#i cant get over the fact that 2015 is 8 years ago

[pvppyjawn]

[v-le]

Kmusic: My artists in 4 months

Foreword: PHEW this one took a while.... but I have really had so much on my mind lately that i knew i just HAD to churn this one out asap... I also would’ve tried to include videos rather than images but it’s a pain in the butt... I guess my vids will be top secret for now hehe. But really. a true blessing, these 4 months. Ah, I still really cant believe it..

--

If you were to ask me how I felt about my first semester at Yonsei and simply the past 4 months in Korea, from August 21st to December 23rd, I would probably just emphasize how grateful I am. But to narrow down this deep affection for all the happenings, I would have to do so in a music context. It is such a fascinating and seemingly mundane thing to go on about: Why does my music mean what it means to me to this day? How have those values shaped my experiences in Korea so far? What does it mean for me going forward? These are questions I want to ask myself, reflect upon, and continue to explore as I await to begin another journey in Korea once again.

If I rewind to when I first started listening to Korean music, it would be when I was… I don’t even know. I was exposed to it since I was about 7 or 8 years old, when my sister was sucked into the very beginnings of OG K-pop: Wonder Girls, Big Bang, 2NE1, Super Junior, SNSD, SHINee, you name ‘em all. I’ve talked about this a lot, but during those days I was never particularly interested in that side of music. It didn’t make much sense to me and it just sounded mreh. But after several years of this exposure, I fell into my own K-pop obsession-hole starting with LEDApple, a very unassuming, catchy-music-making band. I was in it for the music. At first.

Okay, now fast forward past my kpop era: you can read all about it in my very extensive post from about a year ago here. But yes, lets leave that chunk of my life behind and think about where I stand from a “music maturation” perspective. Right here. Right now.

I cannot pinpoint the exact moment or day or time in which I fell into the “deeper” side of Korean music. I am pretty certain that it simply occurred naturally, gradually. What I know for a fact is that I owe so much of myself to my music. At any given point in my life thus far, my music has defined a large portion of my identity: it really does mean a lot to me. I am constantly listening to music. To narrow this down into my current self’s context, my music mostly consists of Roy Kim, Sam Kim, DAY6, Kim Feel, Fromm, Jung Sewoon, Eddy Kim, Kwon Jin Ah, and many many many others.

These artists, the music that they make, is not K-pop. It never will be. I don’t care what those stupid Spotify playlists call some of the songs from these musicians, but they are not and never will be K-pop. (At most DAY6 could come closest to fitting). My discovery of each and every one of these artists varies from person to person of course, but most of my sentiments remain the same all throughout. I would give my everything for these people. But I want to make it very very very clear: it is not necessarily these PEOPLE, these faces, these appearances, these artists themselves that I am oh-so enthusiastic about. It is their voice & music. That is honestly all it really comes down to at the end of day. It is and has always been about the music.

I owe my deep appreciation for my music to several various factors ranging from emotionally & mentally detached parents & family, my somewhat introverted personality, and my incessantly over-analytical mindset. However, what exactly constitutes this deep appreciation is what I want to explore. A certain fact is that I hated high school. As I grew up through the ages of 13 to 17, I completely despised the American public education system that was high school. Without getting into the complex details about my community that was the heart of Silicon Valley and the various cultural pushes, I just have to say that high school felt like a sort of mental torture for me.

And during all those times, when I needed it the most, when I felt so completely lost, when I felt like no one would listen to me, nothing could console my distressed heart and mind, I always fell back to many of those artists listed above. Particularly to Roy and Sam. I owe them SO MUCH. They literally changed my life.

Home. 영원한 건 없지만. Your Song. These three songs, my life songs. Their lyrics literally saved my life. They mean everything to me. Without these songs from Roy & Sam, I would not be where I am today.

All my artists that I mentioned make their own music. They write, compose, produce, everything. They are the true masters of their voices (see, not K-pop). And so, when I listen to them, when I absorb their voices & melodies, I can sometimes really feel their sincerity, their yearning. I am so thankful for what they have produced for this world and for my ears to hear. However, within the past 4 months, I got to see, know, understand, and FEEL these artists on a whole new level.

In chronological order, here is a list of the artists I saw live &/or in person during my time in Korea thus far:

08/31 Roy Kim & Son Seungyeon @ Picnic Concert

09/01 Monogram, Baek Yerin, Kwak Jineon, Paul Kim, Bol4, Crush, Urban Zakapa @ Someday Festival (Day 1)

09/02 Fromm, Jo Hyunah, Jung Sewoon, Roy Kim, Yong Junhyung & Yang Yoseob, K. Will @ Someday Festival (Day 2)

09/08 DAY6 @ You Made My Day Fanmeeting

09/20 Roy Kim @ SNU Fall Festival

11/02 Roy Kim & Kim Haon @ Daellim Univ. Halloween Festival

11/04 Nam Woohyun (& Jang Dongwoo, Kim Sunggyu, Lee Sungyeol) @ 식목일 (Day 3)

11/10 Fromm @ Seoul Music Forum Mini Concert & Free Fansigning

11/11 Eddy Kim @ Miles Apart Album Fansigning

11/22 Sam Kim @ "Sun And Moon" 1st Album Release Showcase

12/01 Sam Kim @ "Sun And Moon" 1st Album Fansigning

12/09 Fromm @ "Midnight Candy" Mini Album Release Concert

12/16 Roy Kim @ ROchestra Live Tour 2018 (Seoul Day 2)

12/21 Sam Kim @ Lotte Tower World Park Christmas Busking

12/22 DAY6 @ "The Present" Christmas Special Concert (Day 1)

Breakdown:

Free: 5 events

Paid Tix: 6 events

Album Purchase & Application: 4 events

🌹 Roy Kim: 5 times

🌚 Sam Kim: 3 times

🌓 Fromm: 3 times

🎸 DAY6: 2 times

As an avid fan of many of these artists for YEARS, like Infinite for 8 years, Roy for 5, Sam since his debut in Apr. 2016, DAY6 since their debut in Sept. 2015, Fromm for over 4 years, Eddy for over 5 years, etc etc. I NEVER thought I would actually get to see or hear these people live. Okay, granted I saw DAY6 live back in Oct. 2017 as well as Sam & the entire Antenna fam in Sept. 2017, both in LA. But doing 3 fansignings????? Meeting and talking with Fromm, Eddy Kim, AND Sam Kim???? Seeing Roy FIVE TIMES??????????? Three times for FREE, once at a festival, and then even being able to go his end-of-the-year solo concert???????? Y’all…. It was literally a dream come true. A stroke of luck tenfold. Twelvefold. I saw at least one treasured artist a total of fifteen times. Whether it was at a college busking event, the Someday music festival, a fansigning, a fanmeeting, or even a solo concert. I was somehow there.

Seeing Roy live was something I thought I would never ever ever in my lifetime get to do. As I explained in my 1st semester wrap-up post found here, Roy’s situation with school made my hopes seem very bleak from the get-go. But still, my luck persisted 5 times throughout. I almost, nearly, COMPLETELY failed to acquire a ticket for his ROchestra solo concert, Seoul Day 2 show. It was probably the most energy-draining, stressful, painful and TERRIBLE ticketing experience I have ever experienced. And trust me, I’ve done lots of ticketing before (unfortunately). But after 1 hour of staying glued to that PC bang computer screen, I managed. And I went. And maybe I’ll have to do a separate post for it, but Roy Kim’s concert on December 16th, 2018, was the best concert I have ever been to in my life. Easily. It was so breath-taking.

But yes, enough with Roy. Fromm is my ultimate indie goddess and she has a charm that is so indescribably perfect. She decided to release a mini album over a year since her last one, in the middle of November while I was there and I wanted to DIE. It was suchhhhh a solid release, and I even got to attend a free fansigning with her as well for her solo concert for the album release. I LOVE her cheeky personality so much. And she really is just sooooo kind. I couldn’t have much of a conversation with her due to the time constraint, but I at least got to snap a quick selfie heh (which i wont exposed bc privacy ya feel??). Her solo concert was gorgeous in every single way; I honestly would be willing to pay any price to go to it again in a heartbeat. Even though it was for her “Midnight Candy” album release, it was basically a Fromm discography concert because she sang EVERYTHING and I was THIS close to wanting to cry because I just felt so grateful & happy in those moments. I love her I really do. Ah, also, 2 out of the 3 times I saw her, I wrote to her & posted on Instagram and she liked both posts for me :”).

Sam…. My luck with Sam was out of this world honestly…. I still get goosebumps thinking about how blessed I was to see Sam 3 times, 2 times in very special instances. First off. He announced the release of his FIRST FULL album after a TWO YEAR & A HALF HIATUS. Y’all. This boy hadn’t released anything for 2.5 entire years since his debut and then suddenly WHAM he does it. Somehow right when I was in Korea. AH… I still….. I’m still screaming inside. I screamed aloud in my room for a good 5 minutes straight when I first saw the news, and yes, to this day I am still screaming. His three pre-release tracks were GORGEOUS & Sun And Moon, track 1, literally brought me to tears without even trying. I had been missing his voice and presence for so long…

And then, for the full album release, Antenna announced a post in which if you pre-order his album when it comes out & email the Antenna staff with the receipt showing proof, you will be put in a drawing to attend his live showcase on the night of its release. OHMYGOSH. I knew I had to do it. I struggled a little bit & even felt like I was doing everything so untimely, but I am SO blessed that I really was able to order & pay for it, shoot Antenna an email real quick, and then nervously await my results for like a week. That one Friday the results were to be emailed out, I remembering feeling extremely anxious all throughout the day. I desperately wanted to go…. And at 6:00PM…. I got the email!!!!! I was literally shaking, hands & knees trembling and everything. I actually got invited to the ‘Sun And Moon’ 1st Album Showcase!!! Y’all!!! It was so amazing. It was the night before I had to leave to Taiwan early in the morning so it was quite stressful, but still!!!!! I felt so honored to be there that night: the venue was extremely intimate and Sam was soooososoooo gooooddd and the tracks he sang were sooo beautiful and just… everything about it was like a dream. I was truly blessed.

A week later…. Antenna announced Sam’s first FANSIGNING & once again I was overwhelmed with this “OMG I WANT TO GO, but how, should I really, but what about….??”. It was a physical album-purchase-based application process which means I had to go to this specific bookstore in Gangnam, buy x-amount of albums, and based on that amount, my name will be put into a drawing that many times. Very basic fansigning grounds. I already pre-ordered his album for the showcase, so I honestly didn’t really need another one… but I decided to test my luck & just purchase 1 measly album & see if that ONE album will help me get chosen. And o boy. I GOT IN :”)). When I saw my name on that list in the official fancafe post, I couldn’t believe it….

On the day of the fansigning which was happening inside a mall, starting at a certain time I was able to walk in and choose a random number from 1-100 and since I arrived early, I got to choose pretty early as well. When I saw my number I literally gasped aloud: #7. I know it’s a corny & cliché favorite number but only bc infinite ok. Being #7 meant that I literally say FRONT & CENTER of the stage…not even stage. There wasn’t a stage... it was just an open area. My turn came around very quickly because I was early and let’s just say I was a fking mess, repeating thank you over and over & literally, incessantly telling him how thankful I am for his music and how grateful that after all that time he took to came back, he came right when I was in Korea and how I was at Antenna in LA & his showcase too and thank you thank you, yadda yadda. Yeah…..I suck at these things I really do. Then, at the end of it all, he took a picture with the crowd of fans and ended up sitting RIGHT NEXT TO ME LMAOOOOOOO. Okay here is a picture of maybe my biggest life accomplishment??? jk but no rly LOL.

look ma, i made it :”)

But really, the fact that I actually got to talk to Sam & just try to relay all my thanks that I have been owing to him for many years… wow… I’m still in shock and I am just so eternally thankful. I used to think to myself “damn, I wish I could talk to Sam one day” and damn…. I really did do it…

Eddy Kim was also another meeting that I could have only dreamed of before coming to Korea… His last release was 4 goddamn years ago oh my gosh��� This fansign application was not a random drawing like Sam’s but just a “buy his album at this bookstore & u get in” sort of thing. To be honest I could blatantly tell that Eddy’s popularity is definitely not as comparable to the other artists that I cherish & I was quite shocked by this revelation. I knew for sure in America, who the hell would ever know him. But even in Korea, he seemed… just really not that well-known, especially from a music perspective. It was interesting and even a little disheartening to see. He was very kind & cutely impressed with my Korean skills and we literally just talked in a bunch of Konglish & once again I just kept repeating how thankful I was for his music in my life. How I waited for so long and his release literally matched up with my time there as well. Even though I never got to hear Eddy sing live, I am more than happy with the fact that I simply got to chat with him & relay my heart as best as possible.

After doing 3 full fansignings I have fully realized that as grateful for the opportunities I am, they are so difficult and stressful… To be given such a short amount of time to spill out my heart is essentially impossible for me LOL. I’d rather much LOVE to just to sit down with these artists not to fangirl or cry, but to have a real, genuine conversation about their music and why it holds so much sentiment for me. I would love to ask questions about their music and I would love to share with them how much it means me & why I am so thankful at the end of the day. That’s what I really wish I could do. Because even as I hurriedly expressed my countless thanks and probably sounded like a hot mess, I feel like I still just came off as a surface-level fan saying their thanks. But noo! In reality, I just wanted to relay how much their music means to me (I literally just typed this wow repetition is gr8). Which I feel like I really couldn’t do properly… I couldn’t get my heart across all the way ☹ but it’s okay because as I’ve been repeating, I am infinitely thankful nonetheless.

My first DAY6 event, their 3rd year anniversary 1st fanmeeting, was a bit of a flop for me simply because they talked wayyyyy to much & played stupid games & everything… and it was cute, but not what I was there for. I kinda wished I heard more of them singing, but it’s okay. In no way am I undermining this monumental day because I know it meant a lot to the boys & fans collectively. Jae could not participate due to health reasons & it definitely put a huge damper on the entire atmosphere, but the members tried their best and the entire audience even consistently sang aloud all of Jae’s parts during the songs when his voice was not there. They also sang a never-before-released track with Jae and they all just cried a bunch and me, sitting there, watching those light-wrist-band-thingies glow & beam & shine in-sync with the music, all sorts of colors, in a massive wave of lights & fanchants & music sewn together… wow it was honestly stunning & one of the most awesome spectacles I’ve ever experienced. Korean fans are really something else….

