#in ensuring that fans are focusing on things besides his music/success

[alltheselights]

.

[jwillgoose]

The record is finished... what now?

We finished our fourth album last week, so I thought it might be interesting (spoiler alert: it probably isn’t) to do a quick post about what happens once a record is ‘finished’ these days, and why it can seem to take so long between an album being completed and actually being released.

Before I stumbled upon a career in making music, my attitude would’ve been similar to that of many fans, I imagine - why not just put the record out as soon as possible? It’s done, you spent (presumably) ages on it, surely you just want people to hear it and shower you with praise and damning reviews? After all, that’s what Radiohead and Beyoncé seem to do, and they don’t mind if the vinyl follows several months later.

Well, Radiohead are Radiohead and Beyoncé is Beyoncé, and both of those artists (and only a handful more) releasing records is Big News in and of itself. Smaller bands and artists need to use their new record as something to build around, to try and fight desperately for attention in a very competitive industry, to route tours around, even simply to remind people that you still exist (often, admittedly, to their distress). Otherwise it’s all too easy to put something out only to see it burn out very quickly, for it to fall to the bottom of people’s ‘recently played’ streaming algorithms and swiftly fall out of the public consciousness pretty much altogether. 

That's why it’s better for 99% of bands and artists to wait until everything is ready and to try to go for one big, focused ‘bang’ (often still a whimper, admittedly), rather than trying to hit the front page of Pitchfork with a near-instantaneous release. And the main thing we’re all waiting for these days, especially with its continued resurgence and importance to artists, labels and fans, is vinyl.

Vinyl lead times pre-pandemic were already a bit ridiculously long because a large number of the pressing plants from back in the day went under or severely reduced their capacity, so we’ve been left with a relative handful of potential suppliers and an awful lot of demand from all corners of the music industry. I think The Race For Space (released Feb 2015) was mastered at the end of October 2014, so made it out there in just over 3-and-a-bit months, and that was with two test pressings after the first failed. By the time Every Valley rolled around (released July 2017) we were already at four-months-and-counting, and don’t even get me started on the White Star Liner EP (tail end of 2018, and the vinyl was late because of test pressing issues).

Anyway, you get the picture, and that’s all pre-COVID, which obviously has done precious little to improve any aspect of the economy, besides enhancing Jeff Bezos’ already undignified / obscene wealth. We were initially quoted 7 months for this album but have managed to get it down a bit from there - still, you’ll no doubt have noticed a lot of delayed releases recently and I am taking nothing for granted, on any level, with this record.

We might seem like a modestly successful band but we are also still very much a small team of people. The sheer amount of work it is to get everything ready, besides ‘just’ the music itself, necessitates a bit of a delay between completion and release. Even now, the artwork, liner notes, credits, administrative aspects (PPL IDs and so on) are queueing up for attention; that’s to say nothing of band photos, press releases, updated bios, pitches for various media features (often with ridiculously long lead times of their own), music videos, remixes, instrumentals... in short, a lot.

Then for a band like us there’s the whole tricky chicanery of designing, building, programming and rehearsing a quite fiendishly complicated live set, all while navigating the risks and uncertainties of doing so during what we hope is the tail-end of a pandemic. It normally takes me about 2-3 months to get an album ready to play live, and that’s just the music side of it - then I need to edit videos to run concurrently, give various assets to Mr B so that he can have more to play with than just an on-rails video, then all get together in a room to see what works (hint: not much) and what needs more work (hint: nearly everything). Mr B also needs a lot of time - justly so - to put together his fiendish set creations as well as creating a lot of original video output himself. Popping up on the radio to do a quick session somewhat belies the amount of work it takes to get new material ready for that stage (should it arrive - we certainly don’t assume it will).

But the main thing, still, is to try to garner as much attention, wake as many people as possible up to the fact that yes, you still exist and yes, you’re still flogging the dead horse that is your band and creative output in a perhaps vain attempt to try to prolong an unlikely career and yes, you can order the Amazing New Record soon in at least 5 different colours to ensure its safe arrival in your homes at the very second of its official release. Hello! We’re still here! Hello! We have a new record! Er.. anyone?

Anyway, that’s just a few items from the very long list of things preoccupying me and the other denizens of PSB Towers between now and release. Hopefully everything will run smoothly, the record will come out when we say it will come out and we can even entertain modest hopes of another reasonably-well-charting album. On that note, a brief aside - chart positions are still incredibly important, if only within the record industry itself. A high chart position makes a lot of people sit up and take notice - bookers, agents, festival promoters and so on - which is another reason why it’s important for those of us who aren’t in Mr Yorke’s merry gang to try to get everything out all at once (in its right place, if you will) rather than staggering digital / vinyl release dates.

Hopefully you found this mildly diverting. It’s mostly served as a nudge in the ribs for me to remind me how much I still need to get on with, so without further ado, off I will go, and on with I will get.

Yours pre-releasedly,

J. Willgoose, Esq.

(PS I’d like to make it clear I love Radiohead, and none of this is even a mild dig at them. They are one of the most wonderful musical outfits ever, and they also have the rare privilege of being able to do what they want, when they want to, which really must be lovely.)

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, January 18

You can now buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Bill and Hillary Clinton 

Page 2: Katie Holmes’ friends are warning her to wise up about her hot-tempered beau Emilio Vitolo Jr. after he went on a profanity-laced rant -- Emilio’s been in an edgy mood over his family New York City restaurant losing money while they’re forced to stay closed because of the pandemic and he’s definitely let his nice guy mask slip and it’s affecting their relationship and everything was all peaches and cream before but now it’s strained and difficult at times -- Emilio showed his ugly side when he raged against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for shutting down indoor dining on his Instagram Stories 

Page 3: Tom Cruise’s chemistry with his latest Mission: Impossible co-star Hayley Atwell has spilled over to real life but it’s no surprise because the British beauty is the mirror image of Tom’s ex-wife Katie Holmes and Tom deliberately hunted down a Katie clone to be his on-screen leading lady and Hayley is everything Tom is looking for in a partner and more -- physically Katie was Tom’s definition of total perfection which is brunette with an athletic build and he’s been quietly looking for a girlfriend for some time who had the features he loves which is brown hair and a squarish jaw and hazel eyes

Page 4: Stressed-out and scandal-scarred Ellen DeGeneres in binge eating her way toward an early grave and Ellen is burying her sorrows by bingeing on junk food and milkshakes -- she’s packed on 30 pounds in 30 days after Kelly Clarkson beat her in the ratings for the third week in a row -- Ellen is convinced the world has turned on her and hides in her dressing room and locks herself in her bedroom and eats until she can barely breathe and it’s the only thing that gives her any comfort these days and the results speak for themselves because she’s bursting out of her clothes 

* Radio shock jock Howard Stern has blasted back at former staffers who painted him a cheap and petty monster -- the King of All Media said at the end of night he sleeps fine 

Page 5: Concerned mom Andie MacDowell is fearing for the safety of her starlet daughter Margaret Qualley after she was caught canoodling with accused abuser Shia LaBeouf -- no one can understand why she’d be with this guy after he’s been accused of such horrible things and Andie is beside herself with worry and she fears Shia may have staged his PDA with her daughter to polish his tarnished image 

Page 6: TV couple Chip and Joanna Gaines have prepped for the reboot of their wildly popular Fixer Upper reality show by undergoing extensive renovations on their looks and they spared no excuse in getting personal makeovers for the show’s return -- they are splurging on trainers, stylists, new clothes, designer makeup, at-home spa days and pricey hairstyling plus other indulgences

Page 7: Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani have called of their spring wedding plans after they were caught on camera in a vicious street fight -- they’ve been fighting about everything since they got engaged and all that tension finally exploded in a brutal screaming match -- the ruckus erupted over groomzilla Blake’s feeling that Gwen has given him little support after he’d spent endless hours and millions of dollars planning their over-the-top nuptials and after all his plans Gwen suggested they simply elope and Blake blew his stack -- Blake was already bristling because Gwen seemed more focused on jump-starting her career than their wedding plans 

* Jennifer Lopez recently confessed she and retired slugger Alex Rodriguez are mulling never getting married after benching their wedding plans amid the coronavirus crisis and she’s been spotted without her engagement ring 

Page 8: Barbra Streisand and James Brolin have bounced back from the brink of a $400 million divorce and now they’re even talking about making a movie together with Babs feeding him directing tips -- they’ve had their ups and downs but they’re getting a second wind and believe doing a project together will give their relationship the kick-start it needs -- James has seen his career revitalized with his role in the sitcom Life in Pieces and directing several TV movies and his recent success is pretty exciting to both of them -- James’ dream is to direct a big-budget feature starring his son Josh Brolin and Barbra wants to help him realize that goal 

* Barely a year after leaving Britain broke and beaten Meghan Markle has regained her Markle Sparkle with Hollywood flooding the former D-list actress with movie scripts and big-bucks deals  -- the wife of Prince Harry is savoring her triumph as Hollywood’s newly crowned queen and thumbing her nose at the royals -- since leaving the cable TV drama Suits Meghan has missed acting and now she’s looking for the right big-screen project to relaunch her career 

Page 9: Sex and the City is on track for a reboot only this time without black-sheep cast member Kim Cattrall -- Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis are all reuniting for what Sarah has called a revisit of the hit series -- Kim who has had widely publicized spats with series star and producer Sarah over the years has complained about the fan backlash she received for bowing out of a third Sex and the City movie follow-up 

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Tiger Woods hit the links at a Florida tournament with son Charlie, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen walked hand-in-hand during a hike with pals in St. Barts, Pete Davidson took a stab at knitting, Paris Hilton with white roses 

Page 11: Bill Cosby is refusing to shower with his fellow prisoners because an outbreak of COVID-19 in the SCI Phoenix prison has caused the fallen funnyman to steer clear of the showers

* Martha Stewart turns 80 in 2021 but the scrappy senior’s been working her farm like an energetic 20-year-old -- the domestic diva has been riding out the pandemic at her 153-acre farm in Upstate New York but she’s doing anything but taking it easy as she’s up early milking cows, shoveling snow and even chopping wood for the fireplace and she hasn’t ignored her Martha Stewart Living lifestyle empire 

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Ryan Seacrest personally tapped Billy Porter as his co-host on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve because Ryan is Billy’s biggest fan 

* Kanye West and televangelist Joel Osteen have parted ways -- Joel loves the spotlight as much as Kanye but he wasn’t prepared for the backlash after they were criticized for their walking-on-water stunt and that was when things started to sour 

* The Kardashians’ new show on Hulu promises to spark even more controversy as it will show a much more X-rated version of the family 

* New Bachelor Matt James gets in a round of golf near his home in Jupiter, Florida (picture) 

Page 13: Michael Douglas was over the moon after becoming a grandfather again at 76 and has big plans for the Douglas family dynasty -- reformed bad-boy Cameron Douglas and longtime partner Viviane Thibes welcomed son Ryder nearly three years after their daughter Lua -- making him a grandfather again is the greatest gift Cameron could have given his poor old dad and Michael hopes he loves to be 103 like his dad Kirk Douglas so he can watch Lua and Ryder grow up 

* Reba McEntire’s new beau Rex Linn is a junk food junkie and she’s worried he’s digging his own grave with a knife and fork -- Reba loves Rex and he’s the sweetest guy in the universe but it’s just troubling the way he eats everything in sight -- Reba’s worried he’ll be six feet under if he doesn’t change his ways soon and she’s desperate for him to lose 25 pounds and she’s determined to put him on a sensible mostly vegetarian diet but Rex keeps sneaking chips and sweets when he thinks she’s not looking 

Page 15: Four years into their brutal divorce battle Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are entering into a new custody battle this time for their pets -- the fractured couple’s clash over their five youngest children remains at a standstill as Angie refuses to budge on her demand for full custody -- while Brad continues to battle for shared custody of the kids he’s now making moves to ensure he has equal time with their critters as well -- Angie’s house is full of animals many of which Brad helped choose and raise and while he doesn’t want full-term custody of them he’d like to at least have them accompany the kids when they visit because Brad has noticed the children miss their pets when they’re with him and he wants to rectify that and he thinks they’ll want their visits to be longer if they have their pets with them 

