#i was in training for 5 days and because my days off were wednesday/thursday typically i couldn't access my days off because i had to TRAIN | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

airariaira · 5 years ago

Text

Quatrième - 04/03/2020

Alright, strap yourselves in lads, because I left the writing of this about a week later than I usually do so this post will probably be a bit of a long one. First of all I’d like to say again that yes, I feel that my French is improving quite a lot with each day here - even if I’m not perfect, but confidence is growing and I’m definitely more confident in saying the things I say often.

Now, let’s go back to the 13th of February. My journal entry from that day seems a bit of a negative one, because I was writing about my conflicting feelings that sometimes pop up - whether I should allow my classmates to approach me first and thus seem like the quiet and awkward exchange student, or whether I should approach them first and feel like I’m pushing myself on them. It feels a little overwhelming sometimes to be surrounded by so many cool French people when my language skills often can’t keep up (and perhaps a bit the same with my social skills too 😂). Sometimes it feels like I’m wasting the opportunity right in front of me when I don’t have the confidence to strike up a conversation. As mentioned by Alex in his blog, I know I shouldn’t keep myself at a distance from my peers, but it’s so hard not to fall into the trap of doing that when 1. I’m leaving in only a month (oh my goodness, it’s so soon 😱), and 2. the past two weeks have been holidays and I haven’t seen any of them at all (reasoning for that is distance, being busy, and/or the fact that the week following the holidays - this week - is their BAC blanc exams, which is prelim exams for all you NZ ppl).

The 14th was a better day. Of course it being Valentine’s Day, the Cœur de Troyes is a major attraction on that day. I should have wandered by it to see it all dressed up. That morning I was late to school (great first time French school experience...) I was close to catching the bus, but just not close enough.. How frustrating it was to watch that bus leave without me right before my eyes. I caught the next bus, but it turns out that my bus card had run out that day. However, the bus had already left so I took that ride without a working bus card (oh heck, is that police sirens I hear?) So all in all, that was a day of many bus hardships. Because of all that, I walked home and it was actually really lovely to take the chance to admire the city again. Sometimes I find myself getting a bit comfortable and I have to remind myself that omg I really am a c t u a l l y in France right now!

On Saturday the 15th I went to the market with Marie. The market here is so cool. Lots of bustling people buying all the things they need for the week, there’s live chickens, cheese of course, clothes, a whole lot of other random stuff... The market is a pretty big thing in French culture so I enjoy going and seeing it. That afternoon we drove to pick up Antoine from a friend’s house, who lives a few towns over. It was a really nice day, so the sun hit the rolling countryside really nicely that day. We also drove through some small towns I hadn’t seen yet, and they were very cute. I’ll never stop being impressed by all the beautiful old buildings in France. That evening I made a silly language mistake and mixed up the words for packing bags and doing the dishes, so now whenever I hear one I think of the other. 😅

Sunday 16th had us travelling down to Marseilles for out 5-day holiday. It was a 7 hour drive, but we took the whole day because we stopped off at Marie’s sister’s place for lunch. She and her partner live close to where Alex is placed, so I took this truly wonderful quality photo to demonstrate to him whereabouts I was:

For lunch we had raclette, the weather was very nice, and so was the company. Marie’s sister’s husband’s children were there too. Last minute, it was decided his daughter Ambre would come along on the holiday with us which was nice. So we switched to a bigger car and set off again. When we reached Marseilles it was almost pretty much dark, but I could still see the countryside - different but really nice. The city is an eclectic mix of old and new, and there’s even a Hollywood style sign (like in Wellington!) here’s another definitely really great quality photo...

Some of the highlights from our trip to Marseilles:

Visited the museum (called Mucem)

Place des Pistoles

The Cathedral

The Notre-Dame of Marseilles

Picnic on the beach

Visit to Cassis

It’s very easy to get around Marseilles, because there’s a card called “le ticket” which you can access not only the Metro with, but also the busses, which is very useful. The Metro system is also a lot more simple than the one in Paris, because it only has two lines. The city is also quite pretty because it’s this nice mixture of old buildings, street art, flowers and plants overflowing from balconies, sculptures, and sunshine of course. People’s accents in the south are also a bit different to in the places further north, so that was interesting for me to experience too. The first day (Monday) was a bit rainy, so we decided to visit Mucem, which was nice. The museum was incredible. The two exhibits I liked the most were one on voyages and travel, which had a mixture of different art pieces that I really adored. One of them was this light globe, which seemed cool... Until we noticed that the rug in the foreground had left out New Zealand! Typical 😂

The other exhibit I really liked was one on the life and work of the famous and very celebrated French author/poet named Giono. He was a part of the world wars, so a lot of his work is descried as being often very haunting. I hope to be able to read some of it sometime. I wish I could have stayed in the museum for longer and committed the exhibits to memory. After seeing the exhibits, we headed outside onto the roof, where there’s a pretty herb garden and a gorgeous view all around you of the city and the sea.

The following days, the weather was a heck of a lot better, with the sun out and about I almost forgot it was winter at some points! On Tuesday we visited a pretty old part of town, and walked along the Place Des Pistoles, which is an area of streets dedicated to street art. it was very pretty, and I guess you could say it felt ... right up my alley 😏

After that, we went to the Catheral which was nice - it was very very big inside, and the weather at that point was very very windy outside.

Following that, we continued with the church thing and went to visit the very high-up Notre-Dame of Marseille. Because it’s so high up we were able to take a bus thank goodness, and there was also a gorgeous view of the city below us.

The inside was incredibly extravagant and shiny...

On Wednesday we went for a picnic lunch on the beach. We definitely earned it, as we had many bus mishaps on the way there! It was a very sunny day, but the wind was very strong on the beach. We also amassed a small army of seagulls, pigeons, sparrows, and other miscellaneous birds while we were eating. This is the view back from the shore:

There was also this dude here across the road from the beach:

Thursday was a wonderful day. It was also the half way point of my exchange, whaaaat!? We drove out to the pretty nearby village of Cassis. It was even warmer there - so warm I didn’t even need to wear a jacket! We went on a short walk first, and got some nice views of the cliff-faces, water, and boats below:

(Cassis has always been a boating/fishing area. I can see why, with how beautifuul the water and the weather is!)

^ Ambre, Lola and I

Halfway through the walk, we stopped on some warm rocks for a rest and some lunch. It was really nice in the sun.

Lola, myself, Lola, and Olivier.

Clearly I missed the peace sign memo AND the cup holding memo!

After that, we wandered around the town a litte bit. It is truly a beautiful place - I couldn’t really believe I was seeing it all with my very own eyes.

There were also a few groups of people very intensely playing games of Petanque. I think Dad and Lisa would have appeciated that. We then had icecream while looking over all the boats. It feels very odd writing about the nice weather there when currently as I am writing it is 6pm and suddenly very rainy! That evening, we had dinner at a friend of Marie’s. It was very nice, and their family was lovely and welcoming. I did gett a little overwhelmed at one point because there was a lot of rapid French being spoken by a lot of different people all at once and it was difficult for my tired self to keep up after a big day. However it was still enjoyable. Us younger ones got along pretty well. It’s a little weird, meeting all these nice people here while I’m exchange and realising that I may very well never see some of them again... On Friday the 21st we drove back home, stopping off to drop off Ambre and to have some lunch there too.

That weekend was quiet. On Sunday Marie’s mother joined us for lunch. We then went to the house in Geraudot for a short while, then went for a walk along a different, bigger, lake nearby. I would love to see it in the summer, when all the restaurants and things were open, people camping just across the road, the golden sand in the sun... Here’s a picture from the ride home to demonstrate why the landscape here sometimes gives me (coming from Blenheim surrounded by hills) shellshock. Tell me, am I living in that Window’s screensaver we all know and love?

On Monday evening I went to watch my first sports game ever - a French football game (sorry Kiwi rugby diehards). The Troyes football team is called Estac. The game felt a little slow at times, but other times I found myself getting pretty into it! A good experience in general.

On Wednesday evening, three friends of Lola’s came for an early overnight celebration for Lola’s birthday. We played a game called “Ta Mere En Slip”, which is a little like “Heads Up”, but with a person and an action to guess. Here’s a photo from that:

Thursday 27 February - Paris no. 2

On Thursdays, usually Marie works in Paris, taking an early train there and an evening train back. We decided that it could be a cool idea for me to travel over with her and spend the day by myself. It was an... interesting day, to say the least.

We had an early start, took the train, and then recharged my Metro card once we got there. All good, mostly, except until the card didnt work, which was a little awkward and confusing 🙄 After getting through that, Marie and I parted ways; she on her way to a meeting at work, and I on a metro to the Louvre. I had some trouble with the many confusing lines once I got there, and another tourist even asked me if she was in the riht line, to which I replied that I was sorry I was also rather confused! I hope she found her way in the end, because we were both very much in the wrong line but for different reasons. I found the correct line for me, and then I was in the Louvre! I ended up spending upward of three hours here, there was so much to see. Beautiful paintings that are so nice to appreciate in person, Greek and Roman sculpture (my inner classics nerd was wilding, it was great to see these things that I’d studied up close), some gorgeous neoclassical and otherwise French sculpture, beautiful extravagant objects from past French royalty, even Eastern and Egyptian antiquities. There was just so much and of course it was impossible to see it all (though naturally I tried - my sore feet did not thank me later). That moment of awe you feel when you see something that you truly ove is near indescribable. Here’s some photos of some of my favourite things that I saw:

A bust of Alexander the Great

Some very impressive, large paintings

The very very extravagant ceiling in one of the gallery rooms

A view of the pyramid, the little doll people, and the not-so-great weather outside from the beautiful objects area with all the past belongings of French monarchs

A nice piece from the French sculpture area

I got pretty lucky with my trip to the Louvre for a few reasons. One was that my ticket was for the morning at opening time, so I managed to get in before the worst of the crowds. Pretty awesome being able to wander around without being hindered too badly by lots of other people also trying to get as close as they possibly can to every piece. The other reason I got lucky was because the Louvre is now closed. It closed on Saturday the 29th of February, and remains closed now, it being unclear when it may open again. This was following an announcement of a nation-wide ban of gatherings of more than 5000 people in a confined space. The Louvre, of course, falls under this category.

Anyway, after that very long musemum trip, I was happily full with appreciation for art nd culture, however I was also very hungry and thirsty (no drink bottles allowed in the museum haha). So I went outside and got myself a bite to eat from a bakery stall outside, which I had overlooking the pretty garden outside (yes it was raining a bit and the bench was a little damp too, so yes I sacrificed my rain jacket to sit on). The interaction I had with the person at the bakery stall felt like the most natural interaction all in French I had had with a customer service person so far. I think that was the proudest I’d ever been of myself simply for ordering a sandwich! 😂 It was nice to just sit down with my food and admire my surroundings and people watch for a while. I could even see the Eiffel tower fro my spot, which was nice. I then wandered all the way through the garden, admiring the flowers and fountains and sculptures and the many many empty benches. I’d love to see how it looks in the sun - I bet those benches will be pretty well occupied in the springtime. After that I went on a mission for toilets and discovered the truly wonderful and fantastic thing that is Paris’ tendency for toilets that cost money to use. After that delightful exprience I headed to see the Obelisk. I may have been walking against the wind and rain, but the area was still pretty.

I then walked all the way down the Champs- Élysées (my poor feet), until I reached the Arc de Triomphe. It was by then only the early afternoon and I realised I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do. I had options, of course, but the travel to them on the metro or busses or otherwise seemed confusing and I had the added issue of not having any data or wifi to use google maps with. (Next time I am definitely getting some data - that would have solved a whole lot of problems 🙄). Long story short, one thing led to another and I ended up stressy ugly-crying with a burger I didn’t want in a McDonalds just so I could use the wifi to try and make sense of the metro system, while messaging Marie. Then to top it all off, my bathroom grievances continued because, naturally, the bathroom in that restaurant was another one that costed, and I had spent the last of my change on that burger. Dang. Anyways, I decided to go down to the metro to try and find my way to the Montmartre church. However, my metro card problems continued, my confusion of the metro system continued, and I ended up on the phone to Marie who said she would come meet me. I felt very bad that she left work for me, she said it was all okay, but naturally I still felt bad. She found me eventually, a littel tearstained and very embarrassed, and we headed on the metro to Montmartre together. She tried to explain the metro system to me a bit more, which was good and I feel like I’ve got a liiiittle bit of a better handle on it now.

On the steep walk up to Montmartre there were lots and lots of tourist shops, and then a lot a lot of stairs, with some street art on the walls which was pretty cool. The church was very pretty. We didn’t go inside, but the outside was very nice. All the surrounding fences were cooovered in lovers’ padlocks

The viewn was also very nice. Paries views (and I think French views in genral?) are always interesting. A mix of that classic Parisian architecture, you know the one -modern buildings, well-known monuments, building cranes, oooold old buildings and monuments, and sometimes the odd bit of big street art on the high-up walla. It’s never the same view you expect to see.

After that nice wee trip we went to grab a coffee and stop off at the cafe’s toilets before we headed home. However, toilet grievance number 3 hit us suddenly because the toilets were out of order. After that we decided to head to the train station and leave a littel earlier than originally planned. I was so tired after a big day I couldn’t help but fall asleep on the train 😂 Once we were back home I recounted my metro meltdown and we all decided that perhaps public transport (missing train stops, being confused by the metro and bus syetems...) is simply not my strong point, lol. Anyways, despite the stressy moments of that day, all in all it was a good experience, and the good moments were really enjoyable. I’m not going to letit deter me, and I hope in the future I’ll have more chances to explore the city and improve my knowledge of how to get around.

Saturday the 29th was a good day. We had gratin dauphinois for lunch, which was cool because it reminded me of my Nanna because it was one of her specialties, and it reminded me of the one time I made it for a culture project for French class. That afternoon, Marie and I headed back to the museum with the section on bonneterie, because there’s a new exposition there at the moment. It’s on the brand of socks called Doré Doré, celebratng it’s 200 year anniversary (weird that a sock brand in France is older than the entire government in New Zealand), and the factories have been based in Troyes since the beginning. It was cute, and a littel funny with all the little socks and things. There were lots of these big sock wall decorations outside the exhibit:

Sunday was the last day of the holidays. In the morning Marie, Lola and I went to the bakery to pick up Lola’s birthday cake. Her birthday isn’t until the 7th, but on Sunday afternoon there was some family coming to celebrate. It’s funny when we go into any store, every time the cashier assumes I’m a separate customer, so I’m now well practiced at saying oh no thank you we are all together. For lunch, Marie’s mother, brother, his partner, and their young son Jack-Jack came around. There was nice conversation, nice food, and then a game of ‘Ta Mere En Slip’. They’re all very nice, and it feels easier now than every for me to speak French with groups of people. It’s still hard sometimes, but it’s much better!

Yesterday was interesting. It was sort of the first day back at school. I got up early, Marie took Lola and I to school as usual... However I had neglected to check what the case was with the BAC blanc exams this week. Turns out that no, there is no classes at all, and it is in fact just tests all throughout the week. So that was an interesting time for me, turning up there and my classmates finding it funny I was there at all. So I just headed back home after spending a little while in the school library, and sike! I have, in some ways, another week of holidays... I’m thinking I might do some more exploring, go back to the museum, I could go to the movies and try watching something in French again, I could write some postcards or things home... Today I’ve just been writing this blog entry this morning, I’ve gone out to eat pizza for lunch with Marie, but the weather today is lovely (much better than the rain last night), so I might go do something. I am in absolute disbelief that I have less than 4 weeks left on exchange. Where did the time go? I swear I must comment on how fast the time is going by at least a few times a day at this point. But wow, it really is going fast.

Until next time!

#france #student exchange #troyes #france exchange #nziiu #nziiuambassador #nziiustudentexchange #aria in france

3 notes · View notes

divine-identite · 5 years ago

Text

So March through July has been most interesting lately -

So, in short, we are going to call these Arcs (like story arcs). There are five of them right now.