Speaking of which, attending 15 events during my 4 months there taught me many things about Korean concerts & fans that I find so extremely fascinating.

For most concerts, whether they are super hype-y & K-pop-y or a ballad one with minimal need for movement, when there are seats, fans with stay seated for the most part. In America, I feel like all fans tend to automatically stand (for basically all K-pop acts) regardless of the seating. But in Korea, at my experiences with DAY6 in particular (I also have heard that BTS in Seoul was the same), fans stayed sitting basically all throughout. The most like bodily movements they require would be the waving of their lightsticks. It was honestly pretty refreshing to see a generally calm & collected audience, at least where there was seating.

The fanchants are out of this world !!!!! Especially for the 2 times I saw DAY6, the fans were so on point with their fanchants: they were loud and clear and crisp AND THEY MATCHED WITH THE LIGHTS ON THEIR WRISTBANDS AND EVERYTHING wow was that so cool to see… The fans are super in unison & it honestly adds such a new level of energy to the experience.

SINGING !! Of course, since all these fans are Korean, they can actually sing all of these songs at concerts, unparalleled to international fans lol. One really cool moment at DAY6 that I will probably remember forever simply because this song is gorgeous & means a lot to me… but at day 1 of DAY6’s ‘The Present’ xmas concert series, Wonpil said “We’ve been on world tour for a while now and I’ve been wanting to try this out… if I play this song, can you sing for me?” and of course we all unconditionally said yes. And he started to play 그렇더라고요 on the keyboard & the ENTIRE AUDIENCE caught on immediately & we all sang the entire intro & first verse together in unison, as loud as we could, as the members joined in one by one w/ their own instruments, just watching us as we SANG FOR THEM. It was so cute & we even did it again with 장난 아닌데. This sort of stuff…. Wow…. Can only really happen at a domestic concert, which was honestly so so so beautiful. I LOVED IT!!!

No crazy, constant screaming during every part of the performance. Fans in Korea honestly only scream when necessary… ya feel? Sometimes at concerts, I feel like fans are just screaming at the top of the lungs the entire time, during every second of a song. But Korean fans chant when there is a chant, and cheer & scream when it really fits the situation. I really liked this more toned-down atmosphere from the Korean audiences.

I think that’s all I can really narrow down from my various experiences at Korean concerts compared to the ones in America… It really is quite different though, and I feel so honored to have witnessed this comparison countless times. I am really just honored to be there at those moments in general.

Which brings back around to this… upgraded level of connection towards my artists. After seeing so many of them in person and more than once for that matter, when listening to their music now… something definitely sounds different. When I listened to these artists before I saw them right in front of my eyes, their real, authentic voices blasting into my ears, I still felt moved, I still felt goosebumps, choked up, a bulging affection sometimes. And not that I have lost those feelings, no, definitely not. Now… now, when I listen to these artists through my earbuds or through my laptop… I can literally hear them in my ear. Does that even make sense? Well, duh… of course I can hear them. But like… it’s like… I can hear them on a much more intimate level than ever before. Now, I can really imagine & sense these voices in my head. I can pick up the sound of their breaths, picture their expressions, and really just HEAR their voices as if they were physically singing into my ear right there in that moment, in person. It’s such a peculiar and special and unique feeling that is honestly so hard to describe with just words…

But to be honest like… to this day I still cannot wrap my head around everything. I can barely count and keep track of all the artists I saw and when I saw them and what they sang. I feel like SO MUCH happened that my mind can barely grasp it all, as much as it wants to do so so badly… I still can barely comprehend it… years ago I would cry to Sam Kim, ponder how amazing he would be live… and then literally somehow, he sang two songs like 7 feet in front of me, and even sat right next to me. I thought Fromm was a goddess from another world: but I somehow got to talk to her & even take a selfie?? What?? I thought the world would never let me see Roy who always has his school life to manage as well…. But I got to see him live 5 times?? And even go to his solo concert?? WHAT??????? HOW????????? YOU GUYS, I could honestly go on and on and on because it still all feels like a dream…

In particular with Roy Kim… I say this to myself all the time, the irony is just… wow. Who would’ve known that after years of watching countless fancams, effortlessly memorizing his scarce yet existent fanchants, also memorizing set-lists without even trying, becoming all-too-familiar with things like the way he talks, addresses the crowd, sings specific songs, even all the way down to the way he does adlibs for certain songs… I unknowingly picked up & knew these performance aspects SO WELL through pure admiration, enthusiasm and just LOVE for every song he sings. And who would’ve known, that years later, I would have my very own fancams to cry over. After years of literally watching almost EVERY fancam of him on youtube, at all the various events he performed at, some years more frequently than others, today I can proudly say that I have my very own fancams of him, too. Ohmygosh, it’s still so hard for me to believe…

It really just….. *breathes deeply & tries to recollect self for the 24980164th time*…. It just goes to show… No, okay I don’t really know what it goes to show… But one thing is a fact: loving, cherishing, being thankful for, dedicating so much of my emotional & mental strength towards these seemingly-no-one artists has paid off tenfold. No, billionfold. I don’t even know. I just…. I just never thought I could do and see and hear and experience the things that I did. Never. These people…. These people have given me so much, and although I tucked them deep into the folds of my heart for years, I never thought I could truly open up these treasured feelings one day & TRULY support them with my very own eyes & ears & heart. IN person. I am just so so so blessed. So thankful. Really. Always.

Now, it’s time to bring myself to reality & to think about what this means for me going forward. I don’t want to believe in my passion for my music as a phase: Infinite & all things K-pop wasn’t simply a phase for me. It literally was a maturation, a self-realization, a loss of support for the things I never really knew or understood until time started to pass. I don’t think I grew out of K-pop. I think I simply grew with K-pop & got to understand more about it. And with that understanding came a change of heart. Which is literally the title of my post from years ago: “why I fell out of love with K-pop”. It’s not just “Oh, I am older now. So, I don’t want to like this seemingly childish stuff”. No, it was never about K-pop’s image or whatever. I can’t emphasize more, but it always comes down to the music for me.

Infinite has been and is a piece of my life that I will never forget. A piece of my life that has literally brought me to where I am today. I sit here, with my experiences and knowledge and feelings, in part, due to Infinite. I can guarantee anyone that much. And so, no, they really weren’t just a phase. Things change, people grow older, time flows. That’s just how it works. Does my heart ache over old K-pop like every day? Hell yeah it does LOL. But there’s nothing I can do about it. I can only thank old & 2nd-gen K-pop for the amazing memories that it has given me.

And so, with my music and my artists today, is this all a phase? Will I stop being as enthusiastic years later, like I did with Infinite? You see, with Infinite, I was always apprehensive. At the age of 12, I KNEW that time would eventually take its toll & my blatant love would not necessarily transcend the years that will drag on in the future. But that never made my appreciation for them dim: it only grew stronger as the days went by. I think I am always apprehensive. I think I always fear losing the feelings that I feel with great passion & love at this moment in time. Just as Roy says, 영원한 건 없지만. Nothing lasts forever (but...). I literally think about this all the time. It is such an important concept to me, and it is how I motivate myself to be thankful for everything and everyone and to just take things one step at a time. And so, to really answer my question: is this all just a phase?

I really, honestly, hope… No, I just think not. I really do not think so. At the age of say, 24, five years from now, will I still be loving Roy & Sam & DAY6 & Fromm & everyone else? I really honestly hope so. For as long as they can make music, I can keep loving them, right? Just as Infinite has done since I was 11, 8 years ago, up until today, I firmly believe that my artists can continue this long-lasting impression on my life. They instill a sort of magic & sentiment in my life that almost nothing else in this world can do for me. And for that, I will stay grateful for & only hope for the best.

Roy is currently back in school right now, finishing up his last semester before he finally gets to graduate! I am excited and proud and a bit sad all at the same time. But honestly, it really just comes down to the humanness of these people. When I first saw Infinite back in 2013 as a lil 14 year-old, I guess you could say I was starstruck. I was like “that’s them??!?? Those dudes ive spent countless hours watching through the computer screen?????? THEY ARE RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF ME?”. I had similar thoughts at the LA K-pop Festival in Apr. 2014 when I saw many many many of the big, og k-pop groups at that time. It was hard to believe that these people are real. I would say that my experience with the “With Antenna” in LA concert back in Sept. 2017 made me come to this important realization. That was the first concert where I actually spent the entire time sitting down and just listening. Listening to these wonderful musicians playing their instruments & singing gorgeous songs & just absorbing all that godly magic in the air at that place in time.

I really got to feel how human artists are at the end of the day. K-pop is always built up to be this larger-than-life dynamic, but real artists… No, they’re so much more different. They are simply people, like you and me, with a passion for their music & they wish to share that passion with the rest of the world. That’s it. The sincerity & genuineness that goes into my artists’ music can literally be felt from all the way across the world, just through a few audio snippets, fancams, and grainy Instagram videos. And that is seriously so beautiful. They are so amazing at what they do, they truly are.

Roy’s last two songs from 2018 were purely love song ballads, and I am not complaining or anything. As solid and classic as these tracks were, I still miss that acoustic, healing tone from him. Before he left for school again, he mentioned several times that he wants to come back with music that will console listeners. I was honestly so genuinely happy to hear this. He knows, he honestly, really does. He has even said it before, but he knows that his music can literally lift people back up from the dead. He wants to do that for them. For you and me, who struggle in life when the going gets rough, he wants to be of some sort of help, no matter how minuscule. He knows, he really does. And that is just so beautiful. I am so proud of him & I can’t wait to see what he will have in store for us in the coming months (after his grad, that is).

To all my artists that made these 4 months feel like a literal dream: Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. Sincerely. Thank you. Always.

늘 고마워요.

[oil-tears]

~✩ Tag Game ✩~

Rules: answer 20 questions and then tag 20 followers or people you wanna get to know better!

tagged by the lovely @fuckcaptchas 💕 (thank uuuu)

Name: stephanie ♡ 

Nicknames: i think my only nicknames are steph & mom <:3c sometimes pals refer to me as shou?? and my brother calls me "sister-chan" but yeah more often than not its just steph

Height: 4'6" i am a Baby

Sexual Orientation: demi-pansexual!!! 💖💛💙 with a preference for girls ^^;

Nationality: greek 🇬🇷

Favorite Fruit: bananas & cantaloupe

Favorite Season: fall cause u can layer ur clothes and look super cute and wear blankies but its not took cold yet (im so weak to cold)

Favorite Plant: NOOOOO this question is MEAN i love all plants T T;;; but... i especially love hydrangeas, carnations, babys breath, and cacti/succulents

Favorite Scent: vanilla or coconut?? idk when it comes to like,, bathroom products? like soap or shampoo i always go for sweet food smells :3c ;;; melon is also really fresh and delightful

Favorite Colors: PINK 💕💕💕 anything pastel, and black

Favorite Animal: CATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tea, Coffee or Hot Cocoa: hot cocoa for sure!!!!!! i dont like tea or coffee :o

Average Hours of Sleep: uuuum out of school probably around 8? anywhere from 6 - 10 hours depending on how invested in a fic i get OR if my cat is extra affectionate and we fall asleep together after pets (around midnight) TvT♡ BUT in school... during school....... like... 5 (and i DIE)

Dogs or Cats: cats! nya!! doggies are very good too! but im 100% a cat person i love kitties so much aaaaaaaa

Favorite Fictional Characters: hhhhhHHHHH in no specific order... shou suzuki!!!!!! ❤️💦 genos & saitama, kamina, simon & kittan (gurren lagann), princess peach!!, finn & fern (adventure time), reigen (mp100) and recently ive had an absolutely dire crush on zero two (darling in the franxx)

Dream Trip: well i love love love barcelona but ive already been twice ;; id really love to go to greece and/or japan tho ;;;; i really wanna goooo TvT;

When Was This Blog Created: um!! definitely while opm was airing so late 2015? wow its been almost three years ;;;;

Number of Followers: 1458 /)////(\ im very thankful towards everyone who follows me /// i love and appreciate all of u and hope i come across as open and friendly!!! ;;;;;;;;

Random Fact: a-ah ;; um? OH!! i recently got splatoon 2! ive been interested in splatoon since it came out three years ago and my interest only grew with splatoon 2 (aaaa i love pearl and marina and the art and the music and the fashions and ooooh my god EVERYTHING about it without even playing the game i just love everything nintendo) BUT I FINALLY FINALLY GOT IT AND IM SOOOOO IN LOOOOOOOVE!!!!!! its so so so fun and gorgeous i cant stop playing it im gonna cry over these squids i swear i... cant tag 20 people <:3c but!!! hey @shiverspooky if u wanna do this!!!! uh!!! do it! ily

[incrediblysincere]

[with a fake moustache] yes hello, it is i, uh, anonymous. uh. so. that post with questions about ur gf... how about uh. all of them

1:  what color is her hair?

Brown but she sometimes dyes it red!

2:  what color are her eyes?

Brownish green and beautiful

3:  how old is she?

20!!

4:  how did you meet?

thru a skype group with friends babyeyyyy

5:  is she ticklish?

the most ticklish…. like i can flutter my eyelashes against her face and she’ll have a heart attack

6:  what’s her favorite song / band?

i dont think she has one :0

7:  what’s her favorite movie?

UMM this is a good question i know she likes star wars and muppet treasure island

8:  what’s her favorite book?

also a good question she has told me about a lot uhhh... i dont know i think shes like me and has read so many books she cant pick a favourite

9:  what’s her favorite tv show?

star trek or osomatsu-san maybe

10:  who is her celebrity crush?

me… just kidding i dont know probably every pretty woman (mood)

11:  does she have any pets? Are there any pets she wants? 

she has 2 cats!! she probabyl wants… more cats

12:  what’s a song that reminds you of her?

like a shit-ton my dude, i have a whole playlist of them. she keeps me warm is a lesbian classic though

13:  does she play any sports?

sports? in this economy? (no shes gay)

14:  what are your favorite things about her (physically) ?

um shes fuckin stunning?? she has really soft hair and skin thats like, almost translucent in places (that isnt a roast babe i love it) and adorable freckles and big doe eyes and the shape of her lips and the way she looks when shes wears glasses and her hands are small in a perfectly holdable way and her stomach and thighs have just a bit of fat so theyre soft and beautiful and shes so lovely and pretty and i love it  

15:  what are your favorite things about her (personality wise) ? 

shes so funny, she has a great sense of humour and makes me laugh and she’s really generous, she helps people whenever she can and shes kind and so optimistic and even in the darkest moments she can find humour… shes passionate about what she loves and shares that with other people, and she’s stubborn and tough and creative and beautiful inside and out and i love her so fucking much

16:  how does she dress?

very gay… she lives in ireland so lots of coats and jackets naturally, wears her beanie a lot, and of course hoodies (and she has a tank top im fucking gay for)… dare i say icon?