Page 16: Scandal-tarred Prince Andrew faces a shocking new investigation into how he lives like a billionaire despite being cut off from British taxpayer funds -- the disgraced playboy stripped of royal duties in 2019 over his involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal has no steady stream in income to explain his lavish lifestyle of private jets and ski chalets and luxury cars -- but Randy Andy has apparently been secretly trading on his blue-blood roots to sponge off Arab princes and score lucrative deals with shady tycoons and cash-rich international oligarchs like Qatar’s Minister of Economy and Trade Sheikh Mohammed Bin Ahmed Althani and Secretary General Issa Abu Issa -- a probe of his financial dealings could see Andrew further shamed and banished from the royals forever 

Page 19: Taylor Swift’s heady brew of mysticism in her new album Evermore has fans wondering is Tay Tay a witch -- in a music video for her song Willow she pursues a magical glowing thread through an enchanted forest and joins in with a witchy circle of cloaked revelers -- Wiccans are rushing to embrace her but others are wondering whether Taylor’s interest in witchcraft is merely to boost sales 

Page 22: Devastated Lisa Marie Presley struggled through Christmas as the heartbroken mom is still coming to terms with the suicide of her only son Benjamin Keough -- her holiday was somber after she wasn’t included in her mom Priscilla Presley’s holiday plans -- Lisa Marie arranged to spend one night at Graceland to be with Ben at his final resting place 

Page 26: Health Watch 

Page 34: Kat Von D has made herself at home in a haunted house -- she left L.A. with her husband Leafar Seyer to give their son a more normal environment and instead they wound up in a seven-bedroom Victorian mansion in rural Vevay, Indiana that has 13 fireplaces and a local reputation as a retreat for ghosts 

Page 36: Grateful Dead fans have been dying violent and mysterious deaths for decades sparking fears the hippie band’s superfans are being targeted by a bloodthirsty serial killer 

Page 38: John Mulaney chatted up young girls on sex sites and sent nude selfies that suggested he was doing cocaine before checking into rehab -- the married star decided to get help after girls who partied with him online threatened to expose how he’d broken his 15 years of sobriety 

Page 40: Garth Brooks confessed his life in lockdown with wife Trisha Yearwood hasn’t been in perfect harmony because he’s driving her bonkers with his nonstop whistling 

* Hollywood Hookups -- Joe Giudice showed off his new squeeze who is a lawyer, Tyler Perry and Gelila Bekele split, Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez engaged 

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Duchess Kate Middleton in 2020 

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Tichina Arnold and Beth Behrs on the sitcom The Neighborhood 

Page 47: Odd List -- two months after hoofing it from a New Jersey slaughterhouse a runaway goat was captured and given a new lease on life according to the animal rescue that snagged the fleet-footed critter, a Texas man helped his boss turn the page on an old debt by settling his 48-year-old library fine as a joke 

[prettywordsyouleft]

Through His Eyes - Part 13 [Final]

Summary: Losing your sight after your accident was traumatic, and Jaebum’s guilt of knowing it should have been him instead creates an intricate bond between you both, as you overcome adversity and try to find your way in life again.

Genre: angst / romance

Characters: Im Jaebum x female reader

A/N: This story is emotional and raw compared to some of the content on my blog. It is in no way an attempt to glamourise or undervalue the lives of those who suffer from something similar. This story is purely fictional.

Index:  Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

Jaebum was unable to relax.

Over the last year of your relationship with him, he believed he had mellowed out considerably. You had found yourself when you were apart and only continued to flourish at his side. If anything, you called the shots more than he did.

Which was rather refreshing.

Sometimes he didn’t agree with some of the choices you made, and since both of you were stubborn, it had led to a lot of arguments. Only to end up back in each other’s arms, apologising, compromising, reconnecting.

Jaebum had been adamant about refuting one thing you wished to do, however.

“Come on, like it’ll happen again,” you whined, and he groaned loudly, reaching down to fill Nora’s food bowl and then turning to the breakfast dishes pointedly.

Your arms slipped around his waist soon after, and he paused in scrubbing the plate, your lips finding his bare skin easily. After a series of kisses that led up to his ear, you sighed into him, Jaebum not needing to turn to see the pout now upon your lips. “Just one time, please?”

“I’m not relenting on this,” he announced and for three months, he had successfully stuck to this vow. He couldn’t fathom having you in the same situation as you had been that day. Even if you both agreed that your accident had to happen for you to be this in love with one another, Jaebum still wanted your eyes to see the world that he did. He knew in some sense, you did. Your artwork had been recognised and now you were being offered the opportunity of holding an exhibition. You spent just as many hours working as he did now, sometimes your schedule was fuller than his was. Your paintings and sculpts littered his apartment as much as your own, taking up as much residence as you did in his home.

Not that he minded, he loved whenever you stayed over with him.

But he had to admit your world had grown considerably larger and you weren’t struggling to keep up with it. And that was one of the reasons why Jaebum had eventually been overruled with his protective stance. There were only so many excuses he could use that you couldn’t refute. With the growth of your business-like mind, your tact and articulation exceeded his, presenting him with even a list of reasons why he shouldn’t hold you back from what you wanted.

With the last line of, ‘if anything were to happen, I know you’d be right there’ as a reminder, he had caved, allowing you this one visit.

Jaebum knew that if this went well, you would request more opportunities and that was what accompanied his nerves as he got his makeup done, the realisation that you were dynamic, able to achieve anything you wanted, regardless of how much he tried to ground you.

Once you had taken flight, there was no stopping you.

“It’s going to be fine,” Jackson assured from the seat beside him and Jaebum half-smiled, still unable to accept those words. He had chanted them since waking up this morning, and still, they held no true belief in his mind. He knew he needed it to be fine, a perfect execution with your safety paramount. Sure, onsite accidents had decreased since new regulations came into place after your loss of sight. His company held stringent checks on all places their artists performed now, and Jaebum had been relieved that the concert hall passed all safety checks the day before.

His nerves didn’t dispel, no matter how many reassuring hugs Mark gave him, or firm squeezes of his shoulder that came from Jinyoung. And when you stepped into the bustling environment with the help of his manager, Jaebum’s movement faltered, his eyes holding onto your approach and checking everything that surrounded you as fast as his brain could process.

Why had he agreed to this?

“Noona!” Yugyeom cried as he leapt off the stage towards you, and you grinned, hugging everyone who came your way before slipping into Jaebum’s arms.

You tensed only for a moment, your head snapping up to his, shooting him a reproachful look. “Are you seriously this worried about me?”

“He’s been driving us insane all morning with how anxious he is,” BamBam announced, and Jaebum glared in his younger friend’s direction.

Youngjae chuckled. “I’m convinced you are the most important person in his world after today.”

“Is that right?” you murmured, unable to hide your elation. Jaebum flushed with colour, which you managed to pick up on, allowing him the chance to bury into you. As everyone else moved off, back to their positions in the rehearsal, you gently rubbed circles on his back, soothing his wired body.

Jaebum was exhausted, and he had not even performed yet.

“Relax for me, hm?”

“Easy for you to say,” he retorted, stepping back just enough to look down at you. Now that you were here, Jaebum was conflicted. He felt your effect relaxing some of his physical reaction but his mind was still concerned for your protection.

“If you’re not relaxed then how can I enjoy your performance? You forget how easily I can hear when you’re out of tune or offbeat now. I’ll only be disappointed in myself if I’m the cause to all your fans having a sub-par performance from you.”

He gaped at you. “Y/N, are you playing the guilt trip on me now?”

“No, of course not,” you responded sweetly, a giggle soon escaping you. You patted his arm and then ushered him off. “I’ll be right here, listening on and expecting a good rehearsal from you.”

With a final grumble and farewell, Jaebum headed back up onto the stage, looking out to where you had taken a seat with some of the other staff. You were already animatedly conversing something with his stylist and Jaebum smiled, it was just like you to find a place in any setting these days.

Rehearsals continued for the majority of the afternoon and by the time the last song ended, Jaebum was in a different element. He was no longer fretting about your appearance on set; instead, it had propelled him to put on a better show. The reactions you gave were genuine. He watched all your emotions that you openly showed for each of their songs, laughing with the playful moments in the segments and then rendered speechless with the powerful way he and the six other members performed. Even if it was a dry rehearsal, you were impressed and Jaebum was feeling accomplished because of it.

He knew that taking you on tour now would be something he would no longer fear. Even if something were to occur, you could both face it together.

It was how you had come thus far as a couple, after all.

He didn’t allow himself to focus too much on you when the show actually began. Sure, he would look towards your seat next to where the members’ family sat now and then, grinning when he noticed how bright you looked and the way you fondly held onto his mother’s hand throughout. Jaebum focused on putting his all into his performances, not just for you, or the fans, but for himself as well.

He hadn’t felt this at home on stage since your accident. It was as if having you present could allow him to finally reach for his passion and share it around the arena all night long.

He had been exhausted earlier in the day, but after stepping off stage, he was full of energy.

It was you who was wiped out from the experience.

“I didn’t expect it to take that much out of me,” you admitted as you departed ways from the small gathering after the concert, leaning into his side as he slipped into the driver’s seat of his car. Jaebum glanced at you, leaning in to kiss your head softly. You sighed, your hand moving over his waist and holding him tightly. “It was a success.”

“You told me not to worry,” he reminded you and you sighed, not lifting your head up to face him.

“I’m glad you stopped and allowed me to in your stead.”

He grinned; he had noticed now and then you would slowly look around during the rehearsal, jumping when someone would start banging on something in the stage setup. It would be just like you to take on the universe and ensure him to leave it all to you. He nudged you lightly, starting up the ignition. “Next time, don’t try to take on so much.”

“I’m exhausted mostly because of how many emotions I faced due to your music, not because of that,” you stated, pulling away from your position against him, avoiding the vibration of his chuckles.

Yet you held his hand all the way to your home.

When the car came to stop in the parking lot, neither of you moved to get out of the car immediately, savouring your time together. Jaebum knew your mother would want to have you home tonight. Her concern over you would not always be at ease, even if you were proving to be a capable young woman despite your life changing almost two years ago. It was a mother’s right to worry for her child and in your case, she always would. Allowing you to come out to the concert had been a big thing for her, especially doing so without chaperoning. It was up to him to deliver you back tonight, safe and sound.

That much he would do.

He just didn’t want to say goodbye just yet.

And neither did you.

“What if I went up there, said hello and then came back?”

Jaebum chuckled, shaking his head. “I’ve been with you for most of the day; let your mother have your final hours before bed.”

“If I make an hour, I’m so tired.”

“See, so it’s better you just go home and unwind with her before sleeping. I can come around for breakfast tomorrow,” Jaebum suggested and you let out a small huff of air. He knew that you had conceded, even if you weren’t openly happy about it.

“My bed has space for you,” you attempted and Jaebum leaned over to draw you into his arms, uncaring of the gearbox between you both. “Come stay with me. Mum won’t mind.”

“Not tonight.”

“Why?”

Staring at you, he brushed the hair away from your face tenderly. He couldn’t wait for the time when you would fall asleep and wake up in his arms every day. You stayed over at his whenever he was home, sometimes going an entire week before you trudged back home, albeit with a delighted greeting for your mother when you saw her. You really did love the woman, even if you protested leaving his company every time. It was why he made a point of taking you home even when he didn’t want to let you go.

Jaebum knew your mother had been hinting at putting a ring on your finger lately, her not so subtle answer to allowing him what he craved. Only when you were truly bound to him would she allow you to leave the nest he had first found you within. Back then, your wings were unable to fly to his house, and she had nurtured you more than he could have.

It meant a lot to him that your mother was allowing him the ability to be that strength at your side now.

That’s why he made sure you spent as much time alone with your mother presently. When you moved in with him, he might not be as willing to let you stay away from him.

“You know you have a really bad habit of overthinking and not giving me an answer, Im Jaebum.”

He snapped out of his thoughts with a smile, which you reached out to touch with your thumb. He pursed his lips into you, kissing your hand softly and then undid your seatbelt. “Come on, let me take you home.”

You obliged despite his lack of an answer, swinging your linked arms softly with every step you made together. Soon you were standing outside your apartment and turned to face him, attempting to shoot him a luring smile. He laughed. “I’m not coming in.”

“No? Your loss then,” you tempted and he stepped up to you, hugging you warmly and kissing your forehead. “I’m going to go to bed and dream of someone other than you.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes,” you informed, though you were smiling too much for it to be effective. “Since you don’t want to be at my side tonight, I’ll choose someone else.”

“Suit yourself, Nora will be all too happy to take your spot anyway.”

You huffed again and he laughed. For a moment you were both jovial and then his smile faded, his eyes searching yours.