Facts to remember about this person; she’s bisexual, into open relationships, looking for fwb, is on the spectrum, had depression and social anxiety - which is why she smokes.

So I met a coworker who I got along with in march. I thought she was really cool and knowledge, however, I had a strange intuition that something was off with her at the same time. So before all that, I tried inviting her out to some events - concerts and stuff. Cause I thought she was legit cool and whatnot. She says no to this and eventually, in late April she invites me out to see Avengers: endgame; she does so because she works Fridays and Saturdays, and her friends are busy on those holidays. So I pick up, okay, so im just 2nd pick for this event? So I let it go and I buy our tickets and set the date and time. She cant do it because she is a tech and im just PRS. ( i just answer phones).

1st Arc

So on the movie day, I meet her at her place. her place is very lacklustre, she lives in a one-bedroom with no furniture - which is fine. Her roommate lives in the living room with an airbed. It’s all fine to me, I know the struggle is real. She’s nice enough to offer me coffee and scrambled eggs. I take just the coffee. She goes on a smoke break in her room, she's nice enough to close the door for her roommate. I sit on the roommate's bed and how she gets off it is odd as fuck; she kind casually brushes her hands along her arm and wrist before asking me to stand up, and it takes her a while to get up and go. Because shes trying to decide what coat she wants to wear. So finally go off, get a ride up to the mall centre in german town. She starts talking about her stories and stuff - and about one time post-banging some freshmen on her sophomore year. I was thinking okay that’s good on you lol. Now the worst part is she starts leaning her head on me afterwards through the whole ride. We get to the movies afterwards, and there two seats left because her dumbass wanted to take her time getting here. So one guy pointed us to two seats left in the crowd. The theatre was packed so what she did was cling to my arm and lean to my shoulder- again. So after the movies, we go to chipotle, and then to the beer & spirits which I pay. Because her ID is expired, how the fuck do you let your Id expire? so I have to get it. We order a lyft head back and drink at her place and play some games. We both had a good time but I left once I saw the roommate had teased her about being autistic and etc. The shoulder leaning thing had me confused - she told me im an associate.

So I bring up the issue with the shoulder leaning issue. So apparent none of that mattered. I got on her about how people can misinterpret that and she said few to interpret that. She gets upset because I bring this issue to mind like a few days. However, she mentioned one time a guy assumed she leads her on. Again she makes it clear we are associates the whole time.

2nd Arc

Next week May 5th we scheduled to watch the game of thrones at her place. I get off at 10:30 pm on a Sunday, and she doesn't work on a Sunday. I had to buy beer again - because so she meets me at my job. it was quite odd because her excuse for coming was “she was in town and though to drop by”. Nothing wrong with that but it did lead to some speculation. My coworker Gloria kept up asking questions like “Oh did you say hi to her?” “She usually doesn't wear dresses, Kelvin, what do you think?”, “ She doesn't work today here” so yeah it was hinting she knew something. Now after my shift we went to CVS and she offered to buy me snacks and food. She asks if I was sure? Now on this day, I had a sausage, cheese & egg. So I went to her place we had to go into her room since her roommate was sleeping. So she offered popeyes which I took only a wing. I sat by her bed rather than on it because - it felt weird lol. She said I could join her bed rather than sit by it - we are coworkers bruh. She leaves out too. So after smashing like 8- 9 beers I get on her bed because my knees were killing me on that hardwood floor. She comes back like “ It’s about time” so after a while she starts to lean on me again. So the beer takes its toll - and I start to nod off. So while watching Game of Thrones she would ask some questions. So around season 5 she stops it there - tells me to get my things. Escorts me out to the door of her complex. The original plan actually to use a spare bed but she apparently didn't want to do that. So she escorts me outside 4:00 am in the morning, it's cold as fuck in may. She couldn't stay out because is only clothed in a skimpy sundress and she's anaemic and plus she left her house keys in her house. So understandable but still no check-in. Which contradicts with her usually thing because she would always see if I got home. I got home around 6 am had like only 4 hours of sleep and had to go to work lol- I had a slight headache but I was good. I texted her to see if she was okay, said she was fine and that I was doing too much. I just added that hey you were right that I should have eaten something. Now this issue sparks something on her end, this literally causes her to snap off and she literally bans me from coming to her house.

After dropping her shoes off that she sent to my location because she lives in an apartment complex. we go to the gym together because of her social anxiety, now the fun part is after the gym. I found out apparently I had spilt beer on her carpet and pissed over her toilet while drunk, to be fair her bathroom is really dark. The only light is a night light behind you when you use the toilet. She had an emotional connection with that carpet so I sympathized with it and made to right my wrongs. So she asked only for three meals and me to go to the gym with her for a week. I decided a month because I felt bad about the situation. we agreed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Friday. Wednesday and Thursday are my days off.

3rd Arc

So off to the gym, some days she goes - some she doesn't - but either way I got continuously. Knowing discipline is necessary for progress. But usually, she is very inconsistent. So one week on Saturday she isn't going- rather than going I just leave it be. She's being too indecisive about the matter. I tell her to just tell me when she would be going and went home. So Tuesday comes up and she comes to work. She follows her usual routine; what's for lunch and etc? she comes up to check up on me and etc. But I wait until her shift after 12:30, now after that - my coworker comes up to ask “” Arent you going to the gym”. her reply, however, was “ No, I didn't do any laundry today. So I don't have any clean clothes to go with” That would’ve been news to tell me. So she leaves without telling me the matter - and leaves me hanging there. Wednesday and Thursday im off, and not once did it cross her mind. To make amends, so I actually have to reach out and confront her on the issues. She owned up to it but said her new meds for her depression. I understood in that second but for that whole three days? I felt that was really considerate tbh. I stopped doing favours because that was massive and just focused on me tbh. That was a huge disrespect to me and my time. So around June, I brought up the issue again to make sure we were clear and realised I had backtracked on it based on her logic on of the issue.

4th Arc

After a while, I agreed to invite her out to the movies. Went to see spider-man: Far away from home, I bought the tickets. We went over the seats and I set the time. So on the fourth, I reach the train station to meet her around 10:00 am, the movie starts at 12:45. She literally tells me to meet her at the theatre though we agreed to the train station, because of its fucking raining. Now the forecast said it would rain - but she chose to dress for the heat tbh. So I let it go and get a ride to the theatre and get there. We are early like its 11:45 pm so we decide to go to Starbucks. So she pulls me aside and asks if she can send lingerie and stuff to my house somewhat nervously (think of a typical anime girl who is fidgetting her fingers nervously) - because it's for when she goes to the gym. Still, quite an odd favour but i accept it. So after the movies, it starts to rain, so I got to CVS and buy an umbrella. Because she's wearing a sundress and if she got any wetter it is porn show. So off we go to across town to the Vape shop because the vape she has, has been burning her throat. So at the shop, the lady shows us how it works and after that she needs ID. She doesn't have ID....still so I had to literally use my ID. After a while, we go eat, and meet her roommate at the firework place. She arm links up with him and tries to get me to join - I literally shoot her down like “Nah im good”. So the roommate introduces us to his friends at her house - and off we go to park. Im literally lacking behind and she comes and checks up behind me multiple times. I state that im okay until we get to the park. Now at the park it's fine until it starts to rain, being the only practical person with common sense - hold up a single umbrella for five people. After 20 minutes of holding this damn thing up, I pass it off before she starts asking me if I want to watch Netflix. I say no, and then I went on my phone to text my friend for a while. Again she asks it before not too long she is leaning my whole thigh with the phone on it. Like you would with a couch armchair. This was no way platonic. After she leaning back on my chest with her back while we watch Netflix and stuff. Im like....you have your roommate there fam why not do this with him lol. After the fireworks, we leave but the large crowds cause her anxiety; she clings to my arm and literally is like “sorry for invading her personal space” ... it's a little too late for all that :T. We head to safeway , use the bathroom and head home.

5th Arc

We were supposed to go to Otakon together - because she invited me out to the invite. So I told Mike, a coworker of mine, I and she are supposed to be going. The whole week is excited about Otakon and stuff - and Saturday tells me “whenever she gets up she’ll let me know when she goes down to the convention centre”. I’m like.... what kind of rude shit is that? but I let it be it is what it is. So Friday comes up I call mike, he is down there and I meet him there. He tells me to call her to figure where she is - because she told him she’d be here 3-4. I called her and phone rings twice before going to voicemail. So she tells me “Oh im just got sick. Just my luck!” now I know this feels like bullshit really. You were super excited about this event - and Mike told me she looked healthy yesterday - again not making any sense really. So rather than just telling me you aren't going to show up at all. And she scheduled this event the whole time tbh.

#ooc: █ ▌❝ Tuning Out... ❞#rant: █ ▌❝ No Angels ❞

1 note · View note

leggigoesabroad · 6 years ago

Text

we’re only here on borrowed time

Sitting on a lovely, smooth, high-speed train from Nuremberg, Germany to Paris. Yesterday was a day from hell which I'll lightly get into but not dwell on, but for now, I'm so happy. ��I'd be remiss to not mention why!! Part of the reason I decided to book the train instead of flying from Prague to Paris was for many uninterrupted hours to listen to this new book my doctor recommended for me, called "Stress Less, Accomplish More" but Emily Fletcher. It obviously sounds like a typical self-help book, but I have a crush on my doctor and she really sold it for me. (BTW she's no older than like, 32, is married with two kids, super pretty, and totally gets me. She's very female-centric and one time said 'I'll never let you leave here without a prescription for more birth control, we will never let the system be the reason you're struggling with something' after asking if I had enough for the foreseeable future. Joke's on her, I'm single AF, but it really spoke to me.) She said it's a book about meditation and although I've tried meditating before, I am a little bit of a natural skeptic as to allllllllll of its listed benefits. She said this super simple technique helps you sleep better, greatly reduces anxiety/depression, get sick less often, be more effective at work, eliminate jet lag, on and on. She said she honestly can't say enough about it and it completely changed her life. I took this as a way to be more like her and immediately bought it. Also because I wanted her to like me. Incidentally, she texted me a few days ago inviting me to a new women's group she's developing for people in my demographic who are going through the same things. Because like of COURSE she did!! She also tells me to call her Casey instead of by "Doctor" and man I should stop now this is getting weird.

Anyway, this book is by an ex-Broadway performer who noticed she was going grey at age 28 (cough cough I am too) and was sick of all the medications she used to treat these symptoms and wanted to get more at the root. She talks about how simple this meditation method is - 15 minutes twice a day - and how it is literally the best thing she's ever done for herself in her life. After her course, she asks people how much money it would take to stop meditating. They all say something between "500 million dollars" and "no amount of money in the world, because what would be the point without everything else meditation gives me?" I booked the train so I could set aside several hours to listen to the book, especially on this trip, because we all know from the Thailand blog era that being far away in new countries is often what helps me make decisions in life and really self-reflect. Yes, I hear how extra that sounds, but I'm fine with it. I'm only on Chapter 5 and I keep intermittently crying!! We haven't even gotten to the part where she tells me HOW to meditate! Just her background on why it works and the entire theory behind it. The author talks about one case in which a guy with advanced Parkinson's started her sessions and after literally the first one, his tremors disappeared during the entire 15 minutes and for 5 minutes after. She said when they both opened their eyes he asked if she had noticed, and she said she did, and started crying because it was arguably the most profound moment of her career. I'm crying typing this. Ugh. She doesn't claim that meditation will cure chronic illnesses of course, but rather that it's the best thing one can possibly do to supplement medical instruction and for some ailments, it can indeed end up replacing them. She said after she started the practice, she didn't get sick again (cold, flu, anything) for EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS!! Because when the body can use sleep at night to fully rest and not just as a band-aid for stress relief, your immune system can work at its intended level and not allow any of these small things to come into play. You'd think I'd be getting paid for this post, but alas, I'm only 5 chapters in and get ready for me to be even more insufferable than usual when I get home.

Onward. Last I left off I was in a cafe with Lizzy in Prague. We stayed for a few hours and actually got a lot of work done! Turns out my freelance deadlines don't disappear when I go to Europe, hmm. We then walked to an area called Petrin, which from afar just looks like a tree-covered hill. It's actually an uphill path in an expansive park that ultimately overlooks the entire city of Prague. The more we went up, I kept thinking "we must be at the top by now" and then new buildings and castles and paths and orchards would appear. It felt like a hidden fairyland with twists and turns and new beautiful sights along the way. I posted a pic on the gram, but at one point we came to a clearing and there was a picture-perfect snapshot of the entire city through the trees. With the red roofs and striking architecture I again almost felt like crying. Also saw a bunch of couples making out in the orchards with no shame all, so that was something. Good on 'em, ay. We stopped for a glass of wine at the top (duh) and ended up chatting about work/management styles/feelings about jobs/etc. Something great about Lizzy is that it turns out for everything I'm interested in, she's in grad school for. I felt like she was the manifestation of all things fascinating to me. Kinda like when you meet someone really smart who is able to vocalize all the things you feel about things, but better. Like Hilary, but not my sister. Like Jay Wong, but not my boss! We talked about Kitty and her job search and then got into the concept of finding a job by figuring out what you love and what comes naturally to you, and then seeing how you can get paid for it. She loved hearing about Kitty and SpotX and the proposal she had to do about team-building and customer engagement, and we chatted all about different marketable skills. I remember crying to Hil many years ago (Hil if you read this, do you remember??) about how I *thought* I was smart but I hated studying/learning/school and my grades reflected that, and how I've squandered all my potential, I'm actually really dumb, etc. BTW in retrospect I now see a lot of that as my undiagnosed ADHD and I wish I had understood it earlier to get ahead of it, but it's okay. Hil at the time told me that she may have great grades and a good job, etc., but that she can't walk into a room and command attention or just become friends with everyone, and that skills come in all shapes and sizes and one isn't better than another. I'M GETTING EMOTIONAL AGAIN. Remember when my blogs used to be carefree and funny? Me either.

After that, Lizzy and I walked all through the grounds of the Prague Castle and wound our way down the hill to the Charles Bridge, and stopped for another drink. Then we got into a whole discussion about relationships and sexuality. Later, when we were hanging out with her husband, Rob, I found myself saying over and over: "It's like what Lizzy and I were talking about earlier..." and he was like "how did you guys somehow talk about EVERYTHING today?!" Females, man. Eventually she went back to her place to shower and I checked into my Airbnb across the street. Got SO EXHAUSTED and almost fell dead asleep while waiting for her before dinner, but rallied, and so glad I did. We took the tram up the hill to a nice restaurant for dinner, then went to an Irish pub to watch the Liverpool/Barcelona game. No one there remembered the epic call from 2010 World Cup that Ned and I quote all the time, but hey, we do and that's what counts. ("AND YOU COULD NOT WRITE... A STORY LIKE THIS.") We got there at halftime and were ordering drinks at the bar when a guy sitting at the bar was a real dick and says to me and Lizzy, "just so you know, when the game's on again, you've gotta move. I sat here on purpose for a good view, so make sure you move." Then turned to his partner and we could clearly hear him saying things like, "Fuckin' ridiculous they're standing right there during the game... I'm not going to let that happen... no fuckin' way" Um, a) it's half time. b) it's a bar and we're at the bar ordering drinks. c) WE KNOW. d) fuck off. He kept talking about us after we moved and she and I briefly thought about starting shit but you know, foreign country and all that. Luckily he was cheering for Liverpool and they got stomped in the second half to lose the game and we rejoiced. :)

Went to a weird, dark "Books" bar after that and we were almost the only people there. There were condoms in the bathroom and I took one as a joke to show Rob and Lizzy, but now it's still in my bag and freaks me out every time I reach for my Chapstick. We went back to their house afterwards and I kid you not, just watched Harry Styles videos. Turns out they both love him, especially Rob, which is so rich to me. He was like "this guy is just like coolness personified and he's so talented and he's weirdly attractive in kind of a feminine way but also masculine and he has such a nice voice and swagger...." you'd think I planted Rob to say this to me, but no. We watched the entirety of his Carpool Karaoke as I told them all of my favorite parts ("I was back middle." "Why am I always Julia Roberts??" "I cry in like, a cool way.") It's like when someone says to me, "you know, I'd love to know more about the meanings behind Taylor Swift's songs but I never learned, what are all of the albums about?" And I look around expecting that I'm being Punk'd. Parted ways with them and thanked them for everything and told them I was very grateful for our summer camp relationship. You know, the kind that is intensely strong, and very brief. I may never see them again and yet we spent 15 hours straight together on Wednesday and I had one of the best days ever. See you in another life, brotha.

