#i saw so much content of them and i was so excited to reach nov

[eru-iru]

obsessed over these two they are on my mind 24/7

[missvalerietanner]

Last weekend, I was jet lagged and had to rest. This past weekend... turns out I needed more rest. XD But I finally got everything organized, and it’s time to share... 

I WENT TO CANADA!

As a birthday present to myself, back in June, I filled out all the paperwork and got myself a passport ‘cause, damn it, I want to travel. Just three little months later in September, I had to help my boss check in for his flight for a work thing ( he’s not so computer savvy), and I got antsy. I wanted to be flying somewhere too. And I wanted to give my passport a trial run. SO! My aunt had mentioned wanting to see Niagara Falls, and I was cool with seeing Canada cause 1. passport test, and 2. Lewis Black’s words haunt me: “Even drunk on a bet, you make it to Canada.” (in reference to the fact that George W. had never been outside the country. 

So I started planning, told my aunt (she was thrilled by the idea), and in a matter of two weeks, we had the trip laid out, plan tickets bought, hotel room reserved, and we were good to go.

We stayed in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. We flew into the Buffalo airport in New York, got a rental car, and drove across the Rainbow Bridge ‘cause I figured that’d be pretty cool. Our flight got into Buffalo at midnight, Friday morning (Nov. 2nd), and we reached our hotel in Canada at about 2AM. Should’ve slept, but we were both too jazzed to fall asleep ‘cause we were excited and we could see the freakin’ falls from our hotel room so we stayed up until about 4AM just planning the next day’s adventures and finally crashed. Then we woke up at about 8AM. Insane.

Friday, we shopped at Niagara on the Lake, this cute shopping district about 30 mins north from our hotel (Sheraton on the Falls, if you’re curious). 

Saturday, I had bought us tickets to the boat tours with Hornblower Cruises. We got on the first boat at 10AM and froze our butts off in that 40 degree weather while getting hosed by the mist coming off the Falls. But as I have told everyone, “It’s cool. My face caught most of it.”

That water was cold, but it was revitalizing. We got back to the hotel room, and my aunt said, “Don’t you feel refreshed?” And, you know what? I fucking did. I felt, like, not “born again,” but definitely close to that. I felt... pure and alive.

After the boat ride, which was only 20 mins, I drove us up to Toronto ‘cause, why not, right? We were RIGHT there. Well, not right there, but only two hours away. XD The drive was nice, though, and there are some beautiful bridges along the way. (Though, I never really adjusted to the speed limit signs being in kilometers per hour versus miles. But that’s my fault and America’s. We seriously need to be standard.)

Anyhoo, Toronto was large and loud and busy and kinda insane. Though with 2.2 or so (I think the sign said?) million people, it’s like the crowds of Manhattan with the insanity of L.A. (I assume?). The city’s pretty, though. The architecture of the residential areas was so homey and 1980s feeling--I loved it. So nostalgic and well-kept... like something out of a sitcom. Every yard was perfect. Every car maintained and polished. It was lovely.

On the way out of Toronto (we just drove in and pretty much back out ‘cause it was such a long drive to get back to the hotel), we drove through a primarily Jewish community and saw some of them heading to church--I assume by the way they were all gussied up. That was awesome and definitely not something you happen upon in Tennessee. 

And, look, I don’t wanna come off as creepy, but on the way into Toronto, we stopped at the ONLY SHELL GAS STATION WE EVER SAW, and bought a shit ton of candy for the ride. Then we spot this super adorable Jewish boy, and I made a few jokes about offering him candy (not where he could hear me, obviously). He stared at us as we passed. We stared at him, and I joked that’d he’d puff up his collar and tell his buddies: “These babes were checkin’ ME out.” But in reality, it’s probably more like: “These weird Americans from Pennsylvania were staring at me.”

We had Penn state license plates on our rental car, and whenever I passed people in traffic, I’d say, “Let show ‘em how we drive in Pennsylvania.”

We are NOT from Pennsylvania.

Then on Sunday, our flight was at 7:27 PM in Buffalo, the plan was to just get to the airport and wait there and be bored. But stupid Daylight Savings Time totally fucked us. Not to mention we switched from Central to Eastern time while flying, so we lost an hour then gained one then lost it again on the way home. Fucking stupid.

Anyway, we accidentally checked out of the hotel an hour early ‘cause we thought it was noon (spolier: it was only 11 AM). I realize then when we’re leaving in the car--too late. We cross the border, eat lunch at an Irish pub in... I forget what city it was--but upstate New York outside Albany and about twenty minutes from the Buffalo airport. The place was called Connor’s, and it was fuckin’ delish.

Then we returned the rental car, chilled in the airport for like five hours (that went by faster than you’d think), flew to North Carolina for a layover (which turned into a stress-filled sprint walk, as Daniel Tosh calls it, to our boarding gate which we were late arriving too ‘cause our previous pilot had to circle the damn state of NC ‘cause some jackass was blocking up the runway), and then finally back to Nashville.

All in all, the trip was a blast. It cost me roughly $1000 for the three day trip. We split the hotel room and plane tickets, but I paid for the rental car, gas, and the boat tour. And then I spent roughly $400 on souvenirs and food. Not a bad chunk of change for such a relaxing vacation. That weekend felt SO long, but every minute of it was awesome.

OH! We also ate twice at this ice cream place on the corner from the hotel (well, actually inside the hotel) called Sweet Jesus. Look it up. That place is fucking wonderful.

Canada is lovely and so so peaceful. Probably the best thing about the trip was leaving behind all the bullshit of American culture. We are seriously bogged down here with so much shit every day and so many things demanding our attention and our money and... UGH! I didn’t feel any of that in Canada. Granted, being on vacation and not at work helped, but even still, the country just seemed laid back and calm. 

We all need a little Canada in our life.

Also one place we ate at served tiny packets of peanut butter at breakfast time along with typical tiny packets of jams and jellys. Totally stole one. Totally awesome. 

And at that Shell gas station, I spotted these:

They taste more like hot sauce on a potato chip rather than ketchup, but awesome to see. Oh, and I bought us Tim Horton’s coffee one morning, ‘cause I just HAD to. And boy do Canadians love their Wendy’s and Subway’s. We saw those two eateries everywhere. And we passed a marijuana store which was pretty nifty too.

We didn’t go in, despite what the guys at work say.

Ready for some pictures? :D

This was the view from our hotel room on the 8th floor. We could open the door and just get such a perfect view of the Falls. Every night, they lit up the Falls in an array of colors, but when they colored them for the American and Canadian flags... just wow.

Beautiful homes in Toronto. (And the Mini Cooper that was behind me FOR MILES and probably getting pissed ‘cause he’s in every damn shot. XD)

More houses. I love architecture, o.k.!

Made my aunt grab this shot while I drove. 

Another shot of the Falls, but lit in blue, white, and green. 