17:  what was your first date (ideal first date if she’s just a crush)

i mean we are long distance so our first technical date would have been when i first went to ireland? i guess the first or second day when she showed me around her town and we got breakfast

18:  what’s a tiny detail about her that she doesn’t realize you’ve noticed?

well i think she knows i know the irish-isms she uses (like, grand) i don’t know if she knows ive noticed the shape of her lips… i mean its something i tend to notice but its so delicate, and good and beautiful, and kissable

19:  what are her talents?

art?? she’s so good at art and always has unique ideas about character design, the same with writing, she’s such a good writer and i love the way she writes characters and describes things and she’s great

20:  write a tiny poem about her

when the sky is changing colours for you

it’s dark for me

but i don’t worry because even on this side of the world

you are in my thoughts

keeping them golden

(this sucks oops)

21:  Does she have a tumblr?

ya its @galioverkill go follow her

22:  what type of things make her laugh?

uh me, hopefully?? no she likes weird humour, mcelroys, and the like.

23:  what’s her star sign? Are you compatible according to astrology? 

shes leo and uhh

“As two fire signs, one of them fixed and one of them mutable, Leo and Sagittarius share a warm love for each other. When they start dating, their sexual relationship might come as a surprise for both of them, for they will feel liberated to be exactly who they are with each other.“

nice

24:  what’s some place she’s always wanted to travel?

i kno she wants to go to california and probably will and maybe i will be able to join her !!

25:  what’s something she’s super interested in? 

Dungeons and Dragons!! We are in a campaign togethre and its rly fun

26:  when did you realize you loved her?

oh man... our 2 year anniversary was about a month ago so it had to be about 2 years ago. i cant say exactly when but i know just the fact that she made me so happy and made me laugh... it was probably in dec/january of 2015/16 ish

27:  what’s her favorite food?

she really likes rare steak withe pepper sauce and actually she got me into eating steak lol...

28:  what’s a food she hates?

wine... sorry babe

29:  what’s her hogwarts house?

iirc ravenclaw but she thinks shes a slytherin

30:  is she more Earth, water, air, or fire?

she makes me think of fire mostly!!! but also some earth

31:  what’s something that makes her angry?

homophobes, uhhhh her dad sometimes i think... the usual kinds of things but she doesnt get angry often!!

32:  is she taller or shorter than you?

taller... by like 1 inch

34:  what’s her name

Gali (im not gonna drop her real name here)  

35:  what’s her aesthetic?

cracking fires, warm houses in the snow, cozy blankets, hot cocoa, holding hands, pale skin, cats, snowflakes on eyelashes, warmth.

36:  what’s the first present you bought her/ plan on buying for her

im trying to remember... it was probably either a pokemon plushie or a video game... (first thing she bought me was undertale before we were dating and o boy i was gay)

37:  is she an early bird or a night owl?

night owl (GO TO SLEEP)

38:  what about her do you brag the most about?

probably how cute she is... becuase... shes really cute

39:  is there any accessories she always wears/ brings with her?

she always wears her tree necklace and the half of a heart necklace i gave her and in winter her beanie

40:  is she a vegetarian?

see the “favourite food” question... (no.)

41:  what’s her favorite subject in school?

i dont know if she had one in school but in college it was probably her uhhhh... digital... something... sorry babe i forget but i know there was one you liked?

42:  what highschool cliche does she fit best (think that scene in mean girls) ?

nerd... listen. its true

43:  how long have you been dating/ crushing 

over 2 years!!

44:  describe her laugh 

adorable??? giggly?? its best when u tickle her

45:  does she wear makeup?

no lol (mood) we’re both lazy gnc thots

46:  what’s her favorite art medium? 

ummm she likes doing digital art and looking at it also... she really likes music too 

47:  does she play any instruments?

shes played the ukulele before and also she can sing (she has a beautiful voice)

48:  what animal does she identify most with?

i kno she really likes corvids like ravens and crows... idk if tehres one she specifically identifies aside from cats maybe 

49:  does she like camping (or the outdoors in general)

i dunno :0 i dont think she goes camping often ... wait... the Germany story... she used to be in the girl scouts so maybe yes

50:  post her picture if you have her permission

here she is resting on my shoulder when she was over here

finally finished this for valentines day... love you so much !!

[disableddisaster]

answer all of them

1. Post a picture of u? 

me

2. Would you date an 18-year-old at the age you are now? 

i am 18

3. Do you prefer to be friends with girls or boys? 

i hate men

4. Would you ever smile at a stranger? 

i live in a small town if u dont smile at everyone ur an ass

5. Can you commit to one person? 

yes

6. How do you look right now? 

im bald and eating salad in a stripey shirt (sadie and river say i look amazing)

7. What exactly are you wearing right now? 

stripey crop top and leggings 

8. How often do you listen to music? 

pretty much all the time

9. Do you wear jeans or sweats more? 

i hate both but definitely jeans

10. Do you think your life will change dramatically before 2015? 

its 2017

11. Are you a social or an antisocial person? 

im super social which is funny bc my name is shy

12. If the person you like says they like someone else, what would you say? 

what the fuck dude

13. Are you good at hiding your feelings? 

NO LOL

14. Can you drive a stick shift? 

gays cant drive

15. Do you care if people talk badly about you? 

yeah im a sensitive baby

16. Are you going out of town soon? 

yes!

17. When was the last time you cried? 

i watched a sad movie like two days ago

18. Have you ever liked someone you didn’t expect to? 

YWAH LOL

19. If you could change your eye color, would you? 

nah

20. Name something you have to do tomorrow? 

go for BEERS and WINGS like a dad 

21. Name something you dislike about the day you’re having. 

it was TOO HOT

22. Have you ever liked one of your best friends of the opposite sex? 

i still hate men

23. Are you nice to everyone? 

im nice to girls

24. What are you sitting on right now? 

a chair!

25. Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months and not cheat? 

those are soem VERY LOW STANDARDS

26. Have you ever wanted someone you couldn’t have? 

everyones had a straight girl crush

27. Who was the last person you talked to before you went to bed last night?

[redacted]

28. Do you get a lot of colds? 

no actually!!!

29. Have your pants ever fallen down in public? 

no but my shirt did once

30. Does anyone hate you? 

probably

31. Do you have someone of the opposite sex you can tell everything to? 

these r rly transphobic also i still hate men

32. Do you like watching scary movies? 

NO!!!!!!!!!!

33. Are you a jealous person? 

no i dont htink so

34. If you had to delete one year of your life completely, which would it be? 

like 8th grade probably

35. Did you have a dream last night? 

 i dreamt that [redacted] wasnt actually a taurus

36. Is there anyone you can tell EVERYTHING to? 

i tell literally everyoen literally everything

37. Do you think you’ll be married in 5 years? 

NO!!!!!!

38. Do you think someone has feelings for you? 

yes lol

39. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now? 

sadie and river say theyre thinkin bout me but no homo not in a gay way the hetero way

40. Did you have a good day yesterday?

i rmr absolutely nothing about yesterday  

41. Think back 2 months ago; were you in a relationship? 

no

42. Is your life anything like it was two years ago? 

no i am no longer a stupid highschooler im just a stupid adult

43. If the person you wish to be with were with you, what would you be doing right now? 

screaming most likely

44. What’s the best part about school? 

the fact that im not in it

45. Do you have any pictures on your Facebook? 

obviously

46. Do you ever pass notes to your friends in school? 

im still not in school dude

47. Do you replay things that have happened in your head? 

thats cald a MEMORY

48. Were you single over the last summer? 

no

49. What are you supposed to be doing right now? 

absolutely nothing

50. Don’t tell me lies, is the last person you texted attractive?

yes :O

[wearethejerkoffs]

1-59 headass

1. selfietagged/me
2. what would you name your future kids?nothing. im not having kids. 
3. do you miss anyone?yes yes yes. i get attached easily smh. 
4. what are you looking forward to?seeing nevershoutnever in three days. 
5. is there anyone who can always make you smile?becca. ray. maddie. kylie. ash. cayla. taylor. tony. jeff. andrew. connor. zane. andrew. trey. rachel. michael. trevor from bp. 
6. is it hard for you to get over someone?ohhhh yeahhhhh
7. what was your life like last year? hell the first half. i was stuck in my abusive relationship. when i got out finally, life was bright. i felt happy finally. i was free. 
8. have you ever cried because you were so annoyed?yes. often. 
9. who did you last see in person?currently with ray and ky cam. 
10. are you good at hiding your feelings?unreasonably good. 
11. are you listening to music right now?nope
12. what is something you want right now?a good hug from connor whisman 
13. how do you feel right now?pretty okay
14. when was the last time someone of the opposite sex hugged you?yesterday, connor whisman 
15. personality descriptionobnoxious, funny, constantly laughing. nice as shit to most. 
16. have you ever wanted to tell someone something but you didn’t?yeah duh
17. opinion on insecurities.everyones got em! that doesnt make you any less of a person 
18. do you miss how things were a year ago?hell no. 
19. have you ever been to New York?not yet 
20. what is your favourite song at the moment?body bag x beartooth
21. age and birthday? im going to be 20 on november 13th. 
22. description of crush.scene. handsome as heck. lanky boyyyyy. 
23. fear(s)abandonment lmao
24. height5'2
25. role modelno one i guess
26. idol(s)not a soul wow i am lame
27. things i hatehomophobes. racists. sexists. transphobes. trump supporters. 
28. i’ll love you if…you cuddle me. thats all. 
29. favourite film(s)nick and norahs infinite playlist. scott pilgrim vs. the world. scream. 
30. favourite tv show(s)the office. how i met your mother. friends. deathnote. fear factor. 
31. 3 random factsbecca is my bestfriend. i hate bagels. driving is so nice. 
32. are your friends mainly girls or guysguys 
33. something you want to learnspanish
34. most embarrassing momenti dont even wanna think about the possibilities of moments. 
35. favourite subjectenglish/writing 
36. 3 dreams you want to fulfill?be a cna. go to cosmetology school. get my sleeve. 
37. favourite actor/actressmatthew lillard. 
38. favourite comedian(s)john mulany 
39. favourite sport(s)none
40. favourite memoryamity with becca
41. relationship statussingle but ready to cuddle
42. favourite book(s)ohhhh i cant pick
43. favourite song evermad as rabbits
44. age you get mistaken for20 
45. how you found out about your idoli dont have one 
46. what my last text message sayssent: thanks babe received: fuuuuuuck yeah bro you're a superstar i'm so proud of you
47. turn onsoh jeez. grinding and aggressive kissing. 
48. turn offsgross breath. racist. homophobe. 
49. where i want to be right now2015 warped tour
50. favourite picture of your idolno idol 
51. starsignscorpiooooo
52. something i’m talented atbein cute 
53. 5 things that make me happyamitybeccadogsthe humane society my brother
54. something thats worrying me at the momentmy body image :-) 
55. tumblr friendsnot a soul
56. favourite food(s)pastaaaa
57. favourite animal(s)pups. big fluffy pups
58. description of my best friendshes a sarcastic witty bitch. 
59. why i joined tumblrim SCENE

[apsbicepstraining]

16 Situations All 30 -Somethings Should Stop Apologizing For This Year

If you were to ask me for an educated guess on the number of hours I said a mindless Im sorry in 2015, youd better have a technical calculator and some time to kill.

I failed way somewhere around 3 am on New Years Day.( Although odds are, the majority of members of those were justified .)

Apologies are like burps for me.

Unless you stymie my nostrils and cover my opening, they will operate out with foolhardy abandon.

Im sorry, I complain as I mine around for $0.86 in my purse, trying to avoid separating a $10 greenback for Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.

My palms are sweating, my hands are shaking and pennies are running everywhere.

I eventually succumb to handing over the $10, as to not inconvenience the convenience store clerk any longer.

Im sorry, this pitchers out of whole milk. Would you knowledge refilling it? I ask the Starbucks barista timidly, like Ive been hanging out at the self-service counter and guzzling it dry all day.

Excuse me, Im sorry, I squeak, trying to remove myself from the woman who is using the side of my figure to prop up her newspaper.

I’m sorry I wasnt able to morph into a better coffee table for her morning commute.

Apologies are the umm of our generation.

They are half-thought out space-fillers in gossips we dont feel like having.

Whether theyre genuine and justified in an attempt to avoid conflict or a simple way to wrap up a social interaction, Im sure weve all apologized a lot during the past year.

Well, its is high time to put your hoof down.

We shouldnt feel pressured to rush, settle or step aside for people who cant look up from their smartphones.

There will be no more cramming ourselves into the figurative or physicalspaces other parties have created for us.

Hell, if guzzling whole milk from a pitcher goes us going in the morning, makes not apologize for that either.

In any case, heres a register of 16 circumstances 30 -somethings should definitely stop rationalizing for in 2016 TAGEND

1. RSVPing No

You shouldnt have to justify not listening things.

We all have a lot on our plates.

If you find yourself panicked about driving two hours to a newborn rain on your only day off, stay home.

Send a check, going to go to bottom and take care of your own baby.

Ive spent times flowing myself ragged over happenings that suck time out of my weekend and coin out of my wallet.

Then, it ultimately dawned on me: Nothing who matters is deterring score.

It might sound harsh, but if we all stopped regarding each other to so many obligations, perhaps wed actually have time to connect.

2. Your Wardrobe

Your adolescence, teenage years and those scantily-clad eras of college are spent garmenting to impress everyone but yourself.

As you get older, wear what becomes you comfortable.

Dress for your figure. Dress for the occasion.

If you need bikini summaries that come up past your belly button to feel good on vacation, fasten those bloomers on and never look back.

I like to wear jeans, TOMS and solid-colored shirts every day of my life.

Guess what? Im a joyous little hipster.

3. Your Face

One of my favorite positions on this topic comes from Annette Bening in the movie The Women.

A department store salesman tries to sell her a “facelift in a bottle.”

She appears him squarely in the eye and acknowledgments, This is my face. Deal with it.