A series of hiccups led to a very stressful morning on Thursday that I won't fully get into because my poor family already lived through it with me via WhatsApp... but it started with extreme random nausea, (the kind you have a serious internal talk with yourself about: "no. you are okay. take deep, slow breaths. do not throw up here. you are completely fine, this will pass. breathe. you're not sick. this is just random. you cannot throw up here.") and then I got on what was supposed to be a train from Prague to Nuremberg with a stop in Schwandorf, but there was a service interruption on the first leg and everyone knew but me. Probably because everyone speaks Czech and I, ya know, do not. BTW so far Czech is the least intuitive language I've ever come across. I could read an entire book in it and wouldn't be able to give you even the slightest context, like you can with French/Spanish/German. I know, romance languages and all that, but man I really underestimated how important it is to know some of the language when you're traveling through remote towns. I notice everyone in Plzen has gotten off the train and I think "well that's weird, but maybe they're all local commuters." A lady comes by and yells at me to get off, I say, "English?" She says, "NO. Bus." and shoos me off. In the panic I forget my suitcase from where I stored it - thank the heavens above, it was still there when I realized 15 minutes later and fought my way back on a closed train. I have such PTSD today and can't fathom what would have happened if the train had left. Imagine my suitcase just taking off on a train to the Czech countryside by itself. Zero percent chance I get that back. Work computer, my treasured leather jacket from Kathy that I swear I'd save in a fire, all of my toiletries and pills and prescriptions...ugh I can't even think about it.

No one spoke English except for a kind man at the info desk who spoke very little, and gave me directions ("directions" is a loose term here, I did a lot of critical thinking and problem solving to vaguely understand what I was supposed to be doing next) to take a bus in an hour that would take me to Stod, where I could then catch my train to Schwandorf and hopefully ultimately Nuremberg. After a series of mishaps and incredible uncertainty, eventually all of that happened. I walked into the hotel in Nuremberg and almost kissed the floor. I had big plans to wake up early and explore, but alas, I'm embarrassed to admit that all I did in Nuremberg was buy some wine/chocolate/gummy bears and stay in all night and sleep late this morning. Bodies need rest, y'all. My audiobook author would tell me that my body is in recovery mode after releasing an unnatural amount of adrenaline and cortisol. NEVERTHELESS SHE PERSISTED!

I'll be staying with rig friend Angie and her family in Paris, and seeing rig Aaron there too. He messaged me yesterday and said, "so do you want to see museums and such? Or I can show you my favorite brasseries?" I said, "I've been to Paris, I'd just like to day drink honestly." Luckily he is on board, shawoooooooo. Oddly there's no WiFi on this train like they said there would be, but it's not that bad because it's so smooth and comfortable and I still have my audiobook. Will post this blog sometime later when the WiFi shows up. Cross your fingers that I get the romantic countryside train ride I pined for. And happy weekend!!!

1 note · View note

kisstheburnsaway · 6 years ago

Text

Crazy, He Calls Me

Original post: HERE

Anonymous asked: Companions and phone sex 👀 are they good at it? what do they say?

[[For starters, I’d like to thank you for making my AU-hating arse think up how in all hells would “phone” sex even work in the Wasteland; that’s exactly how I wanted to spend these last few days. Second, this barely counts anyway. Take it or leave it.]]

[[Also, mild NSFW ahead. Well, you did say “sex” at me. Own it.]]

Cait: Sole gave her one of the better-looking Pip-Boys from Vault 88 after they were finished with their business there, and Cait got almost as addicted to it as she had been to Psycho and was now to Sole. Honestly, it was definitely one of the most useful devices she’d ever gotten her hands on, including that one time when she’d found a still-working vibrator in one of the old hotels. Anyways, thinking back to that time and to how now, typically, she didn’t need one… but… Well, it could always be better in some way, right?

So one day, when Sole was busy with running around and talking to people, Cait told them she’d be in the nearest bar, but she hid in one of the alleys and recorded a holotape which she then slipped into Sole’s gear when they were sleeping.

Sole found it the next day when they were on the road, pulling it out of their coat pocket with honest surprise on her face. Given that they usually stored the holotapes they’d found back at home as soon as they could, it must’ve really been surprising to find one that escaped that scrutiny. Cait watched them out of the corner of her eye as they inserted the tape into their Pip-Boy.

“Oi, love, I was just thinkin’ about you,” Cait’s voice spoke up. Sole threw them a surprised glance, but Cait pretended not to hear or see anything. The tape continued: “And I was thinkin’ how nice your body feels next to me. How good it feels to go down at you to wake you up from a bad dream in the middle of the night. And how good your hands feel when they’re runnin’ all over me body. Mmm…”

That was the end of the tape. Sole didn’t say anything or follow up on it in any way. Except next day it was Cait who found a tape in her gear, and this time it was her heart beating like crazy when she put it in her Pip-Boy. She looked at Sole, but they conveniently pretended not to see anything.

“My dear, the truth is that if you want me, all you need to do is spread your legs and ask nicely. I’m more than happy to fulfill your every desire, whatever it might be. My hands on your body is just the beginning…”

Soon, the idea of recording indecent tapes and hiding them in one another’s gear turned into a sort of a silly game of “whoever gives in first”, which at least more often than not ended with them passionately fucking in their tent at night. Cait couldn’t complain.

Curie: Back when Curie had been a Ms. Nanny, she’d helped Sole download the e-mail program framework from University Point’s terminals. And for that, once they got back home, she’d received her own terminal because, as Sole said, “she contributed and she deserved it”. Fast-forward to a few months later, to a settlement-wide party to celebrate Sole’s birthday, which, organised by Hancock, very quickly turned into drunken revelry. Sole, once they’d had a few drinks, wouldn’t let Curie out of their sight, putting their arm around her and pulling her along wherever they’d go. Curie didn’t mind much—it was indeed an interesting occasion to observe people’s behavior and listen to their stories when they were intoxicated, even if she only sipped a single drink that didn’t work on her synth body anyway.

A few days later, Sole was busying themself with some spring cleaning when they’d heard a chime of a new e-mail from their terminal. It was from Curie, and the title said, “Experimentation Schedule”. Very benign. Also, misguiding.

“My dear Sole,

I have decided upon the schedule of our upcoming experimentation and herefore sending you a draft just like you asked for. I know of many things that you also like to ask for, so I included them in this draft. The schedule for next week is as follows…

On Monday, we shall engage in chemical testing. I would like to take pH-measure of your bodily fluids, most notably the saliva and vaginal fluid. But as we lack proper analytic tools for such tests, I am forced to resolve to using my tongue. I should hope the testing will be most enjoyable.

On Tuesday, we will perform some stress tests. This is most important for the control of your heart and whatever effects your new lifestyle and habits have on it. I would be very unhappy to skip these tests as it is your heart that brings me the most joy in life. The testing will involve exerting much physical effort and passive intake of fluids, administered through my new mouth-to-mouth technique.

On Wednesday, there shall be a physical examination. It is most important to do monthy check-ups and control how your body heals after the injuries it so often sustains. The pre-requisite of this exam is that you are fully unclothed as there should be no physical barriers between the doctor and her patient. Also, in order to keep you from losing precious warmth, we shall make sure your circulation is properly stimulated, allowing you to regulate your temperature more efficiently.

On Thursday, I will show you some washing techniques, to help you keep hygiene at minimal cost when you are traveling. Seeing as proper hygiene is the most important to living a healthy life, I believe this to be one of the most important activity of the week. It will take place in the shower of your home at 5 PM and continue throughout the night.

On Friday, I will teach you about proper hydration and nutrition with a specially prepared breakfast we will consume upon waking up. Once you are properly nourished, we will put this new lifestyle regime to the test with another stress test.

On Saturday, we shall take a long walk through the wilderness and study what we encounter along the way. Getting acquainted with one’s surroundings and environment is an important step to implementing a healthier lifestyle. We will get acquainted very well.

On Sunday we shall take the day off from experimentation and enjoy a quiet night together. As play is also quite important in training of one’s problem-solving skills and hand-eye coordination, I will provide several devices designed to help with the training.

That is everything I have planned for our next week together. I will be impatiently waiting for your approval of this schedule and begin preparations immediately.

Yours forever,

Curie”

Sole didn’t give their approval right away. They needed to go take a cold shower first.

Danse: [[Warning: borderline heresy. Sorry not sorry.]]

Surprisingly, Danse holds the black-belt of phone sex. Sole was shocked when he laughed at their drunken descriptions of their biweekly sessions with their spouse when they used to serve. Granted, Danse had a few too much to drink as well, but there was an unpalpable tang of sincerity to the story he told. Specifically, he recalled that in his first squad, back under the command of Paladin Krieg, he and Cutler would occasionally—and by ‘occasionally’ he meant ‘often’—spout sexual things at each other through the comm-links while the rest of the squad was choking with laughter. And when Sole asked what sort of things, Danse, blushing a little and with an intro of “Oh, we were young and stupid, and it was usually Cutler initiating these wildly inappropriate conversations”, gave them a recap of one of their conversations which went something like this:

“Oh, Danse, you mighty, mighty man… Oh, the things I’d let you do to me at night in my quarters. Over.”

“Yes, Cutler? Like what? Over.”

“Like at first, I’d let you put your hands on me… Over.”

“And what would you be wearing, Cutler? Over.”

“I’d have absolutely nothing on. I’d have undressed and washed and gotten all prepared for you, my lovely Danse. Over.”

“Mm, I’m starting to get behind this idea. I’d definitely use those hands for the betterment of mankind. Over.”

“And after my mankind couldn’t take any more betterment, what would you do? Over.”

(There was no way at this point that everyone in the squad wasn’t laughing, even Paladin Krieg.)

“I would continue our… training exercise. Move on to other locations. Over.”

“Oh, what sort of locations? Over.”

“Wherever you’d want me, my beloved Cutler. As long as you spoke up. Over.”

“Oh, Danse… Over.”

“Speak up, Cutler! Over.”

“Oh, Danse, but there are several unoccupied locations here! What do we do? Over.”

“We shall explore them one by one, no matter how unusual. Over.”

“Yes, Danse, keep telling me. Keep ordering me. I want you to be my Paladin tonight. Over.”

(You should’ve seen Krieg’s face at this point. Priceless.)

“Take my uniform off, Cutler. Over.”

“Gladly, my Paladin. Right away. Over.”

“Now bend over. Over.”

“Please, my Paladin, do whatever you want to me. Over.”

“I will, Cutler. You just relax. Over.”

“Yes, put it in me, put it in! I can’t wait!… Over.”

“Oh, Cutler, you’re so delightfully tight… Over.”

“And you, my Paladin Danse, you are… semper invicta. Over.”

“You make me such, brother. Ad victoriam. Over.”

“Yes, ad victoriaaam!”

…Upon getting their breath back, Sole asked why Danse even engaged in those conversations if they were so ‘wildly inappropriate’. Danse had no answer for them.

[[Did I say ‘mild NSFW’?? Can’t seem to recall…]]

Deacon: Deacon was something else. First time Sole found the note in the dead drop, obviously written in his handwriting, they couldn’t really believe it, especially since it wasn’t addressed to them. But really, who else could it be for? Sole stifled a sting of jealousy as their eyes glided along the lines: “If you were here right now, I would be pushing my dick down your throat. But since you’re not, I can only wallow in my loneliness”. Ah, that bold, bald idiot.

As they scribbled their response on the back of the note and put it back in the dead drop and especially as they closed the container behind them, they felt a rush of something… Like a thrill. Like when having sex in public. Their thoughts sprinted to that time at the park, with… but it was a long time ago. There was no point reliving it. They threw another glance at the container and left.

A few days later, Sole visited Railroad’s HQ, and lo and behold, Deacon was there too. They picked up the pace—it wasn’t often these days that they could see each other, what with his work as a field agent and their own duties and activities. But halfway through the room they saw that Deacon was actually hunched over what looked like a pile of papers, sitting on his mattress, head in hands.

“What’s up with him?” Sole asked no one in particular, but it was Doc Carrington who almost jumped out of his seat to answer.

“He got about twenty replies to that stupid note he left in every dead drop we have… I think he’s crying.”

“Oh, shut up,” they mumbled, but threw him a grin. Sometimes they thought they were the only ones who actually liked Carrington, even for all his flaws. But now they navigated over to Deacon’s mattress and before he even noticed them there, grabbed one of the notes at random and read the reply. “Oh, yes, Deacon, I’d love to gulp you down like a bottle of whiskey!”, it said. It wasn’t Sole’s reply. They looked at the pile of notes beneath their feet and Deacon’s miserable face, trying to stifle laughter.

“You should know my handwriting, honey,” they said. Deacon scoffed and threw some of the notes in the air like the dramatic actress that he was.

“You never handwrote a single thing to me!” he yelped. Sole patted his glistening baldness comfortingly.

“Now, now, it’s okay,” they said. “I didn’t reply to this silly thing anyway.”

Deacon looked up at them, squinted… “Just leave the lying to me, honey,” he said. “You’re lousy at it, I’m sorry to say.”

Sole chuckled. “Okay, fine, have it your way and keep looking for a note you have no idea about. Take a guess based only on how well you think you know me.” Deacon pouted, just a tiny little bit. “Or…” Sole said, leaning to his ear. “You can just pick a few of them out and then come find me, and we can play them out…” They bit the node of his ear playfully and walked off, leaving him slack-jawed and red up to the brow. When they looked around, they could see him frantically sorting through the notes.

Hancock: Since Sole noticed a ham radio at Hancock’s Old State House, they realized that would be a perfect way to communicate when they weren’t together—‘cause God knows Hancock always found a better way to communicate when they were. However, Sole didn’t account on him interrupting them in the middle of the night in the workshop as they were building new defense turrets for their settlement. And it was going really great until the ham radio crackled and bespoke:

“Hey, sunshine!” And then his voice got lower, huskier, and sexier: “Hope you’re naked over there ‘cause I sure am.”

Sole grabbed the microphone and said, “Goddammit, Hancock, you know I’m in the workshop. If I was naked here, I’d be up for losing a few body parts, like you.”

“And we wouldn’t want that, would we?” Sole could almost hear him wink over the radio. “But still, how about I keep you… company?”

Sole didn’t reply.

“I mean, after you finish whatever you’re doing, maybe you’ll wanna operate some heavy machinery.”

“For fuck’s sake, Hancock, stop! I’m trying to work here.”

“Yeah, baby…” He breathed. “I love it when you do it with your hands…”

Sole blushed, getting hot all over, but instead of replying, they just focused on the task at ha… Dammit! The task. Period.

“I miss you, Sole…” Hancock’s voice, with its rasp and tone, and slightly distorted by the radio, was reaching Sole on a wholly different level of being. “...And little Han-cock misses you, too.”

“HANCOCK, YOU LITTLE SHIT!”

“Don’t call him names! It’s okay, little one. Daddy will stroke you with love.”

Sole decided to ignore him. Just ignore him. It’s okay. He’s gonna get off that… Dammit! Come off… DAMMIT! He’s gonna be done… D-A-M-M-I-T. Nevermind.

“Sole, darling? Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you masturbating?”

“Why, Hancock, ‘DARLING’, why aren’t you stopping this trainwreck? Are you high?”

“Damn right I am.” And the shameless confidence in his voice honestly turned Sole on more than anything else he’d said so far. But they weren’t going to give in so easily. He wasn’t going to win them over with just the sound of his voice alone.

