#he actually HAS been on her mini streams(think like instagram live) but most of the time hes not recognized

[bitchapalooza]

Larry always tuns into Iono's streams but its only because its so loud and bright it keeps him up enough to get work done that he should've gotten done weeks ago

[jeontaehui]

nananananana (210331 VLIVE)

taehee bites back a grin as fans enter the live. “hello everyoneeee,” she greets softly, her cheekbones lifting into a soft smile. “i’m in the practice room once again.”

“i was just learning a dance actually, it’s my break right now so this’ll probably be short,” she mentions. “and then i turned on vlive without asking permission— well, i did ask permission after i... turned it on,” she giggles. “she’s gonna say yes anyways. no one can say no to me,” the comments section blows up after she sent a sly wink to the viewers. she knew her effect on them one way or another. 

mark lee i love you HELLO THE TITLE?? IS THIS A SPOILER???

lee donghyuck’s long hair i only entered the live but i feel like crying T—T why must she be so cute

taeyongbub taehee in the practice room is so attractive??? wth???

taehee tucks a few strands behind her ear asking, “did you guys have dinner already? have you guys eaten?”

mataechan what did taehee eat today?

hyuckschurros PIZZA !!!!

“aw, pizza? i’m craving now,” she shortly puts on a pout before a smile shows itself once again. “i haven’t eaten but i think i’ll have........ um,” taehee seems to think for a moment as she looks up the ceiling, trying to remember what jungwoo said she’d have at the dorms.

“i can’t remember,” she shrugs, proceeding to continue reading the comments.

jungwoo tehet are you going to dance again?

aussiechan TAEHEEEE !!! come home to australia :(

svtzen DREAM SPOILERS PLEASEE

“the dance that me and my teacher did today was to party favors by tinashe! i have to practice some more to get it right but i’m,” she stands up and dusts off her track pants, placing the phone on the floor in front of the mirror, “going to show you guys the part where i’m most confident in.”

she disappears as she goes to the side to play the music, and the strong beats of tinashe’s party favors fills the practice room. she adjusts her pants around her waist and runs a hand through her black hair, ruffling her bangs for a moment before getting into position.

she dances. no matter how hard-hitting the choreography is, taehee knew well how to control her own body, and gracefully yet powerfully sync her movements to the beats.

taehee marry me she’s so hot what the heck do i do

markcity i’m single for this reason only

fullsunnn THIS IS WHY WE NEED A TAEHEE SOLO ASAP !!!

from the corner of her eye, taehee sees her dance instructor imitate the part where she got the dance wrong during their practice, causing her to lose focus and burst into laughter.

ncityinthehouse everyone, the duality of miss jeon taehee

“unnie is laughing at me right now!” taehee giggles. her eyes glance to the side then back to the screen. “yes so, until there did i memorize the dance. i’ll try to post on instagram the full version of it. oh!” she claps her hands excitedly, a habit nctzens took note of before she says an idea.

“since it’s a wednesday today and! the end of the month, you guys can comment whatever you guys want me to do or any question you want to ask and i’ll answer them.”

“i’m going to scroll with my eyes closed and whatever my finger lands on will be picked,” she cutely asks if the viewers got it before briefly explaining what she just said in english.

“i’ll give you guys maybe 30 seconds? is 30 seconds enough? okay, ready and start!”

taehee bobbed her head as she counted the numbers in her head. “30! okay, i’ll close my eyes now.”

juhfahm skincare routine?

merrymark give us a phone tour :D

twiceyeon please watch switch to me by dahyun and chaeyoung !!!! <3

“from twiceyeon,” taehee reads, putting her emcee mode on. “please watch switch to me by dahyun and chaeyoung! ohh i think i’ve seen this on my recommended but i haven’t had the time to watch it— sorry, chaeyoung-ah,” she winces.

you can hear keys being tapped on taehee’s phone screen as she typed the title on youtube’s search bar. the music video appears a few seconds later and she immediately clicks on it.

“oooo dahyun-ssi is very pretty,” taehee says. her expression quickly changes when she sees the twice member use her foot as she played the piano, her hand going up to cover the giggles that escaped out of her. “this is so cool,” she beamed.

“oh sexy!” taehee exclaims after chaeyoung appeared. “i really like chaengie’s short hair.”

she compliments the set when the scene changes, a summer pool vibe replacing the vintage set-up at the intro. “the dance is cute too,” she mumbles.

she smiles at chaeyoung and dahyun’s playfulness in the music video before moving on to compliment her best friend again. “chaeyoung is seriously so pretty... whaaat!”

taehee continues to watch the rest of the video as she moves to the beat, occasionally letting out a chuckle or two at the adorableness of the duo.

“hold on,” she grabs her earphones and plugs them into her phone. “(it’s) to avoid copyright,” she smirks.

taehee finishes the music video with a grin on her face, “the music video was very cute! did they perform this on stage? i think the stage set and the fits would’ve been pretty.”

“speaking of music videos, baekhyun hyung’s new album just dropped yesterday! have you guys watched the music video?” taehee shuffles closer to the camera to read the comments. almost everyone was saying that they did, in fact, watch the music video and really enjoyed it.

“i never said this directly to him but i really am a fan of his, seriously,” she dictates. taehee breaks into a grin as she giggles again, the viewers watching how her eyes twinkled while she talked. “‘bambi’ is really great— it’s immaculate. you guys should stream the whole album and recommend it to your family and friends. baekhyunie hyung never fails to deliver (good songs).”

bbhubblegum taehee promoting baekhyun and other artists better than sm pt. 74628392

going on her phone, she mumbles, “and i really like the choreography of his songs.” there was an adorable pout to her lips as she spoke, much to the amusement of the viewers.

then she looks up from the device in her hands and her eyes hold a certain glint in them before she playfully squints. “just be quiet about this though. i am never gonna hear the end of this from him,” she shakes her head with an amused chuckle, recalling all the times baekhyun teased her and the ��admiration’ she has for him.

“you’re my only bambi bambi,” taehee sang effortlessly. “it’s a perfect night for you,” her tone was a little softer this time.

“okay so that was our first request? dare? of the live, let’s get to the next one right away!”

taeheeroar do you listen to the neighborhood?

wooyoungification do you want to collab with anyone? if so, who?

“the next one is.... wooyoungification! ooo wooyoung-ah hello,” taehee says, prolonging the last syllable of her sentence. “they asked, “do you want to collab with anyone? if so, who?”

“well,” she clears her throat, furrowing her eyebrows as if she were in thought. “there are a lot of great artists out there. taylor swift is already my answer by default but,” she giggles again, “if i have to think of people outside sm, i think it’d be nice to have a collab with stray kids’ 3racha. they’re their producing unit if i’m not mistaken. it’d be fun to work with them.”

“i also had this dream of having a collaboration stage with the other dancers outside nct, like blackpink’s lisa or seulgi unnie. would you guys want that?”

midzyseason this isnt good for my gay ass

reveluvbar can taehee just take over sm

taehee hums, “i think i never mentioned it before but i wanna try doing drama ost’s too. i don’t watch as much dramas as i do before, but when i was still learning korean, they helped me so much.”

“i watched ‘guardian: the lonely and great god’ a lot and i really liked ‘stay with me’. hopefully, i can collab with punch too.”

taehee unconsciously moves her lips to the side, forming another pout and thinks again. “from sm, i think kai hyung? not counting superm, okay?” she beams.

“kai hyung and,” then a snort escapes taehee before she could even stop it, “baekhyun hyung.”

she puts a hand to her chest once she recovers from her mini-giggling fit before holding it up and swearing it was the truth. “these two were the ones that came to the top of my head, seriously.”

beansprout lolll remember when kai used to “complain” about taehee ever only talking about sehun cause he was the one she was closest to in exo when they first met ?

sodangerous it’s so touching how taehee looked up to exo while she was still a trainee and now they’re like family

taehee nods and bites her bottom lip, asking herself, “why do i feel like a youtuber?”

she smiles to someone off screen and quickly glances back to the camera, “next question!”

asteroidsung what did you get for renjun’s birthday?

“what did i get for renjun’s birthday? i just gave mine literally yesterday. i know it’s summer but i gave him a hoodie that i thought would look cute on him,” she smiles. “it was pink.”

“i was with haechanie when i bought it.”

chenlezoned hyuck said he’s gonna marry daegal next month

“hyuck’s gonna marry who now?!” taehee exclaims, “DAEGAL’S A MINOR!!!”

dreamtopia BYEEEEEEE

themissingpuzzlepiece everyone at haechan marrying daegal:❓❓meanwhile taehee: 🌋🌋⁉️

boohoohyuck sending my prayers to lee haechan

just then, taehee’s phone suddenly rings and her eyes widen at the caller id displayed on the screen. “wow, this dude’s timing is really! spot-on.”

she puts the speaker on, “donghyuck-ah, what’s this i’m hearing that you’re marrying daegal?? are you leaving me and chubs already?! oh and you’re on speaker.”

fullseun don’t you just cry on the inside when markhee calls hyuck by his real name or fullsun

you hear haechan’s boisterous laughter first before he could answer taehee’s question. “i talked about that on vlive,” he said, “where are you?”

“i’m doing vlive.”

“but it’s almost midnight.”

when taehee makes no move to answer, haechan goes, “are you in the practice room again?”

“so?” taehee answers sassily, causing the boy on the other end of the line to groan.

“noona, we talked about this already,” haechan whines. “then we can talk about it again later!” taehee shrugs exasperatedly. “noona....” the former warns, as if he was scolding a child. “i’m just on a break,” she gives in, “i’ll go home soon.”

“promise?” taehee rolls her eyes, though it was clear that she was grateful for haechan’s concern by the soft smile she held on her face. “i promise.”

taehyuckles i know i wished for a taehyuck live but this will suffice Gosh they are so cute !!!!!!

“you haven’t said hello to czennie,” taehee reminds him. “czennie, hello!!” he greets sweetly.

“anyways, i just called you because you agreed to playing a few rounds with me but i’ll just wait for you until you get home,” taehee winces at his statement. she might have forgotten. “oh right, i’m sorry. just a few more minutes?” haechan hums affirmatively from the other end.

“get home safely, noonaaa,” after they exchanged their goodbyes, taehee hangs up the call.

“yes, okay! everyone that was lee haechan on the phone with me and i think i can do,” she turns her back to look at the wall clock in the practice room, “three more comments.”

yangqied taehee’s an idol in the day, pro-gamer by night

“okay, so our next question is: are you friends with aespa? yes! i am friends with aespa,” she beamed.

“i actually saw them the day before their debut stage. my time slot in the practice room was after theirs and so we met there,” taehee recalls. “they’re very pretty! and they look cool when they danced to ‘black mamba’. i wished them luck on their debut stage,” she chuckles.

taehee closes her eyes and proceeds to swipe at the screen, “next question is... oh! i dare you to post on instagram. okay, let me find some photos and show you guys so we can all vote.”

“i’ll send them on bubble but i’ll show it here too in case you guys don’t have a subscription. that’s okay.”

markerlee tb to when taehee sent her pcs to bubble... she really said fuck capitalism !!!!

“okay, option 1: this one,” she brings her phone up to the screen, showing a picture of her with the bird filter on mac.

jisungbye I LIKE THIS ONEEE

kunniekunkun this one’s cute!!!

moloism markhee pls post ur photos with the mac filters im begging you

“orrrr this one,” she faces her phone towards the camera once more. she was sitting on the pavement with the view of the orange-pink sunset behind her, a mask concealing half of her face.

the127thsense everything just screams girlfriend material to me

deryqueen taehee, i am free this friday. i repeat, i am free this friday.

solhyuck i think you should post these as a set on instagram!

“what should i post on instagram? everyone choose between 1 or 2!” taehee tells them in korean, before switching to english. “you guys pick between the first one and the second one, and i’ll post it on instagram.”

oncezenni 2

flamboyanthyuck the second one!

ohmajesus i like the first one

iamjeno second pleaseee

“mm okay, most of you are voting for the second one so i’ll be posting that first thing tomorrow! and then i’ll just send the other one on bubble,” taehee puts her pinky finger up as she speaks, making a promise to the viewers.

“how many was that? two already?” a pout subtly makes its way on taehee’s lips and a few of her hair strands fell in front of her face, causing her to push them back as she huffed. nctzens found it adorable!

takeoffbesttrack can i kiss you.

“can you kiss me?” taehee presses her lips on the tips of her fingers before lightly tapping them on the screen. “i,” one of the corners of her mouth raises to a smirk, “kissed you.”

mahaecries GODDDD

tenvely you will be the death of me

deryqueen AGAIN TAEHEE I AM FREE THIS FRIDAY NIGHT !!!!!!!!!!

taehee giggles after seeing the comment section blow up and her dimples peek out from her cheeks.

“i’m gonna have to end this soon, guys. this is the last one, okay?”

haecity can you go live with markhyuck?

snoopyscoop do you have any more funny stories with jungwoo?

taromilktea did you see sungchan when he debuted as an emcee?

“did i go see sungchan when he debuted as emcee? nooo,” she frowns, “but i did call him on facetime.”

“he said he was nervous but i told him he’d do great! and he did, right?” taehee’s frown was quickly turned into a proud grin. “i watched a replay of it on youtube the day after. he was very cute.”

“i told him to just think of it like he was talking to us so he’s more comfortable, and he told me it helped a lot so i’m relieved,” she nods. “i sent him churros too!”

taehee shuffles closer to the camera and brings her knees close to her chest while she talks, “please support him! i know sungchanie’s glad to have received this opportunity that’s why he’s been practicing diligently.”

taehee reads a few more comments and smiles at the funny ones. the humor of nctzens never fail to make her smile. the memes they send during menpas are so hilarious that she can’t help but reply to most of them.

taeheespresident i guess she’s gonna end the live now? :(

jungwootehet it’s nearing 1 am and i still have school tomorrow...... whoops!

“i’ll have to go now guys, it was nice doing all this with you,” taehee softly mumbles.

“i like this idea of having you guys comment what you would want me to do ‘cause i’m able to connect with you guys more, i’ll try to do a live again soon.”

