels catching on concrete, it boomed shut, locking him in, locking him from the outside world, from home, from Ren, leaving him with a group of strangers who would hurt him.

Next

[box-bunny-grey]

Who wants to hear a random jackass ramble about Shadowlands and not edit what he wrote? No one? Too bad.

I’ll start this by saying that this is from the perspective of a Mistweaver monk, Necrolord Covenant, who only does content through pugs who cleared Normal Nathria and as of now has never cleared past a seven keystone.

So when I wrote out an outline for this one late night for the hell of it, I was thinking I’d be positive. That I’d say I had problems with the game but the main meat of the game, the group content, was still good.

This opinion has shifted.

So I’m just going to ramble through what I put in my outline and then see if it looks good.

The Good (Sometimes)

So as I said group content feels good… When it’s good.

Mythic 0 was a lot of fun early in expansion because groups were generally patient. Like I’d have a plaguefall group that was just really positive even as we wiped a few times getting a feel for the second boss, and was super receptive to advice. Even with the Sanguine Depths being pretty aggravating at zero plenty of groups were kind, and hell being able to heal tanks through it as they rushed through felt rad. Even played with a friend tanking a few times and it felt awesome to just be around and do well.

Nathria is also great at feeling like a logical progression of things. A lot of raids can feel like there’s a bunch of quarters that just exist, but Nathria did feel like a real siege. Starting off dealing with the first line of defense, dealing with the animal tamers before they could unleash the hounds, dealing with an infestation that could come back to bite you if left alone, culminating in that portion in the defeat of a boss established earlier in the leveling experience and technically dealing with the first major threat: the anima leaking into the maw. From there you deal with an attempted thief in the armory that should not be left to their own devices, keep Kael’thas from becoming a weapon to remove that option from Denathrius, and deal with his most powerful sycophants. I actually really like Sludgefist as an obstacle to the finale bosses and the reuse of Shriekwing’s room: Shriekwing might have bloodied the floor but kept everything intact, Sludgefist if there to say “Denathrius doesn’t care if he has to take down the whole castle, at this point you’re too dangerous.” And the end of the Stone Legion Generals and Denathrius was a nice was to finish up the instance.

Then everything goes not so good.

Mythic+ woes

Mythic+ is fun… When your group is competent. I’m not even talking going full meta here. I’ve had awful DH tanks as well as DH tanks that react amazingly. The bad runs where the DH tries to act like running at the speed of sound far above his ilevel, and the good runs where when I die because there’s so much to keep track of the DH IMMEDIATELY starts gliding back to where I’d spawn to make sure we don’t lose the progress we’ve gotten on the mobs. I’ve had amazing WARRIOR tanks in runs, and that’s a class I’ve been told right now is at the bottom of the meta in so many ways.

But then you have groups that disperse as soon as they see there’s no bloodlust, or call for it repeatedly when no one can (look I pug I have to take what I can get, I’m lucky I don’t get full melee groups honestly). Or more recently a group that could not get past blightbone in Necrotic Wake because someone kept getting eaten by their mob and getting it to explode, causing AOE damage I could not heal through in a Mythic 9 at my gear. Or a group in Plaguefall that, when I died because I had to focus on healing because the tank wasn’t tanking the second boss right and the DH and the tank accuse me of not paying attention when that disease he does because the tank wasn’t doing their job is pretty hard to keep off and would make my life much easier of the tank remembered that but no it was my fault.

I am still mad.

Speaking of Plaguefall, that comes back to my favorite experience of assholes in Mythic+. Had two warlocks in party, so two soulstones for battle rez. I die. No soulstone. Alright, it’s trash, guess I gotta walk back. Do so. Get to boss. Die again, don’t even remember what. No soulstone. Okay, maybe they’re mad because I died to something easy. Someone asks about battle rez. “Sorry it’s on CD think the healer used it.” I say I got no battle rez. They get uppity. Other warlock used their soulstone on themselves. People keep talking about it. Other warlock gets angry because he thinks they’re talking about them. Leaves. We manage to 4 man it.

I was not happy and now I do not like Plaguefall.

Raid time

When I completed my first Castle Nathria is was about 3 AM. It was a pretty painless run, mostly one shots with a couple of hiccups. It started at 9 PM. This was a mostly good run. That’s a good run. Now imagine what happens when you have a bad run. But I figured hey, late night lost on a Saturday is fine, it seems like even pugs with no voice chat can finish raids on normal easy, so pugging, and I got 10/10 so I could always do earlier runs, especially guild runs. Should be fine right?

I’ve learned how many melee do not know what an interrupt is.

I’ve learned how bad some guides are when giving kill orders for heroic over normal.

I’ve learned how easily people can kill a raid not realizing very obvious tactics will leave death pools behind.

I’ve learned Council of Blood is the big obstacle for any pug to find out whether or not you should be here, even more than Sludgefist.

Which brings us to the final point.

Oh Boy! 35 Anima!

Cold to the point of sub-zero take: loot drops in Shadowlands suck. This is coming from someone who got lucky in one of his Castle Nathria full clears and got multiple pieces in a single week. But overall the frustration of groups, Myhic+ or Raid, gets exacerbated when you see that 35 anima drop, and then notice the asshole who kept dying got an upgrade.

Mythic 0 works out well enough, the dungeons are easy enough and with every boss in them dropping something, even with the weekly lockout, feels a lot better than putting your all into a raid only to get nothing. I’d say the deluge of loot from 0 helped keep me going since there was always the chance of something coming from them.

And honestly, the Great Vault doesn’t fix it. I’ve had a week where, out of a full clear Nathria and 2 slots of mythic+, four out of five of my options were rings. And that one was alright because if it didn’t drop a trinket I could have used that. But I’ve had weeks where every possible upgrade was a slot that was already covered, while other slots wound up being stuck. I’d say even the catch-up mechanism of covenant gear doesn’t work due to both the anima cost of upgrading (which is FAR above 35 anima) and the extra put on your repair costs since the gear is worth 250 gold to vendors. Not exactly enticing.

And remember, I said group content was the GOOD part of the expansion.

Solo Content: Boring, Aggravating

It’s all downhill from here.

The New, Painful World Quests

When World Quests were introduced in Legion, they were usually pretty simple. Either quests you did to level, rares that you might have missed, and occasional puzzles from the Kirin Tor. BFA seemed to follow that in general, with the Tortollan replacing the Kirin Tor and occasional more involved battlefront world quests. But these were generally so plentiful that more often than not, if you wanted emissary but didn’t like an activity it was easy enough to find the simple ones.

Shadowlands World Quests attempt to be all the more involved type, and of small enough number that you’re going to hate some of them by the end of it. Some are fun, I will admit. Playing with Draka’s dog, the Maldraxxus running of the olympic torch, Theotar’s parasol, (most of) the tea time ones, and even one where you fly through the air to collect pupas. But then you have others.

And I’d say my biggest headaches have a common covenant: the Kyrian. Poorly programmed flappy bird. Dumb ‘training’ simon says. One that should be simple, just kill mobs… Except you have a stationary zone you have to pull them to and god help you if someone else is killing in the zone, doesn’t notice you, and now you have to wait out the cooldown to drop another one.

The gear rewards suck, the anima amount varies how much it’s worth it, and every other reward straight up aren’t worth it.

Also a lot of treasures are obnoxious. Like I can’t even think of how to elaborate on it it’s just so many are not worth the effort to find out how to open them because so many rewards are, you guessed it! 35 Anima.

Stagnant Sanctums

When I first saw sanctums I thought I’d have the patience to keep a few going. Having leveled 2 alts I can confirm I haven’t had the energy to even attempt to start their anima/soul grind.

First, we have the Mmission board. Because I chose the Necrolords first I didn’t realize just how bad some people’s were. Then I started night fae I soon fond out how blessed I’d been. Maldraxxus’ unit types are frontline and backline splash damage, and your first follower is entire board splash damage. I forgot what the follower for night fae did, but the night fae units are a healer and a dot applying unit.

Guess how man missions are massive amounts of enemies and how many are single objective focuses.

But then we have the anima conductor, and at first I thought it was a neat idea. Get rewards for putting anima back into the Shadowlands, and when I saw the second tier daily quests had a chance to give 500 anima . That seemed amazing and considering some of the quests were obnoxiously long and boring I assumed it was encouragement if you didn’t have the patience for other 35 anima rewards.

Then they hotfixed it the day after I found out it was only Necrolords. Now the quests are just boring and obnoxious world quests with the extra step of picking them up.

So now not only did the anima grind lose something to make it less obnoxious, and the time gating of souls for sanctum features, in addition to a lot of features just being underwhelming. I decided to waste resources on my travel network’s second level for a slow moving necropolis around my zone. There has NEVER been a point where the necropolis was a faster way to get to my destination over just mounting up and running. But hey, at least the shitty necropolis did what it promised and didn’t have people upgrade to find out their transport network didn’t do what it promised.

And hell, I’m liking making abominations, but the fact that so many options to customize them are behind a really obnoxious RNG (no Chordy, it’s not around here) it gets all the more aggravating to have fun with it. And I like stuff like Roseboil asking me if I have a boo-boo and telling me I’m tough.

Though with all these problems I have with anima, I guess at least it not being tied to progression like artifact power and azerite. Yet so many things fun things tied behind it with such slow, time-gated progression is aggravating. So clearly the solution would be infinitely grindable things, right?

Well…

Why are the Avowed a Thing?

I assume the Avowed were originally what the Venthyr had instead of the Ember Court and then realized it was terrible but then left it in to annoy alchemists and Venthyr that want certain tints.

I am no Venthyr. But I am an alchemist.

Least the Shadestones make me plenty of money.

I do not know why this faction still exists other than annoyance, or why they’re infinitely grindable like they are. In the sense that WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG?

Covenant Woes

I do like the Necrolords. Didn’t even choose them because they were (somewhat) meta for MW monk. I did it because I liked the aesthetic and the concept of my covenant ability being just tossing dust at someone is hilarious to me.

But I only like the wings part of my mog. I do not like the look of the leather set on my troll. And every other mog looks like actual armor. I mean I get it: cloth is house of rituals, mail is intended to be house of eyes (since Draka wears it), and plate is house of the chosen. So house of constructs is what is left for leather. I still don’t like it.

And the issue I have with a ‘right covenant’ is that that has changed already for some classes. Remember how I said Necrolord was somewhat meta above? Well that’s because the meta changed, they found out Kyrian is generally best overall. Or people who played warrior, heard their DPS was universally Venthyr, and found out later people did the math and found out that the night fae was best to do Mythic+. Not the worst thing since changing is easy. But I get the feeling more and more frustration is going to come as the expansion goes on.

Speaking of things that will definitely get worse.

The Maw Fucking Sucks

“Well it’s intended to be a hostile land that you want to get in quickly and out of quickly!”

Yeah. Still sucks. Transport options suck. The place tries to act like it’s bigger than it is by removing mounting except for a select few mounts. The dailies do not give enough ve’nari reputation to be worth it, in addition to the fact that, outside of the one use purchases ve’nari’s items are rarely worth it (wow a skeleton key for the incredibly simple puzzle chests that’s single use!). I feel bad for people who can’t do twisting corridors and have to rely on the shadehound hunt to make time in there feel less hellish.

Apparently Worgen can use running wild to circumvent it and you know what? Good for them. I hope that never gets/got patched.

Well Torghast is fun right?

Torghast is Terrible

The entire thing’s a timesink. Not enough fun builds to actually make it feel worth it past what you do to get your legendary. One of the deathroach pets seems to sell for a bit so I guess that’s a positive. It really feels like they did exactly what they did with World Quests: took something other mmos generally use for levelling, in this case the deep dungeon, and assumed people wanted to do it at max level. And I’d say it’s a good way to know they’re out of touch with their playerbase considering they had to nerf the last layers when they went live.

I think I was able to get through Twisting Corridors solely because I was a monk and our anima powers are good, but without a large amount of stamina or the right powers early on it goes to shit quick. But I got my mount so never have to see it again.

Also reminder that when Twisting Corridors went live there were still placeholder powers.

Future Worries

While mostly Torghast related figured I’d make this its own section.

What’s going to happen when new content comes out and legendaries have to be higher ilevel? Will they simply up the soul ash cost or put in another aggravating currency. What about legendary memories? Will more be added or will they have to be upgraded? Will we be wearing multiple? And how will anima be handled as things go on.

Really the big issue I have with all of this is from what I can gather, the mindless grind of wow continues to get more and more aggravating as expansions go on, with rarely a reprieve in sight.

Nitpicks

This is shit even I understand is probably not a big deal or might be personal preference.

LET MY TROLL WEAR SHOES THE VENTHYR MAIL AND NECROLORD PLATE DOES IT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD I’M PRETTY SURE SOME SHOES AT LEAST HAVE OPTIONS FOR HOOVED CHARACTERS.

Soulbinds vary in importance in covenant stories. Using Necrolord as an example, by the time you start the campaign Marileth is already done with his arc, Heirmir only exists to say they’re the Primus’ apprentice in smithing, and Emeni only shows up if you choose necrolord and is the only one with any prominence in the story. Necrolord is mostly the Azeroth trio each dealing with things, and it does have neat moments (always enjoyed the story of the Ashbringer, and Alexandros going “this is a large locked chest” crushing the lock, and then saying “it is now a large chest” was good) but I’d assume soulbinds would have more to do.

To compare, the Kyrian campaign seems to spend the most time with soulbinds, with Venthyr being second place, and Night Fae I think being a third. Further, odd things like a little under 2/3 of the Necrolord campaign being shared with other covenants, while Night Fae doesn’t interact with any in theirs. This is despite the fact that the Kyrian campaign interacts with all other factions, the Necrolord part being the same for that faction; and the Venthyr campaign interacts with Kyrian and Necrolords, once more the Necrolord version is shared. I guess I’d say I’d prefer they either commit to separate stories or overlapping uinversally, but maybe that’ll come with the next part.