And as Sole returned to building the turret—realizing, along the way, they’d put more than one part in the wrong place because of being distracted by that irradiated idiot—that irradiated idiot took an audible breath, as if to calm down, and then said, “Alright, sunshine, I’mma go sleep it off. You have a good night and I hope you dream about me kissing every inch of your perfect body and sliding myself into you exactly the way you like. Or you into me, whatever floats your boat, love.” And with another crackle, he was gone. And Sole was left with their thoughts racing and heart pounding.

MacCready: Since RJ brought Duncan to the Commonwealth so that they could both have something at least resembling a real family again, as much as this world permitted it, one big problem arose: they couldn’t travel together anymore, not when one of them had to stay behind and take care of Duncan. That, in turn, brought a lot of late nights, staying up worrying about one another, tension, and eventually arguments. Sole knew these originally stemmed from love, but it was still so… So they decided to look for solutions. After two weeks they managed to modify a baby monitor to transmit both ways and link it to Sole’s Pip-Boy. That way they’d have contact with one another, and a way to send a distress call should anything go wrong at home. And then that bit Sole in the ass, too.

One day, early morning, Sole woke up at their camp they’d only set up in the first place because they wanted to make one more stop before returning back home—and also, it had been late when they were setting it up, and even though they were maybe half an hour away from home, they didn’t want to wake the boys just to have to leave the next morning again. So they made camp, went to sleep, and then woke up at, like, fucking dawn to RJ’s voice spewing crap through their Pip-Boy. At first they thought he was making sense, that maybe the house was under attack, but then RJ said, “The places I’d kiss you in… ’Cause I miss you and I need some masturbation material.”

He WHAT? Sole jerked up and began packing up the camp, at the same time teasing RJ on the line, “I wish I could be there, too, honey, tracing kisses down your firm chest…”

RJ moaned softly, “Oh, yes. I’d love to feel you close. Your hand down my pants…”

“Down your what? I’d have undressed you a long time ago. And tied you to the bed. I’d love to have you completely at my mercy.”

The groan he let out made Sole’s lips twist into a satisfied, vengeful smile. No one, and they meant it—NO ONE would be waking them up at dawn.

“Uhh… What about Duncan, though?” he asked, his voice somewhat shaky.

“I’d leave him with Dogmeat, lock the door… Dogmeat would let us know if Duncan was coming. Don’t you worry. I have it all thought out.”

“Mm. Please tell me you wouldn’t just tease me the entire time.”

“Of course not. First thing I’d do would be to push you all the way down my throat, as far as it would go.”

“Holy f…” he cleared his throat like that was going to help. Sole was now walking briskly with a huge grin on their face.

“And then I’d do you exactly the way you like. Except you wouldn’t be cumming until I let you. And there would be nothing you could do, tied up as you’d be. Mm, thinking about that body of yours splayed out on the bed. Just… yummy.”

“Oh, goodness, Sole. Please come home as soon as you can.”

“I will, love. I will.”

And barely a few minutes later, Sole rushed into the house and moved about as quietly as they could as to not wake Duncan up; they found RJ in the bedroom, hiding behind the bed with his head thrown back, dick in hand. And Sole just stood there above him with their hands propped up on their hips until RJ finally opened his eyes and saw them, immediatelly getting all flustered and embarrassed.

“Hey, b-but in my defense, look what you did to me!” he mumbled, the first fully coherent sentence in the full-minute-long babble.

“Yeah?” Sole shoves his hand down their pants. “Well, look what you did to me!”

Nick: When Sole told him about how they’d used to play with their spouse over the phone, Nick raised his brow and didn’t say anything. The topic never came up again. [[Like, let’s be real, he would SO not be up to it. Leave poor Nick alone.]]

Piper: Sole and Piper never talked about what Sole did with their spouse, how their life was before the war or any of that stuff. It was as if Piper filled in the blanks herself and correct or not, she was happy with it. As if it pained her less to work with those lies than have to listen to Sole’s life about someone else and then see that moment when they reach the end of the story and realize it’s never coming back. The moment when their tearful eyes close over a fake smile as they say, “But I have you now, Red. So it’s all good.” It’s never all good. So she preferred her stories.

But even so, whether it was by some bizarre coincidence or because she really did find out about it somehow, one day Piper did the exact same thing their spouse used to. One day, a messenger came up to Sole and handed them a sealed letter with their name on it. The shock of getting anything from a random caravan driver who had apparently recognised her easily but whom she’d never met before, and all that in the middle of nowhere in Capital Wasteland—that shock dissipated as they opened the makeshift envelope an found an actual love letter from Piper.

“My Beloved Sole,

I have never done something like this before. But these last few weeks when you’ve been gone have been hard. I can’t pretend you’re just around the corner anymore. I can’t imagine waking up next to you every morning. Last night I awoke from a nightmare which I could barely remember, but it was a dream of you never returning to me again. I’m scared. I know you’re not going to be back anytime soon, but if I were to receive a reply from you, even a short ‘I’m okay’ note, I’d sleep much better.

And I’m sorry for writing this, but I miss you. I can’t help it. I can’t even write a good article anymore, so you better get your shapely ass back here soon! My livelihood is on the line!

Speaking of that shapely ass… Ahh, nevermind. I just want you back. I want you next to me. I want to be able to kiss you and touch you, and be with you, and I swear on the Wall, when you return, I’m not letting you out of bed for AT LEAST a week. You’ll repay me in earnest for every minute I had to spend all alone, pressing my hand to my lips as to not let a sound out as I’d push the other down my… Or up. Depends on the perspective, I guess. And all of that thinking of you.

I need you. Get back soon and stay safe.

With love, Piper PS. If someone opens and reads it before it reaches you, I will be SO pissed.”

Sole raised their gaze from above the letters, hand at their own lips as they held back their tears. The caravaneers threw them a weird look from above the fire they all sat around, but didn’t say anything. Piper literally went to Goodneighbor and talked to Daisy, probably in exchange for some favors, to make sure this reached them. Sole ripped a piece of the paper and scribbled a short note before giving it back to the caravan driver, nearly begging him to take it back. The note said: “I’m fine. I love you, too. I promise I’ll be home soon.”

Preston: After the party where Sole literally almost boasted about what phones used to be and what use they made of them with their spouse, Preston was indignant for the rest of the evening. He couldn’t help being jealous. But even so, when they passed out like the adorable idiots they were, Preston was the one to gather them up from the floor and put them to bed. And when he stayed and looked at their sleeping face, so peaceful if not for the quite disturbing muttering, he just somehow wasn’t mad anymore.

“No, don’t touch me…” Sole muttered in their sleep. “Fuck off, whoever you are, there’s a man waiting for me at home…” Preston’s heart fell to his stomach again. But then… “No, his name is My Boyfriend… Now go away.” And Sole turned to the other side and slept soundlessly the rest of the night. When they awoke in the morning with a skull-splitting headache, the first thing they noticed was a glass of water on the nightstand. They gulped the entire thing down, spilling more than some on themselves before they realized there was also a note. It said, “Hey, Li’l Mama, whatcha got on?”

BONUS - Strong: [[Please, don’t. Steer clear. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.]]

I just have this vision in my head, like, a beheaded mole rat used as a crayon, the mask of a pre-war white car his canvas, and those red child-like letters spelling: “Strong like your butt”.

38 notes · View notes

owlways-and-forever · 6 years ago

Text

Summary: The Marauders are getting older, and that means so many things. Mischief, heartbreak, and trying to figure out who they really are. They’ll face problems within their group, prove their loyalty to each other, and discover the ugliness that is brewing in the wizarding world at large. Welcome to Years 2-4 of the Marauders time at Hogwarts. **This piece is a sequel to Behind the Mango Tree, however, you do not have to have read the first installment to pick this up. It does stand alone, but there is some carry over from the last book, especially with inter-character relationships. Basically, you don’t have to have read BtMT, but it certainly helps. Word Count: (2,802) 20,225 Links: FFnet | ao3 | tumblr: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5

A/N: Okay, well only a day late, which I think is not bad for a chapter I hadn't even started a week ago! This is a bit of a lighter chapter, no angst thats too heavy here. Reminder: we are now in the third year of Hogwarts!

Looking forward, there's some good news and bad. On the plus side, the next chapter is about halfway written already, so I feel fairly optimistic about finishing it soon. On the down side, however, I'm moving next week, so I'll be spending Wednesday in a car, which means I most likely won't get to update until Thursday. So bear with me, and hopefully this chapter is enough to tide you over!

Chapter 6: A New Look

James felt self-conscious as he walked into the Great Hall. His parents had gotten special permission for him to join the rest of the school at Hogsmeade instead of taking the train, since they were getting back from their vacation in Mustique that morning, and he’d had to go to the doctor before he could depart. He could imagine that Professor Dumbledore hadn’t been very keen on the idea, but his mother typically had a way of getting what she wanted from people. But then she had kept delaying and delaying all afternoon, saying that they had ages before the train got to Hogsmeade, and of course they had time for one last family dinner. The end result was that James arrived in Hogsmeade with his father just as the last students were piling into carriages, all his friends already on their way up to the castle.

James clambered into the last carriage alone, trying not to fidget too much with the frames around his eyes. It was only a few minutes up to the castle, but it felt like an eternity without people there to laugh with. His carriage finally pulled up to the doors and he followed the other students through the Entrance Hall, scanning the crowd for his friends, to no avail. He paused in front of the door to the Great Hall, his heart pounding in his chest, and he quickly snatched the glasses from his face and tucked them into the pocket of his robes. He didn’t want to walk in last and look like a freak.

The world grew hazy around him, like he was looking at everything through a thin sheet of frosted glass, but James knew where he was going by force of habit. He squinted as he walked along Gryffindor table, trying to find his friends. Eventually he saw the fuzz of Sirius’ curls, and the very blurry faces of Remus and Peter across from him. He plopped down into the space next to Sirius, and began looking around the room (or at least pretending to).

“Where’ve you been?” Sirius asked, his head swiveling to face James.

“With my parents, we got back from vacation late so they brought me to Hogsmeade,” he explained, trying to find Sirius’ eyes.

The Sorting started, and the Great Hall became a yo-yo of hushed silences and exploding cheers as new first-years joined their houses.

“Dude, what is going on with you?” Sirius laughed, and James assumed that something he was doing was not quite right.

“What do you mean?” he asked, colour rising in his cheeks slightly.

“Your eyes, they’re all squinty and you keep looking at my eyebrows,” Sirius said, and James couldn’t see the expression on his face but if he would guess it probably be some kind of mirthful confusion.

“I got glasses,” he whispered, pulling them out of his pocket and laying them carefully on the table.

“Well then why aren’t you wearing them?” Sirius asked.

“I just don’t want to,” James said, trying to shove his glasses back into his pocket.

“Oh come on, mate, don’t be silly,” Sirius scoffed, grabbing James’ hand and yanking his glasses away from him. He unfolded them and unceremoniously rammed them onto James’ face. “There, much better.”

James shook his head slightly, looking down into his lap. He didn’t want the others to see how watery his eyes had become, and not just from the roughness of Sirius’ technique.

“Why don’t you want to wear them?” Remus asked quietly, leaning across the table.

“I don’t want to be made fun of,” James admitted, feeling at least comfortable enough among his best friends to tell them the truth.

“Come off it,” Sirius laughed, and Remus flashed him a very critical look.

James looked unsure, remembering being a young child in the pureblood community and feeling very much the outsider.

“It’s alright James, all of us have been made fun of at some point,” Remus said, and Peter nodded along beside him. “No one can be liked by everyone.”

“I guess,” James agreed, thinking, not for the first time, that Remus was uncommonly wise for a third-year.

“Just don’t listen to them,” Peter advised. “Anyone who makes fun of you for having glasses doesn’t matter anyway.”

“Yeah,” Sirius agreed, “plus we can always cast the horn tongue hex on them, and then they won’t be saying much of anything.”

All four boys giggled lightly at the idea, and James felt much better about his new glasses. They turned their attention to the Sorting in time to see Idella Sexton join Gryffindor. They clapped and cheered along with the rest of their house as she sat amongst them, and then paid very little attention to the rest of the ceremony and the feast that lay ahead.

* * * * *

On the morning of the first day of classes, the third-year boys stepped into the Transfiguration classroom to find names hovering in shimmering letters above each seat. Assigned places. Groans echoed through the students as they all realized what was happening. In their first two years, they’d been allowed to pick their own seats in every class, but now for some reason that had changed. This year, the Gryffindors were sharing their Transfiguration class time with the Ravenclaws, and they could see that they were all going to be sitting mixed in with each other.

James was surprised to find that he, Sirius, Remus and Peter were sitting next to each other. James took his seat – the second seat in the second row – and as he did his name blinked out of the air. Mirabelle Faulkner plopped into the seat to his right, tapping her long fingernails on the glossy oak desk impatiently.

“I’m surprised McGonagall let us all sit together,” James whispered, leaning across Sirius so that Remus and Peter could hear him.

“She probably knew you’d be even more disruptive if you were separated,” Lily hissed from in front of them. “Now please, be quiet.”

Sirius snickered, thinking about how much fun it would be to annoy Lily all year long, but his musings were brought short as Professor McGonagall swept into the classroom, coming to a stop in front of her desk.

“You will have noticed,” she began, her voice dominating the room, “that I have assigned seating for this year, and you may be wondering why that is. This year’s material will be more difficult than anything you have come across before, and you will all be pushed to your limits. For this reason, I have tried to pair my students according to ability, and those whom I feel could help others to reach their full potential.”

James understood what she meant – the stronger students were being paired with weaker students. His first instinct was that it was unfair that he should have to suffer because his partner struggled, and from the surprised expressions around the room, he was sure he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. But as he thought about it more, it occurred to him that it might not be the worst thing. At least, if it were a class he struggled in, he certainly wouldn’t mind the help either. He looked over at Mirabelle, his new partner for the year, and thought he could have done much worse. She might not be the best at transfiguration, but she was pretty competent overall, and they got along decently well. And who knows, maybe she would teach him some of her badass defensive jinxes.

“Today,” Professor McGonagall continued, cueing the students to settle down, “we will go over the curriculum for the year, and then begin the first of our lessons.”

In a flurry of movement, students began pulling rolls of parchment and quills out of their bags, ready to take notes on anything that seemed important. In Professor McGonagall’s class, that usually meant everything.

“We’ll start the year by transforming the state of an object, before progressing to animal-to-object transformations,” she said, waving her wand so that words appeared on the chalkboard behind her. “Finally, we will end the year by discussing human transfigurations, namely, Animagi. We will not be learning the process of becoming an Animagus this year. Are there any questions so far?”

No one spoke up, which Professor McGonagall took as her cue to continue with the lecture.

“Now then, today we will begin by learning duro. Can anyone tell me what this spell does?”

Lily raised her hand, and acting on instinct, Sirius leaned over his desk and slapped her hand in a high five. She turned to face him, her mouth gaping in shock, confusion, and anger. Sirius laughed, and James chuckled beside him – it was difficult not to fin Lily’s expression amusing.

“Miss Evans?” Professor McGonagall asked, and Lily whipped her head around to face the front, her braid swinging broadly.

“Um, duro turns things to stone, Professor,” Lily answered, her brows furrowing as she tried to refocus on the lesson.

“Not the most eloquently put, but yes,” Professor McGonagall said, and Lily blushed slightly at the criticism. “Duro does indeed turn objects, living and inanimate alike, to stone, or rather it transfigures them to have a stone-like nature. All objects are created of particles that vibrate at a natural frequency – the faster the vibration, the more impenetrable and inflexible the object. Duro essentially increases the particle vibration the maximum possible, so that the object has the appearance and texture of stone.”

Quills scratched against parchment, everyone trying to write down as much information as possible. Transfiguration homework was notoriously difficult to do without adequate notes.