It seems everyone is peddling some make that promises to cringe your holes, get rid of your wrinkles, medicine your acne, prolong your lashes or vaporize your crow’s feet.

You shouldnt apologize for buying right into it( coughing) or slamming it down.

If you want to constitute your own vanishing cream out of avocados and egg whites, I think you’re squandering a perfectly good frittata.

But let me know if it works.

If youd rather expended $99 on 1 ounce of infomercial attention cream, write me.

I can provide you with the details.

4. Your Social Media Presence

Whether you post 20 times per day or have fallen entirely off the radar, theres no right or wrong way to do this stuff.

If youre paying that much attention to what others are doing on the Internet, youre clearly sitting on the Internet too much yourself.

5. Not Being In The Same Mental Space As Your Friends

Its tough, but we thrive apart.

If theres a shrinking roster of things you have in common with even the oldest of your best friend, its nothing to overcome yourself up over.

Some has the potential to are in conformity with very different places in their lives.

Your 30 s are a transitional age for everyone involved.

People are carving out the lives they picture for themselves, and were all walking around as different sculptors.

Some of us are a little more Donatello, while some are more Michelangelo.

The good substance ever bubbles back to the surface with a true sidekick, even if youre not currently jiving the route you used to.

6. Your Living Quarters

Owning property should no longer be the criteria by which we appraise our success.

You shouldn’t have to go into indebtednes to keep up.

If youre still living with a roommate, sibling, futon or even on a sofa, then who cares?

A living arrangement doesnt “ve got to be” permanent or pristine.

If you boomeranged back to your parents after a unpleasant breakup, so be it.

Its okay to declare youre unsure of your next stair, and youre not going to bank on circumstances until you are.

7. The Fact You Like To Move Dancing

This is more of a metaphor than anything.( Although, I do enjoy shaking my posterior plumage from time to day .)

You shouldnt apologize for wanting to dance out your demons.

Whether its in your living room, at a Zumba class, on a table or in a ballroom, rotate, baby.

8. Your Relationship Status

Theres something to be said for the latitude between RSVPing “no” and your relationship status.

But perhaps, youre simply over some crazy uncle asking why your boyfriend from six years ago isnt there.

Single, separated, divorced, rebuffed, cheating, happy, hopeful, lesbian or straight-shooting, you dont owe Uncle Frank an explanation.

9. Your Diet And Fitness Regimen( Or Lack Thereof)

While I ever prefer an unruly slew of nachos to a kale salad or protein shake, you gotta do what you gotta do.

This is another thing parties seem to like to peddle.

Whether youre training for triathlons, juicing the contents of your kitchen or house Cheeto strongholds in your living room, its your body.

Nobody has to occupy it but you.

Just try not to be too righteous about it.

Im not going to apologize for ingesting a cheeseburger any more than a staunch vegetarian might apologize for posting photographs of flax seeds all day.

10. How You Deduce Your Income

Money constitutes “the worlds” go round.

Whether you have a career youre passionate about, one youre lukewarm about or three part-time responsibilities strung together, its nobodys business how you compensate your bills.

11. The Fact You’re Turning Into Your Parents

This has been an interesting one to watch unfold.

Try as you might, its going to happen.

Theres no expend rationalizing for it because you never accepted a chance.

All those concepts you rolled your eyes at from the back seat of the Dodge station wagon?

Theyre winging right out of your mouth now.

I like to yell, Im not made of money! at my “cat-o-nine-tail” when we’re on our route home from the vet.

12. Being A Slug

If the pizza delivery guy would come instantly to my bedroom window, Id let my bathrobe belt down for him like Rapunzel let down her hair.

Bed pizza is a real and splendid thing.

Dont apologize for being a gross, lazy stinker sometimes.

The only way to reflect brightly in public is by wasting away in your own slothfulness behind closed doors.

13. Your Travel Style

Some beings operate first class and is necessary to stay in five-star hotels.

Others couch surf, hostel hop-skip or carry their adaptations on their backs.

Seeing the world is admirable , no matter how you make it happen.

You know Jay and Bey arent apologizing for yachting all over the French Riviera, so why should I apologize for getting bedbugs in Belize?

14. Your Voice

One of the most common concepts I apologize for is talking too loudly.

Others say sorry for not being heard.

Some people stutter and others have lisps.

There are the raspy express and the plainly high-pitched voices.

You can limit your articulation to a certain degree, but why bother?

Speak up, whisper, bellow, sigh, laugh, sing, squeal and clear your throat.

Just dont whistle. Nothing likes a whistler.

Definitely dont shush anyone; a shush is a personal attack.

15. Your Opinion

Granted, there is a period and a plaza, but how will anyone know how you feel if you dont speak up?

It’s worseif you apologize for doing so.

If done correctly and not for the sake of idle gossip, giving your opinion can become you into an opinion leader.

Thats a pretty good bench to be in.

If you opine in a systematically constructive way, parties will start to look to you for wisdom.

Thats a great route to positively influence the lives of others.

16. Your Truth

Whatever it is and however you find it, dont apologize for it once you do.

Dont apologize for how long it takes you, either.

If youve been hiding your truth in a lie youre finally free from, welcome back.

Step right in. The waters warm.

Its taken a lot of justifications, conformities and f* ckups to get us to this third decade of our existence.

So, lets take what weve learned and bask in that splendid wisdom of the ages.

We sort of earned it.

Grab your chisel( or your pepperoni pizza) and start carving out what works for you.

Stop apologizing for the pebbles that get left behind.

The post 16 Situations All 30 -Somethings Should Stop Apologizing For This Year appeared first on apsbicepstraining.com.

from WordPress http://ift.tt/2CLgXXo via IFTTT

[jimdsmith34]

What do e-cigarettes do to your lungs?

When e-cigarettes hit the market they seemed like a godsend to smokers (and maybe even curious non-smokers): all the enjoyment of smoking cigarettes and none, or at least far fewer, of the health risks. Youre only breathing in water vapor and pure nicotine, the ads said.

But have those claims held up since e-cigarettes were introduced to the U.S. and European markets 10 years ago? The science is a bit more complicated than it seems, with scientists doggedly fighting to heavily regulate e-cigarettes, and others touting them as the ultimate smoking cessation device. Who is right?

The Daily Dot dug into the science to try and answer this question. But, spoiler alert: The science behind e-cigarettes is young and inconclusive. They currently are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which essentially allows e-cigarette manufacturers to operate without much oversight on nicotine contents and other chemical components in their e-cigarette liquids. However, the FDA will begin regulating e-cigarettes in August 2016.

Cancers, lung disease, and heart disease all take several years to developpeople havent been using e-cigarettes long enough to develop these diseases. Also, most e-cigarette users (called vapers) are current or former smokers, so it will be hard to parse out whether smoking or vaping was the true culprit of whatever diseases do form. Researchers can study the effects of e-cigarette aerosol in cultured cells and lab animals, but those studies cant definitively tell us what real-world e-cigarette use will look like in the long term. Lastly, several researchers are attempting to answer the question of whether or not e-cigarettes can be used to quit smoking all together. But that question has a complicated, incomplete answer too.

Lets break it down, starting with the physical differences between traditional and e-cigarettes.

Combustion vs. vaporization

Much of what makes traditional cigarettes so dangerous isnt the nicotinenicotine is super addictive, can cause heart disease, but theres very little evidence that it causes cancer. Cigarettes are dangerous because of the smoke itself. Lighting up causes the tobacco leaves and cellulose paper theyre wrapped in to combust. And combustion of plant matter releases several other chemicals: aldehydes, carbon monoxide, free radicals, heavy metalsa combination that can cause not only cancer but lead to heart and lung diseases as well.

E-cigarettes, on the other hand, use a battery to vaporize a mixture of nicotine, glycerol or propylene glycol, and flavorings, depending on the product. Vaporization happens at a much lower temperature than combustion, so it seems reasonable that it wouldnt cause the release of all the same nasties as cigarettes.

“The cancer risk is probably lower than a conventional cigarette, but the effects of the ultrafine particles and the aldehydes are about the same.”

But youre not just breathing in nicotine and water vapor, according to Stanton Glantz, professor of medicine and director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco.

In the process of heating up you get a lot of aldehydes and the ultrafine particles are themselves dangerous, Glantz told the Daily Dot over the phone. The cancer risk is probably lower than a conventional cigarette, but the effects of the ultrafine particles and the aldehydes are about the same.

The effects of the particulates may include inflammation in the lungs that can cause lung disease over time. One study found that cultured white blood cells exposed to e-cigarette vapor extract released inflammation-causing compounds, suggesting that breathing e-cigarette vapor may have similar effects within the body. Glantz also said that the particulates in both e-cigarette vapor, cigarette smoke, and air pollution can also cause the blood to get sticky, leading to clogged arteries and heart disease.

The preliminary evidence agrees with Glantzs views. According to two reviews, e-cigarette vapor is quite harmful in animal and cell culture studies. However, detractors from e-cigarettes tend to argue that e-cigarettes also release aldehydesbut theres reason to be skeptical, according to the second review. One study found that e-cigarette vapor contained formaldehydethe same probable-cancer-causing chemical used to preserve animals for dissection. However, some argued that the temperature used to create the e-cigarette vapor in that study was too high. Vaping at too-high temperatures causes a phenomenon called a dry puff which is very harsh and unpleasant, as anyone whos ever tried an e-cigarette can tell you.

“Lemme dry puff that real quick” #RealLife

Mansa Musa #LYBB (@EddzSmokesLoud) July 4, 2015

According to a recent study in the journal Addiction, e-cigarettes only release formaldehyde in the dry puff condition.

E-cigarettes are a moving target

In the 10 years theyve been on the market, e-cigarette devices have changed rapidly. The first generation e-cigarettes looked a lot like traditional ones (theyre also known as cigalikes), but werent as good at getting nicotine into the blood as traditional cigarettes.

“Time will tell whether or not that chronic inflammation will lead to disease.”

But the newer generation e-cigarettes deliver nicotine to the bloodstream at levels comparable to regular cigarettes, meaning they can give vapers the same nicotine fix as smokers. This is good news for their potential to help smokers quit smoking. But theres a catch.

Most of the data Ive seen on second and third-generation devices is that they do cause inflammation in the lungs. They do cause a measurable biological response, Robert Teran, lead author of the second review and director of SoM Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill said in a phone interview with the Daily Dot. Time will tell whether or not that chronic inflammation will lead to disease.

Additionally, e-cigarettes introduce a few variables that traditional cigarettes do not. Flavorings are common in e-cigarette liquids. While the chemicals used to create those flavors are all on the FDAs approved list of food additives, pretty much no one has studied the effect of inhaling the vapors of these chemicals, Teran said.

There is one notable exception: diacetyl. Diacetyl is the primary chemical that gives movie theater popcorn its buttery flavor. Its also a byproduct in many other foods: it gives some Chardonnays their signature buttery undertones. If you pick it up in beer, that can also be a sign that your local bar needs to clean the lines in their beer taps.

Its safe to eat, but if you breathe it in it causes bronchiolitis obliterans, otherwise known as popcorn lung, Teran said. And the only reason researchers know about the harmful effects of breathing in diacetyl is because workers in popcorn factories came down with this illness.

But diacetyl isnt just in buttery flavors. Its also in a lot of berry flavorings as well, according to one study found diacetyl in 39 of 51 e-cigarette flavors. However, diacetyl is also present in cigarette smokeat levels higher than those experienced by workers in popcorn factories, according to a 2014 study. So maybe its a wash with diacetyl.

Nonetheless, there are still many compounds in e-cigarette flavorings whose effects on the lungs are still relatively unknown. In fact, Teran believes that e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes might have more differences than similarities, and comparing them to one another might not be the best way to assess e-cigarettes health risks. After all, being safer than smoking is a very low bar to clear.

Teran cited a study from his lab that found vaping was associated with suppression of genes related to the immune system. The researchers even found many suppressed genes in vapers that they didnt find in smokers, suggesting vaping may have some unique effects on the immune system.

The ultimate cessation aid?

To say quitting smoking is hard is an understatement. Nicotine isnt just highly addictive; it can literally change the development of the brain to make people even more dependent on it if they start smoking in their teenswhich is exactly when most smokers start. Smokers looking to quit have a few options: cold turkey, gradually cutting back, using a nicotine replacement therapy, or a drug like Chantix.

Nicotine replacement therapyusing something like the patch or gumhelps smokers get their nicotine fix and taper them off of nicotine while keeping them from smoking. Many people may choose to go these treatments alone by buying the therapies over the counter at the drugstore.

According to a study from the 90s, quit rates for people who do the patch or gum alone, without the help of their doctor, vary between around 15 percent after six weeks, to less than 10 percent at 24 weeks follow-up. But subsequent reviews of that study and others like it that attempted to gain real world evidence for replacement therapies found their methodologies to be flawed.

Another review of nicotine replacement therapies found that people may be more successful if they had behavioral support such as a hotline to call or group therapy sessions. But quit rates are still low. Replacement therapy only enhances someones chances of quitting by 50 to 70 percent, according to the review. So if someone goes cold turkey without any support and has an 8 percent chance of success, using replacement therapy is only going to make their chances marginally greaterand thats only to smokers who are very highly motivated to quit.

Its unclear why quit rates are so low with replacement therapy. But part of the issue may be that smoking is more than just nicotine: its the ritual and social aspects too. E-cigarettes provide many of those same comforts, so some researchers believe they can be highly effective quitting tools.

I think someone specifically comes and seeks treatment, then I would recommend Chantix or nicotine replacement treatment, possibly supplemented by e-cigarettes, Peter Hajek, Director of Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine in London, told the Daily Dot in a phone interview. So many smokers only manage to stop smoking when they try a few of these e-cigarette models.

Hajek was involved in a 2014 review of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation. He and his colleagues found that e-cigarettes containing nicotine were more helpful than e-cigarettes without, but they couldnt determine if they were any better than the patch. Nonetheless, Hajek and colleagues in the Royal College of Physicians now urge smokers to make the switch to e-cigarettes, citing that they are 95 percent less harmful than cigarettes.

“They got six people together, several of whom had financial conflicts of interest, got around a table and scratched their head and scratched their butt and got that 95 percent number.”

How they got to that number is unclear. When the Daily Dot asked Hajek about it directly, he cited the many known toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke that lead to heart disease, lung disease, and cancer.