And a shot on Sunday morning at about 9AM (we thought it was 10AM XD). Sunday was the only sunny day while we were there, but I didn’t mind. We did a lot of walking--I mean, A LOT--and I’d rather walk under clouds than the sun any day.

And this is Connor’s, the Irish pub we stopped it in New York. 

Here’s a shot of us on the Hornblower boat. The distorted look is ‘cause it was shot with my cheapo-knock off Go-Pro. The big green building in the center back is our hotel. ;p

‘Nother shot from the boat with the CamPark. Those are the American side of the Falls.

The Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side. Probably the best angle the CamPark caught on the boat.

There were also fireworks over the Falls on Saturday night. I overheard some women in the hotel saying there was some winter festival starting that night (Nov. 3rd). Dunno, but the fireworks were beautiful.

At long last, a shot of some sweet Canadian money ‘cause I still have the $5 bill and one of the $2 coins. I love the look of their money. 

[/content sigh]

...I would absolutely go back.

The even better news is that my aunt knows this chruch group that travels around a lot (like, right now, they’re in freakin’ Sierra Leone!), and they’re planing an Italy trip next June.

YES! Be still my heart!

My aunt signed us both up, and barring an unforeseen accident or a lobotomy, I could be in Italy in June 2019. And the chosen dates line up with my birthday, so I could very well spend my 30th birthday in FREAKIN’ ITALY, MAN! How cool would that be? And yeah, I’m not much for church and religion, but I am willing to put up with anything if it gets me to Italy. XD Plus, Italy has so many beautiful churches I’d love to see, and a church group damn better get me there.

[idiosyncrasy-at-its-finest]

get over it

Nov. 18, 2020.  spent my study hall writing this– my new thing: not proofreading!  enjoy.  it’s long.  five pages long in google docs.  good luck!

I have a tendency to overthink, to force, to meddle.  Can one meddle in their own life?  Apparently.

Get over it, I tell myself constantly.  It happened so long ago.  Don’t get hung up over this; it’s been four years.  Get over it.

No.  Not that it was traumatic or anything, but it was a fairly big deal to me.  Not a life “event” per se, as it was a collection of experiences that fused into one regret, but it’s left its impact on me.  A big one, if the numerous pieces of writing inspired by it might show.

I had a best friend.  We met in fourth grade, when his best friend bet me and my closest friend at the time five dollars we couldn’t tag him.  He wasn’t the fastest runner, she was a lacrosse player, and I was still full of energy and excitement.  And then another class was coming out to recess and he tapped in his friend, said we’d have to tag this kid.  He was short, with a cute smile, and a small scar beside… I forget which eyebrow… left or right.  I forget.

He was a fast runner, the kid who ran the pacer without breaking a sweat, his carefree smile growing sharper as each competitor dropped out.  The PE teacher would always have to stop the recording when it was just him running back and forth.  He’d keep running.  We’d clap.  He’d realize it was over.  He’d run to us, not even grabbing a drink of water from the water fountain.  His hair would be raised and pushed back, the wind styling it.

That day in recess, I didn’t tag him.  Neither did my other friend.  When we got called to go back in class, I tapped his shoulder.  He said it didn’t count, which it didn’t, but what did count was that I’d made a new friend.

Fifth grade, we shared the same advanced math class.  When I waited in the halls, he’d pass by.  And then he’d stand near me.  When I stood outside a classroom for a course we didn’t share, he’d smile.  At some point, he began stopping slightly when he saw me.  And then he was bringing lollipops to school and giving one to me when our eyes met, smiles exchanged, and hands brushed– an exchange sweeter than candy.

One time, during recess, the others went to the kickball field.  I decided to hang around on the playground.  He came to me, was a little less happy than he normally was– didn’t want to play sports with his friends.  He was wearing a gray dri fit shirt, I remember, and a dark pair of basketball shorts.  We laughed the whole recess, and when I stepped in line to go back in, my friends teased me about us.  I’d brushed them off, grinning because we’d created an inside joke.  One about baseball and how my athletically-challenged self would one day be the best player the world ever saw.

We started signing each other’s things.  Autographing– so that when the other got famous we could sell it, of course.  Preparing each other for financial pitfalls.  How kind.

Sixth grade.  Open house.  We were in the same class.  I was excited.  He didn’t even spare me a glance.  I didn’t call out to him; I didn’t want my mom to see me reach out to a boy.

We became best friends, though.  Our class had a ship name for us.  I hated it– outwardly.  Actually, in the beginning it didn’t bother me.  But then my friends would point out how he teased me, how he stared when I ran my fingers through my hair (I finger-brushed my hair rather than properly take care of it– still don’t properly brush it).  They suspected he liked me.  I proposed to him, one day.  After a photo for spirit day, when I’d stayed kneeling since I was taller than him, I pulled his arm.  I stared into his eyes.  Will you marry me?  He said yes.  And then he gave me his cheese stick at lunch to seal the deal.

And then I grew uncomfortable, because after flaunting our “relationship”, the whole grade knew.  They congratulated us, and asked us when the wedding would be.  So I broke it off, told him in an over dramatic fashion, hand thrown over my forehead that it’s not you.  It’s me.  And then he didn’t talk to me for three days.  Maybe he did like me.  Up until then, whenever a boy liked me, I was suddenly disgusted.  But this realization, that my best friend– short, sporty, caring, funny, amazingly sweet, smart– might like me… made me giddy.  And then in March of 2016, I began to like him.

Uh oh.

You see, I was a pretty strange kid.  I made funny faces, I told gross jokes, I was physically aggressive.  And then… and then I liked someone.  I didn’t want him to see how “weird” I could be.  I started acting differently.  Even though we were best friends and there was no way he hadn’t already realized what a lunatic I was.

Sixth grade was also when I began to read wattpad.  I wanted a guy best friend.  I wanted my parents to like him, for him to crawl into my bed during cold and scary nights without it being weird, for us to be elementary school best friends turning into something more… I forced him into a mold.  For what?

Our relationship turned strained.  Before I left, I made him promise to always be my best friend.  A desperate attempt to keep him.  He agreed.

I don’t have a best friend right now.  I don’t like the term, I don’t use it.  Because he’s my best friend.  It’s like a dying wish, but a leaving wish.  Equally as important.  I made a leaving wish.

I’ve since come to realize– or since manipulated the situation into one to make myself feel better– that he’s the one who broke the promise.  He changed.  After I moved, replies got short.  Conversations turned dry.  He eventually unadded me on snapchat.

So… why dwell on these unfortunate elementary school events?

My mom started watching Dawson’s Creek recently and I’ve been tuning in.  It hurts.  To see on screen what I’ve longed for for so long.  What I longed for that ruined a friendship.