“I must warn you,” she continued, giving them all her most stern look, “that while using this spell on living beings is possible, it is not advisable, as doing so would be fatal. If any of you attempt to use this spell in such a manner, you will be met with the most severe repercussions.”

The room felt noticeably cooler, the gravity of her words sinking in. Professor McGonagall was not one for exaggeration or idle warnings.

“Now, as you become more proficient in casting duro, you will be able to control the degree to which your object hardens, and the appearance it takes on,” she said. “You can transfigure objects to marble, sandstone, limestone, and a variety of other materials. Exceptionally skilled wizards may even be able to transfigure their objects to glass, steel, or rare and valuable substances such as diamond. It is important to note that per section 142 of the International Trade and Foreign Exchange Agreement set forth by the International Confederation of Wizards, the use of duro to increase the value of an object for sale is forbidden.”

As Professor McGonagall kept talking, the sound of quills scratching on parchment filled the air. They covered a great deal about the theory behind the spell, as well as a few more details about the history (particularly of how it could go wrong) and legal aspects. Eventually, Professor McGonagall dismissed them – about five minutes before they were due to finish class – and shared that they would begin attempting the transfiguration during their next lesson.

* * * * *

James plopped down heavily on the wooden bench at the Gryffindor table, his friends joining him on either side. He felt exhausted, his mind worn down by the day’s lessons, and it was only the first day of school. Why was it so much harder this year? He felt like he would spend every second of his time studying, which was a real bummer, because he’d been hoping to try out for the quidditch team this year. But he had no idea how he could manage it. He groaned and dropped his head into his hands, letting the fatigue wash over him in waves.

“You okay, mate?” Remus asked, eyeing James carefully.

He shrugged and took his glasses off, massaging his closed eyelids gently with his fingertips.

“I’m fine,” he answered, trying to shake off the lethargy. “I just didn’t expect this year to be so much harder.”

“It’ll get easier in time,” Remus assured him, patting his hand. “They’re just throwing a lot at us because they think we’ve gotten lazy over the summer holidays.”

“Maybe...” James said, biting his lip – he wasn’t entirely convinced.

Sirius joined them, having stopped to talk to Marlene for a bit on the way, and he flopped into the seat next to James. He snatched up a chicken wing and began tearing into it, running a hand through his errant curls. James quickly replaced his glasses, trying to clear his mind.

“So,” Sirius began through a mouthful of chicken, complete unaware of the conversation that had been taking place, “what do you think would happen if you put a werewolf on the moon?”

Remus stared at Sirius, his mouth open in a little ‘o’ of surprise as the colour drained from his cheeks.

“He’d explode, Siri, there’s no atmosphere on the moon,” Peter sighed, reciting the information that he had learned while he was at muggle schools.

“Oh Petey-Pie, I never said we would send him up there without a bubblehead charm,” Sirius trilled, reaching for another wing. “I’m not cruel.”

“Right, forcing a werewolf to endure unending agony by putting him on the moon,” James snapped, surprising everyone, including himself.

“Who says it’d be agony?” Sirius retorted, never one to back down from a challenge.

“It’s just logical, isn’t it?” James replied, turning to face Sirius. “If the full moon is what causes him to change, he’d be forced to constantly be in his werewolf form. And since the proximity to the moon is much closer, the effects would probably be amplified. It’d be worse than transforming on earth, and it would never stop.”

“Bloody hell, those glasses really have turned you into a know-it-all,” Sirius teased, whistling long and low.

“Shut up,” James muttered, adjusting his glasses.

“See, maybe it’s the sight of the full moon that makes them change though,” Sirius pressed on, ignoring the look on Remus’ face. “And if he was on the moon, then he wouldn’t be able to see the whole thing. So he wouldn’t transform. Remus what do you think?”

Sirius looked at Remus, and its like his eyes were steel, glistening, glinting, hard. There was an edge in them, like he was daring Remus to refuse him. Whatever it was, whatever mania gripped Sirius, it scared Remus a little bit.

“It’s not the sight,” Remus finally said, closing his eyes on Sirius’ victorious expression. “Werewolves will transform if they’re inside or outside, regardless of weather. Blindfolding them wouldn’t make a bit of difference. But it’d be nice if it were that easy.”

“Fine, but its still possible that somehow whatever it is that makes them transform would be negated by being on the moon,” Sirius insisted, not willing to back down.

“I guess,” Remus conceded with a shrug. “No one really knows what the mechanism is.”

“That’s rubbish, innit?” Sirius said, but he still looked victorious.

“You have no idea,” Remus sighed, looking at James and Peter, who had very apprehensive looks on their faces. \

“C’mon, let’s just eat dinner, I want to get an early start on homework,” Peter suggested, bringing all their attention round to the rather gloomy task of the essays they’d been set.

P.S. A friendly reminder that feedback is ALWAYS appreciated, and if you really like story, feel free to recommend it to a friend. (And if you really really like the story, hit me up on Ko-Fi).

#gen writes #marauders #hp #james potter #sirius black #remus lupin #peter pettigrew #minerva mcgonagall #lily evans #QiMH #Better Together

1 note · View note

sassyfitblog · 6 years ago

Text

Fit Pregnancy: My 2nd Trimester Workouts

Workouts done during 13-27 weeks of my pregnancy

I’m almost 27 weeks pregnant and approaching my 3rd trimester. Woohoo! Just like my first pregnancy in 2016, I’ve been very fortunate to have an easy pregnancy thus far. I haven’t experienced any nausea, excessive fatigue, leg cramps, swelling, hemorrhoids, headaches, heartburn, constipation or other symptoms that are common in most pregnant women.

This has allowed me to consistently train up to 6x a week. If you’ve been following my journey for a while, you’ll know that prior to getting pregnant, I would train 6x a week sometimes twice a day.

I thought I would share the workouts that I’ve been doing to stay fit and active during this pregnancy, along with sample weekly schedules.

So here goes.

Weekly Workout Schedule (13 - 17 weeks pregnant)

Sunday - 3.5 mile easy paced solo run

Monday - Active rest day focusing on mobility exercises

Tuesday - 3.5 mile stroller run

Wednesday - 45 min Spin Class

Thursday - 1hr Orange Theory Fitness Class

Friday - 45 min Spin Class

Saturday - 45 min Spin Class

Weekly Workout Schedule (18 - 22 weeks pregnant)

Sunday - Easy paced 5k run

Monday - 1hr Barre

Tuesday - 45 min Spin Class

Wednesday - Active rest

Thursday - 1hr Orange Theory Fitness Class

Friday - 45 min Spin Class

Saturday - 45 min Spin Class

Weekly Workout Schedule (23 - 27 weeks pregnant)

Sunday - Easy paced 5k run

Monday - Active rest day focusing on mobility exercises

Tuesday - 1hr Orange Theory Fitness Class

Wednesday - 45 min Spin Class

Thursday - 1hr Orange Theory Fitness Class

Friday - Yoga

Saturday - 45 min Spin Class

How I create my Weekly Workout Schedule?

So at the beginning of every week, I create a workout plan (like the ones above). They are based on my schedule, my husband’s schedule (so he can keep our toddler), my toddler, class availability, the weather and how my body is feeling.

My goal is to do at least 5 challenging workouts alternating between cardio & strength. I try to ensure that I have 3 days of cardio and 2 days of strength and then 1 day for yoga and/or mobility. But this doesn’t always workout as planned. Sometimes I might have a little more cardio and less strength and vice versa. For example last week during Thanksgiving, I took spin classes 5x and did 1 outdoor run. This was because all of the classes at other studios I wanted to attend were completely full. Also the temps outside were freezing for the most of the week and I didn’t feel like running outside in it.

About the Workouts:

Easy Paced Runs

I try to go out for an outdoor run 1-2x a week depending on the weather and schedule. As I get further along in my pregnancy I don’t run outside if it’s raining or snowing heavily or really cold. If it’s nice outside, I’ll do a stroller run with my toddler.

I typically do a 5k at a super easy pace (or what my running club likes to call ‘sexy pace’), which is 10:30+ min/mile. My pre-pregnancy pace was around 8:40 min/mile. My body can go faster but I overheat so quickly and my heart rate shoots up, which is a big no-no during pregnancy. So I aim to run at a conversational pace and have fun. If I feel like my heart rate is increasing too quickly at any point, like running up a hill, I take a walking break until it’s back to normal. I never ever attempt to push through a run. It’s just not worth it to me during pregnancy. I always do what feels right for my body.

A few people have asked if I wear a support belt during my runs and the answer is no. I didn’t wear one during my 1st pregnancy and I ran up to 41 weeks. However my bump is a lot larger this go around so if I feel I need one, I will definitely get it.

Orange Theory Fitness Class

I discovered Orange Theory Fitness classes while vacationing in Florida this past summer and fell in love! It’s a high intensity workout combination of treadmill running, rowing on a rowing machine & strength training using free weights or TRX straps. It’s coached by a trainer to upbeat music and no two workouts are ever the same. (I’ll have to do a blog post with a review on their studio at a later date). While the workouts are challenging, it’s been easy for me to modify moves that are no longer comfortable or reduce intensity that I perform various exercises. For example the treadmill running consists of speed intervals. Pre and early pregnancy I would run the entire way as instructed but as I got further along, I take walk breaks as my recovery.

So here’s an example of what the speed intervals might look like on the treadmill then vs now:

Pre-pregnancy - Base pace 6 mph, Push Pace 7.5 mph, All Out Pace - 9/10mph

During Pregnancy - Base pace 3.5-4 mph, Push pace 5.5-6mph, All Out Pace - 7-7.5 mph, Recovery pace 3mph

Spinning at Cyclebar

I love spinning and frequently used it to cross-train when I was training for races. I’ve done classes at all the well known spinning studios over the years but never heard of Cyclebar until I got it on Groupon. I’m so glad I found them because they are close to home and their spin classes are awesome! I started taking classes in March and used to compete to be number 1 on the leaderboard (and did it!) but as I got further along in my pregnancy, this was no longer my goal. I try to keep my heart rate at a manageable pace, which means that sometimes I have to skip the tap backs or arm presses. I still leave this workout drenched in sweat and smiling because I’m having so much fun. I’ll have to do a review on this studio as well at a later date.

Barre Class at Pure Barre

During my 1st pregnancy I took barre classes all the way to my 40th week and really enjoyed it.

During this pregnancy, I thought I would do the same and took numerous classes because I love the way it works your tiny little muscles to exhaustion. However when my class pack expired earlier this month, I didn’t renew it. Why? I just wasn’t enjoying it as much as before. I don’t know if it’s the slow pace or having to do way too many pregnancy modifications during the abs section of class, but I noticed that I kept watching the clock every time I went to class, which is never a good thing. Maybe I’ll feel differently in a few weeks and get another package but for now, I’ve decided to replace it with short pilates workouts I can do at home.

If I have to leave my house, especially during the cold winter months, I only want it to be for workouts that I absolutely enjoy.

Active Rest Days

I try to take things down a notch 1-2x a week by taking a rest day. I usually don’t completely take the day off unless I feel super tired. I try to incorporate short yoga workouts, mobility exercises and pelvic floor work at home.

I actually feel like my body needs more of this because it’s so beneficial to help prevent injuries, increase flexibility and prepare me for labor so I plan to incorporate it more during my 3rd trimester.

During the summer time, I would incorporate outdoor pool workouts because I have a pool in my neighborhood. Now that winter is here and the outdoor pools are closed, I would have to find an indoor pool to use and unfortunately there isn’t one close to my house so it looks like I won’t be doing that anymore.

So there you have it!

All of the workouts I’ve done during my 2nd trimester of pregnancy.

I’m hoping that I can continue to maintain my fit pregnancy schedule during my 3rd trimester.

If you’d like to see my daily fit pregnancy training, follow my stories on

Instagram

And if you have questions, please feel free to shoot them over. I’d be happy to answer.

Be sure to connect with me on my other social media channels below:

Twitter

* Disclaimer - This post is NOT an attempt to advise or encourage anyone, especially expectant mothers, to try my workouts or workout schedule. I am an athlete sharing my fit pregnancy journey. I am under the care of an OB GYN who is aware and okay with my workouts. Please consult your doctor before attempting any new workouts*

#fit pregnancy #sassyfitgirl #fit and pregnant #pregnant runner #running during pregnancy #fitblr #fitmom #mother runner #2nd trimester #2nd trimester workouts #prenatal fitness

4 notes · View notes

cbsmithpks · 6 years ago

Text

Every Parent’s Nightmare

We worry about our children from the day they are born or perhaps even from the day we find out that are we are pregnant. In September of this year, we had the scare of our lives as parents. After living through this nightmare, I was told by many parents that I should blog about our experience to help raise awareness of the symptoms of joint sepsis in children.

On a typical Thursday evening we thought our 11 year old daughter had the stomach bug that was going around the middle school. She had a fever of 103.4 and was throwing up. This lasted all of Thursday night and most of the day on Friday. But by Friday evening she felt somewhat better and the fever had dropped to 99.5. We thought we were out of the woods, but she was up much of Friday night with a fever and throwing up. I even told another mother on Saturday morning that this was the worst virus I had ever seen and I hoped other kids didn’t come down with it. Later Saturday morning, when our daughter tried to get up, she couldn’t walk. She was in severe pain. Even the weight of her leg hanging when we carried her was unbearable. We knew something was wrong. Fortunately for us, our good friend, Maureen is a Pediatric PA. She took a look at her and told us to go to the ER that she thought she had a septic hip. “A what!!” I exclaimed. How does a perfectly healthy child get sepsis?

We rushed to the ER and were there for over 4 hours. They did some blood work, an x-ray and we were told she had Transient Synovitis, which is when a viral infection moves into a joint. We were told it isn’t serious and that it will go away on its own. We were sent home with a child still unable to walk and in excruciating pain. That night things got even worse, she was up all night with a fever, throwing up and in unimaginable pain. In the morning, I called my friend, Maureen. She said she really felt like our daughter had sepsis and that the ER was incorrect. She reached out to our doctor (with whom she works.) He was not on call this particular weekend but lucky for us, he went ahead and met us at his office early on a Sunday morning. Within just a few minutes, he said, “I am pretty confident that this is a septic hip.” We were admitted to the local hospital where blood test and an ultrasound confirmed the diagnosis.

While my husband went home for the night to prepare for an oncoming hurricane (we live on a barrier island off the coast of NC,) my daughter and I were taken via a 3.5 hour ambulance ride to University of North Carolina (UNC) Children’s Hospital. We arrived in the middle of the night and within 5 hours of our arrival, I had already met with the Pediatric Team, the Infectious Disease Team, the Orthopedic Team, they had drawn their own labs, done an MRI and our daughter was in pre-op for a joint aspiration. After that surgery her pain was a bit better due to some pressure being relieved. That surgery along with the MRI and blood work confirmed the seriousness of her diagnosis and within 2 hours of waking up from the first surgery, she was back in surgery again. This time they had to open up her hip and go in and clean the infection out of her hip. A drain pump was inserted to remove the fluid. She was in excruciating pain after this surgery. To say that my heart was breaking for her is an understatement. She was put on very strong antibiotics while we stressfully awaited the 48 hours for cultures to grow to see if the bacteria was treatable with antibiotics (i.e. that it wasn’t antibiotic resistant.) She was given an echo-cardiogram to ensure that there had been no damage to the heart. “What!!! This was a possibility?” Another thing to worry about. Fortunately the results were excellent! We found out that the bacteria would respond to antibiotic treatment so next we moved into a “wait and see mode” as we waited for the antibiotics to do their thing.

To be considered free of bacteria, blood cultures have to be clean for at least 72 hours. Four days after surgery we had a big scare as the blood culture came back still positive for bacteria. They were getting her ready for a 3rd surgery when the orthopedic team came in and said that they thought that maybe pulling the pump the prior day could have caused bacteria to backwash into her blood stream and the blood test picked up on that. So the infectious disease team agreed to wait 24 hours for another blood sample. This was a huge relief as our daughter, who starting to get some relief, was terrified of having this clean-out surgery again as it caused her extreme pain the first time. Fortunately, the orthopedic team was correct and her blood was clean 24 hours later. So now we were 24 hours into our 72 hour wait before she could be considered for discharge. Once her blood was good, she went in for a minor surgery to have a PICC line installed to deliver IV antibiotics for several weeks before she could transition to oral antibiotics. She also started physical therapy to learn to walk with a walker.