Conclusion

Running out of steam for this random smattering of thoughts so conclusion.

Shadowlands I think is like most expansions. Launch is fun because everything is new, then the grind wears everyone down.

Make more loot drop for more difficulties or fix the great vault.

Really that’s all I got here’s a picture of my monk.

[ephemeralseraph]

Easy Self Care Things ~

- Remember to get a new toothbrush. I tend to get a new one every month or two.

- Find a mobile game that doesn’t require much commitment and is fun for you!

- Watch something educational or inspirational in the morning to get your brain ready for the day.

- Take a bath once a week or once bi-weekly. Baths are good for your skin, muscles, and mood!

- Drink plenty of water. If getting the recommended daily dose of water (approx. 8 cups, I believe) is hard because you’re not used to it, gradually start drinking more and more every day starting at your typical intake.

- Wash your face at least once every day. (In addition, over-washing and/or over-treating your face tend to worsen oil production and acne).

- Wash your face before bed. This will keep your pillowcase and the surrounding sheets clean.

- Wash your bedsheets bi-weekly!

- Take on a small, easy project. Completing this project may give you a sense of fulfillment even if it is small.

- Try drinking water first if you feel like snacking but aren’t physically hungry. Sometimes your body actually needs water.

- Apply Vicks Vapor Rub on your temples as quick relief for tension headaches. This even works for my migraines. Drinking cold water pairs well with this remedy.

- Find something easy to commit to and care for. Devote yourself to caring for a gaggle of female Beta fish or take care of a succulent or cactus.

- Don’t bring your phone to the toilet. Just sit there and think. Take that time to expel your emotions whilst you expel your --

- Take time each day to just do nothing and just think. It’s harder than you’d expect but so beneficial.

That’s all I have for now! Reblog for your own collection and/or so others can see and spread the vibes!

If no one’s told you they love you yet today, you’re hearing it from me! Don’t know you, but I’m sure I’d be lucky to. Keep giving things your all, and I wish you the best in all your endeavors ~

Ephy out!

[sweetbitterpdf]

Any tips for learning french? :(

ooh this is such an interesting question!! 

i’m gonna first give context on my experience with french. as i said in a previous ask, i spent nine years learning it. this was in school, and for the first three years, it was in mandatory classes (there’s no national standard for canadian french education across all the provinces, but in my schooling system you had to start in third grade, and you could stop in tenth grade if you wanted to), the latter six years (7th through 12th) were in what’s called french immersion, an optional and—evidently— more immersive french education than the mandatory french classes that everyone had to take (we called it “core french”)

so i spent a long time learning french. when i graduated high school at 18, i had been learning french half my life. i also got an award for getting the highest marks in the french class i took in grade 12 which was, frankly, mad litty, still one of my crowning achievements, go 2017 em

... but telling you ‘dedicate nine years of your life to it’ clearly isn’t super practical for someone trying to learn it! so here are some more concrete tips:

vocab, vocab, vocab!!

the MOST IMPORTANT part of learning any language. keep track of vocab in any way possible. you can write words down, make physical flashcards, or use a resource like quizlet to make flashcards electronically. this is useful for french because of the gendering of nouns, which english doesn’t do. it’s a strange concept to grasp, and there isn’t a whole lot of logic to it— of course ‘girl’ is feminine (la fille) and ‘boy’ is masculine (le garçon), but it can be hard to remember whether something like the word ‘chair’ is masculine or feminine (for the record, it’s feminine— la chaise). 

so much of language learning is just rote memorisation, which i think a lot of people have trouble getting the hang of. it’s a lot of brute work, a lot of boring work, but seeing your fluency progress is more than worth it, in my opinion!

“but em,” i hear you ask, “where do i get vocab?”

watch french tv/film & listen to french music

i started doing this around sixth grade i believe? it was part of our daily homework, to go home and watch TV in french.

and, if i was lucky, i would understand a word or two in a sentence.

this one seems very daunting at first! and it’ll be super confusing initially, with or without subtitles (that one’s up to you! i’d recommend subtitles at first, before trying to watch without them, or maybe watching with french subtitles!)

skam france (which i’m assuming you’re into, if you’re following me...?) is a lovely option for consuming french media. 

listening to music in french is another excellent way to learn! you can look up the lyrics, in french or english, and work your way through the song! i still have to look up lyrics to french songs pretty frequently. though, mind you, i do that for english songs pretty frequently as well oop

there’s this pre-conceived notion that, when you do something like this, you have to understand everything for it to be a success. that’s not the case— far from it, in fact! i spent so long— and in some cases continue to— only being able to get the vague plot of the film/show i was watching, only catching maybe half of the words. but— and stay with me here— that’s an achievement in itself! you aren’t going to ever completely know a language, even your native one! i look up english words all the time, still!!! and understanding the general plot of a story in a language that you’re learning is another one of those super gratifying feelings that you encounter while learning a language.

utilize online resources

this is a huge one, and also a broad one. by this, i mean stuff like duolingo (which i advocate for wholeheartedly!! it has a really good structure lesson-wise, and french is one of its most extensive courses, if not, the most extensive one!)

but by this i also mean things like PDFs of french textbooks! those will give you a similar structure to being in an actual class— i would recommend taking a class if you can, because it forces you to continue learning, even when you don’t want to (because you aren’t always going to be super motivated, let’s be real), but i know that’s not an option, for a lot of people.

and i also mean things like looking up soundbites for introductory french learning. youtube would most likely have plenty of stuff like that. it’s one thing to learn from one source— and if you want to start easy, that’s absolutely fine!— but learning from multiple places would work wonders on comprehension!!

read in french, write in french, speak in french

this is another daunting one, but another ridiculously necessary one. you may feel like you aren’t ready to do any of these things, especially very early on, but one of the biggest tips i have for learning french, or any language really, is to do these as much as you reasonably can, right from the get-go.

another thing i would HIGHLY recommend— and this forces some people to embarrass themselves— is to start off by consuming french media made for babies.

think about it this way: learning a new language is sort of like starting your entire life over. rather than being an english-speaking adult (or teenager), you’re now a french speaking baby. do babies follow proper sentence structure? do they read novels? do they get everything right, linguistically-speaking? no, of course they don’t! conversely— were you born fluent in your native language? or did your parents and family and teachers teach you, word by word, until you got to where you are now?

speaking french aloud is probably the most intimidating part of learning it, at least to me. mind you, this is largely due to circumstances (anglophone teachers, and many of them, leading to me having an awful accent, when i speak french!). for a lot of people, myself included, the fear comes from messing up, especially when talking to francophone people (native french speakers), because there isn’t as much time to think, to verify grammar/vocab/etc.

but this ties in to my baby idea, from above— think of the amount of patience and flexibility that’s necessary when talking to a toddler. do you always understand what a toddler is trying to say to you? no, but you do some of the time! and as the toddler gets older and they learn more and more, conversation gets easier. also, if they get something wrong, you correct them (well, sometimes!) gently, and patiently. you’re basically a toddler that’s more willing to learn than an actual toddler is. communicating with native speakers is key— people that can give you constructive criticism, while also treating you the patience that you deserve. if you know a french person irl, ask them if they’d be willing to talk with you in french, so that you can practice. alternatively, another great way to practice like this if you don’t have someone like that in your life is via email or even snail mail! worldpenpals is lovely for either— you can search for people by country, by language, etc., and once you start talking, you can keep it online, or exchange info and write letters to each other!

another pre-conceived notion that runs rampant in language learning, that i’ve noticed, it the idea that you either know a language or you don’t, that you’re either fluent or you’re not. 

and it’s just... not that simple! like at all! like i said a little while ago, i’ve been speaking english for (roughly) 20 years. but would i say that i know english? that i know the entire language? absolutely not!! i look up new words on like a weekly basis!!

if you’re trying to learn a language so you can say “alright, i speak it, i’m done now,” then you’re not learning a language with the right intention! languages are organic things, they grow and change, and you’re never not learning a language, you know? each language is its own little world, and there are so many people who are willing to help you explore it.

[keelywolfe]

FIC: A Ray of Sunshine From Behind the Clouds(baon)

Summary: Look, don’t ask Edge about his relationship with Stretch. He doesn’t know, either.

Prequel to the series, set after “Seeing Stars Through Clouds’ and ‘Pillars of Creation’

Tags: Spicyhoney, First Time, Pre-Relationship, Mentions Of The Seven Human Souls, And the deaths of the children, Light Angst

part of the ‘by any other name’ series.

Read it on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

If someone asked him to qualify his relationship with Stretch, Edge would tell them to mind their own business, to begin with.

But even if he refused to answer, he would be left with the question and he would have to admit, if only to himself, that he didn’t know.

Their former antagonism wasn’t completely vanished, but these days it would more likely fall under teasing, with less aggression than even his own brother’s. Edge found that he wasn’t merely tolerating Stretch’s company, he was often somewhat enjoying it. The glimpses of lively interest he could show, hands moving excitedly as he talked. The brilliant mind he kept so carefully hidden beneath a concealing layer of sarcasm and apathy was slowly revealing itself, like a shy ray of sunshine coming out from a behind a cloud.

He supposed he could admit that he liked it. Sometimes.

But he couldn’t name it.

For example, how could he properly explain Stretch’s newest ploy? It consisted of Edge getting a text on a random day of an address and a single word beneath it.

lunch?

It was usually followed by a ridiculous emoji of a sandwich, perhaps or a croissant.

The first time it came, Edge nearly declined. He was particular about his food and wasn’t interested in any greasy slop that Stretch might offer.

He’d already typed a refusal, his finger hovering over the send button…and remembered the coffee shop. His newfound daily pleasure in the Beanery was enough for him to delete the message and send a wary agreement, along with a time.

The thumbs up emoji that followed made him roll his eye lights, but his curiosity was piqued. Besides, if it turned out to be someplace like Grillby’s, he hardly needed to stay.

Instead, it turned out to be a small restaurant with no more than four tables, covered in checked tablecloths and dripping candles despite the hour of the day. There were braids of garlic hanging from the ceiling along with yellow globes of cheese. The overhead fixtures were plain and rustic. His doubts grew at first sight and vanished when he took the first bite from a plate brought to him by a large, enthusiastic Human whose booming voice nearly demanded enjoyment of the food.

Until then, Edge’s experience in pasta was limited to dinners with Papyrus and a few dishes he’d made on his own.

But this…one twirled fork filled with noodles and Edge could reassure their anxious waiter that the food was delicious. Lunchtime conversation was mostly Stretch rattling on about the history of Italian food, with the Human, Mario, occasionally interjecting.

It was…acceptable. And if sometimes the bright gleam of excitement in Stretch’s eye lights sent a twinge to his soul, well, a quick rub over his sternum usually chased it away. Usually.

Since that first text, Edge had eaten in many different places that were as unlikely as they were unusual. Stretch knew of plenty hole-in-the-walls where he chatted with the owners in their own language, Spanish, Italian, ones Edge didn’t recognize, from food trucks and storefronts with handwritten signs. They would sit at small tables with clean table cloths and eat food that was brought steaming on platters, or Stretch would secure them paper plates of food that was delicious and sometimes so spicy even Edge needed a drink.

Today, they were sitting together at a rickety picnic table, three dishes between them laid out on a scattering of clean napkins. If Edge was out of place in his business suit with Stretch who was in a sweatshirt and sneakers, the owner hadn’t given them a second glance.

“this is a kimchee roasted veggie bowl,” Stretch announced, pointing his fork at one dish. “caprese skewers, fried rice balls, and korean barbecue.”

Edge took a bite of the aforementioned veggie bowl, humming in appreciation at the heavy spice as he forked up another. The young woman in the food truck gave him a grin and a thumbs up. Edge waved somewhat stiffly back to her. “You certainly know a lot of people.”

“i told you, i like people,” Stretch mumbled around his own mouthful. It was a struggle not to grimace at the way he slurped up his food, but Edge couldn’t argue that it wasn’t delicious.

“I would have thought you wouldn’t care for Humans, to be honest,” Edge said, carefully. Perhaps not the best choice of luncheon conversations, but it was a question that had bothered him in the past. “Blue said that your Human in Underswap was much different than Frisk.”

Once, before a trip to a planetarium and a scattering of lunches, Edge likely wouldn’t have noticed the way Stretch tensed, his smile becoming less easy and more fixed, “yeah, pretty different.” He shrugged, plucking up one of the skewers and nibbling at it. “most humans are okay, you know? most of them aren’t much different than us. they love their families and they have fun and they like to laugh. most of them are fine.”

“Some aren’t.” Edge thought of his children at the Y, the stories he knew they hid.

He was taken off guard by Stretch’s flat reply, “asgore killed six kids and people think he’s okay.”

Edge frowned. “That’s different, he was doing what was necessary for his people as a King.” But thinking of it made him uncomfortable in a way it hadn’t in the past. Before they’d come to the surface, Edge had never met a Human, and now—

“yeah? maybe humans who do bad things are doing what they think is necessary. why does asgore get a pass?”

“You don’t like him.” That much was obvious, Stretch never made any pretense in the few occasions Edge saw him around Asgore, much the same as he’d never made any pretense around Edge not that long ago.

Stretch stabbed at a rice ball with his fork, and muttered, “i don’t want to fight.”

“We aren’t.”

“okay, then no, i don’t,” Stretch snapped. “and i’ve never been shy about saying it. he can have all the excuses he wants but the truth is, he killed those kids. i’ve seen their souls, you know i have, we all saw. they were kids and she just—“

“She?” Edge interrupted softly and Stretch clicked his teeth shut and looked away.

“he. whatever. look, the point is, he killed them. that doesn’t make me want to look at him like some fuzzy-ass savior.”

“I’ve killed.” There was no denying it and he’d never tried, not when a simple Check would reveal the truth. He wasn’t ashamed of it; he’d done what was necessary and no more, enough for him and his brother to survive.

“yeah, i know, kinda hard not to when i saw your lv the first time we met,” Stretch blew out a sharp breath and his sudden smile held no humor, “you ever killed a helpless kid?”