Dawson and Joey, best friends.  Grew up together, sleep in the same bed.  I was a military brat; I never lived anywhere longer than three years consecutively.  Now, I’ve been in the country I’m in for four years, this being my fifth.  I’ll be here until I graduate, making the grand total six years.  Too late to make an elementary school best friend, but a highschool best friend… a guy I can talk to about anything, even sexual things (though my experiences in this field have been slim to none… they’ve actually just been none).  And I almost had it.  And then I got too attached again.  We haven’t talked in three weeks or so.  I hope it doesn’t turn into three years like it did with…

It’s too late.  I was watching the show, thinking about a guy who lives in my neighborhood.  The guy that both my parents like, that my mom really likes because he walks me home at night after traditional biweekly movie nights, after long walks.  It’s a comfortable group of three, me, him, and another girl.  For a bit, she’d insist on how cute a couple we’d be.  But I didn’t like him like that.  I certainly could– it wouldn’t be hard.  But he deserved better than to be someone’s second choice.  Or third, I suppose, if the context is me trying to find a guy best friend to intertwine my life with.

I’m too easily manipulated.  Teen writings made me yearn for a specific type of friendship; my friend could easily convince me to like the sweet boy next door (but not really next door, more like a few streets up).  The boy a few streets up.

Watching Dawson’s Creek has made me realize it’s most definitely too late for me to develop a relationship where we can tease each other, where when I’m changing, he takes too long to turn around because “what?  Not like I haven’t seen you naked before” because we’d bathed together as babies.  Too late to begin to sleep in the same bed with a member of the opposite sex, a member of the sex I’m attracted to.

I can’t have that.  I won’t ever have that.  Even if, when I go to college, I make a great guy friend.  It won’t be the same as the highschool relationship I’ve romanticized for years now.

I sat on the floor, bum resting on a soft blue cushion, tub of Magnum ice cream cradled in hands, spoon dangling from between parted lips.  I’m not going to get that.  Ever.  So I need to stop pining for it.  Because it’s not going to happen.

But I have a neighborhood gang.  A group of friends who watches a movie every other Friday, who gets together at least once a week to sit in a field and talk about life.  A friend to walk to school with and a guy who breezes past us on his bike, sending an easy smile.  I already have a wonderful, beautiful trio.  Outside of that, I have other friends.  A friend who doesn’t live in the neighborhood but that I can call without hesitation, knowing she’ll pick up even if she’s in the shower, at dinner, with other people.  I have good, reliable people in my life.  I don’t need a boy next door, a boy a creek down best friend.  I have a boy a few streets up.  I have a girl a brisk walk close.  I have a girl a call away.

I have my parents, not lax enough to let me walk out the house without providing a heads up, not chill enough to let a boy in my room, not absent enough for me to do whatever I want.  True, I wish I had a few more freedoms, but… I should be content with my life.  I have so much.

And it hurts– to have to let go of my fantasy.  Of this dream I’ve clung onto for so long my knuckles have turned white, my nails have dug into the flesh of my palms, crusted over blood surrounding fresh pools.  Of this idea I’ve fallen in love with, head over heels, straight into a beautiful, soft lie.  An unattainable, unrealistic, unhealthy fantasy.  It’s not something I can get.  Wanting it will only continue to upset me.

And why should I be upset?  When I’m a few strides away from a field, from a small playground, from a bubble tea store, from school, from my friends.  I don’t have a creek, I don’t have a boy who can run the pacer without panting after, who only has a light smile I pretend is just for me on his face.  I have something real, somethings.  I have life.  My life.

I’ve come to this realization recently, that I can’t get what I’ve always wanted.  Maybe that’s why I keep clinging onto my youth, because I’m hoping to fulfill some pipedream.  There’s a lot of things in my life that have been affected by this unhealthy obsession.

It still hurts, like a breakup, a fresh wound.  Maybe the latter would be the better comparison– I’ve never been through a proper breakup.  Things that have felt like it, maybe.  But not a romantic one.

Oh wait.  Too late now, but before the boy a few streets up (or at the same time I became friends with him), there was another one.  The guy who texted, shared memes, called to study, manipulated, rejected on Valentine’s Day.  A story for another day, I suppose.  But you can bet that he was also ruined because of my dream.

It still hurts.  But I’m happier now– or at least on the path to get there.  Because I’ve pinned down a very big problem and am trying to put it behind.

[burning-up-ao3]

20 Penguins Thoughts: The timeless art of hating your friends

JASON MACKEY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette jmackey@post-gazette.com

 NOV 12, 2019

As if playing against his former team wasn’t enough, Dominik Kahun wrestled with another reality last week as the Penguins prepared to host the Chicago Blackhawks.

On the other bench would be Dominik Kubalik, Kahun’s good friend and former linemate. Born in Czech Republic towns located less than an hour from one another, Kahun and Kubalik grew close during their time with Chicago.

Now, Kahun knew it was time to flip that proverbial switch, turning Kubalik from friend to foe.

“It’s fun,” Kahun said of the inevitable reality of sharing the same slab of ice with a good friend. “You usually don’t see them often. You always talk to them a little bit during warmup. I’m excited.”

 Matt Vensel

Injured Sidney Crosby won't travel with Penguins on upcoming road trip

 What transpired Saturday was exactly what one might expect: There was some talk during a close game, a 3-2 Penguins shootout win, and Kahun and Kubalik, without anything overly noticeable, went their separate ways, their second and final meetup this season not until March.

While playing against a good friend never lacks for fun — ask Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury how those meetings have gone — they usually aren’t overly physical, the opposite of former football teammates occasionally trying to exact revenge.

Well, except for that one time …

2. It was Nick Bjugstad’s first full NHL season, in 2013-14. Early November game, in Washington, and the Florida Panthers would lose in a shootout.

But it wasn’t the result that Bjugstad remembers. During one particular post-whistle scrum, Bjugstad reached for the closest Capitals player he could find and put one of the league’s more talkative defensemen into a headlock.

Turns it out it was fellow Minnesota native Nate Schmidt.

“We didn’t know it was ... each other,” Bjugstad said. “So we both kind of got each other in a headlock. Then I realized it was Nate. He realized it was me. We just kind of laughed.”

 Matt Vensel

Penguins' power play looking for someone to create chaos

 Playing against good friends — Bjugstad has another in Maple Leafs defenseman Justin Holl, a fellow former Minnesota Gopher — might produce some funny moments, and these guys aren’t out to maim one another.

But Bjugstad said playing one of your buddies is hardly approached with a laissez-faire attitude.

“You want to have the bragging rights, so you don’t want to get beat in any way,” Bjugstad said. “It’s fun to get competitive.”

3. For Jake Guentzel, yet another Minnesota guy, his awkward, on-ice confrontation revolves around Brock Nelson, who’s from ... you guessed it.

Whenever the Penguins play the Islanders, things are bound to be a little more intense, with the on-ice chatter always a little more than usual.

“It was a weird time last year in the playoffs when we were going at it,” Guentzel said.