“the weather’s nice here in korea— well at least for me,” she chuckles, “it rained recently but it might be hot? in other places so please remember to stay hydrated and drink lots of water.”

“also wear your masks and keep social distancing! we’re not only trying to protect ourselves but we have to stop the spreading of it all so,” taehee gives another small smile at the camera as she reminds the people to be careful, “stay safe.”

after a few beats of silence, taehee speaks again. “okay so, until here is taehee’s nananananana live!” she sings while doing the infamous choreo of ‘go’.

empathy127 I KNEW IT WAS FROM GO !!!!

“good night! or good morning to those who are starting their day right now,” she adds, “goodnight! we’ll see you guys soon.”

taehee does her infamous ily hand gesture and winks at the camera before waving bye and ending the livestream.

[sirtommyholland]

Soo... We built a TARDIS! || tom holland x female!reader

A/N: Inspiration strikes from weird places. For me it was a random video that showed up in my recommendations. I can’t put the link here since it messes up the tags apparently, but I’ll put it in the comments!

This takes place a few months into quarantine so they can actually have 3 months to build a whole actual TARDIS.

Summary: You and Tom get bored in quarantine and decide to build a TARDIS, because, why not?

Warning: A brief mention of ‘being stuck at home’. I added the warning thinking there might be some people having a hard time with this whole isolation thing and not wanting to read about it. 

Word Count: 1.8k

*tomholland2013 just started a live stream. Watch it before it ends!*

“Hi guys!” we see Tom sitting on a couch in his living room, in a loose t-shirt and hair messy.  He makes small talk for a while as he waits for more people to join, then he gets up and starts walking towards the garden door. “Soo it’s a beautiful summer day outside, sun is shining, and I wanted to take you on a little tour of our garden.” He flips the camera around after fumbling for a bit, and the view turns to his garden. “So over here you see our chicken coop. Predator is chillin’ in there, the other two are wandering around. And over here we have some pretty flowers that my even prettier girlfriend planted. And then - OH MY GOD GUYS! WHAT IS THAT?!” He suddenly turns his phone towards the other side of the garden in a quick motion, and comes into view… a life sized TARDIS?

“Woaahh!” he says feigning shock. “T- T- The TARDIS??!” He starts walking towards the blue police box, narrating at the same time. “Guys this is crazy there’s a TARDIS in my garden!” As he gets closer to the box, the door suddenly opens to reveal a young woman, sticking her arm outside and pointing a sonic screwdriver towars the camera.

“Don’t you dare come any closer you-“ she starts with a harsh tone “you- youuu…” she stumbles, not being able to find a word, and starts laughing, we can hear Tom laughing behind the camera too as he also breaks character.

“Sooo..” he starts, flipping the camera to front view and walking towards his girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to bring her into frame, both of them smiling at the camera, the police box in the background. “We built a TARDIS!”

3 months earlier

You and Tom were cuddling on your shared bed, catching up on some Doctor Who. While being stuck at home wasn’t ideal, you were trying to make the best of it by spending at least a couple of hours a day together, just the two of you, making up for the times he was away for shooting. After dinner you had a few beers with the guys downstairs, then went back to your room for TV, cuddles, and more beer. You were on your third episode when Tom suddenly lifted his head from the pillows to look at you.

“We should build our own TARDIS.” He stated.

“Yeah, definetely.” You answered in a plain voice, thinking he was joking.

“No, I’m serious.” He continued. “We are stuck at home with nothing to do, I know some carpentry, and the guys would help. It would be fun for all of us.”

Maybe it was because you were both a little beyond tipsy, bit it seemed more and more a like a good idea as he kept on talking.

“Yeah, you are right.” You said after he finished talking and looked at you expectantly. “We should definetely build a TARDIS.”

———-

The next morning , when you were having breakfast with Tom, he lifted his head from his plate and looked at you.

“Can you believe we actually decided to build a TARDIS last night? We get crazy when we’re drunk.” He said, laughing a bit.

“I know right?” you said immediately. “Like, did we really think we could actually build a real, life sized TARDIS on our own? And for what, just to stand in some corner of the garden with no real purpose?”

You both laughed a little nervously with your heads down, then stopped when you looked at each other.

“We should do it.” You both said at the same time.

“Oh thank God!” he started laughing. “I was afraid you actually didn’t want to do it!”

“How could I not when it’s the best idea we’ve ever had!” you exclaimed, laughing along with him as you high fived.

It was gonna be a long few months.

———-

You ordered lots of wood to begin with, watching lots and lots of tutorials and videos when you waited for them to arrive. Apparently, a lot of people had the wonderful idea of building a TARDIS.  While Tom sat at the living room table with a bunch of papers, making calculations for measurements, you were documenting the whole thing with your camera.

“So Tommy the carpenter is here double checking the measurements” you explained off view as the camera showed Tom leaning over the papers, making him lift his his head to see the camera and give a huge smile with a wave.

“You know this would go faster if you helped too, right?” he teased.

“I could help, but you look really attractive right now, doing calculations and stuff, and I wanna enjoy the view longer.” You replied cheekily, making him smile.

“Well, why don’t you come over here and enjoy it closer?” he said, pushing his chair back and patting his legs.

You comply and sit on his lap sideways, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to be more comfortable, the other hand still holding the camera. You make a move to stop recording and put it on the table but Tom stops you, instead holding the camera towards the two of you and flipping the screen so you could see yourselves.

“What are we doing?” you ask him as you lean your cheek against his, looking at yourself at the tiny screen.

“Admiring the view.” He answers, smiling. He doesn’t look away from the camera as he slightly turns his head to kiss you on your cheek, making you smile. He tears his eyes from the camera as he fully turns to you, kissing you repeteadly on your face, moving his lips slightly with every kiss, making you close your eyes in bliss. He has arrived to the corner of your lips and placed a few kisses there when you turn your head and meet his lips. He kisses you slowly, gently, with no rush, making you feel the tingles all the way to your toes.

You pull away after a minute, resting your forehead against his after a final little peck.

“So are gonna put this in the video?” you ask, still smiling.

“Nope.” He answers, as he kisses the corner of your lips again. “This goes into our own archive.”

———-

It was a long and tiring process after the supplies arrived, but also the most fun you had with the boys. Harrison and Tuwaine were mostly observing and making comments as they watched you from the comfort of their chairs, and recording everything as you were helping Tom.

Tom was handling the most of the things, planning what goes where and marking the boards for the places to cut. And you and Harry helped with the cutting after he made the marks. Also, if you had to add, Tom was very shirtless at this point, and you had been staring at him for so long that you almost cut yourself with the mini electric saw you were holding.

“Hey Y/N!” Harrison yelled from his seat, holding the camera. “Stop ogling your boyfriend before you lose a few fingers! Or a hand!”

“I can ogle my boyfriend as long as I want to, Osterfield!” You yelled back, making Tom lean over to give you a little kiss, and making Harry mutter an “ew” under his breath.

———-

When the cutting process was over, you started the painting. Tom was currently recording you as you were painting one of the panels that was leaning against the fence.

“Soo we’re doing the painting right now as you can see.” He narrated. “Harrison decided to get off his arse and actually help for once.” He continued talking, pointing the camera towards his best friend.

“I have been cooking for you for weeks since you guys are so tired all the time!” 

———-

After the paints were dry and you were satisfied with the tone, all that was left to was assembling the whole thing. You decided to build it in a way that you could disassemble it and carry it anywhere in the house. So after assembling and hanging up the police box signs, and turning on the light, it was finally done! Your own TARDIS that had no other purpose other than sitting in your garden and looking pretty. Three months well spent, you would say.

“I’m gonna post this on Instagram.” Tom said as you stood next to each other in the garden, admiring the result of your work.

“You should post it on every website available.” You said, still in awe that you currently had an actual, life sized TARDIS sitting in your garden.

“Okay, I have an idea.” Tom said turning to you. “I’ll start a live stream, you’ll be hiding inside, I’ll just come out to the garden showing them the flowers or something. And then I’ll turn around and go like ‘Oh my God guys there is a TARDIS in my garden what the fuck?!’ and then you’ll jump out saying ‘SURPRISEEE!’ ”

“Ooor,” you said, thinking about the sonic screwdriver toy you had in your room. “I could be the Doctor.”

“You would be hot as the Doctor.” He says, leaning in to kiss you, making you wrap your arms around his neck as you kiss him back.

———-

“We built a TARDIS!” you said at the same time, you giving a thumbs up at the camera. The comments were rolling so fast that you couldn’t read any of them.

“I think you just broke the internet again.” You said, making him laugh. He flips the camera around to walk around the TARDIS, showing some details and saying that he was gonna post a video of the whole process later.

“So should we give a tour of the inside, m’love?” he says, turning at you.

“Of course.” You answer, and go over the door to open it with a flourish. “Ta-daaa!” you exclaim, holding out an arm as if you were welcoming him inside.

“Aaand that’s it.” He says as he shows the inside of the box, which is, for a fact, not bigger on the inside but just a tiny space.

“We’re thinking of covering all the walls with pictures and kinda turn this into a memory box.” You explain.

“Yeah, and we’ll sometimes put it in random places in the house, so like one of the guys could walk into his room and suddenly find a TARDIS in the middle of it.” Tom continues, making you gape at him, still not having a filter after everything he’s done for years.

“Tom, stop spoiling our pranks!”  

A/N: Sorry for the weird ending, just didn’t know how to wrap it up. Please give it a like/reblog if you enjoyed it! Also, the GIF isn’t mine.

MASTERLIST

[august-is-angry]

The Wonders of the Lacy Family

The phenomenon of the Lacy family has had my unwavered attention since May 14th, 2017. 3 months previous to this, there had been buzz around this kid that had just released a solo EP. The EP was “Steve Lacy’s Demo” by Steve Lacy. Gaining traction quickly because of Lacy’s work in R&B band The Internet, it immediately became one of the most important releases of 2017. With just 6 songs, those 14 minutes are some of the most iconic sounds of early 2017 to anybody that listened to it. As people listened more, they got excited, it was a new face in the music industry for many that hadn’t indulged in The Internet. Soon people realized this was a kid, at only 18 he was making tasteful licks and layered vocal harmonies. On April 14th, 2017, San Francisco-based magazine Wired released a video onto their YouTube channel titled “How The Internet's Steve Lacy Makes Hits With His Phone”. The video showed an 18 year old Lacy using the app GarageBand to make a song on his iPhone. In a way, this pioneered the normalization of the making of music on an iPhone, or at least it got rid of a lot of stigmas around it. To me, to be 14 and seeing a kid only 4 years my elder, wearing the same clothes I wear on the cover of his EP, making music on his iPhone, and being actually somewhat respected and even praised for it was incredible. Although, I did not yet have a guitar or bass, I had an iPhone, which was 1/3 of the supplies I needed to make an album in my eyes. Looking back, my Steve Lacy infatuation may have been a slight obsession, but I think it’s what I needed most at that age, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.

If you too listened to and loved “Steve Lacy’s Demo” or even his new album “Apollo XXI”, you may or may not know he has a little sister, Asia Lacy, professionally known in recent years as Asiatica. On the date I mentioned previously, May 14th, 2017, Steve Lacy went live on Instagram and jammed with Asia from their family’s home in Compton, CA. Steve on guitar Asia on bass. The synergy impressed everyone that witnessed it. Both of them are so incredibly talented at both playing instruments and singing. I followed Asia on Instagram right after the live ended, ensuring I didn’t miss something like that ever again. That fall, Asia started her college education at Humboldt University in northern California. She began to go live on Instagram frequently as she was far away from home and didn’t have many friends yet except for her dorm mates. I’m pretty sure I watched all of these livestreams, sitting in my room making some sort of art as Asia skateboarded around campus alone exploring the place or sat in her dorm playing Charles Manson and Paramore songs on guitar, with some original stuff as well. Asia has an insanely good music taste, from Dirty Projectors to Thundercat, she could talk for hours about music she loved. When Asia played original songs of hers on live, I would screen record it so I could listen to her songs again as she didn’t have them recorded or put on streaming services. She seemed reluctant to become a musician, I don’t think it was doubt of her talent, it’s clear to everyone that hears her music that she’s got the talent for it. I think she saw all that was happening to her brother and just found it overwhelming, and who could blame her?

One of the original songs that stood out in her livestreams was “Workin On It”, of course named because she was still workin’ on it. I still have a voice recording I made after that live ended, it’s a melody inspired by what I heard of the song so far (the voice recording was dated August 16th, 2017 if you were curious). On November 25th, 2017, “Workin’ On It” was released, well, it had a new name; “Hide In Me”. I listened to it RELIGIOUSLY. I was so excited, and it did not disappoint. “Hide In Me” is a beautiful yet simple 1 minute 42 second song with harmonic layered vocals and a guitar riff that rips me back to August of 2017, except this time the riff was electrified.

To end off 2017, Tyler the Creator threw a mini festival at the Observatory in my hometown of Santa Ana. The lineup featured Steve Lacy so of course I was dedicated to getting tickets for this. But alas, this is a festival thrown by Tyler the motherfucking Creator, months after “Flowerboy” was released, with maybe like 500 tickets tops, maybe even less. So unfortunately I did not get those tickets. Dedicated to hear my God’s set, I stood in my backyard for about 30 minutes for Steve Lacy’s whole set, in the middle of winter, and 4 days into having stomach flu. And dammit, I live so close, that I actually heard it. It was faint but I could still hear it, and I loved it, I was so proud.

Fast forward to March 2019, I was gearing up for this new Vampire Weekend album, and I see on my Instagram feed, Asia Lacy was going to release an EP. I think I shed a tear or two. Asia had left Humboldt to go back home and spend time with family and friends after feeling estranged from the rest of Humboldt’s student body. She spent the past few months looking after her nephew and making music with her boyfriend, musician and producer Carter Ace (who by the way is a great artist as well). On March 13th, 2019 “Aprilia Ave” by Asiatica was released. It’s an EP with 5 songs that in total runs for 16 minutes. I remember exactly where I was when I listened to this for the first time, I was in a field being showered by sun, the first sun after a cold winter. It was pure joy, the truest form of happiness. The last track “Alright” left me crying tears of joy. All 5 songs are so special and all of them are so good I can’t stress this enough. If you haven’t listened to it yet, I highly suggest you do, it’s streamable on Spotify and Apple Music.