She ended up in the hospital for 9 incredibly stressful days. It was difficult for my husband and I to see her in this kind of pain. We were physically and mental exhausted. We tried to shield her from the seriousness of her condition and it was very difficult to stay positive and not breakdown. I know any parent who has experienced a seriously ill child can relate. It was without a doubt the worst 9 days of my life. I swear that still today when I think about it - I have PTSD. It makes me almost nauseous.

While at UNC-Children’s Hospital we were educated on the ramifications of not getting timely treatment of sepsis in a joint. Because the hip is still growing, it is of utmost importance to protect the cartilage. Patients who sustain damage to their cartilage are risking permanent hip joint damage. These patients may require hip replacement later in life if the damage to the cartilage is severe. There can be complications such as osteomyelitis, bony erosions, damage to the heart and other organs and even death.

Until this, we had no idea that a perfectly healthy, very active, 11-year-old girl could get sepsis in her hip. Nor did we know how serious and how painful it could be. Once the antibiotic was working and she was out of immediate danger, we began asking questions about her long-term prognosis as she isn’t the sit around the house and watch TV or read kind of kid. She is a middle school cheerleader, plans to tryout for the track team, she bikes, surfs, swims, kneeboards and tubes. She never sits still. The thought of long-term damage, still weighs very heavily on me as I keep thinking --- “was there something else I could have done after the visit to ER with a misdiagnosis?” In my gut I knew something was wrong.

The delay caused by the misdiagnosis made it day 5 since first symptoms. After 5 days is when one can get into trouble with complications. We won’t know if her growth plate was damaged until we return to UNC Children’s Hospital early next summer. Her orthopedic surgeon feels pretty confident that all will be ok. Once she was in hospital, with the help of the doctors, we had traced back her symptoms. We learned that her hip hurt her on Wednesday during PE, but she thought she had pulled it in cheer practice and she wanted to cheer at the football game Wednesday night. I also recalled that on Friday, when we thought she had a stomach bug, she mentioned that her leg hurt. She didn’t say hip. I chalked it up to a sports injury. Because for the life of me I couldn’t imagine that fever, throwing up and joint pain could mean a septic joint. I had never heard of such thing. If it weren’t for our good friend, Maureen, being insistent on this being sepsis, I am not sure what we would have done. I shudder to think of the outcome.

At this point, I am sure you are all asking “how does a perfectly healthy child end up with sepsis in her hip???” What we learned is that she likely had a cut somewhere on her body and the bacteria got into her blood stream when she came in contact with it. The bacteria was Staphylococcus aureus which is a very common bacteria found everywhere. Typically your body fights it off but for some reason, unknown to the doctors, several thousand perfectly healthy kids a year don’t fight it off and it takes up residence in synovial fluid in a joint area. So we will never know how or where she picked this up or why her body didn’t fight it off.

While I hope you never have to experience anything like this in your lifetime, I do hope that by writing this article, others can learn more about sepsis in a joint and get quick treatment. While this is not very common (about 5 kids out of every 100,000 kids) it is scary when your kid is one of them. If your child has a fever and has severe joint pain --- shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, elbow or wrist - it is a medical emergency. Don’t make light of it. Insists on blood work, x-ray, ultra-sound and be sure to have them seen by a pediatrician, as this is more common in kids than adults. And from what we have learned septic joints are missed quite a bit by general ER docs that are not trained in pediatrics.

Finally, we would like to thank Maureen Young, our awesome Pediatric PA; Dr. Andy Kiluk, who is incredibly gifted at what he does, for rushing to office and giving up his Sunday to ensure that Peyton was diagnosed and transferred to UNC Children’s Hospital where she received exemplary care. And a HUGE thank you to the following groups at UNC Children’s Hospital (they were wonderful) - the Pediatric Team, the Orthopedic Team, the Infectious Disease Team, Radiologist, Cardiologist and Physical Therapy. So happy to have such a great resource in North Carolina!

Now..... go hug your kids because I learned that we are not promised a tomorrow. It can all be striped away in the blink of an eye. We were lucky, but it was way way way to close for comfort!!!

1 note · View note

kevinscottgardens · 3 years ago

Text

25 au 31 octobre 2021

Monday, the olive harvest commenced. It was exhausting. After work, I went to my chiropractor, rushed home to take some friends of Mme. to Biot train station, then went by scooter into Antibes to meet Matthew for apéros, and was back home in time for the Quinta book club at 20.30.

Tuesday another day of olive harvesting and Happy and Happier were true to their nature. I really don’t like climbing in the trees here; they are very tall and I’m trying to hold on to the tree and the vibrating rakes at the same time; it’s all a bit much. I’ll keep trying...

Wednesday I went to the dentist to have my crown fitted. It turned out to be two appointments, two hours apart. My tooth was 3D printed in the office. I ended up taking the day off so I met friends for lunch. I had a nice chat with Susie in the evening.

Thursday I arrived to the atelier first so I unwrapped the air compressors (used for the vibrating rakes), Couli (aka Adam, aka Christian) and I filled the tanks with petrol and pulled out the rakes. Once H & H arrived we were told we wouldn’t be harvesting today because they went to the mill yesterday, and we wouldn’t be able to pick enough by tomorrow to take more. Monday is a holiday so any olives picked would need to wait until Tuesday to go the the mill...

Friday I headed to Milan to visit Cristina, Mattia and their son Argo. Cristina is a friend from high school. She was an AFS exchange student as I had been the previous summer. When the incoming students arrived our chapter hosted a meet and greet. So we’ve been friends over thirty years ! And I spotted this poster not far from her house.

Argo was a very good Italian teacher. He was teaching me the names of animals.

Cristina’s home was fully decked out in Halloween decorations. Sunday we all went out to a community Halloween event then Argo went trick-or-treating from shop to shop, as they do in Milan. It was quite interesting to see how differently this imported holiday has been adopted.

Cours de français hebdomadaire

la charité s'il-vous-plaît - trick or treat

une fête costumée - costume party

habillé - dressed up

le maquillage - make up

angoissant - scary

mignonne - cute

Quel beau déguisement. - What a great costume.

un fantôme - ghosts

un gobelin - goblins

citrouille d'Halloween - jack-o-lantern

Plant of the week

Gernaiaceae Pelargonium ionidiflorum (Eckl. & Zeyh.) F.Dietr.

(Photo from Married to Plants)

common name(s) - fairy cascades, celery-scented pelargonium, violet-flower pelargonium, path geranium synonym(s) - Geraniospermum ionidiflorum (Eckl. & Zeyh.) Kuntze; Ligularia ionidiflora Eckl. & Zeyh. conservation rating - none native to - South Africa location - Vivaio Ciancavare leaves - small, deeply-lobed, softly-hairy, celery-scented leaves flowers - red stems and narrow, rose-pink petals, and appear from mid-spring to mid-autumn fruit - the ovary consists of five mericarps - carpels (i.e. it is 5-locular), which on fertilisation elongate; the fruit is a schizocarp, a dry fruit form intermediate between dehiscent and indehiscent types, in which each carpel matures into a single-seeded unit habit - evergreen, small, woody shrublet, bushy, somewhat spreading plant, to 500mm in height and width habitat - among rocks in karoo or karroid vegetation which is typical of Eastern Cape Valley Bushveld; this habitat receives an annual rainfall of 300 to 750 mm per annum during summer; summer months in the area also experience very high temperatures and the winter months reach below 0ºC. pests - vine weevil, caterpillars, thrips disease - grey moulds when grown under glass hardiness - to -5ºC (H3) soil - well-drained sun - full sun propagation - softwood cuttings around 100mm to 150mm long pruning - deadhead regularly nomenclature - Gernaiaceae - from Johannes Burman (1707-1780, a Dutch physician and botanist who Linnaeus worked for in his youth, Burman first used the name to describe some South African Geraniums in 1738; Pelargonium - from the resemblance of the shape of the fruit to the beak of a stork, pelargos in Greek; ionidiflorum - derived from the Greek word, ion, which means violet colour, and the Latin word florum, meaning flower, and refers to the colour of the flower NB - ideal for any garden that has constant dry soils; plant will be well suited for an area that experiences temperature extremes between summer and winter; good in a container or hanging basket and is known to attract bees, butterflies and other insects

References :

Gledhill, David, (2008) “The Names of Plants”, fourth edition; Cambridge University Press; ISBN: 978-0-52168-553-5

IUCN [online] http://www.iucnredlist.org/search [7 Nov 21]

Married to Plants [online] http://www.marriedtoplants.com/reviews/pelargonium-ionidiflorum/ [7 Nov 21]

Pelargonium Page, The [online] http://www.pelargonium.si/genus.html [7 Nov 21]

Plants of the World [online] http://plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:376381-1 [7 Nov 21]

Royal Horticultural Society [online] https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/12396/pelargonium-ionidiflorum/details [7 Nov 21]

San Marcos Growers [online] https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=4304 [7Nov 21]

SANBI [online] http://pza.sanbi.org/pelargonium-ionidiflorum [7 Nov 21]

World Flora Online [online] http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0001064267 [7 Nov 21]

SARS-CoVid-2 update (incidence rate per 100,000)

#Pelargonium ionidiflorum

0 notes

roeniusfitness-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Workouts, Supplements, and Addressing Misconceptions about Working Out

Blog IV

My first blog post titled “From the darkest of times to the best of times — All it takes is determination, hard work, and a realization that you can do it” talked about my weight loss journey of going from 221 pounds to 172 pounds. This journey required a lot of hard work, dedication, and discipline. I had to revamp my diet, spend a lot of time researching diets and exercises, and most importantly had to start exercising. I experienced a lot of setbacks throughout this journey, which is to be expected when getting into fitness, but it is how I persevered and responded to those setbacks that allowed me to achieve my goal and encouraged me to continue on my journey because my journey is far from being done. I am constantly trying to improve my health and wellbeing while learning new and innovative exercises and information about fitness that I try to incorporate in my life. In my first blog, I did not get into the specifics of what I was doing on a daily basis to lose weight and achieve my goal; therefore, this blog post talks about what I did and still do to achieve the physique that I wanted so badly, along with addressing misconceptions that are commonly held about working out.

My workouts

My workout regimen, or workout “split”, consists of working out 5-6 days per week. I typically work out every muscle group once per week and then will choose a muscle group to work out twice. I typically try to work out my chest twice during a week as my chest is my weakest muscle area. When I am trying to cut weight (i.e. trying to lose body fat and become leaner), I do cardio around three to four times per week for 30-45 minutes as well as abdominal exercises. The following is my workout split for each day followed by an example workout, even though every workout I do incorporates different exercises and is constantly changing.

*Please note — if you do not know what an exercise is, I encourage you to Google it and find a video on how to do the exercise with proper form. Proper form can save you from injury as well as help you get the most benefit from the exercise.

Monday: Back (lats) and Biceps

· D Grip Lat Pull Down:

o 4 sets of 12 repetitions

· Kneeling V Grip Lat Pull Down:

o 4 sets of 12 repetitions

· Straight arm Lat Pull Down

o 4 sets of 8 repetitions

· Bent Over Barbell Row

o 5 sets of 10 repetitions

· Machine low row

o 5 sets of 8 repetitions with a 2 second hold

· Barbell deadlifts

o 4 sets of 6 repetitions

· Superset Cable Row with Back Hyperextensions

o 4 sets of 8 repetitions

· Superset Standing Alternating Dumbbell Curls with Machine Preacher Curls

o 4 sets

o First set = 10 repetitions on first exercise, 4 repetitions on second exercise

o Sets = 10/4, 8/4, 6/4, 6/4

· Bent Over Concentration Curls

o 4 sets of 8 repetitions

Tuesday: Chest and triceps

· Flat Machine Press/Incline Bench Cable Fly

o 4 sets of 15/8 (15 reps on machine press, 8 reps on cable fly)

· Flat Barbell Bench Press

o 8 sets of 6 with a 4 second negative

· Body Weight Chest Dips

o 4 sets of failure with a two second hold on the stretch

· High incline Reverse Grip DB Press

o 4 sets of 12

· V Bar Tricep Press Down

o 10 sets of 6

· Diamond Push Ups

o 3 sets of failure

· Rope Press Down

o 4 sets of 20

Wednesday: Legs

· Lying Leg Curl

o 15,15,12,12

· Leg Curl

o 12,12,10,10

· Stiff Leg Deadlift

o 12,10,8,6

· Leg Press

o 15,15,12,12,10,10

· Barbell Hip Thrust

o 10,10,8,8,6,6

· Adductor Machine & Abductor Machine

o 15,15,15,8,8,8

Thursday: Shoulders and traps

· Standing DB Side Lateral

o 4 sets of 8

· Seated DB Arnold Press

o 6 sets of 10 with 4 second negative

· Reverse Pec Deck Rear Deltoid Fly

o 4 sets of 12

· Bent Over Rear Deltoid DB Fly

o 3 sets of 20

· DB Shrug

o 6 sets of 8

· D Grip Barbell Shrug

o 6 sets of 15

Friday: Arms

· Barbell Preacher Curl/Incline Bench Barbell Skull Crusher

o 6 sets of 15/15

· Cable Tricep Press Down/W-bar Cable Curl

o 6 sets of 15/15

· Machine Tricep press down/Machine Preacher Curls

o 3 sets of 15/15, 3 sets of 12/12

· DB Hammer Curl/V-bar Tricep Press Down

o 4 sets of 15

Saturday: Off day

Sunday: Off day or Cardio and abdominals

Cardio Exercises:

Goal: Burn 300 calories each cardio session

· Incline walk on treadmill: 30-45 minutes

o Settings: 10 incline, 3.5-3.9 speed

· Stairmaster: 30 minutes

Main Abdominal Exercises:

· Hanging leg raises: 4 sets of 15

· Kneeling cable abdominal crunch: 4 sets of 15-20

· Plank into side planks: 4 sets of 30-45 seconds

Supplements I take:

The following is a list of supplements I take and the benefits associated with taking them:

· Whey Protein Isolate

· Creatine

· L-Arginine

· L-Carnitine

· BCAA’s

· Vitamin C

· Multivitamin

· Fish Oil

· Glucosamine Chondroitin

· L-glutamine

· Beta-alanine

Seven common misconceptions about working out

1. Do you have to “break” a sweat for a workout to be beneficial?

You do not have to necessarily “break” a sweat for your workout to count. The most important aspects of working out are to get your body in motion while simultaneously raising your heart rate. The main purpose of sweating is to cool your body down. You will most likely find yourself sweating when you are working out, especially when you are just starting a training program or getting into fitness. Also note that if you’re older, particularly older women, you will probably not sweat as much. According to UC San Diego Health, “as you age you sweat less. Well, to be precise, you sweat differently, particularly if you’re a woman. Part of the change is related to menopause, i.e. hot flashes, but researchers have found that sweat glands (especially under the arms) shrink and become less sensitive as we age, which translates into reduced perspiration production.” If you can manage to raise your heart rate and move your body in some type of exercise, you will be working toward becoming more fit, which will most likely cause you to sweat.

2. Exercise turns fat into muscle. While many people think this is true, it is actually false. The truth is that working out does not turn fat into muscle because you can’t turn one tissue into another. On the contrary, working out, especially strength training, helps build muscle and helps you burn more calories and lose fat.