Even without sight, they were beautiful. The colours, the depth, he had fallen in love with them. In the hallway lighting, he spotted your faint scarring, the lines he had traced upon your face many times over. He had come to love them too.

All of you.

Yet the question remained on the tip of his tongue and he rocked back on his heels, unsure if he should ask it. You placed a hand on his cheek, rubbing it gently. “What is it?”

“Do you ever miss it?”

“Miss what?”

“Seeing the world,” he admitted, watching as you blinked slowly.

And then you shook your head. “No. I don’t any more.”

“Really? Wouldn’t you love to see what’s around you? View the things you haven’t in so long? What about the people you hold dearly in your life now, do you crave to see them at least once more?” Jaebum wondered, holding you back in his arms again. He was confused; he had thought there would be a small part of you that would long for vision of some sort. Some times, on your better days, you could make out vague shapes for moments at a time. That was the extent of your recovery. The doctors had ruled you wouldn’t perform some sort of miracle and gain your sight back.

Smiling again, your hand still on his face shifted, feeling along the strength of his jaw and up his cheekbone. Your fingers lightly dusted over his eyelids that, with instinct, he shut upon your touch there. When you stopped, he reopened his eyes, gazing at you and anticipating your answer.

“I already see enough of the world through you. Why would I crave anything more?”

Leaning into kiss you, Jaebum allowed the tears to fall from his eyes. He never knew what to expect with you sometimes.

But he would take care of his sight as best as he could.

Since he knew you would look through his eyes forever.

 The End.

_________________

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[thenamesseven]

Warnings: Language and mentions of sex.

                        ----------------------------------------------------------

Shownu stopped the car in front of the club you supposedly owned, or at least, that’s what the documents the chief gave them said. Whoever entered the club was in your mafia or working with you, which basically meant you controlled everybody who got in and out, it sounds impossible and even ridiculous but it was probably true, it was obvious strangers weren’t allowed to come in a club where you did all your business, right? They all knew that as soon as they stepped inside their inner yet old criminal would have to come back out if they didn’t want to get killed on the spot, there wasn’t any margin for mistakes and hesitation, it was a now or never situation. Their life after jail had been deleted from any online site to ensure their security once they went undercover, it was obvious you would check all four of them before accepting them into your gang and nobody wanted to risk their lives.

“Can we go over the plan one more time? There are things that I still don’t understand” Minhyuk asked nervously, staring at the huge security guard at the door who hadn’t seen them yet. “Like, why am I the one that has to approach her?”

“We all agreed you’re the best meeting people” Kihyun answered with a small shrug “You’re nice, funny and let’s just say you’re handsome, she, at least should let you buy her a drink”

The four of them had studied every single piece of information about you that were in those pages, which wasn’t too useful to be honest. All that said was you grew up in a really poor and dysfunctional family and that your mother’s death and your father getting arrested turned you into the criminal you were born to be since you were just following the example your parents gave you. You ran away from every orphanage and somehow ended up in the mafia, being one of the most wanted criminals in the whole country. Your rough past wasn’t a surprise for the guys though, all of them had their own little story along with the motives of why they became what they were, nobody joined the street gangs out of boredom like most people think. There’s always feelings such us vulnerability, fear or anger that push you to do it and by the time you realize you’ve done the wrong thing it is simply too late.

Also, the fact that you were a female was something that scared Jooheon the most. Females aren’t as weak as most people think, they are colder than any male when they get mad, they’re pretty smart and it’s not easy to trick them. All of those facts were kind of intimidating but he was almost sure they could find a way to break your walls and invade your personal life, he didn’t even need you to trust all four of them, as long as you trust one enough, the hardest task of the plan would be done.

“First of all we have to get in the club though” Shownu answered from the driver’s seat, his eyes on the security guy.

“No shit?” Minhyuk asked slightly frustrated

“I mean, he probably knows everybody who comes in” Shownu replied rolling his eyes “Not everybody can get in there Minhyuk, we’re talking about the Mafia” 

“We could use the back door” Kihyun replied, shrugging “I bet that one is not being watched”

“Cliché” Minhyuk rolled his eyes “What if someone sees us?”

“Act important” Jooheon muttered looking at him “If we’re inside it means we’re working for the mafia or with the mafia, so we should look like powerful people” He explained biting one of his nails, it’s been so long since last time they did this that he couldn’t help but be slightly nervous “Act cocky, arrogant, like the world is yours” 

“Got it” Kihyun nodded “Then Minhyuk is supposed to look for (Y/N)” He looked at his mate, waiting for him to nod before he kept explaining “Approach her calmly, as if you didn’t know who she was and just give her some conversation”

“Wait” Shownu frowned softly noticing something weird in their plan "Wait, wouldn't she notice he's new around? I mean, if the security guy knows everybody she surely knows who is dancing in her club”

Jooheon smiled “That’s the thing” He sighed, leaning back against his seat “If she is as powerful as it seems, she and her minions will notice we broke in and that we’re not a little stupid gang fucking around” Jooheon turned on his seat to look at the other three guys with a small smirk on his face “I don’t think she’ll get mad, if she is the kind of person I think she is, she will get interested and play our game”

“That’s when we make a deal or something?” Minhyuk asked scratching the back part of his neck, he really didn’t feel good about the plan “Ask her to let us work with her?”

Jooheon shook his head no “We won’t ask her that, she will come to us” Seeing the confused expression on everybody's face, he kept explaining “We’ll just have some contact with her tonight and leave her intrigued enough to look for us when she need us, if she really owns the streets like chief think she does, then she will want to know us and why we’re suddenly in her territory” 

“She will want to know if she should play with or against us” Kihyun muttered finally understanding what Jooheon plan was

“If she wants to play with us then she’ll lead us to the other three people working with her, tell us to join her and that’s when we will have enough time to collect enough evidence to arrest all of them” Jooheon finished 

“What if she wants to play against us?” Minhyuk asked

“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen” Shownu replied getting slightly tense “We don’t want to be on a Mafia boss’ black list”

Everybody gulped nervously, staring ahead at the probably crowded club with music loud enough to make the floor shake as hard as their heart was pounding against their chest.

It was time to get out of their car.

                        ----------------------------------------------------------

It was a busy night, the club was more crowded than usual but so far nothing interesting has happened. You talked with a couple of people interested in making deals with your boss, you also had a delightful conversation with one of your boss’ new business partners in which you were forced to be as sweet and stupid as possible. Your boss always took you to his meetings so he could ‘show off’, you just had to act like a stupid girl that didn’t know she was dating a mafia owner, the worst part was when you had to talk with all those other girls who truly were idiots, you always felt like slapping them so hard.

Sighing softly you looked around the room, your eyes landing on the dance floor where lots of people were dancing -kind of grinding against each other, some of them even having dry sex right there- or making out. You were pretty familiar with all the faces around, your boss never allowed strangers into the club where he dealt with his most important businesses. Getting in might be easy but getting out after being found out was another story.

Your eyes spotted Wonho, who was in a corner whispering something to two blondes that seemed to be giggling like crazy. A huge smirk made its way up to your lips, he looked so confident and so cocky that if you told those females how scared he got whenever there was a storm they would call you crazy. Unconsciously, you bit your lip when your eyes went down on his semi opened white shirt, letting everybody see his flawless pale skin and but when you looked even lower, right down his tight jeans you literally had to force your eyes back up to realized he had caught you staring. One side of his lips lifted up while he winked at you, making your cheeks turn slightly pink. 

He is such a player.

In the seating area, a way more calm place than the dance floor, were Changkyun with his eyes glued to his phone which meant he was already looking for a new car either to steal it or buy it, along with Hyungwon that lazily leaned back against his seat, looking around the place slightly disgusted by the way people danced so close to each other. He just wasn’t a huge fan of people getting into his personal space.

You turned around on your stool, focusing on the drink that was in your hand. You usually didn’t drink too much alcohol but after the success of the other day in the alley way the boss had allowed the four of you to get a little break, which meant, a couple of days without running after somebody or without having to act like as trophy while you intertwined arms with the chief. 

Although if you were honest with yourself, you weren’t a huge fan of breaks. You were too used to the daily action, the tension of following somebody, the adrenaline when bullets flew around you or the thrilling sensation when you broke into somebody’s place so when you had breaks you didn’t have anything to do unlike the rest of your friends. Wonho liked to spend the majority of his time in his bed with a girl or a couple of them if he was lucky, Hyungwon just liked to spend the day in his apartment watching TV and I.M was either getting into some illegal races to “train” his cars or looking for some new ones. You just had no hobbies or people to spend those days with and that, as lame as it sounds, made you feel slightly lonely.

“Ah, such a cold night”

A male voice dragged you out of your depressing thoughts, the easy going comment made you smile a little. It was unusual for you to have casual conversations, whenever somebody approached you it was always about business and not to talk about random things. You kept your eyes down on your almost empty glass, twirling the ice around to distract yourself.

“Get me a whiskey and refill the lady’s drink”

Now that was something even more unusual for you, was he trying to flirt? Didn’t he know who you were? Trying hard to keep your poker face on, you lifted your eyes up to see his face just to find an absolute stranger sitting on the stool besides yours. A mix of different feelings flowed through your body, the first one was confusion since it was the first time somebody had managed to break into the club and have guts to approach you like that. Was he retarded? Or didn’t he really know who you were? Then it was rage, was this some kind of joke? Because she was definitely not in the mood to fuck around but then a glint of curiosity shone in your eyes, this was something new, something to entertain her boring night.

Jooheon noticed your expression and a small smile made it’s way up to his lips. Walking in the club hadn’t been as easy as they had expected since the back door was also being watched by another huge security guard. Minhyuk had been the chosen one to entertain him enough for Shownu, Kihyun and him to get inside the club before he got back in their car in case the other three needed to run away. Shownu was sitting by himself further in the bar while Kihyun was in the dance floor, both of them scanning the place with the intention of finding your partners.

“Nice club isn’t it?” You asked taking a sip from your drink, your eyes on his face.

He was handsome, that was the first thing that crossed your mind when you saw him. Although you couldn’t look better at him thanks to the dark lights illuminating the place. The little dimples that appeared on his cheeks when he smiled didn’t went unnoticed though.

“Really nice” Jooheon nodded, his eyes watching your face carefully.

As soon as his eyes landed on you, he knew there was something off. Either you were a really good actor and were trying to look extremely pitiful to everybody around you or you weren’t as cold and rude as the documents said. Mafia made you rough, made you insensitive but the longing, the hopeful look you had in your eyes when you were looking at the dance floor wasn’t the look a Mafia boss had. He could be wrong but it was pretty weird for his instincts to fail like that.

“My name is (Y/N)” You introduced yourself casually, pulling up your hand for him to shake.

“I know” He said with a cheeky smile. Jooheon grabbed your hand gently but instead of shaking it he pulled it up to his lips and left a small lingering kiss on your skin “Jooheon, nice to meet you” He saw the curiosity flashing in your eyes, trying to decipher what was he doing there

“Ah, the pleasure is mine” You replied “New around?”

Jooheon chuckled looking down at his drink, not holding eye contact with you meant he was confident enough to not control your every single movement and that surprised you even more, who was he? “I think you already know that, am I wrong (Y/N)?” The way your name rolled off his tongue got your ears turning slightly red. He said it without crying, without fear or anger...It sounded so damn good.

“What are you doing here?”

“Heard some stuff about you, me and my friends got kind of interested” As soon as you heard the word friends you tried to turn your head to search for more strange faces but Jooheon stopped you, if things went south and you decided to go after them it would be a good thing that you only knew his face and not his friends’

“Eyes on me doll” You scoffed rolling your eyes, moving your face away from his big yet soft hands.

“Who do you work for?” Jooheon noticed you went stiff, maybe touching you hadn’t been a good idea.

“Myself” Jooheon replied shrugging “We just go from one city to another, meeting people, doing some works” He took a sip from his drink “The usual business, you know?”

“Mhm” You muttered watching him “So you came here to work?” You asked with a small smile, really interested on him now.

“Maybe, maybe not” Jooheon shrugged “Is there work to do?”

“Maybe, maybe not” You shrugged in return, making him smile even more

Jooheon glanced down at his watch, they have been thirty minutes inside and they had ten minutes to get out before Minhyuk started freaking out by himself in their car.

“I would really like to continue our conversation” Jooheon said letting out an exasperated sigh “But this” Suddenly the club’s lights went out. They didn’t need to do this, it was just to show off, to show you he had enough reasons to be confident “Is my cue to get out” 

“Wait” You grabbed his wrist before he could walk away “Will we see each other again?”