Last Friday, Steve Lacy released his first full length album titled “Apollo XXI”. I added it to my library right when it came out because I knew it was going to be good, and holy shit yeah it is. There’s no skips on this album, every song is great. I even dance to the parts where it’s just blank noise between 2 different parts of a song. I sat out on my front lawn Friday morning listening to the album in full with sun glaring into my baby sunglasses that pinch my nose. I had listened to it in full right when it came out the night before but I wanted to experience it how I experienced “Aprilia Ave”. In a field on a sunny day that was surrounded by overcast days. I felt alive, I felt present, like I was in my body for the first time in years. Legs folded up and ankles crossed as I hugged my knees, my cat pawing at the door in hopes of joining me. “I wonder I wonder, I really wonder” repeating so frequently that I started to sing along. It was like my experience with “Aprilia Ave” except it was pure curiosity and the truest form of wonder. With a future so uncertain, what would this world hold for me this year, I wonder. All I could be certain of in that moment was that whatever happens this year I’ll be listening to “Aprilia Ave” and “Apollo XXI”, so fuck it. I lay my head back in the grass, held my head in my cupped hands, and closed my eyes, and listened to “Playground” on repeat.

[weregonnaneedmorewhiskey]

Cardi’s confession...FROM THREE YEARS AGO. Cancel Culture tries it

DISCLAIMER: I DON’T AGREE WITH CARDI DID AT ALL. SPIKING IS WRONG! BUT THIS IS MY OPINION ON THE SITUATION AS A WHOLE. I AM DISCUSSING CANCEL CULTURE MAINLY. I AM NOT DISMISSING WHAT SHE DID

Ok I wasn’t gonna say shit about this but you know, we’re going into this right now. So this weekend an instagram live of Cardi’s from three years ago resurfaced on the internet. Let me repeat that for you. THREE. YEARS. AGO. In this video, Cardi admits that when she was a stripper, she would drug and rob men. Ok first off all, do I agree with what Cardi did. No! I am not excusing what she did. However I understand it.  When your options are limited, you may have to do things you regret. Cardi made a statement on her instagram about the live saying that is regretful of the things she had done despite this being a common story amongst strippers and sex workers a whole. Spiking is wrong and I have had happened to friends of mine Male and female so I don’t agree with what she did in any shape or form. And that’s that

Now let’s get into what my real issues are and this goes into my beef with cancel culture. Someone actually went and dug this Instagram live from three years ago and shared it social media. You clearly have too much fucking time on your hands. Go make an omelette or something. A couple months back, I made a post about my issues with cancel culture and why I take issue with it and it’s bullshit like this. This person clearly wanted to tear down Cardi and searched for something that people could possibly give her backlash for. Some people actually had the audacity to make a hashtag surviving Cardi B. This is a play off the Surviving R Kelly mini series and the fact that you are linking ROBBING to RAPING is ridiculous. The two are on opposite ends of the spectrum. If Cardi had sexually assaulted these guys, I would say that’s fucked up. Period. Some people are saying “if Nicki had said something like this, she would be crucified”. Nicki has stabbed Safaree and had women praise for it. Let Safaree do that to Nicki. He would have fired from Love and Hip Hop immediately and that is a fact. So don’t try and say that. 

The same people that are “cancelling” Cardi are probably the same people who helped songs like Bodak Yellow, I Like It and Girls Like You go to number 1 and most likely will continue to stream and buy her music. If I was Cardi I would drop Press this Friday. Cardi has never in any shape or form presented herself as angel or role model. She’s been candid about what she has gone through in the past and maintains that she is a “street bitch”. I personally thinking that famous people shouldn’t be expected to be a role model because of the pressure that title brings. As soon as the “role model” makes a mistake, they’re villianized. Like we all don’t make fucking mistakes. Ok then. At the end of the day, only God can judge Cardi and that’s it. And if you’re gonna say “oh by that logic, we should forgive Bill Cosby and R Kelly. FUCK NO! They are pieces of shit and I don’t care what gender you are, if you do something wrong, I will hold you accountable for it. WRONG IS WRONG. And that’s that. Also YNW Melly made a song about murder and up for two counts of first degree murder and its climbing up Billboard Hot 100. So it’s when it’s glorified in music, it’s ok huh? Keep that same energy. That is all I ask

[topweeklyupdate]

TØP Weekly Update #62: They’re *Really* Back (9/14/18)

We knew going into this week that there was a real storm coming, and that was an understatement. Though the complete Trench album is still waiting to be released, it really feels like the band is back more than ever. 

This update is a novel-sized doozy. Grab your new merch, and let’s dive into it.

This Week’s TØPics:

A Complete Diversion in London Brings Trench (and a Flaming Car) to the Stage

The Boys Speak to the Press: Rock Sound and Alt Press Announce Special TØP Issues, and the Boys Hop Back Onto Radio

First Details Emerge About “Neon Gravestones”, “Pet Cheetah”, Clancy, Nico, and More As the Press Hear the Album for the First Time

Major News and Announcements:

The big one finally hit: after over a year, Twenty One Pilots returned to their home on the stage. They started making flex moves before the show even started. They arrived in London two days in advance, rehearsing and playing soundchecks into the night that die-hard campers could hear from outside the venue. They arranged for folks in Bandito uniforms to dispense 150 tickets to those that showed up at the box office.  The venue delivered food to the queue, and the Clique in turn donated their blankets and duvets to a local soup kitchen. Pretty darn sweet.

The real event was even sweeter. 

Twenty One Pilots did not quite pull out all of the stops for their first performance in over a year. The set was just over an hour, did not debut any never-before-heard songs, did not include any special guests, and mainly stuck to the skeleton of the Blurryface Era setlist. And you know what? There was absolutely nothing wrong with that. If anything, Tyler and Josh keeping things focused on dusting off the old gears and introducing a few new elements for the Trench era resulted in a tight and emotional return for today’s greatest band. (Shout out to Ohio Clique for editing fifteen different Periscope and Instagram Live streams together to make a cohesive concert movie.)

Highlights of the show include:

There were no screens present in the smaller venue, but the production crew did make sure to bust out a ton of other great production elements, including tons of lights and, most notably, the car from the  “Heavydirtysoul” video that bursts into flames at key points during certain songs- including, at one point, when Tyler was standing on it.

The Clique brought the production value in the crowd, too: beyond all the folks dressed up as Banditos and Bishops, you also had plenty of people bring in yellow screens for their flashlights and yellow flowers and petals to offer Tyler.

The setlist was pretty sensible, with the four new Trench singles plus all of the songs that you would have expected them to play at an old festival show (minus “Guns for Hands” and “Tear In My Heart”, no I’m not sweating, why?). It is interesting that “WDBWOTV” and “The Judge” were played, but I suspect that it was mainly to justify bringing out the ukulele for “Nico”; if there are more uke tracks on Trench, I would not be surprised to see one or both of these songs dip out of the regular rotation.

Tyler had to stop the show twice to help people out of the pit- it was that kind of show.

The show opened with Josh coming out on stage in full Bandito regalia, torch in hand, looking like a badass. After sitting down at the drums and playing a few simple sequences, a masked man with a bass guitar walked out on the stage, started playing “Jumpsuit”’s gnarly riff, and yelled for the crowd to “GET UP!” Awesome. Twenty One Pilots is back, mate.

Tyler stumbled over a few lyrics in “Jumpsuit” and “Levitate”, but he successfully played it off- only the most diehard fans would have caught that he wasn’t just pausing for breath or to hear the crowd.

Tyler actually yelled “Why’d you come, you know you should have stayed?” at the end of “Heathens”, and it sounded damn good. Hope it sticks for future shows.

Tyler’s “WDBWOTV” pre-speech was a pretty good inaugural address for the Trench Era. He let the rabid audience know that he had been watching them since before the concert (both literally and metaphorically), joked about needing to get back in “show shape”, and thanked London for being a home away from home for them. In gratitude for hosting them, Tyler even announced that they were adding a third arena show at Wembley and joked that Mark should tweet it or something (he did).

Prior to playing “Nico”, Tyler adorned a bright yellow jacket over his usual uke kimono; Josh helpfully banged the drums dramatically for every successful button.

Tyler and Josh did the handshake during “Nico”, because of course they did.

For “My Blood”, Tyler drew from the old playbook and attempted to direct the two halves of the audience to sing harmonies. It worked even better than it used to with “Doubt”, much to Tyler’s evident glee- his smile and little dance to everyone singing his new song back at him was probably the best moment of the whole show.

The Trees Speech was short and sweet, with Tyler promising that he’s written “pages and pages” of things he wants to say, but for now all he can say is that they’ll be coming back on the new tour with “things we’ve never seen before” and that the fans look so good.

#YellowConfettiConfirmed

In the last bit of major news: new merch (that Josh stitched himself, be nice) and a new yellow Trench vinyl that I’m sure won’t immediately sell out. Have fun spending your life savings, kids!

Other Shenanigans:

The band was active in other spaces this week, of course. After Zane Lowe broke open the floodgates last week, both Rock Sound and Alternative Press announced that they would release some exclusive Trench Era Content (tm). Rock Sound’s came in the form of a thirty-page mag featuring a lengthy 22-page feature comprised of the first interview the two bands gave together since before the hiatus, Tyler and Josh’s first full photoshoot in over a year, and tons of awesome posters and Clique art. It definitely is not available in any form on the Internet that I’m afraid to link to lest I get pegged for copyright and sent to jail. Highlights of this interview that I certainly haven’t read include:

Lots of typical Rock Sound purple prose, in which the writer goes off on more tangential metaphors than even Tyler Robert Joseph.

The reporter describes Tyler’s house as “quite stunning” (yeah, with that Blurryface money combined with Columbus real estate values, I should hope so).

Josh laughs at the memory of some of their old costumes. “Those suits were so hot,” he says, as if those heavy coats aren’t a billion degrees inside.

Tyler: “There’s something healthy about realizing that the world keeps turning. Sometimes it can feel like the whole world is revolving around you- I think we all selfishly get to that point. When you have those moments, when you stop and realize that even if you weren’t there those other people would be, it lifts a weight that can feel very heavy. It motivates you to want to come up with a reason why you’re here.”

Tyler says they cut out social media during the hiatus in part because “removing the ability to run straight to it was important. For me, writing music is the thing I want to run to when I feel compelled or inspired. Whether it’s frustration or anger or compassion, whatever it is that I wanted to express, I wanted it to live somewhere new. I didn’t want one drop of meaningful expression to live anywhere else.” Additionally, they did want to test whether the Clique would stick around, and even kinda hint that they wanted to shrink how crowded some of the rooms they entered were becoming.

We are assured, however, that the next “hiatus” will not be the exact same as this. Tyler: “Going away broke my heart. It hurt that we weren’t able to tell people why we had gone, but I’m an advocate of showing people what I’ve been working on rather than telling them how hard I’m working. [...] That said, though we don’t know what the timeframe will be or if we’ll take another break, the manner in which we left... we’ll never do that again.”

I’m just gonna leave this here: “He tells us also of the beautiful relationship he has with his wife, Jenna, and the role that she played in helping him unlock the words and the sounds that would form the basis of this new chapter; of the times he would hand her the phone while behind the wheel of his car to allow her to record anything from melodies to simple poems.” Yeah, will someone sweep up all the pieces of my heart that are just lying on the floor, that’d be great.

Tyler has long had the idea to tell a geographic story, much longer than since the end of the last cycle, and he didn’t always intend to tell it through music. “I feel like in our mind there are places we learn we shouldn’t go.”

Tyler says that there are lots of songs that he writes that never see the light of day because he has moved past the season he wrote them in by the time it comes to record them.

Rock Sound is positively glowing in its brief advance review of the album, saying it is undoubtedly the best project of 2018, “a labor of love”, “a varied, often spectacular collection” with some of the band’s all-time greatest moments. It will be even more sonically diverse than we’ve come to expect: “Morph” is described as “old-school R&B”, “The Hype” “anthemic indie-rock”, “Pet Cheetah” has “stomping beats and a fiery rap verse.” The highlight, though, is apparently “Neon Gravestones”, “a piano-laden spoken word masterpiece” with lyrical content that “will save at least one person’s life”. Damn.

Alt Press will also be releasing a 24-page cover feature on the band and were even nice enough to include a fun video ad from the boys. They’re so cute, and I’ve missed them so much. (Also, Tyler’s checkered pants are a quality meme.)

After the Complete Diversion, Tyler and Josh performed a mini-press tour. First, they gave five-minute interview with Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1 and an Instagram Stories AMA on the station’s account. Highlights of this quickie include:

Josh and Tyler joke that specifying the exact number of months they’ve been away sounds like a mother saying their kid is “14 months” instead of a year old.

Tyler notes that this was the first performance in a long time that they’ve felt truly nervous, as they could no longer rely on muscle memory to carry them through after the long break, particularly with the new songs.

Annie references her last interview with Josh, where he confessed to be nervous about whether the fans would return. When asked if the first show helped them overcome those nerves, Tyler replied honestly, “To an extent, yes.” They chuckle about it, but the implication remains thick: the dedicated fanbase certainly turned up, but there is no assurance that they’ll have long-term mainstream success in the future. They seem cool with that.

Tyler states that they chose London specifically to make their return because, besides Columbus, it’s the only city where they have played in every size of venue, from the Barfly club to the Ally Pally and everything in-between over the course of fifteen shows. That type of home atmosphere made it feel right to start the new era there.

Josh says they played a bowling alley in London once. He did not wear bowling shoes in the set nor when he bowled afterward, which, as Tyler points out, is very punk rock.

Tyler reflects on how this show represents years of preparation and practice teaching them how to “trim the fat” and master the tempo and flow of the concert to appear as confident as possible and bring the audience along for a well-planned journey.

“My Blood” is one of the most challenging songs for both artists to play, particularly Tyler, as he has to balance the difficult falsetto with keeping that bassline groovy and consistent.