But back home in Da Beauty League, Minnesota’s terrific summer hockey outfit, any bad blood was quickly shoved aside, even if they had wanted to rip one another’s head off just a few months prior.

“It’s just a battle,” Guentzel said. “I think guys know it. It gets intense. After the game, it’s like nothing happened.”

4. There was a fun sidebar to this story that really didn’t fit anywhere else.

In the Penguins dressing room, Bjugstad and Jared McCann are almost always seated next to one another. They’re also good-natured, almost always available and great with offbeat topics such at this one.

After chatting with Bjugstad, I went next door and posed the same question to McCann, who surprisingly wasn’t much help at all.

“I don’t really have one specific story, no,” McCann said. “A lot of my buddies I grew up with don’t play hockey anymore. I’m not from Minnesota, where everybody plays hockey.”

McCann, who does a pretty good Minnesota accent, is from Stratford, Ontario, which is about two hours west of Toronto. McCann’s dad owned his own construction company and literally created a hockey rink in his backyard.

Also, it’s Canada. Can-a-da. Where hockey trails only eating, drinking and sleeping.

5. Anyway, McCann said his best friend on another team was probably James Reimer, formerly of the Florida Panthers and currently the backup in Carolina.

One small problem here, though: There’s very little trash talk that goes on between the two good friends — McCann actually stayed at Reimer’s house to watch his dog when the latter’s wife gave birth to their first child — because they like each other so much.

“Would I chirp him? No, he’s too nice,” McCann said with a laugh. “I would feel so bad if I did. He’s just such a genuinely good person. He’s never chirping or anything. He’s just an honest hockey player.”

6. Speaking of chirping, a few of the Penguins I talked to for this story flat-out stink at talking trash.

“I’m no good,” Marcus Pettersson said. “I just try to stay out of it.”

Added Bjugstad, “Usually when I start chirping, it backfires on me.”

Jack Johnson said playing a good buddy isn’t necessarily about talking trash for him. In fact, Johnson said he’s actually liable to take it a little easy on a good friend.

“You hit each other hard, but he doesn’t get the extra slash or cross-check,” Johnson said.

He also doesn’t get any phone calls or text messages, Johnson said. Both times they’ve met in the playoffs, Johnson and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby refused to talk to one another during the series.

“First time we talked was in the handshake line,” Johnson said.

7. My favorite anecdote from this story wasn’t directly related, unfortunately.

Bryan Rust was the first player I approached, knowing he and Islanders captain Anders Lee — a pair of Notre Dame products — are close.

That playoff series was especially awkward for them, although neither one runs around like an idiot. Just good, hard fun.

“In warmups you try and make eye contact,” Rust said. “You pass each other a puck and have a little bit of fun. On the ice you might say a few things to each other from bench-to-bench.

“I think everyone is pretty good at kind of drawing that fine line between having fun but still going out there and trying to win a game.”

The funny anecdote was this: Rust actually learns other languages to try and annoy players of different nationalities on the ice. Some serious respect there.

“I try and learn a few different languages to maybe say some inappropriate things to guys and catch them off-guard,” Rust said.

Caught me off-guard, too. Definitely didn’t see that one coming from Rust.

8. Moving on.

I’ve beaten this drum plenty before, and I also know it’s early. But at this rate, assuming this sort of stuff continues, I really hope Mike Sullivan gets some love for the Jack Adams Award.

This can be kind of a funky thing. Mike Babcock has never won it, and that, by itself, is absurd. But it tends to go to the guy who has helped his team author the best story or overcome the most odds. Barry Trotz with the Islanders last year was a perfect example.

Sullivan has done that this season. Almost every forward on their roster has been injured at one point or another, including Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist. They traded Phil Kessel. Oh, and Kris Letang is hurt, too.

Coming off that playoff loss to the Islanders, Sullivan has adjusted his system to apply more puck-pressure and change how the Penguins play.

If there’s been a better coaching performance around the NHL thus far, I haven’t seen it.

9. The power play should also be factored into Sullivan’s performance this season, but I’m not sure which way to take that.

Obviously it has been terrible, but I’m also fairly confident Sullivan isn’t coaching them to over-pass, over-think or flat-out botch their breakouts. If he is, they should definitely adjust that strategy.

As Sullivan said after Saturday’s game, it’s hardly been one thing. He also admitted his guys are pressing.

Here’s a borderline insane suggestion: While Crosby is out, how about taking Alex Galchenyuk and putting him in the right circle, where he often thrived with the Coyotes?

What’s the worst that could happen, they don’t score?

10. Rust had one of the more confounding starts to a season I had ever seen in 2018-19, when he scored just one goal in his first 29 games, then exploded for a hat trick when the puck followed him all night during a 6-3 loss at Chicago on Dec. 12, 2018.

What a difference a year makes.

In an interview before the season, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford had some interesting things to say about Rust and others who were a little too content with their success.

“Not that he played poorly, but he’s an example of a guy who I don’t think played at the level he was capable of a year ago,” Rutherford said. “That just gets to contentment. But he’s not the only guy. I’m not trying to single him out or pick on him.”

Rutherford went on to say that, “Bryan Rust was our best player at camp this year.”

After Rust was forced to hit the pause button on that when he was injured blocking a shot in the final preseason game, we’re seeing what Rutherford — and others — saw all through training camp.

11. With his third-period goal on Saturday, Rust extended his point streak to a career-high six games, where he’s scored a total of five goals. All of those since he returned from injury on Oct. 26.

“I guess things feel good,” Rust said with a smile. “I might know better than anyone else that things can turn just as quickly for the bad. I just have to keep plugging away here.”

I asked Rust to describe his approach coming into training camp and what has helped him rediscover his scoring touch.

“Just a fresh start,” Rust said. “Try to put everything in the past behind me. Obviously I felt really good through training camp. Felt great to start the year. Obviously an unfortunate injury with five minutes left in the last preseason game. Kept me out of some games there. I just kept working hard off the ice and kept wanting to play well.”

12. It’s no secret that the Penguins love Rust. Sure, he’s been big in playoffs games. Has scored a bunch of huge goals for the Penguins over the years. He has also played both wings well and has moved up and down the lineup with ease. Recently he’s been very good on Malkin’s wing.

Rust’s game — being hard on pucks and an all-around pain in the butt — has also meshed extremely well with the Penguins’ new identity.

“The biggest thing for me that Rusty has shown since Day 1 of training camp is just a sense of urgency and a certain hunger to his game,” Sullivan said. “When he plays his way, that’s when he’s at his best. I think he’s done that consistently game in and game out, day in and day out, even in practice.”

13. In that preseason interview, Rutherford also said he thought the addition of Brandon Tanev — another versatile and tenacious wing — would be good for Rust. Turns out that was probably right, too.

“We always talk with our players about being a next-effort team,” Sullivan said. “I think Rusty right now probably personifies next-effort play. He’s like a dog on a bone on the puck. He’s relentless.”