“No.” That much at least he could claim.

“i have. so i’m a hypocrite, too.”

That…was impossible. Stretch had no LV at all. Edge grabbed his wrist as Stretch tried to stand, “What do you mean?”

“let me go.” There was a tremble to those words, but it wasn’t fear Edge heard.

He let go.

He watched as Stretch walked a distance away, downwind, and pulled out his cigarettes. Flicked his lighter and lit one, exhaling a pale cloud. He smoked as he watched cars driving past, Humans pulling up to order their own food and giving them curious glances or the occasional look of outright disgust. No one approached them, no one said a word, and Edge worked his way through the bowl of kimchee, watching Stretch as he watched the world.

He dropped the butt on the ground, grinding it out beneath one untied sneaker, then picked it up gingerly between two fingers to toss on the trash bin.

Stretch walked back to the picnic table, hands in his pockets. He breathed out slowly, then asked, “can we talk about something else?”

“Yes.” His curiosity suddenly didn’t seem worth seeing that anguish again on Stretch’s face, not right now. He pointed his fork at the plates laid out in front of them. “Kimchee with roasted vegetables. Last week it was curried goat roti. How do you find these places?”

Stretch grinned and the sudden flood of warmth in Edge’s soul must have been from the heat of the kimchee. “twitter. i have a weekly thing i do where i take restaurant suggestions and then i sort of review it.” He gave Edge a wink. “i did ‘seoul food’ a few weeks back and thought maybe you’d like it, spicy as you are.”

“My temper isn’t that bad,” Edge said with exasperation. He couldn’t say why, but for some reason, Stretch’s grin turned closer to wry.

“nah, your temper is fine, edgelord. hey, listen, i’m gonna go to a new chinese place next week for a review, wanna come with? i promise i won’t mention you by name.”

Edge paused, his fork hovering over the barbecue. This was the first time Stretch had invited him out for lunch in advance rather than springing it on him, and to a restaurant he hadn’t yet visited. That, too, was something new.

But he couldn’t say he hadn’t enjoyed their lunches…

“No pictures,” Edge said sternly, and Stretch’s expression lit up with delight.

“nothing but selfies and the plates, cross my soul!” Stretch made an ‘x’ over his sternum with a long finger, then snatched up his fork again. “okay, now quit hogging the goods.”

As Stretch reached for the bowl, at the last moment Edge used his own fork to pull it out of reach, sending Stretch’s to clang uselessly against the picnic table. His disbelief morphed into a peal of laughter and Edge had to resist the urge to smile, rubbing again at his sternum.

Honestly, he might have to have his soul Checked if it kept throbbing like that. For now, he scooped up the bowl, working on keeping it away from Stretch who had actually crawled onto the table trying to reach and would probably have more success at getting a forkful if he could stop laughing.

Something like friends, Edge decided at last, giving over the bowl before it ended up a mess in one of their laps. That’s how he would describe their relationship if he were asked. Similar to what he had with Antwan, someone he could share a meal or a conversation with.

And if they were friends, then he could admit he was looking forward to more than the food next week.

Especially if Stretch laughed like this again.

-finis-

[anundefinedwoman]

Lyrically Speaking

I love music. I think the older I’ve become the more transparent this has become for me. It’s always been a part of my life, but I remember during my childhood, college through part of my 30s, TV was where I would mostly lose myself . It was an escape. Of course there are iconic televisions series for me during my childhood, in college, or back in time that stand out. Certainly shows like The Walton’s, Eight is Enough, Little House on the Prairie, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, The Facts of Life, Family Ties, Growing Pains, Highway to Heaven, Dallas, Dynasty, 90210, A Different World, Friends and Melrose Place all stand out. Funny enough, even though I watched plenty of shows after college/ my very early 20s (Melrose, 90210, Friends), none really stand out for me like this. Maybe Everybody Loves Raymond, only for the fact that the dynamic in the marriage between Ray and Debra, is reminiscent of the dynamic in my own marriage.

I digress. The point is, sure these shows can evoke a memory or a general feeling for me. But they are all happy, fun memories. Even if my childhood and youth was filled with abuse and neglect. This was my escape. I don’t really remember much of the abuse or neglect. I feel its effects, but remember? No. Why would I subject myself to watching something weekly or daily if I didn’t get some sort of pleasure from it? The best memories are the ones where a group of us would gather collectively so we could watch with the anticipation as a room full of banshees shrieked and swooned over how hot Jake or Dylan was. Or screamed at the TV for Ross just to tell Rachel how he felt about her already because we were all in love with him!!! Or wondering who the fuck shot JR, and why Krystal and Alexis had such huge shoulder pads and fought like trashy twits? (Yes, Dallas & Dynasty came way before, I know.)

But music is different isn’t it? It doesn’t always evoke happy memories. Maybe for someone who had an ideally happy past it would, but for me it does not. I think it’s apparent by now from the television shows listed, I’m not a millennial. As a Gen X’er born right in the middle our of generation (1972), I think it’s safe to say I’ve reached middle age. As much as it pains me to say, I’m not the person who remembers everything anymore. Although I didn’t have all my past memories with me from the beginning due to trauma in childhood, the ones I do (did) have, I was the type that would not forget. Mommy brain turned into Man brain. Sorry guys, but we’ve heard the excuse thousands of times. “I forgot.” We would think, “Sure you did.”, and we would fucking remember that time you didn’t remember something again. Til it happens to us. I say to myself with a sense of humor this must be my form of in-this life-karma being served in a big slice of humble pie. But I’m smart or considerate enough to write things down, and have learned the hard way to back them up to the cloud so I don’t miss important appointments should my calendar crash. In all this talk about forgetting, I forget where I was going in another digression. Music. Songs. Getting old, yes...

I can hear a song from my childhood and it can take me back. I can immediately say 6th grade, 1984. I can probably still remember all the words to the songs too. I may be able to recall some happy memory, a memory in my room, hearing something...

 When I was a kid after I had outgrown Saturday morning cartoons, I remember that it had become the day I had to clean my room. I mean really clean it.  White glove inspection clean (seriously - my kids have it so easy) And I spent a lot of time in there. I remember having my moms old stereo in my room that was a record/LP player; a radio with an 8 track tape deck on it. This was before big boom boxes had made it to mainstream, but technology had already advanced to the cassette tape of the Walkman. But I remember listening every Saturday morning to Casey Kasem’s America’s Top 40. My favorite part of his show was The Long-Distance Dedication portion of his show where his listeners would write him poignant, heartfelt, or sweet letter about someone in their life or a hardship perhaps they themselves had been enduring. Casey would read these with such compassion where you felt like your soul was being touched through the airwaves by the velvet of his voice in the pain these people endured. And at the end of each letter they closed by asking him to play a certain song or would leave it to him. But they would send it out to someone. Maybe that’s where I learned to attach such memories, thoughts, and in times of sadness and need, turn to music. I don’t know. (You should listen to recordings of this online.)

I don’t know how long I’ve been doing it, but I “think in song “. It’s the only way I know how to describe it. Gosh, I wish they were my own songs. I wish I had that ability; that talent. But no. What I mean is somewhere in my memory I have a jukebox - a storage drive so to speak of songs I don’t even realize I remember - or sometimes I even know. Sometimes a situation I have with someone, and it could be very obvious like being out with my girlfriends having a girls night with lots of laughter, wine and the song “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” will be the song I hear in my mind. It isn’t usually the song title. It’s usually lyrics that speak to me. I think I equate or attach some sort of word association to the situation or feeling I am experiencing. We had a lot of rain recently. I start singing or rather thinking The Eurythmics,

 “Here comes the rain again,   falling on my head like a memory,    falling on my head like a new emotion...” 

Or since I hit 39-40, I would say my theme song has been Landslide, written by Stevie Nicks and performed by Fleetwood Mac.

Oh, mirror in the sky what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changin’ ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?

~These are questions I ask myself OFTEN.~

Well, I’ve been ‘fraid of changin’ ‘Cause I built my life around you But time makes you bolder Even children get older And I’m gettin’ older, too 

Ah, take my love, take it down Oh climb a mountain and turn around And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills Well, the landslide will bring it down 

This morning Heart’s song, “Alone” came to me. I was thinking in this song. Just because of what’s been going on in my life lately. 

Like I said in my “Sound of Silence” post, lyrics are so subjective. Music is an art form. Poetry is an art form. We take from it what we can relate in our own lives usually. Even though we may understand an artist may have meant X, our own interpretation can be different. That’s ok. They want to reach the masses. They want their work to resonate with you as much as it did them. We don’t have the same experiences, so why would our interpretations be the same?

If you feel color or think in song or taste experience, just let it happen. We evolve.

 Now it’s time for me to turn on some music. I’ve really been enjoying Post Malone lately.

[khaleesi-in-the-north]

In the Crosshairs (39/39)

4 Months Later

             Goodbye was supposed to be difficult. The King’s Courier was Margaery’s big break, or so she had thought at the time. A small part of her is relieved that she’s moving on though.

                    The actual goodbyes had been a small affair. Back when the photo editor had retired, there was a cake, some gifts, even a speech or two. Only a handful of people knocked on Margaery’s door to wish her well. Sam helped her pack her things in her car. Jorah hadn’t even spoken to her since she turned in her letter of resignation.

                    Since returning, her work hadn’t been the same. She was a fool to imagine things would go back to the way they had always been. Her assignments revolved around fluff pieces, editing, office work. Everyone and anyone else were getting the hard news stories that drove Margaery’s passion. As weeks passed, it became clearer that the decision to take her off the investigative stories was a personal decision.

                    She was still receiving phone calls begging for interviews about her “kidnapping”. For a week one reporter stalked her at the police station, somehow learning her routine and “coincidentally” being there when she arrived so he could hound her for a scoop. Missandei finally had the man put in a cell for six hours when he refused to listen to her orders to leave Margaery alone.

                     She realized that Jorah held that as a personal offense; against her own wishes, Margaery was still the news. Although he wouldn’t admit it, he was still pissed as hell about the publication of her articles without his consent. She had undermined him and outshone the paper itself. It was an unforgivable offense. She was more than ready to get back out there and scour the city for the next big story; it wasn’t going to happen at the Courier.

                    She’d barely begun looking at openings in other news organizations when Sansa came home one evening with the announcement that the mafia needed her to relocate to Winterfell.

                    “With Cersei gone, there’s nothing left for me in King’s Landing,” Sansa had sighed. Her eyes had grown wide as she understood the implication of her words. “No, I mean…King’s Landing was only ever a mission. The people of Winterfell need me there. Now that the Lannisters are gone, there’s nothing to impede out business dealings in King’s Landing. Petyr’s the perfect little rat to manage the system. A Stark hasn’t been in Winterfell in a decade. I can generate an alliance with the police there, grow my businesses and better know the needs of the people who depend on me. I need to go home.” She had taken Margaery’s hand into her own, looked her straight in the eye. “I want you to come with me.”

                    There was nothing for Margaery in Winterfell. It was cold, foreign, and boring. Her options weren’t much better in King’s Landing.  And home…wasn’t home anymore. Her parents were there, but what else was there? Her uncle had sold her grandmother’s estate, dividing the profit between the whole family. Garlan had left the Reach for Bitterbridge, seeing that as a burgeoning community to raise his baby girl in. Only her parents remained and who knew how long that would last?

                     Margaery had expected Sansa to push. While she did bring it up every now and then for the next couple of weeks and dropped reasons why she thought the move would do the both good, it wasn’t the pressure Margaery had grown accustomed to with her girlfriend. It was a nice change.

                    By the time The Northern Star Ledger came knocking on her door, Margaery knew she’d be packing her belongings to accompany Sansa back to Winterfell. Their relationship was about sacrifices and her leaving a job that clearly didn’t want her so the woman she loved could do greater good for her hometown could barely be considered a sacrifice.  

                    The Ledger’s offer was too good to pass up anyway. A co-editor position (with far more writing than actual editing) in their digital news department, full control over her investigative reports with no time table, first choice in news assignments on a weekly basis. Sansa swore on Lady’s unborn puppies that she had nothing to do with the offer. Her work certainly wouldn’t be the same as it was in King’s Landing, but perhaps she was due for a change of pace.

                    Driving home just as the rain comes down, she’s finally putting a piece of her past behind her. By the time she’s parked in the driveway, the sprinkle has transformed into a downpour. Sansa’s out the door to greet her with Lady bouncing on her heels. Her white t-shirt is drenched. Her hair is pinned into a high pony tail, but the loose strands stick to her face. Margaery doesn’t even have the chance to say hello. Sansa presses her lips against Margaery’s open mouth and easily slips her tongue in. Margaery doesn’t resist the opportunity to indulge her girlfriend, even if she is a little cold and her shoulder is a little sore. She kisses back, brushing her tongue against Sansa’s in a playful duel.

                    Lady walks directly beneath Margaery’s dangling hand, the tips of her fur tickling Margaery’s fingers. With a sigh Margaery pulls away. She’s barely able to see with the rain and hair in her face. “We should get inside. One of us is bound to catch a cold out here.”

                    Margaery pops her trunk open so she can begin carrying in her boxes. Except Sansa has no intention of allowing that to happen. She beats Margaery to the back of the car and slams the trunk shut again.

                    “Sweetling, I have to get my office supplies inside,” Margaery reaches around her to manually open the trunk.

                    Sansa blocks her hand. She pushes down on the top to ensure she can’t open it with the button again. “Uh-uh. You’re not touching a single box. Get your wet arse inside and I will rearrange everything in the morning before we head out.”

                    Arguing wouldn’t do any good. There are more important fights for Margaery to save her energy for—like who gets the bigger office at their new place in Winterfell. Margaery nips at her bottom lip. Sansa’s eyes follow the movement intently, just like Margaery expected. “Oh I suppose you’re right. After all, I’m soaking right through these pants. Once I’m inside I can get myself off,” she turns heel and takes three struts away from Sansa before pausing and peering back over her shoulder. Sansa hasn’t moved a muscle. “Silly me. I meant dried off.”