The IG answers were mostly just the dudes trying and failing to answer basic questions like “Are you happy to be back?” and “What’s it like to be famous?” in as few words as possible without giggling, hugging, and tickling each other. Best Q/A: Why did they watch the Grammys in their underwear? “We didn’t have air-conditioning.”

South African DJ Rob Forbes from Radio 5FM also conducted a truly fascinating interview with the band, the first that dives into the lore and one that gives us even more of a glimpse into some of the future songs. Additionally, Mr. Forbes briefly posted the tracklist w/ time-codes, revealing that both “Chlorine” and “Bandito” go over five minutes- get hyped, kids. Highlights from this interview include:

When asked about Clancy, Tyler responds with a pregnant silence before asking how the the interviewer knew about him. DJ Forbes stutters an answer about having listened to the record, but Tyler replies that Clancy’s not on the record. All he does say about Clancy is “I’ve heard about him, and I know we’re from the same place.” What is up with your cryptic nonsense, Tyler Robert Joseph?

The band intentionally left the Trench Trilogy open-ended to be able to continue it in the future. Tyler did not mean to make the timeline confusing, but did note that its cyclical nature left it open for the Clique to pursue that interpretation.

Tyler is careful with choosing his words to describe Nico. He admits the whole thing is pretty confusing (his grandma asked him once, “What’s a Nico?”), but that was his intention: he wanted to give the Clique a lot to think about and discuss as a reward for waiting so long. He does seem to confirm that Nico is Blurryface, or at least an aspect of him that represents how much more familiar Tyler has become with the nature of his own insecurities as he writes about it.

Tyler denies that the final verse of “Neon Gravestones” has a specifically political bend and actually sounds a little offended that something so important to him could be cast in that light. No idea what that means, I need to hear this song.

The interviewer says that Tyler calls his “Pet Cheetah” “Jason Statham” within the song itself in a fun rap verse. Tyler laughs and says that came from an inside joke between him and Josh that he was excited to bring to life. I am SO confused, you have no idea.

Tyler says that they had plans at one point to come to South Africa for a show that fell through at the last second, but that they’re still interested in going at some point in the future.

Additionally, the music production interest site Mix did a small spotlight on the producers behind Trench. We already knew that Paul Meany was handling main production duty; Darrell Thorpe, whose credits include Radiohead, OutKast, Paul McCartney, and Foster the People, joined him as an engineer while the band captured the album’s drum tracks at United Recording Studios in LA, the only studio they used outside of the one in Tyler’s home. It’s always cool to see the dudes who bring the band’s music to life, but, to be honest, the best part of this short little article is Tyler’s dad socks in the photo.

Oh, and music video director Andrew Donoho told Billboard that he can’t spoil the album or Tyler will burn down his house. So... yeah, okay, moving on.

Chart Performance:

After its first full week of sales and streaming, “My Blood” secured a debut at #16 on the Billboard Bubbling Under chart ranking the songs that have yet to reach the Hot 100. The song gains at all metrics, and according to some industry sources like Headline Planet, it is receiving a concentrated marketing push to pop and adult contemporary markets that its predecessors have not. “Jumpsuit” continues to fade, but its run was respectable, and I remain optimistic about Trench’s commercial prospects going forward, especially in the midst of this hype wave.

Whew. That was a long run. Congrats to everyone who made it all the way to the end. We’re so close to Trench, you guys. Keep powering through. Stay alive. And power to the local dreamer.

|-/

[readonline]

https://nyti.ms/34FebC6 8, 2020 at 09:27PM

The Coronavirus Outbreak

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Modern Love

If grief is the price of love, I am unable to pay.

Credit...Brian Rea

By Jared Misner

On the day I knew Alison would die, I called my two dogs into bed with me and wrapped all three of us in a quilt that’s hand stitched with my wedding vows.

This being such a custom item, it’s curious that three of them exist.

For my wedding two years ago, Alison had commissioned the hand stitching of this quilt — 1,420 words across 42 square feet. But the quilter kept messing it up with errant commas and misspelled words, so Alison made her start over, twice. She wasn’t about to be responsible for giving a less-than-perfect gift to me and my future husband, Nate. Still, the quilter had us keep the first two because there was no sense in returning them.

Before the doctors unplugged Alison in late April — one more body claimed by the coronavirus, lost amid the zeros and statistics to become a footnote in our sordid history — that’s who she was at her core: dedicated to perfection and superior gift-giving.

More than that, she was my best friend for 12 years, and even though I’m now married to a wonderful man, I’m not sure I’ll ever love someone like I loved Alison.

I suppose it’s fitting that this gift — the most perfect my husband and I received at our wedding, the gift we use more than any other, the gift I now find myself clinging to in Alison’s absence — came from the woman who was my first, and I suppose only, Facebook-official wife.

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Smitten with ourselves at the satirical shade we threw at others who lived for the drama and gossip of online relationship statuses at a time when Facebook had walls instead of feeds and when people still wrote on their friends’ walls, we made the digital declaration to one another and began our first marriage.

It was the most successful fictitious marriage I’ve had in my life, full of artisanal jams from roadside stands and dreams of one day living in a cabin in Vermont with a dozen dogs and a shed devoted to Halloween decorations.

Given that I’ve only been married to my husband for two years, I suppose you could say that my relationship with Alison was the most successful, long-lasting marriage I have had, period.

But now, at 29, she is dead, the ventilator no longer breathing for her, moved on to the next victim of Covid-19.

To die from this plague is a tragedy. To witness a loved one do so is a merciless, unrelenting kind of sadness — prolonged and filled with false hope. It is a faraway, forced mourning, her body a vector of contagion. It is a unique grief overridden by a forced education in a vocabulary I never wanted to learn: hydroxychloroquine, extubation, Remdesivir.

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And to die in the year of our lord 2020 is to die in so many places with deluging notifications, incessantly pinging you to remind you that your best friend is dead.

Texts from her father, Rich, an accountant from New York who now lives in West Palm Beach but still sounds like a New Yorker, and who once described my skinny jeans in college as “hot pants,” go off on my phone like bombs.

I think: Is this the one that tells me my best friend is dead?

Facebook posts from her mother, Robin (who once stole three mini cast-iron pans from a tapas restaurant in Gainesville, Fla., which still hang in my kitchen 12 years later), are an unpunctuated stream of terror, anger and fear. People “react” to her posts with digital tears. Instagram posts implore Alison to wake up, then shift to digital memorials, ephemeral stories that tag Alison, which she, despite the notifications, is unable to add to her own “story” because, again, she is dead.

To die amid this pandemic is to die over Zoom, your loved ones reduced to Hollywood Squares and requests to mute. Sharing stories about yesteryear with a video lag while your best friend is sedated. And while your friend dies in her hospital bed, hundreds of miles away, the process also involves rolling your eyes at the baby boomers on the call who insist on holding their phones below their chins rather than at eye level.

And then there are my own posts that I felt so obligated to birth into existence. To mourn your best friend in the 21st century is to do so publicly or risk others wondering why you haven’t already.

So I uploaded a 17-page letter Alison had written me in 2012, as we prepared to graduate from journalism school and begin our adult lives. It earned some 300 views, so I guess people liked it. How does one measure the support of digital grief anyway? Would I have loved her more if my “story” had received 400 views? Would our friendship mean more if a few more people had sent crying emojis in response?

On pages six and seven of the letter, Alison wrote, “I’m overwhelmed with clichés right now as I try to label our relationship. Best friends? Family? Soul mates? Soon-to-be newlyweds? Nothing feels right.”

“Nothing feels right” has a more macabre tinge to it these days because, well, nothing feels right.

In college at the University of Florida, and then continuing for the next eight years, Alison and I would say to each other, “Thank you for ruining me.” It was our way of telling the other: You’re so perfect, your understanding of me so nuanced and deep, that no man could ever match you.

By being all of these things, by accompanying me on another fruit-themed fall festival somewhere in north-central Florida, by sitting in a Czech restaurant in Ontario, and making me laugh even in the memo section of Venmo, “Thank you for ruining me” was to say “No one will ever know me or love me like you.”

Now that I’m actually married (the legal kind), I can say I love my husband very much. He is pragmatic, kind and handsome.

But he does not pull over for garage sales. He does not smuggle bags of dog costumes and treats out of press events to later give to my dogs and my parents’ dogs. He does not bring friendship bracelet crafts or design-your-own hats to our annual Labor Day trip and does not understand my references to the Beehive. He has no idea why Alison and I, eight years later, still laugh at the thought of when the chickens finally came to roost.

He does not speak in the Voice, a high-pitched apology-laced tone that came from who knows where but which we spoke in almost always.

He is, simply, not Alison. He could never be. It is (was?) a different kind of love. And nothing feels right now.

What happens to our inside jokes that litter the filing cabinets of my mind? Do they die along with her? Do I laugh to myself? What happens to her Facebook wall, the only record of our marriage, my first, her only?

One night while I wept in bed, my husband said to me, “Grief is the price of love.”

It was a typical thing for Nate to say: stoic New England pragmatism, the opposite of what I wanted to hear, the last thing Alison would have said. Yet it was everything I needed to hear.

He’s right, of course. He always is. One of the many reasons I married him.

But that love was expensive, a jumbo-size mortgage on my heart that I fear I won’t ever be able to repay.

Alison and I, both phone-call-averse millennials, would commonly talk on the phone for two hours at a time. Nate knew to go upstairs, don’t wait up when Alison called, the picture of her dressed as a cat for Halloween in 2012 appearing on my phone.

Do I keep her in my contact favorites now? Do I delete her? Do I unfriend her?

To die in 2020 is a messy amalgamation of digital business.

At my wedding, I asked Alison to read a passage from “The Velveteen Rabbit.” It’s a paragraph I have hanging in my home about what it means to be “real.”

The rabbit asks if becoming real hurts. The skin horse tells him yes, sometimes, it does. Sometimes your eyes will get rubbed off in the process and you’ll lose some of your shine. But that’s how you know you’re real. Nothing real can ever remain untouched.

The whole time they’re talking about love, of course.

I didn’t make the connection when I asked Alison to read that passage at my wedding, but it also describes us. Alison made me real. Alison ruined me. And I am better because of it.

Jared Misner is a writer in Charlotte, N.C.

Modern Love can be reached at modernlove@nytimes.com.

To find previous Modern Love essays, Tiny Love Stories and podcast episodes, visit our archive.

Want more from Modern Love? Watch the TV series; sign up for the newsletter; or listen to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play. We also have swag at the NYT Store and two books, “Modern Love: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Redemption” and “Tiny Love Stories: True Tales of Love in 100 Words or Less” (available for preorder).

From Modern Love

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2018 Top 10 Patient Leader Blogs https://ift.tt/2WhmZrL

There are thousands of Patient Leaders working day in and day out to educate, raise awareness and support their patient community. The WEGO Health Awards give us the chance to recognize Patient Leaders across all condition areas and platforms, to ultimately find the top Patient Leaders in each space.

To recognize the Patient Leaders community members endorsed, we’ve compiled the Top 10 Patient Leaders in each category.

Perhaps you’re looking to start a blog, create a new strategy or maybe you just need some inspiration, these ten bloggers are the ones to watch in the online health community! 

    Ronny Allan

Neuroendocrine Cancer Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Ronny Allan was diagnosed with incurable Metastatic Neuroendocrine Cancer in July 2010 after presenting with weight loss, symptoms of iron deficiency and facial flushing (Carcinoid Syndrome). He is an internationally known advocate for Neuroendocrine Cancer using his ‘Patients Included’ accredited blog site to spread awareness about this unusual, less common and complex disease. Ronny wants to inspire his community by putting a positive spin on life whilst retaining an element of both sympathy and empathy. He is very passionate about moving Neuroendocrine Cancer into mainstream knowledge circles by finding brand new audiences. Connect with Ronny, 2018 Best in Show: Blog winner.

    Nadia Fuad

Crohn’s Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

“I began crocheting to pass the time during all my numerous hospital stays I had endured through my journey with Crohn’s disease. Soon this hobby took on a life of its own and I began to crochet as a form of therapy. I love to pick up a hook and start creating. Creating things helps me feel accomplished. I started a mini shop, called YARNutopia, to sell some of my crocheted creations in 2012. A portion of each sale is donated to research to find a cure for inflammatory bowel diseases, a disease that has affected me personally. I feel that out of something negative, I needed to turn it into something positive, and for me to not allow this disease to take from me more than it already has.” Learn more about Nadia’s blog.

    Evie Shallom

Cancer Patient Leader

Twitter

“My name is Evie and I am a survivor of Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer. I was diagnosed on the 3rd of March 2014 and although I am officially cancer free, I am still suffering today. I made a blog while I was going through my treatments, I saw a lot of people made YouTube videos and blogs but I never really saw a cancer blogger. I am sure there were many, but I never found one. So I set my own little blog up and I posted what I was going through and how it affected me. Since then I have grown a blog that many cancer sufferers read and enjoy! I have worked really hard on this blog and I love having distractions and things to focus on!” Get inspired by Evie.

  Rebecca Lombardo

Mental Health Patient Leader

Facebook | Twitter

“At 19 I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I’ve battled mental illness on many levels most of my life. In 2013, I nearly died by suicide. When I left the hospital, I knew I had to make a change. I started a blog detailing my struggles and before long I was hearing from all over the world. Eventually, I turned my blog into a book that is available on Amazon now. I still have my blog and I also write for The Huffington Post. Most recently, my husband and I began hosting our own mental health podcast called Voices for Change. Every day I speak with someone that feels my book helped them or someone that needs advice. I’ve been happily married 15 years and I’m incredibly grateful I’m still here.” Follow Rebecca and more about her advocacy.

    Kirsten Schultz

Arthritis Patient Leader

Facebook | Twitter

“I’m a genderqueer disabled writer and activist – and proud of it! I live with Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, mental health conditions, and a long laundry list of other stuff. On Not Standing Still’s Disease, I focus mainly on disease-/illness-/disability-specific issues, becoming your own advocate, product reviews, and changing the world of medicine. I address issues like sex, intimacy, relationships, and self-esteem with illness and disability on Chronic Sex. There, I also focus on LGBTQIA+ issues, reproductive health, and intersectional thinking. Join us Thursday nights at 8 pm Eastern for #chronicsex chat on Twitter! My motto: do no harm but take no sh*t.” Connect with Kirsten.