With some pretty solid scoring touch to boot.

14. Funny quote from Rust after Saturday’s win: “[Coming back from another deficit] shows a lot of character in this room, but we’re really not making it very easy on ourselves.”

The Penguins spotted their opponent three-goal leads on Monday and Thursday of last week. On Saturday, it was a 2-0 hole they had to erase.

Not exactly a recipe for success, but give the Penguins credit: They’ve found ways to win.

“We have a great group,” Sullivan said. “We’ve got good people. They’re buying in right now, and they’re playing hard for one another.

“I give our leadership a lot of credit. The guys in the room, our veteran guys, they’re leading the way there. And then some of our younger [guys] are bringing a certain level of enthusiasm.

“When you get that combination, for me, that’s a fun combination to be around. And we’ve had that a lot of this year.”

15. The impact of Malkin is absolutely noticeable.

I know it’s hardly a surprise, but similar to Rust, what happened to Malkin last season was hard to describe; at times it was like he suddenly forgot how to play hockey.

That’s in the past now.

I thought Sullivan captured this perfectly after Saturday’s game in talking about Malkin’s game, saying that they don’t want to stifle the star center’s playmaking ability, but they do need to compromise on some things.

“He’s buying in to how we’re trying to play,” Sullivan said. “He’s trying to play a more north-south game even though his instinct sometimes is to play east-west.

“We’re not trying to change Geno. That’s what makes him what he is. That’s what makes him unique. All we’re trying to do is we’re asking him to meet us halfway a little bit, and he’s done that. He’s done a great job since he’s been back.”

16. I thought Justin Schultz quietly bounced back very nicely during an eventful game Saturday night.

His ill-timed pinch, with zero support, led to the Blackhawks’ first goal. A Schultz shot attempt that never found the net inadvertently led to Chicago’s second goal.

But in overtime, Schultz made a terrific play to knock the puck away from Alex DeBrincat on a two-on-one.

It doesn’t show up on the scoresheet, but it was a huge play at the time.

17. Loved the pass by John Marino on Rust’s goal. Such poise for a young kid. Most players Marino’s age would’ve taken that shot, but he wisely took an extra second and found Rust all alone at the bottom of the left circle for a beautiful back-door goal.

“He’s just getting better with every game that he plays,” Sullivan said of Marino. “I think he’s getting more confident every game that he plays. That was a real nice play he made. Just the puck poise, the patience, the vision to see Rusty on the back side. It was just a terrific play.”

It’s pretty much impossible to think of the Penguins’ top-six on defense at this point without Marino. He has absolutely earned a regular spot in the lineup.

18. It’s noticeable that Galchenyuk is lacking confidence.

Three times in the first period Saturday, Galchenyuk had chances to put the Penguins ahead early. Three times, Galchenyuk could not beat Corey Crawford, including one nifty attempt between his legs.

Wrote about this some last week, but the Penguins need Galchenyuk to find it. It’s there, but he’s thinking entirely too much when the puck is on his stick.

19. Number of the week: Plus-12.

That’s McCann’s rating over the past five games, the best on the team. He also has two goals and six points during that stretch.

I’ll admit that I was a little surprised that Sullivan sent McCann out as his third shooter in the shootout, but McCann made his coach look smart by firing high over Crawford’s right shoulder for the shootout-deciding goal.

I’m not backing off my prediction that I think McCann will get 20 goals this season.

20. Non-hockey thought of the week:

I was saddened to learn last week the Wilson’s BBQ on the North Side burned down. Incredible place. My favorite to get BBQ in Pittsburgh. Their spicy sauce was nothing short of incredible.

I’m glad everyone is OK, but I’m also rooting for owner George Wilson Jr., hoping he’s able to build his business back up.

Pittsburgh is what it is because of awesome local businesses like Wilson’s and also Nancy B’s, where I went last week for my birthday. Another have-to-go recommendation.

Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.

[goarticletec-blog]

Avengers 4 trailer hype has you just where Marvel wants you

New Post has been published on https://www.articletec.com/avengers-4-trailer-hype-has-you-just-where-marvel-wants-you/

Avengers 4 trailer hype has you just where Marvel wants you

Rumor has it the long-awaited Avengers 4 trailer will hit this week, and Marvel fans are ready. They’ve been awaiting this trailer for months — possibly since credits rolled on Avengers: Infinity War back in April.

How ready are they? 

Several dozen people on Twitter have changed their handles to some version of “GIVE TRAILER UNTITLED AVENGERS.” Fans using the Twitter hashtag #MARVELVSTHEFANS have made multiple videos begging the Avengers 4 directors for the trailer. Fans on Reddit have shared, then deleted, moment-by-moment descriptions of what supposedly happens in the trailer, based on unofficial leaks. They’ve pored over the social media accounts of the film’s directors and stars, looking for clues to a trailer release date and a title.

Complicated theories about a trailer release date for the film have arisen based on past practices, planned events and possibly the waxing and waning of the moon. Expectations were high for the trailer to drop on Wednesday, Dec. 5. But on Tuesday, rumors began to spread that Marvel would wait until Friday to respect Wednesday’s solemn event, the state funeral of former US president George H.W. Bush. Marvel did not respond to a request for comment on whether this supposed schedule was accurate.

Trailer watchers have been burned before. Fans hoped Wednesday, Nov. 28 would be the big day. It was almost a year after the Avengers: Infinity War trailer came out, and the film’s directors, brothers Joe and Anthony Russo, were speaking that night in Hollywood at a screening of Infinity War sponsored by Collider.

But that date, and the Q&A, came and went with no trailer reveal.

Footage on demand

The first ever trailer was shown in a New York Loews cinema in way back in 1913, and it wasn’t even for a movie. Instead, it was a short film made to advertise the Broadway musical The Pleasure Seekers. But it was a brilliant hook: Tease entertainment seekers with a preview of another piece of entertainment they might enjoy. Naturally, the promotional films took off.

Star Wars and superhero films create the most intense demand for trailers.

Disney

Trailer hysteria isn’t new, but it’s certainly reached new heights, thanks to YouTube and social media, as well as the continued boom of sci-fi and superhero flicks. Studios have even managed to squeeze a little more publicity out of their trailers by offering super-short versions, often called teaser trailers.

Anton Volkov saw trailer love growing back in 2016, when he started a movie-news Twitter account and website he called Trailer Track. A wry quote from writer-director James Mangold that’s pinned to the top of the site’s Twitter account sums up the current trailer infatuation: “[Trailers] tend to debut a few weeks after you’ve reached a peak of frustration,” it reads. “Marketing’s like foreplay.”

“This sort of level of anticipation for marketing materials, be it trailers or posters, was always there,” Volkov says. “It’s just becoming … more mainstream.”

Constant intrigue

William Bibbiani is a film critic and co-host of Canceled Too Soon, a podcast about short-lived TV shows, and the movie podcast Critically Acclaimed. He agrees trailer madness goes back — at least decades. 