                    She continues the short walk without another glance back. Lady races ahead of her to beat her into the house. Half way to the door, Sansa’s feet pound against the slick pavement. Even with an added pep to her step Margaery barely kicks off her shoes before the door slams shut and she’s pressed up against it.

                    The breath of air that was about to go in is replaced by Sansa’s lips hot on her own. Her fingers find a hold on Margaery’s waist, squeezing ever so slightly as Sansa tilts her head. “You little…” Sansa murmurs against her lips.

                    All she needs is a quick gasp of air before lunges forward, teeth nipping lightly at Sansa’s bottom lip. Sansa’s lips curve into a smile. One arm wraps around Margaery’s back to pull her closer. A droplet of water drips from Sansa’s chin onto Margaery’s collarbone. She shivers involuntarily, her tongue teases Sansa’s as starts dominating the kiss. Her own breath bounces off Sansa’s cheek, heating Margaery’s face. To get a better hold of Sansa, Margaery lifts her arm to wrap around Sansa’s neck.

                    It all falls apart from there. The movement, after a day of lifting and driving only days after the doctor told her to take it easy now that she no longer had to wear her sling 24 hours a day, caused her shoulder to sting in an intense shock of pain. Margaery drops her arm, hopeful that Sansa doesn’t notice the sudden movement or connect it to the hiss she can’t help but release.

                    Her wishful thinking is all for not. Sansa pulls back breathless but her eyes dart to Margaery’s shoulder. “Babe you said you were going to take it slow. What happened to getting help today?”

                    “I did get help. Sam carried some of the boxes and I did the rest,” Margaery explains. She reaches out for Sansa, keeping her arms low so she won’t cause for the damage, but enough has already been done. She winces again at the slight sting.

                    “You shouldn’t have done any. I knew I should have insisted on going with you.” Sansa nudges the collar of Margaery’s shirt to the side. Whatever Sansa sees, she doesn’t like. “Sit on the couch. No buts. When I come back, I want to see you lounging, relaxed and ready to not do a damn thing the rest of the night.”

                    The doctor had given her the okay to move her arm without the arm sling that had earned Margaery’s ire daily since her stay in the hospital. Without it, she felt free. It feels like having a piece of her old self back. The bones that the bullet had cracked were fully healed now, but some of the muscle tissue was still tender—case and point being her sore shoulder now.

                    Just as Sansa had ordered, she comes back to find Margaery sitting back on the couch, feet up, stroking Lady’s fur with her good arm while the other is obediently pulled tight against her body. She loops the sling around Margaery’s neck and gently nestles her arm into the pouch. “There. Nice and tight.” Sansa kicks Lady off the couch—an exhausting feat for anyone except the dog’s mistress—and takes the spot she had occupied.

                    The sarcastic retort Margaery has lined up falls from her tongue the moment her eye catches the faint line of the scar at the far side of Sansa’s cheek. She’s doing her best.

                    “Ygritte and Loras are still coming in the morning,” she lays her head on Sansa’s shoulder, letting her girlfriend hold her close.

                    “I remember, babe. That’s why I left plenty of boxes out for them to pack,” Sansa grins down at her. She glances away, pauses and then says, “Jon’s talked to her about the move. Arya went to see him yesterday. She says that he said she understands now. She might even act civil toward me.”

                    The last time Sansa and Ygritte had been in the same room, Ygritte had called her a traitor amongst a few other choice words. Margaery would have felt the same if the positions were switched and it was Sansa being left in a jail cell and the rest of the mafia and Ygritte running north just when things calmed down.

                    Sansa made the decision to go home only with Jon’s consent. Of course it looked like the mafia was abandoning him to face the consequences of the mission alone. Ygritte knew that wasn’t reality, but there was also no timetable to get him out. She’d sacrificed as much as anyone lately and she still carried the burden of a crime she never committed.

                    Sansa had offered Ygritte a position in the mafia and the opportunity to join the mafia. Ygritte had all but spat in her face. She wasn’t about to leave Jon like the rest of them.

                    Her wrath stayed solely on Sansa. By now Margaery and Ygritte had learned to separate the mafia from their friendship. But tomorrow was goodbye. Margaery doesn’t know how long it will be until she sees her best friend again. She’s determined that it won’t be another permanent farewell.

                    Loras had the power to keep Margaery in King’s Landing. The months had been rough on him. His squadron welcomed him back with open arms and his new captain regarded him as one of the best cops on the force once more. His home life was different. Where he used to go out constantly with Renly and his friends from the force, he now only hung out with Margaery and a male prostitute he kept under wraps. He quit fencing. Had he told Margaery to stay, she would have. Yet when she told him what she was considering, he had leapt in joy. Told her she’d be crazy to pass and that a move would be good for her.  

                    They spend their last evening in Sansa’s King’s Landing manor watching some baking competition show, too distracted by their conversations to change the channel. Eventually the show gains Margaery’s attention.

                    Sansa nods off, softly breathing against the top of Margaery’s head. It’s a shock nowadays when one of them doesn’t wake up jolting or screaming from a bloody nightmare. Whatever good talking about them does, the nightmares never truly go away. Whether it’s Jaime Lannister staring her down, his voice haunting her as she runs through the mansion or Sansa mixing the explosion with Margaery’s near death at the Lannister mansion.

                    Determined to provide her girlfriend with a pleasant wake up for once, Margaery wriggles against her until her body is turned enough that she can dip down to kiss Sansa gently. The moment Sansa wakes, she deepens the kiss. “I love it when you do that,” she murmurs.

                    “I think it’s bedtime for us. We have a long day tomorrow,” Margaery gets up. She cleans up the living room while Sansa lets out Lady.

                    In bed, Margaery is moments from reaching sleep when Sansa rolls onto her side and whispers. “Margaery, thank you.”

                    “Thank you? For what?” Margaery yawns.

                    “Everything. Winterfell. You don’t realize how much this means to me. Or maybe you do. I know you’re leaving a life here, closing a chapter. I’m not going to let down your trust. I’m going to take care of you,” Sansa confides.

                    “You’re right, Sansa,” Margaery scoots to the middle of the bed, cuddling to be Sansa’s little spoon. “You have my full trust and you’re going to take care of me. Just like I’m going to take care of you. But this isn’t an ending. It’s our beginning.”

                    Sansa squeezes her tighter, nose buries into Margaery’s neck. There’s no one Margaery would rather take on the future with regardless of what awaits them.

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

                                                                        Epilogue

                    There was a time when the Stark name was godly in the North. In some pockets, it still was revered on par with the Old Gods. Back then, Karstark had been awestruck to be scraping the snow off the sidewalk of the old headquarters in Winterfell.

                    Glover, Umber and those fucking Mormonts had turned tale the moment news spread of old Neddy’s death. But Karstark? He stuck with Baelish, Roose and the Stark kids. He paid his dues, pulled his share of hits, got his hands dirty for Sansa when she was too much of a child to comprehend what they were doing. North would survive on the shoulders of this girl, he was going to make damn sure of it.

                    The time to profit had come. And it was slipping through their fingers, disappearing like the snow outside the dank tavern Karstark found himself in now. Sure, they were making more money now. Contraband sales had increased, businesses were branching out to the farther reaches of the North. It wasn’t enough. “Stonecold” refused to take over the gambling rings abandoned by the Lannister’s downfall. Small time gangs were nipping them out from under them. She had questioned the morality of their hit jobs that they’d taken to performing for Northern politicians who paid them handsomely, going so far as to sever ties with Mance Raider, their greatest benefactor. The last straw had been the flat out denial of Karstark’s proposal that they start selling their stash north of the Twins. The boss had made a fuss about honor and duty and their duty to the people was not to tempt them with the trash they pumped to the Southerners. What fucking difference did it make? Anyone weak enough to use the stash they sold was no True Northerner.

                    It was no coincidence that Stark quit listening to him the moment she got her hands on that Southern bitch. She’d been brainwashed. Karstark thought he could tolerate it. Once Snow took the fall for the mafia, Karstark imagined he may even be able to draw the boss back to clarity. He was next in command; he’d take over dutifully as the boss’s second in command and show her the profit that lay out there and the good it could do for the North (and their own bank accounts).

                    He never had the chance. The boss hadn’t even had the balls to tell him in person; Baelish told him that Gendry was her new second in command, on the advice of Arya. A street scum southerner had flown right pass him on the Mafia Ladder. Gendry had already proven a dumbass. Rather than siphon the excess money for the upper echelon to take home and spend as they saw fit, he’d sent the extra to orphanages and charities. Things that wouldn’t exist if not for the profitability of the mafia command.

                    Calling Sansa north had been a last resort. She wasn’t supposed to bring the journalist with her. Her southern slut already had one Stark wrapped around her finger. She couldn’t take their sacred ground too. For the good of their people, the mafia could not continue to fall to these damned southerners.

                    He wasn’t the only one. Unlike Stark, though, his small faction had the brains to see his value. They had to pry their boss out of the grasp of those Southerners and remind her of her place. She may be a Stark, but she was no god.

                    So he found himself at a rundown bar, the Dreadfort, in the middle of nowhere. The music was inaudible from the busted speakers. A total of 7 light bulbs in the whole damn building probably worked, including the bulb shining down on the center of the table. It was probably colder in here than it was outside. Karstark stayed wrapped in his coat.

                    The man across from him didn’t. His short hair was shaggy, nose so crooked it might be broken. His teeth were pearly white despite the cigarette sticking out between them. Smoke billowed from his mouth each time he huffed the cig. His fingers were littered with cuts. They didn’t seem to affect him in the least as his fingers traced the rim of his whiskey glass all while Karstark made the proposal. When Karstark finished, Ramsay Bolton’s teeth flashed into a full, wolfish grin. The gleen in his eyes was something between dastardly and delighted.

                    “As a true bred Northerner, it’s my duty to serve our people in whatever facet I’m asked of. I must say it’s a shame to learn how far our great Boss Sansa has let herself become thrown off course. Not much of a shock, if I’m free to speak for myself. Some women have weak hearts. I knew Sansa was one of those from the moment I met her of course,” Ramsay threw back the rest of his whiskey.

                    Karstark nodded. Weak wasn’t the word he’d use to describe Sansa. “Easily distracted” was a better fit. “She needs a strong guiding hand to help her remember what’s important.”

                    “Alright, I’ll do it!” Ramsay exclaimed, slamming his glass on to the table with such force it creates a crack in the base of the glass.

                    “Good. Now, the boys and I have a few…”

                    “No!” Ramsay yelled. His voice dropped back into its falsely cheery tone immediately. “Stark and I, well let’s say I’ve been preparing for a reunion for quite some time. No, no, no sir, if you want me to help you turn the North into the Westerlands, you’ll find its best I use my own methods.”

                    An eerie tightness settled into Karstark’s belly. He shook it off. Ramsay was dangerous, but Southerners were the greater threat to the profit. Whatever Ramsay had planned would be better than watching a Stark sell her soul and the mafia to be in that fucking journalist’s pants. “Do what you will.”

                    Ramsay pulled the cigarette out from between his teeth. He dabbed the butt into the ash tray with more exuberance than was necessary. “Very well!” he snapped his fingers over his head. From the shadows of the tavern, a raggedy man slowly edged to the table. His hair was long, dark, but thin and scraggly. His clothes were barely rags. Even the homeless in Deepwood Motte looked as though they faired better than this poor bloke.

                    “Yes, Master Bolton,” the man stammered. His hands shook at his side.

                    Ramsay grinned sadistically at the man. “I’ve got a surprise for you, Reek! Would you like to meet an old friend?”

[your-dietician]

How to reboot your workout routine: Set the foundation

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/health/how-to-reboot-your-workout-routine-set-the-foundation/

How to reboot your workout routine: Set the foundation

Even if you start ever so slowly, know that returning to a workout routine means you’ll soon get those feel-good serotonin and dopamine boosts from exercising.

And let’s face it, with so much time cooped up at home due to coronavirus lockdown measures, it’s been all too easy for many of us to gain a couple of pounds or more. But if you join me, we can all be in this together.

Now let’s think about the path to get back on track. While it might seem tempting to try to whip yourself back into shape by jumping into heavy weight training or intense cardio out of the gate, this cold-turkey approach will overstress your system — and you could easily hurt yourself by training too hard, too soon.

That’s why I’m sharing a seven-part series of weekly articles to safely guide you back into an effective workout regimen that will set you up for long-term success. This first one sets the foundation by guiding you into a positive mindset and getting you moving in the right direction.

There will be plenty of time later in the series for intensive workouts, but for now, we’re going to ease our way back.

So, whether you’re reestablishing an exercise routine — or even starting for the first time — read on for an easy three-step process to get you on a consistent path.

READ PART II: Master body-weight movements: How to reboot your workout routine

Reconnect your mind and body

When getting back into an exercise regimen, it’s natural to focus on how much better we want to make ourselves look, but let’s stop for a moment and think about how physical activity will improve the way we feel. Any negativity we might be feeling about our bodies being “out of shape” actually stems more from our minds and bodies being out of sync.

Remember, physical activity produces those feel-good chemicals in our brains that reinforce our positive mind-body connection. Developing this mind-body connection gets you in a positive mindset and will help you establish a sense of control and respect for your body, paving a path for your exercise efforts that’s sustainable — which, in turn, will lead to achieving your goals.

READ PART III: Strength training with free weights: How to reboot your workout routine

Step one: Mind your muscle movement

When trying to restore and strengthen this connection after being sedentary, I recommend practicing this progressive muscle contraction/relaxation daily for a week and then several times per week thereafter. This is best done lying down, but you can do it from almost any position as it relies on muscle contractions with very little to no movement.

Begin by focusing your attention in your body, on your breathing. During this exercise, your breath will serve as the link between your mind and muscles.