  Jen Campisano

Breast Cancer Patient Leader

Facebook | Twitter

“I write to share my story of being (mis)diagnosed with terminal cancer, facing my mortality with a toddler in tow, the sometimes messy reality of recovery, and life with a baby and an autoimmune disease after cancer. I think our stories have the power to connect us, and make our experiences a little less lonely / terrifying. I also believe our voices have the power to enact positive change in our healthcare system because no one understands what’s lacking better than the patients who are trying to navigate through these murky waters.” Learn more about Jen’s blog and how she’s helping others.  

      Bruna Rocha Silveira 

MS Patient Leader

Facebook

“I have Multiple Sclerosis since I was 14 years old. In 2009 I started writing a blog about living with MS because I wanted to find younger, like me, who have the same experiences, which suffered the same fears. The blog grew and today I talk every day to hundreds of people who have been diagnosed and do not know what to do. It is not easy to know that you will have a disease for the rest of your life when your life has just begun. I write and share my experience to encourage people to live a happy life with MS. I believe that the more awareness you have about the disease itself, more mechanisms to facilitate your life you develop. I work for it.” Check out Bruna’s blog to learn more about her journey.

  Bukky Adeyokunnu

Sickle Cell Patient Leader

Instagram | Twitter

“I wanted to capture how it’s an invisible illness. You see me and I look completely normal –  I go to work, I work out , and chill just like everyone else. When I go ghost due to crisis pain, I often hear ‘but you don’t look sick’, which is exactly how I want to live my life. I’ve never let it define who I was and what I was capable of doing.” Explore Bukky’s captivating blog!

      Maria Thomas

Hyperhidrosis Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

“Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) affects five percent of the global population, but I bet this statistic is actually much greater. The problem? Too many people are ashamed of the skin they’re in and don’t speak up or seek help. It’s time to end the stigma. I’ve lived with hyperhidrosis all of my life and offer a unique perspective on this condition that can be mentally, socially and professionally debilitating. I’m creating hyperhidrosis hope and awareness one drop at a time, living my truth and letting others know they are not alone. My story is your story.” Connect with Maria to learn more.

      The Invisible Hypothyroidism 

Thyroid Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

“I started advocating with one hope: to reassure other thyroid patients every single day that they are not alone. 750 million people worldwide have thyroid disease, but no one talks about it openly and a lot struggle in silence; desperate for someone to listen and understand. My writing comes from a deeply authentic and honest perspective as I not only share what I learn from researching while on my own journey back to good health, but also my own completely honest experiences that resonate with many. I’m on a mission to reach as many thyroid patients in need of support as possible and challenge the severe lack of knowledge about hypothyroidism. I know this is my purpose in life.” Click to learn more about this Patient Leader!

          Have you ever heard the saying “laughter is the best medicine”? Check out 4 reasons why you should be using more humor in your advocacy work.

  Check out the photos from the live #WEGOHealthAwards ceremony. See the full event recap for pictures, interviews, a live stream & more!

The post 2018 Top 10 Patient Leader Blogs appeared first on WEGO Health.

from WEGO Health https://ift.tt/2WilhGy via IFTTT https://ift.tt/2Wfs9Vp

[biofunmy]

J. Lo Wins Milan. Fashion Comes Second.

The moment that ate Milan Fashion Week occurred at the end of the Versace show.

People had been promised a special something, but no one knew what it was. The lights went down, a soundtrack crescendo began to build, and then — Jennifer Lopez! Age 50! In a new version of the jungle print dress she wore to the Grammys in 2000.

You know, the one that was cut down to her navel and up to her crotch, and set off so many digital searches back in the day that, in the myth of the internet and fashion, it is said Google created image search because of it (a more plausible version of the story is that it was part of the reason; a big part, sure, but still — a part).

The dress had been given a bit of an update, to be sure — less fabric on the sides, the sleeves were gone, there were jewels all over the matching bikini bottoms, and iridescent palm fronds bristled like epaulets on the shoulders. But those were details; the effect was the same. Bags were clutched. The whole audience rose as one. Phones came out and were wielded like knives, each one slicing off a section of her walk for the posting.

Mea culpa. But if ever there was a finale that crystallized just how much fashion had moved on — or not — since the turn of the millennium, that was it.

Back in the day, of course, there was no Instagram or live stream; people mostly viewed shows with their actual eyes as opposed to through the lens of their tiny cameras; designers only did two collections a year (or two we knew of); editors and glossy magazines still served as the conduits of choice for fashion information; diversity was pretty much nonexistent; and even if fashion people had read “Silent Spring” in school, they probably thought it had nothing to do with them, or their jobs.

It is tempting to say: How things have changed! Except for Ms. Lopez of course; she looked exactly the same. If anything, more toned and worked out.

But then, so did most of Donatella Versace’s clothes: the sharp-shouldered little black coat dresses with big gold hardware; the jersey draped to show slices of side abs; the tie-dyed Medusa tees; the cobalt-and-jade or fire opal-spinel jungle print on pretty much everything from jeans jackets to sequined evening frocks fringed at the hem and dotted with spiky, three-dimensional alien blooms.

Which suggest the real takeaway is plus ça change, and all that. The fashion landscapes in New York and London may finally be in the throes of their own upheavals; the altered shapes of social and political life, a new balance of power, reflected in an evolution on the catwalk. But in Milan, the status quo — the one from 20 years ago — still rules. That’s as stultifying and frustrating as it sounds, even if it’s justified as “heritage” or “DNA.”

Of Sun and Earth and Staying in Place

Think about it this way: the day of the global climate strike, which also happened to be the day of the Versace show, when hundreds of thousands took to the roads of New York and Berlin and Sydney, in Milan it was just traffic as usual.

“Is there going to be a protest here?” visitors asked. Locals raised their eyebrows and shrugged. Later, there was some anticipation around the fact Giorgio Armani called his show “Earth” — but it turned out to be because it was inspired by the muddy colors of the land (dank browns, midnight blues), gradually lightening to morning mists.

Trousers were pleated at the hip and narrow at the calf or palazzo loose. Jackets were long or short, curving or boxy. Skirts were long and billowing, often sheer. There were some sporty references, a banana palm print and a fair amount of pastel sparkle. In the end, two models came out in glistening evening columns, torsos encased in stiff ruffled organza shells; each woman had one arm supporting her opposite elbow, which was cocked up and out to the side as if holding a cigarette en pose. Except, this being 2019, the hand was empty. That’s a metaphor, if anyone cared to contemplate it.

Meanwhile, at the Missoni show, dedicated to summer and held around a giant public swimming pool, Angela Missoni gave every guest a mini Olafur Eliasson solar lamp with the message: “Join us in holding hands with the sun, we are at a crucial point for our planet and need to take action.”

Then Ms. Missoni, like Ms. Versace and Mr. Armani, engaged in some aesthetic recycling, bringing 1970s dandy men and the free spirits who loved them to life in layers of ultrathin knits glinting with metallics, stripes over florals over plaids, a cardigan (or two) tied the waist.

They weren’t necessarily reducing (there were 72 looks in the Missoni show), but they were definitely reusing: ideas, silhouettes, prints, often with joyful abandon. Remember this?! And so it went.

Where Did It Get Us?

At Etro, Veronica Etro also went down memory lane with Keith Richards, Anita Pallenberg and Jane Birkin; paisley and butterfly embroidery; glam rock tailoring, and hobo, fringed knits (plus some striped men’s shirting first created by her father, Gimmo). At Salvatore Ferragamo, Paul Andrew updated the brand’s most famous shoe, the Vara (you know, the flat with the bow on the toe), renaming it the Viva, elongating it, and molding the bow in leather — which is pretty much his approach to the collection for both men and women: Update the classics. Cut away the backs of leather trench coats for movement; bubble-under the hems of skirts; use a print of Neptune inspired by a marble fountain figure on everything from loose sweatpants to evening gowns.

It’s incremental progress. But comforting as familiarity can be, it leads to some uncomfortable conclusions. We’ve been there, worn that — and look where it got us. Not to a good place.

Which is why Marni provided such a jolt. Francesco Risso, now almost three years into his job as creative director, has taken full control of the brand, transforming its kooky art-world charm into something altogether more ambitious and risky. And though he does it in his own head-scratching way, it has a magnetism that stands out.

This time around his theme was — well, who knew what it was? But it involved a made up tropical disease with its own medicine, “Tachitropirina,” which cures, “metamorphic and transformative states” and “feverish affections such as fauvism,” and which should not be used by people with “total incapacity for activism,” and which was presumably reflected in the show set, which featured cartoon palm trees made from recycled plastic and reconstituted cardboard. And it was expressed in clothes splashed with a riot of bright paint strokes. Imagine Gauguin’s Tahiti transplanted to the Tiber, and you’ll get the idea.

Gorgeous balloon tops slouched off a shoulder over skirts gathered and knotted on a hip; long, fluted leathers spouted petticoats of frills; simple scoop-necked bias gowns were caught under a crocheted floral net; puffed-out coats cocooned the body; and apron frocks were just hanging on, clinging beautifully to possibility. Which is pretty much where we all are. Or want to be.

The clothes didn’t go viral — it’s possible no garment on its own can do that any more, as Ms. Versace seems to understand better than anyone — but they finally made a point that was impossible to ignore.

Sahred From Source link Fashion and Style

from WordPress http://bit.ly/2meay3w via IFTTT

[lauramalchowblog]

2018 Top 10 Patient Leader Blogs

There are thousands of Patient Leaders working day in and day out to educate, raise awareness and support their patient community. The WEGO Health Awards give us the chance to recognize Patient Leaders across all condition areas and platforms, to ultimately find the top Patient Leaders in each space.

To recognize the Patient Leaders community members endorsed, we’ve compiled the Top 10 Patient Leaders in each category.

Perhaps you’re looking to start a blog, create a new strategy or maybe you just need some inspiration, these ten bloggers are the ones to watch in the online health community! 

    Ronny Allan

Neuroendocrine Cancer Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Ronny Allan was diagnosed with incurable Metastatic Neuroendocrine Cancer in July 2010 after presenting with weight loss, symptoms of iron deficiency and facial flushing (Carcinoid Syndrome). He is an internationally known advocate for Neuroendocrine Cancer using his ‘Patients Included’ accredited blog site to spread awareness about this unusual, less common and complex disease. Ronny wants to inspire his community by putting a positive spin on life whilst retaining an element of both sympathy and empathy. He is very passionate about moving Neuroendocrine Cancer into mainstream knowledge circles by finding brand new audiences. Connect with Ronny, 2018 Best in Show: Blog winner.

    Nadia Fuad

Crohn’s Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

“I began crocheting to pass the time during all my numerous hospital stays I had endured through my journey with Crohn’s disease. Soon this hobby took on a life of its own and I began to crochet as a form of therapy. I love to pick up a hook and start creating. Creating things helps me feel accomplished. I started a mini shop, called YARNutopia, to sell some of my crocheted creations in 2012. A portion of each sale is donated to research to find a cure for inflammatory bowel diseases, a disease that has affected me personally. I feel that out of something negative, I needed to turn it into something positive, and for me to not allow this disease to take from me more than it already has.” Learn more about Nadia’s blog.

    Evie Shallom

Cancer Patient Leader

Twitter

“My name is Evie and I am a survivor of Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer. I was diagnosed on the 3rd of March 2014 and although I am officially cancer free, I am still suffering today. I made a blog while I was going through my treatments, I saw a lot of people made YouTube videos and blogs but I never really saw a cancer blogger. I am sure there were many, but I never found one. So I set my own little blog up and I posted what I was going through and how it affected me. Since then I have grown a blog that many cancer sufferers read and enjoy! I have worked really hard on this blog and I love having distractions and things to focus on!” Get inspired by Evie.

  Rebecca Lombardo

Mental Health Patient Leader

Facebook | Twitter

“At 19 I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I’ve battled mental illness on many levels most of my life. In 2013, I nearly died by suicide. When I left the hospital, I knew I had to make a change. I started a blog detailing my struggles and before long I was hearing from all over the world. Eventually, I turned my blog into a book that is available on Amazon now. I still have my blog and I also write for The Huffington Post. Most recently, my husband and I began hosting our own mental health podcast called Voices for Change. Every day I speak with someone that feels my book helped them or someone that needs advice. I’ve been happily married 15 years and I’m incredibly grateful I’m still here.” Follow Rebecca and more about her advocacy.

    Kirsten Schultz

Arthritis Patient Leader

Facebook | Twitter

“I’m a genderqueer disabled writer and activist – and proud of it! I live with Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, mental health conditions, and a long laundry list of other stuff. On Not Standing Still’s Disease, I focus mainly on disease-/illness-/disability-specific issues, becoming your own advocate, product reviews, and changing the world of medicine. I address issues like sex, intimacy, relationships, and self-esteem with illness and disability on Chronic Sex. There, I also focus on LGBTQIA+ issues, reproductive health, and intersectional thinking. Join us Thursday nights at 8 pm Eastern for #chronicsex chat on Twitter! My motto: do no harm but take no sh*t.” Connect with Kirsten.

  Jen Campisano

Breast Cancer Patient Leader

Facebook | Twitter

“I write to share my story of being (mis)diagnosed with terminal cancer, facing my mortality with a toddler in tow, the sometimes messy reality of recovery, and life with a baby and an autoimmune disease after cancer. I think our stories have the power to connect us, and make our experiences a little less lonely / terrifying. I also believe our voices have the power to enact positive change in our healthcare system because no one understands what’s lacking better than the patients who are trying to navigate through these murky waters.” Learn more about Jen’s blog and how she’s helping others.  

      Bruna Rocha Silveira 

MS Patient Leader

Facebook

“I have Multiple Sclerosis since I was 14 years old. In 2009 I started writing a blog about living with MS because I wanted to find younger, like me, who have the same experiences, which suffered the same fears. The blog grew and today I talk every day to hundreds of people who have been diagnosed and do not know what to do. It is not easy to know that you will have a disease for the rest of your life when your life has just begun. I write and share my experience to encourage people to live a happy life with MS. I believe that the more awareness you have about the disease itself, more mechanisms to facilitate your life you develop. I work for it.” Check out Bruna’s blog to learn more about her journey.