Jooheon smirked. He did it. He got you interested.

“Maybe” He whispered gently moving his hand away from yours “Maybe not”

[lazuliblade]

Victor’s High-quality Lifestyle

Simply put - yes, he could support himself with figure skating, although not purely by competing. The majority of his earnings would come from sponsorships, endorsements, ice shows, contracts, and royalties.

Victor is definitely the highest paid skater of his time. Besides the big sponsorships that can cover a portion of costs, he’ll have magazine shoots and interviews, be invited to ice shows, and have endorsements in various fields (such as sportswear, jewelry, and food).

Training Cost  

This post does a great job of explaining the cost to compete, and mentions how skaters need some way to support themselves - whether that be ice shows, a job, or a bit of funding from skating federations in certain countries. It’s not just coaching fees and equipment (boots and blades), but ice time, travel costs, choreography fees (although Victor does his own choreo), music composition fees, costumes, physical therapy, consulting a nutritionist, dance instruction, day-to-day expenses....

It’s only the very top athletes or the very promising ones that companies are interested in sponsoring. For those top athletes in countries that care for figure skating, they'll likely get good contracts at some point.

Lucrative sponsorships help to cover a chunk of training and travel costs. ANA covers Yuzu’s travel costs, is his biggest sponsor, and is listed as his skating club. Mizuno and Lotte are also large sponsors -- you’ll see him wearing Mizuno’s athletic clothing and sporting Lotte’s logo on his official Japan jacket. Amino Vital is the sports drink you see Yuzu with at the boards.

I'm not exactly sure how the Russian federation works when it comes to letting their skaters sign deals (another thing I've been attempting to hunt down with little luck) but there shouldn't be a cap to the number of sponsorships a skater can accept as long as the skater works things out between the companies and it doesn’t affect their skating. I don’t follow any Russian skaters super closely and wasn’t around in the days when Plushenko and Yagudin were the stars, so if someone follows/ed their daily life, feel free to reblog and add info, or send an ask/message. I believe the JSF allows only 5 TV commercial contracts per year, but they don't have a cap on the number of magazine shoots, interviews, or endorsements.

Making Money Through Skating

Victor would be contracted for ice show tours during the off-season. He’s popular enough where he’ll receive multiple tour offers and decide: 1.which offers he’ll take, 2.if he’ll show up for just one city in the tour, or 3.simply not accept any offers for performances. He can afford to decline in order to recover from the strain of the past season and focus on training for the next one. Most skaters love doing ice shows because of the fun and fulfilling atmosphere, and for the chance to interact with fans who support them, so there’s a good chance that popular/successful skaters will perform in at least a few shows over the off-season.

To reference a few real-life skaters, when Daisuke Takahashi or Mao Asada were listed on programs for a show, stadiums would fill up and tickets would sell out FAST if there wasn’t a lottery already in place. Yuzuru will get multiple offers every summer and decide what works best with his training schedule. He loves ice shows, but knows to let his body heal and not strain it too much prior to the start of another season. Plushenko would do all sorts of ice shows during the off-season -- even to the point of ignoring his federation. There are one-time shows that appear in a city for a couple of performances, and long-standing tours that go around the country for a few weeks, so popular skaters have some flexibility here. Japan in particular is a favorite country for many skaters because of the enthusiastic, informed audience and good contracts. I have no doubt that popular tours such as Stars on Ice (Canada, U.S., Japan), Fantasy on Ice (Japan), as well as others throughout Japan, North America, and Europe would sell out with Victor’s name on the program.

With his talent, Victor might even offer his services by choreographing some younger skaters’ programs or doing some coaching for camps and classes. Misha Ge did a little of both while competing.

Of course, every time a skater wants to participate in an exhibition or other such event, it has to be approved by their country’s skating federation. However, regulations in the ISU general handbook ensure that skaters are not unduly constricted from participation and no more than 10% of their earnings are to be taken by their federation.  

   Examples of Earning Off-ice

To bring real examples of what a skater as popular as Victor might do for TV programs and commercial deals: 

skating on an iceberg (Shizuka Arakawa),

laying down on a custom mattress, (Yuzuru Hanyu with Tokyo Nishikawa’s &Free) 

skating in collaboration with a major film (Daisuke Takahashi with Studio Ghibli’s “Omoidase no Marnie”/”When Marnie was There”)

All you have to do is look at Plushenko licking lolly pops, Patrick Chan and his ice wine, and dental fairy Yuzuru to see the varied forms that endorsements can take on. 

I’d imagine Victor gets asked to feature in occasional photoshoots for Russia’s equivalent of An-an or Men’s Non-no (fashion magazines targeted to the 20-30s demographic). With his striking looks, high-end brands may ask him to model their seasonal lines for a couple of magazines. 

“This year’s [Tommy Hilfiger/Banana Republic/Prada] winter fashion!” model: Victor Nikiforov “Our new line of jewelry for that special someone this holiday season” model: Victor Nikiforov

In addition to advertisements, he’ll also have had interviews and articles in various magazines, and been the subject of multiple short documentaries for local TV stations. I would venture that Victor has a few photobooks, an autobiography/biography, and at least one documentary DVD of his own-- all of which bring in royalties. 

“A Young Hope Blooms Forth,” “Road to the Olympics,” “Spirit of the Legend” “Platinum and Gold” ...I can come up with a dozen likely titles for programs that TV stations could have aired over the years of his career. Furthermore, it seems he’s been to the Olympics two or three times, and Olympic fever always means more interviews, offers, and special collaborations.

A Few Extra Real-life Notes

I want to point out a skater who’s known for his high-end fashion: Johnny Weir. His family was humble, he doesn’t have Victor’s legendary record of golds, and he wasn’t the highest paid skater when he was competing (that would be Plushenko, Yuna, and Mao). However, he was such an icon and the media latched on for better or worse. Where Victor has a penchant for choreography, Johnny has one for costuming and fashion. He’s a middle-of-nowhere-small-town boy who loves pretty things and grew up to be fabulous on and off the ice. It’s not like the stuff he wears is cheap, but he’s a conscientious spender. Now that he’s turned pro and does commentary for nbc, it seems he’s relatively well-off.

It was mentioned in an interview* that fans would send Johnny expensive gifts in the mail -- like Chanel handbags -- because they knew he couldn’t afford them at the time. This isn’t limited to him. Denis Ten once received dog toys for his pet, and Yuzuru has received clothing. If a skater is well-loved, the fan base might send stuff that a skater wants but can't afford to splurge on or justify buying.

(*Caution that the interview, especially the second part, has traces of homophobia.)  

Many skaters are from affluent families - the sport is one of the most expensive in the world - but there are plenty of skaters who start from poorer conditions and make it to the top through a combination of support, sacrifice, hard work, and grasping at opportunities. For a more drastic example, all it takes is a look at Plushenko’s life story to see that starting out with near nothing money-wise doesn’t mean a skater can’t rise to the top.

Tying It All Together

Victor doesn’t have much of a life outside of skating and Makkachin, so after the usual costs that come with competing and daily life, he’s likely saved quite a sum over the years. Perhaps Victor only splurges when it’s worthwhile. A condo and designer furniture are purchases that last for a long time-- and the times he’ll need a good suit are infrequent enough where he would be able to keep their condition for at least a year. He might buy several coats and a collection of suits which last him years. Good clothes, good personal products, and a few good books every now-and-then for his expansive library… 

One must remember that he’s been competing internationally since he was at least 13 years old, and likely starting to earn enough himself to cover most costs from the time he was winning Euros at 18. Ten more years of success, with five of those being literal golden years, and he’s at the point where he can ship half of his stuff across the world without worrying too much about his bank account. He seems in touch with economics enough to know how to spend and save money (“if only the euro was down~”), and while we see him furnishing a room at the start of his stay in Yutopia, we have little comparison for spending practices during the rest of his time in Hasetsu, have no comparison for prior years, and this year is the first he feels like he’s living. Of course he’ll go all-out to start this new and exciting chapter.

For all that YOI tells us that he’s a Living Legend and shows us the kind of media attention he receives, Victor’s lofty image is deconstructed throughout the season so we see him as a lovable person rather than an icon. Watching his personal life while focused around Yuuri’s journey means we don’t see exactly how much of the face of figure skating he is, and as a result it’s easy to forget all that it entails.

[imaginaryculturepress-blog]

TFTP: Homebrand’s “Shelf” Launch Show

In which Homebrand launch "Shelf", HQ's security give up, and we quote a lot of people.

Hi, hello, and welcome!

My name is Skyler and I've nearly broken my neck head-banging on numerous occasions. I don't know if I should be extremely proud or concerned about that...

I also take photos of awesome bands playing awesome music for awesome crowds at awesome venues with not-so-awesome lighting.

Speaking of awesome bands playing awesome music for awesome crowds at awesome venues with not-so-awesome lighting, a few Fridays ago, I found myself photographing Homebrand's "Shelf" launch show at HQ. (I really need new venues... but y'know, everything else is 18+ and-*rants about the lack of U18 shows in Perth and what that's doing to the economy and mental stability of numerous teens*.)

This October, I had two goals: photograph a show, and have that show be on my birthday. After a disappointing September that only featured a cancelled Placebo shoot, I was desperate for anything. Luckily, I got to cover this outstanding launch to make up for the dead month. It wasn't on my birthday, but it was the day before and that's close enough.

But let's take it back a step.

T'was the day before the show and I still had no confirmation of whether or not I'd be shooting. For the record, this wasn't an extreme bother, though replies were (and still are) greatly appreciated. Along with forty-eight hour notice whenever possible. Regardless, I was at Myer with my uncle and they were playing Safia's "My Love is Gone" through the speakers. So to rephrase, I was at Myer with my uncle, attempting - and failing - to not dance around like a headless emu.

As we were searching for a birthday present, I had four words on loop: "minimalism", "lenses", and "not applicable". That is:"Hey, we should get this!""Minimalism.""Well what do you want, then?""Lenses.""Where's the minimalism there?""Not applicable."

We soon figured that the only way to settle the dilemma was to visit my very extremely amazingly fabulously good friend and potential sponsor, JB HI-FI, and splurge a decent amount of cash on vinyl. Second best to camera gear, right? Two Panic! at the Disco and one Five Finger Death Punch record later, we left to visit my arch nemesis: Camera House.

Oh, the horror...

*Violent flashbacks of Supposed Manager, his arrogance, sighs, and complaints.*

Now, it's probably worth noting that my uncle had no clue of the troublesome past I had with the store, and I hoped for it to remain that way. You may be in the same boat, completely unsure of what the hell I'm on about. Perhaps you ought to check out the

With Confidence story

: i

t's 90% the Return of the Lens and 10% With Confidence. And if you don't know what the Return of the Lens refers to, you should probably read the

Why Even Try story

. All these posts are quintessentially related and if you find them somewhat interesting, I highly suggest reading them in order to avoid complete confusion. Or you could just not read them at all, which I'm sure most of you are resorting to.

Nevertheless, I dragged myself in, head down and regret kicking in. Already missing JB HI-FI, I searched through the limited racks, hoping to locate that goddamn Nikon backpack. Background info required? Yeah. Here's the general gist of it: my grandmother told me to choose a new gear backpack that'd make shooting easier, and that my uncle would take me to purchase it on behalf of her. However, my lazy ass couldn't be bothered researching this thoroughly enough, and, as a result, the only store that I knew had this specific one was Camera House. Thus our current situation.

Unsurprisingly, it was nowhere to be found. Thankfully, Supposed Manager was also nowhere to be found. We asked an employee and they confirmed that it wasn't in stock, and that we had to go check in Leederville. And so we did, only to be told that they didn't have it either. So I settled for something different (though freaken amazing), a Lowepro with some fancy lettery-numbery title that I cannot be bothered typing. Oh, by the way, Lowepro: if you're looking for someone to sponsor, you should probably consider this random photographer in Perth, Western Australia... I hear they're pretty awesome... and desperate as all hell.

Lowepro: *Sponsor Chris Kerr.*

Now let's all take a moment to cry at how accurate that is (besides the fact that he isn't desperate). Let's take another moment to admire Chris' work.

But there's your daily life lesson: not all photographers hate each other! I mean, he has no clue as to who the hell I am, though that's not the point.

Anywho, this is the part where I compare Camera House's service to JB HI-FI's and say that JB always has everything in stock - or can order it in within a week. This is also the part where I just get along with the bloody story, for I can imagine how bored you are.