Inhale as you close your eyes tightly and tighten your jaw by clenching your teeth. Exhale as you release the tension, letting your eyes remain gently closed. Inhale fully into your rib cage and hold your breath, creating tension in your chest, upper back and neck. Exhale to release.

Inhale and squeeze your hands into fists, trying to make contact and create tension in all the muscles of your arms. Exhale to release.

Inhale to contract your glutes and pelvic floor muscles while tightening your abdomen as well. Exhale to release.

Inhale to curl your toes and create tension in all the muscles of your legs. Exhale to release.

Take five additional, long, deep breaths, while your mind rests in awareness of your body’s state of total relaxation.

READ PART IV: Get moving faster with cardio: How to reboot your workout routine

Breathe into good posture

The safety and efficacy of any exercise program is predicated on executing proper form. If your posture is poor and movement is restricted, it’ll be difficult to perform almost any exercise safely. So, it’s in your best interest to optimize your breathing before beginning or restarting an exercise program.

What does breathing have to do with posture and movement? The short answer is: everything. The shallow, upper-chest-oriented breathing pattern many of us have fallen into reduces the function of our diaphragm, requiring upper-body muscles to compensate as accessory breathing muscles that lift the rib cage during inhalation.

This creates painful, movement-limiting, chronic upper-body tension and poor posture. For more on the biomechanics of proper diaphragmatic breathing, check out my article “Breathe better to move better: Train to breathe like a pro athlete.”

READ PART V: Biking your way to better health: How to reboot your workout routine

Step two: Move your ribs while breathing

Regularly practicing breathing better will decrease tension to restore mobility and establish good posture for proper exercise form. Here’s a basic way to practice every day:

Sit comfortably in a chair with your hands resting on your legs. Close your eyes. Begin lengthening and deepening your inhalations and exhalations. As you breathe, concentrate on the movement of your rib cage.

Inhale, filling the lowest lobes of your lungs so that your lower ribs externally rotate and expand out to the sides. When you exhale, completely empty your lungs, using core muscles, almost like an abdominal crunch, to move your lower ribs in, back, and down toward your waist.

Repeat this for five to 10 breaths, practicing several times per day.

If you’re having trouble getting your ribs to move, place your hands on your lower ribs while you breathe, so that you can guide them in and out under your fingers. You can also try the breathing bridge exercise featured in my recent article on exercises to offset too much sitting.

READ PART VI: Safely ramp up exercise intensity: How to reboot your workout routine

Walk your way to a healthy routine

When establishing an exercise routine, consistency is the key to long-term success. Ideally, exercising regularly needs to become a lifestyle habit akin to toothbrushing. Rather than diving head-first into an overwhelming workout that’s too time-consuming and strenuous to sustain, begin by forging an easy-to-accomplish daily walking habit.

Because walking is so accessible, people often discount its benefits, making it one of the most underrated fat-burning, mind-body exercises.

Step three: Establish a walking habit

Start by walking just five to 10 minutes daily over the first few days while you figure out the best time and place for your walks. Once you’ve determined the logistics, begin adding a few minutes more to each walk. Ideally, you want to get up to about 20 to 30 minutes per day.

On days you can walk longer, that’s great, but don’t put pressure on yourself to do more, which could sabotage your daily habit. Likewise, on days you can only walk a few minutes — still do it.

Of course, if you walk outside, the weather won’t always cooperate. On those days, a few sets of walking lunges inside or marching in place might be your only alternative (if you don’t have access to a treadmill). The important thing is that you do something active during the time you would’ve normally walked. Don’t break your habit!

Keep in mind that walking at a moderate-to-brisk pace can be very effective for fat burning.

This is especially true when in a fasted state (not having eaten in a few hours). When your stomach is empty and insulin levels are low, your body relies on fat as its primary energy source.

READ PART VII: Why recovery is the key to effective exercise: How to reboot your workout routine

In terms of mind-body benefits, when you take your walks disconnected from your devices, it gives your mind a much-needed tech break, enabling you to tune into the sensations in your body. Even better, walk outside to gain the health benefits of green space and vitamin D.

Here are some additional ways to increase the health benefits of your walks.

Once you’ve established a daily walking habit, it creates a platform for sustainably expanding your exercise program.

This is especially true when in a fasted state (not having eaten in a few hours). When your stomach is empty and insulin levels are low, your body relies on fat as its primary energy source.

In terms of mind-body benefits, when you take your walks disconnected from your devices, it gives your mind a much-needed tech break, enabling you to tune into the sensations in your body. Even better, walk outside to gain the health benefits of green space and vitamin D.

Here are some additional ways to increase the health benefits of your walks.

Once you’ve established a daily walking habit, it creates a platform for sustainably expanding your exercise program.

Create a follow-through plan

After spending a couple weeks following the three-step plan above, you should feel confident in your mental and physical capacity to expand your exercise regimen. But to ensure long-term success, it’s important to map out a logistical plan of where and when you’ll be training to avoid unexpected hiccups that can quickly snowball into excuses not to work out.

When? Not having enough time is probably the most common excuse for skipping exercise. Don’t let that be your excuse! If you can’t find a dedicated 30- to 45-minute time slot at least three times per week, trade out your daily walking time on those days.

Where? Will you be returning to your old gym? If so, are you comfortable with the safety precautions they have in place to fight coronavirus? Is there potential for gym capacity limitations to impact your ability to work out during the time frame you’ve allocated?

If you’re planning to work out at home, it’s important to create a dedicated home workout space, so you don’t run into issues like clutter or other family members needing the space.

Remember these three steps

Develop a strategy that helps you anticipate and deal with potential issues before they arise. And leverage the three-step process in this article to set your foundation:

1. Use the progressive muscle contraction/relaxation exercise to strengthen your mind-body connection.

2. Practice breathing with rib movement to create good posture.

3. Walk every day to establish a daily exercise habit.

Using the three steps above, you’ll not only build a foundation for returning to regular exercise but forge a commitment to a healthier lifestyle that’s built to last.

Look for next week’s article to guide you through body-weight movements to restore strength and range of motion.

Dana Santas, known as the “Mobility Maker,” is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and mind-body coach in professional sports, and is the author of the book “Practical Solutions for Back Pain Relief.”

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How to Create a Remote Work Schedule that Works for You

Whether you’re a new or experienced remote employee, you’ve probably realized how hard it can be to stay on a proper schedule.

In the morning, you might wake up drowsy with no commute or morning team chats to put you in the work mindset. Then, when you finally feel like you’re on a roll and about to get everything on your to-do list done, you might look out the window, realize how dark it is, and discover that you’ve worked straight through dinner.

At HubSpot, where we have a fleet of over 300 full-time remote employees, we hear about the above scenario a lot. And, we’ve also seen that remote workers across companies share the same struggles.

Although the schedule mishap I noted above is fairly common, you definitely don’t want it to become a regular part of your lifestyle. While working late at night occasionally can help you get ahead in your career, doing so regularly can harm your mental health, happiness at work, and your work-life balance.

When it comes to remote work, the stakes of poor scheduling impacting you might be even higher. Research shows that remote employees tend to work longer hours than in-office employees. Remote work can also result in feelings of disconnection, isolation, and loneliness.

If you’ve fallen for numerous scheduling traps as a remote marketer, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad employee or going downhill in your career. A scheduling mishap simply means that you might need some daily structure, like many other people with ambiguous working styles.

Luckily, with all of the scheduling technology we have today, creating an outline of your workweek actually isn’t that hard to do.

In this blog post, I’ll walk you through how to create an effective weekly schedule that allows you to stay on task, manage multiple projects, and take time to maintain your work-life balance.

If you’re interested in building your own Google Calendar and want to steal some of these tips, click here to add this calendar template to your own GSuite account.

What to Schedule on Your Weekly Remote Work Calendar

1. Block your non-working hours.

One of the biggest challenges that remote employees face is the inability to tune out and unplug after a long day of work. Without social cues to leave the office at the end of the day, many remote employees report working longer hours and having less time for social interaction outside of their home because they get too focused on work.

As a hardworking remote marketer, you might feel like you have to be “always online.” However, many of HubSpot’s own remote marketers actually advise others who work from home to set boundaries for their schedule early on.

“It’s easy to fall into the trap of getting things done during the day, but still feeling like you’ve wasted your time and now need to work later in the evening,” says Rebecca White, a junior staff writer for the HubSpot Blog. “Setting boundaries for yourself and having a routine schedule will help avoid those pitfalls.”

After you discuss your working hours and work-life balance boundaries with your manager, you should note them on your calendar so your team is able to know when you’re available and when you’re logged off.

One handy way to note working and non-working times is by using Google Calendar’s Working Hours setting to visibly mark the times you won’t be on the clock. This allows teammates to see when your preferred work hours are and blocks them from scheduling meetings during off-work times.

To do this on Google Calendar, simply go to your calendar, click Settings, and scroll down to Working Hours on the Settings dashboard.

Once you update your working hours, other calendar viewers will see gray lines during the times and days which you’re unavailable for meetings. If you don’t use Google Calendar, a few other scheduling programs, such as the Microsoft Outlook calendar similarly allow you to mark these times.

2. Schedule time to do regular weekly duties.

Every job has a few weekly duties that you’ll take on regularly. To isolate these regular duties so that they don’t impact bigger projects, consider scheduling a time to do them each day.

For example, in this screenshot, I’ve scheduled the time I’ve devoted to producing and scheduling marketing emails for the HubSpot Blog. This helps me get the emails done early on so I can focus more of my day on creative projects, strategizing, or other heads-down tasks. It also allows me to add some structure to my day, especially when working remotely.

3. Create blocks that say, “Please Request Time Before Booking” for times when you’ll be doing larger projects.

Sometimes, you’ll need to have an hour or more of uninterrupted time to ensure that you get a project done thoroughly. When meetings interrupt these times, they can throw you off your train of thought or hinder your creativity.

As a blogger who’s also managing audience growth strategies, I have a mix of regular small tasks and larger, more intense tasks to accomplish each week. When I’m working in the office, next to my teammates, it’s easy to talk through my schedule and prioritize. But, when I’m working from home, the temptation to check emails and respond to Slack messages can distract me from my heads-down work.

Because of this, I schedule time to do my core, unchanging tasks, as well as time I’ll need to zone in on creative projects, such as content strategies or blog posts. This helps me keep a centered routine and get work done, while also allowing me to pivot to unexpected tasks as needed.

In the example below, I created a time block for blog-writing, which many marketers multitask with a wide range of other duties.

4. Schedule regular check-ins with colleagues you don’t see often.

Two other common challenges remote employees deal with are disconnected from teammates and lack of company visibility. To help avoid these barriers, many remote members of our marketing team schedule regular one-on-one check-ins or virtual coffee chats with other colleagues.

“I schedule monthly one-on-ones with colleagues I work closely with but don’t always cross paths with in meetings,” says Meg Prater, the remote Managing Editor of the HubSpot Blog. “I also grab virtual coffees and lunches with colleagues — and book my calendar with lots of face-to-face catch-ups when I’m in the office.”

As a remote employee, regular meetings help you get to know your team, stay up to date with what’s going on in the office, and gain valuable visibility that you might not get in larger virtual teammeetings.

5. Include your morning routine.

One thing I and my remote colleagues have found is that we feel more productive in our remote work when we have a morning routine. And, this makes sense.

Think about it. When you work in the office, you might wake up in the morning, get dressed, wake yourself up with coffee, and then amp yourself up for your day by listening to music or a podcast on your morning commute. When you work remotely, in your own home, there are less outside factors that can help pep you up for the day ahead.

While you might be tempted to sleep in until your team is online, we’d actually suggest that you give yourself time for a morning routine. Morning routines not only allow you to start your day off on the right foot, but they also offer you time to use self-care, bond with your family, or take care of any errands or chores that could be a distraction later in the day.

Regardless of which morning routine you follow, it can be helpful to time block this in your calendar to remind you to make a bit of time for yourself and your personal life before you get started with your workday.

6. Make time for breaks each day.

Aside from making time for self-care in the mornings, you should also remember to take breaks once you dive into your workday.

Why mark breaks on your calendar if you already work from home? While you might hear people say, “Remote workers have plenty of time for self-care,” this statement is actually one of the biggest and most inaccurate myths we’ve heard.

This is a myth that Prater noted for a recent blog post:

“I always thought I’d turn into a super-athletic woman when I became remote. I thought I’d go to yoga every day during lunch, take up running as a mid-morning break. It turns out, I sometimes forget to take a break long enough to refill my coffee cup — let alone run to a yoga class mid-day,” Prater revealed.

Taking breaks can be challenging when you feel like you’re churning out great content or are wirjubg on a deadline. But, many of our marketers say they can help prevent burnout and boost creativity.

If you think you need to take more breaks, but find it hard to remember to, create a 15 to 30 minute time slot for an afternoon break on your calendar each day. You don’t always have to use that time for a break, but getting the calendar reminder will remind you to take some time for yourself at some point.

  7. Block time for other work-life-balance needs.

As a career-minded professional, you might be worried that taking time for your family or yourself can leave the impression that you’re not taking work seriously. In fact, this is the opposite.

The workplace is actually becoming more and more accepting of flexible work. According to LinkedIn, 72% of recruiters say flexible schedules will shape future workplaces and hiring success.

If your manager allows you to work flexibly or pause work during the day for a personal life commitment or errand, such as picking up a child from school, you should note these occurrences on your calendar. This will allow your team to know when you’re busy and cannot be booked for a meeting while also giving you uninterrupted time to maintain work-life balance.

8. Consider booking as many meetings as possible within one to two days each week.

One of the best pieces of advice that I’ve gotten from my remote colleagues is to book all of my meetings in a cluster early in the week, which leaves more time open for heads down projects or activities at the end of the week.

This is a strategy often used by one of the blog’s remote content strategists, Allie Decker.

“If you can, group all your meetings so they happen over the course of two or three days. Leave a couple of days wide open to get that heads-down, max-effort work done,” said Decker in a recent blog post.