  Bukky Adeyokunnu

Sickle Cell Patient Leader

Instagram | Twitter

“I wanted to capture how it’s an invisible illness. You see me and I look completely normal –  I go to work, I work out , and chill just like everyone else. When I go ghost due to crisis pain, I often hear ‘but you don’t look sick’, which is exactly how I want to live my life. I’ve never let it define who I was and what I was capable of doing.” Explore Bukky’s captivating blog!

      Maria Thomas

Hyperhidrosis Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

“Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) affects five percent of the global population, but I bet this statistic is actually much greater. The problem? Too many people are ashamed of the skin they’re in and don’t speak up or seek help. It’s time to end the stigma. I’ve lived with hyperhidrosis all of my life and offer a unique perspective on this condition that can be mentally, socially and professionally debilitating. I’m creating hyperhidrosis hope and awareness one drop at a time, living my truth and letting others know they are not alone. My story is your story.” Connect with Maria to learn more.

      The Invisible Hypothyroidism 

Thyroid Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

“I started advocating with one hope: to reassure other thyroid patients every single day that they are not alone. 750 million people worldwide have thyroid disease, but no one talks about it openly and a lot struggle in silence; desperate for someone to listen and understand. My writing comes from a deeply authentic and honest perspective as I not only share what I learn from researching while on my own journey back to good health, but also my own completely honest experiences that resonate with many. I’m on a mission to reach as many thyroid patients in need of support as possible and challenge the severe lack of knowledge about hypothyroidism. I know this is my purpose in life.” Click to learn more about this Patient Leader!

          Have you ever heard the saying “laughter is the best medicine”? Check out 4 reasons why you should be using more humor in your advocacy work.

  Check out the photos from the live #WEGOHealthAwards ceremony. See the full event recap for pictures, interviews, a live stream & more!

The post 2018 Top 10 Patient Leader Blogs appeared first on WEGO Health.

2018 Top 10 Patient Leader Blogs published first on https://venabeahan.tumblr.com

[jesseneufeld]

2018 Top 10 Patient Leader Blogs

There are thousands of Patient Leaders working day in and day out to educate, raise awareness and support their patient community. The WEGO Health Awards give us the chance to recognize Patient Leaders across all condition areas and platforms, to ultimately find the top Patient Leaders in each space.

To recognize the Patient Leaders community members endorsed, we’ve compiled the Top 10 Patient Leaders in each category.

Perhaps you’re looking to start a blog, create a new strategy or maybe you just need some inspiration, these ten bloggers are the ones to watch in the online health community! 

    Ronny Allan

Neuroendocrine Cancer Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Ronny Allan was diagnosed with incurable Metastatic Neuroendocrine Cancer in July 2010 after presenting with weight loss, symptoms of iron deficiency and facial flushing (Carcinoid Syndrome). He is an internationally known advocate for Neuroendocrine Cancer using his ‘Patients Included’ accredited blog site to spread awareness about this unusual, less common and complex disease. Ronny wants to inspire his community by putting a positive spin on life whilst retaining an element of both sympathy and empathy. He is very passionate about moving Neuroendocrine Cancer into mainstream knowledge circles by finding brand new audiences. Connect with Ronny, 2018 Best in Show: Blog winner.

    Nadia Fuad

Crohn’s Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

“I began crocheting to pass the time during all my numerous hospital stays I had endured through my journey with Crohn’s disease. Soon this hobby took on a life of its own and I began to crochet as a form of therapy. I love to pick up a hook and start creating. Creating things helps me feel accomplished. I started a mini shop, called YARNutopia, to sell some of my crocheted creations in 2012. A portion of each sale is donated to research to find a cure for inflammatory bowel diseases, a disease that has affected me personally. I feel that out of something negative, I needed to turn it into something positive, and for me to not allow this disease to take from me more than it already has.” Learn more about Nadia’s blog.

    Evie Shallom

Cancer Patient Leader

Twitter

“My name is Evie and I am a survivor of Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer. I was diagnosed on the 3rd of March 2014 and although I am officially cancer free, I am still suffering today. I made a blog while I was going through my treatments, I saw a lot of people made YouTube videos and blogs but I never really saw a cancer blogger. I am sure there were many, but I never found one. So I set my own little blog up and I posted what I was going through and how it affected me. Since then I have grown a blog that many cancer sufferers read and enjoy! I have worked really hard on this blog and I love having distractions and things to focus on!” Get inspired by Evie.

  Rebecca Lombardo

Mental Health Patient Leader

Facebook | Twitter

“At 19 I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I’ve battled mental illness on many levels most of my life. In 2013, I nearly died by suicide. When I left the hospital, I knew I had to make a change. I started a blog detailing my struggles and before long I was hearing from all over the world. Eventually, I turned my blog into a book that is available on Amazon now. I still have my blog and I also write for The Huffington Post. Most recently, my husband and I began hosting our own mental health podcast called Voices for Change. Every day I speak with someone that feels my book helped them or someone that needs advice. I’ve been happily married 15 years and I’m incredibly grateful I’m still here.” Follow Rebecca and more about her advocacy.

    Kirsten Schultz

Arthritis Patient Leader

Facebook | Twitter

“I’m a genderqueer disabled writer and activist – and proud of it! I live with Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, mental health conditions, and a long laundry list of other stuff. On Not Standing Still’s Disease, I focus mainly on disease-/illness-/disability-specific issues, becoming your own advocate, product reviews, and changing the world of medicine. I address issues like sex, intimacy, relationships, and self-esteem with illness and disability on Chronic Sex. There, I also focus on LGBTQIA+ issues, reproductive health, and intersectional thinking. Join us Thursday nights at 8 pm Eastern for #chronicsex chat on Twitter! My motto: do no harm but take no sh*t.” Connect with Kirsten.

  Jen Campisano

Breast Cancer Patient Leader

Facebook | Twitter

“I write to share my story of being (mis)diagnosed with terminal cancer, facing my mortality with a toddler in tow, the sometimes messy reality of recovery, and life with a baby and an autoimmune disease after cancer. I think our stories have the power to connect us, and make our experiences a little less lonely / terrifying. I also believe our voices have the power to enact positive change in our healthcare system because no one understands what’s lacking better than the patients who are trying to navigate through these murky waters.” Learn more about Jen’s blog and how she’s helping others.  

      Bruna Rocha Silveira 

MS Patient Leader

Facebook

“I have Multiple Sclerosis since I was 14 years old. In 2009 I started writing a blog about living with MS because I wanted to find younger, like me, who have the same experiences, which suffered the same fears. The blog grew and today I talk every day to hundreds of people who have been diagnosed and do not know what to do. It is not easy to know that you will have a disease for the rest of your life when your life has just begun. I write and share my experience to encourage people to live a happy life with MS. I believe that the more awareness you have about the disease itself, more mechanisms to facilitate your life you develop. I work for it.” Check out Bruna’s blog to learn more about her journey.

  Bukky Adeyokunnu

Sickle Cell Patient Leader

Instagram | Twitter

“I wanted to capture how it’s an invisible illness. You see me and I look completely normal –  I go to work, I work out , and chill just like everyone else. When I go ghost due to crisis pain, I often hear ‘but you don’t look sick’, which is exactly how I want to live my life. I’ve never let it define who I was and what I was capable of doing.” Explore Bukky’s captivating blog!

      Maria Thomas

Hyperhidrosis Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

“Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) affects five percent of the global population, but I bet this statistic is actually much greater. The problem? Too many people are ashamed of the skin they’re in and don’t speak up or seek help. It’s time to end the stigma. I’ve lived with hyperhidrosis all of my life and offer a unique perspective on this condition that can be mentally, socially and professionally debilitating. I’m creating hyperhidrosis hope and awareness one drop at a time, living my truth and letting others know they are not alone. My story is your story.” Connect with Maria to learn more.

      The Invisible Hypothyroidism 

Thyroid Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

“I started advocating with one hope: to reassure other thyroid patients every single day that they are not alone. 750 million people worldwide have thyroid disease, but no one talks about it openly and a lot struggle in silence; desperate for someone to listen and understand. My writing comes from a deeply authentic and honest perspective as I not only share what I learn from researching while on my own journey back to good health, but also my own completely honest experiences that resonate with many. I’m on a mission to reach as many thyroid patients in need of support as possible and challenge the severe lack of knowledge about hypothyroidism. I know this is my purpose in life.” Click to learn more about this Patient Leader!

          Have you ever heard the saying “laughter is the best medicine”? Check out 4 reasons why you should be using more humor in your advocacy work.

  Check out the photos from the live #WEGOHealthAwards ceremony. See the full event recap for pictures, interviews, a live stream & more!

The post 2018 Top 10 Patient Leader Blogs appeared first on WEGO Health.

2018 Top 10 Patient Leader Blogs published first on https://drugaddictionsrehab.tumblr.com/

[edsenger]

2018 Top 10 Patient Leader Blogs

There are thousands of Patient Leaders working day in and day out to educate, raise awareness and support their patient community. The WEGO Health Awards give us the chance to recognize Patient Leaders across all condition areas and platforms, to ultimately find the top Patient Leaders in each space.

To recognize the Patient Leaders community members endorsed, we’ve compiled the Top 10 Patient Leaders in each category.

Perhaps you’re looking to start a blog, create a new strategy or maybe you just need some inspiration, these ten bloggers are the ones to watch in the online health community! 

    Ronny Allan

Neuroendocrine Cancer Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Ronny Allan was diagnosed with incurable Metastatic Neuroendocrine Cancer in July 2010 after presenting with weight loss, symptoms of iron deficiency and facial flushing (Carcinoid Syndrome). He is an internationally known advocate for Neuroendocrine Cancer using his ‘Patients Included’ accredited blog site to spread awareness about this unusual, less common and complex disease. Ronny wants to inspire his community by putting a positive spin on life whilst retaining an element of both sympathy and empathy. He is very passionate about moving Neuroendocrine Cancer into mainstream knowledge circles by finding brand new audiences. Connect with Ronny, 2018 Best in Show: Blog winner.

    Nadia Fuad

Crohn’s Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

“I began crocheting to pass the time during all my numerous hospital stays I had endured through my journey with Crohn’s disease. Soon this hobby took on a life of its own and I began to crochet as a form of therapy. I love to pick up a hook and start creating. Creating things helps me feel accomplished. I started a mini shop, called YARNutopia, to sell some of my crocheted creations in 2012. A portion of each sale is donated to research to find a cure for inflammatory bowel diseases, a disease that has affected me personally. I feel that out of something negative, I needed to turn it into something positive, and for me to not allow this disease to take from me more than it already has.” Learn more about Nadia’s blog.

    Evie Shallom

Cancer Patient Leader

Twitter

“My name is Evie and I am a survivor of Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer. I was diagnosed on the 3rd of March 2014 and although I am officially cancer free, I am still suffering today. I made a blog while I was going through my treatments, I saw a lot of people made YouTube videos and blogs but I never really saw a cancer blogger. I am sure there were many, but I never found one. So I set my own little blog up and I posted what I was going through and how it affected me. Since then I have grown a blog that many cancer sufferers read and enjoy! I have worked really hard on this blog and I love having distractions and things to focus on!” Get inspired by Evie.

  Rebecca Lombardo

Mental Health Patient Leader

Facebook | Twitter

“At 19 I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I’ve battled mental illness on many levels most of my life. In 2013, I nearly died by suicide. When I left the hospital, I knew I had to make a change. I started a blog detailing my struggles and before long I was hearing from all over the world. Eventually, I turned my blog into a book that is available on Amazon now. I still have my blog and I also write for The Huffington Post. Most recently, my husband and I began hosting our own mental health podcast called Voices for Change. Every day I speak with someone that feels my book helped them or someone that needs advice. I’ve been happily married 15 years and I’m incredibly grateful I’m still here.” Follow Rebecca and more about her advocacy.

    Kirsten Schultz

Arthritis Patient Leader

Facebook | Twitter

“I’m a genderqueer disabled writer and activist – and proud of it! I live with Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, mental health conditions, and a long laundry list of other stuff. On Not Standing Still’s Disease, I focus mainly on disease-/illness-/disability-specific issues, becoming your own advocate, product reviews, and changing the world of medicine. I address issues like sex, intimacy, relationships, and self-esteem with illness and disability on Chronic Sex. There, I also focus on LGBTQIA+ issues, reproductive health, and intersectional thinking. Join us Thursday nights at 8 pm Eastern for #chronicsex chat on Twitter! My motto: do no harm but take no sh*t.” Connect with Kirsten.

  Jen Campisano

Breast Cancer Patient Leader

Facebook | Twitter

“I write to share my story of being (mis)diagnosed with terminal cancer, facing my mortality with a toddler in tow, the sometimes messy reality of recovery, and life with a baby and an autoimmune disease after cancer. I think our stories have the power to connect us, and make our experiences a little less lonely / terrifying. I also believe our voices have the power to enact positive change in our healthcare system because no one understands what’s lacking better than the patients who are trying to navigate through these murky waters.” Learn more about Jen’s blog and how she’s helping others.  

      Bruna Rocha Silveira 

MS Patient Leader

Facebook

“I have Multiple Sclerosis since I was 14 years old. In 2009 I started writing a blog about living with MS because I wanted to find younger, like me, who have the same experiences, which suffered the same fears. The blog grew and today I talk every day to hundreds of people who have been diagnosed and do not know what to do. It is not easy to know that you will have a disease for the rest of your life when your life has just begun. I write and share my experience to encourage people to live a happy life with MS. I believe that the more awareness you have about the disease itself, more mechanisms to facilitate your life you develop. I work for it.” Check out Bruna’s blog to learn more about her journey.

  Bukky Adeyokunnu

Sickle Cell Patient Leader

Instagram | Twitter

“I wanted to capture how it’s an invisible illness. You see me and I look completely normal –  I go to work, I work out , and chill just like everyone else. When I go ghost due to crisis pain, I often hear ‘but you don’t look sick’, which is exactly how I want to live my life. I’ve never let it define who I was and what I was capable of doing.” Explore Bukky’s captivating blog!