All that was just there to increase my sponsorship opportunities - or lack thereof - and include a CH complaint.

So on with the tale:

That evening, I went from maybe shooting Homebrand to not shooting to booked (thanks, Shedhead!). However, when I gained the pass, I completely forgot to ask something rather important: "Could ya please add me to the door list?"

It's not that the tickets were expensive or that I'm an extremely cheap person (even though I am). Soon after photographing my first ever show, I was googling the industry and came across a video by Adam Elmakias, my all-time favourite photographer. To paraphrase, he said: "You shouldn't buy a ticket if you're there to work." And he's right; if this is your job - or a hobby that you're hoping will become your job (your mission, to reference The Minimalists) - you pay for your transport, Grill'd stopover, and gear (though that's taxable), but you don't pay to be at the workplace, regardless of whether that's an office or concert venue. I made that mistake with the first pass I earned.

It's pretty obvious but just to be clear, this was not the band's fault. Whatsoever. They've got way more important things to be focusing on, and it's not their job to remember things that I haven't even mentioned.

You can probably imagine when I realised I hadn't told them; at the venue, when the employee guy was checking the door list.

Guy: *Flicking through* Yeah, uhm... you're not on here...

Me: What?

Me to myself: Oh, shit...

That other voice in my head: Fucking hell, Sky, you're a fucking idiot! How the fuck did you fucking forget to fucking mention the fucking listy-thingy, for fuck's sake?! You fucking fuckwit!

Guy: Do you wanna check with the band?

I looked around, attempting to locate Shedhead, though my lack of luck that ensured that nobody was around. (Again, not their fault; I'm a fucking fuckwit, remember?) Guy was growing slightly suspicious.

Guy: ...You do know who they are, right?

Me to myself, sarcastically: Nah, mate, only heard of them this morning. Me: Yeah?

Guy: I'll go see if they're out front.

Ten minutes later, we were in. Another ten minutes later, the first band was up. Coincidentally, t'was Shedhead.

If there's one thing all these bands have in common, it's that they're blatantly and exuberantly experimental and honest in their presence and music. I could attempt to make them sound elegant and sophisticated, but as the Dune Rats say, The Kids Will Know It's Bullshit. There's a lot of quoting going on today...

With that said, you're there to headbang, throw your friends at other friends' faces and to have a good time. It's thrashy, punk, satirical rock - or whatever genre they classify as - and it's unapologetic.

Shedhead was a prime example of this. With more talent than Fuelled by Ramen have signed in recent times (I'm looking at you, post-Don't Panic All Time Low) and a fanbase as dedicated as BTS', these dudes truly know how to rock out. ("Rock out"? Sara, what are you, sixty?)

Their songs are wonderful, they're great people, and they've got jams.

Now all they require is a deal with a neat lil' record label, preferably not FBR, and they're all set. And while we're on the topic of deals with neat lil' places, JB HI-FI should send that sponsorship contract my way soon...

Intermission.

Dance, dancing their way to the stage was Mango Tango, a hyper yet calm and collected band with a set list of hits. From the moment they played the first note, everyone was dying to be the John Travolta to their Uma Thurman. Their EP was only a few weeks old, yet the entire crowd knew each and every lyric off by heart, screaming incredibly out of tune and deafening my mother. But they were having a wonderful time and that’s all that counts.Their energy, enthusiasm, and always-high appearance are what stick with people well after the show. The band is extremely dedicated to their music, and it’s noticeable in their performances. With memorable sets and one hell of a catchy name, they’re sure to gain international success.

Unfortunately Kosta was slightly late to the party, arriving around the last song. This has nothing to do with him but anyway.

Intermission.

I remember those good ole’ days, long, long, ago, back at Mount Lawley Senior High’s 2016 Arts Expo, when a young band took to the stage. They were surrounded by friend-fans and teachers, lead by a shorter-haired Griffin and were missing a Harrison Larke (or was he there? I’ve no clue; it’s been a while). They were Sky's first glimpse into the local music scene. Their lead single was – and I’m pretty sure it still is – “Control”, and they earned disturbed expressions from Mr Butcher and Mr Camilleri. The crowd loved them; with each riff, octave, and any other musical word, everyone was falling more and more for the boys from JAG.

Over a year later, little has changed.  The dudes rocked out to another crowd of friend-fans, though not all were from Mount Lawley. Griffin’s hair was longer than mine, Larke was in business, and I could sense Mr Butcher and Mr Camilleri’s disturbed expressions from a mile away. “Control” blasted through the speakers and each riff, octave, and any other music word saw the audience fall more and more for the boys from JAG.

But they’d improved. They’d improved their material, their presence, and most importantly, their happiness. They seemed more content; they could say what they wanted to whom they wanted, without seething dudes in suits threatening to give them detention. This is what makes them one of the best local bands; they’re passionate about their music, stick to their humble roots, and do whatever the fuck they want.

Speaking of doing whatever the fuck they want, up next were our headliners, Homebrand.

From the first note, everyone went wild. And I mean Fight Club on acid wild; everyone was headbanging against each other, Jared Leto was crowdsurfing, Bob was crying and hugging someone whilst trampling somebody else, Marla was smoking a cig’ up the back, and Tyler Durden was fighting himself in the parking lot.

Their music was great – but that’s not what we’re here for. Well, I suppose we ought to include a fancy review of “Shelf”:

“It’s fucking wonderful.”

Sky, we said fancy.

Oh, right… How’s this:

“Homebrand have revived themselves and the scene with this song, achieving preposterously eargasmic riffs and other complex musical shizzle. The post-Mixed Signals era is set to become huge, and will hopefully see everyone stop screaming “PLAY INSOMNIA, YOU FUCKS!” and replace it with the lyrics of “Shelf”, which will inevitably lead to Daryl needing to display less inappropriate gestures onstage.”

Close enough to fancy.

But like I said, their music wasn't what we were there for: what truly stood out about their performance wasn't actually the band - don't get me wrong, they killed it up there - but HQ's reaction and plan to having Homebrand play was absolutely priceless; especially when they failed to execute their ideas.

You see, this band - and its fans - are known for the insanity they cause. It's their brand. Their Homebrand. (I'll stop...) They are there to demolish everything. They are going to break something or someone. Nobody just "shows up" without knowing what they're getting into; and if they do, they don't walk out with all their limbs in tact. There is headbanging, and I don't mean normal headbanging; I mean worse than me in my room on a Saturday evening whilst listening to Cannibal Corpse headbanging. If you're not crowdsurfing, your friends will lift you the fuck up and force you to crowdsurf. There are no "sidelines". There's no calming down. You either grab the person next to you by the neck and swing them around mercilessly or leave. And the best part? Everyone is still friends with everyone else and there are no hard feelings. Or so I'm lead to believe.

As a photographer, I couldn't ask for anything more. Okay, perhaps HQ could upgrade their lighting system and get rid of those godawful reds. But this is exactly what we're there for, and I freaken love it.

And that, my dudes, is why Homebrand is Perth's best live band. (No offence to all the other bands, all of whom I love dearly, but you can't compete with these guys.)

HQ, however, doesn't share my views. They knew this was going to happen, that personal spaces would be no more and that their speakers would be destroyed, so they employed crowd control.

Be right back, I'm just going to go laugh hysterically for a few hours.

Crowd control? What the hell was the point? All they did was piss off the dudes in the front row. Nobody could "control" these guys. They were there to be a destructive wreck and have an incredible time, and that's what they did. Had HQ seriously considered that a couple of guys in fancy uniforms - one of whom doubled up as a photographer - could change that? Nope.

"Stop that!"

"Ma'am, get off the speaker."

"PUT THEM DOWN THIS INSTANT, GODDAMNIT!"

"I said... sTOP IT!"

"How much are we getting paid for this again...?"

Get a reality check, mate. The only good that could come out of their little visit was if they managed to avoid getting kicked in the face - then the venue could avoid legal fees.

Not too long after, the set was over and those sorry security guards could go catch their breath.

And that was that. Up next: Alice Cooper at Perth Arena. (Spoiler alert: I lose my photo pass and have to shoot with my phone. It's quite the evening.)

MUSICAL SUMMARY:

Shedhead: The kids will know their music isn't bs/5 Mango Tango: Energetic fruit loops/5 JAG: I’ve got your yearbook photos/5 Homebrand: What is crowd control/5

PHOTOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY:

Lenses: better than the 85mm/5

Camera: again - not allowed to complain/5

Lighting: the reason I've lost all hope in humanity/5

Editing: best way to spend my birthday/5

My sanity: no English/5

Check out all the awesome bands:

Shedhead

Mango Tango

JAG

Homebrand

Live long and headbang, xx-Skyler Slate

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What Harry Styles and Zayn can tell us about life after boy bands

One Direction is accidentally the best named boy band in the history of coordinated turtlenecks. Legend has it that Harry Styles picked it on a whim because it sounded cool after Simon Cowell gave the five boys a second chance to compete on X Factor if they were willing to go at it as a team.

For about five years, it worked remarkably well, and then the tears fell.

There’s a line in Zadie Smith’s The Autograph Man, a book about the the trappings of idolization published when Harry Styles was eight years old, that seems oddly prescient for the current situaton. Just after a line that happens to be about a character’s ruffled shift, Smith writes, “All fandom is a form of tunnel vision: warm and dark and infinite in one direction.”

And yes, there are plenty of horribly original “different directions” jokes to be made about the lads’ respective solo careers. But the truth of the matter, is that separating was the only way they could all head upwards.

Before 1D, the *NSYNC model was the best case scenario for life after a boy band’s prime years. Justin Timberlake was the one who got to keep the music career, and lives happily ever after in the A-List while the rest are relegated to TV hosting gigs. Joey Fatone’s Live Well Network show, My Family Recipe Rocks, is delightful, but it can’t be what he envisioned for himself. Or you have the Backstreet Boys, tethered together for eternity in Las Vegas playing the old hits. Harry Styles’ solo debut, out today, makes it clear that it doesn’t have to be that way anymore.

SEE ALSO: Harry Styles hasn’t quite mastered the stage dive yet, but his solo music sparkles live

Zayn Malik was, of course, the first to go. He exited the group in flames with some comments about wanting to be a normal 22-year-old but quickly came back with bold promises of #realmusic, as opposed to whatever he considered One Direction.

ZaYn

Image: MIKE WINDLE/GETTY

Malik wasn’t content to fall into traditional boy band roles and be “the shy one” when he was actually experiencing severe anxiety. Plus, he favored R&B over the classic rock influences that were beginning to dominate One Direction and he has the voice for it, so he left the band to make music that was more his speed, working with M.I.A., PartyNextDoor, and even Styles’ ex, Taylor Swift.

It’s no surprise that fans, despite some very harsh words on Twitter when he split, responded positively to the new music. One Direction was the first major boy band to treat young women with respect as music fans instead of just assuming they want washboard abs and a Max Martin hook, as great and necessary as those things can be to young fans coming of age.

When Styles was recently on the cover of Rolling Stone, Styles explained as much to Cameron Crowe, who just happened to be profiling him.

“Who’s to say that young girls who like pop music short for popular, right? have worse musical taste than a 30-year-old hipster guy? That’s not up to you to say. Music is something that’s always changing. There’s no goal posts,” he said. “Young girls like the Beatles. You gonna tell me they’re not serious? How can you say young girls don’t get it? They’re our future. Our future doctors, lawyers, mothers, presidents, they kind of keep the world going. Teenage-girl fans they don’t lie. If they like you, they’re there. They don’t act ‘too cool.’ They like you, and they tell you. Which is sick.”

Malik echoed the sentiment in his book. (Oh yeah, he has a book, some fashion collaborations and a TV show on the way, NBD.) “I think we need more women in positions of power across the world,” he wrote. “I think a lot of the world’s problems could be solved if we allowed more contribution from women.”

Instead of making the music they thought girls wanted to hear, they put a little faith in their fans and tried to make the best music they could. It paid off.

Instead of making the music they thought girls wanted to hear, they put a little faith in their fans and tried to make the best music they could. It paid off.

For Louis Tomlinson, that meant the sunny “Just Hold On” with DJ Steve Aoki, and if there is anything that’s a fairly sure bet, it’s a handsome boy with a devout social media following dipping his toes into EDM. Sometimes, I imagine I’m in a The Graduate situation, at pool party. Instead giving the tip “plastics” to a lost boy unsure what to do with his potential, I whisper, “EDM” into his ear. While Aoki is a veteran of the scene at this point, “Just Hold On” is actually his highest charting single in both the UK and the USA, where the song hit #2 and #52, respectively.