Decker added that you can also use this time “to get out of the house, change up your workspace, and not have to worry about taking video or phone calls in loud public spots.”

To help you visualize how to schedule your meetings in blocks, here’s an example. Below, I’ve scheduled my check-ins on the same day as my weekly team meeting. Then, by Wednesday, you can see that my schedule is opening up and becoming more flexible for more intensive tasks.

9. Leave some openings in time each day.

If you’re a very organized person, it can be hard to avoid scheduling every second of your day, but for the sake of teamwork, you’ll want to leave some unscheduled space on your calendar.

Why? When you’re working remotely, you might want to have a virtual call with a teammate at the last minute because it’s simply easier to discuss something in-person or through text-based communication.

This strategy can be especially helpful if you’re a team manager who wants to remain accessible to all employees.

“Be ready to jump on a video-call without having to schedule time for it,” says Susanne Ronnqvist Ahmadi, HubSpot’s Vice President of International Marketing. “Let your teams know you’re available over your instant messaging tool and build in “air-time” in your agenda for check ins and quick chats.

Communicating Your Schedule

Remember, a great schedule means nothing if you don’t communicate about your boundaries and work hours with your team. To make sure you maintain your weekly routine, be sure to discuss the schedule you settle on with your manager and notify your colleagues of times that you have set as unavailable. This solid communication will help to ensure that your working hours are both respected and effective.

For more tips about how to be a successful remote employee, check out this blog post with tips from members of our own remote workforce. You might also like these posts related to remote work stats, common myths, and tips for gaining visibility from home.

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Tags: create, Remote, Schedule, work, Works

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The Chattel Report

New Post has been published on https://autotraffixpro.app/allenmendezsr/the-chattel-report/

The Chattel Report

 Buy Now    

The Chattel Report 12 WEEKS TO FREEDOMWhat this information represents is how one man was able to ditch his job, and live a life of pure freedom – and to not only live but thrive, by buying and selling personal property, also known as chattel.

Wouldn’t you like to do the same too? To find out how… READ ON!

COULD THIS BE THE PERFECT BUSINESS FOR YOU?

Small investment, start with only 100 bucks, which means:

NO loans from banks or investors.

NO borrowing from relatives.

NO hassles.

No overhead. Work at home.

No equipment to buy or lease.

No office or store to go to.

NO ROAD RAGE in rush hour traffic.

No LATCH KEY kids in your house.

REALISTIC AND DOABLE.

NO skills. No special talents. NO education required.

NO BOSS. Hey let’s repeat this one: NO BOSS!

NO customers, clients or pain in the neck EMPLOYEES.

Unlimited Potential.

PRIVATE– NO one even needs to know you do it.

And it is so SIMPLE, even my 11 year old does it.

DOES WHAT?

Buying and selling of CHATTEL. Personal property. It is a MULTI BILLION dollar industry that is available to everyone. Many have learned how to do it and have made a great living – with no boss! You could do it part-time or full-time – whatever fits your lifestyle!

Any extra cash be used for anything a person wants to do. For example…

Pay off ALL the bills, and live totally debt free.

Start a DREAM BUSINESS…

Build a dream CASTLE. Become the KING or QUEEN of the world – Your world that is.

Take a VACATION anywhere in the world!

Here’s a FACT. Living your dreams is often dependent on how much MONEY you earn. And that is why you may be looking into money making opportunities. That’s how you came to this site, right?

Maybe you are tired of not making enough money to fulfill all of your dreams.

Perhaps you have a JERK for a boss. Or you have a long drive on smog covered expressways full of angry people ready to shoot you at the push of a break pedal.

Whatever the reason, there is a good chance that you are NOT making enough MONEY to do what you really want to. But of course, you may not even know what you want to do.

Here is what I believe to be a truth. If you had ENOUGH MONEY, to take the daily pressures off, then you could spend some TIME to find out what would really make you happy.

But as my old friend Joe Karbo used to say:

“Most people are too busy earning a living to make any money.”

And it was Joe that taught me about the “world’s most exciting business” the DIRECT RESPONSE BUSINESS. Some call it Mail Order. Or Remote Direct Marketing. And I have been involved in this business, it seems, forever.

But it was ALSO Joe who taught me about CHATTEL. And how buying and selling of chattel could get me the START-UP capital for any type of business. At the time I was a student at Golden West Community College in Huntington Beach, California. I think I was taking Surfing 101 as I remember it. Mostly just hanging out. And Joe was at Sunset Beach when I first ‘bumped’ into him, literally. Well, anyhow, that story is not important.

Here’s What’s Important…

Joe told me about how he made money BUYING & SELLING surplus boxes after he got out of the Service. (We were kindered spirits, he was a Pharmacists Mate, I was a Commissaryman).

And that is the money he used to buy a brand new car (with CASH), moved into a handsome apartment, and put over $10,000 in the bank, all through BUYING & SELLING.

Joe also BOUGHT a boat (which is CHATTEL) for a fraction of what the owner had paid. And when Joe sold that boat, he made a very substantial PROFIT.

Joe Karbo is considered by many to be a marketing genius. And I agree with that. What most people don’t know about Joe, he was “accessible” and helpful to people and he gave this young college student more than the time of day. He gave me a way to make money, anywhere, anytime I needed to.

Are you too busy earning a living that you don’t have the time to make any money?

Let me introduce you to what I affectionately call Joe’s OTHER direct response business: the BUYING & SELLING of CHATTEL. And as I mentioned, it is so simple my 11 year old does it.

You probably DO IT too. Or have. Have you EVER bought anything from some other person? At a garage sale? Or yard sale? Or swap meet or flea market? Or from the classified section in the newspaper?

Almost EVERYONE has bought and sold some of their PERSONAL PROPERTY at one time or another.

But have you ever considered it as a way to MAKE MONEY?

A way to: RAISE INSTANT CASH?

Well I have. After one of the greatest marketing minds the world has ever known OPENED MY EYES to buying and selling. And if was good enough for Joe Karbo, friends, it is good enough for me.

Now I also, like Joe did, develop products and do Direct Response Marketing. That is what I’m doing right now. I’m trying to sell you a product that I have created, just like Joe taught me.

I want to sell my special report to YOU, directly. And I’m adding an element I learned from one of my other mentors, Benjamin D. Suarez. I’m doing it REMOTELY.

Ben Suarez owns a debt free 100 Million dollar international direct response company. He employs nearly 1000 people here in Northeast Ohio. And Ben personally recruited me from a seminar audience to come and work for him. Based upon what I had learned from Joe Karbo, and Melvin Powers and a few other “mentors”.

And although I did take a position with Ben’s company, (he made an offer I couldn’t refuse), I CONTINUED to work my little operation of BUYING & SELLING of CHATTEL. And made more in one fifth of the time than I did working for someone else.

It’s Time To Reveal My Secrets!

So I thought it was time to share my secrets with those of you that might be ready to get out of the rat race, and into the CHIPS. ARE YOU READY?

BUT FIRST, let me get this off my chest. CHATTEL may NOT be the way for you to make money on a PERMANENT basis. It takes time and effort. I personally don’t believe in FREE lunches. I don’t like people that sit around their kitchen table in their underwear and tell people how they can “get rich” doing practically nothing. And then have the gall to sell you a 500.00 “course” in doing what they did. This really peeves me.

But, WHATEVER! I mention this because I’m not going to sell you a course. I will however sell you a brief report that I put together, with the help of my teenagers, based on what I KNOW and DO. A report on CHATTEL. And how buying and selling chattel can make you money. OH, I am going to be making some money from selling you this report. Do you mind? I hope not, after all YOU are going to learn how to make money.

But don’t you judge information by volurme or weight. If you want lots of pages, I’ll send you a phonebook? OK? This report is around 60 pages. It contains everything you need to get started. REAL LIFE information like:

The BREAD & BUTTER of chattel.

MY personal areas I avoid. (You’ll be surprised).

How to build NETWORKS of cash laden buyers.

The PSYCHOLOGY behind this billion dollar industry.

You get the information you really NEED to get started. In fact, you will be doing exercises within the first hour that teach you how to find UNDERVALUED chattel, and WHERE you should sell it.

And even if you don’t do it on a REGULAR basis, it still can give you ALL THE CASH you need to start a business you really want to do. Perhaps a REMOTE DIRECT RESPONSE BUSINESS. (Hey maybe I can help you with that one also, AFTER you have raised some money, because in “mail order” it takes money to make money, and I don’t care what anyone tells you to the contrary).

So, PLEASE don’t BUY THIS report, if you are not seriously interested in doing something about your current financial situation. This is NOT a magic wand that eliminates your problems. But it CAN help you make money.

I have written this report with the average person in mind.

Because I consider myself to be VERY average and ordinary.

So this little money maker:

Does not take BRAINS. Hey I was 760 in my high school class. Out of only 900+ people. I’m a long way from brainy. (Although I do have some pretty good common sense.)

Requires NO education. Did I mention I went to college mostly to meet the ladies? Nothing wrong with that is there?

Can be started for 100 dollars. I think most AVERAGE people like myself can come up with 100 bucks to get started.

Builds step-by-step on the profits you make from the previous TRANSACTION.

See, I designed this report for those people that have been burned. Or scammed. Or had their dreams stolen by the unscrupulous. Or had their hard earned money taken by some fast talking swindler. And FRIENDS, there are plenty of them on the internet.

I (and my teenagers) put this report together so that anyone with the ability to read can understand it.

I hold you by the hand, and teach you how to crawl. How to invest that 100 bucks, so that you get a SUBSTANTIAL return on your investment.

I encourage YOU to go as slow OR AS FAST AS YOU DESIRE. I’m not about to limit anyone. Want to go faster, skip ahead a few weeks. I set up the GROW-PLAN to have you do ONE transaction a week for 12 weeks. But, feel free to do it at your own speed and comfort. Just keep going, and you’ll make it!

If you have never done anything like this before, then I teach you to CRAWL. Then in week 3 to TODDLE. Then in week 8 to walk. And in week 12 you can RUN AT BREAKNECK SPEED, if you so desire. Run all the way to the bank.

I call this THE G-PLAN. G stands for GROW. The grow as you go plan.

My teenager calls it the 12 STEP PLAN. 12 weekly, easy to follow steps, buying and selling. And re-investing your profits each week, until you reach YOUR GOALS.

And I say your goals, because maybe $1.000.00 a week from some part time effort does nothing for you. So set YOUR GOALS higher. Make as much as you want, or take the money you make from THE PLAN and invest it in something else. Hey it is YOUR LIFE. DO AS YOU PLEASE.

Now to receive this special report on CHATTEL, simply click on the link below. It costs just $47. It’s a digital download, so shipping is free!

Keep the report for 60 days. If you don’t make money, or it is not for you. Simply let my friend Dien Rice know, and he’ll give you a full refund.

And for those of you that do not know me, if this is our first encounter, and you are concerned about the fly-by-nighters, I don’t blame you, there are plenty of people to worry about taking your money in this world. PLENTY. But I’m not one of them.

Lived in Cuyahoga Falls since 1960. Graduated ’68. (Yea 760th in my class). After the service, and travelling and going to school in CA, I have chosen to live here today (hey maybe I am a little crazy?). I’m not going anywhere except on a few vacations every year. You can find me at the GOLF COURSE or the Natatorium or down at the new family aquatic center floating in an inner tube around the lazy river, gleefully splashing my kids.

If that does not ease your mind a little, then please don’t order the report. And don’t ask for details about my business or my private life. You won’t get them. So there. Hope you’re not offended. Hey, I trust YOU enough to be honest with me about the report. OK?

Just Like Joe Karbo said to me many years ago; “TRY IT. AND JUDGE FOR YOURSELF.”

If you have questions, e-mail me via my buddy Dien at dien@chattelreport.com. We talk often, he’ll let me know of any questions he can’t handle.

NO QUESTIONS? Then go ahead and click on the order link! You’re only a few short steps away from a lifetime of FREEDOM.

Thanks for your time and attention.

Get THE CHATTEL REPORT – 12 WEEKS TO FREEDOM here…

Gordon (Mr. CHATTEL) Alexander

P.S. The price is 47 dollars U.S. You can download it immediately (it’s in PDF format), so there’s no shipping charge!

I reserve the right to remove this offer at any time. And if you DO know me, then you know I will.

I guarantee you’ll make moolah – or else you can use the no conditions 60-day money back guarantee.

P.P.S. My buddy Dien Rice bought one of my original reports – and he’s been successfully “chatteling” for years now. I’ve asked him to add a few pages at the end of the report on how to do it – quickly and easily – using the internet. With this “twist,” the profits are now easier to come by than ever before!

P.P.P.S. There’s also a special new section about how one of the world’s richest men – an American multi-BILLIONAIRE – got started, just by doing this. You’ll find out who he is – and how he did it! What are you waiting for?

Get it Now

Contacting Dien Rice and the Chattel Report. Email: dien@chattelreport.com. Telephone: +61 4 1955 0447. Address: P.O. Box 1323, Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia.