These chemicals are either totally absent or present in only minuscule amounts in e-cigarette vapor, Hajek said Chemicals exclusive to vaping may yet be found to also pose some risks, but this is unlikely to be more than only a small fraction of the risks of smoking.

But 95 percent less harmful seems like a long shot to Glantz.

The 95 percent number was simply made up, he said. If you go back and find the paper that comes up with that number. It has exactly no actual evidence in it. They got six people together, several of whom had financial conflicts of interest, got around a table and scratched their head and scratched their butt and got that 95 percent number.

Glantz thinks, if anything, e-cigarettes are about a third to a half as dangerous. Much of Glantzs work has also been to disprove the idea that e-cigarettes are useful smoking cessation tools when used alone. Earlier this year, he and his colleague published an analysis of several studies in the Lancet that e-cigarette users were 28 percent less likely to quit smoking than those who didnt use e-cigarettes.

The most dangerous thing about e-cigarettes is that they keep people smoking. If you were a cigarette smoker and you switched entirely from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, it would be less dangerous, Glantz said. The majority of the data suggests most people are dual users.

He added that he believes e-cigarettes have definitely helped some people quit. But he thinks that they would only work for a minority of smokers.

Taber also thinks that e-cigarettes might not be a good cessation tool, but that they are less harmful than traditional e-cigarettes.

If youre smoking cigarettes, going to e-cigarettes is probably better for your health, Taber said. And if youre not smoking anything at all, dont try e-cigarettes and think they wont have an effect on your lungs.

source http://allofbeer.com/2017/07/19/what-do-e-cigarettes-do-to-your-lungs/ from All of Beer http://allofbeer.blogspot.com/2017/07/what-do-e-cigarettes-do-to-your-lungs.html

[adambstingus]

What do e-cigarettes do to your lungs?

When e-cigarettes hit the market they seemed like a godsend to smokers (and maybe even curious non-smokers): all the enjoyment of smoking cigarettes and none, or at least far fewer, of the health risks. Youre only breathing in water vapor and pure nicotine, the ads said.

But have those claims held up since e-cigarettes were introduced to the U.S. and European markets 10 years ago? The science is a bit more complicated than it seems, with scientists doggedly fighting to heavily regulate e-cigarettes, and others touting them as the ultimate smoking cessation device. Who is right?

The Daily Dot dug into the science to try and answer this question. But, spoiler alert: The science behind e-cigarettes is young and inconclusive. They currently are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which essentially allows e-cigarette manufacturers to operate without much oversight on nicotine contents and other chemical components in their e-cigarette liquids. However, the FDA will begin regulating e-cigarettes in August 2016.

Cancers, lung disease, and heart disease all take several years to developpeople havent been using e-cigarettes long enough to develop these diseases. Also, most e-cigarette users (called vapers) are current or former smokers, so it will be hard to parse out whether smoking or vaping was the true culprit of whatever diseases do form. Researchers can study the effects of e-cigarette aerosol in cultured cells and lab animals, but those studies cant definitively tell us what real-world e-cigarette use will look like in the long term. Lastly, several researchers are attempting to answer the question of whether or not e-cigarettes can be used to quit smoking all together. But that question has a complicated, incomplete answer too.

Lets break it down, starting with the physical differences between traditional and e-cigarettes.

Combustion vs. vaporization

Much of what makes traditional cigarettes so dangerous isnt the nicotinenicotine is super addictive, can cause heart disease, but theres very little evidence that it causes cancer. Cigarettes are dangerous because of the smoke itself. Lighting up causes the tobacco leaves and cellulose paper theyre wrapped in to combust. And combustion of plant matter releases several other chemicals: aldehydes, carbon monoxide, free radicals, heavy metalsa combination that can cause not only cancer but lead to heart and lung diseases as well.

E-cigarettes, on the other hand, use a battery to vaporize a mixture of nicotine, glycerol or propylene glycol, and flavorings, depending on the product. Vaporization happens at a much lower temperature than combustion, so it seems reasonable that it wouldnt cause the release of all the same nasties as cigarettes.

“The cancer risk is probably lower than a conventional cigarette, but the effects of the ultrafine particles and the aldehydes are about the same.”

But youre not just breathing in nicotine and water vapor, according to Stanton Glantz, professor of medicine and director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco.

In the process of heating up you get a lot of aldehydes and the ultrafine particles are themselves dangerous, Glantz told the Daily Dot over the phone. The cancer risk is probably lower than a conventional cigarette, but the effects of the ultrafine particles and the aldehydes are about the same.

The effects of the particulates may include inflammation in the lungs that can cause lung disease over time. One study found that cultured white blood cells exposed to e-cigarette vapor extract released inflammation-causing compounds, suggesting that breathing e-cigarette vapor may have similar effects within the body. Glantz also said that the particulates in both e-cigarette vapor, cigarette smoke, and air pollution can also cause the blood to get sticky, leading to clogged arteries and heart disease.

The preliminary evidence agrees with Glantzs views. According to two reviews, e-cigarette vapor is quite harmful in animal and cell culture studies. However, detractors from e-cigarettes tend to argue that e-cigarettes also release aldehydesbut theres reason to be skeptical, according to the second review. One study found that e-cigarette vapor contained formaldehydethe same probable-cancer-causing chemical used to preserve animals for dissection. However, some argued that the temperature used to create the e-cigarette vapor in that study was too high. Vaping at too-high temperatures causes a phenomenon called a dry puff which is very harsh and unpleasant, as anyone whos ever tried an e-cigarette can tell you.

“Lemme dry puff that real quick” #RealLife

Mansa Musa #LYBB (@EddzSmokesLoud) July 4, 2015

According to a recent study in the journal Addiction, e-cigarettes only release formaldehyde in the dry puff condition.

E-cigarettes are a moving target

In the 10 years theyve been on the market, e-cigarette devices have changed rapidly. The first generation e-cigarettes looked a lot like traditional ones (theyre also known as cigalikes), but werent as good at getting nicotine into the blood as traditional cigarettes.

“Time will tell whether or not that chronic inflammation will lead to disease.”

But the newer generation e-cigarettes deliver nicotine to the bloodstream at levels comparable to regular cigarettes, meaning they can give vapers the same nicotine fix as smokers. This is good news for their potential to help smokers quit smoking. But theres a catch.

Most of the data Ive seen on second and third-generation devices is that they do cause inflammation in the lungs. They do cause a measurable biological response, Robert Teran, lead author of the second review and director of SoM Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill said in a phone interview with the Daily Dot. Time will tell whether or not that chronic inflammation will lead to disease.

Additionally, e-cigarettes introduce a few variables that traditional cigarettes do not. Flavorings are common in e-cigarette liquids. While the chemicals used to create those flavors are all on the FDAs approved list of food additives, pretty much no one has studied the effect of inhaling the vapors of these chemicals, Teran said.

There is one notable exception: diacetyl. Diacetyl is the primary chemical that gives movie theater popcorn its buttery flavor. Its also a byproduct in many other foods: it gives some Chardonnays their signature buttery undertones. If you pick it up in beer, that can also be a sign that your local bar needs to clean the lines in their beer taps.

Its safe to eat, but if you breathe it in it causes bronchiolitis obliterans, otherwise known as popcorn lung, Teran said. And the only reason researchers know about the harmful effects of breathing in diacetyl is because workers in popcorn factories came down with this illness.

But diacetyl isnt just in buttery flavors. Its also in a lot of berry flavorings as well, according to one study found diacetyl in 39 of 51 e-cigarette flavors. However, diacetyl is also present in cigarette smokeat levels higher than those experienced by workers in popcorn factories, according to a 2014 study. So maybe its a wash with diacetyl.

Nonetheless, there are still many compounds in e-cigarette flavorings whose effects on the lungs are still relatively unknown. In fact, Teran believes that e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes might have more differences than similarities, and comparing them to one another might not be the best way to assess e-cigarettes health risks. After all, being safer than smoking is a very low bar to clear.

Teran cited a study from his lab that found vaping was associated with suppression of genes related to the immune system. The researchers even found many suppressed genes in vapers that they didnt find in smokers, suggesting vaping may have some unique effects on the immune system.

The ultimate cessation aid?

To say quitting smoking is hard is an understatement. Nicotine isnt just highly addictive; it can literally change the development of the brain to make people even more dependent on it if they start smoking in their teenswhich is exactly when most smokers start. Smokers looking to quit have a few options: cold turkey, gradually cutting back, using a nicotine replacement therapy, or a drug like Chantix.

Nicotine replacement therapyusing something like the patch or gumhelps smokers get their nicotine fix and taper them off of nicotine while keeping them from smoking. Many people may choose to go these treatments alone by buying the therapies over the counter at the drugstore.

According to a study from the 90s, quit rates for people who do the patch or gum alone, without the help of their doctor, vary between around 15 percent after six weeks, to less than 10 percent at 24 weeks follow-up. But subsequent reviews of that study and others like it that attempted to gain real world evidence for replacement therapies found their methodologies to be flawed.

Another review of nicotine replacement therapies found that people may be more successful if they had behavioral support such as a hotline to call or group therapy sessions. But quit rates are still low. Replacement therapy only enhances someones chances of quitting by 50 to 70 percent, according to the review. So if someone goes cold turkey without any support and has an 8 percent chance of success, using replacement therapy is only going to make their chances marginally greaterand thats only to smokers who are very highly motivated to quit.

Its unclear why quit rates are so low with replacement therapy. But part of the issue may be that smoking is more than just nicotine: its the ritual and social aspects too. E-cigarettes provide many of those same comforts, so some researchers believe they can be highly effective quitting tools.

I think someone specifically comes and seeks treatment, then I would recommend Chantix or nicotine replacement treatment, possibly supplemented by e-cigarettes, Peter Hajek, Director of Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine in London, told the Daily Dot in a phone interview. So many smokers only manage to stop smoking when they try a few of these e-cigarette models.

Hajek was involved in a 2014 review of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation. He and his colleagues found that e-cigarettes containing nicotine were more helpful than e-cigarettes without, but they couldnt determine if they were any better than the patch. Nonetheless, Hajek and colleagues in the Royal College of Physicians now urge smokers to make the switch to e-cigarettes, citing that they are 95 percent less harmful than cigarettes.

“They got six people together, several of whom had financial conflicts of interest, got around a table and scratched their head and scratched their butt and got that 95 percent number.”

How they got to that number is unclear. When the Daily Dot asked Hajek about it directly, he cited the many known toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke that lead to heart disease, lung disease, and cancer.

These chemicals are either totally absent or present in only minuscule amounts in e-cigarette vapor, Hajek said Chemicals exclusive to vaping may yet be found to also pose some risks, but this is unlikely to be more than only a small fraction of the risks of smoking.

But 95 percent less harmful seems like a long shot to Glantz.

The 95 percent number was simply made up, he said. If you go back and find the paper that comes up with that number. It has exactly no actual evidence in it. They got six people together, several of whom had financial conflicts of interest, got around a table and scratched their head and scratched their butt and got that 95 percent number.

Glantz thinks, if anything, e-cigarettes are about a third to a half as dangerous. Much of Glantzs work has also been to disprove the idea that e-cigarettes are useful smoking cessation tools when used alone. Earlier this year, he and his colleague published an analysis of several studies in the Lancet that e-cigarette users were 28 percent less likely to quit smoking than those who didnt use e-cigarettes.

The most dangerous thing about e-cigarettes is that they keep people smoking. If you were a cigarette smoker and you switched entirely from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, it would be less dangerous, Glantz said. The majority of the data suggests most people are dual users.

He added that he believes e-cigarettes have definitely helped some people quit. But he thinks that they would only work for a minority of smokers.

Taber also thinks that e-cigarettes might not be a good cessation tool, but that they are less harmful than traditional e-cigarettes.

If youre smoking cigarettes, going to e-cigarettes is probably better for your health, Taber said. And if youre not smoking anything at all, dont try e-cigarettes and think they wont have an effect on your lungs.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/2017/07/19/what-do-e-cigarettes-do-to-your-lungs/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/163189673962

[allofbeercom]

What do e-cigarettes do to your lungs?

When e-cigarettes hit the market they seemed like a godsend to smokers (and maybe even curious non-smokers): all the enjoyment of smoking cigarettes and none, or at least far fewer, of the health risks. Youre only breathing in water vapor and pure nicotine, the ads said.

But have those claims held up since e-cigarettes were introduced to the U.S. and European markets 10 years ago? The science is a bit more complicated than it seems, with scientists doggedly fighting to heavily regulate e-cigarettes, and others touting them as the ultimate smoking cessation device. Who is right?

The Daily Dot dug into the science to try and answer this question. But, spoiler alert: The science behind e-cigarettes is young and inconclusive. They currently are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which essentially allows e-cigarette manufacturers to operate without much oversight on nicotine contents and other chemical components in their e-cigarette liquids. However, the FDA will begin regulating e-cigarettes in August 2016.

Cancers, lung disease, and heart disease all take several years to developpeople havent been using e-cigarettes long enough to develop these diseases. Also, most e-cigarette users (called vapers) are current or former smokers, so it will be hard to parse out whether smoking or vaping was the true culprit of whatever diseases do form. Researchers can study the effects of e-cigarette aerosol in cultured cells and lab animals, but those studies cant definitively tell us what real-world e-cigarette use will look like in the long term. Lastly, several researchers are attempting to answer the question of whether or not e-cigarettes can be used to quit smoking all together. But that question has a complicated, incomplete answer too.

Lets break it down, starting with the physical differences between traditional and e-cigarettes.

Combustion vs. vaporization

Much of what makes traditional cigarettes so dangerous isnt the nicotinenicotine is super addictive, can cause heart disease, but theres very little evidence that it causes cancer. Cigarettes are dangerous because of the smoke itself. Lighting up causes the tobacco leaves and cellulose paper theyre wrapped in to combust. And combustion of plant matter releases several other chemicals: aldehydes, carbon monoxide, free radicals, heavy metalsa combination that can cause not only cancer but lead to heart and lung diseases as well.

E-cigarettes, on the other hand, use a battery to vaporize a mixture of nicotine, glycerol or propylene glycol, and flavorings, depending on the product. Vaporization happens at a much lower temperature than combustion, so it seems reasonable that it wouldnt cause the release of all the same nasties as cigarettes.

“The cancer risk is probably lower than a conventional cigarette, but the effects of the ultrafine particles and the aldehydes are about the same.”

But youre not just breathing in nicotine and water vapor, according to Stanton Glantz, professor of medicine and director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco.