Liam Payne, meanwhile, signed a record deal with Republic in 2016. Like Tomlinson, his ambition has some EDM leanings, but he’s got his eye on hip hop, as well. He previously released a single with Juicy J and Wiz Khalifa and has a new single with Migos’ Quavo out on May 19.

Niall Horan and Styles were always the most likely to hit the ground running with One Direction’s ’70s rock influence. Horan, the guitar-wielding Irish man, was the most involved in the group’s songwriting process and Styles baked a damn carrot cake for Stevie Nicks on her birthday. Horan beat Styles to the punch releasing his first solo single, the sweet acoustic number “This Town,” but Styles’ solo album came first.

A good suit.

Image: mike coppola/Getty Images

He considered calling it Pink, because The Clash’s Paul Simonon once said that, “Pink is the only true rock & roll color.” Nearly every review of Harry Styles has focused on Harry Styles, the rock star, in an age when the form is limp. “Sign of the Times,” the lead single, is a bold statement of intention to fill that void. Styles announced the Bowie-channeling tune exactly 20 years after the Prince album the song borrows its name from was released.

But he ended up simply going with Harry Styles instead, and it’s a fitting choice. In interviews, he’s wants to make it clear how honest the lyrics are as he avoids getting into details about just about everything. “I didn’t want to write ‘stories,'” he told Rolling Stone. “I wanted to write my stories, things that happened to me. The number-one thing was I wanted to be honest. I hadn’t done that before.” Styles knows he’s not reinventing the wheel, but what he can offer that no one else can is a direct line into his psyche.

“Mature” details of the album will inevitably be sensationalized, sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll were never really absent from One Direction (sample lyric: “waking up beside you, I’m a loaded gun.”) The main difference is that now it doesn’t have to be sung with a wink.

Communication, or lack thereof, is the album’s focus. Styles desperately wants people to say what they mean. “Tell me something I don’t already know,” he begs and begs on “Ever Since New York.” Hell, he doesn’t even use emoji, as he confessed to the crowd at his very first solo show.

At his most confessional, the soft, Eliott Smith-indebted, “From the Dining Table,” Styles begs for resolution. “Woke up alone in this hotel room. Played with myself, where were you? Fell back to sleep, I got drunk by noon,” he confesses. “I’ve never felt less cool.”

The mumbling masturbator is, of course, not a traditional boy band archetype, and definitely not what would be expected of “the cute one.” But thanks in large part to the infinite feedback loop of fandom online, it’s what we know fans needed to hear. The boy they worship (and the subject of their own erotic fan fiction) gets lonely, too.

It’s too early to tell what the longevity of the One Direction boys solo careers will be, but they’re already tipping towards a higher success rate than any previous boy band. Their increasingly web-savvy fans seem poised to ensure a decent run.

Pop groups are no longer a survival of the fittest. They’re better prepared to service the passions and desires of their young, predominately female fanbase better than ever and even grow up with them after they grow up and start running the world.

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Fans celebrate Brody Stephens' life and his message

High School Musical” Gives an Outstanding Message About Acceptance by Teenagers

  Excessive Faculty Musical – three Stars (Proper)

The Disney Channel had to be beside itself with the most useful broadcast in January 2006 of “High College Musical” which became its maximum a hit made-for-television movie as much as that time with 7.7 million viewers.

Further to its business success, Excessive Faculty Musical is a good larger artistic success with an extraordinary message about acceptance via teenagers in the trendy world.

This film represents the whole lot that is right about state-of-the-art teens. We see great athletes, first-rate instructional college students, first-class relationships and private increase which ends up in proper questioning, right motives and right actions at the best time.

All of this takes place in a movie this is rated G, not PG, PG-13, R or NC-17. Are you able to recognize how rare it’s far to see a G-rated movie that is not an animated film?

Hundreds of thousands of dad and mom and adults are so unwell and tired of seeing teenagers concerned with filthy language, sexual gymnastics, drug use, homicide, rape, mayhem, and evil doing.

Hollywood says they only make these movies due to the fact it’s far what moviegoers need to see; it truly offers you a perception of just how permissive, warped and out of touch they are with mainstream The use.

Having said that permit me to gush about High College Musical and the pleasant path by way of Kenny Ortega and satisfactory writing by using Peter Barsocchini, who sends a terrific message approximately popularity that every youngster struggles with growing up.

A brand new Year’s Eve party brings Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) and Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) together. Even as they’re making a song karaoke collectively they discover their love fortune and hobby in every other.

Gabriella, a totally brilliant student, comes to A new School and rediscovers Troy, a jock, and superstar of the basketball crew. When Troy and Gabriella grow to be fast pals they win a callback during the Faculty musical auditions. youngster drama queen Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale) and her brother Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) are upset as they have been the lead within the past 17 Faculty performs.

When Troy’s basketball teammates recognize he has auditioned for the musical and is neglecting his responsibilities as the group captain, and Gabriella’s teammates on the educational group comprehend she has become pals with Troy, individuals of each team conspire to break up their friendship.

While each Troy and Gabriella’s performances slip dramatically and are glaringly distraught because they’re simplest attempting to break out in their expected roles, their teammates confess to the conspiracy to interrupt up their friendship.

The conspiracy is led with the aid of Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu), Troy’s best buddy and basketball teammate, and Taylor McKessie (Monique Coleman), Gabriella’s pal and leader of the School’s Science Club that competes inside the scholastic decathlon. Monique Coleman went directly to compete in the popular series Dancing With the stars.

Sharpay and brother Ryan recognize that Troy and Gabriella are actual competition for his or her normal position on stage and set approximately to disrupt the callback by means of getting their drama instructor Alyson Reed, an even larger drama queen, to alternate the time of the callback to intervene with Troy’s championship basketball recreation and Gabriella’s scholastic decathlon.

Troy enables his group to win the championship, and Gabriella facilitates her crew wins the scholastic decathlon. each of them makes the callback and get the lead role in the play despite the fact that all 3 occasions occur at the identical time. You’ll see the movie to apprehend how their basketball and scholastic teammates devise a plan to make it take place.

by being themselves and having the courage to try something new, both Troy and Gabriella motivate their classmates to strive new pastimes.

Excessive College Musical is ready a numerous College populace that takes variety to a better vicinity. Instead of focusing solely on the problem of variety writer Peter Barsocchini ignores the trite, obvious troubles of coloration of the skin, the length of our bodies and Excellent seems and builds round an excellent more essential point: popularity While being distinctive.

Perhaps we can now circulate directly to no longer being so worried that African American coaches had been opponents inside the maximum latest Exceptional Bowl, and simply deal with the game and gamers. Maybe we can pass on past the whole thing being considered from a racial angle.

Perhaps we are able to sincerely look at the difficulty of acceptance and different critical troubles in the lives of our teenage children instead of focusing on the fact that where reputation does now not exist that it must be race related.

High Faculty Musical indicates teens being devious, screwing up, fessing up to messing up, feeling regret, doing something positive to make it proper, and everybody one being a better man or woman, in the long run, even our drama queen Sharpay and brother Ryan.

more than 600 auditioned for the film and Vanessa Anne Hudgens had to compete with 12 others for the role of Gabriella; she and the alternative girls danced and sang all day to win the position.

Excessive Faculty Musical become the operating identify for the movie and become used When post-production got here due to the fact a better name had no longer surfaced. Andrew Seeley’s voice became dubbed in for Zac Efron.

Seeley composed and sang “Get’cha Head in the sport” which became nominated for an Emmy. Composer Jamie Houston’s “Breaking Loose” was nominated for an Emmy. Ortega becomes additionally nominated for an Emmy as turned into Jason L. A. Padua for amazing Casting.

Excessive College Musical did win one Emmy for terrific Kid’s Software and another for amazing Choreography. In all, the film had nine wins and 10 nominations for diverse awards.

I highly propose this movie for mother and father, teenagers and children of all ages who might have the staying power to sit down thru this movie. Excessive School Musical sends an exceptional message about kids nowadays and desires endured strong support to unfold its effective message

Outdoor Ceiling Fans

  If you are making plans on putting in a ceiling fan in an out of doors vicinity, it is essential to buy a fan that is designed especially for that cause. In case your installation an indoor fan in an outdoor area it is in all likelihood to quick out (which can be hazardous) or surely spoil down in advance. Outside ceiling fanatics are designed otherwise than indoor ceiling fanatics due to the fact they need on the way to the forces of mom nature.

Right here are a number of the methods that Outdoor ceiling enthusiasts vary from those made for the interior:

The ornamental motor casing is either sealed or designed to prevent water or moisture from coming in contact with the actual motor inner. The wiring is a higher grade with extra protective. Screws and other additives are normally fabricated from stainless steel. The finish on the motor casing and hardware is usually a weather resistant powder coat, stainless steel, or has some extra protecting coating which could deal with exposure to the elements. The blades are in all likelihood made of ABS plastic rather than plywood. ABS is a completely sturdy durable fabric that resists warping and discoloration from moisture or UV publicity. Light fixtures are sealed on pinnacle and designed for outdoors The mounting hardware is both water tight or designed to prevent water from getting into from above. There are 2 forms of Outside ceiling lovers, the ones rated for DAMP locations and people rated for Wet locations. There’s a great distinction between the two and it’s miles vital which you select the right type of your utility. In both case, ensure the fan you purchase is UL Indexed for the application you want so you recognize it can be properly installed without creating a potential electric danger. Right here are the differences among the 2 sorts of Outdoor fanatics:

Damp rated Outdoor fans are designed to deal with moisture but now not direct touch with rain or walking water. Consequently, a moist rated Outdoor ceiling fan may be mounted in a covered vicinity which includes a patio or screened in porch or other areas which might be blanketed from rain or dripping water.

Wet rated Outside fans are designed to deal with direct publicity to rain. They may be established indefinitely any indoor or Outside vicinity, covered or exposed. So you can deploy a Moist rated Outdoor ceiling fan in an open gazebo, lattice covered lanai or other comparable color structure in addition to underneath a included porch or patio. due to the fact Moist rated Outside fanatics are pretty lots water tight, you may, in reality, clean them through hosting them off…that’s an incredible cause to buy a Wet rated fan even if all you want is a humid rated version.

Usually asked questions about Outside enthusiasts:

Can an outdoor ceiling fan be mounted indoors?

Sure, you could installation an out of doors fan to your residing room or every other room in your property where you want a fan. Many humans will try this sincerely due to the fact they like the look of a specific Out of doors fan. Additionally, Out of doors fanatics are distinctly encouraged for laundry rooms and bathrooms or another room interior your private home that has a tendency to have excessive moisture. In more humid climates, Outdoor enthusiasts are an amazing preference for each room inside the domestic.

I stay in a completely windy vicinity and have had troubles with blades breaking off…Are there any Out of doors enthusiasts that are made to deal with high winds?

high winds can, in fact, sheer the blades of a ceiling fan, in particular, cheaper fashions that use lightweight substances. Normally it’s far the metal blade holders that attach the blades to the fan that damage as opposed to the blades themselves. So If you are in a place liable to high winds, Outdoor fans that do not have blade holders are your great choice. If the fan is to be hooked up in an area that is nine feet high or much less, a hugger style Out of doors fan is even higher. A really perfect instance of this kind of fan is the Minka Aire Concept II Wet, that’s one of the very few Out of doors fanatics that meet this standard.

Are there any Outside fanatics which are designed to be taken down effortlessly or which have blades which are clean to take off while a typhoon is coming?

This is a completely common question. Unluckily the answer isn’t any. There are not any ceiling fans designed with a “Short Disconnect” mechanism or with blades that snap on and stale. However, I think that if any fan manufacturer got here up with such a fan it might be a big seller.

walking wires and putting in a junction box may be difficult in many Out of doors programs. Are there any Out of doors ceiling lovers which might be battery operated?

Despite the fact that DC powered ceiling lovers are actually, in reality, to be had, they’re not but effective sufficient to deal with the needs of outdoor packages, nor are they being designed to paintings from batteries. Currently, maximum DC powered ceiling lovers use an AC/DC converter, so they still require electric wiring. However, I might look for this to exchange in the close to destiny…maximum probably in the next 12 months or two.