      Maria Thomas

Hyperhidrosis Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

“Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) affects five percent of the global population, but I bet this statistic is actually much greater. The problem? Too many people are ashamed of the skin they’re in and don’t speak up or seek help. It’s time to end the stigma. I’ve lived with hyperhidrosis all of my life and offer a unique perspective on this condition that can be mentally, socially and professionally debilitating. I’m creating hyperhidrosis hope and awareness one drop at a time, living my truth and letting others know they are not alone. My story is your story.” Connect with Maria to learn more.

      The Invisible Hypothyroidism 

Thyroid Patient Leader

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

“I started advocating with one hope: to reassure other thyroid patients every single day that they are not alone. 750 million people worldwide have thyroid disease, but no one talks about it openly and a lot struggle in silence; desperate for someone to listen and understand. My writing comes from a deeply authentic and honest perspective as I not only share what I learn from researching while on my own journey back to good health, but also my own completely honest experiences that resonate with many. I’m on a mission to reach as many thyroid patients in need of support as possible and challenge the severe lack of knowledge about hypothyroidism. I know this is my purpose in life.” Click to learn more about this Patient Leader!

          Have you ever heard the saying “laughter is the best medicine”? Check out 4 reasons why you should be using more humor in your advocacy work.

  Check out the photos from the live #WEGOHealthAwards ceremony. See the full event recap for pictures, interviews, a live stream & more!

The post 2018 Top 10 Patient Leader Blogs appeared first on WEGO Health.

2018 Top 10 Patient Leader Blogs published first on https://brightendentalhouston.weebly.com/

[toogoodmusic]

TOO GOOD TUESDAY INTERVIEW: EXES

Allie McDonald and Mike Derenzo of the indie-pop duo EXES are currently gearing up for the release of their second project Before You Go which is the follow up to their first project – an EP titled The Art of Saying Goodbye. In between the two have also released a slew of singles which is quite impressive when we learn that the two are bicoastal. And not bicoastal as in one of them is simply from the East coast and the other from the West but they actually live and create music together on separate coasts! While it may seem surprisingly (although maybe not nowadays considering technology) this separation clearly hasn’t hindered the quality of their music. Luckily, Allie and Mike took some time from their upcoming project Before You Go to answer some questions from Too Good Music. See below to find out what they say about being bicoastal, finding out that they were apart of Taylor Swift’s playlist of Songs Taylor Loves, if they’ve broken any bones and more.

TGM: What’s the story behind “Bones Break?”

MIKE: For this track, we collaborated with our drummer Peter Martin. Inspired by the constant movement of the snare drum in Dave Mathew’s “Crash Into Me” [after a viewing of Ladybird] we set out to make a contemporary version of songs we loved as teenagers. Taking in influences from Dave Matthews to Death Cab for Cutie, we tinkered away until we created "Bones Break”.

ALLIE: Lyrically, I wrote Bones Break following a difficult breakup. It was at my lowest moment that I remember thinking the heartbreak was so painful that I’d rather feel my bones break. And from there, we ran with it. It’s definitely one of our more honest and vulnerable songs, but it was important for me to tell the story. 

TGM: Have you ever broken any bones? If so, what’s the story behind it?

ALLIE: I’ve always been clumsy, awkward, and tall (so naturally far away from the ground). I’ve broken some toes and fingers just by existing. The most embarrassing was when I broke my arm from literally running into my sister.

MIKE: I’ve never broken a bone! I got stitches for the first time last month and that was enough

TGM: What’s the creative process like for you two?

ALLIE: It’s honestly different every time. Sometimes I’m sending Mike voice memo ideas in the middle of the night. Sometimes he sends me tracks that I’ll write over. Usually Mike focuses on production and I focus on lyrics and melodies, but we aren’t afraid to share ideas. We’ve been doing this for a few years now, so it’s nice to have a process that works and that we’re comfortable with. 

MIKE: I like to start the tracks with sounds that I know Allie and I both like. Once we have a grasp on what the song is going to be about I like to go back in and make sure the production matches the sentiment Allie has lyrically/melodically. I try to make sure all of the tracks are grounded in a organic space with room for contemporary flourishes and electronic touches. 

TGM: What’re the benefits of being “bicoastal?” What’re the challenges? Is there a coast that you draw more inspiration from?

ALLIE: Every time we tell people we’re bicoastal, they give us a strange look. Yes, in theory, it should be difficult, but for us, it works. We’ve been working together for so long that we don’t need to be in the same room to create songs anymore- there’s a level of trust now. I’ll take writing trips and fly back to LA every once in a while, which is definitely helpful. Mike has a better mic than me so I suppose that’s a challenge hah. Since I moved to Brooklyn in March I am honestly overwhelmed with inspiration. It’s been an interesting transition, but it’s inspired so many new EXES songs. Stay tuned.

TGM: How do you guys work through creative differences you may have about a song?

ALLIE: Like any relationship, it’s important to compromise. We don’t always have the same opinions, but I view that as a strength and not a weakness. I think that’s what makes EXES our “baby”- 50% of it is Mike’s perspective and 50% of it is mine. 

MIKE: We try to not be too precious about any particular idea and always be flexible to the others opinion. Luckily Allie is my favorite songwriter [LOL] so there haven’t been too many times we disagree! 

TGM: How did it feel knowing you were included on Taylor Swift’s list of “Songs Taylor Loves?” Where were you when you found out?

MIKE: Allie always texts me when things pop up on our Twitter. This time was a particularly urgent flurry of texts. Lots of “OMGs”, exclamations points, and definitely some “aioefdsfsdajkf” excitement gibberish lol. 

ALLIE: yes, I found out from twitter- we had fans tweeting to alert us. And yes, I definitely fangirled. I’ve been a fan of Taylor Swift for ages. It’s a cool feeling to be noticed by someone like that.

TGM: Opening for Børns and Ella Vos had to be pretty cool experiences. What was the best thing you learned from sharing a stage with them?

ALLIE: It was awesome opening for them. As a fan of both Børns and Ella Vos, I felt very lucky to share a stage with them. We learned a lot from Ella Vos as it was our first “mini” tour where we played LA and San Francisco. She’s so humble and sweet. Plus she has such a calm presence. It was honestly an unforgettable couple of shows. 

TGM: If you guys were to form a super group titled “EXES and OHS” who would you like to join your band as the “OHS?” (aka which (2) artists or musicians would you like to form a super group with?)

MIKE: We work with producer Christoph Andersson and writer/singer Jesse Epstein a ton and they have a band called JOME [who we’ve collaborated w/ before]. Jesse and Allie’s voices sound wonderful together!!!

ALLIE: I grew up playing the violin, so I’d love to collaborate with an orchestra. I realize this isn’t 2 artists, but it still remains a dream of mine- Mike and I backed by a full orchestra. That would be insane.

TGM: Which song of yours was the first to rack up a million streams? What’s it feel like having a song of yours be streamed over a million times?

ALLIE: I think it was “twentythousand”? I remember thinking it was crazy when twentythousand had 20,000 streams. It’s still very surreal to think that over a million people have heard a song that two kids made in a garage in Venice Beach. I feel very lucky. It feels very much like a dream still.

TGM: I laughed seeing your tweet where you said that when you meet a group of new people, your favorite thing to do is play who would die first in a horror movie…so between you two, who would die first in a horror movie?

ALLIE: Don’t get mad, Mike, but I think it would be you hah. I’m very into horror movies, Halloween, and true crime. I have anxiety about getting murdered, so I always have an escape plan figured out at all times. I’m also the opposite of brave so I’d never go into an isolated cabin in the woods pretty much ever. I’d probably be the girl at the beginning of the movie who warns her friends, “I don’t have a good feeling about this” and ends up staying home.

TGM: I also laughed when I saw another tweet where you said an Uber driver asked you if he could take you out to Subway and that he might be the one. If someone were to propose to you with a ring inside a Subway sandwich – what would that ideal marriage-material sandwich have on it? 

ALLIE: I’m a breakfast-for-all-3-meals-of-the-day kinda girl so I’d have to say: an everything bagel, crispy bacon, scrambled egg, and cream cheese. I know, very nutritious. I would for sure say yes.

TGM: Which music festival would be a dream to headline at? 

ALLIE: I think for me it would be Outside Lands. I’ve been once before, and I remember having the best time. The weather is always beautiful and fall-like. And it’s in one of the best cities. We haven’t played a festival yet- it’s definitely on the bucket list. Cross your fingers for us!

TGM: What can fans expect from the upcoming album, Before You Go?

ALLIE: As we’re growing, our sound is also maturing. It feels like a great next step for us. We’re still creating music based on our real life struggles, heartbreaks, fears, and joys - but the sounds and the ideas are more unique and explorative. We weren’t afraid to try new things this time around.

MIKE: GUITAR! Lol. I made a point to try and have more organic instruments across the whole project. Allie and I both grew up loving indie music and whats indie music without guitars!! We also messed around with song structure in ways we never had before. The 2nd song and 2nd to last song mirror each other structurally and really help bring home the thematic narrative of the project.

TGM: Individually, if you could only listen to (5) artists for the rest of your life, who would they be? 

ALLIE: ok, these might be a bit all over the place but: Frightened Rabbit, Regina Spektor, Phoebe Bridgers, Arctic Monkeys, and Dashboard Confessional (I’m an emo girl at heart)

MIKE: Death Cab for Cutie; Kanye West; Frank Ocean; Blink 182; Bon Iver 

TGM: What does the rest of 2018 look like for you?

MIKE: Writing more music! We just had a great writing trip in July and have another planned for October! Trying to explore more avenues of what EXES can be.

A HUGE shout-out to EXES for taking the time to answer some questions from Too Good Music. Be sure to follow along with their journey through the links below and be on the look out for the upcoming release of Before You Go!

           Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Soundcloud | Spotify

[newsboss]

[brightcove:5647783391001 default]

Pity the poor treadmill, whose reputation has improved only slightly from the days when it was used to torment prisoners. The name is literally synonymous with drudgery and grind, and even people who love running–at least outside–have been known to call it the “dreadmill.”

But David Siik, a Los Angeles-based running instructor who created the Precision Running program for Equinox gyms, is on a mission to rehabilitate the much-maligned machine. “I fell in love with indoor running because I actually believed that [the treadmill] was such a magnificent piece of engineering,” he says. “We created a moving ground.”

Here’s how he and other experts have made amends with the apparatus—and how you can maybe, just maybe, look forward to your dates with it.

RELATED: The 50 Most Gorgeous Running Races in America, State by State

Appreciate the benefits

“The first step to learning to love the treadmill is to change your attitude about it,” says Chris Mosier, a four-time member of Team USA in duathlon and triathlon and a coach in Chicago. Consider this: Unlike essentially any other piece of gym equipment, the treadmill contains a computer that allows you to program and fine-tune every aspect of your workout. “Imagine if your Macbook had a [treadmill] belt. It really is that sophisticated,” Siik says.

Indoor running offers all the health benefits of hitting the roads, from a healthier heart to stronger legs to improved mood. And there are some added perks: The softer belt reduces impact compared to hard pavement or concrete. Plus, you’re protected from sun exposure and air pollution. “It all comes back to the same thing: ‘Wow, this machine is pretty awesome,’” Siik says.

Build a rapport

Truly unlocking the treadmill’s potential involves more than picking a speed and hitting start. Crafting a plan for your time there—even one as simple as increasing your speed by two clicks every minute for 10 minutes—changes the dynamic of the relationship. “I know it sounds a little bit silly, but that tiny bit of interaction with your machine creates a connection,” Siik says. “It starts to erode boredom and gives you something to accomplish.”

Trick the clock

Another effective strategy to beat treadmill boredom: After you warm up, add 30 seconds of faster running every five minutes, recommends David Roche, a pro trail runner and coach. “When you’re doing intervals, the rest periods feel like they’re so short—time seems to speed up. Then during the fast stuff, time slows down. You can really use that to your advantage,” he says.

Follow an exciting workout…

Take things beyond the basics by picking out a fun-sounding workout from a magazine or website. We’ve got some right here, and Siik offers more in his book, The Ultimate Treadmill Workout: Run Right, Hurt Less, and Burn More with Treadmill Interval Training ($17, amazon.com).

Or, get creative and craft your own. Even if you don’t know a lot about running, you can likely scribble out a basic 20- to 30-minute plan. If you’re way off and your plan turns out to be impossible–or too easy–laugh it off as “a fun self-discovery,” Siik says, then just fine-tune the plan for next time.

...then repeat it

Another bonus of running on the treadmill? The ability to tangibly track your progress. After you find a workout you like, repeat it a few times, bumping up your speed or distance as you’re able. Jot down your stats in a notebook, or snap a pic of the treadmill’s display once you finish.

Over time, you’ll notice improvements, whether it’s covering more mileage, increasing your speed, or just feeling better as you do it. “That’s kind of the poetry of running—a micro change in your speed, your pace, or your form adds up to so much by the end of a workout,” Siik says. “With treadmill running, you’re able to create your own goals and monitor them.”

RELATED: 25 Exercises You Can Do Anywhere

Use entertainment wisely

Research shows music can make nearly any workout feel easier and more enjoyable. Pro runner and coach Kaitlin Gregg Goodman uses a device called a Mighty ($86, bemighty.com) to listen to Spotify playlists through her wireless headphones (essentials to avoid dangling-cord mishaps)–without her phone.

On extra-long treadmill runs, she totes her iPad to the gym to stream old favorites, such as Friends. “I prefer to watch shows I’ve already seen so I don’t have to be super tuned in—it can make me a little motion sick,” she says. If your treadmill comes equipped with a TV, turn it into a workout tool. “Run the commercials at a harder pace and recover during the show,” Mosier says.

Turn your focus inward

Sometimes paying more—not less—attention to your body’s movements can make your workout more fulfilling and fun. “Try scanning from head to toe as you are running,” says Mackenzie L. Havey, a Minneapolis runner and coach and author of Mindful Running. As you consider each area of the body, notice whether you feel loose or tight, strong or weak, pain-free or achy.