3. Lifting weights will make women bulk up.

According to WebMD, because women have lower levels of testosterone (which helps build muscle mass) than men, it's harder for ladies to build muscle tissue in the first place, thus not allowing them to “bulk up”. Lifting weights allows for more calories to be burned while gaining muscle. A study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that women who weight-trained burned an average of 100 more calories 24 hours after their training sessions ended, even if they were seated on the sofa. Another reason why women should start weight training is because just doing cardio is going to help you from gaining weight, but won’t necessarily help you with losing weight due to losing lean tissue when solely doing cardio.

4. Restricting calories is the best way to lose weight.

False. According to SecondsCount.org, research has shown that changing your eating behaviors to lose weight works better if you also exercise. Therefore, the best way to lose weight is to be at a caloric deficit while also exercising. When I lost 50 pounds, I was on a strict diet where I tracked all my food down to the gram or ounce while also weightlifting and doing cardio. Losing weight is a combination of both exercise and diet that will get you the best results.

5. Abdominal exercises will make you lose stomach fat.

Don’t believe this myth at all. Abdominals are made in the kitchen. You can’t control which part of your body will lose fat when you become physically active. Typically, when you start getting leaner, you will start to notice results in your face, then shoulders, then arms, and lastly your abdominals which are under a layer of fat tissue. Getting lean is the product of eating healthy and being in a caloric deficit. Exercising your abs will simply strengthen your abdominal muscles like any other lift would strengthen any other muscle.

6. Stretching before exercise is critical.

This is true but it depends on what type of stretching you are doing. Dynamic stretching is the type of stretching desired before working out. The difference between dynamic and static stretching is that dynamic stretching is “a movement designed to take a joint or a muscle through a challenging and repetitive motion, moving a body part further with each repetition.” Dynamic stretching warms up your joints and muscles and prepares them for activation. I usually walk for 5 minutes on an inclined treadmill and also do other dynamic stretches before I work out. Static stretching is best for post-workout because static stretching uses “sustained stretches designed to hold a position for a joint or a muscle that is minimally challenging. The focus is on relaxing the body part being stretched and letting it go further on its own.”

7. Reducing sedentary behaviors is not enough to improve physical fitness.

This is not true. Research shows that cutting back on sedentary activities, such as watching television, playing video games, or lying in bed watching Netflix [something I am very good at] will make you more mobile and lose more weight. According to express.co.uk, “standing instead of sitting for six hours a day could help people lose weight. Researchers found that by substituting standing for sitting for six hours a day, a 143.3-pound adult (65 kilos) would expend an extra 54 calories (kcals) in six hours - equating to 5.5 pounds (2.5 kilos) in one year and 22 pounds (10 kilos) over four years. So the next time you find yourself sitting watching television, try standing up and walking around or doing some type of exercise during the commercials.

#mkt400uwl

6 notes · View notes

iloveyoupittsburghpirates-blog · 7 years ago

Text

It’s Time To Move Forward, Pittsburgh Pirates

My Dearest Pittsburgh Pirates,

Why hello there. It’s been a while. I believe it’s been since “The Trades” occurred. You look well. Opening Day has come and gone. We usually talk before that day but it felt important to allow myself some “me” time to allow things to properly digest. It took a little longer than I initially anticipated but I’m ready to move on. I’m not going to discuss “The Trades” anymore. It’s in the past and I think it’s vital for us to keep our focus forward. Your 2018 roster is set and we will see where the year takes you and me. You did make one move this offseason that immediately made me more optimistic. That was the trade that allowed you to acquire outfielder Corey Dickerson. It’s old news by now but adding a player that bats lefty with a career OPS of .864 against right handed pitching, had a WAR almost identical to a certain former center fielder of your’s last year, and only cost you Daniel Hudson and a prospect who wasn’t even in your top 30 is a big get. He’s only 28, he only costs 6.5 million, and he’s under your control through 2019. With his addition and Moran’s, you add two left handed bats with pop. That won’t necessarily make up for what you lost by itself but it’s a start. I’m going into this season optimistic because the one thing every team has in common is that they all start the season 0-0. Right now, we have the same shot as every other team. Kind of…

The offense was one of the worst in home runs last year in a season defined by the home run ball. The additions of Dickerson and Moran that we already discussed will hopefully make an impact on that. Ideally other players can personally improve in order to help matters. Josh Bell, Francisco Cervelli, Starling Marte, and Gregory Polanco all had monster springs with OPS’ around or over .900. It seems unlikely that Cervelli will do that in the regular season but it’s not out of the question the other three could. For Cervelli or Polanco to have a chance at that, they will need to be healthier than last year. A full season of Marte and Bell hopefully progressing from his very impressive rookie campaign would make a huge difference. If those four can stay healthy plus Moran and Dickerson providing more pop, then this lineup could be very interesting.

Harrison/Marte/Polanco/Bell/Dickerson/Cervelli/Moran/Mercer

If that’s your typical starting lineup against righties, that works for me. Frazier can slide in for spot starts here and there and your left with a righty dominant bench of SRod, Freese, Diaz, and eventually Osuna. If Marte, Bell, and Polanco do anything like they did this spring, this lineup could be much more dynamic that I originally expected.

I wouldn’t have originally anticipated the pitching would be my biggest concern after the way the offense performed last season but that’s the reality of this situation. While the rotation is set, it’s far from a group I’m confident in. Your second-best pitcher is probably Trevor Williams and, nothing against him, but that’s nerve-racking. He was your best pitcher in the second half of last season and I actually have pretty high hopes for him. The rotation centers around Jameson Taillon turning into a reliable ace. He has all the tools to accomplish that but his health is always a concern. I loved what I saw in training camp and I have a feeling he could break through this year. Kuhl, Nova, and Musgrove are question marks. They could be anything from good 3’s, to great 4’s, to not even worthy of being a #5. Only time will tell. The bullpen is by last year’s dominant closer Felipe Rivero, fresh off his contract extension. He had a bit of a rough spring but if his performance in game one of the double header is any indication, he will be he’s still his dominant self. George Kontos provides the experience and will mostly like serve as the 8th inning guy. Michael Feliz, acquired from Houston when we traded our former ace, is a hard thrower with plenty of upside but could be an adventurous 7th inning option. Dovydas Neverauskas and Edgar Santana made the team this year after seeing some action last season. They both possess powerful arms but neither performed well enough last season to put too much on them. You have three long relievers in Steven Brault, Josh Smoker, and Tyler Glasnow. Brault has made a handful of starts in his career and could be a decent weapon out of the pen especially as a lefty. Smoker is another lefty who was an underdog to even make the roster so not someone you want pitching in high leverage situations. Glasnow should have started the season in Triple-A in my opinion to keep working on his control. You have a new concept of having starters spend time in the major league bullpen. Glasnow pitched two scoreless but chaotic innings in Game Two today. He walked two, struck out two, but did throw 21 of 37 pitches for strikes. I don’t know where this is going but it’s safe to say that every time he pitches stress will be at optimal levels. This bullpen is filled with lively arms which is something to like but there is little experience which can lead to shaky results.

Opening Day proved anti-climactic when the game in Detroit against the Tigers was rained out. Friday was an off day so that’s when you opened the season with a high scoring affair. In the top of the 13th of a 10-10 game, Gregory Polanco hit a towering 3 run homer game-clinching homer to give you the 13-10 win. Saturday was yet again rained out so that meant an Easter Sunday double header. Game One saw Polanco keep a hot bat with a first inning RBI double that would prove to be the difference in a 1-0 game. Trevor Williams had a no-hitter through 6 innings but had walked five and threw more balls than strikes. Hurdle smartly took him out before the 7th inning which is when Michael Feliz gave up the first hit of the game. He worked a scoreless 7th, Kontos worked a scoreless 8th, and then Felipe Rivero came in for the 9th. There had been concern in Spring Training about his control issues, but those fears seemed like a distant memory as Rivero easily struck out the middle of the Tigers lineup. It really wasn’t fair. Two games. Two wins. Game Three of the series had Chad Kuhl on the hill but this turned into the Josh Harrison show. JHay was 3 for 5 with a homer, a double, two runs, and 2 RBIs. Marte and Freese also hit absolute bombs in another dominant offensive performance. The 8-6 victory means the offense is averaging over seven runs per game. The Tigers’ pitching staff is one of the weaker staffs in the league, but you should dominate and did. I can remember plenty of games last season when you were shut down by less than average starters. You swept a team on the road to start the season. You won’t hear one complaint out of me the rest of this letter.

Tomorrow is the Opening Day at beautiful PNC Park. Jameson Taillon will get the start in Game One of an odd two-game series against the Minnesota Twins. Tuesday is an off day and Wednesday Ivan Nova gets the start in the series finale. The Twins made the playoffs last season and have an underrated lineup. You will face newly acquired starter Jake Odorizzi followed by former Cardinals’ pitcher Lance Lynn. They are better than any pitcher you faced on the Tigers. This team is much better than the Tigers too so you better come in prepared. Thursday marks the start of divisional play when the Cincinnati Reds will come to PNC Park for your first four-game series of the year. The Reds are still rebuilding but they have some high-end talent in the rotation and some big bats in the lineup. They are beatable but they aren’t going to make it easy for you. After the Reds’ series, you go to Chicago to play the Cubs so getting wins this week will be important. I honestly couldn’t have hoped for a better start. More than anything, it’s just nice to see you. I know I can be critical but that’s only because I care so much. There are legitimate reasons to be excited about this season and I really mean that. I have no idea where it will go but I’m excited about the ride. It’s great to have you back and have a great week!!

Eternally Optimistic,

Brad

P.S. stands for plugging something. I might want to come up with a different name for that. I would just like to make people aware that I co-wrote a radio play podcast called DEATH AT SUNSET: HARD TIMES AND SOFT DRINKS with my friend Chris Maxwell that is now available on Apple Podcasts (aka iTunes), Stitcher Radio, Google Play Radio, and SoundCloud. It’s a comedy noir that follows P.I. Jack Dime as he takes cases in modern day Los Angeles. All Four Episodes of the first case are ready for download now. Follow us at @deathatsunet on Twitter, check out DeathatSunset.com, and please rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for your support!!

1 note · View note

ameliiorable · 5 years ago

Text

So You Want to Be a Real Estate Agent? Good Luck!

STEP 1: SOME QUICK BEGINNER'S TIPS • Tip 1: There is a ton of money being made in park colonial condo. It is just not going to be made by you. In truth, much of it is in reality going to come FROM you. The real estate companies themselves produce an obscene amount of money in part by churning people by means of their "programs" and spitting them out with emptier pockets. • Tip 2: There's no salary. Make sure you have enough money in the bank to eat and pay your bills for the purpose of six months. And start looking for a real job NOW. By the occasion you get it, you'll be out of money. I landed a position at a company six months and 1 day from the day for my layoff. If it wasn't for Unemployment, We'd have been living in a cardboard box waiting for my properties career to blossom. • Tip 3: Everyone you're sure will feign support while questioning the decision and building fun of you. I'm serious, and you know the already. You've hated every real estate agent you've dealt with, couldn't you? CHAPTER 2: THE INTERVIEW Real estate offices will be constantly listing open positions, so it's easy to get the interview. Don't be too nervous, because guess what? You're retained. This isn't an interview, it's a pep talk. You could step in and urinate in the lobby, you're probably yet hired. Their ideal agent is someone who is divorced and miserable, sitting on a pile of alimony hard cash or an available line of credit, and just needs something to continue them busy. Next in line would be someone who's going to be unhappily married, sitting on a pile of cash and / or an available line of credit, and just needs something to keep these products out of the house and away from their spouse. If you're not one of them two, that's OK - they'll take you. DESCRIP . 3: LICENSING How do you make things better? You get hawaii involved! This company that "hired" you will now send you to definitely a training "school" (these are companies that, for a fee, teach you all about the real estate industry and help you go away the state required test). This is 2 weeks of classes which have very little to do with the actual career. There are laws that point out that even though your licensing training is taking place from a Real Estate office, that no one from that office will probably "recruit" you. Expect to be recruited. One of the instructors was initially a Company X manager and took a special interest in others. He took me to open houses at steeply-priced homes during the weeks of training, introduced me in order to everyone in the office, took me to lunches and had me out for beers after the training was through. The entire time, he talked about how Company Y (who had sent me to this training) was horrible, not to mention why Company X was far superior, and most certainly the place for me. Ethical? No . Fun? Yes. I however went with the company that sent me to the coaching because it was the right thing to do. CHAPTER 4: FEES, RATES and MORE FEES You didn't think anything was zero cost, did you? Here's the rundown on fees: • Licensing. If you talk to a real estate company before you bring the class and get licensed, they'll pay for the style. Well, sort of. They'll pay for it, then take the bill back out of your first commission. Wait, who paid for after that it? Yes, you did. You didn't think that was complimentary, did you? •The Multi-List System. You simply cannot be a real estate agent without access to the MLS. It must be free ideal? No . • Cardkey. You need this to get into any residential home that's up for sale. Yes, you have to pay for it. And they can't deliver it; you need to drive 30 miles to pick it away. • Associations. The County Realtor Association. You have to be part of it. It costs money... every year. The State Realtor Connections. You have to join it. It costs money... every year. The particular National Realtor Association. You have to join it. It rates money... every year. Join this organization. Join that enterprise. You'll get a magazine, and maybe even a pin. It's most of mandatory, and it all costs money. Sometimes they have totally free cookies at the meetings though. • Signs. Small warning signs, big signs, plastic signs, metal signs, name signs or symptoms, for sale signs, open house signs. You have to have them, you will have to pay for them, and they cost hundreds of dollars. • Enterprise cards. They're free! Well, kind of. The basic, crappy editions are free, the ones that scream "I'm new to this! " To get nice ones, with a picture, you have to pay, and also have to pay for the picture. • Automobile. They'll have the funds for your car! No, they won't. If you're one of the top 2 providers, and are willing to put a God-awful giant sticker within the sides and back of your (correctly colored) car, they won't hesitate to pay a nominal amount to you. Why shouldn't some people? It's the cheapest advertising they could get. • Free tours! 5 years from now, if you beat ALL the odds, work ridiculous hours and sell everything you get close to, you might get a free trip. Don't hold your breath. • Name tag. Good news, the name tag is no cost. The bad news, you have to wear a name ticket. Back when I had a real job, I knew a guy who always said "If a man has to wear an important name tag during his job, he's not very thriving. " • Realtor fees get you the "Realtor" flag. This is the most expensive pin you'll ever hate wearing. PHASE 5: THE "OLD-TIMERS" They hate you. When I tell you "old-timers", I'm referring to the agents that have been working in any office for more than a year. They will rarely make eye call at first because they expect you to be gone in a several months and they don't want to waste their time. Once you've long been there for 2 weeks, they'll start offering you the "opportunity" to sit in their open houses for them. What they may be actually asking you to do is sit in a house pertaining to three hours that no one will visit, and essentially sell it for them, on the off-chance that you could get a patron out of it. When there aren't enough newbies in the office, they're going to fight over your house-sitting efforts, and may even deliver cash (don't get excited, I'm talking about $20. ) Get paid FIRST, I never did get paid for supporting someone out. And remember, top producers use exclamation points! Lots of them! In everything they do! Just simply an FYI. I mean: Just an FYI!!!! CHAPTER 6: THE CLIENTS They hate you. You will be asked to make sure you basically alienate everyone you know and make social cases incredibly awkward by begging for referrals. Parties, cathedral, school, the gym - anywhere... you need to be fishing for house hold buyers or house sellers. It is painfully awkward for all those concerned. Don't forget to wear the little R pin everywhere you go! For anybody who is lucky enough to get someone to say they'll use you to advertise their house, you should know now that their house is worth much more than the one particular three doors down that is exactly the same. Why? I need ideas of. Maybe they're delusional. Maybe they're dumb. Maybe there're greedy. Maybe they're upside-down on the house. Maybe many people just need the money. It's probably all of the above. It will be weird to be involved in such a significant financial project just for someone you know. They will use you to buy or market a house, but no one wants you to know their particular financial business, so it's difficult. Your friends and family might want little party favors, like.... they'll want all their money back. Yes, seriously. I did a relative ask if I would give them back all of my best commission if they used me to buy a house. I been reduced, and the request was probably the nail that sealed the real estate coffin shut. CHAPTER 7: YOUR LIFE AS AN PROFESSIONAL Say goodbye to fun and leisure. Here's your week: • Monday. Mandatory meetings and house tours, all day. Typically the meeting is useless, which is why you'll rarely see old-timers there, they veer off after the first house and also end up God-knows-where. They're probably at the bar. The travel is fun, though. You get to hear everyone complain with regards to everyone they work with and everything in the houses. You reach walk through a stranger's house and hear your co-workers (proudly displaying their name badges) criticize the homeowner's choices in everything. Examples: What were thinking using this carpet? Have they ever cleaned this room? World of warcraft, those are some ugly kids in that picture. Determine believe they left Prozac AND Paxil on the destroy, what a basket case. • Tuesday. In-house training, or perhaps "how to waste 3 solid hours of primary work time. " • Wednesday. "Twilight" open contains. This means your night is shot. • Thursday. Nothing is required. This is your weekend, enjoy. Don't spend money nonetheless, you don't have it. • Friday. Mailings, client hunting, placed around. • Saturday. Mandatory training... all freaking evening. Done with the mandatory 15 week training? Start ongoing instruction that repeats what they taught you in the 15 week training! • Sunday. No more football games, family group picnics, etc ., because you need to sit in Open Properties. At various times during the week, you'll get a few three hour stints answering the phone. The idea is that individuals will call in looking for an agent because they have a house they buy. I would guess that this has happened once, ever, from the history of real estate. Most of the time you're sending calls towards the old-timers. I had a gorgeous Ford Mustang GT when I received this "job". I sold it because I was basically told that you have to take your clients all over the place to view real estate. Out with the sports car, in with the Volvo station wagon (in the horrid corporate color, of course. ) Because turns out, no one wants to ride with their real estate agent; they want to go along with you around in their car. This is for many reasons: to enable them to escape you when they want, so they can talk about the properties without you hearing them (even though you are the trusted advisor)... oh, and they hate you. I really pass-up that Mustang. CHAPTER 8: "SUPPORT" (note quotation marks) • Computers. Don't know a computer from a toaster? Don't be bothered, no one else does. I don't know why, but all of us I worked with was horrible with any technology-related resource. They constantly needed help with the computer, and the Laptops or computers were always down with a virus of some sort. • Your web site. The company has set up a page for you on the website, you need to fill it with useless things that normally cares about, like "resident of (our general area) for umpteen years" and Realtor and "Member in (Our County) Real Estate Club. non-e of this helps individuals or you, but it does fill the page, even when no one will look at it. You can put a picture " up " there too, unless you're ugly or hideously disfigured. • Mailings. I lucked out with Company Ful, they pay for mailings. This means they provide the marketing equipment and they pay the postage for a certain amount to be sent by mail out. The database of addresses that you could send deliver to was protected by a Rottweiler in our office, a person I'll call Travis. Travis was tremendously tan year-round, with slicked-back hair, and he was dressed as a 1970's JC Penny mannequin every day. I don't know should he was gay, but I bet his ex boyfriend was. • Office Help. They hate you. The earliest day I met Travis, he was in the middle of the full-fledged hissy fit because someone had stolen the Cross pen. This is understandable, as it's not like individuals sell them at drug stores for a few dollars. Sure, they do indeed sell them at drug retailers for a few dollars. The hissy fit lasted an hour, plus included our manager sending a phone message for you to every agent in the office to please return the pen if they had it. Travis also kept a much-needed eye on the labels that one would use to prepare these mailings. To get them, you had to request the complete number of sheets you needed. There were 25 on a sheet and if you were printing 68 labels, you would not receive 3 sheets. CHAPTER 9: "ETHICS" (note quote marks) Ethics rule #1 is "just get the listing. inch This means that if you have a person that wants to sell their house for $330, 000 but you and everyone know it won't fetch $250, 000, you tell them that you will list it for their rate, and then slowly let the price drop when people guffaw at the house. CHAPTER 10: AFTERTHOUGHTS I am one fella. The Realtor's Association is a huge conglomerate which obviously has numerous lawyers on the payroll. My brother-in-law is actually a lawyer.... but I still feel outnumbered. So you can notice I only refer to real estate agents, not Realtors. Take into account though, that you have two choices here: you can either become a Realtor or you can become a Realtor. Yes, you learn that right. I'll make no judgments on the worth of the organization, except to say that sitting through the almost all boring training ever nets you a tiny R green. Nothing says I'm a success better than a pin using an R on it... right next to your name tag. Reference Status means that you've quit the day-to-day grind regarding trying to sell/buy houses. You become inactive, but now any time you point someone who is looking to buy or sell a house with your real estate company, you get a percentage of the commission. All you have to try is pick up the phone, tell the company their name as well as telephone number and where they're looking. The irony? AT THIS TIME it's payday. I know people who made more on recommendations than I did as a real estate agent, many times over. Of course, we have a fee to be in the program, but you didn't think that was free of charge, did you? And to stay in "referral status" you need to receive ongoing training. This is just my story. Don't let the software change your mind if you want to enter the world of residential realty. Heck, I had a former real estate agent tell me that of a horrible idea it was and I still went front with my stupid plan.