Copyright © Gordon Alexander and Dien Rice

[arplis]

Arplis - News: 13 Useful Tips That Will Make Life Easier For Older Adults

Life as a fifty-something woman has been full of surprises so far. I’m very much still coming into my own as both a person and business owner, and there are still a lot of things I want to achieve before I could even think about retiring! But on the other hand, there’s no denying that my worsening eyesight and mildly arthritic hands are signs that my body isn’t as resilient as it once was. Getting older can make things more complicated, but there are plenty of ways to make things easier on ourselves! And today’s post will help do just that, because I’ll be sharing 13 simple tips, products, and ideas that can help make like easier for those of us “older adults.” And if you have any of your own tips to contribute that aren’t listed here, please share them with the rest of us in a comment at the end of this post! :-) 13 Things That Make Life Easier For Older Adults (50+) 1. Pillboxes Using a good old fashioned pillbox is an easy way to keep your medications organized. Many people like the simplicity of a weekly organizer with seven compartments, but that’s not your only option! If you rely on your iPhone to keep yourself organized, check out the Pillboxie app for iOS. This digital pill organizer can send you personalized notifications when it’s time to take your meds, and it’s packed with useful features to help you manage and track your medications. 2. Button Hook Stiff hands and fingers can turn the simple act of getting dressed into a painful ordeal. If you could use a little assistance, check out this handy and affordable button hook tool! Just slide the hook through your button hole and secure it over your button, then pull to slide the button through the button hole. The other end also has a useful hook you can use to pull zippers closed! 3. Microfiber Cleaning Slippers Sweeping and mopping can cause anyone to break a sweat, but they can really aggravate back pain in older adults. To help keep your hard floors clean longer, invest in a set of microfiber cleaning slippers! While it might seem a bit silly, the microfiber “fingers” on the soles of these slippers will pick up dust, dirt, and hair as you go about your normal daily activities. Just toss them in the washer to clean them up, and your floors will stay cleaner with no extra effort on your part! 4. Key Finder Sick of losing your car keys (and the accompanying panic that you’re slowly losing your mind?) Well, the good news is that “key finder” key rings are currently more affordable than ever! Attach a key finder like this one to your car keys and download the associated smartphone app. From the app, you can ring the key finder or see where they are on a map to track down your keys in seconds! 5. Rug Tape I swear, the older I get, the more it feels like everything is a tripping hazard! The rugs in our living room were the worst culprits, at least until I installed some of this rug tape under the corners. Thanks to this easy and inexpensive fix, the corners of our rugs now stay firmly in place at all times. No more tripping! 6. Large Print Keyboard While almost everyone’s eyesight starts to suffer in their 50’s, it rarely happens in the same way or at the same rate. And computer and smartphone screens can make seeing things clearly even more difficult! Luckily, there are all sorts useful accessories out there that can make life easier for the visually impaired. For example, if your computer keyboard is giving you trouble, consider upgrading to this large print keyboard! 7. Jar Opener Realizing you can’t open a jar on your own can be a very disheartening experience. If you frequently struggle with jars, consider investing in an easy grip jar opener like this one. You can use it for jars and lids of all sizes, and makes it so much easier to pry open a stubborn jar lid. (Don’t want to buy another gadget? A rubber glove works pretty well for opening stubborn lids too!) 8. Bathtub Cleaning Hack If you’re only armed with a scrub brush, cleaning a bathtub can require a lot of bending, kneeling, and reaching in order to get the job done. But I recently uncovered a brilliantly simple bathtub cleaning trick that can help you scrub your bathtub much more easily! All you have to do is use a clean broom instead of a scrub brush to clean your tub. The long handle will allow you to scrub all the nooks and crannies with much less effort! 9. Alexa Digital assistants like Alexa can be a huge help for older adults. From reminders about appointments to playing their favorite songs, Alexa can help older adults feel more self-sufficient! Learn about 7 specific ways that Alexa can improve the lives of seniors by reading my blog post here. 10. Neck Exercises Aging involves a lot of change, but not all of the changes are easy to cope with. For me personally, I’ve had a particularly hard time coping with the way the skin on my neck has changed over time. So I decided to write a post about it, and through my research I learned about all sorts of tricks and tips that can keep your neck looking more youthful over time. Check out that post out here! 11. Smartphone Magnifier Having trouble making out some tiny fine print, but you don’t have your reading glasses handy? Use your smartphone’s magnifier feature, which turns your phone’s camera into a magnifying glass. On iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility, then tap Magnifier and turn it on. Once you have enabled Magnifier, you can add it to your Control Center for easy access. For Android phones, go to Settings > Accessibility > Magnification, then choose either Magnify with triple-tap or Magnify with shortcut. 12. Smarter Parking And your smartphone’s camera can do much more than just magnify small print. Use your camera to take a picture of anything you might want to remember down the line, such as where you parked the car in a big parking structure. When it’s time to return to your car, you can check the picture you took to find your car easily. It’s much easier than trying to remember it off the top of your head, for older adults and young folks alike! 13. Color Coded Keys If all your keys look the same, it can be hard to figure out which one is which without trying them all. To save yourself time, use different nail polishes to color code the ends of your keys! Use any color coding system that will help you remember which key is which. For instance, if your front door is painted yellow like mine, you could use yellow nail polish to identify your front door key! If you’re in the 50+ crowd, share your own tips and tricks with us in a comment below! #TipsAndTricks #TipsForRememberingThings #BrightIdeas #MemoryTips #TipsForOver50

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/13-useful-tips-that-will-make-life-easier-for-older-adults

[goaltracker]

July Goals, updated in August :)

Listen... August has been a looooong month. The prepping of, the catching up of, and the wedding itself took up a LOT of time. Nonetheless, let’s do it. 

Academic Growth

Objective: I am going to research Grad schools back in Hawaii.

Measurement: I will research the options of schools available in the state of Hawaii.

Update: I have not done this, but I’ve talked about this option more and more. 

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Personal Growth

Objective: Care for my cat.

Measurement: I will set up a boarding situation for the time I’m in Hawaii in August.

Update: I did it! I paid and had enough. I checked on my baby every couple hours every day on the webcam. 

Objective: Care for my car.

Measurement: I will get the flat tire fixed.

Update: I fixed the flat tire and have had enough to fill gas. A priority spending after bills is going to be a car wash and possibly interior detailing. One thing on the back burner is going to be is how hard the wheel can get sometimes when I switch between reversing and driving. 

Objective: Read daily.

Measurement: I will return the overdue book to the library and catch up on the scripture.

Update: I returned overdue books, finished physical copy “Moonwalking with Einstein” Joshua Foer, and finished two audiobooks, “Who Cooked the Last Supper?” by Rosalind Miles, and “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi. So I can read at least the 3 physical copies and knock out a bunch on my reading list. I also chose some Christian books in Spanish from back home, so maybe I can reach that goal too!

Objective: Call family and friends more.

Measurement: I will keep the Monday phone date my homies. I will call Abuelita once this month.

Update: I just went back home and reunited with a bunch of people. Insta is a really easy way to catch up with people and commenting on their lives! I facetimed with Abuelita while I was in Hawaii. 

Objective: Continue writing the book.

Measurement: I will write 4 times a week. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

Update: I have done nothing of this sort. It will be written in the planner. 

Objective: I will learn a recipe I’ve been wanting to try.

Measurement: Groceries this week will include for the chiles rellenos recipe. It’s happening this week. Dattebayo.

Update: Never did this. But I did do an albondigas recipe! I’m gonna do lasagna and albondigas this week :)

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Professional Growth

Objective: I will be at least 2 minutes early to every shift.

Measurement: I will leave my location with plenty of time to get to my next destination without speeding and taking traffic into consideration. I will make sure to leave time for my lunch and breaks.

Update: Haven’t been doing this. Honestly I don’t remember this goal enough to put that extra mindfulness in driving time. I’ll try tomorrow.

Objective: I will seek baby-sitting opportunities.

Measurement: I am going to look for different baby-sitting sites that isn’t SitterCity.

Update: I haven’t done this. But Reina mentioned other ladies want to hire me as tutors? I’ll give her until next week. If they just want me for 1-2 hours a week, the price will be $15 an hour. 

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Physical Growth

(my hardest area of discipline, we’re gonna build it up slow)

Objective: I will eat breakfast every day.

Measurement: I will wake up an hour before I already do to dedicate it to breakfast and reflecting. Later this time will transition to work-out time.

Update:  Weekends are still my achilles heel. It’s 2pm and I’m having breakfast right now. But I’ll do better because I don’t want to have late dinners anymore. 

Objective: I will make DIY weights.

Measurement: Since I do not want to buy weights, I will make my own from water bottles and sand. I will need to go to the beach this month and fill the water bottles with sand.

Update: I had em, threw em away. I’ma take this off and see if I can add a yoga/stretch goal in the morning.

Objective: I will re-intergrate myself back to the gym.

Measurement: Lmaaooo bro. Big Corp is making money off of you every time you skip. Let’s get back into it, my love, we can’t let them win.

Update: Going today!

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Spiritual and Mental Growth

Objective: Attend church weekly.

Measurement: Continue attending weekly.

Update: I have not gone this month. Next week, it’s in the planner. 

Objective: Attend church activities.

Measurement: Many of the church-goers are white and old and thus, I am not motivated to participate in their out-of-service activities. However, I am not a coward or a meek person. So let’s try it. Maybe we will meet someone new to talk to. Make a friend, gain a mentor, idk.

Update: Nope, have done this less. We shall see. 

Objective: Meditate every morning for 5 minutes

Measurement: I can do it.

Update: I haven’t done this. I was just talking about this up above, I clearly forgot about this. 

Objective: I will do chores every day according to the sheet printed.

Measurement: I can do it! If I don’t things pile up, it will be good. I will do the “daily chores” Monday through Friday, the “weekly” chores on Saturday, and the “monthly” chores on the last Sunday. Let’s see if it works.

Update: I have done some things. I have added things to planner and will try again starting today.

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Financial Growth

Objective: Budget

Measurement: I will budget my first paycheck this month to include: car payments, cat, gas, CASA, netlfix, and grocery monthly expenses. Then I will set aside money for cat boarding in August, shoes and dress alterations. From what is left, I will offer what I can to Jourdyn if she still needs it. If anything remains, I will save for the car registration, credit card payments, and my savings. If anything remains, I will treat Chinmay to sushi. The second paycheck will go to rent, utility bills, gas, groceries, phone, and Youtube/NYtimes subscriptions.

Update: I’ve saved for almost everything outside of sushi with Chinmay. I think that’s over now, if we’re being honest. But we shall see where things go. 

[mothergwendoline-blog]

Trans Isolation

Disclaimer: This blog contains discussion of suicide and depression. If this makes you feel unsafe, please leave.

For a journal of a mad woman dedicated to suicide I certainly seem to be forward thinking. If nothing else the thought of my transition goals are one of the few things enabling me to wake and face every day. Make no mistake, the planet is dying, we live the last era of humanity and I fully intend to end my life before the apocalypse but I will be damned to go without seeking joy where I can. Barring the recent resurgence of extremist hatred and fascist uprising, no small matter, I am fortunate in many ways to be well positioned in life. Though I am poor, through fortune of being allowed to live with family whilst I recover from my last two suicide attempts, I at least am afforded some stability. I have a roof over my head, hygiene, relative physical health compared to many and food in my stomach. I think on my ultimate suicide daily, how and when I will accomplish it, but where is already decided. I will take myself to our government and end my life at their doorstep in environmental protest to the constant neglect and abuse of our planet at the hands of the powerful. When will be after I reach my original weight before my binging, after breast augmentation and a return to the sex industry, and finally after bottom surgery. I give myself about five years. I am not be the first climate change suicide but I intend to be a notable one. I expect I shall make national or hopefully international news for demonstrating in blood the very real harm those in power have done to our Earth. Soon we shall see an uprising of the masses and I have every hope the rich and powerful will beg us for mercy as we overthrow them.

For now, it is the joy and meaning of self-improvement that motivates my living. I have resumed weekly electrolysis treatment of my facial hair. It is a slow and constant progress but eventually I will have a soft, smooth kissable face. Of course I am mostly concerned with ridding myself of the immense dysphoria of having to shave away my beard but I am also glad to become more attractively feminine. Beauty is fickle and open to debate but I have my own concept of my personal beauty and I will obtain it through hard work.

I found a nice beauty therapist for electrolysis, I have had two of many treatments to come. Although she is a tad blunt on matters transgender. This would shy a lot of people away, too many trans folk are in my experience fragile and easily wounded by misplaced comments. My beauty therapist refers to us as “transes”, or “my girls” more affectionately. She told me a tale of how her second husband, after their divorce, left her to become a “transvestite”, her words, in a large city and is now a “street walker”. She holds no resentment to the ex-spouse or to trans people, which is fortunate. She did ask a great deal of questions of the trans experience, most revolving around socialization post-transition which I found an uncommon and interesting query.

The beauty therapist said “most transes I’ve known prefer to socialize with [cis] women rather than other transes” and asked why I choose to socialize with other trans people. Solidarity and good company I suppose. But it did raise an interesting question in my mind about the shame and self-imposed isolation of trans people. There are many trans folk, mostly older white women in my experience, who prefer to live lives without other transgender people. I can empathize to this. For a long period of time after my transition I refused to call myself trans; I was just a woman, plain and simple. There is still a great deal of truth to this but now I see myself as a woman and as a transgender person equally. I can only make guesses for others but for me there were, at the time, a great many things I detested about the trans community. For one, the promotion of finding happiness looking visibly trans was something I did not, and still do not rest easy with. Only now I hold no resentment towards others who hold this position, I simply see myself as sharing different sentiments. I used to want to go completely stealth, to move to a new city where no one knew me and live a life closeted about my gender history. However, things changed. I hold no grudge against people who want to live stealth, for some that is their truth and meaning and I respect it. For me, I look at the horrible state of inequality and abuse faced by my trans siblings and I can do nothing to remedy this without being open and out with them. I am trans, I want and need trans people in my life and though my goal is to pass and obtain bottom surgery, I will continue to remain open about who I am. So to the inquisitive beauty therapist I am not sure what to say in answer to her questions. Perhaps it is best said I believe that, if my being out can offer solidarity and comfort to other trans people and if it can help peaceably advance our equality, then I will be out. Barring of course an anonymous trans blog. I can be out in my public life whilst seeking my privacy online.

On that note, I have started going to a transgender support group held every few weeks at a local LGBTQ center. I waited outside vaping with a handful of other “transes” whilst waiting for our meeting space to be set up. All a very quiet bunch but then again, it is hard to have deep and involved trans talk out in public waiting on the street, the privacy is important. We were let in to a warm and inviting office lounge coopted into a meeting place. We shared food (all vegetarian, it’s always vegetarian), drank special teas and spent the next hour and a half regaling our lives, our woes and joys of life being transgender.