You can also try concentrating on your breath, following it in and out of your mouth, nose, or chest. “While this might feel tedious at first, with some practice it has a way of getting you to just focus on what’s going on in the moment, rather than having your mind get caught up in a negative cycle of thinking about how boring or painful treadmill workouts can be,” Havey says.

RELATED: 15 Running Tips You Need to Know

Change your scenery

Unlike outdoor running, treadmills literally put you on the path to nowhere, Siik admits. Still, every gym has at least a few focal points of interest. If the setup and crowds allow, break your workout up by switching machines every so often. “That way you have a different view out the window, a different TV you’re staring at,” Gregg Goodman says. If it helps you make it through, reward yourself with a mini-distraction like checking Instagram for a minute before starting your next segment.

Take a class

Many gyms now offer treadmill classes along the lines of Precision Running at Equinox. Plus, a growing number of treadmill-specific studios are popping up across the country, including Mile High Run Club in New York, Runner’s High in Chicago, and Barry’s Bootcamp, which combines running with weight lifting in multiple cities. These sessions provide instruction, encouragement, and a built-in team to match you, stride for stride. “It’s so inspiring and motivating to know that there are other people around you going through the same thing as you,” Siik says.

Crack a grin

Constantly dwelling—and posting on social media about—your contempt toward the treadmill only reinforces negative feelings, Mosier points out. Try a simple adjustment to your facial expression instead. A small recent study in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise found smiling improved running performance while making each effort feel easier. (Bonus: This strategy works on outdoor runs too!)

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter

Give yourself a break

So you’ve tried everything, and you just can’t make it past a mile on the dreadmill. Cut yourself some slack and call that a win, Roche advises. When it comes to long-term results, consistency matters far more than the duration of your effort on any given day. “Keeping it up is the whole idea of training—it’s the only way to actually progress,” he says. Even 10 minutes will suffice, provided you do it regularly.

from Fitness - Health.com http://ift.tt/2CEnbLN

[foursprouthealth-blog]

11 Ways to Hate the Treadmill Less

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/health/11-ways-to-hate-the-treadmill-less/

11 Ways to Hate the Treadmill Less

[brightcove:5647783391001 default]

Pity the poor treadmill, whose reputation has improved only slightly from the days when it was used to torment prisoners. The name is literally synonymous with drudgery and grind, and even people who love running–at least outside–have been known to call it the “dreadmill.”

But David Siik, a Los Angeles-based running instructor who created the Precision Running program for Equinox gyms, is on a mission to rehabilitate the much-maligned machine. “I fell in love with indoor running because I actually believed that [the treadmill] was such a magnificent piece of engineering,” he says. “We created a moving ground.”

Here’s how he and other experts have made amends with the apparatus—and how you can maybe, just maybe, look forward to your dates with it.

RELATED: The 50 Most Gorgeous Running Races in America, State by State

Appreciate the benefits

“The first step to learning to love the treadmill is to change your attitude about it,” says Chris Mosier, a four-time member of Team USA in duathlon and triathlon and a coach in Chicago. Consider this: Unlike essentially any other piece of gym equipment, the treadmill contains a computer that allows you to program and fine-tune every aspect of your workout. “Imagine if your Macbook had a [treadmill] belt. It really is that sophisticated,” Siik says.

Indoor running offers all the health benefits of hitting the roads, from a healthier heart to stronger legs to improved mood. And there are some added perks: The softer belt reduces impact compared to hard pavement or concrete. Plus, you’re protected from sun exposure and air pollution. “It all comes back to the same thing: ‘Wow, this machine is pretty awesome,’” Siik says.

Build a rapport

Truly unlocking the treadmill’s potential involves more than picking a speed and hitting start. Crafting a plan for your time there—even one as simple as increasing your speed by two clicks every minute for 10 minutes—changes the dynamic of the relationship. “I know it sounds a little bit silly, but that tiny bit of interaction with your machine creates a connection,” Siik says. “It starts to erode boredom and gives you something to accomplish.”

Trick the clock

Another effective strategy to beat treadmill boredom: After you warm up, add 30 seconds of faster running every five minutes, recommends David Roche, a pro trail runner and coach. “When you’re doing intervals, the rest periods feel like they’re so short—time seems to speed up. Then during the fast stuff, time slows down. You can really use that to your advantage,” he says.

Follow an exciting workout…

Take things beyond the basics by picking out a fun-sounding workout from a magazine or website. We’ve got some right here, and Siik offers more in his book, The Ultimate Treadmill Workout: Run Right, Hurt Less, and Burn More with Treadmill Interval Training ($17, amazon.com).

Or, get creative and craft your own. Even if you don’t know a lot about running, you can likely scribble out a basic 20- to 30-minute plan. If you’re way off and your plan turns out to be impossible–or too easy–laugh it off as “a fun self-discovery,” Siik says, then just fine-tune the plan for next time.

…then repeat it

Another bonus of running on the treadmill? The ability to tangibly track your progress. After you find a workout you like, repeat it a few times, bumping up your speed or distance as you’re able. Jot down your stats in a notebook, or snap a pic of the treadmill’s display once you finish.

Over time, you’ll notice improvements, whether it’s covering more mileage, increasing your speed, or just feeling better as you do it. “That’s kind of the poetry of running—a micro change in your speed, your pace, or your form adds up to so much by the end of a workout,” Siik says. “With treadmill running, you’re able to create your own goals and monitor them.”

RELATED: 25 Exercises You Can Do Anywhere

Use entertainment wisely

Research shows music can make nearly any workout feel easier and more enjoyable. Pro runner and coach Kaitlin Gregg Goodman uses a device called a Mighty ($86, bemighty.com) to listen to Spotify playlists through her wireless headphones (essentials to avoid dangling-cord mishaps)–without her phone.

On extra-long treadmill runs, she totes her iPad to the gym to stream old favorites, such as Friends. “I prefer to watch shows I’ve already seen so I don’t have to be super tuned in—it can make me a little motion sick,” she says. If your treadmill comes equipped with a TV, turn it into a workout tool. “Run the commercials at a harder pace and recover during the show,” Mosier says.

Turn your focus inward

Sometimes paying more—not less—attention to your body’s movements can make your workout more fulfilling and fun. “Try scanning from head to toe as you are running,” says Mackenzie L. Havey, a Minneapolis runner and coach and author of Mindful Running. As you consider each area of the body, notice whether you feel loose or tight, strong or weak, pain-free or achy.

You can also try concentrating on your breath, following it in and out of your mouth, nose, or chest. “While this might feel tedious at first, with some practice it has a way of getting you to just focus on what’s going on in the moment, rather than having your mind get caught up in a negative cycle of thinking about how boring or painful treadmill workouts can be,” Havey says.

RELATED: 15 Running Tips You Need to Know

Change your scenery

Unlike outdoor running, treadmills literally put you on the path to nowhere, Siik admits. Still, every gym has at least a few focal points of interest. If the setup and crowds allow, break your workout up by switching machines every so often. “That way you have a different view out the window, a different TV you’re staring at,” Gregg Goodman says. If it helps you make it through, reward yourself with a mini-distraction like checking Instagram for a minute before starting your next segment.

Take a class

Many gyms now offer treadmill classes along the lines of Precision Running at Equinox. Plus, a growing number of treadmill-specific studios are popping up across the country, including Mile High Run Club in New York, Runner’s High in Chicago, and Barry’s Bootcamp, which combines running with weight lifting in multiple cities. These sessions provide instruction, encouragement, and a built-in team to match you, stride for stride. “It’s so inspiring and motivating to know that there are other people around you going through the same thing as you,” Siik says.

Crack a grin

Constantly dwelling—and posting on social media about—your contempt toward the treadmill only reinforces negative feelings, Mosier points out. Try a simple adjustment to your facial expression instead. A small recent study in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise found smiling improved running performance while making each effort feel easier. (Bonus: This strategy works on outdoor runs too!)

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Give yourself a break

So you’ve tried everything, and you just can’t make it past a mile on the dreadmill. Cut yourself some slack and call that a win, Roche advises. When it comes to long-term results, consistency matters far more than the duration of your effort on any given day. “Keeping it up is the whole idea of training—it’s the only way to actually progress,” he says. Even 10 minutes will suffice, provided you do it regularly.

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11 Ways to Hate the Treadmill Less

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11 Ways to Hate the Treadmill Less

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Pity the poor treadmill, whose reputation has improved only slightly from the days when it was used to torment prisoners. The name is literally synonymous with drudgery and grind, and even people who love running–at least outside–have been known to call it the “dreadmill.”

But David Siik, a Los Angeles-based running instructor who created the Precision Running program for Equinox gyms, is on a mission to rehabilitate the much-maligned machine. “I fell in love with indoor running because I actually believed that [the treadmill] was such a magnificent piece of engineering,” he says. “We created a moving ground.”

Here’s how he and other experts have made amends with the apparatus—and how you can maybe, just maybe, look forward to your dates with it.

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Appreciate the benefits

“The first step to learning to love the treadmill is to change your attitude about it,” says Chris Mosier, a four-time member of Team USA in duathlon and triathlon and a coach in Chicago. Consider this: Unlike essentially any other piece of gym equipment, the treadmill contains a computer that allows you to program and fine-tune every aspect of your workout. “Imagine if your Macbook had a [treadmill] belt. It really is that sophisticated,” Siik says.

Indoor running offers all the health benefits of hitting the roads, from a healthier heart to stronger legs to improved mood. And there are some added perks: The softer belt reduces impact compared to hard pavement or concrete. Plus, you’re protected from sun exposure and air pollution. “It all comes back to the same thing: ‘Wow, this machine is pretty awesome,’” Siik says.

Build a rapport

Truly unlocking the treadmill’s potential involves more than picking a speed and hitting start. Crafting a plan for your time there—even one as simple as increasing your speed by two clicks every minute for 10 minutes—changes the dynamic of the relationship. “I know it sounds a little bit silly, but that tiny bit of interaction with your machine creates a connection,” Siik says. “It starts to erode boredom and gives you something to accomplish.”

Trick the clock

Another effective strategy to beat treadmill boredom: After you warm up, add 30 seconds of faster running every five minutes, recommends David Roche, a pro trail runner and coach. “When you’re doing intervals, the rest periods feel like they’re so short—time seems to speed up. Then during the fast stuff, time slows down. You can really use that to your advantage,” he says.

Follow an exciting workout…

Take things beyond the basics by picking out a fun-sounding workout from a magazine or website. We’ve got some right here, and Siik offers more in his book, The Ultimate Treadmill Workout: Run Right, Hurt Less, and Burn More with Treadmill Interval Training ($17, amazon.com).

Or, get creative and craft your own. Even if you don’t know a lot about running, you can likely scribble out a basic 20- to 30-minute plan. If you’re way off and your plan turns out to be impossible–or too easy–laugh it off as “a fun self-discovery,” Siik says, then just fine-tune the plan for next time.

…then repeat it

Another bonus of running on the treadmill? The ability to tangibly track your progress. After you find a workout you like, repeat it a few times, bumping up your speed or distance as you’re able. Jot down your stats in a notebook, or snap a pic of the treadmill’s display once you finish.

Over time, you’ll notice improvements, whether it’s covering more mileage, increasing your speed, or just feeling better as you do it. “That’s kind of the poetry of running—a micro change in your speed, your pace, or your form adds up to so much by the end of a workout,” Siik says. “With treadmill running, you’re able to create your own goals and monitor them.”

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Use entertainment wisely

Research shows music can make nearly any workout feel easier and more enjoyable. Pro runner and coach Kaitlin Gregg Goodman uses a device called a Mighty ($86, bemighty.com) to listen to Spotify playlists through her wireless headphones (essentials to avoid dangling-cord mishaps)–without her phone.

On extra-long treadmill runs, she totes her iPad to the gym to stream old favorites, such as Friends. “I prefer to watch shows I’ve already seen so I don’t have to be super tuned in—it can make me a little motion sick,” she says. If your treadmill comes equipped with a TV, turn it into a workout tool. “Run the commercials at a harder pace and recover during the show,” Mosier says.

Turn your focus inward

Sometimes paying more—not less—attention to your body’s movements can make your workout more fulfilling and fun. “Try scanning from head to toe as you are running,” says Mackenzie L. Havey, a Minneapolis runner and coach and author of Mindful Running. As you consider each area of the body, notice whether you feel loose or tight, strong or weak, pain-free or achy.

You can also try concentrating on your breath, following it in and out of your mouth, nose, or chest. “While this might feel tedious at first, with some practice it has a way of getting you to just focus on what’s going on in the moment, rather than having your mind get caught up in a negative cycle of thinking about how boring or painful treadmill workouts can be,” Havey says.

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Change your scenery

Unlike outdoor running, treadmills literally put you on the path to nowhere, Siik admits. Still, every gym has at least a few focal points of interest. If the setup and crowds allow, break your workout up by switching machines every so often. “That way you have a different view out the window, a different TV you’re staring at,” Gregg Goodman says. If it helps you make it through, reward yourself with a mini-distraction like checking Instagram for a minute before starting your next segment.

Take a class

Many gyms now offer treadmill classes along the lines of Precision Running at Equinox. Plus, a growing number of treadmill-specific studios are popping up across the country, including Mile High Run Club in New York, Runner’s High in Chicago, and Barry’s Bootcamp, which combines running with weight lifting in multiple cities. These sessions provide instruction, encouragement, and a built-in team to match you, stride for stride. “It’s so inspiring and motivating to know that there are other people around you going through the same thing as you,” Siik says.

Crack a grin

Constantly dwelling—and posting on social media about—your contempt toward the treadmill only reinforces negative feelings, Mosier points out. Try a simple adjustment to your facial expression instead. A small recent study in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise found smiling improved running performance while making each effort feel easier. (Bonus: This strategy works on outdoor runs too!)

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Give yourself a break

So you’ve tried everything, and you just can’t make it past a mile on the dreadmill. Cut yourself some slack and call that a win, Roche advises. When it comes to long-term results, consistency matters far more than the duration of your effort on any given day. “Keeping it up is the whole idea of training—it’s the only way to actually progress,” he says. Even 10 minutes will suffice, provided you do it regularly.