In the process of heating up you get a lot of aldehydes and the ultrafine particles are themselves dangerous, Glantz told the Daily Dot over the phone. The cancer risk is probably lower than a conventional cigarette, but the effects of the ultrafine particles and the aldehydes are about the same.

The effects of the particulates may include inflammation in the lungs that can cause lung disease over time. One study found that cultured white blood cells exposed to e-cigarette vapor extract released inflammation-causing compounds, suggesting that breathing e-cigarette vapor may have similar effects within the body. Glantz also said that the particulates in both e-cigarette vapor, cigarette smoke, and air pollution can also cause the blood to get sticky, leading to clogged arteries and heart disease.

The preliminary evidence agrees with Glantzs views. According to two reviews, e-cigarette vapor is quite harmful in animal and cell culture studies. However, detractors from e-cigarettes tend to argue that e-cigarettes also release aldehydesbut theres reason to be skeptical, according to the second review. One study found that e-cigarette vapor contained formaldehydethe same probable-cancer-causing chemical used to preserve animals for dissection. However, some argued that the temperature used to create the e-cigarette vapor in that study was too high. Vaping at too-high temperatures causes a phenomenon called a dry puff which is very harsh and unpleasant, as anyone whos ever tried an e-cigarette can tell you.

“Lemme dry puff that real quick” #RealLife

Mansa Musa #LYBB (@EddzSmokesLoud) July 4, 2015

According to a recent study in the journal Addiction, e-cigarettes only release formaldehyde in the dry puff condition.

E-cigarettes are a moving target

In the 10 years theyve been on the market, e-cigarette devices have changed rapidly. The first generation e-cigarettes looked a lot like traditional ones (theyre also known as cigalikes), but werent as good at getting nicotine into the blood as traditional cigarettes.

“Time will tell whether or not that chronic inflammation will lead to disease.”

But the newer generation e-cigarettes deliver nicotine to the bloodstream at levels comparable to regular cigarettes, meaning they can give vapers the same nicotine fix as smokers. This is good news for their potential to help smokers quit smoking. But theres a catch.

Most of the data Ive seen on second and third-generation devices is that they do cause inflammation in the lungs. They do cause a measurable biological response, Robert Teran, lead author of the second review and director of SoM Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill said in a phone interview with the Daily Dot. Time will tell whether or not that chronic inflammation will lead to disease.

Additionally, e-cigarettes introduce a few variables that traditional cigarettes do not. Flavorings are common in e-cigarette liquids. While the chemicals used to create those flavors are all on the FDAs approved list of food additives, pretty much no one has studied the effect of inhaling the vapors of these chemicals, Teran said.

There is one notable exception: diacetyl. Diacetyl is the primary chemical that gives movie theater popcorn its buttery flavor. Its also a byproduct in many other foods: it gives some Chardonnays their signature buttery undertones. If you pick it up in beer, that can also be a sign that your local bar needs to clean the lines in their beer taps.

Its safe to eat, but if you breathe it in it causes bronchiolitis obliterans, otherwise known as popcorn lung, Teran said. And the only reason researchers know about the harmful effects of breathing in diacetyl is because workers in popcorn factories came down with this illness.

But diacetyl isnt just in buttery flavors. Its also in a lot of berry flavorings as well, according to one study found diacetyl in 39 of 51 e-cigarette flavors. However, diacetyl is also present in cigarette smokeat levels higher than those experienced by workers in popcorn factories, according to a 2014 study. So maybe its a wash with diacetyl.

Nonetheless, there are still many compounds in e-cigarette flavorings whose effects on the lungs are still relatively unknown. In fact, Teran believes that e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes might have more differences than similarities, and comparing them to one another might not be the best way to assess e-cigarettes health risks. After all, being safer than smoking is a very low bar to clear.

Teran cited a study from his lab that found vaping was associated with suppression of genes related to the immune system. The researchers even found many suppressed genes in vapers that they didnt find in smokers, suggesting vaping may have some unique effects on the immune system.

The ultimate cessation aid?

To say quitting smoking is hard is an understatement. Nicotine isnt just highly addictive; it can literally change the development of the brain to make people even more dependent on it if they start smoking in their teenswhich is exactly when most smokers start. Smokers looking to quit have a few options: cold turkey, gradually cutting back, using a nicotine replacement therapy, or a drug like Chantix.

Nicotine replacement therapyusing something like the patch or gumhelps smokers get their nicotine fix and taper them off of nicotine while keeping them from smoking. Many people may choose to go these treatments alone by buying the therapies over the counter at the drugstore.

According to a study from the 90s, quit rates for people who do the patch or gum alone, without the help of their doctor, vary between around 15 percent after six weeks, to less than 10 percent at 24 weeks follow-up. But subsequent reviews of that study and others like it that attempted to gain real world evidence for replacement therapies found their methodologies to be flawed.

Another review of nicotine replacement therapies found that people may be more successful if they had behavioral support such as a hotline to call or group therapy sessions. But quit rates are still low. Replacement therapy only enhances someones chances of quitting by 50 to 70 percent, according to the review. So if someone goes cold turkey without any support and has an 8 percent chance of success, using replacement therapy is only going to make their chances marginally greaterand thats only to smokers who are very highly motivated to quit.

Its unclear why quit rates are so low with replacement therapy. But part of the issue may be that smoking is more than just nicotine: its the ritual and social aspects too. E-cigarettes provide many of those same comforts, so some researchers believe they can be highly effective quitting tools.

I think someone specifically comes and seeks treatment, then I would recommend Chantix or nicotine replacement treatment, possibly supplemented by e-cigarettes, Peter Hajek, Director of Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine in London, told the Daily Dot in a phone interview. So many smokers only manage to stop smoking when they try a few of these e-cigarette models.

Hajek was involved in a 2014 review of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation. He and his colleagues found that e-cigarettes containing nicotine were more helpful than e-cigarettes without, but they couldnt determine if they were any better than the patch. Nonetheless, Hajek and colleagues in the Royal College of Physicians now urge smokers to make the switch to e-cigarettes, citing that they are 95 percent less harmful than cigarettes.

“They got six people together, several of whom had financial conflicts of interest, got around a table and scratched their head and scratched their butt and got that 95 percent number.”

How they got to that number is unclear. When the Daily Dot asked Hajek about it directly, he cited the many known toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke that lead to heart disease, lung disease, and cancer.

These chemicals are either totally absent or present in only minuscule amounts in e-cigarette vapor, Hajek said Chemicals exclusive to vaping may yet be found to also pose some risks, but this is unlikely to be more than only a small fraction of the risks of smoking.

But 95 percent less harmful seems like a long shot to Glantz.

The 95 percent number was simply made up, he said. If you go back and find the paper that comes up with that number. It has exactly no actual evidence in it. They got six people together, several of whom had financial conflicts of interest, got around a table and scratched their head and scratched their butt and got that 95 percent number.

Glantz thinks, if anything, e-cigarettes are about a third to a half as dangerous. Much of Glantzs work has also been to disprove the idea that e-cigarettes are useful smoking cessation tools when used alone. Earlier this year, he and his colleague published an analysis of several studies in the Lancet that e-cigarette users were 28 percent less likely to quit smoking than those who didnt use e-cigarettes.

The most dangerous thing about e-cigarettes is that they keep people smoking. If you were a cigarette smoker and you switched entirely from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, it would be less dangerous, Glantz said. The majority of the data suggests most people are dual users.

He added that he believes e-cigarettes have definitely helped some people quit. But he thinks that they would only work for a minority of smokers.

Taber also thinks that e-cigarettes might not be a good cessation tool, but that they are less harmful than traditional e-cigarettes.

If youre smoking cigarettes, going to e-cigarettes is probably better for your health, Taber said. And if youre not smoking anything at all, dont try e-cigarettes and think they wont have an effect on your lungs.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/2017/07/19/what-do-e-cigarettes-do-to-your-lungs/

[samanthasroberts]

What do e-cigarettes do to your lungs?

When e-cigarettes hit the market they seemed like a godsend to smokers (and maybe even curious non-smokers): all the enjoyment of smoking cigarettes and none, or at least far fewer, of the health risks. Youre only breathing in water vapor and pure nicotine, the ads said.

But have those claims held up since e-cigarettes were introduced to the U.S. and European markets 10 years ago? The science is a bit more complicated than it seems, with scientists doggedly fighting to heavily regulate e-cigarettes, and others touting them as the ultimate smoking cessation device. Who is right?

The Daily Dot dug into the science to try and answer this question. But, spoiler alert: The science behind e-cigarettes is young and inconclusive. They currently are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which essentially allows e-cigarette manufacturers to operate without much oversight on nicotine contents and other chemical components in their e-cigarette liquids. However, the FDA will begin regulating e-cigarettes in August 2016.

Cancers, lung disease, and heart disease all take several years to developpeople havent been using e-cigarettes long enough to develop these diseases. Also, most e-cigarette users (called vapers) are current or former smokers, so it will be hard to parse out whether smoking or vaping was the true culprit of whatever diseases do form. Researchers can study the effects of e-cigarette aerosol in cultured cells and lab animals, but those studies cant definitively tell us what real-world e-cigarette use will look like in the long term. Lastly, several researchers are attempting to answer the question of whether or not e-cigarettes can be used to quit smoking all together. But that question has a complicated, incomplete answer too.

Lets break it down, starting with the physical differences between traditional and e-cigarettes.

Combustion vs. vaporization

Much of what makes traditional cigarettes so dangerous isnt the nicotinenicotine is super addictive, can cause heart disease, but theres very little evidence that it causes cancer. Cigarettes are dangerous because of the smoke itself. Lighting up causes the tobacco leaves and cellulose paper theyre wrapped in to combust. And combustion of plant matter releases several other chemicals: aldehydes, carbon monoxide, free radicals, heavy metalsa combination that can cause not only cancer but lead to heart and lung diseases as well.

E-cigarettes, on the other hand, use a battery to vaporize a mixture of nicotine, glycerol or propylene glycol, and flavorings, depending on the product. Vaporization happens at a much lower temperature than combustion, so it seems reasonable that it wouldnt cause the release of all the same nasties as cigarettes.

“The cancer risk is probably lower than a conventional cigarette, but the effects of the ultrafine particles and the aldehydes are about the same.”

But youre not just breathing in nicotine and water vapor, according to Stanton Glantz, professor of medicine and director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco.

In the process of heating up you get a lot of aldehydes and the ultrafine particles are themselves dangerous, Glantz told the Daily Dot over the phone. The cancer risk is probably lower than a conventional cigarette, but the effects of the ultrafine particles and the aldehydes are about the same.

The effects of the particulates may include inflammation in the lungs that can cause lung disease over time. One study found that cultured white blood cells exposed to e-cigarette vapor extract released inflammation-causing compounds, suggesting that breathing e-cigarette vapor may have similar effects within the body. Glantz also said that the particulates in both e-cigarette vapor, cigarette smoke, and air pollution can also cause the blood to get sticky, leading to clogged arteries and heart disease.

The preliminary evidence agrees with Glantzs views. According to two reviews, e-cigarette vapor is quite harmful in animal and cell culture studies. However, detractors from e-cigarettes tend to argue that e-cigarettes also release aldehydesbut theres reason to be skeptical, according to the second review. One study found that e-cigarette vapor contained formaldehydethe same probable-cancer-causing chemical used to preserve animals for dissection. However, some argued that the temperature used to create the e-cigarette vapor in that study was too high. Vaping at too-high temperatures causes a phenomenon called a dry puff which is very harsh and unpleasant, as anyone whos ever tried an e-cigarette can tell you.

“Lemme dry puff that real quick” #RealLife

Mansa Musa #LYBB (@EddzSmokesLoud) July 4, 2015

According to a recent study in the journal Addiction, e-cigarettes only release formaldehyde in the dry puff condition.

E-cigarettes are a moving target

In the 10 years theyve been on the market, e-cigarette devices have changed rapidly. The first generation e-cigarettes looked a lot like traditional ones (theyre also known as cigalikes), but werent as good at getting nicotine into the blood as traditional cigarettes.

“Time will tell whether or not that chronic inflammation will lead to disease.”

But the newer generation e-cigarettes deliver nicotine to the bloodstream at levels comparable to regular cigarettes, meaning they can give vapers the same nicotine fix as smokers. This is good news for their potential to help smokers quit smoking. But theres a catch.

Most of the data Ive seen on second and third-generation devices is that they do cause inflammation in the lungs. They do cause a measurable biological response, Robert Teran, lead author of the second review and director of SoM Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill said in a phone interview with the Daily Dot. Time will tell whether or not that chronic inflammation will lead to disease.

Additionally, e-cigarettes introduce a few variables that traditional cigarettes do not. Flavorings are common in e-cigarette liquids. While the chemicals used to create those flavors are all on the FDAs approved list of food additives, pretty much no one has studied the effect of inhaling the vapors of these chemicals, Teran said.

There is one notable exception: diacetyl. Diacetyl is the primary chemical that gives movie theater popcorn its buttery flavor. Its also a byproduct in many other foods: it gives some Chardonnays their signature buttery undertones. If you pick it up in beer, that can also be a sign that your local bar needs to clean the lines in their beer taps.

Its safe to eat, but if you breathe it in it causes bronchiolitis obliterans, otherwise known as popcorn lung, Teran said. And the only reason researchers know about the harmful effects of breathing in diacetyl is because workers in popcorn factories came down with this illness.

But diacetyl isnt just in buttery flavors. Its also in a lot of berry flavorings as well, according to one study found diacetyl in 39 of 51 e-cigarette flavors. However, diacetyl is also present in cigarette smokeat levels higher than those experienced by workers in popcorn factories, according to a 2014 study. So maybe its a wash with diacetyl.

Nonetheless, there are still many compounds in e-cigarette flavorings whose effects on the lungs are still relatively unknown. In fact, Teran believes that e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes might have more differences than similarities, and comparing them to one another might not be the best way to assess e-cigarettes health risks. After all, being safer than smoking is a very low bar to clear.

Teran cited a study from his lab that found vaping was associated with suppression of genes related to the immune system. The researchers even found many suppressed genes in vapers that they didnt find in smokers, suggesting vaping may have some unique effects on the immune system.

The ultimate cessation aid?

To say quitting smoking is hard is an understatement. Nicotine isnt just highly addictive; it can literally change the development of the brain to make people even more dependent on it if they start smoking in their teenswhich is exactly when most smokers start. Smokers looking to quit have a few options: cold turkey, gradually cutting back, using a nicotine replacement therapy, or a drug like Chantix.