There were many shy, all but broken people in the room. This, sadly, is much in line with my other experiences of such support groups. The condition of life for trans people is unfortunate, many come from families who have abandoned them, others cannot come out for this very fear. I found myself to be one of the most extroverted people in the room which came as a surprise to me as I am usually the shyest in the room. Or perhaps I have simply grown in social confidence and should pat myself on the back for breaking out of my shell. I was also one of the longest “out” of those in the room, this being a young group and myself having been out since about twenty-one years old. I was not the oldest person there, but one of the oldest in trans years. It afforded me an interesting position, to listen to people talk of such things as beginning hormone replacement therapy, or their first venture into a public restroom, or even planning for their first surgery, whatever that may be. It made me take a moment to reflect and feel happy that, although I am young and have yet so many transition goals to achieve, I have already accomplished a great deal.

I started HRT about six or seven years ago, I have fully socially transitioned and am out to everyone in my life, and I have had FFS. I still remember acutely my first trans milestones. The first time I used a public women’s restroom was at a hospital after my first meeting with an endocrinologist, just when I started HRT. I decided then and there I would be brave and allow myself that infinitesimal right to go to the bathroom of my true gender. Exiting the cubicle, a mother and her child were in the room and she looked at me with shock and horror and moved her child away from me so that she the mother stood between us. I washed my hands and quickly left in self-disgust, even though it was her wrong and not mine. I pass better now but at the time, even though I was wearing a dress, makeup and handbag and had my hair done, I was visibly trans. Even in this day and age there are still those bigoted and ignorant people (sometimes hateful) who believe our very presence is a threat, to children no less. You could ask me to be sympathetic to her and consider what she was thinking. But you should also ask the same of her, to be sympathetic to me. And ultimately that is what it comes down to.

Transgender people have a right to use their correct restrooms and it is for others to abandon their hateful prejudices and look at us as common, equal human citizens. I am tired of the lackluster, unscientific, illogical and bigoted complaints of TERFs and transphobes. “It is a space for females” they would say “And you have a male body”. But sex and biology and gender roles are not, nor have the ever been so simple. But this blog is not an essay to justify the rights of trans people to use restrooms, plenty others exist. This is a personal journal to catalogue my experiences of transition and fitness. Hearing others at the trans support group talk of these milestones in transition with apprehension and fear made me look for the first time and realise I take these actions in stride. Using a public restroom, dressing how best suits my gender expression, entering gender specific spaces such as women’s art groups. Of course there is still adversary and transphobia I encounter regularly but I have become somewhat dulled and desensitized to it. On reflection it angers me and fuels the fight for rights and equality but it has also become a day-to-day occurrence.

After another month or so of rest and recuperation, once my mental health is less volatile as a result of therapy, I intend to find work in the city. I’m an artist, a writer, so finding work within my passion will be too difficult to obtain steady living as yet. A nice office job, secretary, clerical, data entry position will suit my needs and experience. And it will make the cost of transition achievable instead of digging away at my steadily diminishing savings.

Exercise at the gym has been treating me well although I have yet to lose weight. I recently had a severe depressive crash which resulted in my relapse in drinking self-harming again. I also broke my intermittent fasting for several days and returned to binge eating out of sadness. Thanks to exercise I have not gained weight, but I have not lost weight either. From today I will be trialing one month of intermittent fasting and will post my weigh-in at the end of the month.

I will likely have to return to a psychiatric hospital for a few days as my suicidal ideation is reaching its breaking point. Self-harm is a dire warning sign for me. Although my family are loving and empathetic, I need to be somewhere I can receive professional care.

Ultimately my goal is to obtain a referral through the public mental health system to attend a private psychiatric hospital which I would otherwise have no way of affording. And I believe I am an ideal candidate. I have had ongoing mental health struggles since the age of about ten or eleven. Since then I have been in and out of public psych wards and attempted suicide twice. I believe a private psychiatric hospital with intensive daily therapy is my best and only shot at obtaining a meaningful quality of life. But obtaining a referral is exceedingly difficult.

And that is where I shall end this entry. Between gym, electrolysis and the trans support group I am filling my life with meaningful pursuits of happiness, but I require something far more drastic to improve my mental health. Unfortunately we live in a world that chooses not to listen to suicidal ideation until it is too late. And then the mourning comes, an outcry of people exclaiming “What were the signs? What could we have done?”, but our drastically underfunded mental health services remain barren and individuals like myself bear the brunt of lack of care.

Mother Gwendoline

[ehonestreviews]

12 Weeks To Freedom by Gordon Jay Alexander

12 Weeks To Freedom by Gordon Jay Alexander Honest Review

Product Name: 12 Weeks To Freedom by Gordon Jay Alexander

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12 Weeks To Freedom by Gordon Jay Alexander Scam or legit?

Description:

And it is so SIMPLE, even my 11 year old does it.

Buying and selling of CHATTEL. Personal property. It is a MULTI BILLION dollar industry that is available to everyone. Many have learned how to do it and have made a great living – with no boss! You could do it part-time or full-time – whatever fits your lifestyle!

Any extra cash be used for anything a person wants to do. For example…

Here’s a FACT. Living your dreams is often dependent on how much MONEY you earn. And that is why you may be looking into money making opportunities. That’s how you came to this site, right?

Maybe you are tired of not making enough money to fulfill all of your dreams.

Perhaps you have a JERK for a boss. Or you have a long drive on smog covered expressways full of angry people ready to shoot you at the push of a break pedal.

Whatever the reason, there is a good chance that you are NOT making enough MONEY to do what you really want to. But of course, you may not even know what you want to do.

Here is what I believe to be a truth. If you had ENOUGH MONEY, to take the daily pressures off, then you could spend some TIME to find out what would really make you happy.

But as my old friend Joe Karbo used to say:

“Most people are too busy earning a living to make any money.”

And it was Joe that taught me about the “world’s most exciting business” the DIRECT RESPONSE BUSINESS. Some call it Mail Order. Or Remote Direct Marketing. And I have been involved in this business, it seems, forever.

But it was ALSO Joe who taught me about CHATTEL. And how buying and selling of chattel could get me the START-UP capital for any type of business. At the time I was a student at Golden West Community College in Huntington Beach, California. I think I was taking Surfing 101 as I remember it. Mostly just hanging out. And Joe was at Sunset Beach when I first ‘bumped’ into him, literally. Well, anyhow, that story is not important.

Here’s What’s Important…

Joe told me about how he made money BUYING & SELLING surplus boxes after he got out of the Service. (We were kindered spirits, he was a Pharmacists Mate, I was a Commissaryman).

Joe also BOUGHT a boat (which is CHATTEL) for a fraction of what the owner had paid. And when Joe sold that boat, he made a very substantial PROFIT.

Joe Karbo is considered by many to be a marketing genius. And I agree with that. What most people don’t know about Joe, he was “accessible” and helpful to people and he gave this young college student more than the time of day. He gave me a way to make money, anywhere, anytime I needed to.

Are you too busy earning a living that you don’t have the time to make any money?

Let me introduce you to what I affectionately call Joe’s OTHER direct response business: the BUYING & SELLING of CHATTEL. And as I mentioned, it is so simple my 11 year old does it.

You probably DO IT too. Or have. Have you EVER bought anything from some other person? At a garage sale? Or yard sale? Or swap meet or flea market? Or from the classified section in the newspaper?

Almost EVERYONE has bought and sold some of their PERSONAL PROPERTY at one time or another.

But have you ever considered it as a way to MAKE MONEY?

A way to: RAISE INSTANT CASH?

Well I have. After one of the greatest marketing minds the world has ever known OPENED MY EYES to buying and selling. And if was good enough for Joe Karbo, friends, it is good enough for me.

Now I also, like Joe did, develop products and do Direct Response Marketing. That is what I’m doing right now. I’m trying to sell you a product that I have created, just like Joe taught me.

I want to sell my special report to YOU, directly. And I’m adding an element I learned from one of my other mentors, Benjamin D. Suarez. I’m doing it REMOTELY.

Ben Suarez owns a debt free 100 Million dollar international direct response company. He employs nearly 1000 people here in Northeast Ohio. And Ben personally recruited me from a seminar audience to come and work for him. Based upon what I had learned from Joe Karbo, and Melvin Powers and a few other “mentors”.

And although I did take a position with Ben’s company, (he made an offer I couldn’t refuse), I CONTINUED to work my little operation of BUYING & SELLING of CHATTEL. And made more in one fifth of the time than I did working for someone else.

It’s Time To Reveal My Secrets!

So I thought it was time to share my secrets with those of you that might be ready to get out of the rat race, and into the CHIPS. ARE YOU READY?

BUT FIRST, let me get this off my chest. CHATTEL may NOT be the way for you to make money on a PERMANENT basis. It takes time and effort. I personally don’t believe in FREE lunches. I don’t like people that sit around their kitchen table in their underwear and tell people how they can “get rich” doing practically nothing. And then have the gall to sell you a 500.00 “course” in doing what they did. This really peeves me.

But, WHATEVER! I mention this because I’m not going to sell you a course. I will however sell you a brief report that I put together, with the help of my teenagers, based on what I KNOW and DO. A report on CHATTEL. And how buying and selling chattel can make you money. OH, I am going to be making some money from selling you this report. Do you mind? I hope not, after all YOU are going to learn how to make money.

But don’t you judge information by volurme or weight. If you want lots of pages, I’ll send you a phonebook? OK? This report is around 60 pages. It contains everything you need to get started. REAL LIFE information like:

You get the information you really NEED to get started. In fact, you will be doing exercises within the first hour that teach you how to find UNDERVALUED chattel, and WHERE you should sell it.

And even if you don’t do it on a REGULAR basis, it still can give you ALL THE CASH you need to start a business you really want to do. Perhaps a REMOTE DIRECT RESPONSE BUSINESS. (Hey maybe I can help you with that one also, AFTER you have raised some money, because in “mail order” it takes money to make money, and I don’t care what anyone tells you to the contrary).

So, PLEASE don’t BUY THIS report, if you are not seriously interested in doing something about your current financial situation. This is NOT a magic wand that eliminates your problems. But it CAN help you make money.

I have written this report with the average person in mind.

Because I consider myself to be VERY average and ordinary.

So this little money maker:

See, I designed this report for those people that have been burned. Or scammed. Or had their dreams stolen by the unscrupulous. Or had their hard earned money taken by some fast talking swindler. And FRIENDS, there are plenty of them on the internet.

I (and my teenagers) put this report together so that anyone with the ability to read can understand it.

I hold you by the hand, and teach you how to crawl. How to invest that 100 bucks, so that you get a SUBSTANTIAL return on your investment.

I encourage YOU to go as slow OR AS FAST AS YOU DESIRE. I’m not about to limit anyone. Want to go faster, skip ahead a few weeks. I set up the GROW-PLAN to have you do ONE transaction a week for 12 weeks. But, feel free to do it at your own speed and comfort. Just keep going, and you’ll make it!

If you have never done anything like this before, then I teach you to CRAWL. Then in week 3 to TODDLE. Then in week 8 to walk. And in week 12 you can RUN AT BREAKNECK SPEED, if you so desire. Run all the way to the bank.

I call this THE G-PLAN. G stands for GROW. The grow as you go plan.

My teenager calls it the 12 STEP PLAN. 12 weekly, easy to follow steps, buying and selling. And re-investing your profits each week, until you reach YOUR GOALS.

Keep the report for 60 days. If you don’t make money, or it is not for you. Simply let my friend Dien Rice know, and he’ll give you a full refund.

Click Here To Get”The Chattel Report – 12 Weeks To Freedom”For Immediate Download!(PDF Format)

And for those of you that do not know me, if this is our first encounter, and you are concerned about the fly-by-nighters, I don’t blame you, there are plenty of people to worry about taking your money in this world. PLENTY. But I’m not one of them.

Lived in Cuyahoga Falls since 1960. Graduated ’68. (Yea 760th in my class). After the service, and travelling and going to school in CA, I have chosen to live here today (hey maybe I am a little crazy?). I’m not going anywhere except on a few vacations every year. You can find me at the GOLF COURSE or the Natatorium or down at the new family aquatic center floating in an inner tube around the lazy river, gleefully splashing my kids.

If that does not ease your mind a little, then please don’t order the report. And don’t ask for details about my business or my private life. You won’t get them. So there. Hope you’re not offended. Hey, I trust YOU enough to be honest with me about the report. OK?

Just Like Joe Karbo said to me many years ago; “TRY IT. AND JUDGE FOR YOURSELF.”

If you have questions, e-mail me via my buddy Dien at dien@chattelreport.com. We talk often, he’ll let me know of any questions he can’t handle.

NO QUESTIONS? Then go ahead and click on the order link! You’re only a few short steps away from a lifetime of FREEDOM.

Thanks for your time and attention.

Get THE CHATTEL REPORT – 12 WEEKS TO FREEDOM here…

Gordon (Mr. CHATTEL) Alexander

P.S. The price is 47 dollars U.S. You can download it immediately (it’s in PDF format), so there’s no shipping charge!

I reserve the right to remove this offer at any time. And if you DO know me, then you know I will.

I guarantee you’ll make moolah – or else you can use the no conditions 60-day money back guarantee.

P.P.S. My buddy Dien Rice bought one of my original reports – and he’s been successfully “chatteling” for years now. I’ve asked him to add a few pages at the end of the report on how to do it – quickly and easily – using the internet. With this “twist,” the profits are now easier to come by than ever before!

P.P.P.S. There’s also a special new section about how one of the world’s richest men – an American multi-BILLIONAIRE – got started, just by doing this. You’ll find out who he is – and how he did it! What are you waiting for?

Contacting Dien Rice and the Chattel Report.Email: dien@chattelreport.com. Telephone: +61 4 1955 0447. Address: P.O. Box 1323, Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia.

Copyright © Gordon Alexander and Dien Rice

12 Weeks To Freedom by Gordon Jay Alexander System & PDF Ebook Download

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