Can a far-flung control be introduced to an outdoor ceiling fan?

maximum add-on remotes or wall controls are not rated to be used outdoors, so unless the manipulate is specially designed for the fan you’re thinking about and is rated for the perfect software (Damp or Wet), then you definitely have to now not use it. If a far off manage or wall control is vital to you, search for Out of doors fans which have one of these manipulate covered with the fan.

Prioritizing Making a Difference in Someone’s Life

  Deciding on well nowadays is critical, isn’t it? That’s what that word “prioritizing” that humans shy from are all about! I have found which you alternate your life by changing your thinking.

thinking in approaches that get me doing – taking movement! – is what Selecting properly these days way for me.

I can handiest perform a little bit. However, I can do some bit!

I am healing. I’m facing big challenges. Yet I am doing matters.

The manner I do message is by Fans way of figuring Life out that giving up isn’t an alternative.

When I am thinking, k, I’m going to do something? I’m Deciding on from possibilities which can be before me proper now. From what’s in front of me, as Mother Teresa used to say!

It’s no longer that we will do what others are doing. It’s that we are able to do what is before us right now. what’s in the front of us.

That is what Deciding on properly nowadays is set. That is what prioritizing gives you. It offers you the capacity to see what is in front of you right now.

By using noticing what is in front of me right now, I will exchange my wondering and change my lifestyles.

I’ve been a hit. I’ve even been a hit after main disabilities I’ve discovered to control; now I have got greater. But It is the same component: It is a matter of looking out at what’s earlier than me and of spotting what’s within me.

I’ve succeeded towards dramatic odds within the past. I’ve helped humans and made a distinction in this world. I like doing that.

I’m finding approaches to doing that now. Using who I am and my stories, as well as with the aid of The use of the capability to pick out nicely these days.

One of the matters I do is analyzing. It allows inform me and gives me suggestions of other methods of questioning and statistics that is useful.

Any other thing I do is I write. I blog! Slowly. I am sluggish, here and now. But what? I’m doing it!

I’m doing and I am being and I’m creating a distinction in this world. And if I can, you can too!

This week I looked at Every other PayPal sale! It is interesting to sell. But it’s also thrilling to suppose that I will make a difference in a person’s existence.

Choosing nicely nowadays has to do with constructing a foundation for me. constructing a basis by using taking as.

[ultralifehackerguru-blog]

New Post has been published on http://www.lifehacker.guru/im-brad-smith-ceo-of-intuit-and-this-is-how-i-work/

I'm Brad Smith, CEO of Intuit, and This Is How I Work

Brad Smith knows karate. Not “business karate” or any overwrought metaphor about teamwork; he literally teaches karate. Or at least he used to before he became chairman and CEO of Intuit.

Intuit is the financial software company that owns and operates TurboTax, probably the most idiot-proof way to file your taxes. (I speak from personal experience, as I’m definitely bad with money and taxes. Using TurboTax feels like playing a soothing video game.) They also own the popular personal finance app Mint, and were the original developers of Quicken. It is more than worth mentioning, though, that nothing is without controversy; Intuit has been criticized for lobbying against making filing your taxes easier. But let’s get back to the karate.

Brad Smith has been with the company since 2003, has served as CEO since 2008, and credits much of his success to the lessons he discipline he gained at the dojo as a young man as well as the career advice given to him by his father. We caught up with Brad to learn a little about his background, how he manages his time, and some of his favorite inspirational movies. Here’s how he works.

Location: Mountain View, CA Current Gig: Chairman and CEO, Intuit One word that best describes how you work: Passionately Current mobile device: iPhone 7 Current computer: MacBook Air

First of all, tell me a little about your background and how you got to where you are today.

I was born and raised in Kenova, West Virginia, population 3,500 if you round up! From an early age, the community played a key role in my life. I began studying martial arts at a local dojo as a sophomore in high school, and the discipline it taught me continues to impact my life to this day. After graduating from Ceredo-Kenova High School, I attended the US Military Academy at West Point for one semester, but my West Virginia roots pulled me back home. I went on to graduate from Marshall University in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing.

After graduating college my dad advised me to always pursue what makes your heart beat the fastest. He [also] said I should always make my job choices based on the franchise and not the role. In other words, look for purpose-driven companies that would challenge me and provide me with stretch assignments so I would continue to grow. He told me not to focus on title or the money, because that would change over time if I worked hard. Finally, [he said to] understand that there will be good days and bad days, but if the good outweigh the bad, you are on the right course.

I learned at an early age through my martial arts training—where, as a black belt and teacher, you are measured on the progress of your students—that I loved getting things done through a team as opposed to being an individual contributor. This led me into people management and my first job at Pepsi. I went on to work at ADVO and ADP before joining Intuit in 2003. I held various roles within the company before becoming CEO in 2008, and chairman in 2016.

What apps, software, or tools can’t you live without?

Time is our most precious and limited resource, therefore managing my time is my most important priority. A productivity tool that helps me is color-coding my calendar so I can see how I’m spending my time against my “100-point plan.”

I allocate my time in a 40-30-20-10 split: I spend forty percent of my time running the company through operating mechanisms and product reviews; thirty percent building our organization’s capability and leadership bench through 1:1’s, skip levels, and leadership development forums; twenty percent on outside-in learning by engaging with fellow leaders in roundtable discussions, forums and board rooms; and the last ten percent on personal growth and development, meeting with mentors and learning from others I admire. Color-coding my calendar holds me accountable and allows me to measure whether I am on track or off, so I can adjust if needed.

What’s your workspace setup like? Coffee shop with laptop and headphones? Home office with a standing desk?

I have a seated desk for when I’m focused on getting work done, a table for in-person meetings, and a video conference screen so I can meet face-to-face with people around the world.

When I’m in my office I’m surrounded by photos of my family and special memorabilia that represent the influences in my life, like my framed We Are Marshall poster, a Marshall University football, and a model of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable—with a Latin inscription that reads “leadership through serving others.” My home office is similar, with family pictures and signed photographs from my favorite movies including Forrest Gump, The Godfather, and Gladiator. Family and fighting for causes greater than oneself have always inspired me!

What’s your best time-saving shortcut or life hack?

The tip is simply-stated, but requires real commitment: never touch something more than once. For example, my email inbox is cleared every day, despite receiving several hundred emails that require action. It is not managed or sorted by an assistant. Instead, I practice the principle of read, act, file, or delete. To stay on top of it, I schedule forty-five minute meetings (versus an hour), which allows me fifteen minutes in between meetings to quickly read and act on any incoming messages.

What’s your favorite to-do list manager?

Call me old school, but I’m a pen and paper kind of guy! If I write something down I won’t forget it.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without and why?

Google Home, because it has the power of Google search at voice command. Conversational user interface (CUI) is enabling us to do things faster than ever from shopping to getting our news, and these types of gadgets have won me over. I’ve just been looking for the one that can understand my West Virginian accent, and luckily they keep getting smarter!

What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else? What’s your secret?

I’m not sure I am better than everyone else at anything, but I do write poetry. My wife and my two daughters each have poems that I’ve written for them framed on their walls. My wife has one that was written before our wedding, and another that I wrote when she chose to leave her profession to be a stay-at-home mother. Each of my daughters’ poems were written the night of their birth. While they aren’t world-class poems, they are sincere expressions of my love and gratitude for having them in my life, and for helping me strive to be a better man each and every day.

What do you listen to while you work? Got a favorite playlist? Maybe talk radio? Or do you prefer silence?

While I am a musician myself (guitar and sax) and I am constantly inspired by music, it has its place in my life. I tend to work in silence, which allows me to focus 100 percent of my concentration and energy on the task at hand. However, during a break or at home, my playlist is quite eclectic—80’s rock, contemporary country, and some classical music tossed in for good measure. Lyrics matter most to me, so good songwriters are a plus!

What are you currently reading? Or what’s something you’d recommend?

I’d highly recommend a book I recently read called Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. It’s full of amazing, inspirational stories that show that anyone, regardless of I.Q., talent, or background, can succeed if they have grit—a blend of passion and persistence. I’m a big fan of this school of thought—one of my strongest personal beliefs is that it doesn’t matter where you went to school. This book makes all of us underdogs feel like we’re just as capable as anybody else.

How do you recharge? What do you do when you want to forget about work?

Spending time with my wife and daughters is my favorite way to recharge. I also love to go to the movie theater. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been touched by the power of movies, and I find some of my greatest inspiration comes from them.

What’s your sleep routine like? Are you a night owl or early-riser?

I’ve always been a morning person, so on a typical day I get up early, around 5:30 or 5:45 a.m. I work out every morning, I do P90X and I watch [CNBC’s] Opening Bell. Then I read a couple of papers: The Wall Street Journal and the Huntington Herald Dispatch before getting into the office around 8 a.m. I usually get out of the office a little after 7 p.m., get home, have dinner, and spend time with my wife. I’m in bed about 9 p.m. That’s the program!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

My Dad is no longer with me, but the best advice I ever received was from him on making tough career choices. He offered three simple guideposts:

Surround yourself with people smarter than you: According to Dad, this was important for choosing where you work, because it ensures that you will constantly be learning and growing. With this in mind, I have always been drawn to work in organizations where the bar is high.

Volunteer for assignments no one else wants: Once you find the right environment, volunteer to work on the hardest and most unwanted problems facing the organization, because that’s where you’ll stretch yourself and be forced to grow in ways you wouldn’t have planned. In addition, every boss has something that no one wants to do, and if you volunteer to take it on, it will distinguish you from others and establish you as the “go-to person” for tough problems.

Finally, make sure you can pay your bills: The last thing Dad told me was to never prioritize big dollars and big business cards over the principles above. He cautioned that if I did, I would most likely find myself in a position where the number of bad days outweighed the good ones. As for paying my bills, Dad was always someone who fulfilled the promises he made. For him, bills were a promise of payment. So he closed by saying “but always try to make enough to pay your bills!”

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity. The How I Work series asks heroes, experts, and flat-out productive people to share their shortcuts, workspaces, routines, and more. Have someone you want to see featured, or questions you think we should ask? Email Andy.

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[londontheatre]

Charlotte Peters in Caste rehearsal – Photo by Greg Goodale

In a new production commissioned by the Finborough Theatre to mark the 150th anniversary of T. W. Robertson’s 1867 comedy – and the first UK production in over 20 years – Directed by Charlotte Peters, Caste plays at the Finborough Theatre for nine Sunday and Monday evenings and Tuesday matinees from Sunday, 2nd April 2017. 

Director Charlotte Peters recently took time out to chat about the production.

Q: An anniversary is a fair reason for a new production – but why this one and why now? Charlotte: Very few Victorian dramas and comedies survived the test of time. Despite Robertson being one of the founders of naturalism in theatre and one of the first ‘directors’ in terms of how we perceive the role today, his plays seemed to get lost over the years. Being such a fan of the play, it’s rather surprising to me that this is the first London production of Caste for decades. The 150th anniversary seemed a great reason for reviving this forgotten classic, but more than that, this seems the perfect time to bring to life a piece that at its essence is about reminding its audience that we’re all the same. The play may use class as its subject, but it feels rather apt that such a message should be celebrated just at the moment. Besides, with everything that’s been happening in the world of late, we could probably all do with a giggle and Robertson certainly knows his comedy!

Q: As the Director, what challenges do you face to make this production feel fresh? Charlotte: The brilliant thing about comedy is that it’s timeless so we’re fortunate that most of Robertson’s wonderful observations about people still exist today. That said, if one was reading the play they may find the language dated so we’ve been keen to introduce the style early on and slightly contemporise its meaning in places, and also to use the language to add to the comedy of the production. Whilst we have stayed very true to Robertson’s stage directions (he was certainly specific!), we’ve given the production a fresh edge by setting it within a Victorian photographer’s studio. In the mid to late 19th century, photography was starting to grow in popularity, and in an age where how you are perceived was vital, it felt interesting and rather fun to explore what would happen if every vulnerable moment was caught on camera.

Q: How do you ensure that the piece is seen to be authentic? Charlotte: Caste was first performed in 1867, but it is set in 1856, a year before the Indian Rebellion as two of our characters go off to defend the Empire. Despite many of the themes within Caste being timeless, it is set within an age that focused on morality, where the class system was starting to change to make room for the middle classes rising up from the Industrial Revolution, and where romanticism was spreading throughout Europe. We’ve wanted to keep hold of that setting as it’s crucial for the stakes of the play and so all costumes and props sit very much within the period. The language too, assists in the authenticity of the piece, paying homage to Old England, whilst remaining clear for a contemporary audience.