“Audiences were so excited for Tim Burton’s original Batman [in 1989] that many people bought tickets to another movie, just to see the trailer in a theater, and then left before the actual film began,” he said.

The trailer for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace created similar buzz 20 years ago. CNET film critic Richard Trenholm calls that era, with no Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube, a “veritable Stone Age” as far as viewing trailers. He notes that Steve Jobs described the second Phantom Menace trailer as “the biggest internet download event in history.”

Three major developments in the 2000s ratcheted up the hype, Bibbiani says. 

High-speed internet connections allow fans to consume trailers and marketing materials instantly and share their reactions just as quickly. The surge of successful superhero movies made “geeky blockbusters” the norm — who better than a self-proclaimed geek to dissect even the smallest movie detail? And the 24-hour online entertainment-news cycle has created a beast that’s always hungry.

“Fans of these properties are being kept in a state of constant intrigue, so that new trailers — or even the conspicuous absence of new trailers — become big events, even though they are, at their core, just commercials,” Bibbiani said.

Building the buzz

Marvel’s extreme level of secrecy about an Avengers 4 trailer is getting all the attention lately, but it’s not the norm.

In 2017, extended footage from Avengers: Infinity War was shown in summer at both San Diego Comic-Con and Disney fan gathering D23. Though that footage wasn’t shared on YouTube at the time, some of those fans revealed what they saw, and word spread.

But we’ve seen nothing for Avengers 4 besides a release date and basic plot synopsis.

“I think it’s quite clear that (Marvel executives) have spotted how much buzz and conversation the very lack of content and the secrecy generates,” Volkov said.

Even dedicated fans understand it’s all a part of Marvel’s business. Alex Rodriguez, 19, started a Twitter account this year called MCU Speculation to share news and theories about the studio.

“The hype and the tension builds up more and more for each day that the trailer doesn’t get released online,” Rodriguez said. “This makes for a huge launch for the trailer.”

Now playing: Watch this: Watch the ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ official trailer

2:17

Trailers still serve a purpose. Hard-core fans, the kind who wear costumes to midnight showings and buy day-one tickets well in advance, are going to see Avengers 4, preview or no preview. But a trailer can help sell a film to more general audiences.

“When a film like Avengers 4 comes in, there’s always at least one writer for a site making the argument that maybe that film can get away with not releasing a single trailer,” Volkov said. But he notes Marvel isn’t about to leave millions on the table by not marketing the film to pull in an even larger audience.

And studio dollar-signs aside, trailers create a social experience that can be just pure fun.

“The urge to share certain experiences simultaneously is often irresistible,” Bibbiani said. “And why wouldn’t it be? Who doesn’t love a good trailer, and who wouldn’t want to talk about it with their friends? Especially if it’s trending on Twitter?”

Spoilers!

There are ways to deliver the goods without driving fans to Thanos-size levels of insanity. Some studios and distributors make pretrailer announcements. Fox and Warner Brothers have even used a Facebook and YouTube feature that counts down to the arrival of an uploaded trailer. Volkov thinks this is a smart way to build anticipation for the movie while easing fan frustration.

Movies with dramatic events that are easily spoiled have to play trailers carefully, so plot twists aren’t ruined. Isn’t that right, Thanos?

Marvel

When a trailer finally does drop, its actual content sometimes has little to do with the film’s quality.

“We’ve all seen good films that weren’t well served by their promotional campaigns, and we’ve all seen disappointing films that looked pretty good in trailer form,” Bibbiani noted.  

An extreme example of this was 2016’s Suicide Squad, whose trailer was such a hit Warner Bros. actually brought in the company that cut the trailer to help edit the entire film. (It didn’t help: Suicide Squad ended up with mixed to negative critical reviews.)

But recent films at the center of the trailer storm have unanswered questions that make their trailers even more coveted — even though the previews themselves will have to walk a fine line or risk too many spoilers.

Drawing out the wait for a trailer only makes the desire for footage more intense.

“The upcoming trailers for Avengers 4 and Star Wars: Episode IX are bound to be huge pop culture events, because both previews will … answer questions that fans have been speculating about for months,” Bibbiani said. “What really happened after The Snap? And will (Episode IX director) J.J. Abrams continue down Rian Johnson’s controversial path from The Last Jedi, or will he make the next Star Wars movie more like his relatively safer Episode VII?”

The trailers are unlikely to tell us, but fans will watch them intently regardless. In 2018, anything released before a much anticipated movie, from a poster to an Instagram image, will be picked apart by viewers and entertainment sites hungry for clues. Apparently the cat in the recent poster for 2019’s Captain Marvel isn’t just a cat. And in September, the Russo brothers tossed out a Where’s Waldo?-style challenge, inviting fans to “look hard” at what appears to be a boring black-and-white image of an almost-empty Avengers 4 set.

Drawing out the wait for a trailer only makes the desire for footage more intense. The trailer for Avengers: Infinity War wasn’t released until four months after footage was shared at Comic-Con and D23, which gave fans more than 100 days to moan and complain online. Even Marvel Studios co-president Louis D’Esposito tried to soothe trailer-hungry fans by tweeting that he loved the IW trailer, but wasn’t ready to share it yet. When the trailer finally came out, however, fans made up for lost time. The original Infinity War trailer has been viewed more than 214 million times.

Start the countdown

Volkov says the anticipation for Avengers 4 is the biggest he’s seen for any film since starting his site in 2016. After that, he ranks Avengers: Infinity War, Justice League, and war movie Dunkirk as the most anticipated.

“It does just come down to superhero and Star Wars films being the biggest game in town in terms of general interest and box office today,” he said.

Once the Avengers 4 trailer finally drops, look for fans to start demanding the second trailer, Volkov says. And naturally, interest in Star Wars: Episode IX, due out in December 2019, will be galactically high.

Now playing: Watch this: ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ trailer debuts

2:01

But while the final film in the main Star Wars saga holds many mysteries, a trailer date might not be one of them.

“At least in the case of Episode 9, it’s fairly clear and obvious that (the trailer debut) has to be at Star Wars Celebration in April,” Volkov says.

You heard him, fans. Start the countdown. Only four months to go.

First published Dec. 4, 9 a.m. PT. Update, 9:29 p.m. PT: Adds likelihood that trailer won’t be released Wednesday, as rumored, due to the funeral of George H.W. Bush. 

CNET’s Holiday Gift Guide: The place to find the best tech gifts for 2018.

Everything we think we know about the Avengers sequel: Think Avengers: Infinity War was intense? Stay tuned for part two.

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[edonnalley]

Well folks, it’s been a long time since I’ve done a blog post. Ya know what? I kind of missed it. I was so engrossed in editing the book since I left Thailand and going through that arduous process I couldn’t possibly think of blogging.