Nicotine replacement therapyusing something like the patch or gumhelps smokers get their nicotine fix and taper them off of nicotine while keeping them from smoking. Many people may choose to go these treatments alone by buying the therapies over the counter at the drugstore.

According to a study from the 90s, quit rates for people who do the patch or gum alone, without the help of their doctor, vary between around 15 percent after six weeks, to less than 10 percent at 24 weeks follow-up. But subsequent reviews of that study and others like it that attempted to gain real world evidence for replacement therapies found their methodologies to be flawed.

Another review of nicotine replacement therapies found that people may be more successful if they had behavioral support such as a hotline to call or group therapy sessions. But quit rates are still low. Replacement therapy only enhances someones chances of quitting by 50 to 70 percent, according to the review. So if someone goes cold turkey without any support and has an 8 percent chance of success, using replacement therapy is only going to make their chances marginally greaterand thats only to smokers who are very highly motivated to quit.

Its unclear why quit rates are so low with replacement therapy. But part of the issue may be that smoking is more than just nicotine: its the ritual and social aspects too. E-cigarettes provide many of those same comforts, so some researchers believe they can be highly effective quitting tools.

I think someone specifically comes and seeks treatment, then I would recommend Chantix or nicotine replacement treatment, possibly supplemented by e-cigarettes, Peter Hajek, Director of Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine in London, told the Daily Dot in a phone interview. So many smokers only manage to stop smoking when they try a few of these e-cigarette models.

Hajek was involved in a 2014 review of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation. He and his colleagues found that e-cigarettes containing nicotine were more helpful than e-cigarettes without, but they couldnt determine if they were any better than the patch. Nonetheless, Hajek and colleagues in the Royal College of Physicians now urge smokers to make the switch to e-cigarettes, citing that they are 95 percent less harmful than cigarettes.

“They got six people together, several of whom had financial conflicts of interest, got around a table and scratched their head and scratched their butt and got that 95 percent number.”

How they got to that number is unclear. When the Daily Dot asked Hajek about it directly, he cited the many known toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke that lead to heart disease, lung disease, and cancer.

These chemicals are either totally absent or present in only minuscule amounts in e-cigarette vapor, Hajek said Chemicals exclusive to vaping may yet be found to also pose some risks, but this is unlikely to be more than only a small fraction of the risks of smoking.

But 95 percent less harmful seems like a long shot to Glantz.

The 95 percent number was simply made up, he said. If you go back and find the paper that comes up with that number. It has exactly no actual evidence in it. They got six people together, several of whom had financial conflicts of interest, got around a table and scratched their head and scratched their butt and got that 95 percent number.

Glantz thinks, if anything, e-cigarettes are about a third to a half as dangerous. Much of Glantzs work has also been to disprove the idea that e-cigarettes are useful smoking cessation tools when used alone. Earlier this year, he and his colleague published an analysis of several studies in the Lancet that e-cigarette users were 28 percent less likely to quit smoking than those who didnt use e-cigarettes.

The most dangerous thing about e-cigarettes is that they keep people smoking. If you were a cigarette smoker and you switched entirely from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, it would be less dangerous, Glantz said. The majority of the data suggests most people are dual users.

He added that he believes e-cigarettes have definitely helped some people quit. But he thinks that they would only work for a minority of smokers.

Taber also thinks that e-cigarettes might not be a good cessation tool, but that they are less harmful than traditional e-cigarettes.

If youre smoking cigarettes, going to e-cigarettes is probably better for your health, Taber said. And if youre not smoking anything at all, dont try e-cigarettes and think they wont have an effect on your lungs.

Source: http://allofbeer.com/2017/07/19/what-do-e-cigarettes-do-to-your-lungs/

from All of Beer https://allofbeer.wordpress.com/2017/07/19/what-do-e-cigarettes-do-to-your-lungs/

[cosmickhaos1-blog]

Arthritic journal 1 and introduction to my disease and life

Hello reader, thank you for taking the time to read this, its taken me month to build the courage up to write about this but I feel it should be public now that it I am fully open about my disease and am looking to help others with the same challenges I go through, get a little glimpse of hope and a sense that they are not alone in this battle. So to begin my name is Jesse I'm 26 years old from Saint Paul Minnesota, At age 12 I was diagnosed With JRA juvenile rheumatoid arthritis for a knee injury that wouldn't improved or get better I started light dmard meds at that time but still had slight knee pain, Growing up I struggled with the fact I had the disease and that it was limiting what I could do in life, I constantly got my self into situations that got myself hurt or put myself at risk thinking well there will be no repercussions from my actions, then in 2008 the disease decided to spark, I dislocated my left knee and after that point I started slowing down alittle bit but kept acting like nothing was wrong, I moved out of my parents house at 19 to live with my grandparents, I had a troubled home life throughout my whole life but that's another story. I was working 30 hours a week and going to school 20 hours a week at this time, up until I hit 20 things where okay then I was working one day and my hip dislocated this is when I got sent to my first adult rheumatologist and things began to become complicated  over the course of 6 months I was diagnosed with multiple things but ultimately the doctor believed I had ankolosing spondylitis in a very early stage and was put on Enbrel at the time fast forward a few month a bam, I get into a head on collision car crash, fractured 2 vertabre an have nerve damage everywhere, putting me in a wheelchair, the doctors said at this point I would never walk with out assistance again which I never took as a actuality I just used it as a goal to push towards, 8 months later im able to walk not great distances un supported and unassisted, 2013 my father passes away, and this hits me hard and sends me into a very heavy depression that causes me for the first time to loose control over my disease and  at this point I become disabled, my mother who I'll discuss at a later time offers to get me an apartment and pay rent which I move into and that my fiancé at the time visits regularly, during this time I was treated for ankolosing spondylitis and put on every biologic I could think of remicade, actemra, ebrel,humira,cosentyx

every dmard as well nothing fully worked flash forward to 2015, I get my first it role and continue growing in the it field, November hits my fiancé leaves me one night with no explanation for someone else after 3 years of a relationship and in the same instance I'm fighting with my mother and decided to move back in with my grandparents, during this my disease is somehow stable because I was on remicade at the time and the kept adjusting the med so It would maintain my symptoms flash forward again to January 2017 I buy my first house and in the stress of buying the house my disease comes back at hits the hardest it ever has I went to see a new rheumatologist who puts me on a med that makes me 10 times worse at this point I determine there is something else going on so I demanded to be see at the u of m, april 2017 I get 4 mri's and a bunch of blood work done conclusion is I do not have ankolosing spondylitis I have rheumatoid arthritis, a very unique kind that needs to be treat with specific meds so the u places me on Imuran Hydroclorique and prednisone up until about a week ago I was progressing further than I ever have until the Imuran made me have massive stomach issues,

 my diseases is noticeable only if you look close up and watch how I walk my hands are noticeable I cant straighten my fingers and I don't run, im not physically strong but I try my damnest to help when I can

 the reason I'm posting these is to open a side of myself up that I've been quiet about and to help those who thing they can follow from this

 so here we begin

 June 1st

Start of rhumey Blog

wake up:

hands: left: numb but functional mild swelling in knuckles right: swollen

legs: left: normal right: unable to bear initial weight on right knee 10 minute of stretching require to function

shower,

Breakfast, 1 egg some rice

meds: 1 50 mg tramodal, 2 10 mg prednisone 1 200 hydrocloriquine

walk to bus .75 miles, walk from bus to work 0.45 miles

Lunch, chicken and fried rice

meds, none

 dinner chicken and rice

 meds 1 200 mg hydrocloriquine

arthritis turn out for the day

 Pain when waking up as normal, I had bruises on my arms from sleep last night may have been nightmares again, knees on and off sore today hands on and off stiff, worse than yesterday but not the complete worst i've been, blood tests next week yay! doctor in 2 weeks new meds imitate, today is the start of my new diet and exercise plan that im trying to structure around my disease instead of trying to accomplish what I cant to going to work on what I can and keep improving it, work went well wasn't as busy as previous days this week, going to attempt to clean up cardboard in my garage when I get home tonight goals for tomorrow: finish work eat a better breakfast  possible grocery shop enter day 2 blog start going through clothes organize my dressers

[rainbowderpturtle]

ive had a successful poop and now im back for round 2

i looked at the actual post part of that mcelroy post again and that “ppl say it helped w/ their depression so if u talk shit ill never forgive u” just really jfdkhgfkj hit me right in my memory centers and i was teleported thru time back to late june 2015 when markiplier made that 8 million subscriber milestone video??

where he was watching a fan-made thank you video that over a thousand fans appeared in. and he just like started sobbing his eyes out so hard he couldnt breathe, and he admitted he gets emails and pms and comments every single day from kids telling him that they were considering suicide, but the fact that his videos made them smile and that he says all the time that he loves and cares about every single fan was what inspired them to keep going and seek help and find something to live for.

and he gets emails all the time from parents of kids with cancer, saying their kids relate to mark because he’s had tumors removed and his dad died of cancer, and his videos made them laugh for the first time in months while they were going through awful painful treatments. or his videos made their last few days happier and full of laughter. or that they beat cancer or some other terrible illness, and mark showing off his surgery scars and saying “scars just mean you survived, they’re medals of honor proving you were tougher than whatever tried to hurt you” helped them feel less ashamed of their own scars or disabilities.

anyway. idk what kind of point im trying to make here ?? i dont think i really have a point, just observations. ive seen a lot of ppl who everything they know about mark they learned secondhand from The Pewdiepie Debacle and they slap a Problematic sticker on him and consider it job done. and its like, yeah, i also think mark could have handled that better, and probably should have, but uhhhh all things are inherently complex and contain multitudes, so like dont be surprised when truly good and innocent kids have solid reasons for loving and feeling dedicated to mark, and they say having to see ppl calling him “worthless trash” every day really hurts them and negatively affects their mental health fjkdhjkdh

like.....i hate that im thinking about this again bc i was Done hearing about pewdiepie like three years ago, and i just cant bring myself to care, but the thing is mark never really Defended anything stupid pewdiepie ever did. he was just kind of saying hey, this is my close personal friend and i know he makes mistakes but i believe he is trying his best, so maybe dont send him death threats and be terribly disrespectful of him in front of us or our fans, because that’s only going to create more unnecessary animosity between us all when it’s clear everyone involved is only trying to make the world a better place?

i still 100% dont believe that was The Best Time For That, and yea maybe he was being insensitive for speaking out against hurt fans instead of his friend, but like. his position......is entirely understandable. i dont believe the punishment for just plain old offensive stuff should ever be death threats... public humiliation, perhaps, if they try making excuses, and maybe pewpewboy earned a taste of his own medicine w/ the exact nature of the garbage he done did.

but i don’t believe the punishment for thinking death threats are never acceptable under any circumstances should be harassment? and i don’t believe the punishment for being the girlfriend of the person who did the dumb shit should be harassment? and i don’t believe the punishment for being the friend of the person doing dumb shit and refusing to cut all ties with them should be harassment? and i don’t believe the punishment for saying hey, i care about this person, and i wont stand for several thousand people wishing death upon them, should be harassment??? and i don’t believe the punishment for saying this person really helped me out and means a lot to me so i’m going to give them a second chance and have a little more empathy when they make mistakes should be harassment ?????????

obviously there are ppl who are gonna be like “fucc yea!!! nazis!!!!” in response, n thats Garbage, but i think those ppl will always be around and sucking up any reason to feel justified, like old ppl in the grocery store ranting about how technology will be the downfall of mankind bc the power went out and now they gotta wait 10 minutes for the register to reboot so they can buy their prune juice

anyway All Things Are Inherently Complex There Are No “Sides” Communities Are Made Of Individuals And Everyone And Everything Has Both Good And Bad Inside Them Simultaneously now im gonna go eat some cereal

[apsbicepstraining]

16 Situations All 30 -Somethings Should Stop Apologizing For This Year

If you were to ask me for an educated guess on the number of hours I said a mindless Im sorry in 2015, youd better have a technical calculator and some time to kill.

I failed way somewhere around 3 am on New Years Day.( Although odds are, the majority of members of those were justified .)

Apologies are like burps for me.

Unless you stymie my nostrils and cover my opening, they will operate out with foolhardy abandon.

Im sorry, I complain as I mine around for $0.86 in my purse, trying to avoid separating a $10 greenback for Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.

My palms are sweating, my hands are shaking and pennies are running everywhere.

I eventually succumb to handing over the $10, as to not inconvenience the convenience store clerk any longer.

Im sorry, this pitchers out of whole milk. Would you knowledge refilling it? I ask the Starbucks barista timidly, like Ive been hanging out at the self-service counter and guzzling it dry all day.

Excuse me, Im sorry, I squeak, trying to remove myself from the woman who is using the side of my figure to prop up her newspaper.

I’m sorry I wasnt able to morph into a better coffee table for her morning commute.

Apologies are the umm of our generation.

They are half-thought out space-fillers in gossips we dont feel like having.

Whether theyre genuine and justified in an attempt to avoid conflict or a simple way to wrap up a social interaction, Im sure weve all apologized a lot during the past year.

Well, its is high time to put your hoof down.

We shouldnt feel pressured to rush, settle or step aside for people who cant look up from their smartphones.

There will be no more cramming ourselves into the figurative or physicalspaces other parties have created for us.

Hell, if guzzling whole milk from a pitcher goes us going in the morning, makes not apologize for that either.

In any case, heres a register of 16 circumstances 30 -somethings should definitely stop rationalizing for in 2016 TAGEND

1. RSVPing No

You shouldnt have to justify not listening things.

We all have a lot on our plates.

If you find yourself panicked about driving two hours to a newborn rain on your only day off, stay home.

Send a check, going to go to bottom and take care of your own baby.

Ive spent times flowing myself ragged over happenings that suck time out of my weekend and coin out of my wallet.

Then, it ultimately dawned on me: Nothing who matters is deterring score.

It might sound harsh, but if we all stopped regarding each other to so many obligations, perhaps wed actually have time to connect.

2. Your Wardrobe

Your adolescence, teenage years and those scantily-clad eras of college are spent garmenting to impress everyone but yourself.

As you get older, wear what becomes you comfortable.

Dress for your figure. Dress for the occasion.

If you need bikini summaries that come up past your belly button to feel good on vacation, fasten those bloomers on and never look back.