Q: What can you tell us about rehearsals and working with the cast? Charlotte: I feel like the last few weeks have mainly been spent laughing although I’m sure we got some work done too! It has been an absolute joy to share ideas and direct such a wonderful bunch of actors whilst re-discovering a brilliant comedy. I feel incredibly lucky to be working with such a brilliant cast who between them have worked for some of the most prolific theatre companies in the UK and brilliant television and film. It means Caste’s creation has truly been a collaboration of minds, greatly helped too by a fantastic creative, stage management and production team.

Q: Do you have a favourite character? (and/or a favourite line) Charlotte: My favourite character seems to change every rehearsal as they’re all so full of heart! I have started using “Confound it!” in daily life wherever possible as it’s such a brilliant exclamation – I hope to bring it back to 21st-Century vocabulary so spread the word!

Q: What is at the heart of the production? Charlotte: There’s a brilliant line in Caste: “Nobody’s a mistake. He don’t exist. Nobody’s nobody. Everybody’s somebody.” and I think that just about sums up the play. Hidden within this comedy of class prejudices is the idea that actually, we’re all the same. Caste celebrates that we may think there are fundamental differences between us and those who grew up in a completely different way to us, but fundamentally, we all want to love and to be loved. It may be a Victorian comedy, but it seems to me that never has such a simple idea seemed more important to remind ourselves of, than right now.

Paul Bradley and Susan Penhaligon in Caste – Photo by Greg Goodale

Q: What emotions do you go through on Opening Nights? Charlotte: I think I probably go through every emotion! Opening Night is about relinquishing control of something you’ve held very dear and looked after for weeks or months and so whilst it’s a very freeing experience, it can be nerve wracking too! Mostly it’s a chance to see the cast bring to life the ideas thrown about in a rehearsal room and that can be exhilarating and rather magical.

Q: Why should everyone get along to see Caste? Charlotte: If you feel that you’ve not had much to celebrate of late in terms the ever more depressing daily news that we wake up to, Caste promises to provide 90 minutes of comedic light relief whilst being full of truth. It’s an opportunity to see a wonderful collection of actors revive a brilliant piece that certainly deserves to be enjoyed by audiences for many generations to come.

*****

Director Charlotte Peters is currently Resident Director on An Inspector Calls in the West End, and will shortly be Resident Director on the National Tour of War Horse (National Theatre). Direction includes By My Strength, Jog On (Frederick’s Place Theatre), Constellations (Bread and Roses Theatre), Dram (Old Red Lion Theatre), Bark (53two), How To Make Money From Art (Phoenix Artist Club), Fame (Tallink Silja, Scandinavia), Interval (Camden People’s Theatre), And The Little One Said… (Cock Tavern) and Art and What The Butler Saw (Edinburgh Festival). Charlotte has worked as Assistant Director with Steve Marmion on Only The Brave (Soho Theatre Press Information and Wales Millennium Centre) and I’m Not Here Right Now (Soho Theatre and Edinburgh Festival), and for Steven Blakeley on Aladdin and Jack and the Beanstalk (Theatre Royal Windsor). As Associate Director, she has worked with Alastair Whatley on Birdsong and The Private Ear / The Public Eye (National Tour) and Iqbal Khan on The Importance of Being Earnest – The Musical (Theatre Royal Windsor).

“My dear fellow, nobody’s a mistake. He don’t exist. Nobody’s nobody. Everybody’s somebody.”

1867. George D’Alroy is a soldier and the son of French nobility. Esther Eccles is a beautiful ballet dancer from a poor family. When the two fall in love, two very different families are brought together.

After George leaves to serve in India, Esther must deal with a drunken father, a sister with a fierce temper and a terrifying mother in law. Not knowing whether she will ever see her love again, Esther must confront the class prejudices of Victorian England, whilst coping with the chaos created by her increasingly exasperating family members…

Widely considered both as T. W. Robertson’s masterpiece and a ground-breaking milestone in British theatre, Caste was described by George Bernard Shaw as “epoch-making”, whilst W. S. Gilbert said it “pointed the way for a whole new movement”, and when William Archer and Harley Granville Barker planned the programme for their proposed National Theatre, they were agreed that the mid-Victorian period should be “inevitably represented by its one masterpiece, Caste.”

Playwright T.W. Robertson (1829-1871) was a theatrical revolutionary. His works include Society (1865), Ours (1866) which was revived at the Finborough Theatre in 2007 for the first time in over a century, Play (1868), Progress (1869), School (1869), Birth (1870), M.P. (1870) and War (1871). Robertson was the first playwright to treat contemporary British subjects in realistic settings, and also directed his own work. Many of his most successful works were produced for the management team of Squire Bancroft and his wife Marie – buried just minutes from the Finborough Theatre in Brompton Cemetery – who were instrumental in creating the West End theatre that we know today with their innovations in the fields of stage design, theatre decoration, ensemble acting and long runs of single plays, with matinee performances.

Robertson was a huge influence on later theatre makers including Arthur Pinero, who based the character of Tom Wrench in Trelawny of the ‘Wells’ on Robertson; and W.S. Gilbert, who said that “I look upon stage management [i.e. theatre direction], as now understood, as having been absolutely invented by him.”

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Victorian classic CASTE by T. W. Robertson Directed by Charlotte Peters. Designed by Georgia de Grey. Lighting by Robbie Butler. Original music and sound design by Theo Holloway. Presented by Project One Theatre Company in association with Neil McPherson for the Finborough Theatre. Cast: Paul Bradley. Neil Chinneck. Rebecca Collingwood. Isabella Marshall. Duncan Moore. Susan Penhaligon. Ben Starr.

Finborough Theatre, 118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED http://ift.tt/NsSQwL

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What Harry Styles and Zayn can tell us about life after boy bands

One Direction is accidentally the best named boy band in the history of coordinated turtlenecks. Legend has it that Harry Styles picked it on a whim because it sounded cool after Simon Cowell gave the five boys a second chance to compete on X Factor if they were willing to go at it as a team.

For about five years, it worked remarkably well, and then the tears fell.

There’s a line in Zadie Smith’s The Autograph Man, a book about the the trappings of idolization published when Harry Styles was eight years old, that seems oddly prescient for the current situaton. Just after a line that happens to be about a character’s ruffled shift, Smith writes, “All fandom is a form of tunnel vision: warm and dark and infinite in one direction.”

And yes, there are plenty of horribly original “different directions” jokes to be made about the lads’ respective solo careers. But the truth of the matter, is that separating was the only way they could all head upwards.

Before 1D, the *NSYNC model was the best case scenario for life after a boy band’s prime years. Justin Timberlake was the one who got to keep the music career, and lives happily ever after in the A-List while the rest are relegated to TV hosting gigs. Joey Fatone’s Live Well Network show, My Family Recipe Rocks, is delightful, but it can’t be what he envisioned for himself. Or you have the Backstreet Boys, tethered together for eternity in Las Vegas playing the old hits. Harry Styles’ solo debut, out today, makes it clear that it doesn’t have to be that way anymore.

SEE ALSO: Harry Styles hasn’t quite mastered the stage dive yet, but his solo music sparkles live

Zayn Malik was, of course, the first to go. He exited the group in flames with some comments about wanting to be a normal 22-year-old but quickly came back with bold promises of #realmusic, as opposed to whatever he considered One Direction.

ZaYn

Image: MIKE WINDLE/GETTY

Malik wasn’t content to fall into traditional boy band roles and be “the shy one” when he was actually experiencing severe anxiety. Plus, he favored R&B over the classic rock influences that were beginning to dominate One Direction and he has the voice for it, so he left the band to make music that was more his speed, working with M.I.A., PartyNextDoor, and even Styles’ ex, Taylor Swift.

It’s no surprise that fans, despite some very harsh words on Twitter when he split, responded positively to the new music. One Direction was the first major boy band to treat young women with respect as music fans instead of just assuming they want washboard abs and a Max Martin hook, as great and necessary as those things can be to young fans coming of age.

When Styles was recently on the cover of Rolling Stone, Styles explained as much to Cameron Crowe, who just happened to be profiling him.

“Who’s to say that young girls who like pop music short for popular, right? have worse musical taste than a 30-year-old hipster guy? That’s not up to you to say. Music is something that’s always changing. There’s no goal posts,” he said. “Young girls like the Beatles. You gonna tell me they’re not serious? How can you say young girls don’t get it? They’re our future. Our future doctors, lawyers, mothers, presidents, they kind of keep the world going. Teenage-girl fans they don’t lie. If they like you, they’re there. They don’t act ‘too cool.’ They like you, and they tell you. Which is sick.”

Malik echoed the sentiment in his book. (Oh yeah, he has a book, some fashion collaborations and a TV show on the way, NBD.) “I think we need more women in positions of power across the world,” he wrote. “I think a lot of the world’s problems could be solved if we allowed more contribution from women.”

Instead of making the music they thought girls wanted to hear, they put a little faith in their fans and tried to make the best music they could. It paid off.

Instead of making the music they thought girls wanted to hear, they put a little faith in their fans and tried to make the best music they could. It paid off.

For Louis Tomlinson, that meant the sunny “Just Hold On” with DJ Steve Aoki, and if there is anything that’s a fairly sure bet, it’s a handsome boy with a devout social media following dipping his toes into EDM. Sometimes, I imagine I’m in a The Graduate situation, at pool party. Instead giving the tip “plastics” to a lost boy unsure what to do with his potential, I whisper, “EDM” into his ear. While Aoki is a veteran of the scene at this point, “Just Hold On” is actually his highest charting single in both the UK and the USA, where the song hit #2 and #52, respectively.

Liam Payne, meanwhile, signed a record deal with Republic in 2016. Like Tomlinson, his ambition has some EDM leanings, but he’s got his eye on hip hop, as well. He previously released a single with Juicy J and Wiz Khalifa and has a new single with Migos’ Quavo out on May 19.

Niall Horan and Styles were always the most likely to hit the ground running with One Direction’s ’70s rock influence. Horan, the guitar-wielding Irish man, was the most involved in the group’s songwriting process and Styles baked a damn carrot cake for Stevie Nicks on her birthday. Horan beat Styles to the punch releasing his first solo single, the sweet acoustic number “This Town,” but Styles’ solo album came first.

A good suit.

Image: mike coppola/Getty Images

He considered calling it Pink, because The Clash’s Paul Simonon once said that, “Pink is the only true rock & roll color.” Nearly every review of Harry Styles has focused on Harry Styles, the rock star, in an age when the form is limp. “Sign of the Times,” the lead single, is a bold statement of intention to fill that void. Styles announced the Bowie-channeling tune exactly 20 years after the Prince album the song borrows its name from was released.

But he ended up simply going with Harry Styles instead, and it’s a fitting choice. In interviews, he’s wants to make it clear how honest the lyrics are as he avoids getting into details about just about everything. “I didn’t want to write ‘stories,'” he told Rolling Stone. “I wanted to write my stories, things that happened to me. The number-one thing was I wanted to be honest. I hadn’t done that before.” Styles knows he’s not reinventing the wheel, but what he can offer that no one else can is a direct line into his psyche.

“Mature” details of the album will inevitably be sensationalized, sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll were never really absent from One Direction (sample lyric: “waking up beside you, I’m a loaded gun.”) The main difference is that now it doesn’t have to be sung with a wink.

Communication, or lack thereof, is the album’s focus. Styles desperately wants people to say what they mean. “Tell me something I don’t already know,” he begs and begs on “Ever Since New York.” Hell, he doesn’t even use emoji, as he confessed to the crowd at his very first solo show.

At his most confessional, the soft, Eliott Smith-indebted, “From the Dining Table,” Styles begs for resolution. “Woke up alone in this hotel room. Played with myself, where were you? Fell back to sleep, I got drunk by noon,” he confesses. “I’ve never felt less cool.”

The mumbling masturbator is, of course, not a traditional boy band archetype, and definitely not what would be expected of “the cute one.” But thanks in large part to the infinite feedback loop of fandom online, it’s what we know fans needed to hear. The boy they worship (and the subject of their own erotic fan fiction) gets lonely, too.

It’s too early to tell what the longevity of the One Direction boys solo careers will be, but they’re already tipping towards a higher success rate than any previous boy band. Their increasingly web-savvy fans seem poised to ensure a decent run.

Pop groups are no longer a survival of the fittest. They’re better prepared to service the passions and desires of their young, predominately female fanbase better than ever and even grow up with them after they grow up and start running the world.

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