But here we are, the book is finished and I can breathe again… whew. I thought it was time to write and fill you in on what’s been happening since I ended my traveling. First though, exciting news, my book is available on Amazon here. Woohooooo! If you’re interested in reading the more in depth story of my travels, check it out. It’s the cathartic, healing journey of a woman who went out into the world hoping to save herself, from herself. Where does she find wisdom and growth? What sort of bizarre situations does she find herself in? Is she safe? Is it scary? Hell yes it was scary. Who does she meet while roaming the globe alone? Ohhh you’ll have to read and find out.

Ok, ok, back to the blog.

It’s been an interesting transition, leaving the life of an expat in Asia and returning to America. My home country looks so different to me now. I’d read a few blogs before returning home warning how difficult it might be so that helped to mentally prepare me a bit. I think it made a difference that I was able to return when I really felt ready. I promised myself I wouldn’t return until I finished the content of the book and fortunately I was able to do that. Yay.

The other long-term travel bloggers were right though; it was a big adjustment returning home. I decided it might be a good idea to settle somewhere completely new and at the same time I was preparing for an upcoming road trip heading West to accept an award in Denver on behalf of my deceased grandmother—she was being inducted into the Colorado tennis hall of fame, who knew I was ‘tennis royalty’? haha—so I figured why not give Denver a shot? I rented a loft apartment, site unseen, having never been to Denver, and me and all the belongings I’d been storing in Florida made our way to the mile high city. That was January of 2017.

What a strange experience that was, opening my storage unit after nearly three years—let me tell ya—it was like a time capsule. Oh, and a moth colony had set up camp in my beautiful oriental rugs, sad, sad. Nature was telling me I wasn’t meant to take those rugs into my new life… long story. Aside from the rugs, luckily I’d saved all the perfect pieces of furniture to set me up in my new apartment, so I hardly needed anything. That was nice not to have to worry about buying new stuff. And you’d think maybe it’d be emotional to see all these old things from my old life but I’d done so much healing and growth, it didn’t hold the same sad feeling it might have once. Instead I was happy to see it all and grateful for the nostalgic value they held that I could now bring into my new life.

Aside from settling in Denver, I was feeling a calling to look into life coaching, a fairly new career path. Now that I’d returned from my big trip I felt it was imperative that I carry on with a more purpose driven path, so although I had a few opportunities to return to construction management, I resisted. It may sound strange, but I didn’t think I could just build things for the sake of building anymore. I’d been given this great gift of travel and all the healing experiences I was blessed to come across—they just couldn’t be for me, I had to share them with others—so this is how I came to life coaching and choosing to maintain intense focus on editing my book. How lucky I was that I chose the particular school I did and the course to attend in Atlanta, Georgia. I met some really amazing people that week that have turned out to be lasting connections.

A few months after moving into my Denver flat I had plans to visit my friend Vicky in London. In a last minute decision, I brought 3 mandalas I’d been working on… you guys remember my mandalas? While traveling they’d been only in my journal, but since returning from traveling I felt the need to get them on real art paper. Day 2 in London, I took a chance and popped into a gallery Vicky and I had gone to a few years before to see if, by chance, there was any interest in my mandala art… and there was! Amazingly, I’d stumbled upon, quite possibly, the only gallery in London where the owner, an anthropologist and artist, had been studying mandalas for 30 years! Synchronicity? Divine intelligence orchestrating a new path?

I’d learned while traveling that listening to my intuition and following it always sent me to pivotal new opportunities and it seemed this was continuing. We settled on a date for an exhibition and I spent the next 4 weeks feverishly drawing to make my goal of 12 mandalas for the launch date in late May.  Here are a few pictures 🙂

The mandala exhibition was great timing because I was in one of the many long periods of time when my publisher had my manuscript for editing and I was waiting, waiting, waiting, so I was happy to fill the space with mandalas. Mandalas are part of the book and I’d hoped someday I’d be able to spin it into some sort of art career, but I never thought the mandala art would come before the book.

Fast forward a few months and I was invited to be a speaker with one of my life-coaching classmates. She was giving a workshop on ‘Publishing Demystified’ and asked if I’d be on her panel of authors… I said yes! This set me up to be in the Atlanta area in October and the book would be finished by that time, so I started reaching out to my connections in NC, SC, GA and FL to see what I could stir up with my peeps in the way of other events to launch my book while getting to visit family and friends and connect with new people. And so it goes, I’m on a road trip—4 weeks now I’ve been on the road. My connections came through with flying colors helping to organize and collaborate and put together various events at wellness centers, tea shops, book stores, community centers and an art gallery coming up… It’s all been a big experiment but it’s been a huge success so far. I’m like a little pop-up bookstore/art gallery/road trippin’ nomad, crossing America.

I’m heading to Southwest Florida now and guess who’s joining me there? You’ll never guess… Siggy, my soul sister from traveling! You must remember the infamous Siggy. Let’s see, I first met her in India, then saw her again in France, Spain and Portugal, then again in her home country, Australia, then my home for a time, Thailand, and now she’s visiting me here. She arrives Thursday, yayyyyy!

Siggy and Eryn, India March 2014

If you happen to be in Southwest Florida come on out to one of our events graciously hosted by Cherelle Art Gallery, 4263 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs, Fl. 34134

Siggy will be there 🙂

Nov. 11th 11:30 – 2:00 Art Exhibition, Book Launch and Charity Auction

I’ll have my mandala exhibition, now back from London, which is also a part of my travel story. Myself and other local artists and authors will exhibit their work.

Nov. 12th from 2:00 to 4:00 Women and Girls Day Yoga and Art

Bring your mom or niece, sister, daughter or bestie for a short yoga session and then we’ll make vision boards. Set an intention and manifest it through art. It works. Free event.

Monday Nov. 13th 7:00 to 8:30 Mandalas and Wine.

Learn how to draw mandalas and just ‘be’ with us. Fun fun. Free event. Bring your favorite wine.Wednesday Nov. 15th 6:00 to 7:30 Eryn shares about her trip and her book Facing Freedom where she recounts her 28 months traveling as a solo female traveler. Join us for story share. Free event.

Hope to see my favorite Florida peeps ❤

Catching up—Where’s Eryn? Well folks, it’s been a long time since I’ve done a blog post. Ya know what? I kind of missed it.

[type2diabetestreatments-blog]

The Next Stage of Evolution in Diabetes Advocacy?

New Post has been published on http://type2diabetestreatment.net/diabetes-mellitus/the-next-stage-of-evolution-in-diabetes-advocacy/

The Next Stage of Evolution in Diabetes Advocacy?

OK, we're dubbing 2014 the Year of Diabetes Foot Soldier Advocacy.

Yup, you heard right: foot soldiers.

No, that's not some veiled reference to the fictional ninjutsu clan from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (well, maybe it is)... But it's the best way we know how to describe where our Diabetes Online Community seems to be going with our advocacy efforts -- beyond the virtual walls of the online universe to the actual, in-real-life world of local activities where more and more people with diabetes are able to hear our messages.