0 notes

thisdaynews · 5 years ago

Text

Deontay Wilder v Tyson Fury II: Are Vegas media commitments sapping fighters?

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/deontay-wilder-v-tyson-fury-ii-are-vegas-media-commitments-sapping-fighters/

Deontay Wilder v Tyson Fury II: Are Vegas media commitments sapping fighters?

Wilder and Fury did a 50-minute news conference on Wednesday

“That don’t half wear you out”.

Those were the words of Tyson Fury after the latest interview huddle conducted in the build-up to Saturday’s rematch with WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

There was a lengthy news conference moments later and he was quick to exit before any more media could call on him, although dozens of radio interviews could form part of his task within 24 hours.

The Briton has been conducting media duties since 6 January and there is a concern within his team that he is simply “doing too much”.

After Wednesday’s news conference BBC Radio 5 Live’s Mike Costello concluded both fighters were “at the end of their tether”, while his colleague Steve Bunce said Fury’s mental sharpness on fight night would consequently have to “suffer”.

I rehabilitated Fury’s career – Wilder

‘An assault on the senses – my 25 years of watching Vegas fight nights’

Fury team concern

It is hard to describe just how much media work Fury and Wilder are doing in Las Vegas in fightweek but they are speaking to written press, radio stations, television broadcasters and YouTube channels, as well as cutting promos for fight night, meeting fans and engaging in pressured news conferences.

Some are already asking if Fury is run down, given what looked like a sore was visible on his lip and he also kept his hood up and sunglasses on throughout the news conference.

On Thursday, the pair are slated to work through ‘Radio Row’ at the MGM Grand – a gathering of stations from various parts of the world all hunting an interview. There are around 40 stations listed on a poster in the hotel’s media room.

Bunce said the prospect of each fighter taking part was “absurd’ and the event – which Fury may now not attend given how much he has already done – is at risk.

It would follow Wednesday’s 50-minute news conference, which in turn came after Fury had conducted one-on-one interviews for around two hours. Both men conducted interviews on Tuesday around a ‘hectic grand arrival’ ceremony and Fury spent several hours with media on Monday.

“When Ricky Hatton fought Floyd Mayweather one of the last pieces he did before the fight was for BBC Radio 4 and he came and sat at our table and his voice was hoarse by then, after a week of questions day in, day out,” added Costello.

“What I got from the news conference on Wednesday was Fury and Wilder were both deflated.

“They were absolutely exhausted. They are at the end of their tether. They have no more words left in their heads. The danger is if they are not sharp mentally, what effect does it have? Especially Fury, the mental part of his game, the thinking part, is so important to what he does.”

Bunce replied: “It has to suffer. I looked at Andy Lee on Fury’s team and asked is everything OK and he said ‘not really, he is doing too much press.'”

‘It was a shambles’

Fury kept his hood up and sunglasses on throughout Wednesday’s news conference

Requests for time with each fighter are filtered through their teams.

Wilder’s team were notably edgy over media access and interview lengths on Tuesday – a stopwatch was deployed. They privately say they learned lessons from the first meeting between the pair and have sought to group media days together, so the fighter speaks to a mass of reporters rather than dealing with each individually.

Typically in fight week, an itinerary for the next day is sent to one of Fury’s closest friends late at night and the fighter is often commended for repeatedly saying yes to requests.

The 31-year-old did however turn down the chance to push the fight at the Super Bowl in Miami earlier this month because of the travelling required, so Wilder turned out given it was staged closer to his training base.

After over six weeks of hyping the contest, Wednesday’s news conference saw the pair engage in what appeared a rather forced face-off.

By the end of it, Fury appeared fed up and he later said he would be doing no more media before leaving.

“I have been around a long time and I have never seen what I saw on that stage,” added Bunce. “What happened there was a shambles.

“When I walked in today at 11.30, Fury was doing Fox TV. So three hours later he was still on the stage doing a televised news conference.

“When they sat down their voices were sharp, focused and good.

“When they left it was like a marathon 24-hour radio session – they could barely talk. There was no emotion in either of their voices, no humour, no love, no passion – it had all gone.”

There is obviously some solace for two men who earned around $10m each for their first fight and are expected to pocket substantially more this time around.

But after Friday’s weigh-in, when they finally walk to the ring at around 05:30 GMT on Sunday morning, they may well be relieved to hear the first bell sound to confirm all of the talking – and there has been a lot – is done.

Media playback is not supported on this device

Watch Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury face off in news conference

#commitments #sapping

0 notes

highschoolharrier · 5 years ago

Photo

Rob Cloutier is the head coach at Shenendehowa High School in NY. The Shen girls finished 5th last year in the New York region, one known for producing high caliber programs.

High School Harrier: Coming into the season your program is looking as if they are going to be an NXN contender after a 5th place finish last year in the region. Would you agree the program is shaping up to compete with those top programs?

Rob Cloutier: This is my 13th season coaching and my 11th XC team - every year, even with the same kids is a different team - so I would answer by saying NY is incredibly tough and deep, even our own league and section (NY has 11ish sections which are used to advance to the state championships) are incredibly competitive. For our girls we have sufficient talent, experience, the Summer work is solid, so being competitive at the top is a reasonable goal - to be competitive come Regionals, yes - but so much has still to be done for that to be reasonable.

HSH: Because of the difficulty in qualifying for state in NY, your team has taken on the challenge of the Federations meets between state and NXR NY. With the meet being cancelled last year, do you think that hurt your team heading into the regional?

RC: We had actually not planned on competing at Fed’s despite not making states due to a poor race at our sectional - so we were going on a 3 week block without a race. I think in retrospect we ran on par with our expectation.

HSH: The New York region is known for quality at the top that competes well at NXN year in and year out. If your program was 3rd or 4th at NXR NY, what argument would you make to the committee to include your team?

RC: With any regional at large - the resume should speak for itself - however NY has set a precedent for running the gauntlet and historically performing well at NXN. So every at large from NY helps future at large bid potentials.

HSH: How much of a focus for you team is NXN this year?

RC: We are at the very beginnings of forming the bonds and idea of what this season could become. The reality of NXN becoming a goal will be a result of our group becoming close, the culture forging a sense of expectation founded on accountability and leadership. If we can truly in a very real way embrace the motto "For Each Other" then big things could happen.

HSH: Do you have any big regular season meets your team will be participating in this fall?

RC: We love McQuaid - well run meet with great teams from around the state and bordering states. Outside of that we are focused on the postseason gauntlet (which starting with our league championship can span 5 races over 6 weeks if it includes NXN). Our other invitationals involve state meet courses of the past and future.

HSH: What is your philosophical approach to coaching that shapes how you run your program?

RC: Balance, relationships, patience and focusing on XC for 6 months and then the mile (which has allowed success in relays like the 4x8) for the other 6 months. We are truly focused on developing the whole person and having fun and being our very best. So balance is huge. Doing it together is huge - relationships. And understanding that being a distance runner requires patience to be in the long term perspective. Over the years we have had a very high (97-99%) of all of our girls (80+ annually) improve each year in every event.

HSH: How big is your school and how big is your program?

RC: Big, 10-12th we have 2400 students. I have my biggest team this year of right around 100, typically I have 80ish girls, when I started we had 50-60 1(0 years ago).

HSH: What is a sample week of training for your program during the cross country season?

RC: We usually go off a 8-9 day cycle in order to fit all elements of training in with regularity. The long run is priority #1 and we try to never get away from that. We like to use our open Saturdays for those where we can get to a nice site. Our league duals are on Tuesdays, we have 5 of those and are fairly competitive. So there are 4 types of weeks:

1. No races: Monday Hills/Strength Run, Tuesday/Thursday Distance Run with strides, Wednesday Tempo Workout (we have 3 phases of a progression throughout the season, where the length of the tempo is the focus, then the speed, then finally the rest is reduced), Friday Speed or Cross Training or both, Saturday Long Run

2. Dual only: This would probably mean a Wednesday workout following the race.

3. Dual and Invite: This gets tricky. We would fit the long run in on Wednesday off campus but also combine either the dual race or add threshold type stuff to the long run (Capillary run - got that from American Fork Coach Timo)

4. Invite: Long run is Monday, then we alternate Wednesday with tempo or depending the portion of the season an interval (3k) workout.

*We have incorporated cross training for as much as 1 of our 6 days per week - we always take Sundays off. So rest is a critical component.

HSH: What type of ancillary training does your team do?

RC: The Ancillary work is pretty thorough, but with nearly 100 girls we have to be creative about the setting because we can't really get in the weight room and I don't have enough medballs to be efficient so we utilize bands and a lot of Jay Johnson's SAM work along with routines the girls have designed that incorporate abdominal and glute, pelvic girdle strength. We don't static stretch ever and we don't have hardly any injuries of note at all. All this fits into a 2-2.25 hour practice.

HSH: What do you think is the most important aspect of your training program?

RC: Love. Relationships. Culture. The next step in the team's evolution to its highest potential is teammate accountability. Their ability/willingness to understand the dynamics of honest and positive accountability to an expectation of excellence is the focus. Our motto for several years is #feo (for each other, or ugly in spanish!)

HSH: How much parent involvement do you have?

RC: We have had amazing parents provide homes for team events, help at meets, provide after race food. We are looking to get parents even more invested in understanding the training so that they can assist in the other '22 hours' at home in support of the girl's wholesome lifestyle of sleep, nutrition, etc. I have an info meeting this week where we will discuss some ideas.

HSH: Does your team have captains and if so, how do you determine them?

RC: We have had captains in the past, it's a year to year decision and this year we are counting on our group of senior to lead by example and also head up the out of practice events. In the past we have had the girls apply to be a leader and then the coaching staff approves the final selections.

HSH: What was the most influential book or coach that helped you get to where you've brought your program?

RC: Bill Aris - FM. I have had conversations with Bill over the years, but recently read 'Amazing Racers' and it solidified the basis for what we are trying to do at a high level and also helped me work as hard as I can possibly work to give the best experience to our girls. Bill Aris set the bar high. While at Shen we do things in some ways drastically different - the competition between our squads more so in track (I love 4x8's) has spurred on some great performances. I hope to bring that same competitiveness to XC ;)

HSH: What is one habit of your athletes that you wish you could change?

RC: I'll give you two - sleep (balancing study habits with the need for 8+ hours of consistent sleep) and the perfectionist/comparative mindset. When we stray from focusing on things we can control we often allow of joy to be stolen - so we try to teach the girls to run for each other but not compare.

HSH: If you could improve one area of your training program what would it be?

RC: Nutrition. Which is a main point of emphasis this year. I am bringing in health professionals, former runners and looking to create a healthy and consistent dialogue for the girls to be able to properly assess their habits and create or alter how they view nutrition for a more wholesome and balanced approach.

Photo from The Daily Gazette

#nxn #newyork #shenendehowa #shenrunners #ny

0 notes