I like to wear jeans, TOMS and solid-colored shirts every day of my life.

Guess what? Im a joyous little hipster.

3. Your Face

One of my favorite positions on this topic comes from Annette Bening in the movie The Women.

A department store salesman tries to sell her a “facelift in a bottle.”

She appears him squarely in the eye and acknowledgments, This is my face. Deal with it.

It seems everyone is peddling some make that promises to cringe your holes, get rid of your wrinkles, medicine your acne, prolong your lashes or vaporize your crow’s feet.

You shouldnt apologize for buying right into it( coughing) or slamming it down.

If you want to constitute your own vanishing cream out of avocados and egg whites, I think you’re squandering a perfectly good frittata.

But let me know if it works.

If youd rather expended $99 on 1 ounce of infomercial attention cream, write me.

I can provide you with the details.

4. Your Social Media Presence

Whether you post 20 times per day or have fallen entirely off the radar, theres no right or wrong way to do this stuff.

If youre paying that much attention to what others are doing on the Internet, youre clearly sitting on the Internet too much yourself.

5. Not Being In The Same Mental Space As Your Friends

Its tough, but we thrive apart.

If theres a shrinking roster of things you have in common with even the oldest of your best friend, its nothing to overcome yourself up over.

Some has the potential to are in conformity with very different places in their lives.

Your 30 s are a transitional age for everyone involved.

People are carving out the lives they picture for themselves, and were all walking around as different sculptors.

Some of us are a little more Donatello, while some are more Michelangelo.

The good substance ever bubbles back to the surface with a true sidekick, even if youre not currently jiving the route you used to.

6. Your Living Quarters

Owning property should no longer be the criteria by which we appraise our success.

You shouldn’t have to go into indebtednes to keep up.

If youre still living with a roommate, sibling, futon or even on a sofa, then who cares?

A living arrangement doesnt “ve got to be” permanent or pristine.

If you boomeranged back to your parents after a unpleasant breakup, so be it.

Its okay to declare youre unsure of your next stair, and youre not going to bank on circumstances until you are.

7. The Fact You Like To Move Dancing

This is more of a metaphor than anything.( Although, I do enjoy shaking my posterior plumage from time to day .)

You shouldnt apologize for wanting to dance out your demons.

Whether its in your living room, at a Zumba class, on a table or in a ballroom, rotate, baby.

8. Your Relationship Status

Theres something to be said for the latitude between RSVPing “no” and your relationship status.

But perhaps, youre simply over some crazy uncle asking why your boyfriend from six years ago isnt there.

Single, separated, divorced, rebuffed, cheating, happy, hopeful, lesbian or straight-shooting, you dont owe Uncle Frank an explanation.

9. Your Diet And Fitness Regimen( Or Lack Thereof)

While I ever prefer an unruly slew of nachos to a kale salad or protein shake, you gotta do what you gotta do.

This is another thing parties seem to like to peddle.

Whether youre training for triathlons, juicing the contents of your kitchen or house Cheeto strongholds in your living room, its your body.

Nobody has to occupy it but you.

Just try not to be too righteous about it.

Im not going to apologize for ingesting a cheeseburger any more than a staunch vegetarian might apologize for posting photographs of flax seeds all day.

10. How You Deduce Your Income

Money constitutes “the worlds” go round.

Whether you have a career youre passionate about, one youre lukewarm about or three part-time responsibilities strung together, its nobodys business how you compensate your bills.

11. The Fact You’re Turning Into Your Parents

This has been an interesting one to watch unfold.

Try as you might, its going to happen.

Theres no expend rationalizing for it because you never accepted a chance.

All those concepts you rolled your eyes at from the back seat of the Dodge station wagon?

Theyre winging right out of your mouth now.

I like to yell, Im not made of money! at my “cat-o-nine-tail” when we’re on our route home from the vet.

12. Being A Slug

If the pizza delivery guy would come instantly to my bedroom window, Id let my bathrobe belt down for him like Rapunzel let down her hair.

Bed pizza is a real and splendid thing.

Dont apologize for being a gross, lazy stinker sometimes.

The only way to reflect brightly in public is by wasting away in your own slothfulness behind closed doors.

13. Your Travel Style

Some beings operate first class and is necessary to stay in five-star hotels.

Others couch surf, hostel hop-skip or carry their adaptations on their backs.

Seeing the world is admirable , no matter how you make it happen.

You know Jay and Bey arent apologizing for yachting all over the French Riviera, so why should I apologize for getting bedbugs in Belize?

14. Your Voice

One of the most common concepts I apologize for is talking too loudly.

Others say sorry for not being heard.

Some people stutter and others have lisps.

There are the raspy express and the plainly high-pitched voices.

You can limit your articulation to a certain degree, but why bother?

Speak up, whisper, bellow, sigh, laugh, sing, squeal and clear your throat.

Just dont whistle. Nothing likes a whistler.

Definitely dont shush anyone; a shush is a personal attack.

15. Your Opinion

Granted, there is a period and a plaza, but how will anyone know how you feel if you dont speak up?

It’s worseif you apologize for doing so.

If done correctly and not for the sake of idle gossip, giving your opinion can become you into an opinion leader.

Thats a pretty good bench to be in.

If you opine in a systematically constructive way, parties will start to look to you for wisdom.

Thats a great route to positively influence the lives of others.

16. Your Truth

Whatever it is and however you find it, dont apologize for it once you do.

Dont apologize for how long it takes you, either.

If youve been hiding your truth in a lie youre finally free from, welcome back.

Step right in. The waters warm.

Its taken a lot of justifications, conformities and f* ckups to get us to this third decade of our existence.

So, lets take what weve learned and bask in that splendid wisdom of the ages.

We sort of earned it.

Grab your chisel( or your pepperoni pizza) and start carving out what works for you.

Stop apologizing for the pebbles that get left behind.

The post 16 Situations All 30 -Somethings Should Stop Apologizing For This Year appeared first on apsbicepstraining.com.

from WordPress http://ift.tt/2CLgXXo via IFTTT

[apsbicepstraining]

16 Situations All 30 -Somethings Should Stop Apologizing For This Year

If you were to ask me for an educated guess on the number of hours I said a mindless Im sorry in 2015, youd better have a technical calculator and some time to kill.

I failed way somewhere around 3 am on New Years Day.( Although odds are, the majority of members of those were justified .)

Apologies are like burps for me.

Unless you stymie my nostrils and cover my opening, they will operate out with foolhardy abandon.

Im sorry, I complain as I mine around for $0.86 in my purse, trying to avoid separating a $10 greenback for Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.

My palms are sweating, my hands are shaking and pennies are running everywhere.

I eventually succumb to handing over the $10, as to not inconvenience the convenience store clerk any longer.

Im sorry, this pitchers out of whole milk. Would you knowledge refilling it? I ask the Starbucks barista timidly, like Ive been hanging out at the self-service counter and guzzling it dry all day.

Excuse me, Im sorry, I squeak, trying to remove myself from the woman who is using the side of my figure to prop up her newspaper.

I’m sorry I wasnt able to morph into a better coffee table for her morning commute.

Apologies are the umm of our generation.

They are half-thought out space-fillers in gossips we dont feel like having.

Whether theyre genuine and justified in an attempt to avoid conflict or a simple way to wrap up a social interaction, Im sure weve all apologized a lot during the past year.

Well, its is high time to put your hoof down.

We shouldnt feel pressured to rush, settle or step aside for people who cant look up from their smartphones.

There will be no more cramming ourselves into the figurative or physicalspaces other parties have created for us.

Hell, if guzzling whole milk from a pitcher goes us going in the morning, makes not apologize for that either.

In any case, heres a register of 16 circumstances 30 -somethings should definitely stop rationalizing for in 2016 TAGEND

1. RSVPing No

You shouldnt have to justify not listening things.

We all have a lot on our plates.

If you find yourself panicked about driving two hours to a newborn rain on your only day off, stay home.

Send a check, going to go to bottom and take care of your own baby.

Ive spent times flowing myself ragged over happenings that suck time out of my weekend and coin out of my wallet.

Then, it ultimately dawned on me: Nothing who matters is deterring score.

It might sound harsh, but if we all stopped regarding each other to so many obligations, perhaps wed actually have time to connect.

2. Your Wardrobe

Your adolescence, teenage years and those scantily-clad eras of college are spent garmenting to impress everyone but yourself.

As you get older, wear what becomes you comfortable.

Dress for your figure. Dress for the occasion.

If you need bikini summaries that come up past your belly button to feel good on vacation, fasten those bloomers on and never look back.

I like to wear jeans, TOMS and solid-colored shirts every day of my life.

Guess what? Im a joyous little hipster.

3. Your Face

One of my favorite positions on this topic comes from Annette Bening in the movie The Women.

A department store salesman tries to sell her a “facelift in a bottle.”

She appears him squarely in the eye and acknowledgments, This is my face. Deal with it.

It seems everyone is peddling some make that promises to cringe your holes, get rid of your wrinkles, medicine your acne, prolong your lashes or vaporize your crow’s feet.

You shouldnt apologize for buying right into it( coughing) or slamming it down.

If you want to constitute your own vanishing cream out of avocados and egg whites, I think you’re squandering a perfectly good frittata.

But let me know if it works.

If youd rather expended $99 on 1 ounce of infomercial attention cream, write me.

I can provide you with the details.

4. Your Social Media Presence

Whether you post 20 times per day or have fallen entirely off the radar, theres no right or wrong way to do this stuff.

If youre paying that much attention to what others are doing on the Internet, youre clearly sitting on the Internet too much yourself.

5. Not Being In The Same Mental Space As Your Friends

Its tough, but we thrive apart.

If theres a shrinking roster of things you have in common with even the oldest of your best friend, its nothing to overcome yourself up over.

Some has the potential to are in conformity with very different places in their lives.

Your 30 s are a transitional age for everyone involved.

People are carving out the lives they picture for themselves, and were all walking around as different sculptors.

Some of us are a little more Donatello, while some are more Michelangelo.

The good substance ever bubbles back to the surface with a true sidekick, even if youre not currently jiving the route you used to.

6. Your Living Quarters

Owning property should no longer be the criteria by which we appraise our success.

You shouldn’t have to go into indebtednes to keep up.

If youre still living with a roommate, sibling, futon or even on a sofa, then who cares?

A living arrangement doesnt “ve got to be” permanent or pristine.

If you boomeranged back to your parents after a unpleasant breakup, so be it.

Its okay to declare youre unsure of your next stair, and youre not going to bank on circumstances until you are.

7. The Fact You Like To Move Dancing

This is more of a metaphor than anything.( Although, I do enjoy shaking my posterior plumage from time to day .)

You shouldnt apologize for wanting to dance out your demons.

Whether its in your living room, at a Zumba class, on a table or in a ballroom, rotate, baby.

8. Your Relationship Status

Theres something to be said for the latitude between RSVPing “no” and your relationship status.

But perhaps, youre simply over some crazy uncle asking why your boyfriend from six years ago isnt there.

Single, separated, divorced, rebuffed, cheating, happy, hopeful, lesbian or straight-shooting, you dont owe Uncle Frank an explanation.

9. Your Diet And Fitness Regimen( Or Lack Thereof)

While I ever prefer an unruly slew of nachos to a kale salad or protein shake, you gotta do what you gotta do.

This is another thing parties seem to like to peddle.

Whether youre training for triathlons, juicing the contents of your kitchen or house Cheeto strongholds in your living room, its your body.

Nobody has to occupy it but you.

Just try not to be too righteous about it.

Im not going to apologize for ingesting a cheeseburger any more than a staunch vegetarian might apologize for posting photographs of flax seeds all day.

10. How You Deduce Your Income

Money constitutes “the worlds” go round.

Whether you have a career youre passionate about, one youre lukewarm about or three part-time responsibilities strung together, its nobodys business how you compensate your bills.

11. The Fact You’re Turning Into Your Parents

This has been an interesting one to watch unfold.

Try as you might, its going to happen.

Theres no expend rationalizing for it because you never accepted a chance.

All those concepts you rolled your eyes at from the back seat of the Dodge station wagon?

Theyre winging right out of your mouth now.

I like to yell, Im not made of money! at my “cat-o-nine-tail” when we’re on our route home from the vet.

12. Being A Slug

If the pizza delivery guy would come instantly to my bedroom window, Id let my bathrobe belt down for him like Rapunzel let down her hair.

Bed pizza is a real and splendid thing.

Dont apologize for being a gross, lazy stinker sometimes.

The only way to reflect brightly in public is by wasting away in your own slothfulness behind closed doors.

13. Your Travel Style

Some beings operate first class and is necessary to stay in five-star hotels.

Others couch surf, hostel hop-skip or carry their adaptations on their backs.

Seeing the world is admirable , no matter how you make it happen.

You know Jay and Bey arent apologizing for yachting all over the French Riviera, so why should I apologize for getting bedbugs in Belize?

14. Your Voice

One of the most common concepts I apologize for is talking too loudly.

Others say sorry for not being heard.

Some people stutter and others have lisps.

There are the raspy express and the plainly high-pitched voices.

You can limit your articulation to a certain degree, but why bother?

Speak up, whisper, bellow, sigh, laugh, sing, squeal and clear your throat.

Just dont whistle. Nothing likes a whistler.

Definitely dont shush anyone; a shush is a personal attack.

15. Your Opinion

Granted, there is a period and a plaza, but how will anyone know how you feel if you dont speak up?

It’s worseif you apologize for doing so.

If done correctly and not for the sake of idle gossip, giving your opinion can become you into an opinion leader.

Thats a pretty good bench to be in.

If you opine in a systematically constructive way, parties will start to look to you for wisdom.

Thats a great route to positively influence the lives of others.

16. Your Truth

Whatever it is and however you find it, dont apologize for it once you do.

Dont apologize for how long it takes you, either.

If youve been hiding your truth in a lie youre finally free from, welcome back.

Step right in. The waters warm.

Its taken a lot of justifications, conformities and f* ckups to get us to this third decade of our existence.

So, lets take what weve learned and bask in that splendid wisdom of the ages.

We sort of earned it.

Grab your chisel( or your pepperoni pizza) and start carving out what works for you.

Stop apologizing for the pebbles that get left behind.

The post 16 Situations All 30 -Somethings Should Stop Apologizing For This Year appeared first on apsbicepstraining.com.

from WordPress http://ift.tt/2CLgXXo via IFTTT