We've come a long way... it's been fascinating to watch our beloved DOC evolve through the years. From the primitive listservs and online forums back in the late 90s to the emergence of a whole universe of diabetes blogs and interactive online networks in recent years. And just in the past few years, the DOC has stepped into a stronger position, reaching industry decision-makers and regulators who are now paying more attention to our Patient Voices than ever before.

Now our community is also looking internally, to offer more teaching and mentorship opportunities, including scholarships that enable more PWDs to step into that sometimes-scary advocacy role, by paying their way to expensive diabetes conferences so they can represent the wider D-audience and help us all learn how to best raise our voices for the most impact.

Just this week, the non-profit Diabetes Hands Foundation announced it's awarding 16 scholarships to patient advocates in the D-Community, in order for them to attend one of three of the upcoming D-conferences this summer -- one of which will feature a new "Masterlab" aimed at creating a formula for successful diabetes advocacy in the future.

It's a way to get more of us to these conferences to learn about advocating, and it's sign of the times, we think!

The MasterLab: D-Advocacy 101

As we head into the busy summer season sprinkled with diabetes conferences, the CWD Friends For Life Conference happening this July in Orlando, FL, will be home to the first-ever day-long "Masterlab" hosted by DHF on the event's opening day. Attendees will learn about multiple issues and get tips to become better advocates in their own communities, online or offline.

Speakers include well-known names in the advocacy game: Paul Madden, Mike Swearingen, Rebecca Killion, Kelly Close, Kerri Sparling, Moira McCarthy, and many other diabetes experts and a variety of government affairs folk from device and pharmaceutical companies. The topics will range from policy and regulatory issues, to what advocacy looks like now and how we can improve, and an overview of how patients can be effective in the policy landscape. DHF co-founder and president Manny Hernandez says the plan is to offer hands-on practice and role-playing, to borrow a page from the HIV/AIDS advocacy playbook in creating an advocacy model, and ultimately to develop a Diabetes Advocacy Roadmap.

"The Masterlab is about building a sense of what is possible. It's a chance to learn from veteran advocates for other health issues. It's about creating a formula for successful diabetes advocacy in the future," he says. "We will be recording the whole event and will be sharing it with the broader community following the event (we wanted to stream it, but it was too expensive). Part of the hope is to broaden the level of participation in advocacy within the community as a whole."

In prepping for FFL and the Masterlab, Manny says his team has just finished the first phase of developing an actual Diabetes Advocacy Roadmap. That's led to many realizations on how the DOC can work together even better internally and with other advocacy groups leading the way outside of the diabetes universe. The plan for the next two months is to distill that information and recommendations into an improved Roadmap and establish a timeline, before sharing the plan with the broader community in July.

Six of the scholarships announced Tuesday are for the Masterlab, so you'll likely be able to follow those D-Advocates online (among others) to get the scoop on the Masterlab as it's happening at FFL.

(If you're interested in attending just the Masterlab on July 2, you can register and get more details here.)

Successful Advocacy in Action

The Masterlab is all about is advocacy in action, and making it possible for more PWDs to learn what needs to be done and carry that into their own physical worlds. In the past, it's always been the big groups like JDRF or ADA asking us to "advocate" by taking some specific action with a particular message in mind. Now, thanks in large part to the DOC, it's a lot more patient-driven than it used to be.

Look at some of the campaigns like StripSafely and Spare A Rose, Save a Child where community members have come together to beat the drum issues important to them, and spread awareness.

The Big Blue Test movement (that huge "test-in" that teaches us about the impact of exercise while raising money for people with diabetes in Third World countries) has gained steam through the years, rippling into local community meetups and awareness initiatives beyond just lighting landmarks up in blue on World Diabetes Day each Nov. 14.

The community has been hammering a point recently about expanding coverage of diabetes devices like insulin pumps and CGMs, especially when it comes to Medicare competitive-bidding and specific state budgets. We saw the birth of a letter-writing and social media campaign that led clearly to a victory in convincing Arizona's government leaders to include insulin pumps in its state budget. Effective advocacy, at its best!

Those are just a few examples...

"First and foremost, advocacy is about connecting peers. The better we connect, the more people with diabetes are empowered and hopefully the each PWD's life is better. Policy advocacy is a side effect of peer connection, a good side effect," says D-Dad and type 2 advocate Bennet Dunlap, who blogs at YDMV and is a co-creator of the StripSafely movement that began last year and has led to regulatory discussions with the FDA about test strip and meter accuracy.

Really, we don't have to look much beyond StripSafely to see the impact our community's already making.

This initiative has sparked continued, direct dialogue with the FDA, including a live online chat earlier in the year, and that's all helped raise awareness in the D-Community and draw more comments on the FDA's draft guidelines for better accuracy.

(Important Note: The deadline to submit comments is actually today, so make sure to let the regulators know what you think before the day ends!)

Bennet says that in creating StripSafely in mid-2013, he took guidance from the initial Spare A Rose, Save a Child campaign that came together earlier last year as a way to raise money for the International Diabetes Federation's Life For a Child program. Those kinds of efforts -- along with others in the DOC like the video-support initiative known as the You Can Do This Project; Diabetes Advocates collaboration on raising patient voices on issues like media awareness and mental health; and our own Innovation Summits here at the 'Mine -- are what Bennet sees as part of a broader trend.

"I hope is that is all a part of a cycle," he tells us. "Look at the community response to the open FDA meter dockets. That is all of us. As a direct result of the DiabetesMine Innovation Summit, the DOC connected with FDA and that lead to a live webinar. More than 400 people registered for that, and FDA was thrilled. What's important is that collaboration has resulted something like 350 comments to the docket. That is very exciting, and a sign that we can reach tipping points on policy issues, as well. We need to keep supporting each other, sharing resources rather than recreating them. In the policy area, that means we can make gains by supporting issues led by ADA, JDRF and others. Where there are issues that lack leadership, we can find exclusive ways to help each other."

What's the most important part of all this? Most definitely, it's the mantra that everyone has a voice, and you don't have to be a part of huge movements or have shiny collateral to effectively advocate.

We at the 'Mine are more than delighted to see our community's collective voice being heard! And we love the notion of spreading the word beyond the WWW via "foot soldiers" who can carry the message on to more and more patients who may not yet be "plugged in." Cowabunga!

Or, you might say that like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: as D-Advocates, we're going to raise some shell!

Disclaimer: Content created by the Diabetes Mine team. For more details click here.

Disclaimer

This content is created for Diabetes Mine, a consumer health blog focused on the diabetes community. The content is not medically reviewed and doesn't adhere to Healthline's editorial guidelines. For more information about Healthline's partnership with Diabetes Mine, please click here.

Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Type 2 Diabetes Diet Diabetes Destroyer Reviews Original Article